### Chapter 2: Under the Black Mist (2)
==============================
Sorry, Elder Tan!
Sure, there’s a tiny bit of guilt tugging at my heartstrings, but for a player who’s willing to do whatever it takes to complete a mission, that sentiment has long been drowned out by thoughts of the glorious rewards to come.
Besides, I bet the whip in Tan Ziyan’s hand is a high-grade weapon. Even if I can’t use it, trading it for Spirit Coins sounds pretty sweet, right?
With that in mind, I plunged my sword toward her throat, thinking to put her out of her misery quickly.
But just as the blade was about to pierce her throat, I heard a “ding” sound. Cold Little Rain’s right hand trembled, and suddenly a surge of power hit her, causing the sword to fly right out of her hands and spin a few times in the air before landing firmly in the ground.
When she regained her senses, the barely breathing Tan Ziyan had somehow vanished into thin air.
The online audience erupted.
“What the heck just happened? Tan Ziyan looks like this and still has a backup plan?”
“Wait, did I just see a dark shadow suddenly appear and then poof, vanish?”
“Call me the Screenshot Master! Everyone, look!”
One user who had been single for thirty years actually posted a screenshot.
It captured a slender black figure squatting down to pick up Tan Ziyan right at that moment.
[Ding! Official Announcement: An unknown third-party force has appeared. Due to insufficient numbers and a lack of analysis samples, the victory rates related to this third-party force and mercenary system will not be updated for now.]
“Wow! Official evidence! It’s a third-party force!”
“What a shame, just a silhouette. But I’m betting she’s a real beauty.”
“Ha ha! Cold Little Rain just hit a dead end! That Rain Needle isn’t cheap, it costs hundreds of Spirit Coins, and now it’s just gone down the drain!”
As the audience pointed out, Cold Little Rain was utterly bewildered. All her calculations went out the window when she discovered that a third-party force was indeed lurking within the black mist. What were they doing rescuing Tan Ziyan?
[Ding! Mission Update!
Find Tan Ziyan and her accomplices, and k*ll them!
Rewards doubled from the original.]
Players who casually joined the alliance looked like they’d just been injected with adrenaline as they swarmed into the Ground City cloaked in black mist, determined to track down their mission targets.
Meanwhile, Feng Yalin was helping Tan Ziyan as they slipped into the darkness and successfully made their way out of the mist, leaving Ground City behind.
Tan Ziyan was incredulous.
To her, the black mist that trapped Thousand Bird City seemed exceedingly strange. It looked wispy and fluffy like fog but was as solid as a brick wall. Not even a single finger could be poked through!
Otherwise, how could she have traveled all the way from Floating City to Ground City looking for an exit?
But, surprisingly, this Masked Woman managed to lead her out with such ease!
This only fueled her curiosity about the identity of the Masked Woman.
Unfortunately, as the poison slowly coursed through her body, Tan Ziyan felt her breaths getting heavier.
Feng Yalin, being an assassin and all, reliably carried some unknown detox pills with her. Seeing Tan Ziyan in distress, she stuffed all of them down her throat without a second thought.
Even if it only bought her a moment more to live, it was worth it.
After all, the best insights into the truth behind the black mist hovering over Thousand Bird City would come from someone who experienced it firsthand.
She might even have seen the missing Shiyuan.
After a moment, Tan Ziyan’s complexion finally improved a bit.
Feng Yalin leaned Tan Ziyan against a big rock, sitting cross-legged across from her, taking a deep breath.
Phew… finally time to ask some questions.
“What on earth happened in there?”
Tan Ziyan was more than happy to answer her questions; after all, if it weren’t for the Masked Woman’s timely rescue, she wouldn’t be alive to chat right now.
“To be precise, I don’t know either. The last thing I remember is seeing the sunset where the sky meets the horizon.
After that, I passed out without realizing it; the next time I woke up, everything around was pitch black.”
“What then?” Feng Yalin prompted.
“A few of my maids came in, lit the oil lamps and candles.
That’s when I noticed the thick black mist enveloping Floating City. Even the brightest flames couldn’t pierce through it.
And even scarier, the city was utterly deserted. The Inner Door Disciples’ quarters and the Immortal Beast Garden were just as empty.”
Feng Yalin frowned slightly, sensing a similarity between Tan Ziyan’s description and the eerie silence she’d encountered when she first entered Ground City, but there was something different about it.
“So how did you end up in Ground City?”
Tan Ziyan sighed, “One can’t just sit around and wait for doom. Floating City is the heart of Thousand Bird City, but with no one guarding it, it’s like leaving the front door wide open.
I knew the Sect Leader wasn’t in the city. If I had the chance, I didn’t want to see Thousand Bird City fall into enemy hands, so I took these few underlings and ran around trying to find a way out of here.
Later, we discovered there seemed to be a gap in Ground City, and if we could break through…”
Feng Yalin interrupted, “From what I know, Li Ying Tian should have returned to Thousand Bird City two hours ago. Did you not run into him?
And just as I arrived, there were several explosions in Floating City.
Even the black mist was temporarily devoured by flames.
With all that commotion, did you not notice?”
Tan Ziyan froze.
She hadn’t seen any of the events Feng Yalin described.
At that time, Floating City was eerily quiet; if there’d been any noise, she would have heard it instantly.
It was as if they existed in entirely different dimensions, yet here they were, sitting together, entwined in what no one could comprehend.
Feng Yalin pressed her temples, feeling a bit disheartened.
She hadn’t expected that after saving Tan Ziyan, her understanding of the situation in Thousand Bird City would not only not improve but become even murkier.
What in the world was happening to Thousand Bird City?
Looks like she had to personally visit Floating City to uncover the truth.
“Okay, one last question.
Have you seen a somewhat goofy young boy? He has a huge appetite and is built like a tank. You know, the kind that seems invulnerable.
As for his looks, he’s not too shabby; not unpleasant to the eyes.”
Although Feng Yalin didn’t hold out much hope that Tan Ziyan had seen Shiyuan, she figured it didn’t hurt to ask.
Tan Ziyan indeed shook her head, indicating she hadn’t seen him.
Feng Yalin hadn’t expected much anyway, but with a sigh, she knew she had to head to Floating City at all costs.
Just then, Tan Ziyan suddenly grabbed her hand, pleading, “Miss, can I ask you for a favor? My personal safety is minor, but Thousand Bird City must not fall into enemy hands. They are likely after the forbidden ground of Floating City, where many secrets lie. If the enemies discover them, the current balance of the three realms could be turned upside down in an instant.”
Feng Yalin replied, “So what do you want me to do?”
“Please have the six major Immortal Gates send help quickly; if we wait any longer, it will all be in vain.”
Feng Yalin shook her head, “Sorry, I don’t have time right now. Li Ying Tian, as the Sect Leader, should take responsibility for his own mistakes. Why should I, an outsider, worry about it?”
“Ah…”
Tan Ziyan stood there, somewhat baffled by her words.
Just then, a shadow suddenly dashed toward them from a distance.
……
P.S. By the way, can I still ask for votes? We’re just one step away from 4000 monthly votes!
Let’s aim for four updates today!
