Chapter 3: Under the Cloak of Black Fog (3)
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Outside Ground City, looking up at the thick black fog from below was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. It loomed over the landscape like a giant, unwelcome guest at a party that nobody wanted to attend.
To make matters worse, the surface of that black fog looked like it was crawling with a mass of maggots, squirming and reshaping in a way that could make anyone lose their lunch.
Wind Yalin led Tan Ziyan out of the black fog and, glancing back, nearly tossed her cookies. That place was so gross, she had no intention of stepping foot back in there again.
Unfortunately, during her chat with Tan Ziyan, she found herself trapped in a conversational dead end, like a hamster running on a wheel with no escape in sight.
Just as they were winding down their chat, a sudden black shadow sprang from the distance, speeding towards them like it was training for a sprinting competition.
Without missing a beat, she drew her short sword and slipped into the shadows.
Tan Ziyan quickly dropped to the ground, trying to minimize her profile.
But at that moment, the shadow that had been charging toward them came to a sudden halt, “Thud!” It half-knelt on the ground and cried out in a voice that was almost sobbing, “Lord Wind, I’m a wolf demon!”
Tan Ziyan tightly gripped her whip, fully prepared for mutual destruction, totally unprepared for the wolf demon to pull this stunt.
Lord Wind? Is that the masked girl they just met?
Wind Yalin slowly materialized in front of the wolf demon and, seeing its droopy demeanor, felt a mix of confusion and amusement.
“I told you to go back and find your master, so why are you…”
The wolf demon replied with a pained expression, “Lord Wind, you don’t understand! There are ghosts here!”
“No matter which direction I run, I end up right back where I started, like I’m stuck in some supernatural merry-go-round.”
Wind Yalin gasped, “Seriously?”
Tan Ziyan had been half-listening and picked up on the wolf demon’s plight.
While she didn’t get why a monster would call Wind Yalin “Lord”, clearly, this wasn’t the time to discuss that!
If what the wolf demon said was true, then even if Wind Yalin agreed to help her get word to the six great sects, they wouldn’t be able to leave this place.
How bizarre—Ground City was mostly flat grassy fields with hardly a tree in sight, so why would there be a “ghost wall” here?
Wind Yalin, skeptical but curious, said, “Stay put. I’ll take a look.”
The wolf demon didn’t look like it was joking, but she had to see for herself to be sure.
Wind Yalin turned to face the massive black fog behind her, took a deep breath, and sprinted straight ahead.
Its figure quickly disappeared from the wolf demon’s view.
But it wasn’t long before—
Soft footsteps echoed from afar.
Tan Ziyan, still looking in the direction where Wind Yalin had vanished, went as pale as a ghost.
She’d just seen—was that Wind Yalin sprinting towards them from another direction at an incredible speed?
Wind Yalin seemed to notice something was off too. She gradually slowed down, looking up at the big mass of black fog above her head in bewilderment.
Without noticing, her direction had flipped around, sending her right back to where she started.
The wolf demon sighed in resignation, “If even Lord Wind can’t leave this place, it looks like we’re doomed.”
Wind Yalin didn’t pay the wolf demon any mind; instead, she paused to reflect on what she’d just experienced.
She had indeed been running with her back to the black fog, facing the endless wilderness.
When had her direction been unknowingly twisted around, drawing an arc that she herself hadn’t noticed, steering her right back to the point of origin?
Luckily, the emergency return function of her character card was still intact.
If Wind Yalin found herself truly trapped here with no way out, she would have no choice but to sacrifice this character card for a chance at survival.
Compared to others, she had a backup chance, which gave her just enough confidence to keep going.
She decisively said, “Wolf demon, stay here to protect this elder. I’ll go back in for another look; there might be something we haven’t discovered yet.”
“Understood, my lord.”
The wolf demon would’ve loved to join Wind Yalin back into the fog, but its earlier attempts had drained nearly all its energy.
However, Wind Yalin’s arrangement left Tan Ziyan feeling a bit uncomfortable.
After all, since entering Thousand Bird City, she had barely interacted with anyone, let alone getting this close to a monster.
But seeing Wind Yalin’s unproductive attempts had quashed her hopes of reaching the six great sects.
The detox pills had helped a little, giving her some energy to save herself.
Still, should she really put all her hopes on a woman she barely knew, whose identity was still a mystery?
Recalling her earlier request for help from Wind Yalin, she noted the disdain in Wind Yalin’s words toward Li Ying Tian. It seemed this peculiar alliance of human and demon might have had some past dealings with their sect leader.
Tan Ziyan began to form half-baked thoughts in her mind.
The surrounding area was eerily quiet.
The wolf demon hadn’t moved closer than about seven or eight meters, obviously wary of alarming the strange woman by encroaching too soon.
They both found comfort in keeping a safe distance.
Time passed—and Wind Yalin had been gone for a while.
Neither of them seemed interested in striking up a conversation, so maintaining the current atmosphere felt perfectly fine.
Who knew how long Wind Yalin would be gone? All they should focus on was resting to regain their strength.
Tan Ziyan slowly closed her eyes. Even now, the wound from the rain flower needle still throbbed faintly; she was down to a mere quarter of her full power.
If she encountered those human lackeys who aided tyranny, she probably wouldn’t last long.
But one curious thing stood out.
Even though they were right on the outskirts of the black fog and not far from Ground City, there weren’t any patrolling soldiers in sight.
It was as if all the guards had decided to focus their energies on the black fog and ignore everything outside.
But then it hit her—if the surrounding fog didn’t allow anyone to escape, how could she be chased by enemies inside?
It made no sense!
And just then, she heard faint footsteps by her ear.
Was that the wolf demon?
What did it want?
She gripped her whip tightly and shot her eyes open to scold him.
If he backed off, she’d let him off easy out of respect for that masked woman—for now.
But when her eyes fell on the wolf demon, she found it slumped over on the ground, half its head gone, bl**d pooling everywhere.
She was so shocked that chills ran down her spine, and her whip immediately swung toward the source of the footsteps.
“Crack!”
The whip made a sharp sound in the air—only to hit nothing but air.
A ghostly shadow whooshed past Tan Ziyan, snapping her neck like a twig.
That was the last sound she heard before darkness closed in around her.
……
Time passed—how long, she couldn’t tell.
Suddenly, Tan Ziyan shot up from her bed, drenched in cold sweat.
Wiping her brow, she glanced around.
Outside the window, darkness loomed like thick ink, with not a flicker of starlight in sight.
What a bizarre turn of events! How did she suddenly fall asleep?
She distinctly remembered that before dusk, the sunset had been so brilliant; she even lingered by the window for one last look.
Who’d have thought she would blink and wake up in the middle of the night?
She had never been one to sleep like that before.
Could something be wrong in Thousand Bird City?
As an elder of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, how could she sit idly by?
Tan Ziyan sprang out of bed, her face brimming with determination.
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