"Fairy Linglong — could she be that consort of the Tiankui Divine Wolf who returned from the lower realm? I've heard that this Fellow Daoist Linglong is not only a direct descendant of Senior Ao Xiao but also deeply favored by the Wolf King?" The purple-haired young woman, though a human cultivator, seemed well aware of the matter and asked with some surprise.
"Indeed, it is this Fellow Daoist Linglong. When she first returned from the lower realm, her cultivation was only at the Late Deity Transformation stage, but the last time we met she had already advanced to the peak of mid-stage Void Refinement, on the cusp of breaking through to the late stage. Before the demonic catastrophe descends, she may very well have another opportunity to break through. After all, this woman's talent was well-known even among the Silver Moon Wolf Clan. Had she not been trapped in the lower realm for so long, she might have already become one of us." The masked woman spoke with a trace of lament.
"No matter how exceptional her talent, to advance so rapidly after spending several hundred years at Senior Ao Xiao's side — that truly demonstrates the vast power of Senior Ao Xiao. But if she is already the Wolf King's favored consort, why would Senior Ao Xiao keep Fellow Daoist Linglong by his side? Could it be that Senior Ao Xiao deliberately did so with some other purpose in mind?" The purple-haired young woman grew intrigued and pressed further with a few more questions.
"This humble concubine is not entirely clear on that. However, I have vaguely heard others in the clan mention that after Fairy Linglong was freed from the lower realm this time, some friction arose between her and Fellow Daoist Tiankui. It was Senior Ao Xiao who took the initiative to bring Fairy Linglong away. Perhaps Fairy Linglong harbors deep resentment over being trapped in the lower realm for so many years while the Wolf King did nothing." The masked woman hesitated briefly before offering her speculation.
"Enough. Since Senior Ao Xiao is well, we need not continue speculating about the affairs of other fellow daoists. Let us now turn to the matter of the approaching envoys from the Yaksha Clan and the Wood Clan. These two clans have most likely sent representatives here in response to the demonic catastrophe." The white-robed elder abruptly changed the subject.
The others' expressions turned solemn, and they immediately focused their attention.
And so, time passed bit by bit.
The Heavenmend City elders deliberated for the better part of the day before finally dispersing.
Two days later, within Heavenmend City, a teleportation formation that led to a distant location suddenly flashed to life. Two figures appeared at the center of the formation and vanished in an instant.
At the same time, in a great hall within another massive city far from Heavenmend City, a loud humming sound erupted.
A carefully guarded teleportation formation blazed with brilliant white light.
Several halberd-wielding armored guards standing nearby, chatting idly, were startled and all turned to look.
Although this teleportation formation was highly valued by the city's high-ranking figures — maintained regularly and watched with extreme vigilance — the exorbitant teleportation fees meant that very few people actually used it. One might not see it activated even a handful of times in a year.
But anyone who did activate this teleportation formation naturally could not be a low or mid-level cultivator.
When the Core Formation guards saw two figures appear at the center of the formation, they immediately straightened their postures and assumed expressions of proper respect.
"Is this Maple Forest City?" One of the two figures who had teleported through — a young man — swept his gaze over the guards and asked one of them mildly.
"Reporting to the senior. This is indeed Maple Forest City. Welcome, senior!" The addressed guard replied respectfully.
These men had already swept the pair with their spiritual sense and found themselves unable to gauge the depth of their cultivation, so they naturally did not dare show the slightest discourtesy.
"Good, this is Maple Forest City." The young man smiled briefly, paid no further attention to the guards, and walked out of the formation with a jade-skinned woman beside him, heading straight for the main exit.
The two of them were none other than Han Li and Fairy Xu, who had teleported directly from Heavenmend City.
Although the Xu family was not located in Maple Forest City, this was the nearest city to which a teleportation was available.
Han Li and Fairy Xu passed through several layers of guards and finally emerged from the teleportation hall.
Before them lay a vast flagstone plaza.
The plaza was remarkably plain — apart from the massive blue-gray flagstones, there was no other noteworthy decoration.
But surrounding the plaza were various buildings resembling pavilions and halls. A few patrol squads of guards marched back and forth nearby, yet no other cultivators walked about.
Han Li extended his spiritual sense further, and his expression shifted slightly.
The plaza had been built on the mountainside of a peak over a thousand zhang tall, and at the foot of the mountain, densely packed houses and rows upon rows of orderly streets stretched in every direction.
Han Li turned his gaze toward the summit.
A small palace stood at the top, its exterior exceptionally ornate. Within it, he could faintly sense several auras — all at the Void Refinement stage.
These, then, must be the high-ranking cultivators responsible for the city.
Han Li's eyes flickered, and he immediately withdrew his spiritual sense.
Then, expressionless, he flicked his sleeve. A wave of azure radiance swept out, enveloping both himself and the woman beside him, and they transformed into a streak of brilliant light that shot into the sky and vanished.
In a side chamber of the palace on the mountain's peak, three Void Refinement cultivators sat around a long table laden with spirit fruits and fine wine, seemingly enjoying a pleasant conversation.
But moments later, they exchanged startled glances, disbelief flickering in their eyes.
"What just happened? That spiritual sense was incredibly powerful — what Spirit Severing senior just arrived in our city?" An elder in dark robes murmured to himself.