The escape of everyone in this base further confirmed what Shi Xuan had been thinking: his suspicions about the Lord of Cloud City.

It's unrealistic to think that such a large-scale relocation could escape everyone's notice in such a bustling city.

Who had the ability to cover up their evacuation? The answer is self-evident.

This incident led Shi Xuan to speculate even further, such as why the city lord would protect them. Was the city lord one of them, or was there some conflict of interest between them?

Or perhaps the city lord also ate the Cixi Fruit?

However, until the truth is known, all of this is still just Shi Xuan's conjecture. After they destroyed the entire underground palace, they stood on their swords above this area, looking down at the location of the underground palace, which had become a ruin.

The explosion affected a wide area, with at least a hundred houses reportedly destroyed.

It's hard to say how many of these are genuine private residences, but they certainly harbor many of the "eyes" of the [Newborn] organization on the ground.

This time when they came out, the city lord had already disappeared.

Come to think of it, he was just nervous and wanted to hold them off. Now that the underground palace is destroyed, the things he was worried about have happened, and things have settled down. It would be bad for him to reappear in the sight of the Five Sects Alliance.

But Shi Xuan had no intention of going back just like that.

She looked at Shi Mingxiu and said, "Sect Master, there are many suspicious points here. I suspect that City Lord Zhu Yi has a problem. I plan to go to the City Lord's Mansion to investigate."

Shi Mingxiu nodded. He had his own assessment of the situation: "You should go with your master. Be careful. I'll lead everyone to look for traces of their escape. So many people have fled; they need a place to stay."

The group split up from here. Shi Xuan went to the city lord's mansion with Lin Daozi, while Shi Mingxiu led the large force he had finally managed to gather to search for traces outside the city.

Because of the past favor of Shi Xuan in healing the dantian of the city lord's daughter, the father and daughter had already invited her to visit Yunzhong City when she had time, so it didn't feel abrupt for Shi Xuan to come to their door now.

When Zhu Yi was seen again at the City Lord's Mansion, his expression was slightly unnatural, as if he was only now showing the embarrassment caused by Shi Xuan's direct suspicion at the entrance of the underground palace.

Shi Xuan, as if nothing had happened, laughed and said, "City Lord Zhu, we were honored by your invitation when we were at the Luoyin Sect. This time, my master and I thought it would be a pity to go back now that we've come to Cloud City. Everyone says that Cloud City is a holy place for travel, and we would like to see it for ourselves and stay here for a few days."

Zhu Yi laughed heartily and said, "Lingyun has been talking about you a lot, asking me when Sister Shixuan can come to Cloud City. She's been looking forward to it for a long time!"

As she spoke, she poured tea for Shi Xuan, and her expression showed no sign of anything amiss.

But Shi Xuan felt that he had a faint sense of fatigue, and the smile did not reach his eyes. It was a sixth sense, an inexplicable feeling.

Shi Xuan picked up her teacup and pretended to take a sip, but in reality, she secretly poured some tea into Yin Shuang's teacup. Although she could see nothing wrong with the tea, since she had already listed the city lord as a suspect, Shi Xuan thought it best to be careful.

“That’s great,” Shi Xuan said, putting down his teacup. “I’ve been wanting to see how Lingyun is recovering since her last treatment. During my stay in Cloud City, let Lingyun be my guide.”

"How could we do that!" Zhu Yi hurriedly said, "It is our honor that Fellow Daoist Shi and True Person Lin have come to Cloud City. Naturally, I will accompany them throughout the entire journey."

Shi Xuan quickly waved his hand: "No, please. With the city lord by my side, how can I have any fun? It's all just formalities."

Zhu Yi glanced subtly at Lin Daozi, who had been sitting silently to the side, as if to say, "You still have your master with you."

Lin Daozi added at the opportune moment, "Let the children play together. I doubt they'd be interested in the places I want to go."

This means that during the few days he was here, Shi Xuan and Zhu Lingyun would travel together, and he would not participate, thus silencing Zhu Yi's desire to follow.

Zhu Yi had no choice but to nod in agreement and sent someone to the backyard to call Zhu Lingyun out.

Upon seeing Shi Xuan, Zhu Lingyun genuinely smiled. She happily ran over and excitedly called out to Shi Xuan, "Sister Shi Xuan, you've finally arrived! You promised to come to Yunzhong City to see me last time at Luoyin Sect, and I've been waiting for you for so long!"

"Here it comes." Shi Xuan took the opportunity to grab her wrist and sense the fluctuations of her spiritual energy.

"Sure, your physical condition is quite good. You've probably recovered to the level you were in before the injury."

"It needs to be even better!" Zhu Lingyun smiled sweetly. "Now, I think of Sister Shixuan every day when I cultivate. If it weren't for Sister Shixuan, I'm afraid I would be dead by now!"

Shi Xuan smiled and said, "That means our fate has arrived, so we were destined to meet."

“I love listening to Sister Shixuan speak the most,” Zhu Lingyun stepped forward and took Shixuan’s arm, saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to the guest courtyard first.”

Shi Xuan was the one who healed Zhu Lingyun's dantian; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him her savior. She and her master came to the City Lord's Mansion as guests, so naturally, she received the best treatment.

Whether Zhu Yi's welcome was genuine or feigned, he arranged the best guest house for them, striving to ensure that the master and disciple had the best experience in Cloud City.

Zhu Lingyun, arm in arm with Shi Xuan, and Zhu Yi, accompanying Lin Daozi, personally escorted the two to the guest courtyard.

The main city covers a vast area and has many guest houses. The ones arranged for them this time are built right by the lake, so they can see the lake as soon as they step out of their residences, making for a very pleasant view.

As Zhu Lingyun walked, she explained the scenery and its origins to Shi Xuan. Shi Xuan responded with a smile, and for a moment, the two were very happy, creating a scene of guests and hosts enjoying themselves.

Shi Xuan could tell that Zhu Lingyun was genuinely happy, her joy coming from the bottom of her heart. She seemed to have no friends and was bored spending all her time alone in the city lord's mansion.

After Zhu Yi left, Lin Daozi also returned to his room, and Zhu Lingyun became noticeably more lively.

Shi Xuan asked casually, "There must be quite a few cultivators living in Cloud City, right? Don't you have any friends of similar age to play with?"

Zhu Lingyun's face darkened noticeably, and she sighed with a hint of melancholy. "My father said that it's impossible to tell which people outside have ulterior motives, so it's best not to associate with them. He also forbids me from hanging out with others and has given me many cultivation techniques, making me use them to relieve boredom all day long. I don't really want to do that at all!"