Chapter 329 First Clues Emerge, Five Strange Circumstances
Under the eaves of the teahouse, the hustle and bustle seemed to be kept at bay.
The group sat down around an old tea table, the atmosphere subtle and intimate.
Hua Li cut to the chase, "If you want to get out, you need to share information. I'm not just making this up; I actually have some leads." She paused, "But there's no such thing as a free lunch, you know?"
Fu Yan, being the first to speak out of courtesy, lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, and a faint light flashed, revealing a diagram drawn out of thin air.
"Based on the energy flow rules here, I deduced that the anomalies have spread to the entire cultivation world, with a total of five points of anomaly."
Wen Tingyun chuckled lightly, “I have also discovered something interesting.” His gaze swept over an ancient tree outside the teahouse, its branches gnarled and its flowers in full bloom.
"When I passed by that cherry blossom tree in the south of the city just now, the style and extent of damage of the broken stele under the tree must have taken nearly ten thousand years to form."
He looked at Huali, his eyes deepening. "This is not the present time and space, but most likely a replica of a scene from ten thousand years ago."
Everyone was taken aback.
Mu Feng continued, "If it takes ten thousand years and can replicate the entire cultivation world, then this person's cultivation level is probably far above the Tribulation Transcending stage."
But after reaching the Great Perfection of the Tribulation Transcending Stage... comes ascension.
“The energy… is not right.” Li Yuan frowned. “The flow of spiritual energy in these five places shows signs of intermittent depletion, rather than natural dissipation.”
Huali gave Steward Ao a casual massage, and after listening, she concluded: "All of this proves one thing, that is, this place is a 'past tense' that someone has carefully preserved, and it must be doing this to hide something core."
"As for me, I can tell you very clearly that there is indeed a key hidden in this illusion."
"A key?" Wen Tingyun did not question it, but after a moment of contemplation, he had an idea. "If we need a key to find the exit, then these five places are the most likely targets."
He casually pointed and said, "I'll go to the Misty Sect to find out what's going on."
Huali glanced at it: "!"
Fu Yan marked the entire cultivation world's trajectory. The Misty Sect was tens of thousands of miles away, and a round trip would take at least three days.
Seeing the little girl's eyes widen, Li Yuan pursed his lips and explained, "The illusion is not the real world. Using spiritual power, it takes only half an incense stick's time to travel back and forth."
Hua Li suddenly realized, glanced at him, and smiled, "I see, thank you, Li Yuan."
A gentle light flashed in Li Yuan's obsidian-like eyes. "Then I will go to the Starfall Tower."
Fu Yan's gaze swept over the energy diagram he had drawn, and his fingertip landed on the most exquisite and complex node. "Qingyun Sect, I'm going."
Mu Feng coughed lightly, "I will take care of the Purple Cloud Immortal Palace."
As if by prior arrangement, the group reserved the nearest cherry blossom tree in the south of the city for Huali.
"Then I'll go take a look at the south side of the city."
"Meet here in one incense stick's time." Fu Yan confirmed the time, glanced at Hua Li, and said, "Be careful."
"You too, information is valuable, but security is even more precious."
With the plan finalized, the five people did not hesitate and sped off towards their respective target areas.
*
Huali walked slowly towards the stone bridge, weaving through the gradually thinning crowd.
Her attention was quickly drawn to it.
The enormous cherry blossom trees were in full bloom beside the bridge. The petals fluttered like snow, silently covering the bluestone bridge surface.
Several red carp swam in the water, their tail fins creating long, slow ripples.
A person was sitting on the bridge.
He wore a plain white long robe, his black hair loosely tied with a simple knot, and a few strands of hair gently brushed against his handsome profile in the wind.
The person had their head tilted slightly back, and their figure looked thin and fragile.
The moment Ao Bai saw the other person, his pupils suddenly narrowed to the size of needles.
Meow Meow King stared intently at the figure in white, the images flashing through his mind like a movie.
This person! This person! It has seen him before.
Huali sensed Aobai's unease and immediately reached out to pat its little head. After hesitating for a moment, she finally stepped forward.
She had a premonition that the energy here was definitely related to the person in front of her.
The soles of my shoes made a soft rustling sound as I stepped on the fallen petals.
The young man, who had been sitting as still as a statue, seemed to be startled by the subtle sound and turned his head with an extremely slow and hesitant manner.
His gaze fell on Huali.
Those were exceptionally clear eyes, with a touch of red at the corners, like a koi swaying in a pond, but the eyes themselves were empty and devoid of anything.
The young man simply watched her quietly, neither attacking her nor showing any desire to speak.
For some reason, Karin almost instinctively lowered her breathing to greet him: "Um... hello?"
There was no response.
"Hello, I mean no harm, it's just..."
The young man seemed not to hear and looked at Fei Ying again.
Completely ignored, Karin: "..."
*
The worst thing is when a space suddenly goes quiet~
In the following days, Huali tried several methods, but all of them ended in failure!
Even the most socially adept person can't tolerate passive-aggressive behavior.
"Fellow Daoist, can you hear me?"
"Are you looking at the cherry blossoms? They are indeed very beautiful, but it must be tiring for you to stay in the same position for so long."
Do you live nearby?
......
No matter what Huali said, the young man did not react at all.
Any noise was to him just the rustling of the wind through the cherry blossoms, or the swaying of the koi carp under the bridge; it couldn't penetrate the absolute barrier surrounding him.
Huali was at a loss.
She looked at Ao Bai, hoping that Chief Steward Ao could come up with some ideas.
You wouldn't believe it until you see it, and what you find is quite shocking.
Ao Bai kept his eyes fixed on the young man from beginning to end, never looking away for a moment.
"He wouldn't happen to be your former host, would he?" Huali started stirring things up.
“Go away, you’re the only host for King Meow Meow.” Steward Ao provided plenty of emotional support. “But he always gives me a sour feeling. I’m sure I’ve seen him before.”
"It seems like it was an autumn day—sunset—falling into the night—" King Pear was completely at a loss.
To be able to get a social bull like this is quite impressive in some ways.
Seeing that time was running out, Huali casually took out a water-type card, intending to first look around for any clues.
But in that very instant!
The young man in white, who had been like a delicate doll, seemingly indifferent to his surroundings, suddenly turned his head!
His movements were no longer slow and sluggish, but so fast that they left a blur!
Empty eyes, fixed on the card in Karin's hand!
—It wasn't doubt, it wasn't curiosity, but rather... a profound sense of familiarity, and a burning anger and despair!
"You...too...!" A hoarse growl, filled with endless pain and hatred, squeezed out of his throat!
In that instant, his eyes turned bloodshot, as if they were bleeding.
Huali: "!"
Whoosh! Giving her no time to react—
The youth's figure disintegrated, transforming into countless fluttering cherry blossom petals and glistening water droplets, which plunged into the flowing water beneath the bridge.
The red carp scattered in fright, and in the blink of an eye, the bridge railing was empty.
Huali stood frozen in place, her hand holding the card suspended in mid-air, her mind buzzing.
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