The empty city was destroyed (15)
An eerie fog enveloped the palace, the grayish-white mist swirling through the passageways like countless transparent hands gently caressing the cold stone walls, stirring up an unsettling chill.
The houses appeared and disappeared in the fog, as if being gradually swallowed up, leaving only blurry outlines. The air was filled with a damp smell, mixed with the musty odor emanating from the ancient stone bricks, making it difficult to breathe.
The palace corridors appeared exceptionally deep and secluded in the mist, as if leading to an unknown abyss.
Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu wandered through the palace, only to find that there wasn't a single living person in the vast palace. The only sound was the clanging of chains echoing in the mist, making their hearts clench.
The sound of chains came from all directions, making it impossible to tell where to hide. Fortunately, Yun Yanqiu was good at locating sounds, and he led Ye Yingying around the corridor, managing to avoid being caught by the sound.
However, neither of them knew much about the layout of the palace, and their constant hiding was quite passive. They wandered around for a while but couldn't find a way out.
The thick fog had no idea when it would dissipate, so the two could only try to avoid it while searching for a way out.
As they hid, Ye Yingying realized that the sound of chains was becoming more frequent, as if they were being approached in an organized manner.
Yun Yanqiu also realized this problem, and he had to listen more attentively to the direction of the sound in order to find a suitable opportunity.
Just then, bright footsteps suddenly came from nearby. Some were light, some were heavy, and they were not far from the two of them.
The two were stunned, momentarily unsure whether the footsteps were friend or foe.
Ye Yingying looked up and exchanged a glance with Yun Yanqiu. They decided to conceal themselves and observe the identity of the newcomers from the shadows.
They pressed themselves against the corner of the wall, peering in the direction of the footsteps, watching the blurry black figure gradually become clearer.
Just as they were about to get a clear look at the dark figure, a clear female voice suddenly rang out: "Are you sure this is the way? I remember there was a dead end ahead?"
“It’s a dead end, but we can climb over the wall; it’s the shortest route,” another voice replied. “The prison guards have already noticed us, so it’s safer to take the shortcut.”
"Then you climb first, and we'll cover your retreat."
A third voice came, and Ye Yingying was startled. She leaned out halfway to look and almost bumped into the person.
"Holy crap!" Zhao Yuxiao was startled when he saw the dark figure suddenly appear in front of him. He slammed on the brakes to steady himself, and upon closer inspection, he was overjoyed. "Miss Ying'er?!"
"And Senior Yun too!"
As expected, it was Zhao Yuxiao and his group. Upon seeing this, Ye Yingying immediately made a gesture to be quiet.
The other two also noticed them, their faces full of surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Wu Yue asked, her eyes filled with confusion.
Shaoling was also surprised, but there were more important things to do right now, and there was no time for reminiscing. He said urgently, "Let's climb over the wall first!"
He led the group to the end of the dead end, and one by one, they climbed over the not-too-high stone wall in the order they had agreed upon.
After everyone had entered the walled area, he said seriously, "Zhan Yan's room should be nearby. Be careful."
"How did you know?" Ye Yingying asked. "Where did you hide during the fog yesterday?"
Upon hearing the question, both Zhao Yuxiao and Wu Yue's expressions turned serious.
"It's hard to explain in a short time." Wu Yue looked at Ye Yingying with a complicated expression. "Let's find Zhan Yan first."
Just then, a noise came from the room next door. Wu Yue crouched down warily, signaling the others to hide. Then she quietly moved to the window and listened to what was happening inside.
"Cough cough..." A series of coughs came from inside the room, sounding somewhat weak.
Wu Yue secretly opened a corner of the window, just enough for Ye Yingying, who was hiding to the side, to peek inside.
It was a figure from behind, with disheveled hair, sitting motionless in a chair, like a statue.
The man was wearing a dark robe, which instantly reminded Ye Yingying of Zhan Yan in the square earlier.
It must be him... Ye Yingying stared intently at the figure's back and noticed that he had lowered his head, seemingly looking at something in his hand.
What could it be? Ye Yingying wondered to herself, then saw the person turn slightly to the side and place what he was holding on the table beside him.
The thing was so small that its appearance was completely obscured; only its outline could be vaguely seen. After observing it for a long time, Ye Yingying concluded that it might be a stone.
Before she could think further, the person in the room stood up, raised one hand, and then slowly closed their five fingers into a fist.
The next moment, a muffled "crackling" sound suddenly rose up, the sound of dragging chains, deep and slow, as if each drag carried an invisible weight.
The sounds came from all directions and gradually converged on the house.
The group realized something was wrong. Zhan Yan was almost in front of them, but the prison guards were about to approach. If they rushed forward now, they would likely be caught red-handed.
Ye Yingying kept replaying the man's hand gestures in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt it had something to do with the prison guards. His gestures seemed to be grabbing at something, but he had just put something down, so what could he be grabbing?
Wait, he retracted his five fingers... Ye Yingying had a flash of inspiration. Before anyone could react, she rushed forward, ripped open the half-closed window, and shouted to the person inside, "Zhan Yan!"
Her actions were so sudden that the other four didn't have time to react.
Inside the wide-open window, a man with his back to the crowd heard the call and slowly turned around.
Just as Ye Yingying was about to see the man's face clearly, the sound of chains became rapid and sharp, like a demonic siren piercing her nerves. She had no choice but to cover her ears, but felt a wave of dizziness.
Their vision blurred uncontrollably. Not only Ye Yingying, but everyone was affected to varying degrees. Wu Yue even lost consciousness within a few seconds and collapsed to the ground.
Ye Yingying leaned against the wall, trying her best to see Zhan Yan's face clearly, but all she could see was a black outline.
In a daze, she saw the dark figure slowly walking towards her. He stopped by the window and reached out his hand to her...
Ye Yingying had no idea what the dark figure did afterward; her vision went black, and her consciousness was forcibly stripped away.
Then, she felt a biting cold wind sweep over her, making her shiver and open her eyes again.
She broke out in a cold sweat, sat up abruptly, and looked around, only to find herself in a silent and dimly lit ruin.
This place seems to be the ruins of a city-state, surrounded by deathly silence. The streets are deserted, with only the wind and snow howling among the ruins.
Everywhere were dilapidated buildings, their remains covered by snow, leaving only indistinct outlines. A few tattered flags fluttered high in the distance, adding to the desolation of this lifeless, deserted city.
Ye Yingying stared blankly at everything around her, and finally her gaze fell on the three people sleeping beside her.
Yun Yanqiu, Wu Yue, Zhao Yuxiao... but Shao Ling was not among them.
Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream, and the sharp cries were no longer in her ears. Only her violent heartbeat and the fragments of memories remaining in her mind reminded Ye Yingying of what she had just experienced.
Before they could catch their breath, Yun Yanqiu woke up, followed by Wu Yue and Zhao Yuxiao.
The three of them closed their eyes and rubbed their foreheads simultaneously, with Wu Yue even rubbing her temples, looking quite pained.
"Where is this..." The icy chill penetrated her skin, making Wu Yue shiver.
Yun Yanqiu reacted, picked up the lantern from the ground, and poured spiritual energy into it. The lantern emitted a warm light, enveloping the group and making the surroundings warmer.
"You can use spiritual power now?" Ye Yingying asked in surprise, looking at the warm light from the lantern. She raised her hand, and a ball of dark blue flame rose from her palm.
The group finally came to their senses, looked at each other, and confirmed that everyone was alright.
Amidst a raging blizzard, four people shared a single lamp. Wasn't this situation almost identical to when they first arrived in Tianjin?
"We've come out of the illusion array?" Zhao Yuxiao was still somewhat incredulous, but everything around him seemed to confirm it.
"It should be," Wu Yue replied, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes. "I just don't know why."
The illusion array should have an exit, but they were still in danger just now, let alone finding an exit.
"Anyway, it's a good thing you're out," Ye Yingying comforted her. "I almost thought Zhan Yan was going to catch me..."
"How dare you say that?" Wu Yue was furious at the mention of it. "It was you who suddenly exposed me!"
Ye Yingying hurriedly defended herself: "If I hadn't done that, we would have all been wiped out."
Wu Yue frowned, recalling the scene Ye Yingying had been staring at in the room earlier, and asked, "What did you see?"
"I saw Zhan Yan make a fist-clenching gesture inside the room, and as soon as he made that gesture, the chains around him started rattling."
Zhao Yuxiao was startled: "You mean, Zhan Yan can manipulate those prison guards at will?"
“There’s no reason why the formation he set up shouldn’t be uncontrollable, right?” Wu Yue wasn’t surprised.
"If he can directly control the prison soldiers, then he should also be able to directly control other people. Why go through the trouble of using the bell to control their actions?" Ye Yingying asked. "What's the difference between these prison soldiers and the others in the illusion? Why does Zhan Yan need to control them in a different way?"
At this point, Zhao Yuxiao suddenly remembered something: "I've seen what a prison guard looked like."
"You've seen him?"
“Yes, it was a man, with a chain around his neck and a jade pendant on his clothes.” Zhao Yuxiao described his observation in detail. “He looked like a nobleman, and the fabric of his clothes was quite nice.”
"Where did you see it?" Ye Yingying pressed.
“Uh…” Zhao Yuxiao was suddenly taken aback. He glanced at Wu Yue, his gaze somewhat hesitant.
Wu Yue noticed his gaze and simply said, "Go ahead and say it, you'll have to say it sooner or later anyway."
Seeing Wu Yue's attitude, Zhao Yuxiao stopped worrying. He looked at Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu and said solemnly, "I was taken by Shaoling to a courtyard in the palace to hide from curfew. When I was bored in the courtyard, I saw this through the crack in the door."
"Besides seeing the prison guards outside the courtyard, we also saw someone there..."
"Who?" Ye Yingying blinked.
"Gu Wusi".
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