Chapter 141: The City of the Setting Sun

"Bang—"

Yu Ye's body was suspended in mid-air, leaving him no time to dodge. A flash of sword light struck, and he was sent flying.

In that instant, his figure flickered like a phantom, appearing suddenly above the pool and flicking his fingers to release two streaks of sword energy. With a wet, tearing sound, blood splattered; the monster in the pool lost its ferocity. Dang Guiyi took the opportunity to break free and let out a startled cry:

"Watch out—"

Yu Ye glanced back. Two black shadows, each over two zhang long, had reached his rear. They opened their maws, spewing a foul stench, their approach truly alarming.

Yu Ye flipped in mid-air. He formed a sword seal with his right hand, intending to launch another strike, but a sudden inspiration struck him. He used his left hand to retrieve the Beast-Taming Ring and gave it a light wave. The two monsters, despite their ferocious appearance, vanished without a trace. He tapped his toes against the stone wall and landed steadily by the edge of the pool.

Given his current cultivation, he could unleash at most nine more strikes of sword energy. With the powerful enemy yet to reveal himself, he dared not exhaust his strength. To his relief, the Beast-Taming Ring proved effective against the creatures, saving him considerable trouble.

At that moment, a voice shouted: "My Spirit Dragons—"

Following this, a series of rustling sounds erupted, and four balls of fire flared up.

"Ouch—"

"Let go—"

Yu Ye remained on guard when he suddenly sensed someone beside him. It was Dang Guiyi, soaking wet, reaching out to grab his leg. Startled, Yu Ye whispered a sharp reprimand. Failing to find sanctuary, Dang Guiyi scrambled out of the pool and hid behind him, still shivering.

The ignited fire, resembling torches or oil lamps, was embedded in stone pedestals along the cave walls, casting a brilliant light. The once-dark cavern was now as bright as day.

A stone door was visible in the cave. Standing before the open entrance was a man in his forties or fifties, dressed in black Taoist robes with a gaunt face. His eyes darted from the "Spirit Dragons" on the ground to Yu Ye and Dang Guiyi. He roared, "You killed one of my three Spirit Dragons and captured two! We have no grievances between us, so why bully me like this?"

"This..." Yu Ye was speechless. Even now, he had not fully grasped the situation. However, the man's cultivation was formidable; though not on par with Qi Heng, he was undoubtedly a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Behind him, someone muttered, "What Spirit Dragons? They are nothing but mutated salamanders."

Yu Ye quickly stepped aside. Dang Guiyi, having nowhere left to hide, stood tall.

"What mutated salamanders? You don't know a damn thing!" The man grew even more enraged. "My Spirit Dragons have been raised for a hundred years and possess great spirituality. After this seclusion, they would have formed Dragon Pellets by next year. I was on the path to improving my cultivation, but you lot have—"

"Oh, relying on beast pellets to improve cultivation—a crooked, heterodox path!" Although timid, Dang Guiyi loved to stir up trouble. With things having reached this point, his fear vanished. He puffed out his chest and shouted, "Even if that is true, why trap and kill those fishermen? Don't tell me that has nothing to do with you; the cave collapse was man-made. If we hadn't arrived in time, forty-some lives would have become food for those salamanders."

"Nonsense! Who are you?" The man's momentum faltered; he was clearly guilty.

"Hmph!" Dang Guiyi snorted, radiating righteousness. "I am a successor of the Five Thunders Orthodox Method, Dang Guiyi. As for Fellow Daoist Yu..."

Yu Ye quickly sent a sound transmission to stop him. In Daze, he had suffered enough from being famous. Now that he had reached Qizhou, he only wished to remain anonymous and avoid any attention.

"Fellow Daoist Yu's family background is too illustrious to be spoken of to outsiders."

Fortunately, the warning came in time. Dang Guiyi did not betray Yu Ye, though he remained relentless. "Today's business will not be easily settled. Listen closely—" He waved his wet sleeve and held up three fingers. "This fellow daoist caused innocent fishermen to suffer; you must pay compensation. Secondly, you must go to Lingyu Village to apologize in person. And furthermore..."

The man stood more than ten feet away, seemingly hesitant, but Dang Guiyi's provocation pushed him over the edge. "Boy, do you even know who I am to dare extort me like this?"

"Oh, I forgot to ask. Who are you?" Dang Guiyi finally realized he should have asked for the man's name and origin.

"I am..." Before the man could finish, he raised his hand and cast a bolt of sword light.

"Ah—"

Dang Guiyi screamed and dove behind Yu Ye. Yu Ye was forced to cast a spell, and a green radiance enveloped them both.

"Bang—"

The light shattered, and the two were sent flying, crashing into the stone wall one after another, looking utterly disheveled.

"I thought you were some sort of expert, but you're just two damned juniors!" The man roared and urged his flying sword again.

Dang Guiyi urged frantically, "Use an Earth Escape Talisman..."

Yu Ye replied helplessly, "I don't have one!"

"Then how did you escape into this place earlier?"

"I captured three Earth Escape Talismans before, but they're all used up."

"Oh, we're done for..." Trapped in an underground cave and facing a Foundation Establishment expert, the outcome was obvious, and Dang Guiyi wailed in despair.

Yu Ye was also out of options and could only fight to the end. As he watched the sword light whistling toward him, he formed a seal with his right hand, preparing to stake everything on one strike, when someone suddenly grabbed his arm. The world blurred as light enveloped them...

In the blink of an eye, they were standing on a mountaintop.

Yu Ye looked at Dang Guiyi beside him, surprised. "You clearly had an Earth Escape Talisman. Why did you wait so long to use it?"

"Earth Escape Talismans aren't cheap! They're worth several spirit stones!"

"You..."

At that moment, a figure emerged on the mountaintop. The two didn't bother arguing and turned to run. The fog had thinned significantly. In the distance, on the lake, seven or eight fishing boats were heading north.

"Juniors, where do you think you're going—"

Before Yu Ye and Dang Guiyi could reach the shore, a figure riding a sword caught up to them. With the vast lake all around, there was nowhere to flee. The two looked at each other.

Dang Guiyi’s expression turned fierce. He grabbed Yu Ye's arm again, slapped a talisman down, and instantly, light flashed and the wind roared...

Time passed, perhaps only a moment. The two fell to the ground. Yu Ye tumbled, flipped himself up, his face pale and heart racing. Dang Guiyi flopped onto the ground, his clothes in tatters, blood spilling from his nose and mouth, and he promptly fainted.

Yu Ye looked around. There was no need to wonder; this escape was once again thanks to Dang Guiyi. His "Mysterious Gate Escape" talisman was truly miraculous. Fortunately, they hadn't fallen into the lake. Before them lay a hillside surrounded by a small forest, and a warm sun hung in the sky. Everything nearby was eerily quiet.

Yu Ye swallowed a few pills and climbed to his feet. Standing on a high point of the hillside, he could vaguely see a city more than ten miles away. Having traveled a thousand miles in one escape, he had no idea where he had arrived. He decided to rest for a moment before planning his next move.

Yu Ye returned to the spot and sat down, exhausted. The Mysterious Gate Escape talisman was miraculous, but the crushing and tearing forces were unbearable. Still, having it was a stroke of luck.

"You... what are you doing?" Dang Guiyi had woken up. He peeked at the movement beside him and warned, "Don't you dare take advantage of someone in trouble. I have a magical artifact protecting my body..."

Yu Ye shook his head, speechless. It was wise to be wary; if he were the one lying on the ground, he would have done the same.

"Oh, my butt is exposed. Do not look, do not look..."

Yu Ye turned away.

He heard Dang Guiyi complaining, "I’ve traveled everywhere without incident, but since I met you, I’ve had nothing but bad luck, and I've even burned through two Mysterious Gate Escape talismans..."

"Shall we part ways here, then?"

"Hmph, parting ways is easy enough, but give me back my Mysterious Gate Escape talismans."

Yu Ye chose to remain silent. He had three rings in his hand. The snakes, insects, birds, and beasts in the two storage rings were all dead. The two salamanders in the Beast-Taming Ring remained intact. He didn't know where the Foundation Establishment cultivator came from, hiding on a small island to raise monsters. The two salamanders were extremely fierce, easily rivaling experts at the Qi Refining stage.

"Ouch, I must have been poisoned. The records say salamanders are venomous beasts. It seems my end is near. Do you have any detox pills? Save me, quickly..."

Yu Ye glanced back. Dang Guiyi was lying flat on his back, his face turning black, moaning and looking utterly miserable.

"Where would I get detox pills?"

"The Ten Thousand Beast Manor excels in beast-taming arts; they must have a way to detoxify..."

"If that's the case, why are you begging me?"

"Qi Jun's ring has a seal on it, you're asking a question you know the answer to..."

Yu Ye quickly took out the storage ring left behind by Qi Shi and, sure enough, found a bottle of detox pills. Dang Guiyi snatched the pills, swallowed a few, added some healing pills, and lay there with his eyes closed, groaning incessantly. Though he looked pathetic, his life did not seem to be in immediate danger.

Yu Ye turned his attention to the spirit stones and, while resting, began to study the Beast-Taming Arts of the Ten Thousand Beast Manor...

At dusk, two young men walked out of the forest.

Dang Guiyi's complexion had returned to normal, though he looked weak, leaning on a branch and appearing listless. However, he had changed into a new Taoist robe, and the peach-wood sword on his shoulder remained as eye-catching as ever. Yu Ye was still dressed in simple short clothing, much like the farm boy from two years ago, though the childishness in his features had faded, replaced by a sense of calm and composure.

Dang Guiyi had used his magical power to shield his body, so the salamander venom hadn't gone deep. After taking the pills, he was out of danger. However, his cultivation was too low, and he had been nearly crushed by the power of the escape talisman. Although he had survived, the lingering trauma left him deeply disgruntled.

"My Mysterious Gate Escape talismans—they’re so precious! A thousand spirit stones couldn't buy one. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache..."

"A thousand spirit stones for a life—it's worth it!"

"Hmph, of course it's worth it for you..."

"How did you encounter the monsters?"

"Sigh, it's a long story..."

The two walked and talked, following the main road westward. Where the sun set, there was a city.

From Dang Guiyi, Yu Ye learned that when the small boat they were on reached Peng Island, Dang Guiyi had jumped ashore in a hurry but accidentally fell into a swamp. Unexpectedly, the swamp hid an underground current that dragged him into the cave, where he encountered the salamanders. He panicked and fled upstream, and after much difficulty, found an exit, which was the water hole in the cave where the fishermen were located—only to be dragged back down by the salamanders. Fortunately, Yu Ye had arrived just in time to save his life.

"This string of bad luck is a huge loss. Once we get into the city, I’m going to make sure I get it back with interest!"

"How will you make it back?"

"Hmph, just follow me and you'll learn a thing or two..."

Half an hour later, night fell. Near the lights, a city gate appeared.

Mutian City...