Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Origin of Hollow City

Yun Xi’s words immediately caught everyone’s attention, and all present fell silent, sinking deep into thought.

Zhou Lang Chen turned to his junior brother and asked, “Junior Brother Bai, do you remember exactly when you sent out your distress message?”

Junior Brother Bai—the disciple from Famed Sword Sect who had earlier recounted the events—thought carefully, then answered, “It was during the Zi hour (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.). At that moment, Hollow City was being crushed by spatial distortions. I thought the chaos might give me a chance, so I tried sending three distress messages with my identity token. Unexpectedly, one managed to get through.”

Zhou Lang Chen nodded in understanding. This explained why his identity token had indicated the location of the distress message as the City Lord’s residence.

Zi Jing smoothed her hair thoughtfully and said, “After Fellow Daoist Bai succeeded in sending that message, we also tried to find an exit during the Zi hour, but we gained nothing.”

As fellow cultivators, they were already aware of the same inconsistencies Zhou Lang Chen had pointed out.

Yun Xi coughed lightly again, drawing everyone’s eyes as she said, “Actually, I meant to highlight a specific day—do you still remember? Before we were transported here, many cultivators and shopkeepers mentioned that in two days, Li Cang Yuan, the heir of the City Lord, would hold a Dao Companion ceremony?”

After Yun Xi spoke, the trapped cultivators fell into contemplation. Some shook their heads, saying, “We never heard about this before being sent here.”

Others nodded and spoke up:

“I did hear about it, but I was in a hurry and had no intention of attending.”

“I heard it too. In fact, I went to inquire, but strangely, no one even knew who Daoist Master Li’s Dao Companion was. Something felt off, so I intended to leave early. Moreover, I warned others to be cautious—such a grand event without knowing who the bride was felt suspicious. Now it seems my cautious words might have gotten me trapped here.”

Afterward, the cultivators began quietly exchanging words, verifying each other’s recollections.

Zi Jing cast a surprised and appreciative glance at the delicate young girl in front of her. She hadn’t expected such careful insight from Yun Xi. Her lovely eyes flickered as she spoke, “If that’s the case, Li Cang Yuan planned to use his Dao Companion ceremony for some hidden purpose.”

Yun Xi nodded immediately. That was indeed her suspicion—otherwise, why take such pains to trap them here? She shrugged slightly, replying, “Most likely. Unfortunately, we know too little about this Daoist Master Li. We have no idea what he intends to accomplish.”

Mu Ning Zhu rubbed her forehead, feeling an oncoming headache. Had she known, she never would’ve boarded the airship to Twin Peaks City.

Qin Tong Shuang’s face shifted between expressions, brows tightly knitted. Their current situation was beyond her capability to solve, and she felt frustrated by her low cultivation level.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yan, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly began rummaging through his storage pouch as if searching for something important.

Zhou Lang Chen raised his voice, addressing the gathered crowd, “Fellow Daoists, since we’re trapped here, our fates are intertwined. If we hope to escape, we must work together. Please think carefully about any overlooked clues that might help us find a way out.”

Following Zhou Lang Chen’s words, everyone began carefully reviewing their experiences since arriving at Twin Peaks City.

Zhang Yan finally found what he was looking for—a book bound in beast hide. He handed it first to Mu Ning Zhu, saying, “Senior Sister Mu, this is a miscellaneous record I purchased earlier. It contains some information about the two Ascension cultivators of Twin Peaks City. Perhaps there’s a useful clue.”

Mu Ning Zhu flipped to the indicated page, carefully reading it before passing the book to Yun Xi.

Yun Xi swept through it with her divine sense, quickly absorbing the contents, then handed the booklet to Qin Tong Shuang.

With only one page to examine, Qin Tong Shuang finished quickly and passed it to Zhou Lang Chen. After Zhou Lang Chen read it, Zuo Die’er and Ming Ya moved closer to read as well. Eventually, the booklet returned to Zhang Yan’s hands.

Zhou Lang Chen spoke first, summarizing their findings, “Based on these records, it’s clear that this Hollow City—identical to Twin Peaks City—must be a space jointly opened by the two Divine Transformation Cultivators. It’s essentially a mirrored reflection of the real city.”

Mu Ning Zhu continued, “The two Divine Transformation Cultivators of Twin Peaks City cultivated special techniques allowing them to transfer cultivation between themselves. However, during the transfer, both become extremely vulnerable and must not be disturbed. So, they created this hidden, secure place for their cultivation.”

Yun Xi nodded, agreeing, “Indeed. No place could be safer. Even if someone senses fluctuations in spiritual power, they would search within the real Twin Peaks City and never suspect the existence of this hidden dimension.”

Zuo Die’er frowned unhappily, “We may now know this Hollow City’s origin, but what’s the use? We still haven’t found a clue to an exit!”

Ming Ya immediately spoke soothingly to counteract Zuo Die’er’s negativity, “Senior Sister Zuo, please don’t be anxious. Since the two powerful cultivators came here to cultivate, there must be an exit—otherwise, how would they leave?”

Though somewhat comforted, Zuo Die’er’s eyes flashed irritably, and she retorted sharply, “Divine Transformation Cultivators can tear through space at will! Of course, they could leave easily. We don’t even have a Golden Core cultivator here. How could we possibly break through space?”

Yun Xi inwardly agreed Zuo Die’er was right but wished she hadn’t spoken so bluntly—such directness only further dampened everyone’s spirits. Indeed, some cultivators’ expressions darkened visibly.

Yun Xi sighed helplessly, then calmly reasoned, “Zuo Fellow Daoist is correct. However, you’ve forgotten something important—the City Lord of Twin Peaks City is merely at the Nascent Soul stage and also incapable of tearing space. He transported us here through a formation, which means there must be an exit.”

Her words instantly eased everyone’s anxiety. Realizing her error with Ming Ya’s subtle reminder, Zuo Die’er smiled awkwardly and fell silent.

One cultivator asked thoughtfully, “Fellow Daoist Wei, are you suggesting we search for a hidden formation within the City Lord’s residence?”

“Yes,” Yun Xi replied openly, “A formation is the only possibility I can think of, though my cultivation experience is limited, and I lack expertise in formations.”

Zhou Lang Chen pondered briefly before decisively stating, “Then, tonight during the Zi hour, when the two spaces overlap again, let’s thoroughly search the City Lord’s residence once more. If there is a hidden teleportation formation, it may become visible at that precise moment.”

No one objected this time. Tasks were quickly divided among the cultivators, each assigned a specific area to prevent confusion and overlooked clues.

Late that night, at the Zi hour, Hollow City trembled once more under the spatial distortion, and the City Lord’s residence shook slightly. All cultivators immediately extended their divine sense, carefully searching their respective areas.

Yun Xi, however, secretly unleashed her divine sense at the Nascent Soul stage, intending to cover the entire residence. At the very instant the spatial distortion ceased, she saw clearly—a transmission talisman flew out from one cultivator, slipping through a concealed node and leaving this dimension.

Yun Xi’s beautiful almond eyes widened in shock. Among the innocent victims, someone had been planted—a spy was hiding right in their midst!