txolops Chapter 329 Encountering Difficulties
Chapter 329 Encountering Difficulties
The Wind-Escape Shuttle concealed its spiritual light, reduced its speed, and flew towards a designated entrance for cultivators outside Tianxing City. This entrance was not visible to ordinary people; it was concealed by an array and was reserved for mid- to high-level cultivators.
However, just as the shuttle approached the light curtain surrounding the entrance, before it could land, it was blocked by several beams of light rising from below.
The light faded, revealing five cultivators dressed in the silver-white armor of the Star Palace. The leader was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a calm expression, while the other four were mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They were clearly well-trained, quickly spreading out to form a semi-encirclement. Although facing Luo Ming and his group, who were obviously more powerful, they remained vigilant yet courteous.
The young cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute to Luo Ming and his companions, who had just put away their Wind-Escape Shuttle and were hovering in mid-air, and said clearly:
"Seniors, please wait. According to the latest decree from the Star Palace, all those entering Tianxing City, regardless of their cultivation level, must have their identities verified and be registered to prevent spies from the Reverse Star Alliance from infiltrating. We request that you present your identity tokens or other credentials for verification."
Before he could finish speaking, Jin Qing, standing to the side, had already taken the lead. With a hint of helplessness and impatience on his face, he reached into his robes and took out a jade token engraved with golden cloud patterns and an ancient seal script character "金" (gold) in the center. Without even looking at it, he casually tossed it to the young cultivator.
"Alright, what's with all the checking!" Jin Qing waved his hand, his tone weary and irritable. "These are all family retainers I invited, they're my own people. Let them pass quickly, don't delay our business."
The young cultivator took the token; it felt warm and heavy in his hand.
He dared not be negligent, carefully examining the special markings and spiritual energy fluctuations on the token. He then looked up at Jin Qing, and glanced at Luo Ming, who had a calm and unfathomable demeanor, as well as Yuan Yao, who had an unparalleled beauty, and Jiang Rufeng, who had a cold aura, behind him. The wariness on his face eased slightly.
He respectfully returned the token to Jin Qing with both hands, forcing a polite smile on his face:
"So it was Young Master Jin in person. Since Young Master Jin personally vouched for me, there's naturally no problem. It's my duty, so please forgive me, Young Master Jin." After saying that, he turned around and cast a specific spell towards the semi-transparent pale silver barrier behind him.
The light screen rippled slightly, like water rippling, and then slowly split open in front of everyone, revealing a passage about ten feet high.
Seeing this, Jin Qing nodded to Luo Ming, indicating that they could enter. Luo Ming didn't say much and stepped into the passage, with Yuan Yao and Jiang Rufeng following closely behind.
However, just as Luo Ming was about to step into the passage—
"Wait a minute."
A slightly cold male voice, carrying a hint of detachment and scrutiny, suddenly rang out from inside the passageway. The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
As the voice spoke, a young man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a handsome face but a hint of arrogance in his eyes, walked out from the inside of the passage with his hands behind his back.
His gaze swept across Jin Qing's face, and as it passed, the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly, implying a hint of sarcasm.
Immediately, his gaze fell on Luo Ming, Yuan Yao, and Jiang Rufeng, scrutinizing them with undisguised interest.
When his gaze swept over Luo Ming, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he sensed that the man's aura was somewhat unfathomable. As it passed over Jiang Rufeng, a barely perceptible hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Finally, his gaze settled on Yuan Yao.
The man in the brocade robe lingered on Yuan Yao's face for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up with a look of amazement and undisguised fervor, as if he had discovered some rare treasure.
Upon seeing this man, Jin Qing's face immediately darkened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. However, seemingly restrained, he suppressed his rage and said coldly, "Yun Feiyang, what do you mean? I have already checked these people; they are guests of the Jin family. Do you have any objections?"
The aloof man known as "Yun Feiyang" slowly shifted his gaze from Yuan Yao to Jin Qing, a half-smile playing on his lips. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority:
"Brother Jin, please don't be hasty. The rules of the Star Palace dictate that anyone entering the city must be checked, especially during these extraordinary times. Your Jin family's guest tokens naturally prove their relationship with your Jin family. But..."
He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Luo Ming and the other two again, lingering especially on Yuan Yao's face for a moment.
"But the status of a guest elder does not contradict the possibility that he might be a spy sent by the Reverse Star Alliance. If someone were to impersonate a guest elder and commit nefarious acts, Brother Jin, can you bear the responsibility?"
His words were so high-sounding that he directly accused Jin Qing of being a "potential spy," leaving Jin Qing speechless and her face flushed. However, she couldn't directly refute him, since he was indeed using the rules of the Star Palace as a pretext.
Luo Ming watched this scene quietly, his face expressionless, but he already understood in his heart.
Judging from Yun Feiyang's attitude towards Jin Qing when he appeared, his obviously targeted words now, and the undisguised greed in his eyes when he looked at Yuan Yao, this person clearly came with ill intentions and was deliberately looking for trouble. Moreover, the fact that he could show such disrespect to Jin Qing, a direct descendant of the Jin family, suggests that his background and status are probably no less than Jin Qing's.
As expected, Jin Qing's voice, tinged with anger and a hint of helplessness, rang in Luo Ming's ear at just the right moment: "Brother Luo, I'm sorry to have dragged you into this. This person is Yun Feiyang, the grandson of the Second Elder of the Star Palace. He is exceptionally talented and is being groomed by the Star Palace as a Nascent Soul seed. He is arrogant and has always been at odds with me. I didn't expect him to be on duty here today."
Luo Ming suddenly understood. So he was the Second Elder's grandson; no wonder he was so arrogant. The factional infighting within the Star Palace seemed to be even more severe than he had imagined.
With a formidable enemy at hand, these so-called prodigies and loyalists, instead of thinking about defending against the external foe, are still making things difficult for their own people at the city gates for their own selfish interests and petty squabbles. They are truly corrupt to the core. His opinion of this Star Palace couldn't help but drop even further.
"Hmph, Brother Jin likes to make many friends, and I, Yun, have nothing to say about that. But these are extraordinary times, and I hope that Brother Jin will keep his eyes open and not be deceived by some people of dubious origin who use their looks to seduce others."
Seeing Jin Qing speechless, Yun Feiyang's face flashed with a hint of smugness. He then turned his gaze back to Luo Ming and the other two, his tone suddenly turning cold, carrying an unquestionable commanding tone:
"Please show us something to prove your identity so we can verify it. It's our duty, please forgive us."
At this moment, Luo Ming really wanted to kill this person on the spot, but he also knew what kind of place this was. The several passages of Tianxing City were all equipped with a large number of high-level restrictions, which could temporarily trap even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator who caused trouble, and then the Star Palace elders who were stationed nearby would come to oversee the situation.
Although he was confident he understood the person, the serious consequences that followed were not what he wanted.
Luo Ming calmly took out a jade token, which was the restriction token he had kept in his cave in Tianxing City. It contained his facial information.
Like Luo Ming, Jiang Rufeng had always lived in Tianxing City, and the restriction tokens on his cave dwelling naturally proved his identity.
After their tokens were checked and found to be in perfect condition, Yun Feiyang returned them to Yuan Yao with a blank expression, then looked towards her.
Looking at Yuan Yao, whose face was somewhat tense, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He had only intended to disgust Jin Qing, but could he have actually gained something unexpected?
Luo Ming naturally knew Yuan Yao's predicament. Ever since she plotted to assassinate the young master of Qingyang Sect, she had been hiding and running away. All she had was the young master's identity token. If she took it out, she would probably be arrested as a member of the Reverse Star Alliance.
"Oh, how could I have forgotten about that?"
Suddenly, Luo Ming's eyes lit up. Ignoring the approaching guards and the increasingly intense spiritual pressure of the restrictive barrier above his head, he calmly looked at Jin Qing, whose expression had slightly changed, and slowly spoke, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Brother Jin, if my friend has personally killed the young master of the Qingyang Sect, a subordinate of the Reverse Star Alliance, can this prove that she is not an accomplice of the Reverse Star Alliance?"
Upon hearing Luo Ming's words, Jin Qing's eyes lit up, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face. He abruptly turned to look at Yuan Yao, who was being protected behind Luo Ming, scrutinized her closely, and clapped his hands, saying:
"So it's Fellow Daoist Yuan! I knew you looked familiar! That female cultivator surnamed Yuan who caused such a stir within the Qingyang Sect's territory back then, so you're the one!"
As one of the Star Palace's foreign affairs stewards, he is naturally aware of some major events that have occurred in the Chaotic Star Sea in recent years, especially important figures and events involving forces hostile to the Star Palace.
The young master of Qingyang Sect was killed, and the old demon of Qingyang Sect was furious. He put up a large bounty on the two female cultivators in the demonic territory. This matter was also recorded in Jin Qing's intelligence file. However, he had not connected the beautiful female cultivator in front of him with the wanted "Yuan surname cultivator" before.
Without further hesitation, he snorted coldly, reached into his storage pouch at his waist, and took out an ordinary-looking white jade slip. Without even glancing at it, he flicked his wrist, and the jade slip transformed into a beam of white light, shooting towards the gloomy-faced Yun Feiyang.
"Yun Feiyang, open your eyes wide and look carefully!" Jin Qing's voice was filled with undisguised sarcasm and anger. "This jade slip contains some images and diagrams about wanted criminals within the Reverse Star Alliance that I, the Star Palace's external affairs steward, collected and organized some time ago."
Yun Feiyang took the jade slip. His face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. He coldly glanced at Jin Qing, then separated a wisp of his divine sense and sank it into the jade slip.
A moment later, Yun Feiyang slowly raised his head. The gloom on his face had disappeared, replaced by an almost indifferent calm.
He casually tossed the jade slip back to Jin Qing, his gaze lingering on Yuan Yao's face for a moment before shifting away, and said in a calm voice:
"I see. It seems I was being overly cautious, perhaps even excessively so. The situation is dire; the villains of the Reverse Star Alliance are lurking everywhere. I was ordered to patrol all the passages, and I had no choice but to be on guard. If I have offended anyone..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Luo Ming and Jiang Rufeng before finally settling on Jin Qing's face, a cold smile curving his lips: "I hope Brother Jin and these fellow Daoists will forgive us."
After saying that, he didn't say anything more. He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly toward the inner side of the barrier. He soon disappeared into the light and shadow deep in the passage.
Upon seeing this, the Star Palace guards who had originally gathered around looked at each other in bewilderment, and hurriedly put away their magical artifacts and returned to their original positions. The tense atmosphere suddenly eased, but there seemed to be a trace of indescribable stagnation remaining in the air.
"You—!" Jin Qing watched as Yun Feiyang so casually and shamelessly brushed the matter aside, as if the earlier harassment was just a casual remark. Anger surged in his chest, and he pointed in the direction where the other party had disappeared, his finger trembling slightly.
However, his original intention to use his token to bring Luo Ming and the others in was a violation of the rules. They were just following the regulations, and even if he took it to the elders' council, he would have no grounds to object.
He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his anger, a look of dejection and resentment on his face. He whispered to Luo Ming, his tone full of helplessness:
"Brother Luo, I'm sorry, you must have seen this. This Yun Feiyang... sigh, relying on his grandfather being the Second Elder and his own high talent, he has always been arrogant in the palace."
Although my second uncle is the Grand Elder, his faction is quite powerful, and he is a key Nascent Soul cultivator being groomed by the palace. He has always been at odds with me, and today's events were clearly a deliberate attempt to embarrass me, implicating Brother Luo and Fellow Daoist Yuan as well.
Luo Ming listened to Jin Qing's telepathic message, his expression unchanged. His gaze remained calm as he watched the direction Yun Feiyang had disappeared in. A cold glint flashed deep within his eyes before vanishing. He gently patted Jin Qing's shoulder and said in a mild tone:
"Brother Jin, you flatter me. I am deeply grateful for your righteous words and help today. These petty scoundrels are nothing to worry about."
He paused, then changed the subject: "I have some urgent personal matters to attend to upon entering the city, so I won't bother you any longer, Brother Jin. How about we discuss this over drinks another day when you have more free time?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Qing quickly composed himself, apologizing as he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Luo, you're too kind. I haven't been hospitable enough. Since you have important business to attend to, please make yourself at home. I will certainly host a banquet another day to welcome you back and reminisce about our time together!"
After exchanging a few more polite words, Jin Qing watched Luo Ming and the other two transform into streaks of light and fly towards the city. He then sighed, shook his head, and turned to fly towards the Star Palace's headquarters, his brows still furrowed, clearly still harboring resentment towards Yun Feiyang's actions.
After parting ways with Jin Qing, Jiang Rufeng lowered his voice, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, and whispered to Luo Ming, "Master, that fellow surnamed Yun dared to make things difficult for the mistress just now... Should I find an opportunity...?"
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. He had just joined Luo Ming's forces and was eager to prove himself. Yun Feiyang's actions just now, especially the undisguised greed and filth in his eyes when he looked at Yuan Yao, made him, as his subordinate, feel the same way and aroused his murderous intent.
Luo Ming remained calm, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Upon hearing this, he simply waved his hand and said in a flat tone, "Business is more important! Let's go to your cave and bring Ruyin here first."
Jiang Rufeng's heart skipped a beat, knowing that his master had his own plans, and he dared not say anything more. He quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes, your subordinate understands."
He stopped speaking, instead focusing all his energy on his escape technique, speeding towards the temporary cave he had rented in Tianxing City. There lay his beloved daughter, whose life hung in the balance.
Luo Ming and Yuan Yao followed closely behind. The three of them transformed into three streaks of light of different colors, streaking across the sky above Tianxing City.
Just as Luo Ming activated his escape light and was about to catch up with Jiang Rufeng, his right wrist, which seemed to be hanging casually at his side, trembled very slightly, almost imperceptibly.
A faint, almost invisible shadow, nearly blending into the surrounding light, flashed out like a ghost from the "Five Spirits Bracelet" he wore on his wrist. It moved with incredible speed, disappearing silently into the shadows of the buildings on the street below, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed.
Luo Ming's movements were fluid and natural, so much so that even Yuan Yao, who was standing right next to him, didn't notice.
He remained calm, as if he had merely flexed his wrist, before continuing to ride the escape light and following Jiang Rufeng, who was leading the way.
I'm currently reading Chapter 329, "Encountering Difficulties," and I'm completely engrossed in it.