Chapter 59: Don't Talk Nonsense If Nothing's Wrong

Qi Ci had not expected that before the socially anxious Jing could emerge from seclusion, she would first be greeted by Yan You, the personal guard from Origin Sea City.

"Yan You pays his respects to Senior Chu," he said, bowing to her respectfully. "It has been many days. I trust Senior has been comfortable living in Origin Sea City?"

"Thank you for your concern, all is well," Qi Ci nodded and asked directly, "Does Fellow Daoist Yan have business here?"

"Senior is truly perceptive," Yan You smiled with a trace of embarrassment before continuing, "It is like this: Origin Sea City has now entered the waters of the Stormy Sea. This ocean is treacherous and fraught with unusual dangers, so the City Lord has specifically sent me to invite Senior to the main tower to help safeguard the city's crossing."

Ah, so she was being drafted as a bodyguard. However, since she was currently residing within the city, she would not benefit if anything went wrong, so lending a hand was no big deal.

"In that case, lead the way," she nodded directly.

Yan You instantly breathed a sigh of relief, the smile on his face deepening as he quickly stepped aside to guide her. "Senior, please!"

"Oh right, I must trouble you to give word to my three companions." If Feng Ting and the others found her missing, they would surely worry.

"Naturally, naturally!" Yan You nodded repeatedly, turned to give instructions to the guards behind him, and then led her out the door.

Yan You escorted her all the way toward the city gates, leading her up to the highest watchtower and then into the upper pavilion. Only then did Qi Ci notice that three people were already seated inside—precisely the three individuals whose auras she had sensed as strongest upon entering the city.

Seeing her enter, the man seated in the very middle immediately stood up to welcome her. "This must be Fellow Daoist Chu. Thank you for your trouble!" The man was slightly plump with a round belly, but his expression was exceptionally benevolent, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

"For Fellow Daoist Chu to possess such cultivation at such a young age is truly extraordinary talent!" Seeming extremely surprised by her youth, he hurriedly introduced himself, "I am Tang Qian, City Lord of Origin Sea City, and these two are Fellow Daoist Wen Qi and Fellow Daoist Kang Chen."

As he introduced them one by one, the other two also stood up, cupped their fists, and exchanged greetings.

"Fellow Daoist Wen, Fellow Daoist Kang," Qi Ci greeted them in return. One of them had the appearance of a middle-aged man, while the other had a head of white hair. Both were at the early stage of the Soul Formation realm, while only the City Lord had reached the mid-Soul Formation realm.

"Ahead lies the Stormy Sea. When the time comes, I must ask the three Fellow Daoists to lend a hand in helping me maintain Origin Sea City's barrier, so that we may pass safely through this domain," the City Lord said politely.

"Easily done, easily done," the two men nodded in agreement.

Qi Ci made no hesitation either. "I shall do my utmost."

Tang Qian invited her to be seated and exchanged a few more polite remarks before someone rushed in to make a report.

"Reporting to the City Lord, the Stormy Sea has been reached!"

With that, the group walked out of the pavilion. Sure enough, vast expanses of dark clouds appeared on the distant horizon, looking as if they belonged to an entirely different realm. Howling winds and flashes of lightning raged within them, and the sky overhead turned pitch black.

The massive Origin Sea City was slowly sailing into this gloomy region, and the surroundings grew darker by the moment. The City Lord and the other two Soul Formation cultivators had ceased their conversation, watching the front with undivided attention as if they had already foreseen the perils ahead.

Such an atmosphere caused even Qi Ci to feel a trace of tension, until Origin Sea City completely sailed into that domain—at which point she immediately understood why they were so nervous.

The very instant they entered entirely, the overwhelming lightning and howling gales seemed to have finally found their target, rushing toward them from all directions.

"Raise the barrier!" Tang Qian shouted an order.

The next moment, a translucent barrier rose, enveloping the entire Origin Sea City like a giant bubble, followed immediately by a series of deafening roars.

Countless bolts of lightning struck down, resembling white threads connecting to the vessel, frantically hammering toward the city. The blinding white light illuminated the entire city in a stark white glare.

Such a torrential downpour of lightning was even more terrifying than the tribulation they had previously undergone. Qi Ci watched in sheer astonishment, while the other three seemed accustomed to it, calmly observing the changes in the sky.

At first, none of them made a move. But after a quarter of an hour, the lightning grew more frequent and dense, while the surrounding gale turned fiercely violent, transforming into countless wind blades that hacked toward the city.

Under such sustained and ferocious attacks, the surrounding barrier gradually grew faint, showing signs of collapse.

"Fellow Daoists, I must trouble you!" City Lord Tang reminded them, then formed hand seals and channeled his spiritual energy toward the barrier.

Qi Ci and the other two Soul Formation cultivators did not hesitate either, quickly forming hand seals to jointly stabilize the defensive barrier above. Since they were here to guard Origin Sea City, they naturally could not allow the barrier to shatter.

Almost the moment the four of them took action, the previously shaking barrier above stabilized and grew even more solid than before, blocking all wind and rain outside.

With four Soul Formation experts taking action, it naturally required no great effort. City Lord Tang even turned back to smile heartily at Qi Ci. "Thanks to Fellow Daoist Chu being here, crossing the Stormy Sea this time is likely to be the easiest trip any of us has ever had."

"Hahahaha..." Wen Qi chimed in with a laugh as well. "Indeed! On every previous occasion passing through here, the few of us were exhausted to the bone, and with the slightest carelessness, we might have even had to retreat."

"I also feel that this trip requires much less effort," Kang Chen nodded in agreement, casting a curious glance at Qi Ci as he said, "Why does Fellow Daoist Chu's cultivation... not look like the early stage of Soul Formation?"

"Mm, late Soul Formation," Qi Ci nodded.

The three men were momentarily stunned. Late Soul Formation?! What happened to the newly ascended Soul Formation cultivator they were promised? Could Yan You's intelligence have been mistaken? Yet, the three men did not dwell on it, feeling all the more reassured instead.

"In that case, even better! This trip is bound to be foolproof!"

"Right, right. It seems this will be our fastest journey to the Lanru Continent yet."

"Hahaha, once we cross this sea, we must surely drink deeply to celebrate."

"We certainly must, even drinking heartily for three days and three nights wouldn't be too much!"

"I won't be able to accompany the two of you for that. I promised my wife that once this trip is over, I will return to my hometown to inform my parents and formally bind our Daoist contract."

"Since that is the case, the rest of us will definitely have to come and drink a cup of wedding wine."

"Count me in, I'll go join in the lively festivities too."

"You are more than welcome."

"Then it's settled!"

Qi Ci, standing to the side: "..."

Wait a minute!

What kind of dangerous flags are you all setting here?!

!!!∑(Дノ)ノ

Boom!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the city. The entire Origin Sea City was struck by something unseen, violently jolting several yards to the right, while crisp cracking sounds rang in the ears of the cultivators.

The city-encircling barrier, which had previously seemed unbreakable, shattered in response...

The next moment, amidst a series of thunderous roars, the steady Origin Sea City began to shake violently. Cracks tore through the city, spreading like a spiderweb across half of the settlement. The lightning in the sky, no longer obstructed, poured down alongside a fury of wind blades.

City Lord: "..."

The other two: "..."

Qi Ci: !!!!!!!

Damn it! I knew it! Those who set flags are bound to meet disaster!