Chapter Forty-Three: Strange Occurrences

“Not good!”
Immediately, the two summoned a jade-green wooden talisman, their bodies enveloped in a layer of verdant light. Their speed surged, and they darted toward the exit of the hall in an instant.
“Haha! Since you’re already here, why rush to leave?”
Gongsun Yan burst into laughter, reaching forward with a finger. A golden dragon scale appeared on her fingertip, and the entire hall trembled.
In a flash, countless patterns surfaced within the hall. Hua Tianxiong and Fang Zicheng’s faces changed dramatically. Beneath their feet, a vortex opened up, as if they had been suddenly trapped in a swamp. Their entire magical power was shackled!
“This is the Primordial Rotation Array!”
“Damn it!”
Both possessed late-stage Fill-the-Sea cultivation, but under this array, their energy and vitality were stripped layer by layer. Their movements became inferior even to ordinary mortals.
Hua Tianxiong spat out a mouthful of blood and hurled his wooden talisman. The talisman exploded in midair, instantly creating a forbidden space, forcibly isolating the array’s effect.
“Go, now!”
Hua Tianxiong growled in a low voice.
Yet before they could cross the threshold, Gongsun Yan appeared before them, blocking the hall’s entrance.
“You’ve come to my domain. If I do not permit you to leave, you think you can simply walk away?”
Gongsun Yan sneered coldly, slapping out with her palm. The verdant space held for only a moment before shattering into dust.
Then, two beams of spiritual light shot from her fingers, piercing straight into their bodies.
Both shuddered, their faces contorted with terror, and their movements ceased immediately.
“Gongsun Yan, what are you trying to do? We are chief stewards of the Trade Pavilion. If anything happens to us, even if you repel the beast tide, Divine Wind City will face disaster!”
“That’s right. The Trade Pavilion may not rival the Immortal Chamber or Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, but it has a Nascent Soul ancestor and over a dozen Violet Palace cultivators. This is not something a mere Divine Wind City can afford to offend!”
They stared at Gongsun Yan with unwavering resolve, secretly probing their bodies for the golden light she had injected.
But that golden light seemed like a hallucination—they could not find it!
“No need to search. That is a Soul Seal spell. If you break through to Violet Palace, perhaps you might detect it. But as mere Body Tempering cultivators, you might as well give up. Obey my commands, and you might live.”
Gongsun Yan sneered, “Of course, you can refuse. But… following my orders gives you a chance to survive. Refuse, and I’ll send you to reincarnate right now!”
Hua Tianxiong’s face drained of color, and he involuntarily stepped back.
Fang Zicheng seemed resigned to his fate, his expression bitter and defeated.
“You… you will pay for this one day!”
“My fate is none of your concern. It seems you are unwilling to obey, then!” Gongsun Yan’s eyes turned cold.
“You—!”

Hua Tianxiong’s face twisted in fear. As he opened his mouth, his body convulsed like struck by lightning. His breath faded, and with a dull thud, he collapsed to the ground, dead.
“Hua Brother!”
Fang Zicheng’s pudgy face quivered, turning ghastly pale.
Gongsun Yan sneered, “If I don’t kill one to warn the rest, you’d all think I’m soft-hearted. Fang Zicheng, return now, bring the array disk of the Heavenly Dao Formation, and prepare to depart with me. This is not a request, but an order!”
With that, she turned and walked a few steps back into the hall, then took her seat, addressing Zhou Tianhua and Wang Daozong, “As for the two of you, please prepare the Grand Ark and the Dragon Soul’s Lament.”
“Yes…”
Wang Daozong’s expression changed slightly. He cupped his hands in salute.
Yet as he raised his head, his gaze lingered on her, especially at her right fingertips, revealing a trace of suspicion. “I take my leave.”
“I shan’t linger either.”
Zhou Tianhua maintained his gentle smile.
After they had departed, Fang Zicheng was about to leave when Gongsun Yan spoke again, “Don’t entertain any foolish ideas. The Heavenly Dao Formation may block physical and energy attacks, but it cannot resist soul force or divine sense. Your soul is bound by my Soul Seal spell. Even if you hide within the formation, your life is but a thought away from me.”
Fang Zicheng’s steps faltered. He said nothing and exited the hall.
In the end, Tu Lu felt as if Fang’s figure had hunched with defeat.
He swallowed hard.
He had killed before in the slums, yet he could not grow accustomed to such scenes—especially when Gongsun Yan murdered Hua Tianxiong with a mere warning, chilling him to the bone.
So this is the world of cultivation…
But once the people from the three major factions had left, Gongsun Yan suddenly laughed aloud.
“Master Lu, how was my performance? With these arrogant fools, gentle means are useless. Only a strong hand makes them obedient!”
Hearing this, Tu Lu’s fur bristled, his scalp tingling.
“Incredible, incredible—your wisdom is unmatched, City Lord,” he said hurriedly.
Gongsun Yan’s expression darkened abruptly, as if bored, and she waved her hand dismissively.
“Enough. Your shop’s people are in the eastern wing. Just ask any servant, and they’ll take you there. I’m tired now. Leave, and tomorrow bring your people to depart with me.”
“Yes!”
Tu Lu felt as if he had been pardoned.
He found a random servant and hurried from the hall.
Once outside, walking along the path, Tu Lu finally felt some relief.
Yet as he passed a cluster of artificial hills, he caught sight of the Green-Faced Leopard outside one hill. The figure vanished in a flash, leaving him stunned.

“What place is that?”
The servant paused, looked in the direction Tu Lu indicated, and suddenly understood. “Master, you mean Prison Hill?”
“Prison Hill?”
“Yes, beneath Prison Hill is the dungeon, where the previous city lord used to confine dangerous criminals. But since the current City Lord took over, the place has been abandoned.”
“Does that mean under Gongsun Yan’s rule, Divine Wind City has seen no criminals?”
At this, the servant stopped, his face peculiar. He hesitated a moment, then shook his head. “Not exactly.”
“Hmm?” Tu Lu was baffled.
The servant’s face was conflicted. He hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and explained, “The dungeon is abandoned because the current City Lord doesn’t give criminals a chance to be imprisoned!”
“What do you mean?”
Tu Lu regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth.
“The City Lord rarely concerns herself with law and order. If she encounters criminals, she simply kills them outright, never bothers with imprisonment,” the servant replied.
Tu Lu’s scalp tingled. He quickly nodded and urged the servant to leave the area, unwilling to probe further.
When he finally arrived at the wing room, he was startled.
Xiao Dong was nowhere to be found—only Xiao Cai and Xiao Ci were present.
“Xiao Ci, where is your brother?”
Tu Lu glanced at Xiao Cai, then questioned Xiao Ci.
“My brother?”
Xiao Ci was momentarily confused, then suddenly remembered, “Oh, Brother Dong. He already left.”
“Left?” Tu Lu was taken aback.
“Yes, yes.”
Xiao Ci hesitated, brow furrowed. “He said he had a dream—dreamt he met a rainbow dragon in the eastern part of the city. The dragon gave him many instructions, and so he left, saying he was going to pursue his immortal fate. He didn’t come here with Xiao Cai and me.”
Tu Lu’s mouth hung open.
Had he heard this before, he might have dismissed it as Xiao Dong or Xiao Ci’s nonsense. But he had recently heard Gongsun Yan mention the rainbow dragon, and connecting the dots, he could not laugh—he felt a creeping sense of unease.
This… this is too strange!