Chapter 958: Hello...

Outside Guyin Cliff.

At a certain moment, five figures—youths and young women—swiftly flew in from the distant forest beyond the cliff's edge. Their faces were utterly ordinary, revealing no distinctive features.

As if guided by an extremely precise purpose, the five figures halted simultaneously upon reaching the edge of Guyin Cliff, exchanging bewildered glances.

“Here, is this Guyin Cliff?”

“That can't be right. If this is Guyin Cliff, why is there no one here?”

“Logically, with the wanted order for Shengnu Xu Xiaoshou already issued, this place should be the storm center for smugglers. Plus, Rao Jianxian should have sensed something wrong and led a team here... So why is it so quiet?”

“What do you think, Shuang Dai?”

The group exchanged suspicious looks before turning in unison to the leading young man.

The man addressed as Shuang Dai appeared to be at the Zongshi realm, with no outstanding features, but in reality, he was the leader of the five top-tier bounty hunter squads, known as Double Stunned.

Upon hearing this, Shuang Dai scanned the surroundings, sniffed the air, and said gravely, “A battle has occurred here. At least someone at the Zhan Dao level was involved... And it involved dark attribute powers.”

“What about the people?” asked the woman nearby, dressed as a trialist with an average build and bare feet.

“They're all gone. Most traces have been erased. It's as if they vanished into thin air—either they all entered a different dimensional space, or they were sucked into a spatial spirit artifact... Of course, there's another, more likely possibility!”

Shuang Dai paused after speaking.

The others around him seemed to realize it at once, exclaiming in unison, “Tiankong Zhi Cheng?”

“That must be it.” Shuang Dai nodded.

He couldn't think of any other reason for everyone at the scene to disappear without a trace. Following the situation, the only conclusion was that there was a passage to Tiankong Zhi Cheng here.

“I have a different feeling—they might still be here...”

The bare-footed woman, Jin Zu, furrowed her brows in thought as she paced around, touching the space. She felt as if she were separated from the truth by a thin, invisible veil.

“What makes you say that?” a small boy behind her asked.

“Instinct.” Jin Zu smiled slightly and said no more.

Just then, Shuang Dai seemed to sense something. He looked up at the sky, his expression turning serious. “Someone's coming. Hide, quickly.”

No further words were needed.

The group vanished into the Tiandao without a trace.

Before long, two figures descended from the sky.

One was leading a crane, the other standing on the crane's back.

As soon as they landed, the person leading the crane formed seals with two fingers and stored the immortal crane into the spirit space.

Hidden within the Tiandao, the five figures—who were all exceptionally capable—began communicating through their Tai Xu worlds:

“Who are these two?”

“What a bold entrance—completely out in the open!”

“One is Zhan Dao, the other Tai Xu. Are they smugglers too? Why aren't they hiding their cultivation?”

“Quiet! Don't you see they're not bothering to conceal their power? Either they're extraordinarily confident or have noble status, not caring about the rules of Yunlun Mountains... And stop talking—the one without eyebrows is Tai Xu. We don't want our Tai Xu world getting exposed.”

With that final remark, silence fell once more within the Tiandao.

On Guyin Cliff, Bai Lian searched the area back and forth with a mix of surprise and uncertainty, extending his spiritual sense deep into the ground and sky, yet finding no sign of the people who should have been there.

“Master, did we come to the wrong place? Is this really Guyin Cliff?”

As soon as he spoke, Bai Lian realized something was off.

Earlier, when he and his master had seen the image of Guyin Cliff in the Lingjing's main position, it looked exactly like this place.

But back then, the Lingjing had shown at least a hundred people here.

Now, upon their arrival, everyone had vanished into thin air?

“Tianji World.” Mu Lin, the one without eyebrows, uttered the words lightly and said no more.

Tianji World?

The five top-tier bounty hunters hidden in the Tiandao were all startled, quickly agreeing with the assessment.

Indeed, compared to the idea of a passage to Tiankong Zhi Cheng, the explanation that the internal world of Tianji World had appeared and engulfed everyone was far more plausible.

The “Yunjing World” enveloping Yunlun Mountains had both external and internal worlds.

The external world served for trials, allowing only basic manipulation of the Tiandao principles for simple ability feedback.

The internal world was far more profound, involving the secrets of the Dao Department's Tianji techniques.

This was also why Shuang Dai hadn't thought of it first.

However, what intrigued the five was...

Who were these two newcomers?

How could they arrive at such a conclusion so quickly?

For the Tianji World created by the Shengshen Hall's Dao Department, this Tai Xu without eyebrows seemed so familiar with it—even knowing the internal world inside out?

“Everyone, stay cautious. This Tai Xu feels dangerous...” Shuang Dai warned carefully in the Tai Xu world connecting the five.

No one responded.

On Guyin Cliff, after a moment of daze, Bai Lian quickly reacted, though he looked puzzled as he asked:

“The internal world of Yunjing World?

“That doesn't seem right. The internal world of Tianji World can only be opened by Dao Department members, and there are many prerequisites.

“With Yu Zhiwen's strength, she couldn't activate it without preparing for several days. How could support arrive so promptly?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the five hidden in the Tiandao grew even more alarmed.

Who was this guy?

He was only at Zhan Dao, yet he knew so much about internal intelligence on Tianji World—including its restrictions and prerequisites?

The five top-tier bounty hunters prided themselves on their thorough knowledge of the continent's secrets.

But when it came to anything related to Shengshen Hall, they had no way to even access the information.

So, this pair—one Zhan Dao and one Tai Xu—was already proving to be more formidable than expected, just based on their knowledge.

“Everyone, be careful. This Zhan Dao isn't simple either...” Shuang Dai hesitated before reminding them again.

This time, the Tai Xu world wasn't silent. A muffled response came: “Enough already—we all know. Just keep quiet!”

Shuang Dai: “...”

In the real world, Mu Lin didn't respond to Bai Lian's words. He simply glanced at his disciple with a faint look.

Bai Lian shrank his neck slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly realized, “You're right, Yu Zhiwen wouldn't have time for that. Master, do you mean Situ Yongren made a move?

“Well, I quite like that young man, but he does have a bit of arrogance...”

Still, he received no reply.

But Bai Lian was used to his master's way of speaking and didn't mind.

He scanned the surrounding space again, excitement in his voice as he said:

“Master, I can take action and directly refine the Tianji principles in this space. That way, I can rescue the trialists trapped in the internal world of Tianji World—including Xu... um, the ones in need.

“I believe that because of the Shengli treasure, many trialists desperate for rescue must have come here. They're all promising talents for Sheng Gong and can't be sacrificed in some grand dao conflict!”

With a flip of his hand, flames burst forth with a “puff” from Bai Lian's palm, igniting a white fire.

The Tai Xu world used for communication, which everyone had silently agreed to avoid, suddenly erupted with several exclamations:

“Jinzhao White Flame?!”

“Is he Shengnu Wuxiu?”

“No, no—Shengnu Wuxiu is long gone. He mentioned Sheng Gong... Are they from Sheng Gong? Sheng Gong envoys?”

“Damn! Is he Bai Lian from the Jinzhao lineage, one of Sheng Gong's five great authorities?”

“Then the other one isn't ‘Shengnu Wuxiu’—he's ‘Sheng Gong Wumei’! Mu Lin! Mu Lin is here too?! This is insane—what's going on?”

At that, it seemed they all remembered their earlier agreement and fell silent.

“Just keep quiet, all right...” After a while, Shuang Dai said in shock.

“Stop talking!” Another muffled, fearful voice rang out.

Then, the Tai Xu world fell silent again.

“Put away your ignorance!”

On Guyin Cliff, Mu Lin shot a cold glance, instantly extinguishing the flames in Bai Lian's palm.

“You're a Sheng Gong envoy now. The internal world of Tianji World has appeared, meaning Shengshen Hall is facing a powerful enemy.

“Do you want to position yourself against Shengshen Hall?”

Mu Lin was on the verge of smacking his disciple's head but remembered they were being watched and that Bai Lian was one of Sheng Gong's five great authorities, so he showed due respect.

“So, what do we do?” Bai Lian withdrew his hand, looking bored and listless.

“Wait for an opportunity.” Mu Lin finished speaking and casually turned his head toward the forest behind them, saying nothing more.

Bai Lian paused slightly, understanding his master's unspoken intent—they weren't in a position to act now. The internal world of Tianji World could be broken by someone else.

Master is as wise as ever... Bai Lian thought to himself.

Just then, following his master's gaze, he looked over and froze completely.

“Clang, clang—”

From the nearby forest came the sound of metal clashing.

Then, a disheveled man carrying a sack, like a scavenger, burst out from the concealing woods and landed on the cliff's path.

He stopped abruptly, spotting the two figures ahead.

People? Someone got here before me?

On the other side, Bai Lian had already gone stiff. He clearly saw the man's features: eight fingers, a scar on his neck, disheveled appearance, almost no discernible spiritual energy, yet carrying an unmistakable aura of high status...

“Ba Zun An?!”

Bai Lian screamed inwardly, his entire body breaking out in goosebumps as white flames erupted around him.

In the Tiandao, the five top-tier bounty hunters were equally shocked:

“The Eighth Jianxian?!”

“Heavens! Why is he here? Intelligence said he finished his business in the skies above Yunlun Mountains and vanished.”

“What's he doing here? He doesn't care about Xu Xiaoshou's head... er, or protecting him?”

“Stop talking!”

“Oh, okay.”

No one noticed the faint black figure trailing behind this disheveled man, lurking in the shadows of the trees.

Upon seeing the two on Guyin Cliff who weren't hiding their cultivation, the black figure froze, then silently tore through space and hid in the spatial fragments.

“He might not be Ba Zun An...

“I heard there's a very convincing impostor...

“But he's definitely an enemy!”

Bai Lian's mind raced, struggling to calm himself.

As one of Sheng Gong's five great authorities, his combat strength was impressive.

Yet, since Shengnu was at odds with Sheng Gong and Shengshen Hall, his first reaction to this disheveled Ba Zun An was that he needed to strike and capture him—but he might not succeed...

At that moment, Mu Lin glanced casually in that direction but didn't linger on the newcomer at all, as if he hadn't seen him. Instead, he turned back to his disciple.

“This place might attract more people. Since we can't act, let's hide first.”

Bai Lian's eyebrows twitched as a idea flashed in his mind:

This must be the opportunity Master mentioned!

That's right, regardless of whether this guy is the real Ba Zun An, he's definitely an enemy, definitely a smuggler.

And Shengnu Xu Xiaoshou is one of the enemies, one of the smugglers.

So, Ba Zun An showing up here might not be a bad thing.

He could be here to protect someone.

“Same line of thinking as me...

“But why does it feel a bit off...”

Bai Lian felt a mix of emotions, like he was unwittingly aligning with the underworld.

Seeing that the sack-carrying man in the distance showed no unusual behavior, he extinguished the white flames on his body and pretended not to have noticed him.

“Master, where should we hide?” Bai Lian looked around and asked.

“You've reached Zhan Dao—you can hide in the Tiandao.” Mu Lin replied calmly.

“Oh.”

Without hesitation, Bai Lian knew this was a better choice than hiding behind physical objects. In an instant, he and his master merged into the Tiandao.

After reaching Zhan Dao, one's body aligned more closely with the Tiandao, allowing brief residence within it to sense personal dao rules.

This practical ability was often used by Zhan Dao experts and above for concealment.

With the Tiandao's cover, those below Zhan Dao could hardly detect any anomaly.

As soon as Bai Lian integrated into the fire dao, his thoughts turned ice-cold.

If he still had a physical form, he would have jumped in fright.

Because within this dao, he sensed others—fellow hiders!

“Who are you?!”

Bai Lian was startled and wanted to exit the dao and return to reality.

But at that moment, his master's familiar fire dao energy reached him, signaling to stay calm.

Only then did Bai Lian steady himself and realize that the five auras sharing this space's heavenly dao were even more tense, anxious, and fearful than his own!

Oh, right—I'm with the white side, and they're with the black... Bai Lian remembered his master was beside him and stopped panicking.

Having spent so long in Sheng Gong, he was out of practice with battles, so some fear was normal.

It meant his life safety could be at risk when leaving Sheng Gong like this.

But with Master Mu Lin here, everything seemed under control.

In the awkward atmosphere, those five auras were the first to send a tentative greeting.

“Hello...”