“It’s a bit inconvenient to talk here, Fellow Daoist Xu. How about we step outside to continue our conversation?” The brocade-robed man glanced around the stone room and at the Star Palace cultivator in the corner before making the suggestion.
“Outside? Fine.” The scar-faced man agreed indifferently.
The brocade-robed man was delighted, but then, as if remembering something, he turned back and even managed a strained smile for Han Li. “Brother Qu, why not join us? Perhaps we could cooperate!” He seemed eager to win Han Li over.
Hearing this, Han Li blinked and chuckled, “Alright, Brother Qu wouldn’t mind listening.” With that, he strode out casually, leading the way out of the stone room.
“What? Isn’t this fellow Daoist with you?” The scar-faced cultivator seemed somewhat surprised by this.
“He just teleported here with us; we didn’t know him before!” The dark-faced middle-aged man, who still seemed to harbor some hostility toward Han Li, suddenly spoke up. This made the brocade-robed man frown slightly, but he said nothing. Xu Yun nodded but also remained silent.
The group followed Han Li out of the stone room.
By then, Han Li was already standing outside, looking around in astonishment.
This place was completely different from the Emerald Spirit Island he had visited before. They had emerged inside a small city. Though modest and crude, spanning only about twenty li, it was indeed a city built from black stone. The dilapidated stone room housing the teleportation array stood at the center of this stone city, atop a platform resembling an altar, with steep stone steps on all four sides. Given its elevated position, the view from the platform was unobstructed in all directions.
Symbolically encircling the city was a stone wall about thirty or forty feet high. Just beyond the wall, a thick white light barrier shimmered, protecting the entire city.
Inside the wall stood tall stone houses of varying sizes. Strangely, there were no multi-story buildings—only single-story structures.
At first glance, the city seemed packed with houses, but there were actually few independent buildings. Some stone houses were connected, while others covered astonishingly large areas, often spanning hundreds of feet.
What surprised Han Li even more was that the city was filled with mortals and cultivators mingling together, walking along the rough black stone paths, frequently entering and exiting various stone houses.
If that were all, it wouldn’t be remarkable. What astonished Han Li was that most of the mortals were young, beautiful women, dressed as colorfully as butterflies. The other mortals were strong, robust men and delicate-looking youths, both boys and girls.
As Han Li stood there dazed, the brocade-robed man and the others emerged, led by the scar-faced man. They were equally shocked by the sight of the small city.
After all, since they had planned to come to the Outer Star Sea, they had naturally familiarized themselves with all the known demon beast islands. Yet none of the information they had seen matched what they were seeing now.
“Fellow Daoist Liu, take out the jade slip with the information on the Abyssal Island. Let’s review it. Perhaps we missed something,” the brocade-robed man said with a serious expression, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
“I’ll check again!” Madam Liu hurriedly rummaged through her storage pouch.
“There’s no need to search for information, fellow Daoists. Most of what you’ve heard about the Abyssal Island was fabricated, so it’s no wonder you’re surprised,” Xu Yun interjected, stopping Madam Liu from retrieving the jade slip.
“Fabricated? What do you mean?” The brocade-robed man’s expression shifted.
“It’s simple. This Abyssal Island is different from the other demon beast islands. All cultivators who return from here are under strict orders to disclose only uniform information. Those who violate this face severe consequences. Whether you’re lucky or unlucky to have arrived here, I really can’t say!” Xu Yun spoke with a half-smile.
“Uniform information? Who could enforce such a thing? Could it be the Star Palace?” Madam Liu looked uneasy.
“Although it’s not the Star Palace, this place is indeed ruled by a powerful force—one that even the Star Palace is reluctant to provoke,” Xu Yun sighed.
At these words, Han Li’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
They looked at each other, bewildered.
“Heh! Actually, this place isn’t as bad as you might think. In some ways, it might even be a paradise certain cultivators would kill for. This Black Stone City is the first and only city on the Abyssal Island. If you have strength or ample spirit stones and demon cores, this is a cultivator’s paradise. Here, you can enjoy and purchase things unavailable on other demon beast islands—top-tier dual cultivation cauldrons, incredibly powerful magic treasures, priceless spirit beasts, once-in-a-century materials… you name it, it’s all here.” The scar-faced cultivator suddenly switched to a tantalizing tone, drawing glances from a few passing mortals and cultivators, though they soon went about their business as if nothing had happened.
To the brocade-robed man and his companions, these words only deepened their suspicion and unease.
Han Li, however, continued to observe his surroundings calmly, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
The scar-faced cultivator noticed this and glanced at Han Li with surprise.
“Brother Xu, could you elaborate on this place?” the brocade-robed man asked solemnly after taking a deep breath.
“Of course. Since I’m stuck here for now, why don’t I take you around while explaining? It’ll be more effective than just empty words. Just remember me if you find any benefits in the future,” Xu Yun said cheerfully, seeming to have shaken off his earlier despondency.
“Then we’ll trouble you, Brother Xu. This place really does seem different from ordinary cities,” the brocade-robed man remarked, watching a male cultivator walking boldly down the street with a mortal woman in his arms while other passersby paid them no mind.
Xu Yun smiled slightly and said nothing more, leading the group toward a sizable stone house nearby.
Han Li had already noticed this black stone house—it was one of the largest structures in the city.
From a distance, two alluring mortal women stood at its entrance, greeting the frequent stream of cultivators entering and exiting with smiles.
“Remember! Although this isn’t Heavenly Star City, aside from a special arena, fighting within the city is strictly forbidden. The penalty for violating this is annihilation of both body and soul—there is no second chance,” Xu Yun warned gravely as they walked.
“Really? That punishment seems even harsher than in Heavenly Star City!” The dark-faced middle-aged man was startled.
“Indeed, it is much harsher. But for the same reason, cultivators who enter this city can feel completely safe and secure. To my knowledge, no one who started a fight here has ever left alive. After all, an early Nascent Soul stage senior is always stationed here,” Xu Yun explained slowly.
“Nascent Soul stage cultivator!” The brocade-robed man’s expression changed dramatically, and the others looked equally horrified.
Han Li’s heart clenched, and his vigilance heightened.
“Alright, let’s save further discussion for inside.” Under the smiles of the two alluring women, the brocade-robed man and the others followed the scar-faced cultivator into the stone house, their hearts filled with trepidation.
A flicker of curiosity in his eyes, Han Li followed them in.
Upon entering, a large fan-shaped screen blocked their view. The screen was pink and depicted a celestial maiden soaring through the skies. Though only her back was visible, the image seemed to shift and dance, faint red light emanating from it—clearly a high-grade magical artifact.
On either side of the screen was a small semicircular arched doorway.
In front of the screen stood a female cultivator in her thirties, dressed in light palace robes, chatting and laughing happily with a male cultivator.
Strangely, though her looks were ordinary, her every movement exuded the charm of a mature woman, and her laughter carried an enchanting allure.
The male cultivator, also at mid Foundation Establishment stage, was staring at her dumbfounded, practically drooling.
However, as soon as she noticed Xu Yun and the others entering, her eyes lit up. She clapped her hands lightly, and a young mortal woman emerged from behind the screen. Under the male cultivator’s reluctant gaze, she led him away behind the screen.
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