The caravan journey had been fairly uneventful. They'd encountered a few petty thieves, whom Lin Yun had casually wiped out, and a mudslide that had nearly wiped out the whole convoy. After that came little mishaps like broken wheels and snapped reins.
At least it had made the trip to Flying Star City feel exciting.
Once they arrived, though, Lin Yun felt that something was off.
As a city beside Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Flying Star City might not have been wealthy, but it certainly had no business being deserted.
Yet the city was steeped in an indescribable oppression. The moment Lin Yun subtly used his Soul Power, that oppressive feeling instantly turned to delight.
It was the aura of the undead.
Lin Yun frowned. The Heaven Dou Empire was powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with the Star Luo Empire. Though neither could stand up to the Sun Moon Empire, which seemed to have the script of a final boss, it still had countless Soul Masters.
Take Body Douluo Du Busi, for example. He was a peak Level 98 who could firmly suppress Xuan Zi, a veteran Level 98, and had close ties to the Heaven Dou imperial family.
Surely they wouldn't just ignore something like this without even investigating.
But now, this oppressive aura was practically right in their faces, and still there wasn't the slightest response.
There were only two possibilities. Either the aura was so high-level that anyone without a specific Martial Soul couldn't sense it, or Du Busi couldn't solve the problem here either.
Damn it, I should've asked for more.
Lin Yun clicked his tongue, roused Electrolux in his Sea of Consciousness, and asked him, "Elder Yi, take a look at this. What is it? Can you handle it?"
Electrolux looked around through Lin Yun's eyes, then shook his head. "Not a chance. I can't make sense of it. This aura is related to the undead, but it's many times higher in rank. It's roughly like the difference between a monkey and a human."
Lin Yun's mouth twitched. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran for the city gates.
He was almost outside when he realized the aura hadn't disappeared. He came to his senses and looked around, only to find that he'd somehow returned to the same street.
What the hell?
Lin Yun muttered a curse. No wonder that senior hadn't sent any word. The whole city was the problem.
Lin Yun steadied himself and let Electrolux take control of his body. "Elder Yi, you've seen more than I have. Could you check whether I'm losing any life force?"
Electrolux immediately took control of Lin Yun's spiritual power and even helpfully taught him how to use it to examine himself from within.
"You're fine. This aura isn't affecting your life force. It even seems quite friendly toward you. The two of you appear to be living in peace, each minding your own business."
After Electrolux said that, Lin Yun cursed aloud. "It's friendly toward me, but it won't let me leave? What kind of damn lunacy is this?"
After venting, Lin Yun said to Electrolux, "In that case, let's find somewhere to rest first."
With that, Lin Yun took back control of his body and headed for an inn.
He went into the first inn that looked spacious and had a proper, dignified name, rented a superior room, and slipped inside.
After closing the door, Lin Yun began examining the curved blade Mu En had given him.
Soon, Mu En's voice came through. "Have you arrived?"
So it really was a Soul Tool with a walkie-talkie function. Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief. "Reporting in. I can't handle this job, and I've gotten myself stuck here too."
As he spoke, Lin Yun explained his situation. Mu En fell silent for a moment, then said, "I see. In that case, there may be something going on here. Since you can't get out anyway and your life doesn't seem to be in danger, keep looking for that senior. I'll ask around—"
Before Mu En could finish, the curved blade in Lin Yun's hand exploded with a bang, like C4.
Shards whizzed past Lin Yun's head, and two particularly nasty pieces lodged in his brow bone.
He'd nearly been blinded on the spot.
Mu En's Soul Tool communicator also blew to pieces in his hand, which surprised him. It was a unique creation, combining the Soul Tool Department's techniques with a Soul Master's remote transmission of divine sense. Its intricacy was no less than that of a Level 9 Soul Tool.
And only one had ever been made. It was a real shame to see it destroyed just like that.
But in the next instant, a gray-black gleam flashed through Mu En's eyes. The following moment, his expression settled back to normal.
"I wonder if that kid Lin Yun has arrived yet."
Just like that, one of the three Limit Douluo of the age, a supreme powerhouse, had every memory of the device wiped away without anyone noticing.
After standing dazed for half a minute, Lin Yun tore a strip from the lining of his clothes. He used some of the inn's overpriced liquor to disinfect his wound, then bandaged the cut on his brow.
Of course, he had no idea that Mu En's related memories had been erased. Even Tang San didn't know about it, so Lin Yun didn't lose his composure too badly.
He'd already guessed that some force was watching this place. Sending out information that wasn't supposed to leave was bound to cause trouble.
Now Lin Yun figured Mu En would definitely come. This was no longer a matter of a single life; it was a matter of the dignity of a noble Limit Douluo.
"In that case, it's a matter for people at their level. I'll see what I can scavenge in the meantime."
Lin Yun took out the External Soul Bone from the foot and began absorbing it.
The Earth Wind Pseudo-Dragon's attributes were a poor match for Lin Yun's, but this was only a thousand-year Soul Bone. As one of the Eight Directional Undead Monarchs from Versatile Mage, the Skeletal Bone Dragon was incomparably stronger.
The gap between them was like an ant facing a tank.
There was no suspense. Lin Yun finished absorbing it in just over an hour.
"My Soul Power went up one level. This Soul Bone was still a bit weak. Hopefully, I'll get a better one later."
Thinking this, Lin Yun walked out of the inn.
"Lin Yun, be careful. I was worried I might have misread things, but now I can tell you with certainty: something is wrong with the people in this city. They don't seem alive."
Lin Yun stopped in his tracks, right in front of a snack stall. With no other choice, he bought a snack while asking through his Sea of Consciousness, "You mean this is a ghost town?"
If it were a ghost town, Lin Yun wouldn't be afraid. The Skeletal Bone Dragon was one of the supreme rulers among ghosts. On the Douluo Continent, it would be the king of all ghosts. Anything connected to the undead was nothing to fear.
Electrolux replied, "These people aren't dead. They're like me: their bodies have long since perished, but their souls are so powerful that they've taken on shape and substance, forming what are essentially new bodies."
Lin Yun's mouth twitched. He said to Electrolux, "You mean anyone here could be picked at random and still kill you instantly?"
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