Strange Rumors of Nameless City

Leaving the bustling Heyang City behind, Li Xiaoyu headed west.

The further west he traveled, the more desolate the terrain became.

The official road gradually turned rugged, and signs of human habitation grew increasingly scarce.

The air was permeated with an aura of bleakness and slaughter.

He was now approaching the border region between the Divine Land and the Northwest Wilderness.

Several days later, a lonely little city appeared in his field of vision.

That was Nameless City.

Compared to the grandeur and prosperity of Heyang City, Nameless City appeared exceptionally dilapidated and bleak.

The city walls were low, their surfaces covered in the marks of wind and sand erosion.

Before even entering the city, Li Xiaoyu could feel an aura of coldness and death shrouding the place.

At the city gate, only two listless guards leaned against the wall, dozing off.

Seeing Li Xiaoyu, a strange outsider, they merely lifted their eyelids lazily before ignoring him entirely.

Walking into the city, the streets were empty, with hardly a pedestrian in sight.

Most of the shops on either side were shuttered, and the few that remained open were deserted.

The entire city was permeated with a stifling sense of panic and despair.

Li Xiaoyu's brows were tightly locked; he knew the situation here was even worse than he had imagined.

He sought out an inn that looked relatively clean and stepped inside.

The only person in the inn was a shopkeeper over fifty years old with a sorrowful face, who was hunched over the counter clicking an abacus.

Seeing a guest enter, the shopkeeper was startled at first, then slowly stood up.

"Traveler, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?"

His voice was listless.

"Staying the night."

Li Xiaoyu took a silver ingot from his robes and placed it on the counter.

Upon seeing the silver, the shopkeeper's eyes brightened slightly.

The shopkeeper tucked the silver away and lowered his voice to offer a warning.

"Take my advice: this Nameless City is no good place to be right now. If you don't have any urgent business, you had best leave quickly."

"Oh? How so?"

Li Xiaoyu feigned ignorance and asked.

The shopkeeper sighed, and seeing that no one was around, he leaned into Li Xiaoyu's ear and whispered:

"There are monsters about!"

"Ten miles outside the city is a Nameless Cave. I don't know what's gotten into it lately, but it's become incredibly sinister!"

"At first, it was just the cattle and sheep in the city disappearing for no reason. Later, people started going missing too!"

"A few days ago, Butcher Zhang's son got drunk at night and insisted on leaving the city, and he never came back. The next day, someone found only one of his shoes at the entrance of the Nameless Cave!"

As the shopkeeper spoke, extreme terror appeared on his face.

"The authorities sent constables to investigate, but not a single one who went in ever came out! Later, two immortal masters sent from Green Cloud Mountain were also lost inside!"

"Now, every time night falls, there is wailing and howling outside the city—it's enough to scare a person to death! We common folk don't even dare step out of our doors once it gets dark!"

Li Xiaoyu listened quietly, having already formed a rough assessment in his mind.

To be able to ensure that two Green Cloud disciples at the third level of the Jade Purity Realm never returned, the monster in the cave was certainly no weakling.

"Many thanks for the information, Shopkeeper."

Li Xiaoyu nodded, his expression unchanged.

"Give me a superior room, and prepare some wine and food."

Seeing that he remained composed even after hearing these things, the shopkeeper couldn't help but hold him in higher regard, assuming he was a capable cultivator, and so he said no more and respectfully arranged a room for him.

Li Xiaoyu ate a simple meal in his room before heading out once again.

He intended to go and see the Nameless Cave for himself.

The sky was nearing Sunset.

The afterglow of the Sunset bathed the entire Nameless City in an eerie, blood-red hue.

Li Xiaoyu walked along the deserted streets, heading toward the city gates.

Just as he was about to step out of the gate, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

He sensed an alluring yet dangerous aura emanating from the shadows of the city wall not far away.

He slowly turned his head.

Within the shadows, a slender figure had appeared at some unknown moment.

It was a woman.

She wore a magnificent purple gown that traced the graceful and moving curves of her body.

Her face was enchanting, her eyes shimmered with shifting light, and a faint smile played upon her lips.

Her beauty carried a bewitching quality, as if it could ensnare a person's soul.

But the moment Li Xiaoyu saw her, his vigilance spiked to its peak.

Because he sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from the woman that was entirely different from the Green Cloud Sect's techniques—one filled with feminine softness and mystery.

Jade Purity Realm Seventh Layer!

And she was a member of the Demon Sect!

The woman seemed not to have expected her presence to be discovered.

She stepped slowly out of the shadows, her charming eyes examining Li Xiaoyu with great interest.

"Giggle."

She let out a series of delicate laughs, her voice soft enough to numb the bones.

"This little brother has such keen spiritual senses. I am Jin Ping'er of the Joyous Union Sect. I wonder which sect you belong to, and what business brings you to such a godforsaken place?"

Joyous Union Sect!

Jin Ping'er!

Li Xiaoyu's heart sank.

One of the Four Major Factions of the Demon Sect, the Joyous Union Sect!

And the name Jin Ping'er was one he had heard of before.

It was said she was the most outstanding disciple of the Joyous Union Sect's Young Generation.

He had not expected the Strange Rumor of this Nameless Cave to disturb even a person of her standing.

It seemed the truth of the matter was far more complex than he had imagined.

Li Xiaoyu kept his expression calm and bowed to Jin Ping'er with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Green Cloud Sect, Li Xiaoyu."

"So, an Esteemed Disciple of the Green Cloud Sect. My apologies, my apologies."

Jin Ping'er's eyes shimmered, her smile deepening.

"Judging by Young Master Li's appearance, you are also here for the Nameless Cave, aren't you?"

"As it happens, I am also interested in the things inside the cave. Why don't we travel together? It would be good to have someone to look out for you, what do you say?"

Her words were filled with temptation.

But Li Xiaoyu could feel the lethal danger hidden beneath her bewitching smile.

To seek skin from a tiger was no different than courting death.

The last ray of the Sunset vanished below the horizon.

Night had completely descended.

On the city wall, Li Xiaoyu and Jin Ping'er stood facing each other from a distance, the atmosphere becoming subtle and tense.

Facing Jin Ping'er's invitation, alarm bells rang in Li Xiaoyu's heart.

The enchantresses of the Joyous Union Sect were famous throughout the world for their Charm Arts, capable of killing without leaving a trace.

To travel with her was no different than exposing his own back to the Fangs of a Viper.

He remained calm on the surface and said, "The righteous and the demonic cannot coexist; those with different paths cannot make plans together. I appreciate your kindness, Miss Jin, but I must decline."

His refusal was crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

The smile on Jin Ping'er's face faltered for a moment.

She had not expected this seemingly young Green Cloud disciple to be so unappreciative of her charms.

If it were any other righteous practitioner, faced with an invitation from a Bewitching Beauty such as herself, even if they were unwilling, they would at least offer a few polite words.

Yet he had refused so thoroughly.

"Giggle, Young Master Li, you truly are a gentleman."

Jin Ping'er covered her mouth and laughed delicately, but a cold glint flashed in her charming eyes.

"However, this Nameless Cave is no place of kindness. If you go in alone, aren't you afraid of becoming a meal for those little things?"

As she spoke, Jin Ping'er walked slowly toward Li Xiaoyu.

Her steps were light and slow, each one seeming to land on the rhythm of his heartbeat.

An Exotic Fragrance emanated from her body, drifting toward Li Xiaoyu.