That night, Lin Qingyang studied a map at his desk. Greenstone Mountain was roughly ninety li from the Nine Skies Sect, neither particularly far nor particularly close. The Movement Technique could only cover short distances and required a place rich in spiritual power, so using it to reach Greenstone Mountain clearly wasn't practical.
"Let's use Sword Flight." Lin Qingyang addressed the Windflower Sword. "Can you get a little bigger?"
"What Sword Flight? This world doesn't have that mechanic," Lin Yao said, speechless.
"Then what do we do? We can't ride horses, can we? What's the point of cultivating if we still have to ride horses?" Lin Qingyang was even more speechless.
"The Ten-Thousand-Li Tianyan Array!" Lin Yao explained. "It's a teleportation array built by Tianxuan Pavilion. There are a hundred and eight teleportation points across the entire Human Clan continent, allowing point-to-point travel. Most reasonably large sects have one."
"Isn't that... just a high-speed railway station?" Lin Qingyang asked.
"Pretty much. Tianxuan Pavilion maintains these teleportation arrays, and the other sects pay usage fees. The whole pavilion makes a fortune off them every year," Lin Yao said with a sigh.
Early the next morning, before daybreak, Lin Qingyang went to the room next door to fetch Qi Mo. Sure enough, Little Wolf Cub hadn't slept either.
The two made their way through the darkness to the teleportation point on the Back Mountain. It consisted of a single octagonal stone platform engraved with a complex array. Following Lin Yao's instructions, Lin Qingyang brought Qi Mo to stand at the array eye in the center of the platform and raised his hand to channel spiritual power. The entire array began to glow, projecting a map of every teleportation point on the continent into the empty air before them. Lin Qingyang selected the point closest to Greenstone Mountain, then continued channeling spiritual power. White light flashed within the array, and the two vanished.
Only after they disappeared did Mo Yan emerge from his hiding place nearby, where he had been watching in secret. With a grave expression, he stared at the spot where they had vanished.
After activating the array, Lin Qingyang felt an enormous force suck him away. The light and shadows before his eyes blurred together, and his whole body was alternately squeezed and stretched. Just as he thought he was about to throw up, light finally broke before his eyes. Then he realized he was sprawled on a teleportation array in the wilderness-or, more precisely, sprawled on top of Qi Mo. They were so close that their noses almost touched. Qi Mo lay rigid, not daring to move, staring blankly at him.
Lin Qingyang gave a slightly awkward smile. "Sorry, I lost my footing when we landed!" He hurriedly got up as he spoke. Qi Mo lowered his head without a word and silently climbed to his feet.
"Didn't I tell you teleportation arrays were convenient?" The Windflower Sword had floated over at some point. It turned its entire blade sideways and pointed in one direction. "Greenstone Mountain is over there."
Lin Qingyang looked over. The first faint light of dawn was just emerging, revealing a bare peak wreathed in mist not far away. It was covered in blue-gray rocks, with almost no vegetation, and looked thick with demonic qi.
Lin Qingyang turned to Qi Mo again. "This demon hunt might be a little dangerous, but don't worry. I'll protect you."
Qi Mo still didn't really understand why Lin Qingyang had brought him along, but he nodded at those words. Lin Qingyang immediately grabbed him and used the Movement Technique. A flash of white light, and the two vanished.
Not long after they disappeared, another light flashed at the teleportation array, and Mo Yan appeared.
"What is he doing here?" Mo Yan looked around but found no sign of Lin Qingyang, so he walked off, searching as he went.
Once Mo Yan had gone far enough, the teleportation array lit up yet again.
Meanwhile, Jin Buhuan was reviewing the account books in the Golden Spirit Court when usage reports from the Ten-Thousand-Li Tianyan Array arrived one after another. Through gritted teeth, he said, "We're charged per use for this thing! Couldn't they have gone together?"
Greenstone Mountain looked sinister from afar and even more sinister up close. Though it was daytime, the thick mist coiling through the mountain blocked the light, leaving the entire mountain as dim as night.
The instant they landed from the Movement Technique, Lin Qingyang knocked Qi Mo unconscious with the Windbreath Palm. After all, he didn't want Qi Mo discovering that he was the real culprit responsible for Qi Mo being falsely accused.
Supporting the unconscious Qi Mo, Lin Qingyang walked through a cleft between the mountain's cliffs. Everything around them was dark and silent, without even the sound of wind. Blue-gray rocks covered the entire mountain, with almost no vegetation except for thorn-covered red vines twining around the stone. A few black crows perched silently on rocks in the distance.
"Do villains really have to live somewhere that screams villain lair?" Lin Qingyang grumbled.
Just then, a rustling came from beneath his feet. Lin Qingyang stopped and scanned his surroundings warily. A black snake as thick as two fingers emerged from a crack in the rocks beside him. White rings marked its tail, making it look highly venomous at a glance. Its red eyes gleamed eerily as it flicked its tongue at Lin Qingyang.
"Chimei?" Lin Qingyang called tentatively.
The black snake seemed to ignore him. Instead, it climbed along the rocks until it was beside his head, leaned closer to inspect him, then moved down to look at Qi Mo. It was probably verifying their identities and appeared to be one of Chimei's underlings.
After inspecting them, the black snake flicked its tongue at Lin Qingyang again, then slithered ahead. Realizing it was leading the way, Lin Qingyang followed. The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became. Cold seeped from the blue-gray stone, and eerie red vines surrounded them, casting gloomy shadows that made the mountain seem even more sinister.
Lin Qingyang followed the snake down into a valley. The mist across the valley floor was even thicker, making the path beneath his feet almost impossible to see. He felt the air grow damp. The Windflower Sword lit up and shone ahead, revealing a pool of water before them. In the dim light, its entire surface was a still black, looking deep and terrifying. The black snake that had led them there plunged straight into the water and disappeared.
Lin Qingyang laid Qi Mo on a large rock by the shore, gripped the Windflower Sword, and looked around warily.
"Lin Qingyang, you've finally come!" Chimei's familiar, sinister voice echoed from every direction.
Lin Qingyang looked around and saw a red glow slowly approaching across the water through the haze. As the mist gradually parted and the glow drew near, he finally saw that it was a pair of snake eyes as large as lanterns. Vertical pupils sat within the dark red eyes, radiating an uncanny light.
An enormous snake's head rose from the water, entirely covered in black scales that shifted slightly with each breath. Between its sharp, stark-white fangs, a long, scarlet, forked tongue darted nimbly in and out, producing a hair-raising hiss. Waves of scorching breath poured out, accompanied by a nauseating stench of blood.
Lin Qingyang covered his nose and backed away a little. "Couldn't you brush your teeth before coming out to meet people?"
Seemingly displeased with Lin Qingyang's reaction, Chimei snorted coldly. "Where is he?"
Lin Qingyang directed the sword's light toward Qi Mo, who was still fast asleep.
"Very good!" The icy voice echoed. Chimei's enormous snake head slowly approached Qi Mo and examined him for a while. Suddenly, it bared its enormous fangs and lunged at Qi Mo, only to be instantly thrown back by a tremendous force.
Chimei drew back. Looking again, it saw a shield of light formed around Qi Mo, patterned with seven stars.
"What is that?" Chimei demanded.
"The Seven-Star Shield. It cost two thousand spirit stones," Lin Qingyang said. The Seven-Star Shield was hanging around Qi Mo's neck.
"Lin Qingyang, what is the meaning of this?" Chimei's voice carried anger.
Lin Qingyang looked at Chimei with a chuckle. "It means I've fooled you again!"
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