On the eve of Feng Lingtian's departure, Feng Qingxuan summoned him to his study.
Feng Qingxuan didn't beat around the bush; he took out a yellowed parchment from a hidden compartment in his desk and spread it out on the table.
Feng Lingtian looked down—the paper contained a route to the Slaughter City, with outlines of mountains, rivers, and forests marked on it.
On the western edge of Sunset Forest, there is a small circle with the word "Starting Point" written in fine print next to it.
A red line starts from the circle, meanders westward, bypasses a steep peak marked " Black Stone Mountain," crosses a river, traverses a wasteland, and finally lands on a sign for an unnamed town.
Next to the town, a blood-red cross was drawn in vermilion, with a line of small words written below: Tavern - Entrance.
"This was drawn by Tang Hao from memory," Feng Qingxuan said. "The entrance to the Slaughter City isn't on any map; ordinary people can't find it. This red line is the route he took. With this piece of paper, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble."
Feng Lingtian glanced at the blueprint. "Why did he help us? Was it because of the competition?"
"Yes." Feng Qingxuan nodded. "Back then, his son Tang San was in trouble and asked me to help him out, which is how I incurred his favor."
After you decided to go to the Slaughter City, I made a special trip to see him and asked him to draw the route, as a way of returning the favor.
Feng Lingtian didn't ask any more questions. He took the parchment, carefully folded it, and put it into his Mustard Seed Storage.
Feng Qingxuan added, " Elder Bai will go with you. He'll escort you to the entrance and wait for you outside."
Feng Lingtian nodded, indicating that he understood.
The next morning, Feng Lingtian met Bai Yuanqi at the academy gate.
The old man was dressed in a coarse cloth long gown and looked no different from an ordinary old farmer, but his posture was as steady as a tree with its roots firmly planted.
Seeing Feng Lingtian approach, he didn't waste any words, only asking, "Did you bring the map? Let me see it."
Feng Lingtian took out a parchment and handed it over.
Bai Yuanqi took it, unfolded it, looked down at it for a while, his gaze lingered on the red line for a few moments, then walked along the route again before folding it up and returning it to Feng Lingtian:
"The route Tang Hao drew is fine, but some parts are too roundabout. I've been there too, and there's a faster way. Do you want to try it?"
Feng Lingtian said, "I'll listen to the ancestor."
"Then let's go."
The two walked out of the gate of the Godwind Academy one after the other, heading west. Bai Yuanqi walked in front, his pace neither fast nor slow, but each step was firm and solid.
Feng Lingtian followed behind and noticed that although the old man was wearing coarse cloth clothes, the hem of his clothes was almost free of dust as he walked, and his steps carried a precision that had been honed by the years.
They did not take the official road.
Bai Yuanqi seemed to know the terrain to the west even better than it was marked on the map. He led Feng Lingtian through desolate wilderness, bypassing villages and towns, and traversing the foothills and edges of valleys.
Feng Lingtian didn't ask why they were taking these routes; he could tell that Bai Yuanqi was avoiding people.
When they encountered the mountains, Bai Yuanqi didn't stop to take a detour; he simply glanced at Feng Lingtian and said, "Fly over there."
The two glided across using the wind, passing directly over the ridge.
When Tang Hao and Tang San traveled this route, they had to detour around the mountains, which added two days to their journey.
Bai Yuanqi Feng Lingtian, relying on their speed and flight ability as Agility Attack System Soul Master, directly cut off that detour.
They traveled for four days, crossing the western border of the Heaven Dou Empire, and entered a sparsely populated wasteland.
The ground became increasingly dry and cracked, the vegetation became increasingly sparse, and a faint smell of sulfur and scorched earth began to permeate the air.
On the evening of the fifth day, Bai Yuanqi stopped at the edge of a dry riverbed.
"Arrive."
Feng Lingtian followed his gaze and looked in that direction—ahead was a wide expanse of gravel, at the end of which was a tiny town.
A few low mud houses are scattered on the cracked ground. A wooden pole is crookedly stuck at the entrance of the town, with a dilapidated sign with illegible writing hanging on it.
Bai Yuanqi didn't continue walking forward, but simply gestured with his chin in that direction. "The one on the left, see it?"
Feng Lingtian looked in that direction. The house was slightly larger than the surrounding mud houses. The door was half-open, and dim light shone through the crack. He could vaguely hear people talking inside, their voices very low.
"That's it," Bai Yuanqi said. "Let's go."
The two walked side by side across the gravel path into the small town, stopping briefly beside a crooked wooden pole at the town's entrance.
Feng Lingtian took out the Illusory Form Pill and swallowed it, then covered his face with a silver-white mask—a thin blue feather pattern was visible under the left corner of the mask's eye.
Bai Yuanqi stood half a step behind him, without making any unnecessary movements.
Feng Lingtian pushed open the door and entered the tavern, with Bai Yuanqi following behind him.
The tavern wasn't big, with five or six tables and a dozen or so people sitting scattered around.
Seeing someone enter, a patron leaning against the wall grinned and said, "An old man with a cowardly kid, here to die?"
No one responded.
Feng Lingtian walked straight past several tables to the bar.
The waiter glanced up at him, took a rough ceramic cup from under the bar, poured a dark red liquid into it, and pushed it in front of him. "Only after drinking this will you be qualified to move on."
Feng Lingtian glanced down at the glass of liquid, but didn't touch it. His voice was neither loud nor soft. "Move aside."
The waiter and he locked eyes for a moment, then the waiter took a step back and moved away from the seat behind the bar.
Feng Lingtian bent down, gripped the edge of the stone slab with his fingers, and forcefully lifted it upwards. The stone slab loosened, revealing a dark hole extending downwards, its edges gleaming with a dark red glow.
He stood at the edge of the cave entrance, looking down into the darkness that led underground.
The tavern fell silent for a moment. Several gazes fell on his back from various directions, but no sound was heard. Bai Yuanqi remained standing two steps behind him, neither approaching nor leaving.
Feng Lingtian didn't look back, and jumped down.
The stone slab closed above his head with a dull thud.
The tavern fell silent for a moment, then the patron leaning against the corner chuckled again, "He actually jumped."
Bai Yuanqi ignored him. He walked to a spot against the wall in the tavern, pulled up a chair, sat down, and closed his eyes, as if he were resting.
Not long after, an invisible Spiritual Power swept across from the depths of the earth, like a cold tide washing over the entire tavern—it was a probing intent emanating from the depths of the Slaughter City.
Bai Yuanqi did not move or open his eyes. Only when he sensed that Spiritual Power did he release a trace of his own aura.
Not much, just enough for the other party to sense his location and the strength hidden beneath the calm surface. The Spiritual Power lingered on him for a moment, then silently retreated.
Bai Yuanqi opened his eyes.
He didn't linger; he got up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the tavern, following the gravel path back to the edge of the riverbed.
But he didn't rush to leave.
For the next three days, he spent his days resting near the riverbed, occasionally sitting in a tavern for an hour or two, allowing the Spiritual Power from the depths of the earth to repeatedly sense his presence.
Three days later, having confirmed that the King of Slaughter had completely abandoned his probing intentions, he took out the Yu Feng Token Sub-Token and infused it with Soul Power to confirm that the signal was working properly—he could receive any messages sent by Feng Lingtian from within.
After confirming that everything was correct, he put away the Sub-Token and headed towards the edge of the town.
He doesn't need to sit here all the time. But as long as he comes back to sit here every now and then, the King of Slaughter will know that someone is guarding Feng Lingtian.