Chapter Forty-Seven: The City of Absence

"I refuse!"

Su Yizhao did not hesitate.

If it didn’t involve his senior brother Shi Feichen, he would have no fear.

But whether as a person or in his actions, one must have principles!

Cheng Jiaojiao’s expression darkened. “You’re ungrateful! This was specially prepared for you by the sect master! You won’t accept it?”

Xuan Wujie?

Su Yizhao’s heart stirred.

“Even so, I will not accept it!”

The elders behind Cheng Jiaojiao nearly widened their eyes in shock.

The gold token!

Previously, it was the symbol of the Law Hall’s top enforcer in Xuanqi Sect. You might disdain it, that’s fine—after all, you’re the enforcer disciple who can kill peers in an instant.

But now, when you can enter the first threshold of Xuantian Sect, how can you refuse?

The disciples from the Outer Hall of Mystic Artifacts looked utterly baffled, their faces awkward.

Cheng Jiaojiao spoke earnestly, “How about a different condition? You need only kill the two people beside Shi Feichen. What do you say?”

No need to harm the senior brother?

Su Yizhao wavered.

Across the continent, among billions of cultivators and countless talents, to enter the first threshold ahead of time would surely be a chance not to miss.

Seeing him tempted, Cheng Jiaojiao pressed, “We can make it even easier. If you don’t encounter them, it still counts as completing the task!”

“Is this true?” Su Yizhao asked in surprise.

Cheng Jiaojiao laughed lightly. “Absolutely! But if you do meet them, you must fulfill the task. Otherwise, I’ll inform the sect master and void this sole gold token.”

This was undeniably a generous condition!

Yet there was something suspicious here that Su Yizhao couldn’t quite grasp.

For instance, who would know if he encountered them or not?

Moreover, he could simply avoid their tracks!

Years of law enforcement had honed his tracking skills; wouldn’t his counter-tracking be just as strong?

“Opportunities vanish in a blink—you must think carefully!”

Su Yizhao gazed into her beautiful eyes.

He couldn’t outplay her!

This woman possessed both beauty and cunning—he truly couldn’t match her games.

Since that’s the case, he’d accept!

With strength at this level, no matter what schemes arise, a single sword can cut them down!

If one sword isn’t enough, then two!

He extended his right hand.

Cheng Jiaojiao’s smile bloomed as a gold token floated to his palm, settling firmly.

Su Yizhao clenched his fingers.

The gold token, symbolizing the Law Hall’s faith and highest honor, once again rested in his grasp.

Ultimately, it’s obsession!

He thought silently; if not for his lingering attachment to Xuanqi Sect, how could he find it so hard to refuse now?

Now that he wore the gold token, he must uphold its dignity!

Su Yizhao straightened his posture, stored the token, and clasped his hands in farewell. “Until we meet again! Farewell!”

With that, he didn’t linger, soaring into the sky and speeding eastward.

“Elder Cheng, I admit, throughout the sect, he’s the most suitable!” A puzzled elder remarked, “But to just give it to him—I still feel uneasy!”

Cheng Jiaojiao’s eyes twinkled with a smile. “What’s so uneasy?”

“How will we know if he meets Shi Feichen?”

Cheng Jiaojiao laughed again. “Send word everywhere: Su Yizhao, our gold token enforcer, has left the sect!”

The crowd remained confused.

Suddenly, someone clapped and praised, “Excellent! Excellent! If there’s a gold token enforcer, they won’t leave the sect easily. So, if he’s gone, it means there’s a task only he can complete.”

“Indeed! Within the three sects, who doesn’t know these three have betrayed the sect?”

“So, even if he doesn’t seek them out, those three will know the gold token enforcer is coming for them. Rather than waiting to be killed, they might as well strike first! They’ll certainly try to find him, at least to test him!”

“If they can kill the gold token enforcer, then in the entire southwestern frontier, among a million cultivators, none would dare pursue them again—they’d be safe for life!”

As elders, they weren’t fools!

Seven or eight elders discussed, and within a few breaths, the matter was clarified.

The Outer Hall disciples nodded repeatedly.

Suddenly, they realized—what did this have to do with them?

Cheng Jiaojiao nodded slightly, gazing at the direction Su Yizhao had gone, and murmured, “Not enough.”

“Not enough?”

“Yes—send word everywhere: whoever holds the gold token becomes the sole nominee of Xuanqi Sect and may enter Xuantian Sect without examination!”

“Elder Cheng, isn’t that just the first threshold?”

Cheng Jiaojiao’s smile grew brighter. “Who would know? True or false—false or true—only uncertainty is real!”

But there was too much falsehood!

For example, her claim of informing the sect master just now? She couldn’t do it at all!

But who would know?

The information gap is one benefit of high position!

The crowd watched as Cheng Jiaojiao laughed, her waist trembling and her beauty resplendent, and resolved never to provoke her lightly again.

Su Yizhao, of course, knew nothing of her schemes.

Nor did he need to!

Swiftly, he left the bounds of Xuanqi Sect and soon encountered two cultivators blocking his path.

Both were soul cultivators, arriving together.

As if waiting for him, the moment he drew within a hundred feet, they attacked.

Their soul attacks approached his forehead, just three feet away.

He summoned a flying sword.

The sword flashed silver, instantly piercing both their throats.

He didn’t even pause in his rapid flight. Smiling as he passed, he gathered two storage pouches in his hand. Only after he’d flown ten more yards did the bodies fall to the ground.

Fast!

He was immersed in the rush, and in the contemplation of the Earth Sword Technique.

The deeper his insight into the essence of spells, the more he felt the profoundness of the Dao.

After that single sword, no one blocked him again.

Heading east, he finally arrived at the city closest to the eastern border.

This city was also the farthest from the three sects, called the City of Three Nothings.

Three Nothings: no sect restrictions, no one in charge, no rules.

Though he was prepared, Su Yizhao was still amazed by the city’s bustling scene.

Beyond the myriad shops selling all sorts of cultivation resources, what astonished him most was that cultivators from the three sects could coexist peacefully here, trading freely.

“Fellow Daoist, how much for your Silver Soul Flower?”

“Trade only, not for sale!”

“What do you want?”

“Earth Soul Technique!”

After a few quiet words, a body cultivator and a soul cultivator struck a deal and left satisfied.

Su Yizhao saw this everywhere on the street and felt a spark of inspiration.

Just then, a cultivator waved to him.

He paused in surprise.

“Fellow Daoist, come in!”

Su Yizhao’s heart stirred. “What is it?”

“You’re clearly heading out. I specialize in this. This isn’t the place to talk—come inside!” The man turned and entered a nearby house.

Su Yizhao was stunned.

Clearly heading out?

Did he have some obvious trait?

He shook his head and entered calmly.

The house was large. Inside, seven cultivators sat cross-legged.

When he entered, they all opened their eyes and sized him up.

Su Yizhao swept his gaze over them. “Fellow Daoist, aren’t you going to explain?”

The cultivator who led him in said nothing, tossing him a jade slip.

He took it and scanned it with his spiritual sense, frowning slightly.

Inside was a simple map, marking only two places.

One was the City of Three Nothings.

The other was a vast area east of the city, labeled with five characters: The Domain of Dead Souls.

“Pass through the Domain of Dead Souls, and you’ll reach the eastern sacred land of cultivation! Are you heading out?”