Chapter 117: The Barrier

Page (1/3)

At that moment, Lin Hao was still puzzled.

“So this is a teleportation array? It doesn’t seem safe at all. I felt an overwhelming sense of danger just now. But where exactly has it teleported us?”

Lin Hao muttered to himself.

He had never used a teleportation array before, so he assumed that the rift he had just seen was a normal part of the process.

Cao Yi, however, knew that what had happened was absolutely not normal. For some reason, anything connected with Lin Hao always seemed to invite unexpected complications.

Cao Yi, too, surveyed the surrounding landscape, but had no idea what desolate wilderness they had been transported to. He could only glare at Lin Hao resentfully.

It was all Lin Hao’s fault. If Lin Hao had not dragged him into the teleportation array, they would not have ended up in this forsaken wilderness, with neither a village ahead nor a settlement behind.

Lin Hao quickly released Cao Yi and removed the restraints he had placed on him. With an apologetic expression, he said, “I’m sorry, Senior Brother. The circumstances left me no choice. I truly had no alternative but to resort to that just now. I hope I didn’t injure you.”

Lin Hao still felt a measure of affection for Cao Yi. He had not forgotten how Cao Yi had once cared for him. Even though Cao Yi had treated him that way during their recent clash, Lin Hao was not so heartless as to disregard their past completely.

That was why he spoke to Cao Yi so courteously.

Cao Yi’s expression remained faint and indifferent, but he had already begun to radiate unmistakable distance. He looked at Lin Hao, gave a cold snort, then turned away without replying.

Instead, he surveyed the surroundings and asked coldly, “Where is this?”

Hearing the question, Lin Hao scratched his head awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Senior Brother. I don’t know where this is either. This doesn’t seem to be the Clearwind Sect. Was that rift just now supposed to be part of the teleportation array? These arrays are more dangerous than I expected.”

Cao Yi let out a cold laugh. “Hah. Of course that wasn’t normal. Nothing like that has ever happened before. A spatial rift suddenly appeared just now, and I don’t know why.”

His explanation made Lin Hao understand. “I see. Still, my luck really is terrible. After going through so much trouble to find a teleportation array, something had to go wrong. So where exactly have we been sent?”

Lin Hao began to worry as well. At first, he had assumed that even if they had not been teleported directly into the Clearwind Sect, they would at least be somewhere nearby.

But from Cao Yi’s words, it seemed that the sudden spatial rift could have sent them anywhere. Lin Hao could not help feeling uneasy.

“Could we have been sent back to one of those places around Azure City?”

The thought made him panic. He began carefully examining his surroundings.

The longer he looked, the more familiar everything seemed.

“Still… this place looks somewhat familiar,” he murmured.

As he spoke, Lin Hao walked around the area. Then, all at once, something came to him. His eyes lit up, and his face filled with delight.

“I remember now. This should be Skyfeather Mountain.”

He looked up at the sky and saw, just as he expected, a faint barrier.

That confirmed it. This truly was Skyfeather Mountain.

It seemed his luck was not entirely terrible, after all. At the very least, he knew exactly where he was now, unlike before, when he had not even known what place he had reached.

Besides, Skyfeather Mountain was not very far from the Clearwind Sect. Once he managed to get out, he would be able to return to the sect quickly.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Lin Hao did indeed feel a sense of relief.

Yet immediately after saying this, his brows drew together again.

When Cao Yi heard him mention Skyfeather Mountain, his own brows knitted as well, and his expression became even more displeased. He knew nothing about what had happened there; he merely sensed that the surrounding environment was abnormal.

Following Lin Hao’s gaze, he looked up at the barrier in the sky, his face filled with confusion.

Lin Hao hurriedly explained, “It’s like this, Senior Brother. Skyfeather Mountain experienced a major disturbance some time ago. The various sects sent people inside to investigate, and during that period, another change occurred. A barrier appeared, trapping everyone inside. Those within cannot leave, and those outside cannot enter.

“I came in once before, but when I realized the situation was dangerous, I left ahead of time. The disciples from the other sects never got out. I don’t even know whether they’re still alive.”

Lin Hao sighed as he spoke.

Who could have imagined that after escaping, he would somehow return in this manner?

He could not help cursing his luck inwardly. His expression grew solemn, and he added with puzzled amazement, “But how could the teleportation array have sent us here? People outside can’t even enter, yet we were able to come in through the array.”

Lin Hao did not know much about teleportation arrays, and his face was filled with confusion.

His words made Cao Yi’s expression even darker. He turned to Lin Hao and asked, “Are you saying we can’t get out?”

“Not necessarily. I don’t know the exact situation yet. It has been some time since I left Skyfeather Mountain, and I honestly have no idea how to get out. For now, we can only find the mountain’s exit first, then figure out what to do.”

With that, Lin Hao turned and started down a path.

Watching him simply walk away, Cao Yi clenched his fists. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes as he stared at Lin Hao’s back. He truly wanted to teach Lin Hao a lesson.

But the murderous intent vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

After all, Cao Yi still did not know where they were, while Lin Hao understood Skyfeather Mountain far better than he did. Cao Yi knew almost nothing about the place. If he killed Lin Hao here, he would have no idea how to leave.

It would be better to wait until they got out before settling anything else.

With that thought, Cao Yi noticed that Lin Hao had already gone quite far. He hurried forward several steps and caught up with him.

Lin Hao had sensed Cao Yi’s anger and estrangement, but he still retained a measure of goodwill—and had his own calculations as well.

He knew Cao Yi was intelligent enough not to try to kill him at a time like this.

Thus, he walked on without concern, leaving his back exposed to Cao Yi. He was not worried that Cao Yi might separate from him or refuse to follow.

Sure enough, Cao Yi eventually caught up.

Noticing this, Lin Hao’s lips curved into a faint smile. He continued walking through Skyfeather Mountain with an easy air, though the vigilance in his eyes never relaxed.

His mind was crowded with questions. Why had he returned to Skyfeather Mountain? Could he really find his way out again?

After all, it had been the qilin that warned him to leave Skyfeather Mountain before. Soon after he departed, the barrier had appeared.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

He had not set foot in Skyfeather Mountain since.

As he walked, Lin Hao continued to survey the surroundings cautiously.

He wondered hopefully whether he might be able to see the qilin again.

The interior of Skyfeather Mountain did not appear to have changed much. Perhaps the disturbance had not caused as much damage as he had feared.

Could he encounter people from the other sects here as well?

These questions filled Lin Hao’s mind.

Carrying his doubts and facing the unknown, he relied on his memory and followed the path he had taken before, heading toward the mountain entrance.

Fortunately, he still remembered several routes. Whenever he reached a fork, he could immediately choose the correct path and continue onward.

Once he confirmed that this was indeed a road he had traveled before, he knew that following it a little farther would take them to Skyfeather Mountain’s exit.

After walking quickly for a while, Cao Yi caught up with Lin Hao. Seeing Lin Hao press ahead in silence, Cao Yi finally asked, “Hey, Lin Hao, do you know how to get out?”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. If we continue along this road, we’ll reach the entrance to Skyfeather Mountain. I don’t know how we’ll pass through the barrier, but we should at least reach the entrance first.”

Lin Hao spoke with confidence.

Cao Yi eyed him doubtfully. After thinking it over, however, he ultimately continued forward with Lin Hao.

The two of them walked for more than half an hour before the sounds of fighting suddenly reached them from ahead.

Crackling and clashing rang through the air.

Lin Hao and Cao Yi exchanged a glance. They quickly slipped into a nearby patch of woods, climbed a tree, and looked toward the commotion.

Not far away, they saw a group of people battling one another. Their clothing was different, marking them as members of different sects.

Lin Hao recognized them at once. They were the various sects that had entered the mountain earlier. Though he did not remember them clearly, he still had some impression of them.

He recalled warning them to leave, but evidently they had not done so. They were still trapped inside Skyfeather Mountain.

Seeing them fighting over something, Lin Hao felt somewhat relieved. Although they had not managed to leave, at least they were still alive. That proved the interior of Skyfeather Mountain had not undergone any catastrophic change or encountered some overwhelming danger.

He simply did not know what they were fighting over.

At that moment, Lin Hao turned to Cao Yi and saw the wariness on his face.

Lin Hao explained, “These are the various sects that entered the mountain before. I don’t know which sects they belong to, but the fact that they’re still alive suggests that the dangers within Skyfeather Mountain aren’t as terrible as outsiders might imagine.”

After hearing his explanation, Cao Yi nodded in understanding. He looked at Lin Hao and asked, “Are you going to help them, or should we take another route?”

“I haven’t traveled any of the other routes, so I think we should continue along this one. But helping them is out of the question. Let’s watch for now. Once they finish fighting and leave, we can go down.”

Lin Hao considered it for a moment before answering.

When Cao Yi suggested helping them, Lin Hao had thought he must be joking.