socalfunplaces Chapter 17 Undercurrents
Chapter 17 Undercurrents
Sensing the eerie aura emanating from Li Yi, the demonic beasts dared not make the slightest move, obediently remaining hidden in their nests, not even daring to roar, allowing him to calmly pass through the mountain path.
I walked in silence, alone.
Before he knew it, Li Yi had walked along this mountain path for a full half day.
The clouds still hadn't dispersed, and the sky gradually transitioned from the hazy gray of morning towards dusk. A faint yellow tinge appeared on the horizon, the light in the mountains and forests grew increasingly dim, and the evening breeze grew cool, stirring up a chill in the woods and conveying the desolation of approaching twilight.
The wild path underfoot had narrowed to the point of being like a sheep's intestines, and further ahead it was almost completely blocked by overgrown shrubs and vines, leaving no path at all.
Li Yi simply lifted his foot and followed the undulating terrain, slowly making his way towards a towering mountain peak. His footsteps lightly touched the rocks, and with a few leaps, he soon reached the summit.
Standing atop the hill, the view instantly opens up, no longer obstructed by dense forests. You can gaze into the distance and see the outlines of the rolling mountains, as well as the plains and valleys scattered among them.
The evening breeze ruffled his clothes. Li Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the layers of mountains, looking into the distance.
At the edge of the horizon, a patchwork of lights faintly spread across the valley, scattered like tiny specks of light, standing out against the darkening sky and vaguely outlining the contours of a settlement.
It was a small town.
It is not large in scale, far from being as magnificent as Yancheng, and even less so than the layout of Qingyang Town. It can only be considered a remote mountain town.
Li Yi gazed quietly at the lights, and suddenly understood.
He took the wrong turn.
He originally planned to head east to Yan City, but the path he chose by following the shadows of the trees was not heading east at all. Instead, it led south, winding into the heart of the mountains, and finally landed on a hilltop in an unnamed town.
The direction was wrong from the start. Although it seemed steadfast all the way, it actually deviated from the right path to Yan City from the very beginning.
If it were someone else, realizing they had gone the wrong way and wasted half a day wandering around in the wilderness, they would probably feel annoyed or blame themselves for being careless. They would immediately turn back, return to the fork in the road, and choose the main road to continue their journey.
But Li Yi simply gazed quietly at the lights of the distant town, his expression calm and undisturbed, without a trace of annoyance, regret, or frustration in his eyes, and without a hint of emotion caused by taking the wrong turn.
He knew he had gone astray and understood that the problem lay in his way of discerning direction.
It wasn't that he couldn't remember the way he had traveled; rather, he was ingrained in using his own set of logic to determine direction, inflexible and unwilling to rely on others or external things, trusting only his own rudimentary sense of the world. Once he made a mistake, he was very likely to go astray, but he never doubted himself because of it.
A mistake is a mistake.
He was moving forward anyway. Heading to Yan City was the way forward, and continuing along the current path was still the way forward. Every road led to distant places; it just meant taking a longer route and arriving in Yan City a little later, which was of no importance to him.
Without lingering, he turned and began to descend the undulating mountainside, his figure gradually disappearing into the deepening night as he walked towards the nameless town below.
Meanwhile, in Qingyang Town, apart from the Lin family, other established forces had been secretly discussing how to find out the origin and whereabouts of this person with double pupils.
No one wants to miss the movements of such a powerful and extraordinary individual. To befriend him would be an immense opportunity; even if one couldn't, one should at least ascertain his background and avoid him in the future, never easily offending him.
Several medium-sized forces in the town took the lead and each selected elite members of their clans at the Earthly Realm or above, forming a team of more than twenty people. They quietly left Qingyang Town and headed east along the wide official road.
Everyone had heard the rumors that after the person with double pupils destroyed Black Dragon Stronghold, he headed straight east, most likely towards Flame City. This joint team, hoping to gather information and try their luck, searched along the way eastward.
On the official road, carriages and horses came and went in an endless stream. This group of people were sandwiched among the travelers, and they kept talking in hushed tones as they traveled.
The group walked along in hushed tones, their thoughts varied—some awe, some curiosity, and some harboring a secret desire to curry favor. They continued eastward along the official road, stopping at every town they encountered and asking everyone they met, carefully searching for any clues about the person with double pupils. Little did they know, their search had been misguided from the very beginning.
Li Yi didn't take the official road to the east at all. Instead, he turned onto a secluded mountain path and headed south, far away from the route that everyone had predicted.
As the winds of change swept through the town, news spread far beyond Qingyang Town, quickly reaching the more prosperous and expansive Yan City via official roads and trade routes.
Yan City, a vast territory, boasts a thriving martial arts community and a complex web of powerful factions. Gangs, merchant guilds, and talisman masters form the undisputed core town within a hundred miles. Undercurrents flow constantly within the city, with various forces vying for power and maintaining a balance of power. Even the slightest disturbance can quickly spread throughout the entire city.
West of the city, the headquarters of the Blood Wolf Gang.
The grand hall was magnificent and imposing, constructed entirely of black stone. The atmosphere inside was somber, subtly exuding a fierce and domineering aura. Seated in the main seat was a burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man, none other than Yue Shan, one of the long-standing overlords of Yan City and the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang.
Yue Shan's cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm. He was ruthless and had a huge influence in Yan City. He had many disciples and controlled most of the underground businesses in the west of the city. Ordinary forces dared not provoke him.
At that moment, a black-clad scout knelt down in the hall, bowing respectfully, and reported the information he had gathered.
"Chief, it has been confirmed that the double-pupiled youth who wiped out Black Dragon Stronghold a few days ago left the stronghold afterward and headed east. Judging from his trajectory, he is very likely heading towards our Flame City."
Yue Shan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the seat, his brows furrowed slightly, and a deep glint flashed in his eyes.
"A person with double pupils? Who single-handedly razed Black Dragon Stronghold?"
He murmured softly, his tone tinged with surprise and gravity. Although Black Dragon Stronghold was located in a remote area and not under the direct jurisdiction of Yan City, it had a lot of private resource exchanges with the Blood Wolf Gang. Now that it had been wiped out, and this mysterious young man had suddenly appeared behind the scenes, he could not help but take it seriously.
To be able to destroy an entire mountain stronghold single-handedly, such combat power is definitely not that of an ordinary rogue cultivator genius. He must either possess an ancient inheritance or be a core disciple of a major sect undergoing worldly training.
If we allow them to enter Yan City, and they secretly establish themselves and develop their power, it will inevitably disrupt the existing power structure.