Chapter 143 - The Safe Zone and the Drawn Swords
Chapter 143: Chapter 143 - The Safe Zone and the Drawn Swords
Su Bai landed on cracked stone.
There was no dramatic crash. The world folded once, released him, and then became still.
He stood quietly for a few breaths.
First, he checked his body.
Everything’s good.
Then he checked the Spatial Return Thread.
Also good.
Su Bai continued checking.
The Wraith-Slumber Manacle was still on his wrist.
The Blood-Soaked Sword Shard was still at his waist.
The Myriad-Catastrophe Thumb-Ring was still on his thumb.
The Tribulation Lightning Bead Chain was properly fixed and worn again. It had broken during the lightning tribulation before, but after some repairs, it looked less pitiful now.
Su Bai nodded.
His body was still the ultimate contradiction. And, unfortunately, he felt great.
After confirming himself, Su Bai finally looked around.
He had landed inside a ruined outpost.
The outpost was large.
Broken walls surrounded the area in uneven rings. Half-collapsed stone structures stood along old roads. The ground was covered with cracks, dry moss, and fragments of ancient tiles.
At the center of the outpost stood a towering Boundary Pillar.
It was taller than any ordinary watchtower.
Around the outpost, old purification arrays flickered weakly.
The Ashen-Blood Miasma outside the broken walls could not enter.
Red fog pressed against the outpost boundary like a tide against invisible glass. It twisted and rolled, sometimes forming shapes that vanished before they fully appeared.
Above everything, the sky was red. Cracks stretched across the heavens like broken porcelain. Behind those cracks, dim star fragments drifted in places where stars should not be.
Su Bai stared for a moment.
Then he silently judged that the scenery was not bad.
It had atmosphere.
Of course, most people probably would not call an ancient ruined outpost surrounded by living red fog beautiful.
Beauty was subjective.
Su Bai merely felt that compared with certain office mornings from his previous life, this place was at least honest about being dangerous.
He looked toward the center of the outpost.
The Boundary Pillar was the most important landmark.
According to Yue Cangyu, the first things to do after landing were clear.
Confirm body.
Confirm Spatial Return Thread.
Inspect surroundings.
Check miasma intrusion.
Find landmarks or Boundary Pillars before chasing treasures.
Su Bai had already completed most of the list.
Now he decided to go to the pillar.
Before moving, he took out the Glacier-Lung Bone Mask and put it on.
A cold, pale breath spread across his face.
The mask covered his nose and mouth, and his breathing immediately became smoother and colder.
Su Bai was satisfied.
Then, he began walking through the outpost.
As he walked, he felt the Petrified Calamity-Magnet inside his system inventory tremble more clearly than before.
It was reacting very strongly.
The whole Fallen-Star Sanctuary was probably full of things it liked.
Or rather, things that would like to kill ordinary cultivators.
Su Bai did not take it out.
If he pulled nearby miasma too aggressively and disturbed the balance, the safe zone might flicker.
Su Bai did not want to become the reason an ancient outpost failed on the first day.
He continued forward.
The outpost was larger than it had first appeared.
Several roads crossed between the broken buildings.
Spatial distortion was present, but weak.
Su Bai memorized the route.
After walking for a while, he heard voices.
Argument.
He slowed his steps.
The sound came from the direction of the Boundary Pillar.
Su Bai turned a corner and saw twelve cultivators standing near the base of the pillar.
They were divided into two groups.
Six on one side.
Six on the other.
Weapons were drawn, but no one had attacked yet.
That was good.
At least the first thing he saw inside the Fallen-Star Sanctuary was not a corpse.
Only future corpses arguing with each other.
Su Bai looked at them silently.
They had just entered the Sanctuary.
And they were already close to fighting.
Su Bai sighed inwardly.
The Moon-Reflection Garden trial had not been useless. But some people seemed determined to treat lessons as decorations.
Among the twelve, Su Bai recognized one person immediately.
Chen Feng. Myriad Swords Sect disciple.
Chen Feng stood at the front of one group, sword in hand. His expression was ugly, but not panicked.
The five behind him had already accepted his lead, or at least appeared to have done so.
The other six cultivators were from smaller righteous factions. Their robes differed, but their expressions were similar.
They looked wary, unwilling, proud.
The moment Su Bai appeared, both sides noticed him late.
Their spiritual senses were not as sharp as they should have been.
Even within the outpost, the Fallen-Star Sanctuary was suppressing perception.
The six cultivators opposing Chen Feng brightened when they saw Su Bai.
"Radiant Sky Sect!"
"Brother Su!"
Chen Feng’s expression became worse.
Su Bai stopped a few steps away.
He looked at the raised weapons.
Then he asked, "What happened?"
The two sides fell silent.
Chen Feng opened his mouth, then closed it again.
His pride clearly wanted to speak first.
His remaining reason stopped him.
After a breath, he said stiffly, "Let them say it."
Su Bai looked toward the other group.
One young man in blue robes cupped his hands.
"Brother Su, we landed in this outpost not long ago. There are twelve of us here, all from different factions. We first checked the Boundary Pillar and the outpost boundary. For now, this place is stable."
Su Bai nodded.
That was sensible.
The blue-robed cultivator continued, "After that, Brother Chen suggested forming one group before leaving the outpost. We did not oppose forming a group."
Chen Feng’s jaw tightened slightly.
The blue-robed cultivator glanced at him, then continued carefully.
"But Brother Chen wanted everyone to move under his command. He said he had information and strength, and since the Myriad Swords Sect had prepared more thoroughly, we should follow his route. Any treasure found along the way would first be evaluated by him."
Another cultivator added, "If it was useful to Myriad Swords, Myriad Swords would have priority. If not, the rest of us could divide it according to contribution."
The words were not completely unreasonable.
But the way they were received had clearly been poor.
The blue-robed cultivator said, "We did not agree. We are willing to cooperate, but none of us came here to become another sect’s attendants."
Chen Feng said coldly, "I never said attendants."
"You said we should obey orders once we leave the outpost."
"Because hesitation outside the safe zone gets people killed."
"You also raised your aura."
"To prove I could protect the group."
"To pressure us."
"To stop you from wasting time arguing."
The air became sharp again.
Su Bai listened quietly.
This was not a simple matter of Chen Feng being wrong and the others being right.
Chen Feng had strength.
He seems to have disciples who trusted him too.
Forming a group under the strongest person was reasonable in a dangerous mystic realm.
But the others were also not wrong.
They were geniuses of their own factions.
No one entered the Fallen-Star Sanctuary just to walk behind Myriad Swords Sect and wait for leftovers.
Strength mattered in the cultivation world.
But interests mattered too.
Pride mattered even more.
Su Bai suddenly felt a familiar headache.
The shape was familiar.
A group of capable but troublesome interns had been thrown into a high-risk project without clear management structure.
Su Bai looked at Chen Feng.
Then at the others.
Then back at Chen Feng.
He asked, "You have a map, right?"
Chen Feng’s expression changed slightly.
The other cultivators also looked over.
Su Bai continued calmly, "I seem to remember Myriad Swords Sect mentioned during the friendly exchange that they had prepared a map and would provide Radiant Sky Sect with a copy."
He paused.
"My master told me this."
Chen Feng stiffened. His grip on his sword tightened.
Su Bai’s voice remained calm.
"Can I see it?"
Chen Feng hesitated.
The other cultivators looked at him.
That hesitation was unfortunate.
Su Bai looked at him for one breath, then said, "Is Myriad Swords Sect trying to take back its words?"
Chen Feng’s face flushed.
In the end, he took out a folded parchment from his storage ring and handed it over.
"This is only a copied section."
Su Bai accepted it.
"That is enough."
He unfolded the parchment.
The moment he saw the markings, he understood why Chen Feng had been confident.
The map was not complete. But it contained old landmark records, outpost locations, danger notes, and route guesses based on previous entries.
Most importantly, the ruined outpost they were currently standing in was marked.
Outer Outpost No. 9.
Boundary Pillar present.
Purification arrays degraded but usually functional.
Miasma boundary stable.
Beasts may enter.
Do not stay after third night if pillar hum becomes uneven.
There were also several notes beyond the outpost boundary.
A collapsed herb terrace to the northwest.
A broken watch platform to the east.
A red-fog basin marked as high miasma density.
Possible star-metal fragments near an old ravine.
Several routes were marked with different levels of risk.