On this side, the Su, Lin, Moore, and all the other major families were waiting quietly at the foot of the mountain with their children.
Sam Su's expression kept shifting after Henry Lin's little speech.
Ever since he'd sent Evan Lin into the air-raid bunker, Sam Su hadn't mentioned him again, sticking strictly to Evan's instructions.
Right now, Sam Su stared heavily in the direction Master Baiyun had left. It had never crossed his mind that the person Master Baiyun was looking for was actually Evan Lin—the one he'd personally hidden away in that bunker.
Everyone had their own schemes and secrets. Not a single person wanted to leave first. In their eyes, with Master Baiyun's skills, killing someone and coming back would take, what, a day at most?
If anyone bailed now, and Master Baiyun came back to find them gone, it'd only prove they weren't sincere. And if you're not sincere, how are you supposed to become his disciple?
Besides, these people had obviously come prepared. As soon as Master Baiyun left, someone brought over a cook, who started making food right there not far away.
Meanwhile, after just a few leaps, Master Baiyun was already out of the mountain range.
He landed in a sunken area, holding an ancient, battered compass in his hand. The thing was covered in pits and cracks, like it could fall apart any second.
Master Baiyun tapped the compass with one finger. It trembled slightly, as if locking onto something. Not long after, he glanced in a certain direction and hopped forward again, moving fast.
He moved with a swagger, white hair by his temples flying in the wind, not looking the least bit tired.
In the cultivation world, once you became a true mage, you could call the wind and summon the rain at your peak—just like the elders and chief of Medicine King Valley. They all had supernatural powers and were basically living legends in the eyes of regular folks.
But even after reaching the top as a mage, there was still a bottleneck. Breaking through meant you needed a mountain of rare herbs, insane talent, and years of brutal training.
Once you broke through, you became a Life-and-Death Mage.
In this realm, your spells packed way more punch than before—faster, stronger, the whole deal.
That’s not all. Once you hit the Life-and-Death level, your body gets a massive upgrade too. Otherwise, no regular mage could run around nonstop like Master Baiyun was doing now.
“Judging by that aura... is someone cultivating in there?”
Master Baiyun’s face stayed cold as he pressed forward. The compass in his hand spun quietly, pointing the way. The closer he got to Evan Lin, the faster it spun.
Capitalview City was hundreds of kilometers from that air-raid bunker.
A whole day later—
The sun was blazing, already high in the sky.
Outside the mountain where the air-raid bunker was hidden, Master Baiyun put away his compass, kicked off the ground, and leapt to the top of the tallest tree. Looking down, all he saw was a mess of rubble and ruins.
Hands behind his back, Master Baiyun’s eyes were icy cold. "You had the guts to kill my disciples, but not enough to come out and face me?"
"You think you can mess with me, Master Baiyun, and get away with it?"
The moment Master Baiyun spoke, his words exploded in the air like thunder—not the brute force of a martial artist, but a fierce, rippling wave of spell power.
He’d fused his spell into his voice, making it hit even harder!
The instant he spoke, the whole forest went wild. Birds shot into the sky, beasts bolted in terror, and chaos reigned.
But weirdly enough, the pile of rubble he stared at stayed completely still.
"Hmph!"
"You think you can run now that I’m here? Not a chance!"
Muttering under his breath, Master Baiyun’s eyes flashed. He thrust out his right hand and grabbed at the ground.
"Open up!"
With a furious shout, the air crackled with pressure. Out of nowhere, a giant transparent hand appeared.
That massive hand slammed down on the rubble with a deafening boom, blasting the rocks away and exposing the hidden entrance to the air-raid bunker.
From the entrance, wild gusts of wind surged out, like some giant was breathing inside. Each exhale and inhale sent howling drafts through the air.
Master Baiyun barely spared it a glance—he wasn’t impressed.
"Little spell tricks like that? You really think you can scare me?"
Master Baiyun snorted, leaping from the treetop and diving down like a giant bird.
"If you won’t come out, I’ll drag you out myself and settle the score for my two useless disciples!"
But just as Master Baiyun landed and started toward the entrance, his eyes narrowed and he let out a surprised grunt, instinctively leaping backward.
The instant he jumped away, a deep mark appeared right where he'd been standing.
"There are ghosts here too? No wonder you managed to kill my disciples! Well, well!"
Master Baiyun let out a cold laugh. "If you can control ghosts, you must have some serious magic gear. Today, I'll kill you and take your artifact for myself!"
He quickly formed hand seals, tapped his brow with two fingers, and started chanting under his breath.
"With my eyes, open Yin-Yang Heaven and Earth!"
With a shout, Master Baiyun's eyes snapped open. The world around him changed in an instant. Floating in midair, three stunningly beautiful female spirits rushed at him, baring claws and fangs.
Each of the spirits was insanely strong, but Master Baiyun didn't even flinch. He whipped out his compass, slammed his palm down on its center, and a blood-red flame shot out toward the three ghosts.
The three spirits tried to dodge or take the hit head-on, but the flame seemed alive—it homed in and nailed them all.
As soon as it struck, black baleful qi erupted from their bodies. The spirits wailed, panic written all over their faces.
"It's useless. This flame is made to deal with ghosts like you. Maybe you could handle my disciples, but against me? Tough luck."
Master Baiyun shook his head and barked, "Bind!"
As soon as he spoke, the thin flame from the compass twisted into a rope. With the spirits shrieking, it pierced through all three and wrapped them together, binding them tight.
Bang!
The three spirits crashed to the ground, cloaked in black smoke, totally helpless. They whimpered, trying to warn the person still cultivating inside the bunker.
But just then, as Master Baiyun glanced at the entrance, he realized the air temperature was rising way faster than he'd expected.