Chapter 648: Keep Calm, Don’t Panic
The thundering talisman shook the sky.
Some patrolling disciples flew over at once, followed by streaming lights from various other locations. Various magic treasures arrived alongside their owners. It didn’t take long for Chen Xuankong to arrive at the scene too. Upon seeing Qing Zhi shaking while drenched in sweat, he knew something terrible had happened.
“What happened, Junior Qing Zhi?” asked Chen Xuankong.
Qing Zhi couldn’t possibly have used that alarm talisman if nothing major happened.
Before Qing Zhi could utter his answer, the higher-ranking immortals of the sect arrived.
There were several elders at the peak of the half immortal level, as well as Mr. Qi. The last one to arrive was Miao Yan Zhenren, who wore an ominous expression. He was clearly at a crucial moment in the crafting of a magic treasure so he sent his avatar instead.
Despite this, its strength was still the same as an actual profound immortal. After all, Miao Yan Zhenren was the current supporting pillar of the Mystery Dao Sect. If he wasn’t at least this powerful, their sect would have perished a thousand times over.
Seeing that both Miao Yan Zhenren and Mr. Qi were here, the disciples immediately greeted them. Qing Zhi finally regained his senses and knelt on the ground at once, before spilling the beans on what happened.
At this point, he no longer had the guts to hide the truth anymore, including his relationship with the oriole.
Even he wouldn’t forgive himself if he tried to keep anything a secret from the sect. If his lie was exposed, he would be in far greater trouble than if he was to tell them the truth now.
Qing Zhi revealed everything.
Upon hearing that Lin Jin was kidnapped by an unknown person, Chen Xuankong shuddered while Miao Yan Zhenren was visibly shocked.
Mr. Qi, on the other hand, looked dismal.
“No matter who they are, the act of abducting the guest of our sect is a declaration of war.” Miao Yan Zhenren’s avatar issued a stern command.
Soon, each member of the Mystery Dao Sect spread out to search for clues on the mysterious abductor.
Miao Yan Zhenren had faith that they would find Lin Jin. The extraterritorial land may be vast, but the Mystery Dao Sect was still an exceptional existence here. If they wanted to track down someone, that they shall do.
However, since the enemy dared to beard a lion in its den, they must have a trump card to rely on. Be it tactics or cultivation, it was highly likely that they were superior to average immortals.
So what?
Lin Jin was no ordinary guest. He was the key to Mystery Dao Sect’s return to their former glory, and the key to treating their immortal guardian beast, the Qirin.
Moreover, should any mishaps befall Lin Jin while he was in their sect, his master, Curator, would never let them off the hook so easily. If they managed to invoke the rage of the unfettered immortal, the entire Mystery Dao Sect would have to pay dearly for it.
Leaving everything aside, Miao Yan Zhenren felt a moral obligation to rescue Lin Jin.
Now that such a powerful organization was on the move, no doubt their actions would rile up the entire extraterritorial zone. It was likely that blood would be spilled, and Lin Jin was able to figure that out.
Still, he had more important things to consider at this point.
After being bound by a powerful spell, he couldn’t even move his limbs. It felt like his body was being tied up by an actual rope made of black wind that he could see with his eyes. Lin Jin’s estimated that there was at least several tons of pressure exerted on him by the rope.
Ordinary people would have been crushed to death by this black wind rope. Thankfully, Lin Jin was anything but an ordinary person.
Still, that didn’t mean Lin Jin was comfortable with being bound.
Enveloped by a cloud of black energy, although he was blinded, he could tell he was being swiftly moved.
‘Just who has this audacity?’ Although Lin Jin was nervous, it didn’t disrupt his ability to think. He now figured out that the enemy hadn’t left at all. After using a unique spell to take the oriole away, the culprit continued lurking in the area, waiting for Qing Zhi to bring Lin Jin over.
Truth be told, if Lin Jin hadn’t familiarized himself with Qing Zhi, he would have suspected him and his abductor of banding together to fool him.
That wasn’t the case, since Qing Zhi was unaware of the trap.
If he did, he would have resorted to an easier method. This, in turn, highlighted the mysterious enemy’s prowess, not only in spells and cultivation level but also in terms of strategizing.
“Looks like the odds are stacked against us this time,” Lin Jin mumbled to himself.
He began planning his next move.
To be completely frank, Lin Jin could break free from the black wind rope if he wanted to. He could do so by using his two pet beasts, combined with the sharpness of the Clear Wind Sword.
However, Lin Jin felt it was too risky.
That mysterious person might be nearby. They might even be standing right next to him. If he moved carelessly, even if he managed to break free, he would be struck by that mysterious enemy.
Lin Jin knew nothing about his abductor, so he needed to practice due diligence. For now, he would presume that the enemy was a profound immortal.
It was hopeless for Lin Jin to battle a profound immortal.
The best strategy was to tread carefully.
Lin Jin urged himself to stay calm and to avoid panic. The enemy had no intention of killing him, and since they were strangers, there should be no bad blood between them.
As such, there must be another reason behind his abduction. He was probably useful to them.
That allowed Lin Jin to calm down, and to assess the situation.
Aside from his array of trump cards, Lin Jin still had his Visitation Hall door. If push came to shove, he could take refuge inside the Visitation Hall, so no matter how powerful the enemy was, they wouldn’t be able to find him.
Apart from that, the Mystery Dao Sect would surely take action after learning of his abduction. Miao Yan Zhenren was a living, breathing profound immortal expert, so with him around, they would surely find Lin Jin.
This made Lin Jin realize that he didn’t have anything to be afraid of. Instead, he was now increasingly curious about his abductor, and the reason behind his abduction.
Shortly after, Lin Jin felt himself come to a stop. The black fog dissipated immediately and sure enough, the man in a black hood stood right beside him. They were no longer at the Mystery Dao Sect but at an eerie location with strange trees wrapped with vines.
Aside from the black-robed man, Lin Jin saw another woman being controlled by the same spell.
The oriole monster.
As he had seen her image from the projection earlier, Lin Jin immediately recognized her.
‘She wasn’t used as bait?’ Lin Jin thought. Before this, he suspected the black-robed man only captured the oriole to lure him out.
That didn’t seem to be the case.
“Ghost Vine Cage, up!” The black-robed man invoked a spell and Lin Jin saw vines growing from below his feet. As if they were alive, the vines quickly formed the shape of a cage, trapping him and the oriole inside.
After the black-robed man was done, he glanced at Lin Jin before turning away, vanishing without a trace.