Chapter 118: The Zhou Family’s Main City

He wondered why the Third Elder, always so arrogant and aloof, would personally give him such instructions. Once he finished reading the scroll, his shock was no less than that of the subordinate beside him.

The Ninth Miss actually possessed high-level phantom beasts, and more than one at that! And he was just a swordsman! It was precisely because of this that even the Third Elder had begun to take notice.

However, the Shen family investigation team was destined to be disappointed.

Overnight, the men Shen Hui brought had almost turned Normans City upside down, yet there was no trace of Shen Duo.

On the other side, Linghu Yu had already quietly led Shen Duo and her group out of Normans City.

Stepping out from a sheet of white light, Shen Duo blinked and looked back with some uncertainty. This triangular stone pillar, carved with complex patterns, was the legendary teleportation array capable of instantly transporting people hundreds of kilometers!

If the Holy Glow Continent possessed such heaven-defying technology, why bother with those magical beast transports? Wouldn't a teleportation array be more convenient and efficient?

Shen Duo’s "country bumpkin in the big city" expression was so innocent and conspicuous that even the usually stone-faced Feng Jun couldn't help but curve his lips.

He even offered a rare explanation: "Xiao Duo, this is a teleportation array."

Shen Duo glared at him and pouted, "I know." Although this was her first time using one, the original owner of her body possessed at least that much common sense.

Lou Jingbai, perched on Shen Duo’s shoulder, glanced at her with a furry fox face that clearly expressed, "You are beyond help."

And so, the kind-hearted Master Lou Jingbai used telepathy to educate Shen Duo.

After thousands of years of migration and evolution, the continent had long since lost the prosperity it held ten millennia ago. It is said that during the ancient era of Phantom Masters, there was no distinction between Phantom Masters and swordsmen; back then, every city on the continent had interconnected teleportation arrays to facilitate travel.

But today, while high-level arrays like these had not vanished, the energy ores needed to build them had become increasingly scarce. Rose quartz was one such example, and its rarity spoke for itself.

Consequently, the number of teleportation arrays on the continent had dwindled, and any newly discovered high-level energy ores were mostly seized by powerful factions. Currently, only the Four Great Families and the continent’s Imperial Alliance possessed the capability to construct them, and even then, it was a tremendous strain.

Another major reason why teleportation arrays could not become a mode of transport for the common folk was the exorbitant cost.

Building an array not only consumed energy ores, but activating one also required vast amounts of magic crystals. To travel the few hundred kilometers from Normans City to their current location, a single person required the magic crystal of a mid-level Spirit Phantom Beast. This was an expense most rogue Phantom Masters could not afford.

Therefore, most rogue Phantom Masters preferred to use transport like unicorn horses or spirit vultures rather than pay such a high price for rapid displacement.

"Where are we now?" Shen Duo turned to ask Linghu Yu.

Before them was a vast, empty room, roughly a hundred square meters in size, containing nothing but this triangular teleportation array.

Linghu Yu smiled strangely and winked at Shen Duo, "The Zhou family’s main city."

Shen Duo and Feng Jun were both startled, staring at him in silence.

Was this a case of escaping the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's lair?

Linghu Yu pressed his right hand to his lips and gave a couple of awkward coughs. "Do you think I wanted to come to the Zhou family’s main city? It was a matter of necessity."

As it turned out, the emergency teleportation array they used in Normans City belonged to the Wei family. They had only been able to requisition it by using Lord Wei Lan’s clearance code. It was precisely because this array was built covertly by the Wei family that Linghu Yu was confident the Shen family investigation team would not be able to find Shen Duo.

However, that particular Wei family array only connected to the Zhou family’s main city.

The Zhou branch of the Jocelyn Academy was primarily composed of Zhou family descendants, and the Zhou family’s main city was located right next to Lorkadan. Under normal circumstances, if a Zhou family student at the academy wanted to return home, it was only a matter of a few hours.

The Zhou family’s main city was crawling with Jocelyn Academy students. Linghu Yu had no desire to be there either.

One wrong move and they would be recognized, leading to a hunt by the Zhou family.

Shen Duo and Feng Jun frowned, recalling Zhou Chen and Zhou Qing, whom they had encountered at the port of Aes.

"We should leave quickly," Shen Duo said, pressing her lips together.

Linghu Yu walked to the window, pulled back the curtain to peek outside, and returned to Shen Duo’s side. "It is night, and we cannot get out. We should find a place to rest first. You are still wounded and should not move around too much."

Shen Duo and Feng Jun looked at him, puzzled. "We have the Winged Runners. Can’t we just fly out?"

Linghu Yu shook his head solemnly. "The Zhou family, one of the Four Great Families, manages their main city with the utmost strictness. The entire city is surrounded by defensive phantom artifacts, and flying phantom beasts are prohibited within the walls. Anyone who violates this regulation will be arrested by the city guards. If we cause a scene under the eyes of the Zhou family, we will be in deep trouble. Furthermore, the city gates are sealed at night; we cannot pass without a special token."

Both Shen Duo and Feng Jun had lived in their own family’s main cities, but they had never heard of one as strictly managed as the Zhou family’s.

Hearing this, they said no more and followed Linghu Yu cautiously out of the room.

The group carefully traversed the alleys and streets, securing rooms in an inconspicuous inn.

They dared not truly rest, instead gathering in Shen Duo’s room to discuss a strategy.

Shen Duo leaned against the headboard, her gaze fixed on the dark window. To avoid attention, they had chosen a path through a commoner’s alley; this inn was a converted residence, surrounded by the homes of ordinary citizens who were already sound asleep, save for the faint, twinkling lights in the distance.

"Lord Linghu, what do you plan to do?" Shen Duo and Feng Jun were unfamiliar with the Zhou family’s main city, and they felt it best to leave the decision-making to Linghu Yu.

Linghu Yu took a sip of nectar from his cup, his right hand rhythmically tapping the rim—a habit he had when thinking.

"At daybreak, Feng Jun and I will sneak out to scout the city gates. If there is nothing unusual, I will visit an old friend and ask him to help us slip out of the Zhou family’s main city."

Shen Duo agreed that this was a reliable plan. It seemed the Zhou family’s main city was exceptionally strict in checking the practitioners who entered the city. Linghu Yu had mentioned earlier that every rogue Phantom Master or unfamiliar practitioner entering the city was registered, and their sudden appearance from within the city would certainly arouse suspicion.

If they fell into the hands of the Zhou family, they would be in for a world of hurt.

Moreover, this was the heart of the Zhou family, where their top experts resided. If even a few Phantom Ancestor elders showed up, they would either lose their lives or be forced into submission.

The long night was difficult to endure in anticipation. Shen Duo, still suffering from her wounds, slept for two hours. When she opened her eyes, the sky outside was already beginning to show the first light of dawn.

After disguising themselves, Linghu Yu and Feng Jun slipped out of the small inn.