"Once we enter here, we can't leave anymore?" Chu Lingwei's gaze remained fixed on the cultivators passing by, their eyes strangely devoid of emotion.
The maidservant smiled faintly at Chu Lingwei's question, saying nothing.
From the maidservant's expression, Chu Lingwei sensed she hadn't guessed wrong.
"Weiwei, be careful." At this moment, Huan Mao's weak voice echoed in Chu Lingwei's mind. Chu Lingwei had been holding Huan Mao, who was currently in the form of a small cat.
Ever since they entered the belly of the great fish, Huan Mao had become extremely weak.
"I know, conserve your strength. If you can't hold on, I'll send you into the space." Chu Lingwei gently stroked Huan Mao's head. The oppressive aura here was steadily weakening the spiritual energy within him.
"No, we can't enter the space now." Huan Mao licked Chu Lingwei's hand. The situation here was unclear; they couldn't enter the space and be discovered by the people here.
"Miss, we've arrived."
At this moment, the maidservant stopped.
Chu Lingwei looked up. Before her stood a palace, incredibly opulent. Within it, she sensed the aura of a Supreme Realm cultivator.
"Miss, please walk in yourself." Seeing Chu Lingwei hesitate, the maidservant stepped forward to remind her, "Our master is waiting for you inside."
"Your master?"
This title made Chu Lingwei instinctively become more vigilant.
"Yes, our master is waiting for you inside." The maidservant's eyes were filled with adoration as she looked towards the palace, as if this place was incredibly sacred to her.
Chu Lingwei, holding Huan Mao, walked into the palace. At the very top of the hall, a bird was seated.
"..."
Chu Lingwei stared at the bird seated on the throne, momentarily stunned. She had expected their master to be at least a Supreme Realm cultivator, not a bird.
"You are the female cultivator who just entered Xiushui Zhi Bin." The bird spoke, its fist-sized eyes constantly darting about, scrutinizing Chu Lingwei from head to toe in a few moments.
"Yes."
A transformed spirit beast?
This was Chu Lingwei's first thought. However, she didn't sense any spirit beast aura from it. Instead, she felt the spiritual energy of a cultivator.
This greatly puzzled Chu Lingwei.
"Fusion Heaven Realm cultivator?" The bird's voice carried a hint of curiosity. "In a thousand years, this is the first time a Fusion Heaven Realm cultivator has entered here."
Chu Lingwei remained silent. Xiushui Zhi Bin was generally entered by cultivators above the Tongtian Realm. Unless they had specific cultivation resources they desperately needed, cultivators in the Fusion Heaven Realm or Heaven Transformation Realm would not risk coming here to court death.
"How did you know the method to enter here?" The bird's gaze fixed intently on Chu Lingwei, not with doubt, but with certainty.
"A friend told me," Chu Lingwei replied truthfully. She knew it was impossible to lie to the bird before her.
"Heh..."
Upon hearing this answer, the bird chuckled lightly, surprised that anyone still knew the way in. "Tell me who he is, and I'll let you leave."
"Will you really let me leave?" Chu Lingwei didn't quite believe this offer.
"Hahaha."
Hearing Chu Lingwei's words, the bird burst into laughter. "As expected, a smart one."
"I will not let you leave. No one who enters here can ever leave. Welcome to becoming one of our cultivators." The bird wasn't lying to Chu Lingwei, a smug smile playing on its lips. Even if that person knew how to enter, what use was it? Everyone who entered here could never leave.
Regardless of their cultivation level, upon entering, they must obey her command.
"Are you saying that any cultivator who enters here cannot leave?" Chu Lingwei asked again. "Is there no exception?"
"Yes, if you can kill me, then you can leave." The bird didn't hide anything. For something that was impossible, there was no need to conceal it.
"How can I defeat you?" Chu Lingwei scrutinized the bird. Its cultivation was at the Supreme Realm. If she were to fight it, she wasn't without a chance.
"Unless you break through to the Sovereign Realm." A flicker of helplessness crossed the bird's eyes. There had been no one on the entire Xuanyuan Continent who could break through to the Sovereign Realm in ages.
"Sovereign Realm."
Chu Lingwei murmured to herself. It seemed this bird was very confident in its own strength.
"Yes, only a cultivator who has broken through to the Sovereign Realm could possibly defeat me. You..." The bird looked Chu Lingwei up and down with disdain. "With your current cultivation, even after another thousand years of cultivation, you might not be able to reach the Sovereign Realm."
In short, Chu Lingwei would never be able to defeat it.
So confident.
"Perhaps."
Chu Lingwei decided to first understand the situation here before making any plans.
"I like obedient girls. If you disobey, you'll soon learn your fate." The bird's voice bore down on Chu Lingwei, who stumbled back a few steps, unsteady.
The bird had expected Chu Lingwei to collapse to the ground, surprised that she could still stand.
"Not bad, you have some talent."
"Thank you for your praise, senior."
Chu Lingwei finally truly felt the bird's power. It had only exerted a tenth of its strength, and she was already struggling to cope.
"Go."
The bird glanced indifferently at Chu Lingwei and waved its wing, signaling her to leave.
As she walked out of the palace, the maidservant who had guided her in hadn't left. Seeing Chu Lingwei emerge, she immediately stepped forward and led her down a path lined with blooming flowers.
"Miss, I will now take you to your residence." This time, the maidservant was very respectful towards Chu Lingwei, acting more like a proper maid now.
"Is this my future residence?" Chu Lingwei probed.
"Of course not. If your cultivation improves, you will be able to choose your own preferred residence," the maidservant replied, shaking her head. She led Chu Lingwei deeper into the flowers, and a town gradually appeared.
The town was brightly lit. Chu Lingwei then noticed that as they approached the town, the sky grew darker.
Chu Lingwei turned her head and looked back towards the palace. The sun shone brightly there, while only the town was shrouded in darkness.
"What in the world is this place?"
Chu Lingwei was shocked. This was the first time she had ever truly experienced daylight and darkness simultaneously appearing in the sky over the same area.
"This is Dark Night City. Miss will live here until you reach the Supreme Realm, after which you may leave," the maidservant explained thoroughly.
As they spoke, the two walked into the town, and a bustling scene immediately unfolded before Chu Lingwei's eyes.
Various stalls, taverns, and shops were present.
The pedestrians on the street could be described as a continuous stream.
If she hadn't entered this place through the great fish and seen the bird, she would have truly believed this was a town on the Xuanyuan Continent.