At midnight, Tianshu City had shed its daytime clamor, falling into sleep-like silence. Only a few taverns and certain special establishments still had lights, like lonely eyes in the night. The Clear Void Temple residence had long since extinguished lights, silent as a deep pool, as if also fallen into slumber.
However, in an unremarkable corner of the residence's backyard, shadows slightly twisted; six figures emerged like phantoms. They were precisely Tang Xiao Qi's group preparing to depart. Everyone had changed into night-traveling clothes, outside donning Second Senior Brother Luo Feng's specially made gray Qi Concealing Cloaks. These cloaks had special material; almost transparent thread woven with complex micro-formation patterns. In the night, the cloak surface faintly shimmered, blurring and concealing the wearer's form and aura to the extreme. Unless probed intentionally at close range, extremely difficult to discover.
Mu Qingfeng held that palm-sized Cyan Spirit Flying Shuttle in his palm; chanting incantations, hands forming seals, he injected a strand of spiritual energy into the shuttle. The shuttle trembled slightly, surface flowing with cyan light, then silently expanded to about a zhang in length, its body hovering a foot above ground, ready for departure. "The shuttle has applied sound-suppression talismans; flight noise will be minimized, but speed will be slightly slower than normal." Mu Qingfeng explained softly, first stepping onto the shuttle. Everyone followed, feet landing lightly, making no sound.
Xiao Qi was the last to step onto the shuttle; he looked back at the residence's silent outline in the night, gaze complex. He knew not everyone in the residence supported this private action; some conservative elders and disciples thought them too reckless, disrupting possible Alliance arrangements. But they had no choice. Avoiding sect and Alliance eyes was not distrust, but to avoid unnecessary obstacles and interrogations, also to protect the sect — if this mission failed or caused trouble, at least would not immediately implicate Clear Void Temple.
"Let's go." Liu Yun's cold voice sounded, carrying undeniable resolve. Xiao Qi withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, nodded.
Mu Qingfeng, seeing this, no longer hesitated; hands manipulating the shuttle's control core, spiritual energy flowed continuously. The Cyan Spirit Flying Shuttle trembled slightly, like a fish entering water, silently slid into the air, not raising altitude immediately but skimming low over the city's low rooftops, using building shadows as concealment, flexibly heading toward the city outskirts.
Tianshu City, as the cultivation world's largest city, had night patrol guards and Alliance cultivators maintaining order. But under Mu Qingfeng's masterful control and the double concealment of Second Senior Brother's cloaks, the flying shuttle perfectly avoided all possible sightings and spiritual sense scans, like a true phantom, navigating through the city's veins. After about the time to burn a stick of incense, the shuttle safely reached the city wall edge. Mu Qingfeng guided the shuttle along a relatively secluded wall section with larger patrol gaps, like a swimming fish, silently crossed over, completely leaving Tianshu City's boundaries.
Once outside the city, Mu Qingfeng immediately commanded the shuttle to sharply ascend, entering cloud layers a thousand meters high. Here, discovery probability greatly reduced. He slightly increased spiritual energy output; shuttle speed increased significantly, transforming into a cyan streak glimpsed through clouds, racing southwest, leaving Tianshu City far behind. Only when Tianshu City's outline could no longer be seen did everyone on the shuttle simultaneously breathe a sigh of relief. Though merely a short stealth passage, the tension had caused some fatigue.
"Finally out." Zhao Tiezhu wiped his sweat. Second Senior Brother Luo Feng excitedly examined his cloak's effects, muttering: "Effect is good, just spiritual energy consumption a bit higher than expected — need to optimize the formation..." Liu Yun and Mu Qingfeng took turns controlling the shuttle and vigilantly watching surroundings. Xiao Qi sat in the cabin, watching below's swift-passing landscape, its mountains and rivers appearing dark green in moonlight. That slight nervousness from acting without permission gradually replaced by calm determination. They left the safe harbor, actively stepping into the dangerous area where the storm was gathering. Road ahead unknown, fortune uncertain. But touching the three Minor Teleportation Talismans in his embrace, looking at these trustworthy companions beside him, his resolve strengthened even more.
The Alliance's arguments disappointed them, but they made their choice through action. Setting out quietly was not rebellion, but to, before that potentially world-sweeping disaster descended, use their utmost effort to grasp the slim hope of stopping it. The Cyan Spirit Flying Shuttle cut through the night sky, carrying six burning hearts, going forward without hesitation toward that distant, darkness-shrouded mountain range.