In the pitch-black passage, the newly acquired Sandalwood Gold proved useful, as its purple gas illuminated a certain area around them. Along the way, they couldn't tell if it was an illusion or not, but ghostly ripples flickered in and out of existence, accompanied by the resounding voice of Wu Jinliang echoing back at them.

"I heard that girls on the outside are all as pale as Miss Miao..."

With a bundle on his back and a knife in hand, Wu Jinliang walked with head held high and chest puffed out, striding forward boldly. Despite his tattered appearance, he couldn't hide his boundless excitement and ambition. As he vulgarly discussed women, he clamored about visiting the brothels once he was out.

Contemplating the fabled charming scenes of the brothels, Shi Chun almost joined in the conversation, but fortunately, he wasn't so overwhelmed by excitement that he lost all wariness. He remembered he was amongst the people of Bowan Building and, after all, he was one of those pursuing Miss Miao. How could he engage in such shameless talk?

One simply couldn't burn bridges after crossing a river, especially since they hadn't fully crossed it yet.

However, the women from the Land of Exile were indeed too dark-skinned, as dirty as the men, black as coal and utterly disheveled.

In front of the whole crowd from Bowan Building, Shi Chun didn't display the same vulgarity as Wu Jinliang, instead highlighting his own refinement by emphasizing that the first thing he would do when he got out was to buy books to read, and only then would he buy himself a set of nice clothes.

Look at that realm, loving books more than oneself; one can forego decorum, but not books.

Wu Jinliang held contempt in his heart, but outwardly, he still showed great admiration for the master, who, after all, had a more powerful fist.

As they talked about buying books and clothes, they realized there was indeed a lot to purchase to secure a stable livelihood, especially the cost of cultivation resources, which knew no bounds, leaving them feeling financially strained.

It wasn't until that moment that natives like them, coming from the Land of Exile, could appreciate the slight kindness from Life Prison. The lump sum of money they received upon leaving had significant meaning, allowing them to avoid desperate measures due to financial hardship and providing them with a grace period to adjust.

After all, the money they brought out was earned through their own desperate struggles.

As the white light of the exit grew larger and they could even see the scenery outside, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were too excited to utter a single word, their hearts and hands trembling with fear that it might all be a dream, afraid to wake up to reality.

The group from Bowan Building had already left the cave and paused to look back.

The armored guards on both sides of the cave entrance also turned to look within. Unlike the prisoners, they were accustomed to such sights.

The leader of the Bowan Building shouted, "It's too late to not want to leave now. There will be no refuge for you inside anymore. Even if you commit crimes in the future, you might not be sent back here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a guard barked, "Come out!"

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, bedraggled as they were, slowly stepped into the sunlight, looking visibly uneasy.

Before them lay the blue sky and white clouds, continuous green mountains, distant waterfalls thundering, and the fragrance of grass and plants assaulting their sense of smell. Everything magnified their vision and induced an uncomfortable sense of vertigo.

It was real vertigo, leaving them feeling as if they were stumbling drunk.

The guards knew this was normal, as the air in the Land of Exile was actually quite thin, and those unaccustomed to the outside world indeed felt dizzy upon emergence.

Fortunately, as cultivators, they quickly adapted. Looking back, they saw a city gate embedded on the mountain peak, with the chilling, skeletal characters "Twelve Cities" carved above the cave entrance, and a clear presence of guards stationed above.

"Are you going or not?" the leader from Bowan Building urged again, as they had no interest in taking in the scenery, having seen it countless times before.

How could they not go? The two hurried to catch up, their ragged selves joining the flight down the mountain.

Their descent was unhurried, with moments of caressing trees along the path with affection, chewing mouthfuls of grass before spitting out the bitterness, though they couldn't help going back for more to savor the experience. At other moments, they gleefully picked flowers, or jumped into the stream with loud hoots.

The distant mountains shrouded in mist, the gentle deer calls, the ethereal bird songs by their ears, the insects burrowing, bees, and butterflies adorning the blooms – everything was so beautiful.

It was too beautiful, so much so that they would occasionally lose control like mad dogs, with the folks from Bowan Building unable to rein them in, displaying their erratic behavior from time to time.

After splashing each other in a clear pond, a look passed between them, and suddenly they held each other tightly and burst into sobs.

Pounding on Shi Chun's back with his fists, Wu Jinliang choked with grief, "We should have gotten out earlier, I told you to come out so many times, but you just wouldn't leave."

Shi Chun sobbed in response, "It's not that I wouldn't let you go, you could have left anytime."

"If you didn't go, I couldn't rest easy."

"Pah, like I need your concern? I still..."

Before he could finish speaking, two figures flashed over, pulling them apart and directly lifting them out of the water pool, whisking them away into the air.

The two of them dragged their feet and carried on talking as if the wind was blowing past their ears. The Bowan Building group simply couldn't stand it anymore, and considering the two had low cultivation and were naturally slow, causing delays, the group decided it was better to take matters into their own hands and carry them through the air.

If it weren't for Tan's orders before they left, they really would have liked to abandon the two of them and not care at all.

In an instant, the group felt as if the entire world had become peaceful and comfortable.

The quiet didn't last long before someone yelled from behind, "What the hell do you need such a big knife for, you beast!"

It was someone who had picked up Shi Chun's belongings, only to discover they had picked up a great burden. Wu Jinliang's big knife was too heavy, amounting to the weight of two or three people. It wasn't good to mix it with Bowan Building's goods according to the rules, and carrying such a weight over a long distance was definitely uncomfortable; they cursed loudly and would've thrown it away if it weren't for considering Tan's face.

Wu Jinliang shrunk his neck and kept silent.

Shi Chun, however, asked the leader who was carrying him in flight, "Where are we going?"

The leader said, "We'll drop you off at the nearest city, and then we'll be done with you."

Shi Chun then asked, "Where are you going?"

The leader said, "Naturally, we're going to report back to Bowan Building."

Shi Chun said, "I heard that Bowan Building is spread all over the world; isn't there one in the nearest city?"

The leader said, "The nearest city is too small and can't accommodate all the goods we've got on our hands; we need to deliver them to a place that needs them."

Shi Chun blinked and said, "We too would like to come with you to see for ourselves and to listen and learn more from you along the way. Tan agreed to our request; didn't he tell you?"

In fact, they were afraid that the Qi family hadn't yet received the news from Life Prison, and they feared it would be dangerous to stray from their protection at this time.

After some bargaining, and Shi Chun and his companion repeatedly assuring that they would no longer disobey and run off, the group changed their destination.

A group of monks at the High Martial Realm were capable of flying several miles with a single leap in the mountain forests, which Shi Chun and his companion greatly admired.

During the occasional stops along the way, it was not long before the next morning arrived.

A cluster of pavilions and terraces hidden deep in the mountains suddenly appeared before them in an impactful visual display. Canyons connected with lakes, and between jade pavilions filled with life, there were shimmering lake lights with rising mists. People moved about as if in a painting, with others flying to the skies, Spirit Birds soaring and descending, all presenting a scene like that of a mystical realm, stunning both Shi Chun and his companion.

This place was the destination of Bowan Building's group, Zhaotian City.

Still in a daze, Shi Chun and his companion were dragged through the air by the Bowan Building group into the canyon, landing on a pavilion and water pavilion beside a waterfall pool.

"Alright, we've arrived."

The leader dropped these words and left.

Clang clang, someone dropped Shi Chun's and his companion's weapons and bags, turned around, and walked away, clearly unwilling to bother with these two burdens any longer.

Through the journey, they didn't even bother to tell their names to the two companions, whether out of laziness or some other reason.

It didn't matter, Shi Chun and his companion weren't upset; they didn't have the inclination for that, being full of curiosity instead, they picked up their ragged belongings from the ground and went on their way.

Several rivers meandered through the middle of the canyon, with numerous bridges over the valley floor and many towering buildings. Numerous pavilions were also built on the cliff sides with a variety of large and small stone stairways zigzagging along them. Among the jade pavilions, many run-down wooden tile houses were packed in between, and occasionally, people soared through the air.

A girl walked onto an open terrace, suddenly flipped and transformed into a resplendent giant snake, and then lay belly-up sunbathing.

A big rat climbed onto the roof ridge, poking its claws and jingling a bell.

People of all shapes and colors, bustling and lively.

Slap! The startling sound of someone slamming a table nearly gave Shi Chun and his companion, who were dumbfounded and looking around on the roadside, a scare. What was going on?

The two turned their heads and saw inside a hall up a few steps. An old man let go of the case-hardened wood and faced a group of leisurely patrons, articulating in a melodious tone, "The ten Yama Kings have formed a realm of their own, sealing Hell for eight hundred years. Twelve cities mock heavenly laws; controlling Life Prison means listening to appeals but not to pronouncements. Furthermore, the Four Regions harbored powerful factions, with hidden disobedience. The Empress took the throne illegitimately, desiring to re-establish the true order of heaven and earth, yet her lofty aspirations are hard to fulfill…"

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