Chapter 161: Leaving Thunder City

The entire Thunder City had completely vanished.

If they had not witnessed Thunder City's disappearance with their own eyes, and if they had not lived within it for so long, they truly would not have believed that such a massive city could completely vanish right before them.

"Good heavens, where is Thunder City? Where has it gone? What is happening?" Countless cultivators were filled with panic, knowing that what lay before them was undoubtedly a massive upheaval.

"Could it be that Thunder City has sunk into the ground? Quick, take a look!" Many cultivators had already experienced various miracles within Thunder City; this mysterious city was, in itself, a miraculous existence.

Following that, the gates of Thunder City had opened, revealing the ancient battlefield within, the Demon King sharpening his blade, and Su Ye plunging the entire heaven and earth into utter darkness—all of these were inexplicable phenomena.

Therefore, although many cultivators were deeply shocked, they quickly snapped out of their astonishment.

"No, the ground is solid! There is no subterranean palace at all!"

"The entire Thunder City has turned to ash! It has genuinely turned to ash!"

At this moment, whether friend or foe, everyone gathered toward the center. Expressions of having survived a catastrophe emerged on their faces, and even old grievances were temporarily cast aside.

If they lost Thunder City, how could they survive on this island?

Su Ye and Jiang Liuying had already rushed toward the center. Jiang Liuying was extremely anxious, running wildly while shouting, "Dad! Where are you? Where are you? Where are the people from the Jiang family?"

Su Ye scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted the members of the Martial Alliance. He brought Jiang Liuying along with him to join them. Upon inquiring, they learned the whereabouts of Jiang Ziyang and Ouyang Yunfeng.

Soon, guided by another cultivator, they located Jiang Ziyang.

Here, Ouyang Yunfeng, Steel Bar, Wu Yan, Elder Bei Fei, and the others had all gathered.

"Daughter!" Jiang Ziyang was overcome with excitement. Seeing that Su Ye had also arrived, he nodded emotionally and said, "Good, good! It's good that you two are alright! We need to leave Thunder City immediately."

"Have you found a way to leave Thunder City?" Su Ye asked in surprise.

Ouyang Yunfeng's expression was somewhat unsightly. He was usually a calm and decisive man, but right then, his hands were actually trembling slightly. He said in a deep voice, "Yes! My father has sent people to pick us up! We will be able to leave Thunder City very soon."

"Oh! Alliance Master Ouyang Yi has come? Haha, that's wonderful! Then we can finally go home in peace!" Jiang Liuying clapped her hands sharply. For cultivators living in Guangzhou, since Alliance Master Ouyang Yi had come in person, he would definitely have a way to ensure their safe departure.

Su Ye had originally intended to let out a sigh of relief, but he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere here was wrong. There was not a trace of triumph on Ouyang Yunfeng's face; instead, he looked deeply worried.

"Has something happened?"

Jiang Liuying also noticed that everyone else was silent. Opening her eyes wide, she asked, "What is wrong with you all? Why does it feel like Alliance Master Ouyang's personal arrival is making you act as if you're greeting an enemy?"

Ouyang Yunfeng smiled, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Thunder City is gone, and it's time for us to leave as well. Having gone through life and death together with everyone this time, I will remember it for the rest of my life."

***

Hearing this, Su Ye felt a jolt in his heart. Why did Ouyang Yunfeng's words sound somewhat like a farewell?

He noticed that Ouyang Yunfeng had not suffered any severe injuries. True, during the previous charge when he fought Luo Gui, his arm bone had been fractured and his right temple had been grazed by a blade, nearly blinding him in one eye, but he was still a far cry from uttering farewells. What was going on here?

That night, all the cultivators gathered along the shoreline. Piles of bonfires were lit, and cultivators from various factions sat clustered around them. Most people were too exhausted to speak much; by this point, everyone was bone-tired and had let go of quite a bit of their animosity.

Su Ye also spotted Nine-Fang Moon sitting near a bonfire. Having not seen her for so long, she remained as charming and lovely as ever, though she too was staring blankly out at the ocean.

Su Ye did not greet her. In his heart, he was calculating what exactly he had gained from coming to Thunder City. He desperately wanted to take out the "Twelve Celestial Palaces Scroll" to examine it, but with so many people around and eyes everywhere, it was hardly the appropriate time.

Instead, Ouyang Yunfeng walked over accompanied by two cultivators. The two men behind him were carrying a massive heavy sword—precisely the one that belonged to Su Ye.

"Su Ye, I've brought your weapon back to you!" Ouyang Yunfeng said with a grin.

"Haha, many thanks." Su Ye stepped forward to take the heavy sword, noticing that a sword scabbard had already been fastened to it. He immediately strapped it to his back. This massive sword looked unwieldy and difficult to carry, but it had shared life and death with him, cutting down enemies at his side.

Even if he didn't use this giant sword in the future, it had to be properly preserved.

Ouyang Yunfeng smiled, produced a box, and handed it to Su Ye. "This is a good item we managed to obtain. It has the miraculous effect of regenerating flesh and blood. Take it."

"Alright, at least your items are worth something. But you're only giving me one—aren't you being a bit stingy?" Su Ye showed no false modesty; he took it immediately and made a casual, bantering remark.

"I actually had to steal this one in secret. Do you think items belonging to the Martial Alliance are things I can just take at will?"

Ouyang Yunfeng looked at Su Ye with a hint of envy, reached out to give Su Ye's shoulder a heavy pat, and said seriously, "I'm genuinely glad to have a friend like you."

"Are you alright? Why are you feeling so sentimental? I was just joking; this single pill is more than enough," Su Ye said earnestly.

"Ha, that's not what I meant. Perhaps having been through life and death, some sentimentality is inevitable. Once the sun rises, we'll be able to get out."

Su Ye was indeed very curious about this method of departure, but despite his repeated questioning, Ouyang Yunfeng refused to disclose it, saying only that he would know once dawn broke.

Before long, the sky began to grow faintly bright, and the cultivators watched as the sun rose from the ocean's horizon.

Among them, an old man who looked somewhat like a Daoist master walked toward the shoreline with a proud expression, holding a yellow talisman seal in his hand.

To everyone's surprise, the moment he appeared, Ouyang Yunfeng was actually walking right by his side. After asking Steel Bar, Su Ye learned that this Daoist master was none other than the Vice Alliance Master of the Martial Alliance, as well as Ouyang Yunfeng's uncle.

"What? Isn't that Vice Alliance Master Ouyang Mu? Why has he come?"

"It really is him! I knew I wasn't seeing things last night!"

"All the spoils of war from the Martial Alliance have to be handed over to him. This is definitely a privilege reserved only for the Alliance Master and the Vice Alliance Master." The crowd murmured in low-voiced discussions from time to time.

Hearing this, Su Ye frowned and asked Steel Bar beside him, "All the Martial Alliance's spoils of war have to be handed over to the Vice Alliance Master? When did this guy arrive?"

***

"He arrived yesterday! Even if we didn't want to hand them over, we had to; the Martial Alliance must obey orders. Besides, I heard the Alliance Master is waiting just outside the exit." There was not much emotional fluctuation in Steel Bar's voice.

"Hmph, aren't they clever? We risk life and limb, and he just swoops in to reap the ready-made rewards," Su Ye said indignantly. Furthermore, the Jiang family had cooperated with the Martial Alliance this time; if Ouyang Mu dared to interfere with what the Jiang family had acquired, he certainly wouldn't stand for it.

At that moment, Vice Alliance Master Ouyang Mu shouted a couple of times toward the sea ahead and tossed the talisman seal out.

Roar!

The talisman let out an angry roar, instantly whipping up layers of waves that crashed together to form a water elemental figure five or six meters tall.

The water figure remained cohesive for less than ten seconds before diving headfirst into the whirlpool on the sea surface.

"Awoo—"

Suddenly, a massive avian creature leaped forth from beneath the seabed.

The creature looked like a giant eagle, but its entire body was glowing brightly, appearing to be nothing more than a soul imprint.

Boom!!

As the giant eagle burst forth, the whirlpool actually began to spin in reverse.

"Get ready! Anyone who wants to leave Thunder City must seize this opportunity. Otherwise, you'll have to wait at least another ten years for a chance. Ten years from now, you won't even know the method to open the exit!" Ouyang Mu shouted sternly.

Upon seeing this, everyone gasped in unison. They never expected that this newly arrived Ouyang Mu would possess such methods, capable of reversing the ocean whirlpool.

"What are you still hesitating for? Jump into the whirlpool and leave Thunder City, quickly!!"