Chapter 1340: Silence Extinction Wind Disaster

Seeing the slap about to fall, the blue‑robe cultivator despairingly closed his eyes.

However, the expected pain never came.

A slender, steady hand, having appeared at an unknown moment, gently grasped the scar‑faced man's wrist.

The scar‑faced man felt his wrist as if clamped by iron tongs; no matter how he summoned his power, it would not budge a fraction! He turned his head in a mix of shock and anger, and saw a calm, unruffled face.

It was Yan Buji.

He had little interest in this bullying of the weak, but these men, who called themselves Black Flame Peak, acted arrogantly, providing a perfect chance to test how deep the waters of this Floating Mountain are and how strong the local rules truly are.

"Who are you, sir? Dare you meddle in Black Flame Peak's affairs?!" the scar‑faced man shouted, startled and angry, trying to break free, only to find the other's hand rooted like a tree.

Yan Buji gave no reply, merely gazed at him lightly, his hand applying a slight extra pressure.

Crack! A faint sound of bone fracturing rang out.

"Ah!" the scar‑faced man let out a wail, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. He felt as if his wrist bones were about to be crushed!

"Dage!" the other two black‑clad cultivators cried, startled and angry, immediately drawing weapons, ready to charge.

"Within the Floating Mountain, private fights are prohibited." Yan Buji finally spoke, his voice low yet clear to everyone's ears, "Do you intend to provoke the Ten Thousand Laws Alliance's rules?"

At his words, the two black‑clad cultivators froze, fear flashing across their faces. The prohibition on private fights within the Floating Mountain is extremely strict: violators may be fined and expelled, or have their cultivation stripped, even be slain on the spot! They had only intended to intimidate the blue‑robe cultivator; they lacked the nerve to act in the market.

"You… let go!" the scar‑faced man shouted through clenched teeth, his anger thinly veiled, "Black Flame Peak will not let you off!"

Yan Buji snorted coldly and released his grip. The scar‑faced man clutched his wrist, staggered back, glared venomously at Yan Buji, then surveyed the growing crowd of onlookers, realizing he couldn't win today. He tossed out "We'll see!" and slipped away with his two subordinates, disappearing into the crowd.

Only then did the blue‑robe cultivator recover, quickly bowing to Yan Buji, "M‑Many thanks, senior, for stepping in to save me!"

Yan Buji waved his hand, indicating no need for formalities, his gaze shifting toward a spot beyond the crowd. There he sensed several vague spiritual presences that had just swept the area, one of them bearing an evaluative tone, apparently a Ten Thousand Laws Alliance official maintaining market order.

"It seems these rules are not merely ornamental," Yan Buji thought. As long as one does not cross the line, the Floating Mountain remains safe for now. Yet Black Flame Peak is clearly a local snake‑like faction; a grudge was formed today, and future trouble is likely.

He lingered no longer, turned and left the market as if he had merely shooed away a few flies.

However, the rumor "a stranger Great Vehicle Stage cultivator publicly shamed Black Flame Peak" spread winged, quickly circulating within certain circles of the Floating Mountain.

Many eyes began to turn toward the Reception Garden.

Yan Buji spent a night of quiet cultivation in a small courtyard, bringing his condition to peak. At dawn the next day, he set out for the "Task Hall" marked on his identity jade talisman.

The Task Hall, situated on the mid‑slope of the Floating Mountain's main peak, is a towering, austere bronze hall. Inside the space is vast, crowds bustling, livelier than yesterday's market. Facing forward is a massive jade disc ten zhang tall, emitting soft white light, its surface streaming like water with densely scrolling task information, categorized and clear.

On the left side is a row of counters, where clerks in Ten Thousand Laws Alliance uniforms handle registration, verification, and reward distribution. The right side houses numerous quiet rooms for cultivators to receive or discuss confidential missions.

Yan Buji stood before the jade disc, his eyes scanning the scrolling data.

"Collect 100 jin of 'Eclipse‑Glow Iron', location: Northwestern Mist Sea shallow layer, reward: 50 Dao Yuan Stones."

"Escort the Danxia Pavilion caravan to Flowing Wind Settlement, round‑trip about half a month, requiring cultivation at Nascent Soul level or above, reward negotiable."

"Eliminate the 'Soul‑Devouring Mist Demon' cluster surrounding the Floating Mountain; the demon leader appears to be at the Transformation God stage, reward: 300 Dao Yuan Stones and a mist demon core."

"Seeking purchase of at least three 'Tranquil Dao Lotus', each over five hundred years old; price negotiable."

…

Tasks are varied, with difficulty and reward ranging wildly. Low‑level tasks involve gathering, escorting, or clearing minor threats, suitable for Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators. High‑level tasks entail exploring hazardous lands, hunting powerful demons, or seeking rare heavenly materials; rewards often exceed a thousand Dao Yuan Stones, sometimes offering ancient relic fragments or advanced techniques, and require at least Transformation God or Refining Void stage cultivation.

Yan Buji focused on tasks related to exploration and intelligence, especially those concerning the Southeast Mist Sea region.

Soon, several entries caught his eye:

"Explore the peripheral mist zone of the 'Thousand Illusion Demon Lord' ruins, chart a safe route map; requirements: mastery of Illusion Art or a strong spiritual sense, cultivation at least Refining Void stage, reward: 1,500 Dao Yuan Stones, thirty percent of peripheral findings retained."

"The turmoil surrounding the 'Thousand Illusion Demon Lord' ruins seems already underway," Yan Buji mused. This is undoubtedly an opportunity to quickly acquire Dao Yuan Stones, delve into deep Dao Realm secrets, and perhaps find a great destiny. Yet the danger coefficient is also extremely high. That the Ten Thousand Laws Alliance would officially issue an exploration task, that the Tianji Pavilion intelligence organization would purchase it at a high price, and that scattered cultivators at the Fusion stage would form teams—all indicate it is no simple matter.

He was weighing whether to approach the 'Red Sun Ascetic's' group when he suddenly sensed several unfriendly gazes landing on him.

He glanced sideways and saw near the hall entrance, the scar‑faced Black Flame Peak cultivator from yesterday's market, accompanied by four or five men, staring at him coldly. One of them exuded a dense aura, his face grim, clad in a black robe with an even more intricate flame emblem on his chest, clearly at the later stage of Refining Void—likely a minor leader of Black Flame Peak.

"Hmph, they really came knocking," Yan Buji thought with a cold smile, his face unchanged as he continued browsing the jade disc.

The grim black‑robed man stared at Yan Buji for a while, apparently assessing his strength, then whispered a few words to the scar‑faced man, turned with his group, and left the Task Hall without immediately seeking a confrontation.

Clearly, within the Task Hall—a core Ten Thousand Laws Alliance institution—even Black Flame Peak dares not openly break the rules. Yet now that they have set their sights on Yan Buji, future trouble is unlikely to be few.

Yan Buji paid no mind to these minor players. His attention was drawn to a newly refreshed task at the top of the jade disc, its lettering flickering dark‑gold:

"Emergency Task: Investigate the source of the 'Silence Extinction Wind Disaster' anomaly at the edge of the Northwestern Dead Silence Wasteland, assess threat level. Requirement: cultivation at least Great Vehicle Stage, with some resistance to or comprehension of the Silence Extinction law preferred. Reward: 5,000 Dao Yuan Stones, plus Ten Thousand Laws Alliance contribution points and one 'Enlightenment Cliff' insight opportunity based on investigation results."