Chapter 1341: Petition

"Silence Extinction Wind Disaster… Silence Extinction Law…" Yan Buji's eyes flashed with brilliance. Isn't this precisely the place where his newly grasped "Silence Extinction Return to Truth" principle can be put to great use? Moreover, the reward is extremely generous; the "Dao Insight Cliff" is said to be a treasure spot inside the Floating Mountain that helps one perceive the great Dao, a rare opportunity.

More importantly, this mission might allow him to delve deeper into the nature of the Dao Realm's kind of "celestial disaster."

He no longer hesitated and walked straight toward the registration desk on the left.

The attendant behind the desk was a thin‑faced elderly man whose aura was at the Transforming Spirit stage; seeing Yan Buji approach, he politely asked, "Are you here to accept a mission or to post one, fellow Daoist?"

"To accept a mission," Yan Buji said, pointing to the dark‑golden task strip atop the jade disc, "Northwest Dead Silence Wasteland, investigate the Silence Extinction Wind Disaster."

The old man, upon hearing this, showed a surprised expression, examined Yan Buji carefully, confirmed his aura was unfathomably deep—undoubtedly at the Great Vehicle Stage—and his tone grew even more respectful: "So you are a senior. This mission carries extremely high risk; the Silence Extinction Wind Disaster is no trivial matter. Even a Great Vehicle cultivator, if careless, could have his Dao Foundation damaged or even collapse. Are you certain you wish to accept it, senior?"

"Confirmed," Yan Buji said evenly.

"Very well, please present your identification token and leave a strand of mana seal as proof. The mission deadline is thirty days. The mission details and a portion of the map of the Northwest Wasteland will be recorded in this specially crafted black jade slip," the old man said, producing a black jade slip and a contract document.

Yan Buji followed the instructions to complete the formalities. When his Chaotic Mana Seal was burned onto the contract, the old man seemed to sense something, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes, but he asked nothing further.

With the paperwork finished, Yan Buji tucked away the black jade slip and the mission credential, then turned and left the mission hall.

He did not return to the courtyard immediately; instead, he wandered among the publicly accessible Classics Hall and general store in the Floating Mountain, buying scattered records about the Northwest Dead Silence Wasteland and the Silence Extinction Wind Disaster, as well as common healing and restoration pills. Though the price was steep, costing him nearly a hundred low‑grade Spiritual Stones, the necessary preparations could not be omitted.

After completing these, he leisurely returned to the small courtyard of the Welcome Garden.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, his steps faltered slightly, and his gaze swept over the stone table in the courtyard. On the table, at some unknown time, a jet‑black jade slip had appeared, and beside it a burning flame symbol was etched with spiritual energy.

"A petition from Black Flame Peak?" Yan Buji's mouth curled into a cold smile. He picked up the jade slip, and his spirit sank into it.

Inside was not a war proclamation but a brief yet threatening message: "You were impressive yesterday. The Floating Mountain has its own rules; we at Black Flame Peak cannot act directly. Yet beyond the mountain lies the vast Rosy Sea, and fellow Daoists must go out on missions. We hope you act wisely; if you are willing to come forward and atone, offering sufficient sincerity, perhaps this misunderstanding can be resolved. Black Flame Peak, Fierce Flame."

"Threatening me?" Yan Buji clenched his five fingers, and the black jade slip turned to powder in his palm. "Planning to act outside the mountain? Perfect, I also lack some travel 'funds.'"

A cold glint flashed and vanished from his eyes. Since the other side had set its sights on him, he didn't mind using people of Black Flame Peak at the edge of this Dao Realm to test the true power of his newly acquired Silence Extinction technique!

Nevertheless, the immediate priority was to fulfill the Ten Thousand Laws Alliance's reconnaissance mission. First, the reward was enticing; second, it would temporarily evade Black Flame Peak's eyes near the Floating Mountain, allowing him to venture into the more dangerous Northwest Wasteland, where they might not dare follow.

Three days later, Yan Buji slipped away from the Ten Thousand Laws Floating Mountain without a sound. He made no fanfare; before departing, he left an extremely obscure Chaotic Seal in an inconspicuous corner outside the Welcome Garden courtyard—one that only he could recognize—so that if people of Black Flame Peak truly dared to pursue, he might counteract them with it.

He did not choose to board the public flying boat offered by the Floating Mountain to head northwest; instead, he piloted his self‑forged Chaotic Void‑Crossing Boat, delving into the Mutant Rosy Sea before turning toward the northwest. Though the route was slightly longer, it better avoided possible eyes and tracking.

According to the map in the mission jade slip, the Northwest Dead Silence Wasteland lies beyond the edge of the "relatively stable zone" where the Ten Thousand Laws Floating Mountain resides, a region even older and more desolate. Few mutant monsters roam there, not because it is safe, but because the environment is so harsh—pervasive Silence Extinction gale winds and periodically erupting Silence Extinction Wind Disasters—that they can erode the vitality and spirit of most beings, and even the Mutant Force there appears "tame" and thin.

The Chaotic Void‑Crossing Boat traversed the dim Rosy Sea for over ten days, the surrounding mutant mist gradually thinning, its colors shifting from frantic brilliance to a suppressed gray‑white. The air began to exude a familiar desolate silence originating from the Pale Stone Forest, yet it was purer and more violent.

Finally, a completely different scene appeared ahead.

It was an endless wasteland of gray‑white sand and jagged rocks. The sky hung low, lead‑gray clouds seemed solid, and there was no sun, moon, or stars. No trace of vegetation or life could be seen on the wasteland, only eternal deathly silence. Most strikingly, above the wasteland, visible gray‑black streams of air silently swept by; where they passed, even space itself rippled with fine wrinkles, as if an invisible hand had smoothed away all "activity"—that was the Silence Extinction gale wind.

Occasionally, on the distant horizon, a gray‑black tornado would suddenly form, spanning sky and ground, spinning wildly, devouring all surrounding light and energy, emitting a destructive pulse that made Yan Buji's heart race—that was the nascent or lingering form of the Silence Extinction Wind Disaster.

"What a perfect deadland," Yan Buji said, folding away the Void‑Crossing Boat and hovering at the wasteland's edge, feeling carefully. The Silence Extinction power here was far more violent and primal than that of the Pale Stone Forest, brimming with the intent to annihilate everything, lacking the tranquil settling of return. His "Silence Extinction Chaotic Shield" automatically activated, repelling the ever‑present gale wind's erosion.

The mission required investigating the source of the wind disaster's anomaly. The jade slip noted that recently the frequency and intensity of Silence Extinction Wind Disaster activity had risen unusually, and the disaster's core seemed to be moving inland, prompting the Ten Thousand Laws Alliance's higher‑ups to be alert.

Yan Buji did not plunge in rashly. He first flew along the wasteland's edge, carefully observing the wind disaster's patterns, and used Mirror‑Heart Power to cautiously sense the Silence Extinction Law Fluctuations emanating from deep within the wasteland.

A day later, he pinpointed an area. There, the gale wind was especially chaotic; on the distant horizon, three sizable gray‑black tornadoes drifted slowly, seemingly attracted to each other and gradually converging. According to the vague reflection of his Mirror‑Heart, deep beneath that region, a unique, rhythmic Silence Extinction pulse seemed to emanate, like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant beast.

"The source may be there," Yan Buji's gaze tightened. He gathered all his breath, tuning the Silence Extinction Chaotic Shield's vibration to match the surrounding environment as closely as possible, then, like a shadow merging into a gray backdrop, slipped silently toward that area.

In the wasteland, deathly silence was the sole theme. The sand and gravel beneath his feet were cold and hard, containing a faint Silence Extinction corrosive force. The deeper he went, the more ferocious the gale wind became, brushing the shield and emitting a "rustle" of erosion; had he not grasped the true meaning of Silence Extinction, the shield's mana consumption would have multiplied several times.