Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

233. The Mystical Inn in the Middle of Nowhere

For several weeks after his encounter with that family of gods—or whatever they truly were—Jin Shu experienced no further mishaps.His cultivation advanced smoothly by two stages, reaching the Fourth Stage of the Spirit Realm. Even Long Xue Ling behaved itself for once, neither bursting out of his body nor going on a rampage. Both breakthroughs passed with unexpected peace.

Frankly, he could hardly believe it.

Nothing happened—not even as his journey neared its end.

That said, there was still a significant stretch ahead of him. And unfortunately, that stretch ran straight through the most dangerous territory controlled by the Demon Cult.

His final stop before entering their domain was a large city known as Setting Sun—so named for its peculiar distinction as the first place in the world to witness the sun set each day.

Rumors about the phenomenon were plentiful. Some claimed a powerful ancient cultivator had buried an array of formations beneath the city—ones that activated daily to drag the sun downward. Others insisted a spatial treasure lay hidden somewhere within the city, subtly warping the heavens above it. And still others swore that Setting Sun City marked the literal edge of the world, standing as the final city before the Demon Cult’s territory began.

Ordinarily, one would expect such a location to be a desolate fortress city, perpetually on edge due to its proximity to the Demon Cult. Yet despite the short distance separating them, Setting Sun was anything but bleak. In fact, it was a bustling tourist destination, drawing even more daily traffic than the southern region’s capital—the Imperial City.

Part of that was due to the city lord, whose cultivation was said to be unfathomable and rumored to be nearing the Sage Realm. But the larger reason was far simpler: a long-standing non-aggression pact between the southern region’s empress and the Demon Cult’s leader.

Jin Shu arrived just as the sun began to set—which was strange, considering it should have been only a little past midday.

“Interesting,” he mused. “I’ve heard about Setting Sun City before, but I always thought it was just a story cooked up to attract tourists. Looks like it’s the real deal.”

He watched as the sinking sun bathed the city in dusky orange hues, rooftops and streets glowing softly beneath the fading light.

“I really hope I don’t learn the reason behind this,” he muttered under his breath.

“Why wouldn’t you want to?” Nano asked. “The phenomenon could have significant scientific implications.”

“Because it probably involves ancient secrets, buried taboos, or forgotten powers,” Jin Shu replied flatly. “And every single one of those things has a habit of ruining my day. I just want to rest and move on—I’ve had more than enough excitement for several lifetimes.”

True to his words, he entered the first inn he came across, booked a room, and promptly dove face-first onto the bed. Sleep claimed him almost instantly.

The next morning, he left the city at first light, moving with such urgency that it looked as though he were fleeing debt collectors—or a particularly vindictive fate.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

No ambushes. No bandits. No goddesses experiencing mortal life with their families leaping out of nowhere.

Just open roads and clear skies.

“It’d be nice to fly like Adept Realm cultivators,” Jin Shu remarked, gazing up at the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across the blue sky.

“Maybe we should use a Flying Formation for the next breakthrough,” Shuang said, not bothering to look up from the book he was reading.

“Aren’t those usually inscribed on swords or flying artifacts?” Jin Shu asked. “Would that even work on the human body?”

“…Are any of our formations or runes meant for the human body?” Shuang shot back.

“Good point.”

After a brief pause, Jin Shu asked, “So what’s our next destination? Demon Cult headquarters?”

“I seriously hope not,” Shuang replied. “But knowing Mom… anything’s possible.”

Pulling out the map, Jin Shu cross-referenced it with nearby landmarks.

“Looks like there’s nothing for several days,” he said. “And the next stop is the last one before our final destination.”

Curious, he checked the small note his mother had left behind.

Demon Cult Headquarters… Just kidding! It’s a sub-headquarters led by one of the vice-cult leaders.

“…If I remember correctly,” Jin Shu muttered, “the vice-cult leaders of the Demon Cult are all in the Grandmaster Realm… minimum.”

He felt an overwhelming urge to crumple the map and stomp it into the dirt.

He stopped himself only because Chen Ai Yun had helped draw it.

If it had been drawn solely by his mother, he would’ve stomped it, burned it, and then stomped the ashes.

Instead, he settled for tossing the map into a random corner of his space earring, where it could be forgotten forever.

Following the route he’d already memorized—carefully steering clear of any known Demon Cult bases—Jin Shu continued his journey for several days. Surprisingly, he didn’t encounter even a single wayward demonic beast, let alone a demon worshiper.

That calm didn’t last.

Without warning, a peal of thunder boomed overhead despite the complete absence of storm clouds. The sky darkened abruptly, and moments later rain poured down in heavy sheets, drenching the land like falling curtains.

Using his water affinity, Jin Shu kept the rain from soaking his clothes. What he couldn’t prevent was the thick mist that rapidly formed as the cool rain met the southern region’s high heat. It rolled in heavily, smothering the road and shrinking his vision to barely a few feet in any direction.

“This isn’t natural weather,” he muttered.

He knew that not because of any expertise in weather patterns, but because the rain itself carried traces of someone’s qi—and the thunder wasn’t lightning at all, but the shockwaves of clashing weapons.

“To influence the weather on this scale, their cultivation must be at least Master Realm,” Shuang said grimly. “Possibly higher. Stronger than Chen Ai Yun. These are sect elder–level cultivators, at minimum.”

Hearing that, Jin Shu couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness for the Immortal Phoenix Sect.

They’d once had elders of that caliber too—ones he’d never gotten the chance to meet. Most had perished during the last war against the Demon Cult, while the few survivors had retreated into deep seclusion.

Feng Lian was the strongest of the remaining elders, and the sole reason the sect still maintained its status as one of the four great cultivation powers of the mortal realm.

Still, the current elders and sect leaders were young by cultivation standards—most in their early thirties, none older than a hundred—and all of them were exceptional geniuses. Given time, they would inevitably reclaim their former glory.

Especially if the Hidden Phoenix Realm truly held the fortuitous encounters they hoped for.

Another thunderous crash echoed nearby, jolting Jin Shu out of his thoughts. The sounds were growing closer.

He immediately quickened his pace, abandoning any further reflection on the sect. He had no desire to encounter whoever was responsible for this chaos. Even if they were righteous cultivators, being caught anywhere near a battle at that level could still leave him grievously injured—or dead.

Luck was on his side.

As he pushed through the mist, he suddenly emerged from it—and found shelter.

An inn.

An inn standing alone in the middle of nowhere.

Strangely, despite the mist choking the surrounding area, the inn itself was completely untouched by the rain. Not a single drop marred its exterior, as though an invisible barrier repelled everything away.

It was undeniably suspicious.

And considering it lay deep within Demon Cult territory, it was almost certainly dangerous.

Still, it beat being accidentally erased by a stray shockwave in the middle of a blinding fog.

He approached cautiously, glancing up at the nameplate above the entrance.

Long Ling’s Inn.

He blinked at the delicate-sounding name, feeling it was wildly out of place in Demon Cult territory. Still, when he thought about it, the last few days he’d spent traveling through this region had been the safest part of his journey so far.

Maybe he’d overestimated just how deadly the Demon Cult truly was.

It was said they had exceedingly few members despite being the second strongest cultivation power in the world. Their reputation came not from numbers, but from extreme and ruthless methods. In that light, it made sense that their territory wasn’t crawling with danger at every turn.

With that thought in mind, Jin Shu pushed the door open—half expecting to step into a den of evil.

Instead, he found a perfectly normal lobby.

It was clean, brightly lit, and carried a faint, pleasant floral scent. Definitely not the lair of demon worshipers—unless demon worshipers enjoyed the smell of fresh flowers and decorating with them as well.

The lobby was lined with a wide assortment of blooming flowers in every color imaginable.

Aside from that, it was empty.

No one stood behind the counter to greet him.

Jin Shu soon understood why when his eyes landed on the price board mounted behind the reception desk.

Mortal-grade room — 10 spirit stones

Earth-grade room — 100 spirit stones

Heaven-grade room — 1,000 spirit stones

Prices listed per night

His lips twitched.

He only had ten spirit stones—acquired recently and almost by accident, since he’d never needed them before leaving the sect.

“Ten spirit stones are worth ten thousand gold coins,” he muttered. “And that’s assuming anyone would even trade spirit stones for gold… which they wouldn’t. Are these rooms really worth that much?”

“Maybe the prices are so high because of the location,” Gold suggested.

“That… actually makes sense.”

Jin Shu nodded in agreement, especially after realizing something else—the thunder outside couldn’t be heard anymore now that the door was closed.

Either the battle had ended, or the inn was protected by an extremely high-level soundproof formation.

He was willing to bet on the latter.

Which meant the owner either possessed an equally terrifying cultivation level—or absurd wealth.

While scanning the lobby again, he noticed a small bell resting on the counter beneath a sign that read: Ring for service.

He lifted it and gave it a gentle shake.

The chime was pleasant to the ears.

The voice that followed was even more so.

“Coming! Please wait just a moment.”

A young woman stepped out from a back room behind the counter, wearing a gentle smile. Her gaze lifted—and locked onto Jin Shu.

They both froze.

Shock flashed across their faces as they took in each other’s features.