Another hour passed.
The moon had begun its slow descent across the night sky.
In the distance—
rows of lanterns gradually came into view.
A weathered stone gate stood at the town's entrance.
Upon its surface were carved two familiar characters.
**Windborne Town.**
The siblings slowed only slightly before slipping over the town wall.
Like drifting leaves carried upon the wind—
they crossed from rooftop to rooftop without attracting a single glance.
Not even the night watch noticed their passing.
Ling Yue glanced around.
"...Alright."
"We're here, Senior."
The invisible lizard remained silent.
His golden eyes slowly brightened once more.
An invisible wave of perception spread outward through the sleeping town.
Every street.
Every courtyard.
Every rooftop.
Every living being.
His senses continued expanding farther and farther.
Sweeping across every corner without missing a single detail.
Then—
they stopped.
*...Found it.*
Ling Yue blinked.
"...Hm?"
"You found it?"
The calm voice answered simply.
"Yes."
She let out a relieved sigh.
"...Good."
"I really didn't feel like running all the way to another town."
Beside her—
Ling Wei silently surveyed the sleeping settlement.
*So...*
*Whatever Senior has been searching for...*
*It's somewhere inside Windborne Town.*
No matter how carefully he observed—
he couldn't sense anything unusual.
To him—
the settlement appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary frontier town.
Which only made him even more curious.
Ling Yue tilted her head upward.
"...Senior."
"So..."
"...What exactly did you find?"
Before either of them could hear an answer—
Ling Wei's eyes suddenly widened.
"...Wait."
Ling Yue turned toward him.
"...What?"
The empty space above her head began to ripple.
The air distorted.
Then—
the invisible outline of the small white-scaled lizard gradually emerged.
His body slowly became visible beneath the moonlight.
Snow-white scales shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow.
Golden eyes reflected the countless lanterns below.
The two siblings instinctively fell silent.
It was rare for Lizarius to reveal himself outside sealed locations.
The little lizard gently lifted himself from atop Ling Yue's head.
His small wings spread gracefully.
Without another word—
he turned toward the heart of the town.
"...Follow."
His voice remained calm.
He began flying forward at an unhurried pace.
Neither too fast.
Nor too slow.
Ling Yue glanced at Ling Wei.
Ling Wei looked back at her.
Neither spoke.
Then—
they nodded almost simultaneously.
"...Let's go."
The siblings leaped after him.
One small white lizard.
Two human cultivators.
Moving soundlessly across the rooftops of the sleeping town.
Ahead—
Lizarius' golden eyes remained fixed upon a single destination.
They never wavered.
As though something there...
Had already captured his complete attention.
---
The narrow alley remained utterly deserted.
Not a single lantern illuminated the cramped passage.
Only pale moonlight spilled across the old stone wall standing before them.
The small white-scaled lizard slowly descended.
His wings folded neatly against his body as he came to a stop before the weathered wall.
Ling Yue and Ling Wei landed several steps behind him.
Both studied the seemingly ordinary wall in confusion.
Lizarius turned.
Without offering any explanation—
he flew back toward Ling Yue.
Landing lightly atop her head once more.
Then he spoke.
"...Move."
"Make contact."
Silence.
Ling Yue blinked.
"...Make contact?"
She looked toward Ling Wei.
"...Senior means... like this?"
She reached over and firmly grabbed his arm.
Ling Wei looked puzzled but offered no resistance.
"...I suppose?"
Lizarius gave no reply.
Instead—
his body gradually began fading.
His white scales became translucent.
Then transparent.
Within moments—
he vanished completely.
The invisibility did not stop with him.
It spread outward.
Like ripples flowing across the surface of still water.
The strange distortion descended over Ling Yue.
Then over Ling Wei.
Their bodies gradually disappeared from sight.
Ling Wei instinctively lowered his gaze.
"...I'm..."
"...Invisible."
He could no longer see his own hands.
Nor his clothes.
Nor even Ling Yue.
Only the faint sensation of her grip around his arm remained.
"...Yue?"
He spoke instinctively.
No sound emerged.
His voice simply...
Vanished.
Ling Yue's eyes widened.
She had spoken as well.
Yet nothing reached her ears.
*...No sound?*
For a brief moment—
surprise flickered across her face.
Then she quickly calmed herself.
*I can still feel Brother.*
*So we're still here...*
The familiar voice quietly echoed within both of their minds.
"...Approach the wall."
Neither questioned the order.
Still holding tightly onto Ling Wei—
Ling Yue slowly walked forward.
One step.
Then another.
The old stone wall steadily drew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Her instincts screamed at her to stop.
*Senior...*
*Does he really want me to walk straight into a wall...?*
She hesitated for only an instant.
Then continued forward.
Five steps away.
Three.
One.
The wall filled her entire vision.
She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
At that exact moment—
Lizarius raised a tiny invisible claw.
A faint pulse silently spread outward.
The surface of the stone wall rippled.
Like the still surface of a lake disturbed by a single falling leaf.
Ling Yue's forehead touched the wall—
Yet no impact came.
Instead—
she felt herself pass straight through it.
The cold hardness of solid stone never arrived.
Only the strange sensation of walking through cool, flowing water.
Behind her—
Ling Wei stared in astonishment.
From his perspective—
Ling Yue had simply...
Disappeared.
Swallowed whole by the wall itself.
Before he could even react—
the grip around his arm tightened.
An irresistible force pulled him forward.
"...!"
Unable to resist—
he stumbled after her.
His body entered the rippling stone.
The world around him blurred.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
silence.
The darkness lasted for only a single instant.
Then—
their vision returned.
Both siblings stumbled forward.
Their feet landed upon smooth stone pavement.
Slowly—
they opened their eyes.
"..."
"..."
The two froze where they stood.
The street before them was alive.
Countless lanterns floated high overhead, bathing the avenue in warm golden light.
Rows of shops stretched far into the distance.
Voices filled the air.
Laughter.
Bargaining.
Footsteps.
The lively hum of countless conversations.
It looked...
Almost like an ordinary marketplace.
Almost.
Ling Yue's pupils slowly contracted.
"...Brother..."
Ling Wei couldn't answer.
His mind had gone completely blank.
Because the people walking through the streets...
Weren't entirely human.
Some possessed human bodies with the heads of wolves, foxes, birds, serpents, or deer.
Others appeared nearly transparent, their ghostly forms drifting several centimeters above the ground.
Some crawled comfortably upon all fours like enormous beasts while casually conversing with nearby merchants.
A skeletal figure dressed in luxurious robes carefully examined jade ornaments beside a massive tiger walking upright on two legs.
None of it made any sense.
Ling Yue felt a chill slowly travel down her spine.
"...W-What..."
"...is this...?"
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Even Ling Wei found himself unable to tear his eyes away.
Every direction revealed something even stranger than the last.
Yet...
No one seemed surprised.
As though all of this were perfectly ordinary.
---
Invisible above them—
Lizarius quietly observed their reactions.
*It worked.*
His golden eyes swept across the immense formation concealed beneath the streets.
*A Foundation Establishment barrier.*
*Designed to prevent weaker cultivators from entering.*
He had expected as much.
By using concealment to suppress their presence...
Mimicking the spiritual fluctuations of a Foundation Establishment cultivator...
And temporarily deceiving the formation itself...
It had proven sufficient.
Not only had he entered—
he had successfully brought the siblings inside as well.
*Interesting.*
*Without concealment...*
*Entry would have been impossible.*
His thoughts came to an end.
The invisibility surrounding the siblings quietly dispersed.
In its place—
shadows flowed across their bodies.
Like living ink.
Within moments—
both Ling Yue and Ling Wei were completely cloaked in featureless darkness.
Only vague silhouettes remained visible.
Neither their faces nor their clothing could be distinguished.
Ling Yue instinctively turned toward her brother.
"...Brother?"
Ling Wei looked back.
His eyes widened.
"...Yue..."
"...Your body..."
She lowered her gaze.
"...Yours too..."
Before either of them could panic—
the familiar calm voice echoed quietly beside them.
"...My doing."
Both immediately looked upward.
They still couldn't see him.
Only hear his voice.
"...To conceal yourselves."
Ling Yue carefully glanced around once more.
This time—
she noticed something.
Many of the surrounding figures were similarly obscured.
Some were wrapped in living shadows.
Others concealed themselves beneath drifting mist.
Some appeared as nothing more than shifting silhouettes.
No one seemed interested in revealing their true appearance.
And—
more importantly—
no one spared the siblings so much as a second glance.
To everyone else...
They blended in perfectly.
Ling Yue slowly relaxed.
"...Senior..."
She continued gazing at the impossible sights surrounding them.
"...What exactly is this place?"
A brief silence followed.
Then Lizarius answered simply.
"...The Night Market."
Silence.
The name alone carried an indescribable weight.
The bustling avenue stretched endlessly into the distance.
Filled with beings that should not have existed.
And yet—
here they were.
Buying.
Selling.
Talking.
Laughing.
As though this hidden world had always existed...
Just beyond the sight of ordinary cultivators.