"All the Life Ferry entrances have disappeared?"
Hearing Cyan Bird's answer, Chen Lin's heart sank.
Around two hundred years ago-that was precisely when he had last completed his task. In other words, the Top Hat Buildings in this realm had disappeared after he emerged from his task.
Could that be a coincidence?
"Are there any cities nearby that haven't been destroyed?"
Chen Lin continued questioning him.
The matter of the Life Ferry could wait. Finding Xu Wuye came first.
"Yes."
Cyan Bird answered immediately.
"There's a newly built city in a valley a thousand li away. All the Sishi in the surrounding area went there. A Sage oversees it, so it's never fallen."
"A thousand li away?"
Chen Lin nodded.
He flew onto Cyan Bird's back, and they streaked through the air in a flash of cyan light.
They covered the thousand li in an instant.
Just as Cyan Bird had said, a sizable city stood in a valley amid a mountain range. A massive altar towered in its center, radiating brilliant light that enveloped the entire city.
"Master, we can't go any farther."
Cyan Bird stopped well short of the city.
He explained, "That altar is extremely aggressive, especially toward creatures like me. You should enter the city alone, Master. I'll wait outside."
"All right."
Chen Lin glanced at the bird's head.
He rose into the air and flew straight toward the city gate.
Cyan Bird's eyes darted about. He turned and flew farther away, then opened his beak and spat out a pitch-black ring.
"What a formidable fellow. Lucky I kept something up my sleeve, or I'd really be finished."
Muttering to himself,
he activated the ring.
Slowly, a peculiar runic inscription appeared on it and floated upward.
Cyan Bird opened his beak again.
He sucked the runic