Donghua City

Riding a giant Flying Carriage, they sped onward the whole way.

Elsa sat at Zhou Bai's feet, while Christina stood atop her head, body upright and paws braced against the window. Her wide cat eyes stared outside.

At Christina's adamant insistence, and because Zhou Bai felt the cat would have to see the light of day sooner or later, he simply let her out and had her keep an eye on Elsa for him.

Zhou Bai turned his head to look at the scenery along the way. Everywhere lay wilderness and ruins. He even saw flashes of fire twice, accompanied by booming explosions, as though battles were being fought.

The entire world had been left devastated by the war between the Heavenly Demons and humanity.

He had heard that after humanity retreated to the final third of the Eastern Continent, in order to defend against the Heavenly Demons and deal with Spiritual Machine infection, aside from a few strongholds, 90% of the population had been concentrated in the five major cities of east, west, south, north, and center. Nearly all elites in Immortal Dao Technology, combat, and other fields had gathered there.

Donghua City, where Zhou Bai was headed, was one of those five major cities.

Two hours later, Zhou Bai could see enormous black silhouettes floating in the air from afar, densely packed together like vast fleets of airships.

This is completely different from what I imagined.

Donghua City was a colossal metropolis with a population exceeding three hundred million, even more densely populated than Zhou Bai had imagined.

With their mastery of advanced Immortal Dao Technology, they could suspend vast numbers of buildings in the air, developing enough urban space to accommodate that enormous population of over three hundred million.

Donghua City contained surface-level civilian residential districts, military-controlled zones at five hundred meters, administrative districts at one thousand meters, Dao School districts at fifteen hundred meters, and many other areas. From fifty meters underground to two thousand meters above ground, it was divided into different functional zones according to altitude and location.

On the outskirts of the city, a faint film of light, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, enveloped the entire city.

That was a gigantic formation encasing all of Donghua City. It could defend against Heavenly Demons, purify Spiritual Machine, and prevent infection. With the triple protection of the formation, Primordial Spirit adjustments, and Runic Vaccines, the likelihood of Spiritual Machine infection was continuously reduced.

"It's really huge." As the Flying Carriage traveled onward and drew closer to Donghua City, Zhou Bai could better feel the city's enormity and density. When he looked up, floating buildings filled the sky, blotting out the sun.

These buildings followed the same style. Nearly all were white, gray, or black, without unnecessary ornamentation. Like blocks of building toys, they floated back and forth, joining and rearranging themselves.

Zhou Bai looked down at the streets. With countless buildings blocking out the sky, the streets were exceptionally dim. The overly crowded buildings and roads made them feel unbearably cramped.

After getting out of the carriage, Zhou Bai took out the note Zhang Aidao had given him later. Two addresses were written on it: one was the registration site for Donghua Dao School's entrance examination, and the other was the home of one of Zhang Aidao's friends.

After all, Zhou Bai had only just arrived and did not even have a place to stay. So Zhang Aidao had written down an address, telling him to rely on a friend of his in Donghua City before the entrance test.

Thus, with a cat and a dog in tow, Zhou Bai first asked for directions until he found the registration site for the entrance test, then began searching for Zhang Aidao's friend's address.

Along the way, Christina and Elsa drew plenty of attention. After all, people keeping cats and dogs were truly rare in this era.

Looking at the streets, which were already extraordinarily dark even before night had fallen, Zhou Bai sighed. Donghua City looked magnificent and majestic from afar, but if one actually walked its ground-level streets, they were probably shrouded in shadow and darkness twenty-four hours a day.

Most of the humans on the streets also hurried along with purpose. People strolling or chatting were rarely seen; everyone seemed to be racing against time.

The streets were excessively clean and tidy. Not only was there no trash, there was also none of the greenery, landscaping, neon lights, and such that Zhou Bai remembered from many major cities...

Cold. Precise. Like a machine driven and propelled by countless parts.

That was Zhou Bai's first impression of Donghua City.

Elsa walked over from the side with her tongue hanging out and called to Zhou Bai, "Hungry..."

Christina, riding on Elsa's back, immediately smacked the dog on the head with a cat paw. "Who told you to talk?! I told you not to speak outside."

Elsa lowered her head aggrievedly. Perhaps due to the success of Dr. Zhuang's experiment, fully beastified Elsa could utter one or two simple words, such as "Zhou Bai" or "hungry."

But to avoid unnecessary trouble, Zhou Bai still told her not to speak outside.

Hearing Elsa's cry, Zhou Bai stroked her head. Elsa vigorously rubbed against his hand as Zhou Bai said, "All right, Elsa. We're almost there. You'll have something to eat soon."

He brought the two of them before a long row of small buildings. These uniformly constructed buildings stood in neat rows along the street like iron cans. They were all apartments built by the Heavenly Court and allocated to ordinary citizens.

Knock, knock, knock.

Footsteps sounded, and an elderly man with graying hair opened the door. He was slightly stunned when he saw Zhou Bai. "You are?"

"Zhang Aidao sent me. I'm here to take the entrance examination for Donghua Dao School, and I don't have anywhere to stay. He said I could stay here for a few days..."

"He still remembers this old man is his father?" The old man snorted coldly and turned to enter the house. "Come in. Close the door."

Zhou Bai walked into the room and found it somewhat messy. Things had been carelessly piled on the tables and floor, while many corners were already covered in dust and stains, making the whole place look old and rundown.

Though the old man looked stern and spoke in an icy tone, not long after Zhou Bai sat down, he brought him a bowl of porridge and some pickled vegetables.

He even tossed two pieces of bread to Elsa and Christina.

Elsa picked up the bread in her mouth and impatiently stuffed it into her mouth. Christina, as a certain special kind of existence, did not need to eat, drink, or relieve herself. She patted Elsa on the head and whispered, "If you obediently listen to me from now on, this bread will be yours. Got it?"

Elsa tilted her head, staring at Christina with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, ever since Zhou Bai entered the house, the old man had been staring at Zhou Bai's face. His expression shifted between light and dark; one moment he smiled, the next he frowned.

After taking a few mouthfuls of porridge, Zhou Bai finally could not stand being stared at any longer. "Sir, is something the matter?"

"You..." The old man looked at Zhou Bai. "Are you Zhang Aidao's son?"

Pfft!

Zhou Bai spat out a mouthful of porridge and shook his head repeatedly.

But the old man looked at Zhou Bai and smiled. "You look just like I did when I was young..." Seeing Zhou Bai continue to deny it, he nodded in understanding. "All right, all right. I know he doesn't acknowledge me as his father."

The old man's eyes were filled with curiosity and kindness as he looked at Zhou Bai. Suddenly, he sighed and muttered, "I know he hates me. Hates me for forcing him to join the army after he failed the exam. His mother even divorced me over it.

"But I've been a soldier all my life. I know how fragile life is now. If everyone only thinks of protecting themselves, if everyone fears danger, if no one steps forward voluntarily, then there really will be nothing left."

Zhou Bai: "Why did this suddenly turn into story time..."

"Aidao." The old man looked at Zhou Bai with some fear. "Do you hate Dad?"

Zhou Bai: "Huh?"

Christina looked at Zhou Bai and said, "Senile dementia, maybe? He used Primordial Spirit Power to fight in the past, but his cultivation never improved. That would make him somewhat more likely to develop senile dementia when he got old.

"After all, the Heavenly Dao and Spiritual Machine have already been twisted. If people use this kind of thing to fight over long periods, then grow old without their cultivation improving, while their willpower and physical condition decline instead, naturally they'll be more prone to illness."