First Come, First Served

Though living like sewer rats was bleak, as long as one survived, there was hope. Once dead, everything became empty—how could one speak of seeking the Dao?

Perhaps Qing Lan and Zhu Mei were all like Lüzhu. Lu Ren truly did not want to go over there and ruin his eyes again.

As night drew near, Lu Ren carefully watched the changes in the surrounding environment. Usually, once night fell, aside from the normal colors inside the houses, the rest of City of Phantoms looked like a colored painting gradually fading into a distorted gray-white image beneath an almost gloomy dark curtain. The overall tone was oppressive, steeped in a terrifying darkness that made people uncomfortable.

Yet at this moment, as night descended, the crowd below not only did not lessen but continued to grow. The streets bustled with people, travelers flowing like a river. Candles burning within the dense colorful lanterns illuminated the entire City of Phantoms brightly, without the lifelessness it usually possessed.

Before long, a simple platform began to be erected in the open square of City of Phantoms. Four or five strong men placed the man-carrying lantern atop it and lit the fuel. Blazing flames quickly began to burn, and as the heat rose, the lantern bag held by those nearby gradually expanded and grew larger. Finally, as firelight shone through the multicolored cloth bag, it radiated rainbow-like hues.

The cloth bag was enormous. As the hot air rose, it became even larger than an ordinary house. As time passed, the bag fully inflated, and the lifting force it generated actually raised the platform beneath it slightly. If not for the four ropes securing it, it would likely have slowly risen into the air already.

The Celestial Immortals hidden among the crowd were also growing restless.