Formless City stood alone in the gray-white desolation of the Heavenly Abyss Fragment Realm, as it had for untold ages, a vast black beast lying dormant in the wilderness.
Its towering walls were built from Black Netherstone that could withstand the erosion of resentment, their surfaces scarred by time and war.
At the city gate, dozens of heavily armored guards patrolled with little enthusiasm.
Most were Rogue Cultivators in the middle or late stages of Qi Refining. In this city, a gatekeeping post meant a meager but steady allotment of resources from the City Lord's Manor. It was a rare plum assignment.
"Heard? Hall Master Lei took his elites out of the city a few days ago. Said they were scouting the Ten Thousand Bones Blood Miasma," a tall, thin guard whispered to his companion as he leaned against the wall.
"The Ten Thousand Bones Blood Miasma? That's a Forbidden Zone where ten enter and not one comes out! Has that madman Lei Wu lost his mind?"
His companion scoffed. "Ironblood Hall is in trouble this time. The other factions have been making moves for days. They're just waiting for Ironblood Hall to take a beating so they can knock it out of the top three clans."
The tall guard was about to agree when he caught sight of a blurred line of figures on the distant gray-white horizon.
"Someone's coming!"
The guards gripped their weapons and stared warily beyond the gate.
In a world where even breathing carried danger, anyone returning from the wilderness might bring Strange Creatures in their wake—or be a madman corrupted by resentment.
As the group drew closer, the guards made out their faces and sucked in sharp breaths.
"It's... it's Hall Master Lei! They came back alive!"
But what astonished them most was not