The group formed a circle outside the city, and then the Two Lin Brothers led the way into the city.
Xu Long suppressed the surging magical Magic Power within him and stayed behind the crowd. His experiences in the Land of Exile had made him dare not let his guard down any longer.
Part of the city was buried in thick sand dunes, and the part that is now protruding is the main body of the city. The road under everyone's feet is the former walled city.
The yellow sand covering the land has not yet buried the city in mid-air, but the city itself has lost all vitality.
When Xu Long stepped into the city, the sound of rushing water in his ears had completely disappeared. He looked at the collapsed buildings around him, which still bore the dust and traces of ten thousand years ago.
Only six people were slowly making their way through a vast city. This was the first visitor in ten thousand years, the first time anyone had set foot in this civilized land again after ten thousand years.
Within the long-sealed city, something seemed to awaken, its curious gaze sweeping over the group.
The buildings amidst the ruins all appeared somewhat old, exuding an aura of decay. Cracks covered the bluestone slabs within the walls, as if some terrifying energy had once erupted within this city.
After Xu Long crossed the sand dunes and entered the city, he discovered that the city had no gate. The city on the sand dunes seemed to have opened its heart to welcome everyone. After thinking for a while, Xu Long suddenly realized, what was that broken gate at the bottom of the basin?
A flash of inspiration struck Xu Long. As he looked at the city, he seemed to remember something. Watching the crowd move forward, his vigilance gradually increased.
The group asked the Two Lin Brothers to lead the way because the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo was in the city. This Desolate Beast had sharp claws and was born with the ability to break through all barriers to find spiritual energy, so it did not need to cross the dangerous basin.
A narrow passage could be dug through the yellow sand to reach the interior of the city. At this moment, the Two Lin Brothers, who were leading the way, suddenly stopped and looked puzzled.
" The Spirit-Seeking Armadillo lost contact here, and my brother and I's Beast Beast-Taming Ring seem to be covered by something; we can't find any trace of it!"
"What! Two Lin Brothers, what do you mean by this?!"
When Ma Fang saw the two stop, he had a bad feeling. Upon hearing this, he immediately questioned them.
The people followed you two brothers because of the mutual trust in their hearts. Now that you say you've lost contact with the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo, wouldn't that put everyone in danger?
A tense atmosphere quickly rose among the crowd.
Everyone knew what the city in the yellow sand meant, but now they had a treasure mountain but could not obtain the treasures inside. This made people suspicious. They looked around and their thoughts of defense had already risen.
" Two Lin Brothers, there's no need to blame yourselves. Since we've lost contact with the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo, I'll guide the way. You two brothers can go ahead and scout."
When Deng Shouchong heard that the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo had lost contact, he raised an eyebrow. He looked at the dilapidated scene around him, a glint in his eyes, lost in thought.
Without even glancing at the Two Lin Brothers, he proceeded to issue the order as if it were a command. The Two Lin Brothers exchanged glances and could only manage a wry smile in response.
Then the group began to move back towards the main part of the city, but their figures had silently spread out some distance from each other.
Xu Long watched Deng Shouchong figure. After entering the city, Deng Shouchong had been looking around, his eyes constantly flashing with a glint of light. When everyone else paled after losing contact with the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo, only he remained calm in the face of danger.
He seemed to have foreseen everything, and when he gave directions, he must have already made proper arrangements in his mind.
The abandoned city in the yellow sand is relatively well preserved. After passing through the barbican, you enter the city. The huge city is devoid of any life, and a silent atmosphere completely covers the entire city.
The entire city was like a mirage in the yellow sand, emerging amidst the desires of the people.
Having existed for countless years amidst the endless yellow sands, the city is now eerily quiet, with no trace of its past remaining.
As Deng Shouchong pointed the way ahead, he seemed quite familiar with the city's structure, while Xu Long followed behind, carefully examining everything in the city and sketching out the general outline of a vast city in his mind.
But some questions arose in my mind. Logically speaking, since there were no fixed blessed lands in the Land of Exile, the city should be the best gathering place for cultivators. So why was this city abandoned in the yellow sand?
Where have all the cultivators in the city gone? What's the deal with the huge basin beneath the sand dunes and the " Heaven-Slaying " sword energy? Where is the "gurgling" sound of flowing water coming from in the basin?
He recalled Deng Shouchong's mention of Blackwater City. Could these two cities be connected? Why were everyone risking their lives to follow Deng Shouchong to Blackwater City?
Xu Long kept these questions to himself. Ever since he stepped out of this abandoned city, he felt as if he had been caught in a whirlpool.
Squinting at Deng Shouchong's retreating figure ahead, Xu Long let out a gasp that snapped him back to reality.
"Fellow Daoist Deng, we've spotted an ice sculpture cultivator ahead!"
"What!"
The Two Lin Brothers, who were leading the way, transmitted their fearful voices to the people behind them.
Upon hearing Deng Shouchong's eyes seemed to pause for a moment, and he looked at the Two Lin Brothers in front of him with a tone of surprise and doubt.
Xu Long observed that the people behind him all changed color upon hearing about the ice sculpture cultivator, their faces showing uncontrollable fear, as if they had encountered something extremely terrifying.
There are very few things in the Land of Exile that can frighten outlaws; none of them were like this when they fought the Old Pavilion Master Huang in the Spirit Vein Canyon.
Xu Long secretly memorized the ice sculpture cultivator. He looked ahead at the Two Lin Brothers, where a lifelike cultivator stood in the center of the city, his open eyes meeting the gazes of everyone.
"It's been completely sealed off by the ice fog!"
Upon hearing Deng Shouchong's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped forward to examine the ice sculpture cultivator closely.
"Hehe, this ice sculpture cultivator has existed for countless years. His body is isolated from the mortal world, while his soul is exposed to the scorching sun every day."
"The icy fog preserves the body intact yet renders it immobile; the scorching sun prevents the soul from entering the Reincarnation Temple, leaving it only to wander the world."
"He appears to be alive, but he is actually suffering constant torment. This Reincarnation Temple between life and death is comparable to the torture of being slowly sliced to death, which is far more painful than death itself!"
Xu Long squinted at the ice sculpture cultivator in front of him. The group walked step by step to the ice sculpture, and Ma Fang spoke from the front with a chilling laugh.
The ice sculpture cultivator in front of him was a middle-aged man. He stood upright in the center of the inner city, his gaze fixed on the outside of the city walls, his face solemn, and his brows furrowed with a sense of gravity.
He had a precious hairpin in his hair and was dressed in clothes from ten thousand years ago. He looked no different from an ordinary person, but at this moment his whole body was as stiff as iron and could not be moved.
Even after ten thousand years, when people saw this cultivator again, they still felt the majesty of a superior emanating from him.
Time has flowed here for millennia, but it stands still before him.
This ice sculpture, formed by an unknown means, brings something from ten thousand years ago back to life, standing in the center of the city as if waiting for everyone to arrive.
Xu Long didn't know how the ice sculpture cultivator was formed, but recalling the expressions of everyone just now, he figured that this ice sculpture cultivator must be something extraordinary.
According to Ma Fang, this ice sculpture cultivator appears lifelike, but he has actually been dead for a long time. However, his soul is preserved by the ice mist and does not enter the Reincarnation Temple, thus surviving. But he is also tortured by the scorching sun every day, which is worse than death.
What, then, is that ice fog?
He glanced at Deng Shouchong ahead, who was intently observing the area behind the ice sculpture cultivator, which was the very center of a city.
Xu Long's gaze followed, and when he touched the center of the city, he felt as if he had vaguely grasped something, but he quickly suppressed the thought.
"Ahead lies the city center, to the left and right are the city's armory and treasury, and behind is the City Lord's Manor."
Deng Shouchong didn't turn around. He stood in front of everyone and explained. At this moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the armory and the treasury, and they didn't care at all why Deng Shouchong knew their locations.
A strange light flashed in each of their eyes, and they stumbled past the ice sculpture cultivators at the inner city gate.
As Xu Long passed the ice sculpture cultivator, he felt a fleeting phantom within his will, and before he could discern its meaning, a startled exclamation rang in his ears:
"Fellow Daoist Deng, Xu Tao has disappeared!"
The crowd in front turned around in unison, each with a questioning look in their eyes, while Li Hong, standing to the side, looked at them with fear on his face.
"We all entered the inner city together just now, and when I turned around, I found that Fellow Xu Tao was gone!"
"What!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Fang's eyes widened, as if searching for something unusual on Li Hong's face, while his magical Magic Power began to surge.
Everyone's eyes were on him, and their emotions, which had just been calmed, began to tense up again as Xu Tao disappeared.
Upon hearing this, Xu Long turned around abruptly, but his gaze was still fixed on the back of the ice sculpture cultivator behind him. The cultivator stood motionless in the center of the city. Xu Long frowned slightly, unable to find any flaws for the moment, but a sense of doubt began to arise in his heart.
He knew that Xu Tao was the last to enter the inner city and was quite far from the others, but Xu Long did not pay attention to Xu Tao at the time.
Xu Tao's disappearance at this moment would cause everyone to be particularly suspicious. Xu Long naturally did not know where Xu Tao had gone, but he suddenly remembered that he had just caught a glimpse of a phantom in his mind.
In a city that had been abandoned for ten thousand years, cultivators reappeared today. The vast city was deathly silent, and walking through it felt like entering the belly of a ferocious beast.
Within those broken walls and ruins, it seemed as if countless eyes were watching the crowd, threatening to bury them completely if they weren't careful.
The city, silent for millennia amidst the yellow sands, is like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. It appears because it senses the desires of the people, and it guides those desires step by step forward.
A solitary city stands out starkly against the backdrop of endless yellow sand, and the sight of a group of people traveling through its vast expanse ten thousand years later appears somewhat eerie.
"No need to investigate further. Fellow Daoist Xu Tao has likely strayed from the group. Let's head straight to the city center; the armory and treasury are there!"
Sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Deng Shouchong's mind raced, and with a serious expression, he quickly addressed the crowd.
After Deng Shouchong finished speaking, the crowd finally regained some of their composure. Their gazes turned to the center of the city, and a burning desire gradually rose in their eyes. However, their steps forward now carried a hint of panic.
Xu Long's gaze lingered on the ice sculpture cultivator for a long time, but he could no longer detect anything unusual in his mind. He slowly turned his head and followed the others.
After arriving at the city center, the group slowed their pace. Deng Shouchong a composed expression, but a glint of light flickered in his eyes, as if he were sensing something.
The city center now resembled a massive fortress, with the entrance right beneath their feet. The fortress was eerily calm, and as everyone entered, they felt as if they were being watched by something. Cautious, they could only proceed step by step toward the center of the fortress.
Upon entering the fortress, Xu Long immediately looked towards the armory and treasury, then fixed his gaze on the City Lord's Manor at the very back, where his eyes met Deng Shouchong's back.
Each person had their own thoughts as they walked step by step into the fortress. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, and tense expressions appeared on their faces.
hiss!
A hoarse whistling sound rang out above everyone's heads, and a sense of crisis enveloped the fortress in an instant. Everyone's expression changed instantly, and Deng Shouchong raised the Dharma Banner in his hand and sent it flying upwards.
A phantom suddenly flashed through Xu Long's mind. Without thinking, he activated the World-Breaking Blade, and with a flash of sword light, he slashed down fiercely behind him.
With a clang, metal clashed and exploded. Xu Long's figure retreated rapidly from the spot, and the phantom in his mind had disappeared without a trace. At this moment, the banner above Deng Shouchong's head suddenly shook, and the totem creature automatically rushed out to protect its master.
Deng Shouchong's expression changed several times below, and he lost his previous composure. The totem creature rushed out to block an attack for him, and his figure in the treasure light immediately deviated from the battlefield.
The crowd behind them rushed to meet them, and heavy Magic Power surged within the barrier, with clanging sounds echoing endlessly. Only after the energy dissipated could they clearly see that a giant blue python was coiled in the center of the barrier.
Seeing the giant python flicking its tongue, everyone gasped in shock, their tense expressions turning into sheer terror.
This giant python was entirely blue, and its long body, when coiled up, was dozens of feet tall. Its thick body was like a hill, and it exuded the innate power of a superior being.