Chapter 578: The Illusory Golden-Winged Roc! Falling Feather! The Revival of Shituo City! Celestial Maiden Minghe!

The tablet fell silent at Li Yanchu’s words.

The young Daoist’s eyes radiated cold killing intent, his expression icy. He did not seem to be joking.

“Immortal Master, why would I ever deceive you?” the tablet said with a smile.

“That Golden-Winged Roc is proud and haughty; it may have appointed me, a mere human cultivator, to guard for it! Daoist, you must understand the struggles of wandering cultivators like us. Surviving itself is a blessing, what honor or principle can we speak of? Since I was assigned to guard the entrance, I simply guard it as ordered!” the tablet explained.

As they spoke, a sound like metal splitting stone pierced the air from above. A spectral Golden-Winged Roc appeared in the sky, its wings stretching hundreds of zhang. It radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure!

Any being before this Golden-Winged Roc seemed utterly insignificant. A man would not even match the size of a single feather of the roc.

“Indeed, the Golden-Winged Roc has awakened!” the tablet exclaimed in astonishment.

Li Yanchu glanced at it, and the tablet immediately fell silent.

Above in the sky, the spectral Golden-Winged Roc released a single feather. The feather shimmered with golden radiance, profoundly sacred. As it descended, it gradually grew to dozens of zhang in length, and brilliant golden light burst from the feather.

When it finally touched the ground, it landed directly atop Shituo City.

Boom! Boom!

Within the city, buildings sprang up from the earth. Previously, this place had been a desolate, ruined relic, further devastated by Li Yanchu’s climactic battle with Prince Qing’s heir.

Shituo City had long been reduced to rubble; most buildings had been destroyed. But now, new structures rose from the ground, emerging from the earth. They overlapped with the original ruins, and the effect was mystical, as if two paintings had been perfectly superimposed onto one another.

Boom! Boom!

The tremendous rumbling echoed endlessly, and the strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth drew the attention of every cultivator in the Shanhai Secret Realm.

Both humans and demons held their breath, watching the scene unfold. They had come to this secret realm in search of immortal opportunities.

The inheritance of a demon immortal could allow them to roam between heaven and earth, attaining Dao and longevity. They were here chasing immortal fortune itself. And now, was this celestial spectacle not a manifestation of that very fortune?!

When the massive rumbling finally ceased, the spectral Golden-Winged Roc, with its wings stretching hundreds of zhang, vanished from the sky. The golden feather disappeared as well.

Golden light swept over the ruins like a flood, and a brand-new Shituo City emerged.

“What... is happening? Has Shituo City reverted to its former glory?” Li Yanchu frowned slightly.

At this moment, he stood just outside the city gates. Earlier, in his duel with Prince Qing’s heir, the heir had been beaten into a deadlock, unable to escape in any direction.

After several twists and turns, they had arrived outside Shituo City. Gazing upon the magnificent city, Li Yanchu’s brow tightened.

The large words “Shituo City” were engraved on the walls. At the city gate stood squads of demon soldiers, armed and motionless.

Yet beneath the golden light, they seemed frozen in time, while pedestrians passed through the gates in an orderly stream. These pedestrians were dressed as demons too, but their cargo was not livestock; it was people!

Clad in tattered clothes, their eyes dull and empty. Bound in groups by ropes, they were being led into the city. And they, too, were completely motionless.

The golden light did not just cover Shituo City; it extended for many li beyond, enveloping the surrounding area.

When the light finally faded, the entire city sprang to life in an instant, buzzing with voices and movement.

The young, elegant celestial maiden, her features delicate and cold, was stunned. Her eyes went wide and her small, cherry-like mouth slightly parted in shock.

“The city... came alive?”The young maiden could hardly believe her eyes.

She stood only a few hundred meters from Li Yanchu and instinctively moved closer to him.

A gust of wind swept past, and Li Yanchu turned to see the graceful young celestial maiden approaching.

“Daoist Master, what on earth is happening here?” the young maiden asked, astonished.

Li Yanchu shook his head and looked at the tablet.

The tablet said, “I’m not entirely sure what’s happening either, but the Golden-Winged Roc hasn’t fully awakened, it seems only a portion of its power has stirred.”

At this moment, the tablet had transformed into a palm-sized token, circling around Li Yanchu.

There was no other way; the tablet’s previous form had been far too conspicuous, and the current situation was strange as well.

The young celestial maiden glanced at the tablet in surprise. The tablet could freely change its size and speak human words; it was clearly a sentient divine artifact.

At this point, they were less than ten meters from Shituo City. The crowds of demons were still being driven into the city, and no one had noticed them yet.

Li Yanchu fell into a brief contemplation. According to Celestial Master Zhao, leaving this Shanhai Secret Realm required no special methods; once ten days passed, one would automatically exit. This was the rule of the secret realm. Even if the tablet’s ability had been stripped away, it shouldn’t necessarily prevent him from leaving after ten days.

But now the circumstances had changed. Li Yanchu could not be certain whether the secret realm would still allow him and the other cultivators to leave when the time came.

“Let’s leave here first,” Li Yanchu said in a low voice.

He did not rush into the now-living Shituo City, but instead departed alongside the young celestial maiden.

The maiden hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed Li Yanchu’s steps out of the city.

The two arrived at a secluded mountain ridge. The area had already been partially destroyed by Li Yanchu’s previous spells. Originally a high mountain, it now remained only half its former height.

Li Yanchu selected a quiet spot here, from which he could observe Shituo City from afar without being noticed. Meanwhile, the young celestial maiden expressed her gratitude for Li Yanchu’s life-saving actions.

After speaking briefly, they exchanged names.

Li Yanchu realized that the young celestial maiden was from Qingquan Prefecture, and her name was Minghe.

Qingquan Prefecture bordered Jiangnan Prefecture and was renowned for its beautiful women.

Most women from Qingquan Prefecture had fair, jade-like skin. The current most favored imperial consort also hailed from Qingquan Prefecture.

“Fellow Daoist Li, Shituo City suddenly coming to life must have something to do with the Golden-Winged Roc. Should we go inside and take a look?” Minghe asked.

“From what I’ve learned, the Golden-Winged Roc is the only one among the three great rulers of the Shituo Kingdom who has not fallen, and it still slumbers. Now that Shituo City has been revived by it, whether that is good or bad is unclear,” Li Yanchu said slowly.

“To be honest, I have a magical artifact that can absorb the spiritual essence of the secret realm and open an exit,” Minghe continued.

“But earlier, the artifact stopped absorbing energy, so this secret realm may have been sealed.”

Though Minghe could not provide information like the tablet, she had profound cultivation and could keenly sense that events were moving in an unpredictable direction...

“It seems Shituo City is dominated by demons. Humans there are treated like livestock. To enter, one would need the art of transformation,” Li Yanchu said.

He had the Golden Radiance Crown and the Illusory Form, so he could move freely in and out of Shituo City without any issues. But Minghe might not be so fortunate.