Chapter 1080: Kunlun City

“The descendants of the sinners greet you, seniors.”

Cyan Radiance Superior Celestial hurriedly said, “Our ancestors abandoned the celestials and left the Kunlun Ruins not because they were afraid, but because they were searching for a way to resolve the Kunlun Ruins’ crisis. Just the same, they committed a grave transgression against your kind not because they wanted to, but because they did not have a choice. For thousands of years, our ancestors and everyone who came after have dreamed of returning to the Kunlun Ruins in hopes of begging for your forgiveness, confessing our sins to the celestials, and finally saving the Kunlun Ruins from danger.”

“Please see the truth, seniors!”

Cyan Radiance Superior Celestial’s plea was so touching, so well-acted, that an outsider would have been completely fooled by it.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Unfortunately, the Crimson Luan did not buy it. Still chirping madly, it abruptly charged toward Cyan Radiance Superior Celestial.

The rest of the Crimson Luans were right behind it.

“Sigh. Attack!”

Cyan Radiance Superior Celestial let out a sigh when he realized that negotiations had broken down. His eyes were cold and merciless, however.

He was hoping to trick the Crimson Luans and save themselves a fight, but the birds proved to be smarter than he imagined. It was fine though. If civility wouldn’t work, then martial strength would!

Jiang Yunlai, Silver Moon Sacred Lord, and Supreme Origin Profound Sovereign were prepared from the beginning. They immediately attacked the Crimson Luans.

The Great Truemen and Half Sages were a beat behind, but they too unleashed their attacks without hesitation.

Although the Crimson Luans were all Disaster-class Strangers, the Kunlun group boasted four powerful Sages. As a result, several Crimson Luans were killed even before they got close.

The battle was one-sided to begin with, and it only got worse after they had lost some of their numbers. It was only a matter of time before they were all killed.

Then, something extraordinary happened. Just a few breaths later, the group noticed that the slain Crimson Luans were reborn from the crimson light of the Radiant Tree. Then, they attacked them again.

Not only that, everyone could feel that the malice permeating heaven and earth was growing stronger and stronger. Even the spiritual energies in the air were leaving them as if they were loathed and abandoned by the entire world.

“This is pointless. All of you, climb the Radiant Tree. I’ll hold back the Crimson Luans.”

The Crimson Luans were undying and eternal within the Radiant Tree’s presence. Unless they could destroy the Radiant Tree, they could fight until the end of time itself, and still the Crimson Luans would come back to life.

Could they destroy the Radiant Tree though?

Of course not. It was antithesis to their goal anyway.

The Radiant Tree was the only way they knew to enter the Kunlun Ruins. Even if they could destroy it, doing so could only be described as pure folly. Therefore, there was no point staying here and fighting the Crimson Luans.

On top of that, this corner of the world was beginning to loathe them and withdraw itself from them, meaning that every bit of qi, essence, and spirit—and in the cases of the Sages, their Dao—could no longer be replenished. Therefore, a war of attrition was absolutely against them.

Besides, their goal was the Kunlun Ruins, not the Crimson Luan or the Radiant Tree. There was just no reason for them to linger at all.

Before he even finished talking, Jiang Yunlai had already summoned a massive sun that scorched heaven and earth.

Dozens of Crimson Luans were burned into ash in an instant, but the Great Truemen and the Half Sages weren’t affected in the slightest. It showed just how powerful Jiang Yunlai was.

Jiang Yunlai wasn’t done yet. The crimson sun above his head slowly darkened.

If before the red sun was hot, bright, and capable of burning anything and everything, then the black sun was cold, lightless, and full of the promise of death.

The sky had two poles, and humanity had light and darkness in them. Naturally, the sun was no exception. It too had a red side and a black side.

The red sun was fiery, bright, and scorching.

The black sun was silent, lightless, cold, and deadly.

The black sun seemed capable of devouring light and vitality. It was because the red light cast by the Radiant Tree was all being consumed and annihilated by the black sun. For a moment, the world was completely shrouded in darkness and death.

Without the crimson light of the Radiant Tree, the Crimson Luans that had turned into ash could not come back to life, at least not immediately.

The group did not hesitate. They used the lull Jiang Yunlai had bought them to rush up the Radiant Tree.

……

While the Kunlun group was scaling the Radiant Tree, Ye Qing was standing in front of a city.

The city walls were made from profound stone, the gate was forged from gold wood, the buildings were erected from heavenly jades, and the ground was paved by ink bricks. It was tall, massive, and magnificent.

The city was bigger, taller, and more lavish than any city Ye Qing had seen in the human world. Even the imperial palaces were a pale shadow compared to this city.

Take the materials used to construct this city alone. Profound stones, gold wood, heavenly jades, ink bricks and more, every single one of these was a rare, priceless treasure.

Compared to the cities on the ground, this city might as well be a celestial city.

In fact, this city did have a magnificent name: Kunlun City, the city of celestials!

Ye Qing’s senses told him that the Kunlun City was completely silent and dead though. He could not sense a speck of life force whatsoever.

He had discovered Kunlun City via his paper dolls, of course. However, for whatever reason, he lost contact with them after they entered the city. That was why he had to come here personally.

Obviously, Yi Pin hadn’t come to the Kunlun Ruins to sightsee. He could only be here for opportunities, and what better opportunities could he find than the ones residing in the city of celestials? Therefore, there was a high chance that Yi Pin was somewhere in this city. If not, he should still be able to find traces and clues of the old man.

Right now, the gate of Kunlun City was half open. Through the gap, he could vaguely see a wide street and rows and rows of buildings. They were all reminders of the city’s former glory and magnificence.

Right now though, the street was completely empty. It was also completely silent. So silent, that he could not hear the sound of insects or even the wind.

It further cemented his feeling that Kunlun City was a dead city.

Ye Qing did not rush into the Kunlun City immediately despite standing right at the gate. Instead, he released his demonic thought and sent it through the gap.

Suddenly, Ye Qing let out a muffled groan and scrunched up his face a little.

It was because his demonic thought was devoured by something the second it entered the city.

That’s right. His demonic thought didn't just disappear into nothing. It was devoured.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He could feel something forcefully ripping the wisp of demonic thought away from his mind and consuming it.

Worse, Ye Qing couldn’t see anything.

Unwilling to give up, Ye Qing released another wisp of demonic thought. The outcome was the same.

He spent a few breaths considering his options before ultimately deciding to enter the city.

The anomaly affecting Kunlun City was strange to say the least, but with the Earthly Sovereign Bell protecting him, he wasn’t too afraid for his own safety.

Having made up his mind, Ye Qing dashed into the city soundlessly like a ghost.

The buildings in Kunlun City were quite similar to an ordinary human city. He saw restaurants, inns, theaters, trading companies, shops, houses, residences…

But unlike your ordinary human city, every single building in Kunlun City was exquisitely designed. They were not so lavish that they looked vulgar either. They were elegant, refined, and beautiful.

“Why are there no bodies inside the city?”

Kunlun City was massive, and Ye Qing did not want to put himself in unnecessary risk. That was why he only spent a teatime searching a small half of a city block.

He found nothing. That was the strangest thing.

There were some collapsed buildings and signs of fighting inside the city. Something must have happened to this place. And if something had happened to this place, then it should have left behind some corpses at least.

Of course, over a thousand years had passed since whatever befell the city. The corpses should have decomposed into bone or dust a long time ago. And yet, forget bones, he could not even find the ashes of a decomposed body.

It was almost as if the people inside the city had evacuated to somewhere.