Outside Xiao Yuncheng, it was pitch black. The plants that should have been outside the city had almost all withered, leaving only once dried-up branches and fallen leaves on the ground. Looking back, the sunny weather had disappeared, replaced by a secluded barrier of roiling black clouds.
The cold wind blew, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground.
The whole Xiao Yuncheng was silent, only the eerie sound of the wind.
"Eclipsing the sky and isolating the space, it seems that the black clouds appearing above Xiao Yuncheng were the method left behind by a certain ancestor." Ding Yan speculated, recalling the rumors he had heard in Heji Town earlier. Before he entered the city, that veil of black clouds over Xiao Yuncheng unexpectedly expanded. A chilly aura suddenly descended from the sky and instantly swallowed the entire city, creating a secluded space that blocked out the sun. None of the cultivators lurking in the city had a chance to escape. This change didn't seem to affect the outside world, visible only to those within it. It was for this reason that Ding Yan only discovered it after entering the city.
A loud rumble sounded once again.
Looking up, a huge vortex slowly turned in the sky above the city, with lightning contorting and thunder rumbling within it. The fallen leaves on the ground continuously flew toward the vortex in the sky.
"Is that the entrance to the Wasteland City?" Ding Yan looked up.
Withdrawing his gaze, Ding Yan walked slowly into the city.
Inside the city, it was desolate, with the cold wind whistling and the fallen leaves swirling.
There was no one on the streets, only the wooden signboards on both sides of the street swayed in the wind, making a 'creeking' sound.
Ding Yan walked around the city but found no one.
Stopping in front of a house, Ding Yan knocked on the door.
No response.
He pushed the door open and went in.
Inside the house, the water on the stove was still boiling, and there were glasses on the table. Ding Yan walked over and touched the rim of a glass with two fingers.
The wine was still warm.
Obviously, not long ago, there were still people sitting here drinking and chatting.
"Where have all the people gone?" Ding Yan closed his eyes, and his divine sense spread out like a tide.
If it was about cultivators, Ding Yan might have thought they had entered the vortex above the city, but it was absolutely impossible for ordinary people to enter it. The entrance to the Wasteland City could only be seen by people with elemental power within their bodies.
After a while, Ding Yan retracted his divine sense, his expression grave.
In his divine sense perception, he didn't find a single living person. The whole city seemed to have been abandoned, like an ancient city left behind in the fabric of time and space.
In front of Yunhai Pavilion.
Ding Yan pushed the door open and went in.
Xiao Chunshui, before leaving, had told Ding Yan that if he changed his mind, he should go to Yunhai Pavilion in Xiao Yuncheng. This meant that Xiao Chunshui had been to this Yunhai Pavilion at that time. With his capabilities as a scattered immortal, there might be some clues left behind.
Inside the building, it was eerily empty.
Some tables still had wine on them.
Ding Yan searched the building but found no one and no clues left behind.
After walking around the city for half a day, Ding Yan finally confirmed that there was no sign of life in the city besides himself. Not even a cat or dog was in sight.
Two days later.
On the streets of Xiao Yuncheng, Ding Yan sat cross-legged, his robe fluttering in the wind.
In his hand, he was holding the fragment from Mo Family Village.
"Ten minutes remaining," Ding Yan tightened his grip on the fragment.
Looking up, the vortex in the sky had grown larger. The lightning within it was also more furious.
Recorded on the fragment in Ding Yan's hand was the best time to enter the City of Lost Souls, which was the last hour of the third day.
Time passed second by second.
Suddenly, Ding Yan, who was sitting on the road, stood up and transformed into a stream of light, flying toward the sky's vortex. Almost at the same time he flew up, the ground of Xiao Yun City began to tremble, and the bluestones on the ground rose layer by layer, then were pulled by the force in the sky, turning into rubble and flying upward.
Above the void, Ding Yan felt his speed increasing. Without even breathing, he flew into the vortex. In an instant, a terrifying tearing sensation spread throughout his body, as if the power was going to tear his body apart.
Boom! A lightning bolt suddenly appeared, fiercely approaching Ding Yan.
"Deflect!" With a wave of his sleeve, the elemental force flowed out from his right hand, forming a round shield that deflected the lightning in the opposite direction.
The use of elemental force! After becoming a scattered immortal, even simple elemental force transformations could exert unimaginable power. Similar to top martial artists, in their hands, anything could be turned into a deadly weapon. After reaching a certain level, the understanding of power had reached another level, no longer confined to form but a use of a different level!
After deflecting a lightning bolt, the shield dispersed and turned back into elemental force, appearing behind Ding Yan, deflecting another lightning bolt.
In the span of a breath, Ding Yan had deflected dozens of lightning bolts. This use of elemental force was almost comparable to those old monsters. Even those who had overcome a scattered immortal calamity could not possibly be as easy as Ding Yan.
The thunder grew louder and louder.
Suddenly, Ding Yan felt everything turn white in front of him. When his vision returned, he found himself back inside Xiao Yun City.
Standing alone in the middle of the street, Ding Yan was shocked. He dispersed his divine sense, swiftly scanning through the entire Xiao Yun City. After a while, he retracted the divine sense, his expression as calm as water.
Looking up at the still-spinning vortex in the sky, a hint of astonishment flashed in Ding Yan's eyes.
"The City of Lost Souls, the City of Lost Souls! So, the City of Lost Souls is actually Xiao Yun City. I have already entered the City of Lost Souls! It's amazing to divide the yin and yang, to manipulate time and space with such powerful techniques!"
The technique of manipulating space was a rare supreme method only found in the world where Ding Yan was in his past life. It was an extremely powerful method. If someone unaware of this method was trapped inside, they might never find their way out in their lifetime. Ding Yan was able to discover this so quickly mainly because in his past life, he had come into contact with this technique and even researched it for decades.
"Since the technique of manipulating space can be used, then..." Ding Yan extended his right hand.
In his palm, a strange force began to slowly emerge, a virtual gas hovering above his palm and rotating slowly. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be divided into two, resembling the yin and yang of Taoism.
Qian for Heaven, representing yang! Yin for Earth, representing yin!
The Qian Kun Dao Classic, within this strange City of Lost Souls, was unexpectedly able to operate once again!