Free Web NovelChapter 586: Chapter 44: Exploration
"Whew..."
The gusty wind swept through,
heavy clouds parted to both sides,
a massive and tattered bone ship slowly descended from the split clouds.
"Brother Fang."
Elder Ren stood at the bow holding a Bone Staff, gazing ahead, his eyes revealing complex emotions:
"That is the boundary of Fengdu City!"
Fang Zheng followed the direction of his gaze.
First to catch his eye was a ’large river,’ its width measuring over a hundred meters, splitting the land in two.
The river wound and stretched endlessly, with no known source or end, only its turbid waters flowing uninterrupted.
Sanzu River!
It’s said,
this river traverses the entire Yama Secret Realm.
A bridge spanned the river, with a width of over twenty meters, constructed entirely from giant stones, majestic and spectacular.
Across the bridge, a few miles ahead, a towering metropolis lay like an Ancient Exotic Beast crouched upon the earth.
The city was divided inside and out.
A tall wall separated the city.
With his eyesight, he could clearly see the chaotic disarray of the Outer City’s buildings and the orderly Inner City.
Fengdu City!
Fang Zheng took a deep breath, the dense Yin Energy entering his body, causing the Yama in his Sea of Consciousness to flicker slightly.
Such active Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!
Not even close to Fengdu City, yet it’s already this vibrant; one can imagine the progress for Low Tier cultivators residing long-term here.
And this is just the peripheral area; the Inner City’s dreadfulness is even worse!
"Let’s go!"
"Let’s get into the city first!"
Elder Ren waved his hand, signaling Ding Li, Fang Zheng, and the others to disembark and follow.
After passing the inspection by the Ghost Soldiers on the bridge, the group crossed the Bridge of Souls and, under the guidance of the Judge, entered the Outer City.
The people were settled at a point in the North City dedicated to evaluating youths of appropriate age.
Quite a few people had already arrived.
Some had yet to arrive, so they would wait for everyone to gather before starting the talent selection.
"There are more people this year than in previous years."
Ding Li inquired about it and returned to say:
"Appropriate-aged individuals number over a thousand; in previous years, there were only eight or nine hundred. It’s said a few have cultivated the Yama Heart Sutra to the third level."
"Alas!"
"Among us, who knows if anyone can enter the Inner City?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Fang Zheng.
Others might have little confidence, but Fang Zheng, ’benefitting’ from his disciple Ma Ning, would surely enter the Inner City.
"No rush."
Elder Ren spoke quietly:
"Upon arriving in Fengdu City, every child is given three bowls of Oblivion Brew to drink, which can greatly enhance their cultivation base."
"Zuo Meng and Li Ying could still make a breakthrough."
Zuo Meng’s family has resources, having cultivated the Yama Heart Sutra to the second level, though not adept at Magical Combat.
Li Ying is Wen Qing’s disciple; the benefits Wen Qing received from adult men were all given to her disciple.
Despite such words,
Ding Li still shook his head, clearly seeing hope as slim.
After all, everyone drinks the Oblivion Brew, so the gap won’t necessarily shrink; it might even widen.
"Alas!"
"We’ll see how things go, step by step!"
......
Several days later.
"Sweet fruits, sweet fruits!"
"Goose meat sauce, three taels of silver for a pound of goose meat sauce..."
"Selling pine nuts..."
Fang Zheng walked along the long street of the Outer City, hands clasped behind his back, listening to the shouts of vendors along the way, a faint smile appearing on his face.
This atmosphere made him momentarily think he was still in Gu’an County.
The internal environment of the Yama Secret Realm is extremely poor, though rich in Yin Energy and conducive for cultivating people, the quality of life remains low.
Most people are just struggling to survive.
Only Fengdu City has somewhat prosperous trade, even selling various luxury goods.
Luxury goods,
only those who are well-fed and hydrated, beginning to value the quality of life, are willing to spend effort investing in them.
This indicates,
the people of Fengdu City are no longer content with mere necessities, genuinely beginning to ’enjoy’ life.
"Shopkeeper Liu!"
"Mr. Fang."
After a brief stop at a bookshop, Fang Zheng picked up a few reserved books and then left.
These days he frequents the bookshop, browsing through books, becoming a regular customer.
"Fengdu Thousand-Year Calendar"
"Divine Luo Verification"
"Exploring the Sanzu River"
"Exploring the Profound"
...
Ordinary people within the Yama Secret Realm are unaware that they live in a Secret Realm.
Even cultivators don’t realize.
Like Elder Ren.
His cultivation base is not low, yet he knows nothing about the Yama Secret Realm.
This seems to be a secret?
However, over thousands of years, some people inevitably grow curious about the world outside Fengdu City and begin to explore on their own accord.
The books he acquired this time are a result of this curiosity.
From the books left by predecessors, one can glimpse the current state of this realm.
"Outside Fengdu City, there are two major forces: Unjust Death City and Ethereal Celestial Palace, likewise with the Sanzu River within their borders."
"Unjust Death City is overseen by Ghost King Zhang Heng, Ethereal Celestial Palace jointly governed by Ghost Kings Zhao Wenhe and Master Wang, both possessing cultivation and power no less than Fengdu Ghost King Zhou Qi."
"There are also several more mysterious places, Wangxiang Platform, Three Lives Stone, Reincarnation Hall..."
"It’s said that Wangxiang Platform sometimes allows glimpses of another world, likely... the world outside."
"Rumors say that if one could touch the Three Lives Stone, they could see someone’s past and present lives, although based on existing information, the Three Lives Stone might just be a legend without real instances."
"As for Reincarnation Hall..."
"It is probably the sole passage for cultivators in this realm to reach the mortal world!"
Briefly flipping through the books in hand, Fang Zheng stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He definitely intends to return.
But over thousands of years, the Yama Secret Realm has never recorded anyone reaching the outer ’mortal world.’
The passage surely exists.
In his view, Reincarnation Hall, governing cycles of Reincarnation, is the only potential link to the outside world.
"Heh..."
"Nie Family opened the Secret Realm, surely there’s an entrance and exit, it’s the safest place."
Unfortunately, Fang Zheng did not enter via the entrance but followed the Underworld Soul Entrance to reach the Secret Realm.
