Chapter 59: Immortal Path Warship

  Deep underground, the air barely circuted, thinning to the point of being uhable. A rge number of corpses that seem to have died of asphyxiation appeared here in various postures of hopeless struggle.

  Back then, many people had been living in these underground ruins, but a sudden ck of oxygen cimed the lives of most of them in an instant.

  Those that had decayed to skeletal remains were obviously a, yet along both sides of the passage y some corpses that had appeared only retly.

  Some wore armor, others were clothed in simple garments, and still others in specialized exploration gear. All around, clear traces of battle remained.

  Some of them perished in infighting, while others apparently fought against invisible monsters aually died of exhaustion.

  Oain corpses, the clothing and gear exactly matched what was found on those in the ruins’ cavern, clearly marking them as the same group.

  “Be careful. Don’t look back, and don’t turn around.”

  Just as An Jing was carefully these corpses, the Sword Spirit suddenly spoke in a solemn voice: “A rather powerful illusion formatios here—and it’s still operating!”

  “Aering without permission, if g a steadfast will, will be dragged into illusory visioangled by Inner Heart Demons. They’ll theher fight among themselves e battle against ent phantoms until they run out of strength.”

  “This illusion formatio affect those who are leaving, so as long as you tiraight ahead, you’ll be fine.”

  “Uood.” An Jing raised his brows and gave a small nod. Ever since he vanquished the Heavenly Demon in that ritual, he had stopped fearing this kind of illusory mind trick. Still, there was no point in wasting energy. Besides, he never pnned on going bayway.

  Still… why would there be an illusion formatioo hinder anyone from expl the ruins’ cavern? Who pced it, and for urpose?

  tinuing forward, An Jing looked at the corpses, gradually ing to a realization. “Those explorers who were wiped out in the cavern must have endured relentless illusory torment along the way, leaving them mentally and physically exhausted. That’s how the vine-like Heavenly Demon managed a successful ambush.”

  “With such fwless coordination, that demonic creature truly have arisen naturally?”

  He couldn’t figure it out, but there was o overthink. An Jing shook his head. “As I suspected, it was right not to go deeper into those ruins. This pce is extremely dangerous; better to leave quickly.”

  Steadying his mind, he moved forward.

  As he walked, corpses y everywhere. A cold, cmmy mist dripped incessantly, making the underground cavern seem like some herworld capital. Even so, An Jing’s heartbeat never wavered. There was not a trace of fear or hesitation in him.

  He had witnessed a hell that truly frightened him—and faced it head-on. Ever sihen, ernal force could shake his mind.

  An Jing tinued in silence, with only his footsteps and the slow, steady beat of his heart apanying him.

  Until, finally…

  …the exit of the cavern.

  After walking for hours ohrough the winding cavern—who knew how far it stretched—a bright light finally came into view, making An Jing pause for a moment before rexing. “I’ve finally reached the exit.”

  He exhaled, then halted. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and ensured he could fight at a moment’s notice. Only then did he cautiously mask his presend move slowly toward the light—namely, the caver.

  This careful aade the Sword Spirit—who had been about to speak—fall silent, showing a glimmer of approval.

  No ns of life awaited at the entran beasts, nor any human campsite.

  cealing his aura and squinting, An Jing moved slowly toward the light aed the cavern.

  The caverrao the ruins was her ciror arch-shaped. Instead, it extended for dozens of meters ih but stood less than three meters high—a fissure cut into the mountain range.

  It was as if the residual shockwave of a sword strike had desded from some distant pce, slig through the mountain and reag all the way down into the earth’s water veins… Ohose veins dried up, they turned into a byrinth of twisting subterranean corridors and vast caverns. Those who discovered the pce erected a hidden, a, and grand hall within, where they dwelled aed.

  Emerging from the cavern, An Jing found himself led amid the mountains, half the slope. From there, he could gaze upon a broad stretch of wilderness not far away, under a opy of gray-bck clouds that bhe entire sky.

  Clouds and mountains, wind and sand—across the barren wilderness, only a few patches of greenery and sparse forests broke up the desotion. A murky, winding river followed the mountain tours out into the distant pins. By its banks were what might have been human tribes—or possibly the ruins of an a city.

  A coarse, sand-filled wind battered his face. The desote, rust-tinged air brought the young man to full alertness.

  “So this… is another world?”

  What a desote nd.

  Eyes wide, An Jing surveyed the boundless wilderness. Gng behind him y a stretch of t mountains rolling endlessly, while in the distance ahead, at the edge of the pins, stood a massive dark silhouette. It soared into the sky, surpassing even the pall of clouds, and faint lights glimmered within its depths.

  Is that… a city?

  An Jing narrowed his eyes, sensing that this dark silhouette was not, in fact, a far-off mountain range, but rather a vast man-made structure—too uniform in shape.

  But could a man-made structure be so imposing, so colossal, that it pierced the very clouds?

  He had no time to po further.

  Because the Sword Spirit’s voice had already echoed within his Sea of sciousness.

  “An Jing!” He shouted, uncharacteristically astonished. “Look up—look overhead!”

  And so An Jing lifted his gaze.

  Before anything came into view, he was greeted by a deep, resounding hum, like the ment of some colossal beast—a giant whale or a Kunpeng—wailing amid the cloud sea. It emanated from beyond the yers of dark clouds, high in the sky, reverberating through the world.

  Instinctively, An Jing ched his hand—and the Scarlet Death Bde materialized at his and. He dimly perceived a terrifying threat, a sehat he was about to enter some immense, unpreted being, and he braced himself on reflex.

  A raging wind swept down from the heights of the heavens, grazing An Jing’s face. In its wake, the dense, fortress-like clouds parted, revealing an intensely bright spiritual glow at the very pinnacle of the sky.

  Streaks of radiance fell, resembling clusters of tiny suns.

  Within those rays, an enormous Immortal Path warship—like a city in the sky—broke through the gloom, l itself into this realm.

  It was colossal as a mountain, streamlined like a spihe main hull, in a blue-gray shade, was covered in root-like patterns that stretched across its surface, lending it an air of enigmatic solidity.

  A soft radiance shimmered around it, while rows of lumi formation marks flickered in sequence, as though breathing, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy. Their dazzling glow spread across Heaven ah, carrying with it a sonorous, whale-like song.

  “This is…”

  Amid the swirling wind and resonant song, An Jing released the Death Bde in his hand, unsciously taking a step forward, his eyes filled with astonishment.

  He looked up, gazing in a daze at the colossal form above. “A warship?”

  “An Immortal Path warship?!”

  “W-what is this pce… just what sort of world is this?!”

  (End of Chapter)