"The city is not the city of old, and the people are not the people of old."
Old Yan sighed softly, uttering a phrase that was both profound and elusive, leaving even Ye Chen somewhat puzzled.
However, he did not inquire further. He knew Old Yan's origins were far more astonishing than imagined, and it was possible he had visited this city in the past.
The tall, heavy city gates stood wide open, with no city guards stationed there. Cultivators from various regions entered the city one after another. Streams of light also descended from the sky into the city—these were powerful cultivators.
These powerful figures either rode in jade carriages, sat atop exotic beast mounts, controlled formidable magical instruments, or trod upon divine radiance, each displaying their imposing presence.
Ye Chen walked slowly into the city, seeing the streets bustling with prosperity. Cultivators came and went, and ordinary mortals also lingered about.
In the streets of Tiansheng City, luxurious inns and restaurants had been established to host and entertain cultivators from all over. Gambling dens, auction houses, and more were all present, presenting a scene of vibrant vitality.
Along the streets were various stalls displaying all sorts of goods: magical instruments, Heaven and Earth Treasures, top-tier materials for forging magical instruments, miraculous elixirs, and so on.
It could be said that Tiansheng City was a divine city that combined cultivators and mortals. There were cultivators who could soar through the skies and traverse the earth, as well as mortals who walked upon the ground.
"The Domain Gate of Tiansheng City is extraordinary, different from others. It can open spatial channels that span even longer distances across great domains," Ye Chen sighed inwardly as he gazed at the Domain Gate at the city's center, which stood hundreds of zhang tall.
Tiansheng City ranked among the top twenty most powerful great domains in the Myriad Domains. Moreover, Tiansheng City was suspected to be an ancient city from the Mythical Era. The Domain Gate established here was also extraordinary, said to have been personally erected by an ancient Great Sage from the Purple Mansion Sacred Land. It could transmit across not just one or two great domains but could perform long-distance transmissions over astonishing distances. There were few such Domain Gates in the entire world.
Generally speaking, only supreme Sacred Lands and a few immortal powers could possess such long-distance Domain Gates.
Furthermore, as long as the Domain Gates in other great domains could input the corresponding correct coordinates, they could also connect unilaterally with Tiansheng City's Domain Gate, enabling transmission across great domains.
It was precisely because of this that major powers from other great domains continuously appeared in Tiansheng City.
However, each activation required an astronomical amount of spirit stones. For some sufficiently long-distance great domains, it wouldn't be surprising to need hundreds of thousands or even millions of jin of spirit stones.
Because the consumption was too great, even powerful Immortal Sacred Lands would not use it unless absolutely necessary.
As preparations were still ongoing, entry into the Purple Mansion Sacred Land could not commence immediately. However, it was confirmed that within the next few days, the young prodigies who had earned the qualification to compete had been granted identity tokens. By holding these tokens, they could enter.
Although it was his first time entering Tiansheng City, Ye Chen did not wander around. He chose a place to rest.
Due to the Purple Mansion Sacred Land, many people had entered Tiansheng City recently, causing accommodation prices at the city's major inns to skyrocket. A single night now cost fifty jin of spirit stones—a price that made many cultivators want to curse, feeling it was far too extortionate.
Naturally, Ye Chen would not shortchange himself. He chose a palace treasure pavilion established by a certain major power in the city. It featured carved railings and jade ornaments, small bridges and flowing water. The inner halls were resplendent and magnificent, adorned with pearls, offering a luxurious and comfortable environment. There were also elegant and refined young maidens serving tea and extending courtesies.
This place usually specialized in entertaining important guests from all sides. Now, he had paid a considerable fee in spirit stones to stay here, obtaining a correspondingly comfortable environment along with surging, rich spiritual energy.
It wasn't just him; this treasure pavilion also housed several extraordinary prodigies from major powers, as well as some super-powerful figures renowned throughout the world.
Ye Chen paid them no mind, focusing on recuperating and gathering various pieces of information from the outside world, making corresponding preparations for his eventual entry into the Purple Mansion Sacred Land.
The reappearance of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land after disappearing for over a hundred thousand years had stirred up storms across the world, shaking the myriad realms. Various immortal powers had all come to investigate.
Moreover, in recent days, there had been no shortage of truly great figures. Saints had gathered, representing not just Saints themselves, but also the esteemed Saint Lords and sect masters from various factions. They had all arrived in Tiansheng City for a special grand assembly of the Myriad Domains, drawing the attention and focus of the entire world.
Many even speculated that the truly terrifying ancient recluses from those immortal powers might emerge. Their cultivation was fearsome, some even stronger than Saint Lords. Their personal arrival was something all the heroes dreaded.
There were even rumors that a few Heavenly King Invincibles, who shook the myriad realms, might appear. Perhaps even ancient Great Sages would come personally, because this concerned the secret treasure of a supreme Sacred Land—a matter that even existences at the level of ancient Great Sages could not ignore.
Regardless, in Tiansheng City now, heroes and Saint Lords from all sides had gathered one after another, each one awe-inspiring across the eight directions. This had led to a rare grand assembly of heroes in the Sacred City. It was truly an event unseen for hundreds or thousands of generations—so many Saint Lords and heroes gathered in one city. Only news of a supreme Sacred Land's divine treasure could attract such esteemed figures from immortal powers.
After nightfall, Ye Chen left the treasure pavilion and walked through Tiansheng City. During this time, he befriended another young powerhouse who had stood out from the numerous prodigies, named Zhao Tianyi—a young prodigy with an easygoing nature who cultivated alone.
Being able to stand out from so many young prodigies and reach this step was sufficient to prove Zhao Tianyi's extraordinary nature. He had already stepped into the Divine Transformation Realm and could absolutely be considered a notable figure among the new generation of the current era.
What made Ye Chen pay even more attention was not Zhao Tianyi's formidable strength, but his surprisingly impressive ability to gather intelligence. He always seemed able to obtain any information he wanted through various channels.
From this alone, one could tell that Zhao Tianyi was definitely an extraordinary individual.
"Brother Zhao, have you learned when they will truly launch the assault into the Purple Mansion Sacred Land?" Ye Chen inquired.
"At most ten days, at least three days. It will definitely begin," Zhao Tianyi smiled.
"I'd like to hear the details," Ye Chen said.
Zhao Tianyi explained, "The so-called few days are actually just waiting for other great figures who haven't arrived yet. It's said that some Sacred Land masters and imperial sovereigns from the center of the Myriad Domains have yet to come, but rumors say they are bringing extraordinarily terrifying forbidden artifacts as a precaution."
"Moreover, the major powers cannot wait too long. Because the Purple Mansion Sacred Land has been missing for too long—over a hundred thousand years—with no traces to follow, all the major powers worry it might disappear again. Therefore, there will inevitably be action in the coming days. There's no need to worry about that."
"The current wait is merely to make more complete preparations. They might even construct a stable spatial channel between the Divine Fall Mountain Range and Tiansheng City, allowing them to summon reinforcements at any time."
Now, with various immortal powers gathering in Tiansheng City, at night one could clearly see pillars of blood energy, like rainbows, soaring into the sky, filling half the horizon. It was as if volcanoes were erupting, with crimson light dyeing the entire night sky above the Sacred City.
Boom—
Tiansheng City was extraordinary, also called the Sacred City. During the day, it was like a dormant ancient True Dragon, inspiring awe.
But after nightfall, it seemed to awaken, possessing its own spiritual intelligence. The entire Tiansheng City was like a supreme deity cultivating. In the vast night sky, a brilliant Milky Way would appear, gathering the divine radiance of countless stars, drawing in all things like rivers flowing into the sea, which the Sacred City would devour and absorb. It was truly extraordinary.
Some said that Tiansheng City was a divine city where a certain supreme existence from the Mythical Era had entered seclusion. Having suffered terrible damage during the Mythical Era, it slumbered within the divine city, unconsciously awakening every night to swallow the starry radiance, waiting for the day it would fully revive.
During this period, Tiansheng City remained lively day and night, bustling and prosperous. At night, it was especially decorated with lanterns and colored banners, divine lamps hung high, illuminating the entire Tiansheng City in bright light.
This was a city that never slept, prosperous and bustling day and night.
Not long after, Zhao Tianyi obtained secret and reliable intelligence. Over the past few days, the various Saint Lords had secretly gathered in that mysterious realm within the Divine Fall Mountain Range. They had even taken action, sending people inside carrying powerful forbidden artifacts.
However, it was said they paid a heavy price, because the experts they sent all disappeared without exception, vanishing without a trace, with no response whatsoever, making people feel terror and eeriness.
Some Saint Lords even went so far as to split off an avatar at great cost, entering the realm hoping to perceive everything within the Purple Mansion Sacred Land through a strand of divine sense left on the avatar. But unfortunately, after that avatar entered, it completely lost contact with the main body, and they couldn't even sense whether it still existed.
All of this made things seem increasingly eerie.
Precisely because of this, the various Saint Lords felt an unprecedented threat. Even powerful Saint Lord-level figures might face the danger of falling. Before the main forces were fully assembled, none dared to rashly enter the Purple Mansion Sacred Land, fearing a crisis.
Moreover, this gathering not only involved the arrival of various Saint Lords and the convergence of the world's powerful figures; it was also rumored that forbidden-level immortal ancient weapons would be deployed—weapons at least at the level of ancient Great Sages, possessing unimaginable divine might.
Some secret intelligence even suggested that supreme imperial clans and emperor clans from the Myriad Domains might go even further, bringing the most ancient imperial weapons!
Those were the immortal divine weapons left by the Emperors and Sovereigns who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Heavenly Dao during the Mythical Era, passed down through the ages, serving as the heritage that awed the Myriad Domains.
However, rumors remained rumors. Whether they were true still required verification.
Even so, Ye Chen couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. If the major immortal powers needed to deploy forbidden great path ancient weapons of this level, it was likely that even the great terrors within the Purple Mansion Sacred Land would be unable to stop them.
"One more thing. The day after tomorrow, a grand auction will be held, with countless treasures up for bidding. You can participate in the scramble," Zhao Tianyi added.