"Yes, I've returned to the very same street I was on earlier."
Ye Yunfei perceived his surroundings and was somewhat shocked.
"Even I don't know what exactly is happening. It seems this city is truly very bizarre. You must be careful and stay alert everywhere," the Remnant Soul said to Ye Yunfei.
"Master, I've consistently been unable to sense any trace of Illusion Dao Energy or Illusion Dao Laws here. It probably isn't an illusion technique. Could it be some other energy or laws similar to illusion techniques causing this result?" Hu Miao said.
"Time Energy and Spatial Energy could also lead to such a result. If highly sophisticated Time Laws and Spatial Laws exist here, they could warp spacetime, making one lose all sense of direction and location. Is it possible that truly profound Time Laws and Spatial Laws exist within this city?" the Remnant Soul speculated.
"Then from now on, let's all exert our own Spatial Energy and Time Energy to sense our surroundings," Ye Yunfei said after a moment's thought.
He then began walking in another direction down the street, while everyone utilized their Time Energy and Spatial Energy to carefully perceive the various things around them.
A short while later, Ye Yunfei left this street and stepped into another.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei cautiously traversed one street after another. As he walked, he maintained a consistent, straight direction. Furthermore, they all used their Time and Spatial Energy to stabilize the spacetime around them, hoping to prevent any warping that might cause Ye Yunfei to lose his way again.
"I haven't sensed any Time or Spatial Laws at work around us. It seems you've chosen the right path this time," Hun Lao said after roughly half an hour.
However, just as Hun Lao finished speaking, Ye Yunfei walked into a new street, then stopped and revealed an expression of astonishment. Because he found himself back on the very first street he had been on.
"What in the world is going on? We've returned to the starting point again. Logically, that shouldn't be possible! I've been sensing our surroundings the whole time and didn't feel any special Time or Spatial Energy at play. With your strength and understanding of spacetime, how could you have gone the wrong way? This is truly bizarre!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm shouted.
"We really are back at the beginning," Hun Lao said with a bitter smile.
"Senior, what do you think is happening?" Ye Yunfei asked the Remnant Soul, his expression grave.
"I'm not entirely sure either. It appears just now there was no Illusion Dao Energy, Time Energy, or Spatial Energy interfering with you, yet you still went the wrong way and returned to the start. This indicates that some exceedingly strange law or restriction must exist within this city, confusing your sense of direction. However, there's another possibility: highly unique Illusion Dao, Time, or Spatial Energy exists here, but it's so profound that our current level simply cannot perceive it. Especially at the Deity level — with our current strength, we likely wouldn't be able to sense Illusion Dao, Time, or Spatial Energy of that caliber," the Remnant Soul replied.
"You're right, Senior. That is indeed a possibility," Ye Yunfei agreed inwardly, taken aback. Had he stumbled into another secret realm left behind by a Deity?
Right at that moment, Ye Yunfei faintly heard cries of alarm echoing from elsewhere in the city.
"It seems we aren't the only ones. Others who entered this city are likely experiencing the same situation," Hun Lao observed.
"Let's think differently then. If walking inside the city doesn't work, then fly above the city and find a path from there," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suggested.
"Alright! I'll try that." Ye Yunfei nodded, then moved, shooting upwards into the sky.
But in the next instant, an unimaginably terrifying force blocked his ascent and slammed him violently back onto the ground.
"Such terrifying energy!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out.
Ye Yunfei stood up and shot skyward once more. This time, he came prepared, unleashing all his power as he soared upwards.
Yet that dreadful energy appeared again, pressing him firmly back onto the ground. Ye Yunfei felt utterly powerless to resist it. He tried several more times, only to discover he simply could not fly to any significant height within the city.
"No need to keep trying. This city is governed by extremely profound anti-flight laws. At your current strength, you cannot oppose them. You'll have to obediently walk on the ground," the Remnant Soul sighed.
"Let me try walking around again. Staying put won't solve anything," Ye Yunfei said, heading towards another part of the street. A moment later, he left this street.
But the result was the same. Shortly after, he found himself back on that original street once more.
"It seems with our current strength, we simply can't explore this city. We might as well leave," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said.
"But we don't even know how to leave now. We were teleported in through the city gates. To leave, we must find the city gates. In other words, if we can't find a way out of here and locate the gates, we're stuck," Ye Yunfei said with a wry smile.
"You can't be serious. Does that mean we're trapped here?" The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was flabbergasted by Ye Yunfei's words.
"Let's look inside the buildings lining the streets. We might discover something there," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly suggested, its gaze shifting to the structures on either side. Most of them were various shops, along with some multi-story buildings. All were deathly silent and appeared empty, clearly devoid of people. The doors of these shops and buildings stood wide open, pitch-black, like the maws of monsters, giving off a somewhat frightening aura.
Ye Yunfei immediately sent his Soul Force Energy into the buildings lining the street, only to discover he couldn't perceive what lay within.
"It seems there exists another special restriction here that blocks Soul Force Energy perception! This city is truly bizarre, harboring so many terrifying, peculiar laws and restrictions. I strongly suspect they were laid down by a Deity-level expert," the Remnant Soul stated.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Ye Yunfei walked up to the entrance of one shop, hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and stepped inside.
*Boom!*
Before his foot even crossed the threshold, the shop in front of him began violently shaking.
"Outsiders deserve death!"
A stern shout followed. A huge warhorse charged out from inside the shop. Astride it sat a knight, holding a gleaming broadsword. From his high position, he hacked down savagely at Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei was startled. However, a veteran of countless battles, he had already activated his Time Boots. His movement speed reached an extreme level. In a flash, he retreated a great distance, evading the knight's strike.
With a wave of his hand, Ye Yunfei sent out a dazzling sword beam that instantly struck the knight, cleaving him cleanly in two.
What shocked Ye Yunfei was that the bisected knight instantly reformed, once more charging forward on his mighty steed.
More knights surged out from the surrounding houses and shops, forming a troop that began a coordinated charge towards Ye Yunfei. Each knight possessed considerable battle strength, brandishing their broadswords as they attacked.
Ye Yunfei drew a longsword and began to fight the knights, employing his Myriad Swords Return Technique. During the battle, Ye Yunfei repeatedly cleaved the knights in two. Yet they would instantly reform, their battle strength undiminished, and charge again. They were essentially indestructible!
"What kind of monsters are these?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm yelled.
"Master, I'm coming out to help you!" Hu Miao shouted, appearing beside Ye Yunfei. With a thought, nine thick fox tails—like nine pillars holding up the heavens—swung out with a rumbling sound. This was an inherited secret art of the Primordial Heavenly Fox clan!
*Boom…*
Each massive tail forced a knight back.
But at Hu Miao's current power level, she was incapable of harming these knights.
"I'll help too!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out, transforming into a streak of golden light that sent a knight flying. The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm race was not only proficient in various Spatial Divine Abilities; strength was also one of their racial gifts.
Huang Shang also appeared, employing his Ghost Cultivation Art to join the fray.
Working together, they barely managed to withstand the knights' waves of attacks. The individual combat power of these knights wasn't exceedingly strong, but they were numerous and practically unkillable—an inexhaustible tide!
"I sense these knights don't seem to be alive, but rather illusory. Could they truly be phantasms set up here by some Deity? If so, that means this city holds some profound Illusion Dao Energy and Illusion Dao Laws," the Remnant Soul suddenly spoke up.
"But I've been trying hard to sense, and I haven't detected any Illusion Dao Energy or Laws!" Hu Miao replied.
"Didn't I just say? It's possible the Illusion Dao Energy and Laws here are simply too profound. If this truly is a Deity's handiwork, then at your current cultivation level, you likely wouldn't be able to perceive them," the Remnant Soul explained.
At that moment, Ye Yunfei was simultaneously fighting dozens of knights, locked in fierce combat. He unleashed various techniques and secret arts, finding it difficult to gain the upper hand.
"There's something vaguely familiar about these knights…"
After once more slicing over a dozen knights in half, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Force Energy to carefully sense them. His heart suddenly stirred, as if catching a hint of something. He then executed his Physical Body Divine Ability, transforming into a giant standing in the middle of the street, a longsword gripped in his right hand, his left fist swinging. He radiated a domineering aura.
With the Physical Body Divine Ability activated, Ye Yunfei's battle strength rose significantly. In moments, he pounded dozens of knights into explosions of light. Seeing Ye Yunfei so formidable, Hu Miao and the others unleashed their own techniques and secret arts to charge at the remaining knights. Shortly after, all the knights on the street simultaneously exploded, then vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
"Just what were these things? I keep feeling a sense of familiarity," Ye Yunfei murmured to himself.
"Those things are likely conjured from Illusion Dao Energy and Illusion Dao Laws, which is why they couldn't be killed," the Remnant Soul said.
"Truly Illusion Dao Energy and Laws?" Ye Yunfei muttered.
For a while afterwards, the street remained deathly still. No more knights appeared.
"Let's go. We'll try other streets, see if there are more knights."
"What? You still want to look for more of those knights? Those guys seem lifeless and utterly unkillable. I really don't want to fight such monsters again. It's a complete waste of time and energy!" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was shocked and immediately protested.
"No. I want to confront those knights again. Perhaps I can uncover the secret of this city," Ye Yunfei said.
"Why would you want to engage those weird things again?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked curiously. He knew Ye Yunfei must have a purpose; otherwise, who would want to fight endless, unkillable beings for no reason?
"Let's go then. It seems you've already grasped something," the Remnant Soul said, seeming to have guessed his intentions.
Ye Yunfei left this street and entered another one.
*Boom…*
This time, before Ye Yunfei could even begin exploring the buildings lining the street, numerous tall figures came charging out from them. They weren't knights this time, but a group of armored guards. Each wielded a gleaming long spear, radiating a soaring killing intent as they charged toward Ye Yunfei's group.
Ye Yunfei brandished his sword and met them head-on, fighting intensely against the guards. Hu Miao and the others followed closely behind him, also engaging the guards in combat.
"Oh no! These guys seem stronger than those knights earlier!" Hu Miao cried out as soon as the battle began.
"Yes, everyone be careful! We can't kill them, but if they hit us, casualties are possible!" Hun Lao shouted.
Ye Yunfei activated his Time Boots, his movement speed skyrocketing as he weaved among the guards, repeatedly slicing them in two. Moreover, the special Time Laws released by the Time Boots affected the guards, significantly slowing their speed. This allowed Hu Miao and the others to barely hold their ground.
Who knew how much time passed before all the guards on that street suddenly exploded simultaneously, transforming into strands of bizarre energy and laws before fading into nothingness.
"Let's go. Let's try another street," Ye Yunfei said.
"More fighting? I'm fought out," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm complained.
"You guys can rest. Enter the Phantom Tower. I'll handle this on my own," Ye Yunfei said.
"Have you discovered something?" the Remnant Soul suddenly asked.
"Yes. I have some conjectures, but I need to verify them," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Master, can you handle those creatures alone? There are so many of them, endless, and so difficult to deal with," Hu Miao asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. I can handle it," Ye Yunfei smiled.
Then he had everyone enter the Phantom Tower before striding into another street. Moments later, he was within a different avenue.
*Roar… roar!*
Beastly roars suddenly erupted along the street as fierce beasts charged out from the buildings on either side. There were all kinds — wolves, tigers, leopards, lions, elephants… Even some rarer beast types were present. Each possessed immense strength and various beast-type divine abilities, making their combat power fearsomely high.
Without a trace of fear, Ye Yunfei directly charged forward, engaging the beasts in combat. This battle proved exceptionally challenging. Fortunately, Ye Yunfei's physical body was extraordinarily tough. Even struck by those beasts, he wouldn't suffer severe injuries. Moreover, his movement speed was incredibly fast, allowing him to dodge left and right, evading the majority of the beasts' attacks.
Like the earlier knights and guards, these beasts were also unkillable. The fight lasted a very long time. Ye Yunfei found himself struggling at first, but gradually adapted, fighting the beasts to a stalemate.
Who knew how long passed before, at a certain moment, all the beasts on this street simultaneously exploded and completely vanished.
Only Ye Yunfei remained standing in the street, breathing heavily.
"So? Had enough yet? You're not still thinking of going to another street to keep fighting, are you?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked.
"I don't think that will be necessary. I understand now what's going on with this city," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"What's going on?" Hearing this, Hu Miao and the others were intensely curious and couldn't help but ask simultaneously.