The city walls were covered in axe-marks and sword-holes. The ancient traces, mottled and weathered, only deepened the sense of history’s immense weight — and added one more layer of desolation to the whole.
Dao inscriptions flickered faintly. This was the first city on the road of the supreme trial — naturally, formations had been inscribed into its very walls, guarding this place through ten thousand ages of battle and slaughter, imperishable.
The magnificent city gates stood ten zhang tall, built from a rare type of stone. The sword-marks and hammer-prints visible upon them sent a tremor through even Ye Fan’s heart — he could clearly sense within them the presence of Great Sages from antiquity.
The gate passage was tall and deep. One person and one mount moved alone through it — no one walked alongside them. The atmosphere was somber and oppressive.
Ye Fan’s spear thrust had been too breathtaking — too fast for anyone to react — and he had nailed a half-Saint grade exotic beast directly to death. Many of those present were silently asking themselves: if that thrust had been aimed at me, could I have evaded it?
The middle-aged Daoist nun wore a dark expression, standing before the immense city, staring at Ye Fan’s retreating figure. Her eyes were full of cold and venomous calculation, and the killing intent flickered in them — yet she had no way to act.
Atop the city gate tower, the soldiers’ killing energy was overwhelming. They watched those below with eyes like predators. Having already announced the rules, no one was willing to challenge them.
Inside the gate passage as well, several soldiers stood guard, their murderous aura sharp and unyielding, clad in thick, heavy armor. The cold metallic war-garments pressed down on those who saw them, making it hard to breathe.
“A word of warning to you: do not cause trouble here. Anyone who violates this order will be killed on the spot without exception!”
One of the soldiers — a man of medium build, clad in black iron and holding a bronze war-lance — spoke these words. The cold gleam in his eyes was enough to chill the soul.
Ye Fan made no response. His expression was calm and cool. He sat upon his horse’s back, steady as a solitary pine tree on an absolute peak.
Long Ma was magnificent — four hooves ringing crisply against the stone-paved ground, the rhythm steady, moving forward with measured steps.
“I am speaking to you. Do you hear me?!” The soldier — evidently the squad leader — raised his voice. His bronze war-lance flickered with cold and piercing light, nearly thrusting forward.
Many of the cultivators nearby showed expressions of surprise, but said nothing, silently watching this scene unfold. No one had anticipated that the soldier guarding the city gate would attempt to put Ye Fan in his place right from the start — to intimidate him with a show of force.
Everyone knew that these were absolutely no ordinary soldiers. They needed to be handled with great caution. Every one of them was a terrifying cultivator — someone who had clawed their way out of a pile of corpses.
“I am not a person who picks fights. Do not provoke me, and there will be peace.” Ye Fan did not turn sideways. He did not look back. Seated on his horse’s back, cold and indifferent, he moved past — he did not even spare this squad leader a glance.
Many people felt a jolt. Though Ye Fan’s words were mild, there was an underlying force within them — he would not seek trouble, but if anyone came for him, a storm would erupt without fail!
“Are you threatening me?” The squad leader’s eyes went bone-cold. The ancient bronze lance in his hand leveled toward the air ahead — yet in the end, he did not thrust.
Ye Fan did not look back. He made no explanation. He paid no further attention. He left behind only a retreating figure, while the black spear hanging on Long Ma’s side gleamed with cold dark light, its killing energy burning itself into the eyes of everyone behind him.
“I warn you — enter the first city of the human race, and even a dragon must coil for me. Even a tiger must crouch for me. No one runs wild in here!”
Ye Fan’s indifference and his cold and detached manner made the squad leader feel his authority had been undermined — that a challenge had been issued. He transmitted his words coldly, and drove his bronze war-lance into the ground with a heavy strike, sending the stone road booming underfoot.
“What kind of soldiers are these? I have the feeling they’re not any weaker than us — if anything, stronger.”
Outside the imposing city, the people entered in an orderly fashion. Some were speaking quietly among themselves, finding these armored warriors unusual — worthy of being called heavenly soldiers, in their estimation.
“Because their origins are similar to ours — which is precisely why they are especially powerful.” A slightly older cultivator sighed.
“Who… exactly are they?” Many people were astonished.
“They also once walked the supreme trial road. A few years, a few decades ahead of us. Only — they failed, and remained on this road.”
Learning this hidden truth, the crowd was startled. These figures were, in a sense, the same kind of people as they themselves were — an earlier group who had set out before them. They had been critically wounded and near death, had been healed, and had then been scattered across the various stretches of the ancient road through the starry sky.
“Do not provoke them. With more people, there will naturally be both the good and the corrupt. Certain individuals, though they failed, can never let it go in their hearts — and carry resentment.”
Many nodded. At the very least, the squad leader at the city gate was absolutely not a decent sort. Just now he had clearly been targeting Ye Fan, his hostility unmistakable.
As the number of people in the star domain dwindled, they formed a long procession and gradually entered the city. The dominant ones among them had already made their standing clear, establishing their initial positions.
The city was enormous, its streets broad and wide. Ancient trees lined both sides, their branches lush with foliage. Many buildings stood alongside them — there were elixir shops, weapon stores, and also taverns, inns, gambling houses, and more.
Everyone was astonished. This was a city fit for habitation — though it hovered in the cosmos rather than resting upon any planet, it was separated from the vacuum of space, and the city was home to many residents.
This was a city full of life. Children ran through the streets, curious about the new arrivals, peering at them with unrelenting interest.
In ordinary times, the streets must be lively indeed — the architecture alone was evidence of this city’s prosperity. People should be coming and going in constant streams. But today, few street vendors called out. The people in the shops were all peering outward. Many of the merchants who ordinarily sold goods along the street had temporarily moved into the side alleys, clearing the way for them.
“Are we on the ancient road of the starry sky, or inside some mortal city?” Long Ma muttered to himself. A moment later, the puzzlement settled. Even the food being sold was extraordinary — it really was serpent-meat buns, millennium Crimson Moon Fruit skewers, lightning-bird roasted wings, and more — none of it an exaggeration.
Finding a room at an inn, the server named a price of one divine energy stone — enough to leave one dumbfounded. The prices here were outrageous.
The residents offered an explanation — they had no choice. The first city of the human race was located deep in the cosmos, far too remote, and resources were scarce.
“My friends, you are about to enter the trial grounds. You will surely return laden with gains. Divine energy stones, ancient medicines — none of that will be a problem.”
Ye Fan rode through the city, wandering about and learning about the various situations here. He looked up at the sky overhead and saw a crystalline divine glass dome sealing the place from above. The countless stars above swayed with their radiance, which the ancient city drew in and absorbed — glittering and beautiful.
“Get out of the way!”
The streets erupted into chaos. A mounted procession came charging through, the road thundering under their hooves like waves crashing on a shore — an enormous spectacle.
It was none other than the Thirteen Divine Riders from the ancient Desolate Sky star domain. Each of their mounts was a primordial exotic breed, breathing clouds and mist, their scales dazzling, like dragons rising from the deep, like phoenixes crying to move the nine heavens.
Long Ma’s entire body was covered in crimson scales glowing like sunset clouds, his mane along his neck and back shimmering like silk, a full foot long, rippling like leaping flames — extraordinarily magnificent. He stood in the center of the road without moving a muscle. When they met again, they were once more shouting at him to move. His killing intent surged!
Ye Fan also did not move. He watched them approach with cold indifference, seated as still as a towering and unreachable mountain, standing for ten thousand ages, impossible to shake.