Chapter 2072: Phantom Night City

Volume Ten: Battle of the Demon Realm

After five or six days, the giant ark finally flew out of the barren lands, and a vast expanse of hills appeared ahead.

Small, dark green hills rose and fell in continuous succession, seemingly stretching endlessly into the distance.

The giant ark plunged into the sky above the hills, and after a few more flashes, it vanished into the void at the horizon.

A month later, a colossal city, built from yellow mountain stones, strikingly appeared in a basin surrounded by hills. It covered an area of over a thousand li. Half of it was built against a mountain, while the other half was encircled by a hundred-zhang-high wall.

Above the entire colossal city, a hazy yellow light barrier, like an inverted wok, covered it, clearly indicating the presence of an extremely profound and enormous prohibition spell.

Han Li stood at the bow of the flying boat, gazing at the colossal city in the distance, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Brother Han,” Bai Yunxin said with a light smile, standing next to Han Li, “this is Phantom Night City, where my Bai family resides. Although this city cannot compare to the super-cities in the Holy Realm, it’s quite substantial for such a remote area. There are over a dozen Demon Lord-level beings alone. Our Bai family is one of the four major families in this city. Whether you want to buy something or encounter any trouble, just mention the Bai family name, and most people will give you some respect.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Immortal,” Han Li replied, his expression subtly shifting to a slight smile. “I actually do plan to purchase some items in your esteemed city.”

“Brother Han, since you are alone, why not stay directly at our Bai family's Guest Elder Lodge? With your cultivation, I imagine the elders in charge of the clan wouldn’t object…” Bai Yunxin’s beautiful eyes flickered a few times as she asked, her tone somewhat probing.

“Guest Elder Lodge!” Han Li heard this and let out a wry chuckle. “Immortal, you still haven't given up on recruiting me?”

“Your cultivation has reached the peak of the late Void Refinement stage, only half a step away from entering the Body Integration stage. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to easily slay that group of demonic bats. With such astonishing cultivation, and being a rogue cultivator, any family would eagerly try to recruit you. Our Bai family is naturally no exception,” Bai Yunxin said with a beaming smile, showing no attempt to hide her intentions.

“However, my answer remains the same as before,” Han Li replied somewhat vaguely, letting out a yawn. “I currently have no intention of joining any particular clan. My cultivation is facing a bottleneck, and I need to travel around for a period before I can hope to advance to the Demon Lord stage. Therefore, for the next few centuries, I will not join any forces. However, I can promise that if I truly decide to join a clan in the future, I will definitely consider the Bai family first.”

“I will certainly bear your words in mind, Brother Han,” Bai Yunxin sighed, speaking with some regret. “Our Bai family's doors are always open to you. As for meeting Patriarch Futian, I will inform him as soon as we return. Given your assistance to us in the barren lands, it shouldn’t be a major issue.”

“I’ve heard that to cross the Phantom Howl Desert, it’s best to have an Eight-Legged Demonic Lizard for transport. Does the Bai family raise this type of demonic beast?” Han Li smiled, then suddenly changed the subject and asked, as if it were a casual inquiry.

“An Eight-Legged Demonic Lizard! Why would Brother Han want such a beast to enter the Phantom Howl Desert?” Bai Yunxin was startled by his question and asked with some surprise.

“I do indeed intend to do so. Otherwise, walking across the Phantom Howl Desert would take too long. So, does the Bai family not have this demonic beast?” Han Li’s eyes flickered as he calmly retorted.

“We do have them, but it’s probably unlikely that Brother Han will be able to acquire one. Not only our Bai family, but the other families also do not sell Eight-Legged Demonic Lizards to outsiders,” Bai Yunxin replied with a troubled expression, her delicate brows furrowed.

“Oh, why is that? If it’s a matter of price, I believe I still have some savings and could use most of them to purchase one,” Han Li asked calmly, showing no surprise internally.

“Even with more demonic stones, our major families would not sell these demonic lizards to outsiders. Their rarity is one reason, but the most important reason is that, in a sense, these demonic lizards are the very foundation of our major families' standing in Phantom Night City. How could we easily hand them over to others?” Bai Yunxin hesitated for a moment before speaking with significant meaning.

“The foundation of your standing? What does that mean? How can a mere few demonic beasts be related to this?” Han Li’s expression shifted, genuinely puzzled.

“Although the reason isn’t a deeply guarded secret, I, as a junior, cannot easily reveal it without the permission of the clan elders. Brother Han, you might consider asking Patriarch Futian when you meet him. If the Patriarch chooses to tell you, then there’s naturally no issue. Moreover, only the clan patriarch can make decisions regarding the Eight-Legged Demonic Lizards,” Bai Yunxin hesitated for a moment before speaking with a somewhat serious tone.

“I see. It seems that if I wish to obtain an Eight-Legged Demonic Lizard, I will need to consult with Senior Futian,” Han Li said thoughtfully.

Bai Yunxin nodded, saying nothing further.

At that moment, the giant ark, after its rapid flight, finally arrived above Phantom Night City. Its mystical light retracted, and it descended, coming to a halt directly in front of a city gate dozens of zhang high.

Some demon cultivators were entering and exiting the city here. Upon seeing the yellow giant ark stop nearby, they immediately steered clear, most of them showing expressions of awe.

It seemed these demon cultivators all recognized the giant ark’s origin!

At that moment, Han Li and the Bai family's demon cultivators disembarked from the giant ark.

Bai Yunxin formed a hand seal with one hand, and the giant ark's light flashed, shrinking countless times. It transformed into a foot-long yellow streak of light, which swiftly vanished into her body.

The group, including Bai Yunxin, excitedly headed straight for the city gate.

After all, they had been away from home for so long, and now that they could return safely, they were naturally eager to get home.

Han Li always maintained a faint smile on his face, blending into the crowd unnoticed.

At the city gate, there were over a dozen guards clad in battle armor. Upon seeing Bai Yunxin and her group, several of them immediately stepped forward, respectfully greeting them. They then cleared the path, allowing the Bai family members to pass grandly into the city first.

Other passing demon cultivators paid no mind to this, clearly accustomed to such situations.

Bai Yunxin nodded slightly, then led her group into the city.

Upon entering the city gate, Han Li immediately saw countless earthen-yellow houses, either square or round, densely packed, stretching like an endless expanse of mounds as far as the eye could see.

Among these houses, a few exceptionally wide streets crisscrossed, though there seemed to be fewer of them compared to an ordinary city.

Among these houses, a few colossal buildings, significantly taller than the rest, appeared intermittently, shaped either like giant towers or multi-story pavilions, over a dozen stories high.

Han Li merely swept his gaze across the vicinity before immediately retracting it.

This city not only had a sky-prohibiting spell but also appeared to have extremely powerful spells that restricted spiritual sense. Even with his potent spiritual sense, he could only extend it a few li; beyond that, things became somewhat blurry.

Of course, it wasn't that Han Li truly couldn't extend his spiritual sense further. Rather, doing so would certainly trigger these spells, thereby exposing his true cultivation.

At this moment, after the Bai family group stepped onto a nearby street, they immediately stopped by the roadside.

Han Li’s eyebrows twitched, but in the end, he didn’t ask anything.

A short while later, several beast-drawn carriages, pulled by over a dozen creatures that resembled neither deer nor horses, appeared rumbling at the other end of the street. They arrived before Han Li and his group in an instant, as if carried by a fierce gust of wind, and then abruptly halted.

On the side of each carriage, a large ancient character for “Bai” was inscribed. At the front of each, a man dressed in leather robes drove the strange beasts.

“Greetings, Madam. This humble one has been dispatched by the master to welcome you home,” a dark-skinned burly man said with extreme reverence, after jumping down from the leading carriage and bowing deeply to Bai Yunxin.

“I understand,” Bai Yunxin said with a charming smile, waving a hand at the burly man and then turning back to Han Li. “Brother Han, do you truly not intend to visit the Bai family first? Even if you don't wish to join our clan now, arranging accommodation would be a simple matter! If you stay with the clan, you might even meet the Patriarch today!”

“No need,” Han Li said with a slight smile, cupping his hands. “Immortal Bai has just returned to the clan and likely has many matters to attend to. I also plan to explore the city first and formally visit another day.”

“Since Brother Han’s mind is made up, I won’t press the matter,” Bai Yunxin said, showing a hint of regret. “This jade pendant is something I carry with me; please take it. When the time comes, you can simply hold this token and come directly to the Bai family to find me, without being questioned by anyone.”

Han Li took the jade pendant without hesitation and lowered his head to glance at it.

This jade pendant did not seem to be made from ordinary jade; within its translucence, faint blood-red threads were subtly mixed in. Its surface was also engraved with a depiction of a flying celestial maiden, whose appearance bore a subtle resemblance to Bai Yunxin herself.

Han Li's heart stirred, and after nodding, he put away the jade pendant.

Immediately after, the Bai family members boarded several beast-drawn carriages and rumbled away down the street.

Han Li watched the beast-drawn carriages disappear into the distance. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he immediately turned and strode towards another street, vanishing among the many demon cultivators in the blink of an eye.

Although Phantom Night City did not have a Saint Ancestor-level being overseeing it, the fact that over a dozen Demon Lords could gather in one city naturally gave it considerable renown in the Demon Realm. The number of high-level demon cultivators gathered there also far surpassed that of ordinary colossal cities.

Unlike Blood Raven City, where Han Li had previously stayed, the variety of buildings in this city far exceeded imagination.

There were not only ordinary shops like material stores and artifact refining shops, but also a Demon Hall specifically for teaching ordinary demons. Numerous common demon cultivators frequently entered and exited this building.

This made him exclaim in wonder.

This Demon Hall was quite similar to the Daoist Halls in the Spirit Realm that specialized in teaching basic arts. It was unclear whether this was an original practice of the demon race or something they had copied from the Spirit Realm.

As Han Li walked past a colossal tower, he glanced at a plaque hanging on it, and an expression of surprise immediately flashed across his face.