Chapter 1826: The Last Lonely City

He Lingchuan’s thoughts had not yet fully formed when Thousand Illusions retreated to the edge of Puyuan Island and plunged into the sea. It ignored Miao Zhantian’s attempt to chop off its tail.

Pale golden liquid immediately welled up on the sea’s surface—Thousand Illusions’ blood flowing from its wound.

The two Celestial Demons exchanged a glance and simultaneously leaped into the sea.

Perhaps Thousand Illusions had another trap, but there was no turning back; they had come this far, so they had to pursue.

The sea wasn’t deep; they quickly reached the bottom.

Just as Miao Zhantian had expected, Thousand Illusions began to cause trouble again.

With a splash, the two Celestial Demons surfaced and found that the scenery above them had changed.

This was exactly like their first experience passing through Wavy Lake with the silver pearl fruit: they had dived to the bottom, found light, swam closer, and emerged from the water in another world.

This body of water, however, was very small, not even comparable to Wavy Lake.

It was a pond several yards square, with clear but somewhat reddish water.

Miao Zhantian took one sniff and knew there was the scent of blood in the water.

The two Celestial Demons leaped out of the pond, discovering they were inside a city!

Everywhere stood closely packed buildings, generally not tall but very sturdy, with exterior walls predominantly made of red wind-sculpted sandstone, as if embedding ancient history and weight into their very beams.

Many houses here were already damaged, and a wide square seemed to be nearby, with lingering smoke wafting upwards.

Further in the distance were impossibly tall city walls, but they too were deserted.

Upon seeing these scenes, Miao Zhantian immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

“No way,” she thought, “could this be…?”

She had witnessed countless grand spectacles in her long life, but this place was deeply etched in her mind.

Her sister, Miao Yuntian, suddenly tugged her arm and pointed backward.

Miao Zhantian turned to find a colossal temple behind her!

The pond they had emerged from was a common "Blessing Pond" found at temple entrances. Such ponds always contained flowing water, and it was said that believers who waded around them received blessings from the deities, allowing them to dispel illness and mitigate disasters.

On the open ground beside the pond lay a massive statue, its head severed from its body.

The statue measured at least three zhang from head to toe, made of solid material with intricate carving, and was incredibly heavy. Whoever had exerted the effort to drag it out of the temple must have hated it to their core.

Miao Zhantian’s face changed upon seeing the statue’s stone head.

“Mitian!”

As a Great Celestial Demon, Mitian’s true form was, of course, not human. But Miao Zhantian knew better than anyone what form it took to receive offerings in the human world.

The statue’s eyes seemed to stare straight at her.

Behind her was Mitian’s temple.

This deity had long vanished from history, and no one had worshipped it for a very long time. Deities, if they did not manifest miracles, would be forgotten by the world.

Miao Zhantian looked around, her eyes filled with horror.

“This is Panlong City!”

She remembered now; this was "that" mighty city of the human realm.

The plateau city that, from its birth to its destruction, gradually awed the gods.

To this day, Celestial Demons typically remained silent about anything concerning this ancient city.

Why would such a Panlong City be hidden deep within Thousand Illusions’ Sea of Consciousness?

The scene in the city suggested it had been ravaged by war. Historically, Panlong City had been conquered only once.

Just once.

After that, it was completely erased from history, and the Panlong Wasteland became the Panlong Desert!

The two Celestial Demons wandered through the ruins of the ancient city, observing cautiously.

Broken tiles and crumbling walls were everywhere, as were crimson bloodstains, yet there was not a single person.

Suddenly, a gray shadow flickered not far away, and the two Celestial Demons immediately gave chase.

Before the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, He Lingchuan suddenly clenched his fists.

His knuckles cracked twice.

Wan Qifeng turned to see his lord staring intently at the image in the mirror, his face filled with disbelief.

He Lingchuan rarely displayed such outward emotion, but at that moment, he looked as if he wanted to leap into the Haoyuan Golden Mirror the next second.

Only Dong Rui dared to ask:

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

The Soul-Snaring Mirror in He Lingchuan’s arms also muttered, “Hmm, this place feels so familiar?”

In just two breaths, He Lingchuan returned to his usual demeanor, taking a deep breath. “Nothing!” he said.

For him, the scene in the mirror was too unexpected and impactful, causing him to lose composure momentarily.

Dong Rui asked him, “Where is this place?”

He Lingchuan replied, word for word, “Ancient Panlong City.”

He never imagined he would see the most familiar Panlong City here!

He could not mistake a single street, every building, or even every square brick in front of the South Gate Plaza!

At this moment, He Lingchuan’s question was likely the same as Miao Zhantian’s.

Why would the war-torn ruins of Panlong appear deep within Thousand Illusions’ Sea of Consciousness?

The others looked bewildered; they had never heard of it.

Dong Rui had a slight impression of the place name, while the Soul-Snaring Mirror let out a long “Whoa” in surprise.

“Ghost City! Is this your Ghost City, Master?”

He Lingchuan shook his head.

The true Panlong ruins were in the distant Panlong Desert, the former Panlong City remained within the Great Square Pot, and this one in Thousand Illusions’ Sea of Consciousness…

He didn’t know what it was.

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror’s perspective suddenly pulled back, offering a bird’s-eye view.

“Huh?” The others were merely surprised, but He Lingchuan’s breath caught in his throat.

Panlong City was surrounded by a vast ocean!

The undulating blue sea stretched all the way to the base of the city moat.

No matter how high the Haoyuan Golden Mirror’s perspective rose, as far as the eye could see, there was only endless ocean.

Blue, but monotonous.

And Panlong City was the only isolated island in this sea!

Where were the desolate and wild Panlong Wasteland and the sand-swept Chipa Plateau?

How could they all be gone?

The high cliff where Panlong City stood had now become a sea reef, the only foundation preventing it from being swallowed by the ocean.

Though the entire sea appeared calm, at the foot of Panlong City, astonishing waves crashed against the shore, piling up like snow, with spray reaching over two zhang high!

He Lingchuan even had a moment of daze, realizing that whether in the vast wilderness or the boundless sea, this mighty city had always been isolated and helpless, yet proudly unyielding.

From its birth to its death, from reality to illusion, this fact had never changed.

Wan Qiliang added, “I have a feeling this city is precarious, as if it could be swallowed at any moment.”

The Soul-Snaring Mirror scoffed, “What insight! A Ghost City is such a powerful existence; how could it be swallowed… right?”

He Lingchuan murmured, “This sea truly wants to swallow it. The Panlong Wasteland and Chipa Plateau beneath the ancient city have already been submerged.”

Only Panlong City, situated on the highest ground, stood on the perilous cliff, still battling the wind and waves.

“Huh?” said the Soul-Snaring Mirror. “But isn’t that True Immortal Thousand Illusions’ Sea of Consciousness?”

Due to the special structure within the storm circle, it could be considered a "realm of laws" for the Upside-Down Sea, but in essence, it was still Thousand Illusions’ Sea of Consciousness.

Why would there be something in a True Immortal’s Sea of Consciousness that even they couldn’t consume?