Chapter 1856: That Day, That Moment

The Coiled Dragon Solitary City, which had endured for sixty years within this sea of consciousness, finally gave way.

He Lingchuan stood on the South Gate Tower. Every brick and piece of wood, every street and alley here, was once so familiar to him.

The entire city crumbled before his eyes. No one could know the complex emotions stirring within him.

The grand South Gate held out until the very last moment, but still inevitably collapsed with a thunderous roar.

The solitary city in the sea of consciousness was gone.

The invisible barrier vanished simultaneously. He Lingchuan rode a sliding bluestone, leaping onto the broad back of Chaos.

Looking back, he saw everything vanish into thin air.

Broken tiles, crumbling walls, buildings, and corner towers were all scattered by the wind.

In just a few breaths, the mighty city completely vanished, leaving behind only a perfectly round, crimson pearl where it once stood.

As He Lingchuan watched, the pearl spun on its own, its dark patterns flickering and glowing.

He knew exactly what it was: the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl.

Over 160 years ago, Zhong Shengguang used it to guard the South Gate. Later, it fell into the hands of True Lord Qianhuan and transformed into the solitary city within the sea of consciousness.

It floated quietly on Chaos's back, appearing utterly harmless.

He Lingchuan waited for a moment, then hesitated, before stepping forward to reach for it.

This was a relic of Coiled Dragon City.

The moment his fingertips touched the pearl, all the dark patterns on its surface lit up.

He Lingchuan's breath hitched, his vision swam, and suddenly the scene changed.

He was in Coiled Dragon City again.

This time, he didn't know where he was standing, yet he felt as if he were everywhere at once.

Every corner of the city, every single event that occurred within it—he knew it all, he could see it all!

It was the first time he had experienced such an omniscient perspective.

Looking west, the setting sun was like blood.

Every ray of light shining into Coiled Dragon City was as tragically beautiful and ominous as blood.

Fires raged everywhere in the city, with thick smoke billowing.

The familiar South Gate had been breached; its heavy doors lay broken in two on the ground, no longer able to protect the city's inhabitants.

Outside the city, vast armies filled the plains, surging like a tide through the triple city gates and into the city!

The city's defenders were steadily retreating.

Covered in blood and grime, their faces exhausted, their strength failing, and even their weapons scarce, they still charged forward, shouting, fighting the enemy with swords, spears, fists, and even teeth in their final struggle!

But alas, they were ultimately powerless to turn the tide.

On the opposing side, a dozen powerful demonic beasts stormed out of the city gates, charging back and forth, crushing people into pulp.

Below the South Gate, roars and shouts filled the air, blood and gore splattered everywhere... and the scene was utterly horrifying.

This was quite literally the materialization of He Lingchuan's deepest nightmare.

A buzz went off in his mind, and he suddenly knew what scene this was: the fall of Coiled Dragon City, over 150 years ago!

He had touched the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl and was then drawn into the final moments before Coiled Dragon City's destruction.

According to historical records, Coiled Dragon City was breached by the combined forces of Baling and Xian You, with Beijia only sending a single demonic army to assist.

But at this moment, both inside and outside the South Gate, He Lingchuan clearly saw vast armies of demons stretching across mountains and plains!

He also spotted several familiar faces, such as Fu Shanlie and Lu Wushuang!

At this time, Lu Wushuang was still very young, but He Lingchuan could recognize at a glance that she was Qingyang, Beijia's Imperial Advisor, 150 years later!

They were all in the army, commanding with great vigor, directing their subordinates to slaughter Coiled Dragon City's forces.

He Lingchuan gazed at them for a few moments, then turned to find the most important person in the city—Commander Zhong Shengguang.

Effortlessly, he located Zhong Shengguang amidst the pervasive gunsmoke.

To his surprise, the Commander stood before the Blessing Pool of the Sky-Spanning Temple, covered in wounds, his right ear gone, and his head wrapped in bandages.

At this time, the Sky-Spanning Divine Statue had not yet been dragged out and smashed. Zhong Shengguang simply stared blankly at the pool.

To He Lingchuan, this scene appeared utterly bizarre.

As the city fell, the city leader should either be organizing resistance or seizing the opportunity to escape—both were a race against time. Why would Zhong Shengguang be standing here lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to the earth-shattering cries of battle behind him?

Had it been any other city defender, He Lingchuan would have assumed he was unnerved and panic-stricken.

But Zhong Shengguang? That was impossible.

He Lingchuan knew Zhong Shengguang too well. If anyone in this era dared to challenge Beijia, fighting undaunted until their last breath, it would undoubtedly be the man before him.

So, what was he doing?

Just then, several riders galloped up, leaping off their horses before they had even come to a stop.

The first among them was someone He Lingchuan knew terribly well: Xiao Maoliang.

Commander Xiao's armor was heavily scarred, his breastplate caved in with a large hole, and an arrow had struck him in the back. But because it was too close to his heart, his personal guards hadn't dared to pull it out, only cutting off the arrow's fletching.

From prolonged commanding in battle, Xiao Maoliang's voice was hoarse, yet still powerful:

"Lord Zhong, the west gate is passable. We still have the gliders."

Coiled Dragon City, of course, had more than one main gate. Besides the South Gate connecting to the Coiled Dragon Wasteland, there were several other gates leading to the Crimson Plateau behind it. It was difficult for enemies to attack up the plateau, but Coiled Dragon City had gliders prepared for emergencies, allowing them to slide down the steep plateau edge instead of free-falling.

Zhong Shengguang remained silent. So Xiao Maoliang urged him again, "As long as the green mountains remain..."

Zhong Shengguang suddenly interrupted him, "I will die without regret in battle! The Great Wind Army has fallen, so many brave men of Coiled Dragon City have died! If I abandon the city and cling to life, how could I ever face them again?"

That's right, General Hong had already fallen before Coiled Dragon City was breached.

The history He Lingchuan had read before stated that Coiled Dragon City had fallen, and Zhong Shengguang, utterly disheartened, had committed suicide.

But Zhong Shengguang's expression now showed no sign of dejection, nor did he appear utterly disheartened; instead, he was remarkably calm.

To He Lingchuan, only someone who had made a firm decision and a clear plan could face the end of their life with such calmness and composure.

Zhong Shengguang must have understood that Coiled Dragon City was beyond saving.

What was he thinking?

As He Lingchuan pondered this, Zhong Shengguang extended his hand to Xiao Maoliang and asked, "The pearl?"

Xiao Maoliang quickly handed him a crimson-gold pearl. "The South Gate was breached, and the Black Dragon Statue was damaged, so I retrieved it as you instructed."

That's how he got the arrow wound in his back.

And this pearl, of course, was the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl.

He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that when the South Gate was breached, the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl would also fall into enemy hands. But the truth was before him: Xiao Maoliang had fought desperately to retrieve the pearl and return it to Zhong Shengguang.

He Lingchuan had a premonition that there were some secrets involved.

And what he was experiencing now might well be the perspective of the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl. The Black Dragon Statue at the South Gate must have overlooked and observed Coiled Dragon City in this manner all day long, right?

At this point, Zhong Shengguang took the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed it into the Blessing Pool.

With a thud, the pearl sank to the bottom, rolling twice in the pool.

A dark red shadow in the pool seemed to approach it, as if probing, but then swam away in an instant.