The Dragon Palace's impact on the world had completely shattered people's perceptions, causing a massive public outcry not only abroad but also within the country.
Incited by those with ulterior motives, countless hot-blooded youths took to the streets, demanding an explanation from those on the leaderboards. They questioned why so much money was being spent on games.
However, these were not concerns for Ye Yun, who had already stepped into the teleportation array. Looking at the two destinations within the array, Tianxian City and Divine Realm, he hesitated before choosing Tianxian City as his first stop.
"System Prompt: Player has chosen a city in the Upper Realm. Entry carries unknown dangers. Do you wish to proceed?"
"Proceed!"
Ye Yun's vision blurred, and he plunged into an endless darkness. It wasn't until five minutes later that a faint light appeared within the void.
Tianxian City spanned a colossal ten million square kilometers, appearing like a massive cosmic battleship suspended in an ethereal expanse, protected by a faint, shimmering shield.
It was difficult to comprehend that a single city could be larger than the largest nation on Blue Star.
The entire city was divided into five major regions: East, West, North, South, and the Central area. Each region housed a Tier-Earth teleportation array, while the Central area boasted a unique Tier-God teleportation array capable of reverse-summoning all citizens from the four surrounding regions.
At a mid-level teleportation array, Ye Yun gazed curiously at the ground, which was adorned with mysterious symbols. The passing Xian tộc (Immortal race) members paused upon seeing Ye Yun's bewildered expression. However, as if comprehending something, they offered him no trouble.
The Xian tộc were distinct from other races; they were a composite of myriad races. Their most prominent feature was a faint gourd-shaped mark on their foreheads, and all members uniformly cultivated immortal arts.
Upon cultivating any one of the three thousand immortal arts, an individual would develop a sense of belonging to the Xian tộc that transcended racial boundaries.
This was remarkably similar to the faith of the Buddhist race.
"Hey, buddy, your transformation and divine method are truly impressive. You've managed to conceal your markings so thoroughly. Teach me how, and you can name your price," suddenly a short Xian tộc appeared before Ye Yun, circling him twice before speaking with a smacking of his lips.
"Amazing! A human, how rare. I recall our Xian tộc's humans were wiped out millions of years ago. I never thought anyone would remember what humans looked like," another Xian tộc, who had just teleported over, exclaimed in astonishment while looking at Ye Yun.
"Buddy, which noble family from the Central region are you from? I tell you, I know people from all nine hundred and ninety-nine noble families in the Central region. My father is a tea boy for the Great Heaven Fire Gold Young Master of the Great Heaven Noble Family."
At this moment, the short Xian tộc proudly declared to Ye Yun, as if the Great Heaven Fire Gold he mentioned was an extraordinarily important figure.
"Haha, no problem, no problem. But how did you know my transformation method depicted a human? Are there still humans in Tianxian City?" Ye Yun asked, mimicking their tone.
"My word. Buddy, when you have time, you should explore more. Some things in the Central region of our Tianxian City cannot be found in the Immortal Scripture Pavilion. Only in the other four regions are there scant records. But it's okay if you don't understand, I'll tell you."
Tianxian City had not seen outsiders for millions of years. Thus, the last race to join was the human race millions of years ago. They achieved a top-thousand ranking among the Xian tộc noble families within less than a million years, and soon entered the Central region, naming themselves the Renwang (Human King) Noble Family!
However, their rapid development aroused the jealousy of hundreds of noble families in the Central region, who, using various pretexts, nearly eradicated the human race!
From then on, human cultivators were confined to a remote corner of the Western Region, barely surviving. Even so, those families were not at ease and conducted purges and suppressions every hundred years.
Consequently, the Renwang Noble Family lost its powerful figures. Over millions of years, the Renwang Noble Family, which had once numbered in the tens of millions, swelled to hundreds of millions, then rapidly declined to less than a thousand individuals!
A thousand people!
Even with a stable environment for development, it would take millions of years for them to recover!
"Alas, such a great race has fallen into decline. Let me tell you, it's rumored that our humans are now completely penned by the three major families of our Immortal Realm. They apparently intend to extract the essence and blood of immortals to feed the divine beasts that protect their clans."
"If you go out looking like this and are discovered by their kin, it will be dire. Your transformation method is so lifelike it can even mimic your aura!"
"Haha, thank you, brother, for the information. By the way, where can I buy a comprehensive map of our Immortal City? After hearing your words, I also plan to venture out and gain some experience."
Ye Yun understood the hidden truth after hearing this.
However, Ye Yun was here on a mission, and he only had a little over nine days left. Tianxian City alone was so vast that he was unsure where to begin.
"That's simple, come with me, and you'll even get a discount. By the way, what's your name? I'm Datian Liang, a Second-Tier Immortal Soldier." The short one excitedly said upon hearing Ye Yun.
"What rank of immortal are you, brother? Are you interested in adventuring together?" another Xian tộc couldn't help but ask.
Ye Yun realized that although the Xian tộc in this divine city were all natives, their autonomy was no different from ordinary players.
"Me? Also a Second-Tier Immortal Soldier. Come, let me treat both my elder brothers to a drink! You pick the place." Ye Yun familiarly slung his arms around their shoulders and pulled them out of the teleportation array.