### Chapter 0: King vs. King (4)
==============================
“Just as I thought!”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
After secretly plotting for over a decade, spending vast resources, and sacrificing numerous spies hidden among the mortals, it was all worth it.
What reward did he receive? The day he finally stood in the forbidden area of Thousand Bird City, witnessing with his own eyes whether it harbored the monumental secret that Ji Shen had once anticipated.
He stood squarely in the middle, flanked by circular walls peppered with a dozen or so glass-like cultivation chambers.
The surface of these chambers glistened in the dark like translucent jade, glowing with a faint green light.
Inside each chamber lay a creature, eyes tightly shut.
Countless transparent threads bound their limbs, and every few seconds, tiny threads sparkled and glimmered, seemingly delivering something to the top of the cultivation chamber.
A black pipe from the top of the chamber led up to the ceiling of the circular room.
A quick glance revealed that these chambers didn’t just imprison members of the Monster Race; there were even humans and Demons inside!
As for the Demons, they towered over humans with golden hair, blue eyes, and skin as pale as moonlight, yet with large pores! Their outfits barely covered the essentials, making them look far more scandalous and exposed than humans.
But they had a more distinct characteristic—two horns on their foreheads. Behind closed doors, humans often speculated that these horns were their connection to Hell.
The Demon Realm was distanced from both the human and monster realms, separated by numerous geographic obstacles. As a result, most humans could only catch glimpses of Demons through tales, never actually meeting one in the flesh.
Yet here in the forbidden zone of Thousand Bird City, people from all three races gathered, raising curiosity about what purpose these cultivation chambers served in keeping them imprisoned.
And what of the pipes hanging overhead?
Not only was Fu Yetian privy to the true nature of the forbidden place.
The Great King of the Split Land came rushing in and caught sight of the cultivation chambers in the circular room, but he didn’t see the details, thinking they were just cells for Monster Kings.
Bumping into their comrades, Tenzi and Gongsun Ding, were equally flabbergasted and unsure how to express their feelings upon witnessing this.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is the place that powers the entire Floating City, right, Sect Leader?” Fu Yetian asked, putting on a serious face while stroking the nearest cultivation chamber.
Inside it lay a Demon woman.
Her long golden hair floated gracefully in the water, a combination of rugged and exquisite beauty; she possessed a tall and slender figure. Only a scrap of fabric adorned her chest and waist, making her look rather alluring from afar.
Some hot-blooded disciples caught a glimpse and suddenly found their eyes glued to her.
Li Ying Tian could barely restrain the urge to stick Fu Yetian with a sword.
He knew very well this traitor from the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Never in a million years did he think that White Feather City was linked to Fu Yetian’s organization.
Ever since Fu Yetian had defected from the Heavenly Sword Sect, he had vanished into thin air, leading everyone to believe he was dead. Yet, here he was showing up today like it was a picnic, giving Thousand Bird City the shock of a lifetime.
“What do you want?” Li Ying Tian snapped coldly.
Fu Yetian replied, “It’s simple. I want to take them with me.”
Li Ying Tian chuckled, “Do you know that out of these twelve people, eleven have been trapped here long before I was even born? Their consciousness has long since faded into dust. The moment they leave this place, their bodies will instantly decay.”
“I don’t buy it!” Fu Yetian shook his head. “If we can save even one or two of them, then our trip is worth it.”
“But what if I don’t agree?”
“Then we fight!”
With a swoosh, Fu Yetian drew his sword, but instead of pointing it at Li Ying Tian, he performed a flashy flourish that severed the black pipe above the Demon woman’s cultivation chamber.
The effect was almost immediate.
The Floating City trembled slightly.
The ground and the horizontal plane developed roughly a five-degree angle difference.
Debris from the edge of the Floating City began cascading to the ground below.
Most residents in Ground City lacked any martial prowess, waking up far slower than the disciples in Thousand Bird City.
So when countless chunks of stone and brick began to fall, many had no time to react and perished in their slumber.
Fu Yetian sneered, “Li Sect Leader, I fear you don’t quite grasp the situation. The initiative is in my hands now. Do you dare to prance around before me? Push me further and we’ll all go down together. No one gets out alive.”
Li Ying Tian gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress his fury. “Well, let’s see how you plan to take them. Once the Floating City loses power, it’ll crash.”
“Ha! I had respect for you as an elder, but I see you’ve become muddled. Those who can remain in the forbidden area to power the Floating City are all legendary figures who shook the three realms in their prime.
Without them, the Floating City naturally can’t hold on.
But if we temporarily switch in a few people, we only need to hold out for a few minutes, and we can be on our way. Doesn’t that just solve everything?”
Turning to the Great King of the Split Land, Fu Yetian added, “The ten people behind you are half decent, let’s keep them.”
The Great King had originally been in a colluding relationship with Ji Shen. But ever since Fu Yetian unlocked the forbidden area of Thousand Bird City and revealed the secret of the Floating City, he found himself inadvertently overshadowed by Fu Yetian, almost naturally inclined to follow his orders.
Upon hearing this, Tenzi and the others weren’t about to stick around.
They were already banged up from the earlier confrontation with Bull Head.
Added to that, the confined space made it hard to maneuver, and the Great King had little trouble smashing their ankles with his mace before tossing them aside like rag dolls.
Meanwhile, Gongsun Ding quietly snuck away through the escape tunnel while everyone else was left wide-eyed at the scene when Fu Yetian opened the forbidden area and evaded disaster.
He knew his master was trapped in a tough spot, with no easy way out.
Only Extermination of Immortals could solve this dilemma.
But with Feng Yalin forced to flee, he had no idea where she was now.
Following the same strategy Extermination of Immortals used to assist Cold Wind City, surely the Cold Moon Witch didn’t just send Feng Yalin alone into danger; reinforcements were bound to come.
His only chance was to find Extermination of Immortals.
As for the other six major sects, while they might claim to be one big happy family, they couldn’t help him with his urgent plight. How could he expect help in just a few short minutes?
……
On the other side of the Floating City.
Ru Yu glared at Evil Shiyuan, chastising him, “Did you not see that he looks exactly like you? Clearly, you share the same mother! And you beat him up into this state? What were you thinking when he called for you? You lot just didn’t listen.
Remember, from now on, he’s your little brother. We’re family now, so you both have to call me ‘sister’ from here on in. Got it?”
Evil Shiyuan tilted his head and huffed.
Shiyuan shook his head. “I have an older sister; she’s way more gentle than you. She gives me tons of food, while you give me nothing.”
Ru Yu hastily replied, “Once we’re done here, your sister will treat you to a big feast! You’ll eat until you’re stuffed!”
Shiyuan was about to respond when, for some unknown reason, he suddenly began to tremble violently.
In an instant, he transformed into a wisp of blue smoke, drifting off into the distance.
……
P.S. Real afternoon tea! Come on, everyone, have a bite!
