Chapter Ninety-Four: Inside the Nameless City

Ha-ha, thank you for the elder’s reminder. Still, we would like to try our hand at the challenge. If a young man dares not challenge anything simply because he is afraid, then I believe that is the greatest sorrow of a cultivator. Wouldn’t you agree?

After saying this, Yan Chen cupped his fists toward the cultivator. By now, Yan Chen no longer dared to underestimate the power of Nameless City. Though it was a city without a master, it was by no means as harmless as it appeared.

In fact, Yan Chen even suspected that Nameless City might be stronger than Black Tortoise City. Just now, he had been locked onto by several formidable divine senses, yet that sensation vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Even with his rich battle experience, Yan Chen still had no idea how those experts had made their move. They were as elusive as a dragon, glimpsed only in part and never in full.

“Go in, then. For the sake of your sincerity, I won’t make things difficult for you now. If that brat still had his old foul temper, I would have kicked him out without hesitation.”

As he spoke, the cultivator pointed at Chen Yiyan. It seemed the old Chen Yiyan had indeed been far too flamboyant, or perhaps simply too arrogant, to the point that he had been remembered like this. In a way, this could be counted as Chen Yiyan’s own doing.

Chen Yiyan nodded and said, “Thank you, senior. We’ll go ahead first, then.”

With that, he hurried away from the city gate, as though he were very afraid of the cultivator before him. Ye Zihan and the others did not understand this man’s strength, but they were certain it was far beyond their own.

By now, Chen Yiyan was already on the verge of reaching the peak of the Five Elements Realm, and thus he was also about to step into that higher realm. But even so, they still did not dare do anything to the experts of Nameless City. Lin Dong was no exception.

Only now did he realize that Nameless City was actually much stronger than Black Tortoise City in the Black Tortoise Marsh. The guards of Nameless City alone were certainly more powerful than the guards of Black Tortoise City.

Having lived in the Black Tortoise Marsh of the Beast Domain for more than ten years, Lin Dong had a fair understanding of Black Tortoise City. To possess strength like Nameless City’s was to stand among the very top powers of the Beast Domain. No wonder no one had ever been able to take it over. Even his father, Lin Lei, might not necessarily be able to seize it.

So the reason Nameless City remained masterless was not some other cause, but simply because its power was too great.

Lin Dong had no doubt at all about Nameless City’s strength. If any power truly could suppress the city’s guardians, they would have ruled it long ago. But the truth was that they were certainly no match for Nameless City. The disciples they sent were nothing more than shields and decoys, meant purely to prevent others from succeeding. Still, their goal had been achieved.

According to the customs of the Beast Domain, if one wanted to gain control of a great city like Nameless City, one had to rely on two things: strength, and fate. If the guardian forces of Nameless City were willing to submit to you, then you could naturally take control of the city. That was Nameless City.

Very soon, Ye Zihan and the others settled into a small inn. For them, Nameless City truly was a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lurked. Even a casual stroll had allowed Ye Zihan and the others to sense many powerful auras. In the end, they had no choice but to stop probing, for that would have been highly rude. If the other party found out, it could easily lead to a misunderstanding.

Fortunately, those cultivators did not do anything to Ye Zihan and his group. They merely glared at them with displeasure and did not dare to act. Perhaps they were deterred by the pressure of Nameless City itself. Otherwise, those experts from the Illusion God Continent would certainly have taught Ye Zihan and the others a lesson for such rash behavior.

“Zihan, let’s stay here for now. Tomorrow the struggle for Nameless City begins, so we should recover our strength first.”

Chen Yiyan was already preparing for tomorrow’s great battle. Although this was his first time taking part in the contest for Nameless City, he understood that tomorrow’s fighting would be extremely fierce. Not only would they face attacks from the city’s experts, they might also be assassinated by other challengers.

Ye Zihan nodded and said, “Exactly. Let’s go in and cultivate for a while. We’ve spent quite a bit of energy both last night and today. It’s time to recover, or we’ll suffer for it tomorrow.”

Ye Zihan also understood that there would be many challengers tomorrow, and that there would be mortal danger as well, because the other side would certainly not let matters rest. Most importantly, those assassins might even blend in among the challengers.

Those killers might not dare to strike openly in Nameless City, but if they used the identity of challengers to kill Ye Zihan and the others, Nameless City would have nothing to say. So now they had to strengthen themselves. In truth, Ye Zihan and the others did need to restore their strength, for they had consumed far too much source energy last night. This time, they had truly gone all out.

If Nameless City were taken by Ye Zihan, then it would become the main base of the Heaven-Defying Pavilion. By then, the Heaven-Defying Pavilion would shake the world. Even if it remained as low-key as ever, it would become famous through Nameless City alone, because all the powers of the Illusion God Continent were now watching the struggle for this city. Everyone would certainly remember the final victor.

Becoming famous in a single battle was both a blessing and a curse for Ye Zihan, because by then he would face even stronger opponents. In particular, the Illusion God Temple would certainly not spare the Heaven-Defying Pavilion. The very existence of the Heaven-Defying Pavilion was already a challenge to the Illusion God Temple.

Judging from the Illusion God Temple’s usual style, they would certainly go all out. In the future, the Heaven-Defying Pavilion would become the temple’s greatest enemy. Especially now, the Illusion God Temple had decided to wipe out all the gifted young women and men on the Illusion God Continent, because any one of those talents might one day become a challenger to the temple. They had to be destroyed before they could even take shape. That was the only foolproof method.

Yan Chen smiled and said, “Yiyan, who would have thought you’re about to break into that higher realm, while I’m still only at the Four Symbols Realm? Compared with you, I really have nothing to boast of.”

He had discovered that Chen Yiyan was about to make a breakthrough. Yet once one entered that higher realm, it would become difficult indeed to advance further into the Seven Stars Realm.

Chen Yiyan nodded and said, “Yes. On this trip to Nameless City, I should be able to break through to the early stage of that realm. But Zihan’s cultivation is not low either—he’s already at the mid-Five Elements Realm now. If he goes wild again, I think he might even break through faster than I will. Just wait and see.”

Chen Yiyan understood that someone like Ye Zihan, a multi-element expert, might very well break through earlier than he did, because Ye Zihan’s foundations were much stronger.

Ye Zihan laughed and said, “Ha-ha, you two just love making snide remarks. But I can feel that I’m close to breaking through to that realm as well. In any case, it won’t be far off. You little rascals should go back and rest. We still have to take part in tomorrow’s struggle for Nameless City.”

With a smile, Ye Zihan turned and walked back toward his room. For him, breaking through from the Five Elements Realm to that higher realm was entirely possible. He trusted his own instincts.

After the battle last night, and then today’s fight in the forest, it was getting harder and harder for Ye Zihan not to break through to that realm. The enemy was constantly provoking his will to survive. Once that instinct was stirred, Ye Zihan’s talent would erupt. He would throw himself into battle with all his might, and in doing so, his potential would be unleashed. That was one of the reasons his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Lin Dong smiled and said, “Yes, I feel the same way. I hope we can all break through to that realm tomorrow. Otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with those challengers, because their cultivation certainly won’t be low. We’d better proceed with caution.”

Lin Dong believed that the countless powers of the Illusion God Continent would surely send out many skilled fighters to participate in the struggle for Nameless City.

In essence, every year’s contest for Nameless City was the same. Each faction would send its most prized disciples to challenge the city, but all of them ended in failure. Even if their strength was enough to defeat their opponents, they might still be killed by the experts of Nameless City. That was why, in the Beast Domain, strength mattered above all else.

Of course, if one’s strength was lacking, and if fate favored one with Nameless City, then the city’s guardians would still help that person succeed. That was why so many young experts came to test their luck. They all hoped to be the luckiest one of all, and, in the end, the one still smiling.

To obtain a great city like Nameless City would allow even a little-known power to rise overnight into a renowned overlord of the Illusion God Continent. Such was the temptation of Nameless City. No one could refuse it.

When Yan Chen saw that Ye Zihan and the others had already gone back to their rooms to rest, he too prepared to return. Besides, it was already late, so it was time for them to leave this place as well.

“I’m going back to rest too. Brother Chen Yiyan, you should rest as well. Tomorrow we’ll give it our all. I believe we can do it, ha-ha.”

After saying this, Lin Dong also went back to rest. For him, even if they failed this time, they would certainly gain something from it. He was full of anticipation.

Chen Yiyan nodded, then slowly walked toward his own room. It was time for him to rest, because his recovery directly affected his cultivation. If his strength was not restored, he would have no chance of winning this challenge smoothly.

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen had all returned to rest, and Chen Yiyan could no longer delay either. Although he knew he would not be able to break through to that higher realm tonight—such a thing never came so naturally—he still looked forward to it immensely.

This time, Ye Zihan, Chen Yiyan, and Lin Dong all had a chance to break through to that realm, while Yan Chen was also likely to advance to the Five Elements Realm. That might well be their greatest harvest of the day.

By now, the movements of Ye Zihan’s group had already been noticed by others. The moment they entered the inn, a cultivator slipped away furtively and vanished from sight outside the inn.

“Big brother, this time even I, Black Nether, can help you. Even experts at that higher realm may not be able to kill me, ha-ha. Once this dragon lord makes his appearance, who can stand against him?”

At present, Black Nether was lying in Ye Zihan’s arms. He only hopped out when Ye Zihan was sleeping; at all other times, he stayed hidden. That was his time to rest.

Yet Black Nether was not idle at night. On the contrary, night was when he kept watch. If anything threatening Ye Zihan appeared, he would certainly be the first to strike. That was why Ye Zihan could sleep so peacefully. Black Nether was now almost at the Five Elements Realm himself, and even if he had not truly reached it yet, his strength was certainly greater than that of an ordinary Five Elements expert. That was one of the divine abilities of the Three Great Demonic Beasts of the Thousand Nether Blood Illusory Dragon.