Real·Empty City

She sent a voice transmission to Su Ji: "Senior Brother, what exactly was the great terror you saw earlier?"

Su Jiu had intended to get a clear idea in advance and prepare a countermeasure.

The problem was, all of it had been fabricated by Su Ji.

Su Ji could only shrug with feigned nonchalance, his gaze fixed on the lifeless city gate.

"It's hard to explain. Let’s follow them first."

With that, he strode forward, heading toward the crowd.

Su Jiu watched his retreating figure, biting her lower lip lightly before finally following.

The two of them trailed leisurely behind the rogue cultivators.

As they drew closer, Su Ji realized things weren’t quite as he had imagined.

The Blood Fiend Sect disciples who had rushed ahead earlier, along with the Joyful Union Sect members who followed afterward, had all stopped a few zhang away from the city gate, not daring to advance further.

Each of them wore grave expressions, as if wary of something.

"Why aren’t they going in?"

Su Jiu also noticed the anomaly, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

Su Ji didn’t answer, merely narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the ancient city gate.

Soon, he spotted the clue.

An extremely faint, almost imperceptible crimson barrier, blending seamlessly with the air, enveloped the entire Anyang City.

If one didn’t look carefully, it would be impossible to detect.

No wonder those rogue cultivators had been so obediently waiting outside earlier.

Turns out it wasn’t that they didn’t want to enter—they simply couldn’t.

Just then, the man from the Puppet Heaven Holy Land finally moved.

With each step he took, an invisible pressure forced the surrounding rogue cultivators to instinctively retreat to either side.

Late-stage Golden Core.

A chill ran down Su Ji’s spine—this was the first time he had felt the oppressive aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator so vividly.

It was nothing like that fraud Wang Hu.

The man stopped before the crimson barrier, his face etched with disdain, as if the barrier before him was beneath his notice.

"Pathetic trick."

He uttered the words coolly, then slowly raised his right hand and casually struck out with his palm.

No dazzling spiritual light, no surging shockwaves.

A massive handprint, condensed from spiritual energy, materialized out of thin air and slammed heavily into the crimson barrier.

"Hum—"

The barrier trembled violently, ripples spreading outward in concentric circles.

And then…

Nothing.

The seemingly fragile crimson barrier, after enduring a full-force strike from a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, merely swayed before settling back into stillness.

The air instantly turned deathly silent.

The rogue cultivators around them gaped in disbelief.

Even the Blood Fiend Sect and Joyful Union Sect members wore stunned expressions.

The Puppet Heaven Holy Land man’s face froze completely.

He slowly retracted his hand, his complexion visibly darkening with fury.

To be humiliated in front of everyone—this was a massive blow to his pride.

From somewhere in the crowd came a faint, barely suppressed snicker—someone had clearly failed to hold back.

Though the sound was soft, it struck the man’s face like a resounding slap.

"You dare?!"

The man whirled around, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd as a terrifying killing intent erupted.

The rogue cultivator who had laughed didn’t even have time to scream before his body exploded into a mist of blood.

The surrounding rogue cultivators recoiled in terror, not daring to make another sound.

Only then did the man snort coldly and turn his attention back to the crimson barrier.

This time, there was no trace of contempt in his eyes—only solemnity.

"Interesting."

He murmured the words, and the large wooden box behind him emitted a soft click.

The lid slowly opened.

A cold, lifeless figure floated out from within.

It was a female puppet.

Unlike the green-scaled woman on the city wall, this puppet was carved from an unknown type of white jade, with delicate features and a graceful figure, almost indistinguishable from a real person.

Only its eyes—empty and devoid of life—betrayed its true nature.

The puppet hovered silently beside the man, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

The man raised his right hand again, and the puppet mirrored his movement.

"Break!"

He barked the command, and both he and the puppet struck out simultaneously.

Two palms—one after the other—landed on the crimson barrier almost at the same instant.

This time, it was anything but silent.

"BOOM—!"

A deafening explosion tore through the air.

A devastating shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sweeping outward in all directions.

Rogue cultivators standing too close were caught off guard, flung aside like leaves in a storm.

Su Ji’s pupils constricted.

Reacting swiftly, he wrapped an arm around Su Jiu’s slender waist, planting his feet firmly to resist the force.

Su Jiu stiffened instantly, a warm sensation spreading from her waist as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

She wanted to pull away, but the overwhelming force left her no room to struggle.

The gale whipped their robes violently, the fabric snapping like banners in the wind.

Su Ji could even catch the faint fragrance drifting from Su Jiu’s hair.

"CRACK—"

A crisp shattering sound pierced through the chaos, reaching everyone’s ears.

All eyes turned toward the source.

On the supposedly indestructible crimson barrier, a fine crack had appeared.

Then a second.

A third.

Like a spider’s web, the fractures spread at an almost imperceptible speed, rapidly covering the entire barrier.

"BANG!"

With a final explosive burst, the barrier shielding Anyang City shattered completely.

Dissolving into countless motes of light that vanished into the air.

The wind died down.

The dust settled.

The lifeless city gate crumbled in tandem, revealing what lay beyond without reservation.

Inside, silence reigned.

The broad streets were empty, the shops lining them wide open but devoid of any living soul.

Yet, eerily, the entire city was unnaturally clean.

No corpses.

No bloodstains.

Not even a speck of dust.

As if someone had meticulously scrubbed the place clean not long ago.