Chapter Thirty-Five: The Celestial City of Myriad Phenomena

Late at night, Luo Longyu lay atop a bed of scattered stones, gazing up at the star-filled sky, lost in thought. He had no idea how much time had passed when a faint sound disturbed the silence. The subtle fragrance in the air faded, and then the voice of Luo Mengxuan reached him: "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Luo Longyu replied, then turned his head to look at Luo Mengxuan. "Was it you who saved me?"

"Who else could it be? That old scoundrel Ju Feng just wouldn't let up—he fought tooth and nail," Luo Mengxuan said, sitting down beside Luo Longyu, her face shadowed with worry. "Longyu, this time you've stirred up real trouble. You killed someone from the Xuan Yi Pavilion—they certainly won't let you off easily. What are you planning to do?"

"Let them do as they please," Luo Longyu replied nonchalantly. After a pause, he sat up and said, "Mengxuan, I'm planning to return to the Valley of the Dead."

"Why? What for? That place has already been destroyed," Luo Mengxuan said, puzzled.

Luo Longyu replied, "I know, but I still want to understand why they brought my mother's body there, and why her corpse could be controlled."

"The art of corpse control isn't some mysterious secret; anyone with some research can master it. However, it's considered a desecration of the dead, so most cultivators disdain such practices. If we want to learn more about the secrets of corpse control, we can go to Xiangxi. There's a clan of corpse herders there, and they surely know more than we do," Luo Mengxuan suggested.

Luo Longyu nodded. "Alright, once we've investigated the Valley of the Dead, we'll head to Xiangxi and find a way to break the corpse control technique."

As dawn approached, Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan crossed the Himalayas again, arriving at Military Base Zero. As expected, the military had already abandoned the base—there was nothing left here worth guarding.

They entered through the main gate and descended the stairs. Along the way, signs of violent explosions and severe destruction were everywhere. Many security doors were badly warped, and any equipment still in good condition had been taken. What remained were just unrecognizable fragments of machinery.

Following the elevator's steel cables, Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan leaped down, landing in an immense underground space. This subterranean chamber had long since lost its original form. After years of geological changes, all traces of its initial construction were gone. Jagged rocks jutted everywhere, and many ancient buildings had collapsed—there were even roads, most now blocked by rubble, but still suggesting that this place had once been a bustling city in some forgotten era.

Some buildings bore ancient inscriptions, resembling hieroglyphs, but none could be deciphered.

At the very center of the underground city, Luo Longyu discovered a spring of clear water, spanning about half a mile. In the middle of the pool stood a towering metallic structure in the shape of a pair of wings. It was apparent that something had once been held between those wings, but it had been taken—most likely by the vampires who had stolen it.

The wing-shaped iron tower was covered with intricate patterns and hieroglyphs, which at a glance resembled ancient talismans—twisting, mysterious, and unsettling.

"This is... some kind of teleportation array," Luo Mengxuan exclaimed, wading into the waist-deep pool, her expression intent as she studied the symbols.

"A teleportation array? Can you tell where it's connected to?" Luo Longyu asked.

Luo Mengxuan gazed up at the massive tower, running her hand over its surface. "The patterns are extremely complex, and the coordinates are very distant—far beyond Earth's boundaries. If I'm not mistaken, it's connected to some place deep in the stars. But there’s no energy flowing through these lines; it seems it hasn’t been used for ages. Give me a moment to think... This ancient city..."

She looked around the timeworn ruins, falling silent. The ancient city was hushed, like a giant slumbering in the depths of the Himalayas, silently witnessing the passage of ages, its history buried in silence.

Luo Longyu did not disturb Luo Mengxuan in her contemplation. He circled the pool alone, noticing several stone steles at its edge. There was not a single word inscribed on them; instead, they were carved with hunting scenes from the dawn of humanity. In many of the scenes, Luo Longyu noticed depictions of the starry sky—some even showed lightning streaking across the heavens. He wondered what the ancients had wished to convey.

On one of the steles, he saw an image of the sky opening to reveal a gate, from which people emerged. Below, crowds knelt in worship, a grand scene reminiscent of mortals welcoming the descent of gods. Beneath this star gate stood the wing-shaped tower—the very teleportation array Luo Mengxuan had identified, surely representing the star gate itself.

At the base of the stele, Luo Longyu discovered an Iron Cross medal. Everyone knew that the Iron Cross was a relic of the Third Reich during World War II. Legend had it that Hitler, obsessed with extraterrestrial technology, had sent an expedition deep into Tibet in search of miracles, and apparently, they had found this place. Yet not a single member of that expedition ever returned—vanished without a trace.

"I understand now. This must be the legendary Celestial City of Myriad Phenomena!" Luo Mengxuan suddenly exclaimed, her eyes shining.

Luo Longyu turned to her, frowning. "The Celestial City of Myriad Phenomena? What is that?"

Luo Mengxuan, her spirits lifted, explained, "The Celestial City of Myriad Phenomena is a relic of the Third Era. It was created by the gods of that age as a network of teleportation gates. In modern terms, it’s a stargate system. These gates exist not only on Earth but in other places throughout the stars, forming a vast teleportation network. Later, when the Void Spirits invaded, most of the stargates were destroyed by the gods themselves to prevent the invaders from reaching Earth. This must be one of the destroyed stargates. What those vampires stole was the key to the gate—the Golden Seal!"

"But what do they want with the Golden Seal? If the stargate is destroyed, the seal is useless," Luo Longyu said, perplexed.

Luo Mengxuan shot him a look. "Are you dense? I said most gates were destroyed, not all. There must be others left as a contingency by the gods. The Void Spirits surely know this, too. But most of the Golden Seals were lost. The one here was still active, which is why they came to steal it!"

"So you're saying... they stole the Golden Seal to open another stargate elsewhere, to summon the main army of the Void Spirits?" Luo Longyu asked, a chill running through him.

Luo Mengxuan nodded thoughtfully. "That must be it. Otherwise, why go to such lengths for the Golden Seal?"

Luo Longyu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then why did they steal my mother's body?"

"The Xuanyuan clan carries the bloodline of the ancient gods. The stargates were built by the gods, and their Golden Seals must recognize bloodlines, like a password. Your mother has pure Xuanyuan blood, enough for them to take the seal. Then they'd have a chance to break its password. But this isn’t like a simple computer code—it’s a genetic password. With your mother’s remains, they can study the Golden Seal’s genetic key and, once they crack it, fully open the stargate," Luo Mengxuan explained swiftly.

Seated at the edge of the pool, Luo Longyu pondered. "So these vampires aren’t acting for their own gain. Behind them, it’s still the Void Spirits... If they open the stargate, Earth won’t stand a chance against their onslaught!"

"Exactly." Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted them, startling both Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan. They turned to see Long Shaoxian standing alone by the pool, his face as indifferent as ever.

"I knew you'd come back—for your mother," Long Shaoxian said, his tone devoid of emotion, as cold and distant as a machine.

Luo Longyu glanced at Luo Mengxuan, then leaped into the pool to stand protectively in front of her, facing Long Shaoxian. "Are you here to arrest me?"

"Arrest you?" Long Shaoxian raised an eyebrow. "Luo Longyu, do you realize the trouble you've caused? You've alarmed the central authorities—they've issued an order: bring you back alive or dead. They have the right to kill you."

"Then come on," Luo Longyu replied without a trace of fear. He was ready for a fierce battle, knowing full well Long Shaoxian's strength.

But Long Shaoxian didn't attack. Instead, he said, "What? Aren't you going to explain why you did what you did?"

"Would it matter?" Luo Longyu answered quietly.

For once, Long Shaoxian gave a rare smile, then his face grew cold again. "Listen carefully, Luo Longyu. Elder Ge went to great lengths to protect you—not so you could act recklessly. Now, you're putting Elder Ge in the line of fire. We know you were wronged, but you killed three members of Team Three. The Xuan Yi Pavilion is in a tight spot; the beast clans want an explanation, the central authorities demand results. How long are you going to keep this up?"

"I just want my mother's body back!" Luo Longyu's eyes flashed with determination.

"And then?" Long Shaoxian asked.

Luo Longyu hesitated. "Then... I'll live my life..."

"Nonsense!" Long Shaoxian suddenly roared, transforming into a streak of light and appearing before Luo Longyu in an instant. His fist crashed into Luo Longyu's face, sending him flying out of the pool and crashing into a low building. It was clear the blow was powerful, but not deadly—an act born purely of anger.

"Ugh..."

"Luo Mengxuan, take your little bird and stay out of this! If it weren't for your sister, I'd hit you too!" Before Luo Mengxuan could intervene, Long Shaoxian turned and barked at her with such authority that she shrank back, clutching Little Darling and muttering, "Why are you hitting me? I didn't do anything..."

Luo Longyu threw off the rubble pinning him down and leapt to his feet, glaring furiously at Long Shaoxian. "What, you want to fight that badly?"

"Yes, I do! Come on!" Flames flickered in Long Shaoxian's hand as he gripped his Dragon Halberd tightly.

But seeing Long Shaoxian's even greater anger, Luo Longyu did not move. He saw, in Long Shaoxian's eyes, a flash of bitter disappointment—like that of an elder for a wayward child.

Long Shaoxian clenched his teeth, finally lowering his weapon. "If you had shown even the slightest restraint, things wouldn't have come to this. Elder Ge and I both know Ju Feng is up to something, but we can’t catch him in the act. And what do you do? You hand him the evidence, one piece after another!"

"And what else could I do? Am I supposed to just watch as my mother’s body is used?" Luo Longyu retorted, his heart filled with indignation.

"Your mother, your mother—you say that again and again. If you truly cared for her, have you ever thought about why she had you inherit the Way of Corpses? She walked so far, paved a path for us to resist the Void Spirits, and what have you done? Bit by bit, you've torn her efforts apart. What a fine son you are!" Long Shaoxian scolded, pointing directly at Luo Longyu.