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Chapter 123 A Sudden Change

Everyone hurriedly left the hall, sealed the door with tape, and sped down the mountain.

After walking for about ten minutes, when they passed the path near the cliff again, the group was surprised to find that the scenery in the distance had changed.

Or rather... Chang'an City has changed.

"Look!"

When the first person noticed the anomaly, an inexplicable fear instantly gripped everyone's hearts.

The Immortal Alliance officials and Mo Shuyun stared in shock toward Chang'an—the city in the distance was shrouded in a black orb of light, so vast that it almost swallowed up several tall towers in the city center, with only the four corners of the city still visible.

"What exactly is that... a dark cloud?"

"My God, it seems to be getting bigger!"

"It wasn't like this when we came here. What happened in the city?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their faces filled with unease and fear. That was Chang'an City! The very heart of the entire Immortal Alliance!
Even if the Qingge Sect, a small sect, were to disappear, no one would care. But when incomprehensible strange events occurred in the central area of ​​Chang'an, they could no longer treat the matter with the mindset of bystanders.

Only Chen Xuan in the group had ever seen a similar scene.

That's an anomaly that only occurs in the botanical garden when the Wanderer, Quack, repeatedly traverses the invasion point, causing the invasion to expand rapidly.

On the surface, the eroded area appears to be covered by a layer of oil film or a halo, but in reality, it is two spaces overlapping!
A flash of inspiration struck him—all the clues seemed to connect into one thread.

He was right when he guessed that there was indeed an intrusion point near Chang'an, but he didn't expect that the intrusion point would actually be inside the city.

So... Ji Yanshu is actually a wanderer?
Upon closer examination, many things become clear. Why did he leave Qingge Sect to become a rogue cultivator? Perhaps it was because he didn't want this grotto-heaven to be monopolized by the sect leader and elders... If only he knew about it, the resources within the grotto-heaven could be entirely at his disposal.

Qingge Sect was probably aware of this as well, and wasn't completely kept in the dark, so they deliberately reported his abrupt departure as defection. Even if they couldn't capture Ji Yanshu, they absolutely couldn't let him join another sect with the resources of his grotto-heaven.

This explains why he did not leave Chang'an for five years, at most living in seclusion in the surrounding counties.

Because the "grotto-heaven" was his most precious treasure!
Ji Yanshu would rather risk being found than not stay in Chang'an, so that he could secretly travel to the other side of the world from time to time to continue his cultivation!
Therefore, his aversion to the cultivation sects in Feng County and his distrust of the Immortal Alliance are completely understandable—even small sects in Chang'an can easily manipulate their own low-level cultivators and bully outsiders, let alone local sects where the Immortal Alliance's control has weakened. At the same time, the Immortal Alliance did not verify this matter at all before including him in the list of defecting cultivators, so it is impossible for him to welcome him.

Thinking about it more deeply, Ji Yanshu's confidence in boasting to Ajiu and Ahua about establishing an independent sect probably came from this hidden cave.

He wasn't just bragging. With the Wei siblings, both geniuses, and the rare resources of their grotto-heaven, establishing his own sect wasn't such a distant dream. Even the Qingge Sect could establish itself in Chang'an, so why couldn't he?

The thought of his guests sank Chen Xuan's heart. He suddenly remembered that today was the day Liu Shuyue was leading her team into the city to submit the competition list!
They should all be near the Moon Gazing Tower now!
Oh no, why did it have to happen by such a coincidence?
"Don't worry too much, everyone..." Grand Historian Hongli said, trying to appear calm. "Think about it, how many experts, elders, and sect leaders from various sects are gathered in Chang'an right now. No matter what happens, I believe the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance can work together to resolve it."

"You're right! That's absolutely true!"

"That's right. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. With all the major sects of the Central Plains gathered together, what do we have to worry about?"

"Hahaha... If even the Immortal Alliance can't solve this, there's no use in us being anxious. Let's focus on the ground first."

The other officials couldn't help but echo this sentiment.

"This is bad!" Mo Shuyun frowned deeply. "Don't you consider another possibility? If this was really the work of the enemy, would they be completely unaware of the Immortal Alliance's sect competition? What if this is exactly the moment they've been waiting for?"

Everyone fell silent. An eerie stillness descended upon the scene.

"Continue down the mountain. If this dark light continues to expand, remember not to enter it lightly," Chen Xuan said, breaking the silence.

"And you?" Hongli understood the implication in his words and asked in great surprise, "Aren't you coming with us?"

“I remember there’s still one place inside Qingge Gate that hasn’t been searched. I have to go back first. You can go directly; there’s no need to wait for me.” Then, ignoring the reactions of the others, he gestured directly to Malena and said, “You come with me.”

Amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Chen Xuan led the witch and sped back.

It took him two hours to go up the mountain, and at least an hour and a half to go down. He wasn't very skilled with the Wind Riding Talisman, so he didn't dare to fly directly from the cliff edge to Chang'an. Therefore, if he wanted to get into the city quickly, there was only one way.

After they separated from the main group, Chen Xuan took out a barcode scanner and teleported himself back to the shop. As for whether to teleport Liu Shuyue or Malena next, he thought for a moment and chose the latter.

Regardless, Liu Shuyue is the strongest person in the team. If they encounter danger, such as a mutated demon like Zhang Zhi, only she can deal with it relatively easily.

This was the first time Malena had been recalled by a customer. One second she was in the mountains and forests, and the next she was in the shop. This unreasonable forced travel left her a little stunned. "What... what's wrong with me?"

"Don't take the gods' little tricks to heart. Go out and tell your witch sisters to come to the shop for refuge immediately."

"Chen Xuan, something big seems to have happened in Chang'an City." Lin Qing, who stayed in the shop to watch the store, also noticed the unusual situation outside. "I was just about to come find you."

Chen Xuan saw that she was still wearing the store uniform, but two long guns were already hanging on her back and her waist was full of magazines.

"What are you..."

“Aren’t we going to fight? I’m ready,” Lin Qing said without hesitation.

“Uh…you shouldn’t go. The enemies we might encounter this time are all invulnerable to swords and bullets, so bullets might not be very effective.” Chen Xuan shook his head and said, “I have another important task for you.”

"What mission?"

"Could you set up an antenna here to transmit the WIFI signal into Chang'an City?"

The inability to flexibly utilize his inventory abilities was Chen Xuan's biggest problem. In particular, the enemy who caused this invasion likely came from that strange and evil world, and he was uneasy about only being able to bring four fixed abilities.

“Search…the simplest signal amplification device…” Lin Qing’s eyes flashed with blue light. “Found it! Let me see…I need a few circuit boards and some transceiver modules. Can I disassemble some electrical appliances?”

"You can disassemble it however you want. We can borrow welding equipment from the repair shop in Building C5 of the community. We also have tools like pliers and screwdrivers in the main store."

“Okay,” Lin Qing gave an OK sign, “Leave it to me.”

"Whatever you do, don't take the gun outside the shop," Chen Xuan instructed before turning and heading towards Chang'an City.

The official road outside the manor was already crowded with people fleeing in panic. They carried large and small bags and ran south, fearing that the black light would swallow them up. Observing the invading area up close in the southern suburbs was a completely different feeling from looking at it from afar in the Zhongnan Mountains. Standing in the fields, facing this behemoth that occupied half the sky, Chen Xuan actually felt a sense of insignificance.

It was like a giant gas planet slowly rising, seemingly blotting out the sky. The once majestic and towering city walls of Chang'an looked like mud fences built by children in its presence. He had to crane his neck completely to take its dome into view. Not to mention the city's spire towers, even if you moved the Eiffel Tower here, it wouldn't make a ripple.

He is witnessing a catastrophic erosion.

(End of this chapter)