Chapter Forty-One

The people surrounding Qimie were stunned. At first, they felt nothing, but as the situation progressed, they couldn't help but retreat. Was this person even human?

What began as curiosity quickly transcended their understanding, turning into genuine fear. They instinctively cleared a wide space around Qimie and the dark-skinned boy, Mayi.

There was no shortage of experts in the vicinity, yet even the likes of Hu Yu, the Black Dragon, and the Undead could not discern if Mayi’s transformation was some sort of illusionary art. In other words, it was real—and that was monstrous.

Qimie was having the hardest time. As a Level 5 expert, he found himself sweating profusely in the mild weather. Despite the lack of any overt pressure, it felt as though he were standing before some unspeakable horror. He stared in terror at the dark-skinned boy, who was now a completely different person from the one he had encountered moments before.

Meanwhile, Shen Yi watched the events unfolding outside the city through his radar, his eyes widening. "What is going on? How did such a powerhouse emerge from an inconspicuous group of refugees?" He had encountered many experts since arriving in this strange world, but it was truly bizarre that even the human race’s advanced technology could not detect anything unusual about this man.

To Shen Yi, it didn't matter who entered his city, as he felt capable of handling anything. He always scanned people before they entered; their strength was usually plain to see at a glance. He had specifically scanned this man, and the readout had labeled him an ordinary person. That was what made it so abnormal. Unknown things are always accompanied by unknown dangers. Shen Yi was no longer calm; he began deploying various human military units to prepare for contingencies.

The massive iron plates atop the city—the "Youge City"—opened, revealing rotating missile turrets and siege tanks that locked their targeting systems onto Qimie and Mayi. The city gates began to close; clearly, there would be no entering the city today.

The crowd waiting in line, sensing trouble, also began to distance themselves from Qimie and Mayi.

"Who are you?" As a Level 5 expert, the Undead, along with the child and the red-faced man, managed to suppress their fear and voice their collective confusion. They subtly surrounded Mayi, their expressions solemn and their brows furrowed, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The four Level 5 experts encircled him, their powerful auras surging forth without the slightest restraint.

Facing the provocation of four experts, Mayi remained expressionless, as if they were nothing more than air. "Gentlemen, I only wish to enter the city," he said.

He then looked toward the distant, turtle-shell-like Youge City. After a moment of thought, he added, "If I capture these four and present them to the Commander, will he let me in?" He spoke as if he knew the Commander could hear him, his eyes fixed on the city rather than the four men surrounding him.

Shen Yi was dumbfounded, unsure whether he should speak. *I don’t know how capable you are, so how could I dare let you in? I don't even know if I could stop you!*

The four experts were both tense and indignant at this remark. Had they just been belittled? They belonged to different factions but had no major conflicts, sometimes even working together.

This was a thorny situation, and they had no choice but to temporarily join forces. Aside from the Undead, the others were experts in transformation, yet they had just been schooled by someone else, which stung their pride. However, none of them wanted to be the first to strike.

"What a nuisance. I really just wanted to enter the city. Fine, I won't go in today." Seeing that the Commander did not reply, Mayi shook his head and walked away without looking back, ignoring the four experts as if they were invisible.

With every step, Mayi’s appearance shifted. After a few paces, he reverted to the form of the dark-skinned boy, yet the others still could not see how he did it.

The Undead, unwilling to accept this, leapt to block Mayi’s path. He was furious and about to speak when his mind suddenly went blank. It felt as if the world had flipped; he was stepping on the sky, and the earth was pressing down upon his head. He looked up to see an endless landscape collapsing toward him. The sky and earth were merging, leaving him alone in the void.

The Undead knew he had fallen into an illusion, but he could find no flaw. Even knowing it was fake, he could not break it. He closed his eyes and tried to sense his surroundings, but it was useless. His perception told him the same thing: the sky and earth were flipping and closing in. Song Yuan panicked. *How is this possible?* To have his very senses blocked—this person's cultivation was monstrous. If the sky and earth merged, he would be crushed into dust.

Song Yuan was terrified, but having survived countless brushes with death, he knew he had to stay calm. *To break an illusion, if eyes and perception fail, there is sound. Yes, sound. Sound is blocked by physical objects. If I use my powerful perception, I can surely break it!*

He tried to open his jaw to shout, but it felt as though he were paralyzed by a ghost. Despite his efforts, not a sound escaped. His mouth was agape, but he remained silent.

No one else could see the illusion Song Yuan was trapped in, but they could see his jawbone nearly dislocating as he struggled to scream in silence. Song Yuan’s heart turned cold. *If he truly wanted to kill me...*

*No, I am a Level 5 expert! How could I be subdued like this? I refuse!* Song Yuan roared internally.

But the world gave him no time. In a blink, the sky above touched the descending earth. Song Yuan continued to struggle, the agony of possessing immense power yet being unable to use it driving him to the brink of madness.

Mayi walked past him, muttering, "If you have no desire for immortality, why cling to the dust of this world? You are but a foul thing of the earth; do not come out and disgrace yourself."

"A foul thing? Hmph! If the things you call foul occupy the entire continent, then humanity could also be called foul!" A voice suddenly resonated through the heavens, startling everyone—especially Shen Yi, the child, the old man, and the red-faced man who hadn't left. *There are others?*

Shen Yi’s heart tightened. "Who is this now? What kind of day is this?" Before he could finish his thought, another voice boomed, nearly making him jump out of his chair. It was like a thunderclap; ordinary people nearby could have been killed by the sheer shockwave.

"Hahaha, so the old ones can't sit still anymore? Can the Covenant no longer restrain you? I suppose you all want to know why this Commander’s puppets are so fierce, especially that iron block that fell from the sky. It's too powerful—I’m tempted to go into the city and study it myself! Hahaha!"

Mayi curled his lip. "This item is too volatile. Sigh. The Covenant is still in effect; I am merely traveling and not interfering, so everyone should withdraw! You brainless primeval Undead, your descendant is fine; I was just scaring him." He glanced at the ground, then up at the sky, and walked away.

The two voices fell silent. No one knew if they had left. Hu Yu and the others didn't dare breathe. *Did they leave? Are they still here? Can I even leave?* These questions swirled in their minds. What kind of situation was this? Was it really necessary to terrify a Level 5 expert like that?

Song Yuan shuddered, and his skeletal frame collapsed into a pile on the ground, covered by his black robe like a small burial mound. The robe twitched occasionally, letting Shen Yi know he wasn't dead, though he was likely frightened out of his wits.

After a long stalemate, the elven elder Qimie asked in a low voice, "Senior?" Seeing no response, he breathed a sigh of relief. "What a mess. Where do all these monsters come from? I just wanted to be further up in line! I really didn't mean any harm!" His heart complex, he didn't even bid farewell to the red-faced man or Hu Yu, and instead walked away with heavy steps.

Soon, Hu Yu and the red-faced man also departed, disappearing into the distance.

"It seems there’s no chance of entering the city these next few days. These 'great gods' who appeared will need to be studied to see exactly who they are."

Sitting in the command center, Shen Yi stretched his neck to look at the screen. Through the satellite, he saw Mayi walking away with a leisurely gait, though his speed was astonishingly fast.

Shen Yi wanted to see where he was going, but after a few steps, Mayi suddenly vanished from the screen. The satellite feed froze, having lost its target. *Forget it, never mind him. I can't beat him, so why look for him?*

He looked at the Youge City population counter: 99,996. Just a few more, and things would be easier.

The massive, heavily guarded gates of Youge City opened, and a dozen Vulture hover-bikes surged out, scattering in all directions.