Urban Immortal Cultivation Supreme

Wang Hui's improved complexion and steady breathing finally allowed Zhu Bufan to let go of his suspended heart. It could be said that to save Wang Hui, Zhu Bufan would spare no expense, using all the precious medicinal materials in his possession, because if it were not for Wang Hui, it might have been himself who ended up with a severed limb.

Once Wang Hui's condition stabilized, Zhu Bufan truly began to observe the surroundings, while Huo Ling had already risen above the waves to scout earlier. The reason they both cared so much was that neither Zhu Bufan nor Huo Ling could sense any trace of life energy on the plain; everything was dead silent.

After observing for a long time, Huo Ling slowly descended on the waves, and came beside Zhu Bufan, saying, "The grass and trees on the plain are almost all withered, there are no signs of life, and from this direction, you can see the silhouette of a city, but it's quite far away."

"According to the Demon King, this place should be like the First Layer, a so-called 'living area' tier of the tower, but why is it so barren and dead?"

"It probably has something to do with the change Bai Ling mentioned. But since there is a city, it means there are people there. Once we're inside the city, we'll probably find out what's really going on." After pondering for a while, Huo Ling spoke to Zhu Bufan.

After collecting some branches nearby to make a simple stretcher, Zhu Bufan carefully placed Wang Hui on the stretcher and carried it alone, moving forward. Seeing Zhu Bufan make such an arrangement for Wang Hui to lie down comfortably, Huo Ling sighed while feeling a strange sensation in his heart.

Including Emperor Yan and Bai Ling, the four employed their movement techniques and hurried toward the city. After about an hour, they finally saw the contours of the city. A large city, similar to the black stone-built Heiyan City on the First Layer, but the only difference was that the city gates here were eerily quiet. Despite the wide-open gates, there were no guards or people entering or leaving the city.

"What is going on here?" The eeriness at the grand city gates puzzled everyone. As they swiftly approached the gate, Zhu Bufan discovered that not only the city gates but also the streets and shops inside the city were eerily empty, utterly lifeless.

"What a strong odor," Bai Ling, just walking inside the city gate, suddenly covered her little nose with her hand, her face frowning. Seeing Bai Ling's reaction, Zhu Bufan sniffed but couldn't smell anything odd.

"Bai Ling, did you smell something?" After confirming again that there was no unusual odor around, Zhu Bufan turned to Bai Ling. Hearing Zhu Bufan's words, Bai Ling shook her head, then nodded and said, "I didn't smell the 'stink' you're talking about. What I smelled was the 'scent of death,' not the kind that lingers in the void."

"A six-tailed fox can be called a 'Spiritual Fox.' Once it becomes a Spiritual Fox, it becomes extremely sensitive to certain special scents. Even though the lying fox was forced back to the Demon Fox stage, the capabilities once mastered are not completely lost, so the lying fox might be weak in strength, but her senses in this area can be trusted," Emperor Yan added, having heard Bai Ling's words.

"Damn black Demon, who did you call weak? I think it's really you who is weak!!"

"Damn lying fox, who did you call a black Demon? This Emperor thinks you are just a rookie!!"

Ignoring the two young girls who started quarreling again as they walked, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling began examining everything inside the city. The city seemed as if no residents lived there, and indeed, both of them couldn't sense any signs of living beings; it was completely an empty city.

Although the city clearly informed everyone that it was an empty city, all the signs indicated that people had lived here before; it was definitely not an empty city. Walking to an apothecary shop, Zhu Bufan pushed the door open, and as expected, there was no one inside; the door was unlocked.

"All the cabinets inside the apothecary are filled with medicinal materials, obviously, someone was running it before, and from the tidy appearance, it seems that the previous owner didn't leave in a hurry," said Huo Ling, having returned to Zhu Bufan's side after just settling Wang Hui on a bed.

"Could it be that all the people here truly vanished? And the reason is the disturbance in the Tenth Layer that Bai Ling mentioned?" Upon hearing Huo Ling's words, Zhu Bufan immediately fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a flash of light crossed Zhu Bufan's mind, and he said to Huo Ling, "Wait! Did you say that this apothecary is very 'tidy'?"

"Yes, everything around is very neat and clean," seeing Zhu Bufan's surprised expression, Huo Ling nodded strangely.

"Bai Ling! When did the changes in the Tenth Layer happen?" Zhu Bufan, touching the equally smooth and clean bed beside him, asked Bai Ling.

"What happened over ten years ago, what's up?"

"The changes from more than a decade ago left this city deserted. If this was caused by the changes back then," Zhu Bufan started sweating, "could it really remain so clean around here? Immaculately clean for over ten years? That's impossible, right?"

After Zhu Bufan's remarks, Huo Ling also started sweating instantly, whereas Emperor Yan and Bai Ling, both young girls, furrowed their brows in a similar concerned expression, exhibiting an identical cute look as if molded from the same frame.

"Something is indeed amiss here; let's wake Master Wang Hui and leave this place," Huo Ling finally said to Zhu Bufan after a moment's thought, and Zhu Bufan obviously agreed. However, rousing Master Wang Hui wasn't as simple as just calling him to wake, hence Zhu Bufan could only shake his head and reply, "We can only wait for Master Wang Hui to awaken on his own; forcibly waking him up wouldn't do any good."

"I understand, I'll go check outside," Huo Ling nodded, left the room, and went back to inspect the pharmacy while Zhu Bufan turned to Bai Ling and asked, "Bai Ling, you mentioned earlier that you smelled 'death' here, what exactly does that mean?"

"It's quite straightforward; it means that many people have definitely died in this city. The scent of death lingers around. Of course, this is also my first encounter with such a situation. Previously living in the Ninth Layer, I never experienced such a dense aura of death."

"So, you mean to say, the residents here likely all died?"

"That might not necessarily be the case. The accumulated Qi of death over the years, if not dispersed, can also create such an atmosphere. It doesn't necessarily mean all the people in the city are dead," Bai Ling responded, looking thoughtful.

"Zhu Bufan." Just then, Huo Ling re-entered the room, "I just checked the neighboring restaurant and noticed that some of the dishes on tables were still steaming, and some were half-eaten, making it feel as though the diners had suddenly disappeared."

"So that's the situation," Emperor Yan nodded even before Zhu Bufan could respond, "It's alright, let's just wait here for the Alchemist to awaken, and leave immediately after he does. As for the rest, it doesn't matter. The people here, they likely all died more than ten years ago, no doubt about it."

"What exactly is going on, Emperor Yan, you know why this place has become like this, right?" Upon hearing Emperor Yan's statement, Zhu Bufan urgently questioned her.

"The explanation is not difficult to understand, just too implausible. The time of this city stopped at a specific moment and never flowed again, meaning this place has 'died'." Emperor Yan, after closing her eyes to ponder a moment, explained in a way Zhu Bufan could comprehend.

"How is this possible? You're saying the time here has stopped flowing?"

"Why is it not possible? Didn't you see it in the Ninth Layer? The reason those spatial fissures opened and never closed, is because those fissures are 'dead', just like how heavy wounds on regular people leave scars."

"So, does that mean the Tenth Layer is currently in a state of time halt? Then why can we move? And if so, doesn't it mean we can never go back?" Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling began to sweat more as they listened to Emperor Yan's explanation.

"Why can't we move? It's like standing in front of a bamboo forest and standing before a painting of a bamboo forest, there is no one to stop you from moving in either case. The difference is, the bamboo forest behind you in the former case is undergoing the passage of time, while the latter is merely fixed within the painting, utterly unrelated to you."

"As for your latter question, it's more absurd. It's simple for a painted bamboo forest to exist in front of you, and a painted city to encompass you within it also possible. But painting an entire layer of the tower, do you think that's feasible? These time-stopped spaces are just a type of spatial fragment, so there is no need to worry. Just think of yourself as being in a place completely surrounded by painted scenery."

Emperor Yan spoke lightly, and her explanation was quite clear, allowing Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling to finally relax. However, Bai Ling, who often argued with Emperor Yan, noticed a brief profound contemplation in her expression. In fact, Emperor Yan had cleverly skirted around a very important issue – namely, what power could have caused such a consequence!