NOVPUBFrom a distance, the expanse of Eternal Ancient City was vast, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
It was as if a gigantic beast sprawled across this boundless land.
The city was bustling with activity, constructed entirely from bluestone bricks and tiles. The simple city walls, some newly built, others wearing the spotty traces of great antiquity, told of their age.
Once, the world at the other end of the Immortal Path bridge had invaded the Divine Continent, and the Eternal Ancient City, as the first line of defense, had played an extraordinarily meritorious role at the time.
It was said that the battle almost destroyed the entire city, and after people rebuilt it, they preserved some of the ancient ruins.
Xu Zimei and Jiuyou entered the city.
The city was divided into four districts, each vast in its own right.
They entered, quite conspicuously, the North City District.
At the entrance, guards clad in golden armor stood solemnly on both sides, and on the tall city walls hung only two large characters: "Eternal Ancient."
The characters, thick and majestic, seemed to be branded onto the walls, integral to the green tiles and blue bricks, exuding a profoundly ancient charm.
It was said that those were inscribed by the Eternal Ancient Divine King himself.
When rebuilding the Eternal Ancient City, later generations found these inscribed stone blocks among the ruins and pieced them together.
Walking into the city, the main street ahead was wide and flat, broad enough to accommodate dozens of people abreast.
People bustled up and down the street, and besides the shops on both sides, there were special areas designated for itinerant vendors with their shoulder poles.
By that time, the sky had reached the afternoon.
The twilight of autumn was somewhat dim, with no rosy afterglow nor Fire Refining Clouds, just the sunset stretching its remaining radiance as far as possible.
In Eternal Ancient City, there was a strict rule that once afternoon passed, the Teleportation Array to the Divine Demon Battlefield would close.
Only at dawn the next day would it open again.
Since each domain had only one Teleportation Array leading to the Divine Demon Battlefield, everyone in the vast Southern Domain who wished to go there had to gather in Eternal Ancient City.
The North City District of Eternal Ancient City was specifically prepared for those who wanted to visit the Divine Demon Battlefield.
Due to the excessive number of people, everyone had to queue according to the regulations.
Xu Zimei and her companion claimed their identity plaques in the North City District, finding themselves in the three thousand and fifteenth spot.
With over three thousand people ahead of them and a daily teleportation limit of five hundred people, Xu Zimei would have to wait at least a week before she could get to the Divine Demon Battlefield.
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The two found an inn in the North City District.
Although in a hurry, such matters could not be rushed.
Fortuitously, Eternal Ancient City was so immense that there was much to see and do in one’s spare time.
After retrieving their identity plaques and returning to the inn, night had already fallen.
Xu Zimei began to cultivate in her inn room.
Opening the Extraordinary Meridians could be put on hold for now, as Xu Zimei was confident that just by opening fifteen Extraordinary Meridians and with the addition of the Shaking Heaven Power.
She considered herself invincible among Divine Kings of her realm, and once she opened her Extraordinary Meridians again, she might even rival the peak existences on the verge of Stepping into Immortality.
Ordinary Immortals hardly impressed her.
Previously, in the Palace of the God of Slaughter, Xu Zimei acquired the technique known as The Dream of Three Thousand Years.
The God of Slaughter, Bai Changfeng, had died because of cultivating this Vein Skill, transforming the sea into mulberry fields.
Later, Xu Zimei made Bai Changfeng the Lord of Hell of her Divine Land, presiding over the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the eighteen levels of Hell.
Now, Xu Zimei was just getting the chance to try out The Dream of Three Thousand Years Technique.
The strength of The Dream of Three Thousand Years Technique lay in its ability to temper the heart, and it provided ample time to hone one’s Vein Skills.
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But it was also fraught with danger, and at any misstep, one could truly experience three thousand years, or even thirty thousand years, ending with death and the fall of their Dao.
"The Dream of Three Thousand Years, I wish to sever the Seven Emotions."
When Xu Zimei arrived in Divine Continent, unlike others who feared the horrors of the great dream, he was fearless.
His figure arrived at the River of Time within Divine Continent, using it to control the flow of time within his dreams.
Eventually, he slowly closed his eyes and entered his own dream.
Within the dream, he simulated all sorts of scenes.
The birth, aging, sickness, and death of a mortal, the life of a wastrel young master from a wealthy family.
There was the daily life of Immortal Path’s powerful beings, and those who endlessly sought after the Way of Inquiry.
And it was not only humans that he simulated, but also Monster Beasts, flora, and trees.
Inside the dream, Xu Zimei’s consciousness was clear.
He reviewed what he had learned, summarized and reflected, and then practiced them one by one.
From Way of Inquiry’s nineteen skills to War God’s Nine Transformations, to Demonic Ten Skills which the previous Demon Lord had passed down to him, and one of the ancient top ten Divine Methods left by Emperor Qitian, the Heaven-shaking Skill.
Xu Zimei step by step, sought understanding and then practiced until he was skilled.
In this Great Dream Technique, cultivation was meaningless, for after all, it was just a dream.
Even if you cultivated to the point of Stepping into Immortality, upon waking, you’re still only at Divine Vein.
But the understanding of Vein Skills was genuinely existent.
Though it couldn’t be said to be as long as three thousand years, Xu Zimei indeed gained substantial benefits from this dream.
Cultivating without a break, countless years had passed, and in the River of Time, Xu Zimei’s true body slowly opened his eyes.
At that moment, his eyes were deep and full of vicissitude, as if he had experienced endless ages, seeing through all the changes in the world.
He emerged from Divine Continent, and only a single night had passed.
Dawn was just breaking, those cultivations in the Great Dream Technique continuously gave him insights.
This kind of cultivation must be undertaken at intervals, or else continuous practice would surely lead to personality disintegration.
After summarizing his own strength, Xu Zimei left the room and went to the ground floor of the inn.
Jiuyou had already ordered the food, and they found a seat by the window.
"I heard there are several places worth visiting in Eternal Ancient City, if you’re free after breakfast, let’s go see," Jiuyou suggested.
"Sure, since we’ll be here for about six days," Xu Zimei nodded. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
After eating, the two of them left the North City District of Eternal Ancient City and went straight to the East City District.
In this East City District, there was an Ascending to Divinity Stairs.
It was rumored that during the Divine-Demon Era, the Eternal Ancient Divine King had just ascended to Divine King and personally established the Ascending to Divinity Stairs here in Eternal Ancient City.
Anyone who could reach the top floor would have the chance to see the incarnation left there by the Eternal Ancient Divine King.
As for the benefits, the Divine King didn’t specify, but there were various rumors among the people.
In short, meeting the Divine King was already the dream of many people’s lifetimes.
Unfortunately, the Ascending to Divinity Stairs had withstood several eras, and none, whether from the Eternal Ancient Divine Sect’s disciples or other outsiders, had ever truly reached the highest level.
Over time, the Ascending to Divinity Stairs gradually became one of the most famous structures in Eternal Ancient City.
Anyone coming to Eternal Ancient City would come here to attempt the climb.
When Xu Zimei and Jiuyou arrived, countless people had already gathered here.
Looking straight ahead, a towering golden ladder soared into the clouds, reaching up towards the heavens.
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