That night was naturally filled with boundless springtime charm and intoxicating scenery.
However, in a harmonious society, such things are better left undescribed. You get the idea.
As night fell, the Rainbow Fountain officially erupted, and a Rainbow Bridge spanned the void. Rainbow Rain showered continuously from the sky, brilliantly colored, making the entire Xuanhuang City appear like a dream. Countless people were mesmerized, especially many women who adored the sight. Even after the rainbow rain dissipated, they still reminisced about it fondly.
But let us set that aside for now.
With Yi Tianxing and the expeditionary army returning, the entire Great Yi Dynasty suddenly came alive, like an engine roaring to life, beginning to operate at full throttle. A vibrant new energy surged throughout the realm.
Under this rapid progress, changes occurred daily.
Especially with the Star Network's coverage, information and communication had become extraordinarily simple. Even matters occurring tens of thousands of miles away could be reported instantly.
Due to Jiang Ni's natural disaster warnings, Yi Tianxing dared not act recklessly.
Within the military camps, tens of millions of soldiers continued their relentless training.
At the same time, all soldiers had begun cultivating the Heavenly Soldier War Codex.
The Star-Picking Tower had also been integrated into Xuanhuang City, now standing firmly atop the Palace Treasure Tree.
The schedule for the Imperial Examination was also finalized—it would take place in three months. First, written tests would be conducted in various Immortal Cities, followed by a unified practical exam in Xuanhuang City.
With this news confirmed, countless individuals across Great Yi sprang into action, busily preparing for the examination, ready to leap over the Dragon Gate.
Unknowingly, a month had already passed.
During this time, Great Yi maintained a relaxed outward posture while staying internally alert, closely monitoring surrounding changes. The fear lingered that breaking into the Dharma Image Realm and piercing the Heavenly Dao Seal might trigger world-altering upheavals. Yet strangely, nothing had happened during this entire month.
The foreign races remained silent, and Great Yi's territory was calm.
The Immortal Cities chosen to establish Trade Markets had immediately begun construction. Materials flowed in nonstop, and within a month, most of the foundational structures were already complete.
"Could it be that the Heavenly Dao Seal wasn't affected and still suppresses those powerful beings?"
This thought flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind when he received the reports.
…
Great Yi pacified the wilds with Immortal Cities, but the wilderness was never a human stronghold. It remained full of danger and the unknown—not just from foreign tribes, but also from powerful fierce beasts and monsters. Each venture into the wilderness was a brush with death.
However, with the increasing strength of bounty hunters and citizens of Great Yi, wilderness exploration became deeper and more detailed.
In the Hunter Hall, many bounty hunters began to form trusted teams for their missions. By working together, they boosted both strength and safety.
Thus, numerous bounty hunter squads began to emerge across Great Yi, often referred to as Hunter Groups.
At this moment, in the Immortal City of Green Willow City, a fairly strong team known as the Flying Eagle Hunter Group was operating. Their leader, called Flying Eagle, was well-known—his real name unknown. He cultivated a unique technique: the Heavenly Eagle Scripture ("天鹰经"), which granted him great strength, superior to most ordinary techniques.
In Green Willow's Hunter Hall, he ranked among the top experts.
He frequently led his team into the wilds to hunt fierce beasts, gather herbs, or scout intelligence. Their task completion rate was excellent, earning them significant fame.
This time, Flying Eagle once again led his team into the wilderness.
Their target: the Iron-Backed Golden Thread Python.
This python's blood was a valuable alchemical ingredient. Its gallbladder was also precious. But the most prized material was its snake tendon—extremely tough and able to bear many times its own strength. It was an excellent material for refining weapons, particularly top-grade bowstrings.
The bounty came from someone wanting to forge a powerful war bow, and the reward was generous. Having once encountered such a python, Flying Eagle took the mission without hesitation.
Once they left the Immortal City and entered the wild, under Flying Eagle's guidance, they skillfully avoided various hidden dangers, moving swiftly. It was clear these were elite hunters, highly familiar with the terrain. Their techniques had become instinctual.
Before long, they had ventured deep into the wilderness.
"Captain, look! There's a temple up ahead!"
"Yeah… but I swear I've never seen that temple before. We passed this route a few days ago—there was nothing here. Are we lost?"
"Strange… all our markers are correct. Where did that temple come from?"
Suddenly, the team came to a halt. Their expressions turned grim. In front of them, at some unknown time, a temple had appeared.
Awooo!!
Distant howls of wolves echoed through the night, chilling to the bone.
The ancient temple looked dilapidated. Nearby stood a grave mound, right before the temple. Behind it, a towering ancient tree loomed. As the wind blew, one could almost hear whispering voices in the air.
The temple's sudden appearance was strange.
Flying Eagle, long-hardened by countless battles and already at the Life Aperture Realm, felt something was off. But he couldn't quite pinpoint what.
"Why would there be a broken temple here? Something so unusual can't be good. Let's retreat for now and report this to the Immortal City. We'll be rewarded by the Hunter Hall for this kind of information."
He quickly made the call—not rushing in despite it seeming like a human temple.
"Ahhhh!!"
Suddenly, a woman's scream echoed from the temple.
"Help me! Please—someone help! Don't hurt me!"
The cries were full of despair and panic, stirring a compulsion to help in anyone who heard them.
"There's someone inside—a woman? Some evil monks up to no good?"
One of the young hunters, blood boiling, charged toward the temple with his blade drawn.
"Wait for me!"
Another two or three followed.
"Calm down! Don't go in!"
Flying Eagle's expression changed as he shouted:
"This temple is wrong! How could there be a woman in this wilderness? Even if a human woman somehow ended up here, those cries were too strange. There's a power in them that affects our minds. Da Zhuang and the others must have been influenced—why else would they act so rashly?"
As a veteran, he knew something was very wrong. The voice carried an enchanting force, subtly manipulating the listener.
"Captain! There's a stone tablet over here!"
One hunter pointed to a broken stone stele, half-buried in the ground. Its writing had been eroded by time.
"Lan… Ruo…"
Some characters could still be made out—others had been lost.
…
Elsewhere in the wilderness, another hunter group was on a scouting mission.
"Boss, look! Is that a village ahead? Looks like a human settlement."
"Yeah! If we can bring them back to the Immortal City, we'll get a big bounty!"
Saving human survivors from the wilderness—especially from foreign tribes—was a great merit, richly rewarded.
"But… this village feels strange. It's not newly built. Could this be an old settlement from the early days of the World Fusion?"
Upon closer inspection, it was clear the village was old—but remarkably intact, unlike most ruins left after beast or foreign tribe attacks.
"Something's not right. These houses… they're all facing east-west. That's weird."
In traditional Chinese practice, buildings are usually oriented north-south, to allow airflow and good feng shui.
East-west orientation disrupts natural energy flow. It isn't necessarily harmful—but it's certainly not a good sign.
And this entire village… was built in that strange alignment.