About twenty minutes later, Ren Yuanhao and Yi Die, after climbing over high sand dunes, could already see the brilliant lights shining in the sea of sand.
Modern lights.
Various neon signs flickered, like a vast fertile plain inland. Gigantic city walls surrounded the entire city. Some high-tech signal bases stood tall on skyscrapers, like steel-boned beasts lurking in the dark night, poised to strike.
The two stood at the top of the sand dune, gazing at the scene. Car lights rose and fell like small boats on waves, or like stars shining in the sky on a clear day.
"This, this can't be a mirage, can it?"
Yi Die could not suppress her impatience, trying to get a definitive answer from Ren Yuanhao.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that such a high-tech, modern metropolis could exist in the desert. Its scale is much larger than any City of Sand."
Ren Yuanhao gazed into the distance, observing that solar and wind power generation modules were concentrated in various directions of the city. Their immense scale suggested that these power sources were manufactured by those colossal structures.
"Hey, hey, hey, is it fun in the city?"
"How should I put it? In the words of a certain author, 'When you see enough people, you want to see the sea. When you see enough of the sea, you want to see people.' By the way, are your adoptive parents cultivators?"
Yi Die nodded vigorously. "That's right."
"No wonder. If you had never fought against psychics before, you wouldn't have needed my help earlier, would you?"
"Psychics? Can you tell me what a psychic is?"
Ren Yuanhao nodded, then spurred his horse forward. All along the way, he spoke volubly, recounting all the major events of the world.
...
As they neared the city gate, Yi Die had largely understood what Ren Yuanhao had said. However, her attention was now completely captivated by the massive high wall before them.
"It's hard to imagine that this is the work of humans."
"Yes, it's even more magnificent and grand than our sects."
As Yi Die was about to step forward, suddenly, hundreds of small holes appeared on the city wall, like opening eyes. Ren Yuanhao sensed a powerful and inexplicable killing intent emanating from them!
"Don't go any further."
Ren Yuanhao pulled Yi Die back. At that moment, a man in a suit and tie suddenly appeared on the city wall.
"Raider?"
The man asked with a look of disdain.
Ren Yuanhao shook his head.
"Refugee?"
"You could say that. We've run out of water, our food is almost gone, and there's no fodder left. We're tired and our horses are exhausted. We want to enter the city to resupply. We hope you, sir, will open the gate."
Soon, another, taller man appeared beside the first. This man wore a trench coat, a cigar in his mouth, and was around fifty years old. Ren Yuanhao had excellent eyesight and could even see a large patch of his pupil that differed in color from the sclera.
"There's a lot of trouble with the Mandala Gene recently, so outsiders are prohibited from entering the city. You should leave quickly, otherwise, those over a hundred gun holes will instantly turn you into a sieve."
Yi Die was about to speak, but Ren Yuanhao, knowing her childish and naive nature, immediately said, "We are not any Mandala Gene live subjects; we are cultivators."
"Cultivators?" Both men showed joy. The man with the cigar slowly leaned forward and probed, "Do you have any proof?"
Ren Yuanhao drew his Wuji Blade. However, the moment the two men saw the Wuji Blade, their expressions changed drastically!
"Open the gate, open the gate, welcome honored guests!"
The city gate slowly opened. Ren Yuanhao led his horse, with Yi Die following closely. As Ren Yuanhao's front foot stepped through the gate, men and women lined up on both sides to welcome them. With every step he took, someone bowed, creating quite a grand spectacle!
"Fire the ceremonial cannons!"
The man with the cigar had already thrown his cigar away. As soon as he spoke, thunderous fireworks and firecrackers erupted from the four city gates. They were sometimes like flowing fire, and sometimes as brilliant as the Milky Way, dazzlingly splendid.
"Wow, how beautiful. Hey, why did their attitude change by 360 degrees as soon as they saw the weapon in your hand?"
Yi Die was confused. Ren Yuanhao was even more so. Although this saber had been quite impressive in the desert, it would be truly incredible if this metropolis, standing in the vast desert, also knew of this absurd legend.
Citizens were awakened from their sleep. Some young couples pulled open their curtains, gazing at the brilliant fireworks, and exclaimed, "I wonder who else has arrived that warrants such a grand display."
"Yes, I wonder which great figure it is that has caused ceremonial cannons to be fired from all four directions. I've never seen such treatment before."
In an instant, the city, which should have been asleep, was plunged into frenzied discussion.
Ren Yuanhao was somewhat unaccustomed to it. Whenever people on the sides bowed, he would bow in return. Later, he walked along, steadying himself, and it took quite a while before he passed through the human wall.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you kid, you wouldn't happen to be the son of some wealthy merchant, the kind who comes to the desert to experience life, would you? I've read about them in books~"
Yi Die guessed randomly, but Ren Yuanhao gave her a glare.
"Oh, right, right. You're so ugly, you don't look like any of those novel rich second generations at all."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yuanhao's face darkened. He wondered which eye of hers had seen him as ugly. Did she really think he wouldn't get angry with her constant nagging all the way?
As he was thinking this, the cigar-smoking man hurried up to Ren Yuanhao and said, "My name is Zhang Deshun. I apologize for not welcoming you properly, esteemed guest. Please forgive my oversight."
His expression was genuinely fearful, not like someone being disingenuous. Ren Yuanhao, confused, asked, "Why did your attitudes change so drastically the moment you saw this item?"
"You might not know, but we city dwellers have heard the legends about you. However, we only knew the appearance of the saber and had never seen the person, which led to the embarrassing situation just now."
Zhang Deshun chuckled awkwardly and quickly signaled for someone to take Ren Yuanhao's horse. Then, with a wave of his hand, a Maybach elegantly and smoothly stopped in front of Ren Yuanhao.
"This is?"
"Esteemed guest, you must be tired from your journey. We are obliged to take you to the best hotel to rest."
Ren Yuanhao was a little excited. When had he ever received such treatment? A Maybach, a V12 engine, a dedicated driver, someone to open and close doors for him, and even someone to help him get into the car. This was simply luxurious beyond words.
However, Yi Die's sensitivity to transportation far exceeded Ren Yuanhao's imagination. Thus, amidst the dazzling street scene, a comical image unfolded: the Maybach moved forward, the man in the back seat was elegant and composed, while vomit continuously drifted out of the mouth of a woman covered by a thin veil.
Ren Yuanhao, oh Ren Yuanhao, why do you always manage to be handsome for less than three seconds!