Chapter 00049: A World Without People
# A World Without People
Chapter 49
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 49: A World Without People
Apart from bubbles, there was nothing in the water.
No impurities, no sand, no aquatic plants.
Interestingly, he could breathe freely, as if he were a fish in water, without any sense of suffocation.
But deep down, he was furious.
This kind of dangerous scouting work was something he would never normally do.
It was just that he had been swept in by the residual force of the Great Wind Army's commander, and that's how he ended up here.
To put it bluntly, his cultivation level was too low.
Back in Blackwater City, he had been living the high life and hadn't noticed it.
But after encountering Nian Songyu and Imperial Preceptor Sun, and then coming to Panlong City for exploration, he could see the crisis approaching step by step, and his low cultivation level became increasingly inadequate.
If only he were a bit stronger.
His body was sinking rapidly, and below him was a pitch-black abyss, like a bottomless pit.
Just before he sank into the endless darkness, He Lingchuan seemed to catch a glimpse of a dark red figure.
The thing appeared to be enormous, flickering in and out around him, with a part of its body that seemed cylindrical—like a barrel, but magnified countless times.
Most importantly, it was moving! Unfortunately, He Lingchuan didn't have time to get a closer look before everything went dark.
...
When he opened his eyes again, the scene had changed.
He was standing by a small stream, the water clear and shallow, just covering his feet.
The sand and stones were clean, and a small river shrimp was attacking his boot.
The water plants and wild radishes by the stream were a vibrant green, and in the distance, a few farmhouses were visible, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.
He Lingchuan touched his clothes and found them dry, completely untouched by the bloody water from the pool.
It seemed that the pool had merely been a passageway.
He climbed up from the stream to a low slope, and as soon as he looked up, he froze.
Before him stretched a vast plain, full of life, with large fields of wheat turning green.
The trees by the fields were sparse, but the tallest ones reached about thirty to fifty feet.
Scattered around were small huts for guarding the fields, and He Lingchuan even spotted a water pouch hanging from a nearby tree branch.
In the distance, a great river flowed, dividing the two plains.
On the other side of the river, the land was much higher, resembling a giant crocodile lying by the river.
Most importantly, the shape of the plain's edge was unique and familiar.
Could that be... the Red Plateau?
He Lingchuan jumped down from the slope and headed toward the Red Plateau.
The sky was blue, the clouds white, and the air was filled with the damp scent of soil and grass.
Walking through this pastoral scene was refreshing, especially for someone who had just come from a desolate desert city.
But the more peaceful it seemed, the more eerie it felt.
He Lingchuan walked several hundred feet, passing through a village with about a hundred households, but he didn't encounter a single person.
The village was quite large.
The fields, farmhouses, and homes were all eerily quiet.
He even checked each house one by one—they were all empty.
In one kitchen, coarse steamed buns were ready, still steaming hot.
He didn't dare eat them, but he picked one up and squeezed it—it was soft and hot to the touch.
Where had everyone gone?
As he passed through a wheat field, a pink butterfly flew toward him.
He Lingchuan reached out to touch it, but his finger passed right through it.
There was nothing there.
An illusion? He then spotted a green grasshopper in the wheat field and poked it with his finger—it was also just air.
These living creatures were all illusions.
But the wheat seedlings felt real.
He pinched off a bit of the sprout and chewed it—it was slightly bitter and astringent, just like the taste of young grass.
Just then, there was a rustling sound in the wheat field, and a living creature darted out.
He Lingchuan was startled and had already half-drawn his knife when he realized it was a sand bandit.
This man was the second cousin of Situ Han's brother-in-law, nicknamed "Peach" because he was skinny, small, and had a thick beard.
When he saw He Lingchuan, he was also surprised, but then he exclaimed joyfully, "Young Master, you're alright!"
"Where are the others?" He Lingchuan looked around and found that only this one teammate had arrived.
"And why is one of the life flames on your shoulder missing?"
"The Imperial Preceptor took it and put it on a candle," Peach said with a bitter expression.
"Then he pushed me down here. Where is this? Panlong... Wasteland?" Anyone with eyes could see how strange this place was.
"Is this an illusion?"
"Yeah," He Lingchuan immediately guessed Imperial Preceptor Sun's intentions.
"They used you to scout the way, so they'll be coming down soon too."
The two of them walked together, and He Lingchuan asked, "When you passed through the scene... no, when you fell into the pool, did you see anything?"
"Just pale red blood water, and it didn't choke me. Then I blinked and ended up here."
"Nothing else?"
Peach thought carefully.
"No. Did you see something?"
He Lingchuan shook his head.
Had he imagined that huge unknown creature in the pale red water?
After walking for another half an hour, the two finally approached the Red Plateau.
The river before them was calm, about thirty feet wide, with a gentle flow.
He Lingchuan knew this must be Panlong City's moat, but it was nowhere near as deep or wide as he had seen before.
They followed the riverbank westward for another half an hour, and finally, Panlong City came into view.
"There, there!" Peach exhaled.
"Is that Panlong City?"
Panlong City was still in the same location, at the lower pass of the Red Plateau.
But it didn't look nearly as grand as it had in the desert.
The city walls weren't as high or thick, and the battlements didn't even have the crocodile teeth spikes.
When the two approached the natural bridge, they found the bridge deck paved with bluestones, many of which were cracked and filled with moss and grime.
After crossing the bridge, the city gate was still there, but the doors weren't made of ironwood—they were just ordinary thick wooden doors reinforced with iron.
The defensive strength of this city gate was about the same as Blackwater City's.
However, there were two people standing under the city gate, waving at them.
Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping.
He Lingchuan frowned inwardly when he saw them but put on a surprised expression as he approached.
"Why are only the two of you here? Where are the others?"
"The Great Wind Army's spirits called for reinforcements, and Prefect He stayed behind with the troops to hold off the enemy outside the pool," Sun Fuping said.
"This is the Great Wind Army's territory. We can't fight them here."
Otherwise, it would be certain death.
It sounded reasonable, but He Lingchuan's heart sank.
He knew he had to be extra careful now, though he put on a dissatisfied expression.
"My old man is really inconsiderate, leaving me here all alone."
With He Chunhua and the main force not coming down, he was left alone to face Sun and Nian.
They could do whatever they wanted with him—shape him into a ball or flatten him like a pancake.
The situation was against him, so it was best to be pragmatic!
Sun Fuping didn't even bother to respond, only asking, "By the way, how long have you been down here?"
"About... two hours?" He Lingchuan's attitude softened, and he pointed behind him.
"I landed in that village over there and climbed up from the river."
Sun Fuping's expression changed slightly, and Nian Songyu pointed at Peach.
"How is that possible? I followed this guy down right after. He was only a few dozen breaths behind you."
The Imperial Preceptor pondered.
"The four of us came down one after another, but we appeared here at different times. That must be due to the flow of time. This place is indeed more than just an illusion."
Yes, anyone who came down here would first assume it was an illusion.
(End of Chapter)