Chapter 00060: The Real Deal Descends
# The Real Deal Descends
Chapter 60
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 60: The Real Deal Descends
With a sharp "whoosh," a fire arrow as long as half a man's height shot towards the southern city!
This was a random shot, but the angle was carefully chosen.
The arrow pierced through the roof of the first house, broke through the wall, and embedded itself into a pillar of the second house.
With the oil on the arrowhead aiding the flames, the houses that were hit began to burn fiercely.
The southern city was densely packed with buildings, one after another.
In theory, there should have been firewalls between the houses, but humans have always had a knack for illegally expanding their territory.
Over time, the houses ended up connected, and when faced with an arsonist like Nian Songyu, the entire area was soon engulfed in flames.
The most devastating was the new type of nail bomb he had found.
A single shot would explode into hundreds of nail fragments, scattering sparks everywhere.
The southern city was vast, and with limited manpower, Sun Fuping had no choice but to step in and help.
Rolling stones coated with tar and fire turned the houses of the southern city into a sieve.
They landed in the official residence area, with two large stones smashing through the Zhong family's house.
The trees in the yard and the beams of the house caught fire simultaneously.
At first, the fire didn't seem too alarming, but when all the flames connected, it became an inferno that could consume the entire city!
Sun Fuping, impatient with the slow spread of the fire, cast a wind-summoning spell.
This wasn't the Great Thousand World, so the power of his divine abilities was greatly reduced.
What should have been a fierce gale turned into a gentle breeze.
But it was enough to fan the flames.
The fire, aided by the wind, sent thick smoke billowing into the sky.
He Lingchuan and Mao Tao stood by the small lake in the southern part of the city, deliberately keeping their distance from the official residences.
Finally, the wooden beam of the Zhong residence snapped in two, falling onto the bed and the dressing table.
The wooden comb bounced twice before helplessly falling into the fire.
The flames licked at the comb, quickly blackening its lower half.
As if triggered by some mechanism, the fire suddenly spread in all directions with unstoppable speed.
Even standing by the lake, the two felt the heat on their faces, their hair almost singed.
They had no choice but to dive into the lake to cool off.
Even through the water, He Lingchuan could see the red glow above.
The entire city was ablaze, with no place left untouched.
Nian and Sun stood on the city walls, equally shocked by the sight.
The sudden, rapid spread of the fire was clearly unnatural.
Sun Fuping exhaled: "Tao Bo was right."
Only by destroying the peaceful illusion would Panlong City reveal its true form.
Suddenly, a heavy rain began to fall.
The once-unstoppable flames were quickly extinguished by the rain.
Sun Fuping stared at the small puddles forming on the battlements.
In just a few moments, a small pool of water had gathered.
"The rain is red," he said slowly.
"The same color as the well water."
The city ahead had turned into a wasteland, with smoke rising from the ruins.
The water level in the lake dropped rapidly, and He Lingchuan and Mao Tao found themselves sitting in a muddy pit, soaked to the bone.
"Ugh!" Mao Tao spat out the water in his mouth.
"This tastes like blood?"
"The illusion has faded," He Lingchuan said, having accidentally swallowed a couple of mouthfuls himself.
The taste of blood lingered in his mouth.
He didn't dwell on it, pointing ahead: "Look, the ruins have changed."
Though everything was charred, the entire city had transformed.
Many ruins that hadn't been there before now appeared, as if the illusion had never existed.
Even the lake they had hidden in had shrunk to a small pond, only a few meters across.
As they got up, they saw that the original lake had been filled in, and what was now built there looked like a stable.
This version of Panlong City looked more like a real desert wasteland.
Then, everyone heard a loud, angry roar!
The roar made the stones on the ground jump, hurt the listeners' eardrums, and made their hearts pound like drums.
It even caused a crumbling house in the southern city to collapse!
Though he had never heard it before, He Lingchuan could sense endless sorrow, resentment, and bitterness in that roar.
Mao Tao pointed at the southern gate, his finger trembling uncontrollably: "It's... it's coming out!"
The massive black dragon relief on the wall had come to life.
It first shook its head, then with a sudden burst of strength, it broke free from the southern city wall!
Just that one action sent thousands of pounds of earth and stone crashing to the ground.
Shedding its outermost layer of stone, the black dragon's body gleamed darkly in the dust, each scale larger than the turtle shield in Nian Songyu's hand.
Upon closer inspection, the dragon's horns were straight and sharp like blades, unlike the branching horns of a traditional dragon.
Clearly aware of its enemies, the dragon glanced back after breaking free, then turned and slithered back up the wall.
Though it had no legs, it moved like a snake, able to go places no four-legged creature could.
It saw the two men standing on the city wall and, with a flick of its tail, sent it crashing down on the gate.
Even from their distant vantage point, He Lingchuan and Mao Tao felt the ground shake, as if it couldn't withstand the dragon's fury.
Then, with a sweeping motion of its tail, the dragon nearly destroyed the battlements.
Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping had no choice but to leap back down to the ground.
The city wall was over fifteen meters high.
Nian Songyu used his hands to grip the wall, slowing his descent twice before landing safely.
Sun Fuping, on the other hand, descended gracefully, as if the air itself was gently lowering him to the ground.
The black dragon perched on the wall, looking down at them.
"Why do you always go out of your way to destroy such a beautiful place?" a booming voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"You're just asking for death!"
Sun Fuping stepped forward, raising his voice: "I am the Grand Astrologer of the Great Kite Kingdom, sent by the emperor to retrieve the Great Square Pot to restore order and uphold righteousness!"
The dragon lowered its head to inspect him: "Nonsense!"
Nian Songyu shouted: "We mean no harm. Destroying the illusion was a last resort. Once we have the Great Square Pot, we'll leave immediately and won't disturb you again."
"The Great Square Pot?" the dragon sneered.
"I am the Great Square Pot! Come, let's see if you have what it takes to fill my teeth!"
As the guardian boss, it clearly knew its role and didn't waste time with small talk.
With a flick of its tail, it struck the city gate, shaking the entire southern wall: "Minions, it's feeding time!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Nian Songyu noticed something white moving by his feet.
He instinctively dodged, only to see a thin, rope-like snake retracting its head.
If he hadn't moved quickly, it would have bitten his calf.
But before he could fully recover, something came flying at him with a whooshing sound, aimed straight at his face.
It was a broken bed.
The bed was charred black, but the ebony base was of good quality, weighing several hundred pounds.
It came at him with such force that it was almost upon him before he could react.
There was no time to dodge.
With a roar, Nian Songyu raised his turtle shield and swung it upwards.
(End of Chapter)