Yi Feng.
Had already set out on the road to Sealed Demon City.
He showed the map drawn by Evil Wolf to the automatic navigation system, Man Man, then settled onto its back.
A man and a snail sped off together.
Before long, Yi Feng finally arrived at Sealed Demon City.
Compared to Demon City, Sealed Demon City was much smaller, and Evil Wolf hadnât lied to himâthe moment Yi Feng stepped inside, countless demonic creatures lunged at him.
Yi Feng welcomed his demise with joy.
His face brimmed with excitement.
Yet as time passed, his enthusiasm visibly waned, his expression darkening.
Though the city teemed with demonic creatures, not a single one posed any real threat to his life.
Still, he refused to give up hope.
Just like humans, most were ordinary, while true experts remained rare.
Clutching this belief, he comforted himself as he scoured the city for every last demonic creature.
Two days later, when the final ferocious-looking fiend was crushed beneath his foot and not a single demon remained in sight, he reluctantly accepted that his suicide mission had failed.
Meanwhile.
Outside Sealed Demon City.
A small team advanced with unwavering focusâfour men and one woman, their eyes sharp with vigilance.
Three zhang above their heads, faint ripples shimmered, as though some formation was at work.
âWeâre about to enter the city,â the sole woman in the group muttered nervously, swallowing hard.
The other four nodded, their nerves taut, breaths quickening.
Far away in the Heavenly Domain.
A crowded square.
Formations encircled the space, while five enormous screens hovered above the open area.
The crowd held their breath, eyes locked onto the screens.
Clearly.
These formations were linked to the ones above the five explorers, allowing the spectators to witness their surroundings in real time.
In the Heavenly Domain, this was nothing unusual.
The birth of the Mist Demons had plunged ninety percent of Cloud Star into ruin, yet it also brought untold riches.
Everything within the fallen lands had become ownerless.
For the major factions, scavenging for treasures and lost legacies within the mist had become routine.
But while opportunities abounded, the dangers were no jokeâthose who ventured in rarely made it out alive, and the dead couldnât share what theyâd seen.
Thus, this formation was born.
Even if the explorers perished, those outside could still glean valuable clues.
Logically, no one would willingly enter such perilous zonesâbut exceptions existed.
Some were thrill-seeking cultivators.
Others were death-row convicts, promised freedom if they returned alive.
And then there were those lured by extravagant rewards.
The cost of exploring different forbidden mist zones varied.
Ninth-grade zones were the simplestâthough the death rate remained high, survivors occasionally emerged.
Eighth-grade zones were far deadlier; few returned unscathed, and those who did were usually Dao Mirror experts with formidable self-preservation skills.
Seventh-grade zones? Among countless experts who had ventured in, only one had ever returnedâand heâd gone mad, haunted by unspeakable horrors.
As for the sole sixth-grade zone, it was a realm of pure terrorâno one had ever walked out alive.
The five explorers now approaching Sealed Demon City were entering a seventh-grade zone. Previous attempts had ended in disasterâteams were slaughtered before even glimpsing the city walls.
This time, however, several Heavenly Domain factions had pooled their resources to assemble this team. Whether by luck or fate, theyâd made it to the gates without encountering a single demon.
Putting this team together hadnât been easy.
The woman had been promised unrestricted access to the great sectsâ treasure vaults if she returned.
Three of the men were hardened criminals, gambling their lives for a shot at freedom.
The last member? A true oddityâheâd volunteered, demanded no reward, and his origins were unknown.
Now, the five crept cautiously toward the city gates.
To their shock, the gates stood slightly ajar.
And on the pitch-black, unnaturally heavy doorsâcrafted from some unknown materialâwas a footprint, sunk a fingerâs depth into the surface.
Clearly left by a human kick.
âThe gates⊠theyâre open.â
âAnd this footprintâitâs human, isnât it?â
âDoes that mean someone kicked these doors open?â
The team exchanged stunned murmurs.
Back in the distant square, the crowd erupted in gasps.
âThis clue is monumental.â
âWho couldâve left that footprint?â
âHas someone else successfully infiltrated this seventh-grade zone?â
âRegardless, this discovery is unprecedented.â
Even the faction leaders overseeing the expedition voiced their astonishment.
The footprint was puzzling, but the team had no time to dwell.
Even if this path led to death, they had no choiceâturning back meant forfeiting their rewards.
The woman pushed against the gates with both hands, yet they didnât budge.
Her eyes widened.
She was a Dao Mirror expertâhow could she fail to move a mere door?
âLet me try,â one of the convicts growled.
Channeling his full power as a Dao Mirror cultivator, he strainedâbut the gates remained immovable.
âIâll help.â
âAll together.â
The other two men joined in, pouring their strength into the effort.
The woman added her force once more.
Yet even with four Dao Mirrors pushing in unison, the gates stood firm.
âWhatâŠ?â
âWhat kind of door is this?!â
The square buzzed with disbeliefâhow could multiple Dao Mirrors fail to open a gate?
Thenâcreak.
The gates swung open.
Silence.
Then uproar.
âHeavens! That last man opened it alone!â
âWho is he?â
âThis guy⊠heâs not normal.â
âJust what is his deal?â
The faction leaders shot to their feet, eyes locked onto the fifth team member.
While the others had struggled, heâd merely extended a handâand the gates yielded.
His teammates stared at him, awestruck.
With a cryptic smile, he stepped forward, leading the way into the city.
The four of them had no time to marvel at the sight. Seeing him step inside, they quickly followed suit.