Chapter 1058: The Forbidden Imperial City

A Drop of Blood!

It reenacted the mottled past of myriad heavens.

So crystalline, so dazzling, it illuminated eternity.

Shi Hao naturally knew of it. While searching for the Celestial Deity Tree, he had once entered a sacred land, unearthed the Enchantress from the Soil of All Things, and obtained this drop of blood.

It had fallen from a cauldron—a round, three-legged, two-eared cauldron.

“What secrets does this drop of blood hold? And why does it resonate with that city?” Shi Hao was momentarily stunned.

Gazing at the drop of blood, it was as if a Heavenly Emperor had descended, revived here, overlooking the endless epochs of the heavens, piercing through past, present, and future.

From afar, at the horizon, a desolate aura swept toward them. Yet within this imperial drop of blood, the clamor of battle raged—as if countless supreme beings were locked in an endless war.

The Enchantress had long widened her beautiful eyes. What she witnessed today was even more bizarre than when she first discovered this drop of blood. How could it be connected to this place?

Both were awestruck, for the sounds of slaughter emanating from the drop of blood were too overwhelming—as if the great war of the Immortal Ancient Era had been reenacted, or perhaps a prelude to the future’s final outcome.

They were both dazed, as if glimpsing a mottled and sorrowful scroll from within that drop of blood.

“Bringing this drop of blood to the Imperial City might not be wise. If discovered, it could trigger unforeseen events,” the Enchantress said.

This drop of blood was too extraordinary, its manifestations too shocking. Taking it there would undoubtedly arouse suspicion.

Shi Hao calmed his mind, adjusting his state. Gradually, the drop of blood quieted, its anomalies vanishing.

At least it was controllable!

Regardless, they knew this drop of blood had some inexplicable connection to that city.

“Perhaps it’s only related to the Borderlands!” the Enchantress further speculated.

Shi Hao nodded. That was highly possible. The scenes of earth-shaking battles and supreme clashes reflected within the drop of blood—where else could such spectacles occur but the Borderlands?

Soon, they arrived deep within the earth and saw a city!

“What I’m seeing… is that a city?” Shi Hao felt dizzy, momentarily stunned.

What exactly was he seeing? At the horizon’s end, a vast gray expanse stretched—was that a structure? It was so colossal it blurred the line between reality and illusion.

That gray expanse connected heaven and earth, occupying all space, towering into the outer realms, eternal and unchanging.

The city was unimaginably vast. Only by activating Heavenly Eye Insight, piercing through its essence, could one truly perceive it—a gargantuan metropolis, boundless in scale, reaching the heavens, piercing the firmament.

With ordinary vision, one could only see a gray wall, stretching endlessly between heaven and earth.

Standing before it, one couldn’t help but feel insignificant—it was simply too immense.

Around the city, massive stars orbited, revolving around it. The city spanned tens of thousands of miles, standing firm since time immemorial.

At a glance, it felt as if they had arrived before the dawn of creation, witnessing its grandeur and majesty.

“Is this still a city?” the Enchantress murmured involuntarily.

It defied reason—a city without end, so vast that even stars revolved around it. How could such a thing have been built in ancient times?

“Look closely. The bricks and stones of that city… they seem like…” Shi Hao was dumbfounded.

“Stars, meteors!” The Enchantress had already noticed, her heart trembling.

This colossal city wasn’t built from ordinary bricks but from stars refined and fused together, forming this awe-inspiring Imperial City.

Such a feat was beyond the imagination of ordinary people—unthinkable, let alone achievable.

Both stood in stunned silence. Was this the Imperial City hidden within the depths of the Forbidden Zone?

Was it guarding a realm, sealing off an entire world?

It was clear—this city stood firm, eternal, pressing against the horizon as if blocking all paths forward.

The Borderlands?!

Beyond the city—was that the terrifying world? Only with this city standing guard could the Three Thousand Provinces remain safe?

Shi Hao and the Enchantress felt their hearts surge with emotion. Had all battles, from past to present, originated here? To invade the Three Thousand Provinces, must one first breach this city?

No wonder there was the Ancient Covenant. In an instant, many things became clear.

“The Ancient Covenant bound those people to stand guard here. But who were they fighting against?” the Enchantress mused to herself.

Yet, as Shi Hao snapped out of his daze, he frowned, recalling something else.

“This isn’t that city!” his heart roared.

Because he had once pursued the “Ominous and Eerie,” boarding a terrifying black ancient ship sailing through the void, stained with blood. There, he had seen an altar projecting scenes of the Borderlands.

“This isn’t the ancient city guarded by the Seven Kings!”

Shi Hao whispered. For some reason, this wasn’t the city he had expected.

This defied his imagination. The so-called guardians of the Borderlands—the Seven Kings—had already fallen one by one. Over the eons, who knew how many remained?

This was definitely not the city he had seen on that blood-stained black ship.

That city was nowhere near as majestic or towering. There, only a group of sinners with tainted blood fought desperately, defending the city, refusing to let those creatures pass.

Shi Hao sighed. It seemed the so-called Borderlands were even more mysterious than he had imagined, holding countless untold stories.

What they saw now wasn’t even the frontlines of the battlefield!

“Perhaps people have forgotten that place?” Shi Hao murmured, sighing. From what he knew, there were hidden truths.

“What are you talking about?” the Enchantress asked. Quick-witted, she could deduce much from even a hint.

“Nothing. I was just thinking about how brutal future battles might be. Look—this city is built from stars, unbreakable, inscribed with supreme formations. Imagine how terrifying the enemies must be to warrant such a defense.”

As they approached, nearing the city, the more they felt their own insignificance.

Like ants gazing at the heavens—utterly incomparable!

Moreover, the closer they got, the greater the pressure became, as if a host of emperors stood atop the walls, gazing down upon the mortal realm.

“This city is too vast, the pressure too overwhelming. It’s unbearable,” the Enchantress said, shaking her head. Even she, formidable as she was, couldn’t endure it and had to take out the Stone Pearl.

In truth, Shi Hao couldn’t advance much farther either.

This place was shrouded in mysterious formations, extending even beyond the city walls, exerting a pressure that made it impossible for anyone to approach easily.

Soon, they spotted a stone tablet. Only those who had signed the Ancient Covenant could enter. Others who forced their way would be annihilated, body and soul.

Such a city—vast, majestic—had no equal.

Hmm?

The city… was devoid of life?

Staring intently, using Heavenly Eye Insight, the city was deathly silent, devoid of any signs of life.

It was a dead city!

Had the Heavenly Clan’s ancient elder entered? What was he doing inside?

This place was shrouded in mystery, unfathomable.

“Hey, is anyone there? We’ve arrived!” the Enchantress called out, her voice laced with charm.

Shi Hao chuckled. “That voice might work on me—we can discuss it privately. But do you think it’ll work on the people inside? If I’m not mistaken, they’re all old-timers—like the last of the Six Ancient Heavenly Men, or that old War Emperor from the War Clan. Hah!”

He couldn’t help but laugh, teasing her.

“You’re impossible!” The Enchantress shot him a glare, exuding endless allure.

The city remained silent. Perhaps it was simply too vast—even if they used Lion’s Roar or True Hou’s Howl, their voices wouldn’t carry inside.

Yet Shi Hao couldn’t shake the feeling—this place was too quiet, too lifeless.

What were the covenant-bound individuals doing inside?

Thinking of this, Shi Hao inevitably recalled Ye Qingxian. That mysterious girl—if she could enter this city, what was her method? The “Immortal Dao Divine Form”?

That woman in white was an enigma!

Shi Hao knew she carried many secrets—a peer who could freely traverse forbidden zones.

“We came all this way, yet no one greets us, and we can’t even enter. What’s the meaning of this?” the Enchantress grumbled.

“Let’s circle the city, see what we can find,” Shi Hao suggested.

Soon, they made a new discovery. Along the path outside the city stood massive stone tablets, recording certain truths. Without signing the covenant, entry was impossible—but they could proceed to another place.

Nearby, there were smaller cities.

After confirming the direction, they rushed forward—a cluster of small towns, said to have developed from marketplaces.

Once, the area around the Imperial City had thrived. The descendants of peerless experts had lived here, hence the markets and small towns.

Soon, they found their destination. From afar, it was bustling, with numerous marketplaces and interconnected small towns.

The place was lively, teeming with life.

“Finally, some civilization—not just wilderness,” the Enchantress sighed in relief.

“They’re already here!” Shi Hao sensed the auras of the Ten Crown King, the Banished Immortal, Ning Chuan, and others gathered before the largest town.

Several young cultivators sat cross-legged on boulders, meditating.

“Hmph, how annoying—Yue Chan actually got here before me. I thought she’d die along the way,” the Enchantress gritted her teeth, never fond of her rival.

Only a handful had arrived, a stark contrast to the tens of thousands who had set out.

Shi Hao sighed. Most must have perished—only a lucky few made it this far.

“Two more arrivals. They seem decent, but compared to us from the Nine Heavens, they’re still lacking.”

A voice rang out, its owner eyeing Shi Hao and the Enchantress.

A man with golden hair cascading to his waist, golden pupils exuding an oppressive aura, stood apart from the others.

Around him were others who clearly didn’t belong to the Three Thousand Provinces, separate from the Banished Immortal and Yue Chan’s group.

“The new girl is quite beautiful—rare even in the Nine Heavens, a peerless beauty,” someone remarked about the Enchantress.

She smiled faintly, stepping forward.

At the same time, cultivators from the Three Thousand Provinces turned their gazes. When Yue Chan saw the Enchantress walking alongside Shi Hao, her expression shifted, eyes fixed on them.