Chapter 762

Chapter 762: Entering Chibi

A wide tunnel appeared before Wang Chen.

Compared to the underground passage he had just traversed, this tunnel was four to five times wider and taller, easily accommodating six or seven carts side by side!

Not only that, but the floor and the cave walls of the tunnel were also paved with stone slabs, appearing smooth and sturdy.

At regular intervals along the cave walls, bright lamps were embedded in the stone.

These lamps contained oil similar to resin, which burned without smoke and emitted a faint aroma.

The soft light evenly illuminated the tunnel, lighting the way for passing travelers and carts.

Indeed, Wang Chen even saw a cart rushing by in the distance!

Shi Yan, noticing Wang Chen’s apparent astonishment, chuckled and said, "This is the Huaron Road. Once you see Huaron Road, Chibi City is not far away."

The Sacred Ancestor Path is a collective term for the underground tunnels connecting villages and cities; in fact, each city has its own names for these underground passages to distinguish them.

Huaron Road is the main thoroughfare beneath Chibi City!

As Wang Chen continued walking with Shi Yan on Huaron Road, more and more travelers and merchants began to appear.

They flowed in from different paths like small streams converging into a river—

Traveling merchants laden with goods, farmers with bamboo baskets on their backs, martial artists clad in armor and wielding swords, and hurried travelers…

They eventually came to a halt before a massive gateway.

Wang Chen’s gaze sharpened!

Ahead, at the tunnel’s exit, two heavy stone doors, each several feet high, stood open on either side. Dozens of fully armed warriors guarded the gateway, inspecting the travelers coming and going.

To Wang Chen’s surprise, he saw true seal characters inscribed above these stone doors!

The language and script of the Misty Mountains Realm were vastly different from those of the Haotian Realm. However, since Wang Chen had awakened in the form of "Chen Er Gou," inheriting all the memories, he naturally mastered the language and script of this world.

The Misty Mountains Realm lacked spiritual energy, making magical cultivation impossible; it was a "land devoid of spiritual energy," having taken a different path in the extraordinary domain.

Thus, Wang Chen did not expect to see the true seal characters he recognized here.

Could it be that a cultivator from the Haotian Realm had come to Chibi City?

This was not an outlandish idea, considering the Qingqiu Fox Clan had held the Inquiry Bell for thousands of years and had sent many clan members inside to explore, leaving traces in the Misty Mountains Realm.

Even if they had existed, they were likely long since returned to the earth!

Wang Chen shook his head, withdrawing his gaze.

Although the stone doors were covered in true seal characters, they held no significance for him.

The line slowly moved forward, and after paying the entrance fee, the merchants and travelers stepped onto the stairs behind the stone doors.

When it was Wang Chen and Shi Yan’s turn, the latter promptly handed over two bone coins.

After the guard verified the authenticity of the bone coins, he waved them through.

The entrance fee was quite steep!

Wang Chen was taken aback, doubting that the more than a hundred bone coins he carried would last him long in this city.

Passing through the towering stone doors, the light ahead grew brighter, revealing a long staircase that lay before him.

Wang Chen looked up and saw the staircase ascending layer by layer, seemingly endless.

Interestingly, there were escalators on both sides of the stairs, powered by human effort, but they appeared to be exclusively for transporting goods.

As for pedestrians, they had no choice but to climb the stairs.

Of course, for Wang Chen, this was no challenge at all. With his current strength, he could scale any peak, let alone this simple, flat staircase.

As he stepped onto the final step, the view suddenly opened up before him.

An indescribable aura instantly enveloped Wang Chen.

His heart trembled with shock!

In that very moment, Wang Chen sensed a faint trace of spiritual energy.

The sensation was incredibly subtle, and when he tried to grasp it, it slipped away as if it were nothing more than an illusion.

"What’s wrong?"

Shi Yan, noticing Wang Chen had stopped, asked with concern, "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing," Wang Chen replied, regaining his composure. "Let’s go."

Shi Yan assumed Wang Chen was simply overwhelmed by the city, as it was his first visit, so he didn’t dwell on Wang Chen’s momentary distraction. "Come on, let’s find a place to stay first."

Chibi was indeed a true city, nestled against majestic mountains, with towering walls built on three sides for protection. The houses and buildings within the city were densely packed, and while they couldn’t compare to the immortal cities of the Haotian Realm, they were undeniably impressive by mortal standards.

The city walls of Chibi bore a dark red hue, and their immense height made them visible even from within the city.

Beyond the walls, the world was entirely shrouded in thick fog.

In a world veiled by mist, the city undoubtedly offered its inhabitants a profound sense of security.

The people of Chibi, whether in their attire or demeanor, stood in stark contrast to the villagers of Little Stone Village.

As Wang Chen followed Shi Yan along the main street, he noticed a significant number of martial artists.

These martial artists were easily distinguishable—some carried bows and knives, others moved with a confident stride, and some had imposing physiques, setting them apart from the ordinary civilians.

As the sky darkened and dusk settled in, the two walked a considerable distance before finally finding an affordable inn.

"The guest rooms here are quite cheap," Shi Yan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a wry smile. "I don’t have many bone coins on me, so I need to be frugal. Thankfully, this place is still open; otherwise, finding another inn might have cost more."

Wang Chen nodded.

He was not one to indulge in luxury; whether it was a grand mansion in the immortal city or a simple hole in the ground, he could make do.

A cheap inn was perfectly acceptable to him.

Even so, a modest room at this inn still cost one bone coin per day.

Shi Yan paid for three days in advance.

After settling into the room, he turned to Wang Chen and said, "Er Gou, we’ll make do here for tonight. I’ll be heading back tomorrow, and from then on, it’s all up to you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a beast skin pouch from his robe and handed it to Wang Chen. "This is from the village chief. He asked me to give it to you."

The moment the pouch touched his hands, Wang Chen knew what was inside.

A bag of bone coins!

He frowned, about to refuse, but Shi Yan quickly added, "The city is expensive. You’re new here, and you can’t get by without bone coins. Consider this a loan; you can repay me later."

Wang Chen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

He did need the bone coins, and borrowing them now was fine. He would repay Shi Yan tenfold in the future!

As Wang Chen tucked away the bone coins, Shi Yan smiled with satisfaction. "Now, let me tell you more about Chibi City."

Throughout their journey, Shi Yan had been eager to share everything he knew about Chibi City with Wang Chen.

But memories could be incomplete, and returning here had sparked a few more details he felt compelled to share.

So, he continued speaking.