books44 Chapter 890 Getting Lost (7)
Chapter 890 Getting Lost (7)
Chapter 890 Getting Lost (Part 8)
With a soft "poof," the golden halo flashed and disappeared.
Han Yi's figure passed through the protective barrier without any hindrance and entered Hongji City, which is known as the number one city in the south of the Hundred Veins.
The city streets are wide, and the houses are neatly arranged, row upon row, in an orderly manner.
Most of the houses are small buildings with golden roofs and white walls, seemingly built according to a unified plan. Looking out, the pale gold dome in the sky creates a sea of pale gold.
Before me, the streets and roads crisscross in eight vertical and eight horizontal directions, lined with shops and workshops, forming trading places like markets and marketplaces, where many people move about busily.
"The world of the North... it really is..." Han Yi glanced at the scene before him out of the corner of his eye and was immediately dumbfounded.
The Northland is a vast land with many races, and humans are just one of the more numerous races.
Ordinary people on the street, a rabbit girl with two rabbit ears, a multi-armed demon with six arms reciting texts while shaking his head, a small vendor with a huge white tiger head energetically hawking his wares…
Han Yi even saw someone leading a huge tree demon with a woman's face appearing on its trunk, slowly strolling around the street.
Goodness…
The tree demon seemed not to have fully transformed; its lower body was a huge mass of rotting tree root tentacles. The root-like tentacles bent, stretched, and wriggled, propelling the massive body forward. Numerous tangled, chaotic roots, resembling capillaries, were unconsciously dragged along the ground, leaving behind conspicuous puddles of dark green slime as it moved forward.
The liquid emitted a foul odor that even Han Yi, standing at a distance, could easily detect.
The man beside the tree spirit, however, paid no attention. He gently embraced the black, hard tree trunk, tilted his neck slightly, and seemed to be whispering something, smiling and chatting.
A slight blush rose on the tree spirit's face, a smile often seen only on happy women.
Let's set aside for now how the human and the demon met and came together.
The key is.
A creature that's at least a little over a meter tall, less than two meters, is carrying a tree spirit that's at least six or seven meters tall.
Is this right?
This is clearly wrong.
The North is an open-minded country that encourages childbirth. Even if people of different races are willing to marry, they will be protected and rewarded, and external difficulties will be overcome.
But these two...
The difference in body size alone...
Han Yi simply couldn't imagine how he would spend his nights sleeping.
It was a huge shock to him.
All I can do is sigh in my heart.
These days, it's tough for everyone.
Even in a relationship, you're so cold and uninhibited...
"She's really quite thirsty..."
Han Yi stood on the side of the street, looking up at the sky with a slightly dazed expression, looking extremely shocked.
At first glance, it seems like a country bumpkin who has come to the big city, who has never seen anything before, finds everything strange and is deeply moved.
However, if someone were to observe closely from the side, they would notice.
Han Yi's eyes gleamed, showing no sign of shock or fatigue whatsoever.
He looked radiant and thoughtful.
In other words, his dazed and confused demeanor just now was actually just a facade.
After Han Yi entered the city, he vaguely sensed an overwhelming, boundless gaze coming from the pale golden shield above his head.
A vast, turbulent power, like magma, lurked within that gaze.
Like a volcano about to erupt, the slightest abnormality will trigger a powerful attack that is comparable to an earthquake and a spewing of lava.
Han Yi secretly made his own guess.
Perhaps this is the mechanical fluctuation generated by the Rainbow City's protective array as it continuously monitors and scans.
However, this power was far too strong. Not to mention his own, it was far stronger than the aura of the Demon Lord with the severed arm that he had seen before, carrying a massive sense of oppression that seemed to dominate the heavens and the earth.
Fortunately, when the gaze fell upon the black crystal card in his hand, the fluctuations gradually subsided and receded like a tide.
Just as it was about to fade away and disappear, the gaze suddenly seemed to detect something unusual, refocused, and slowly rotated around Han Yi.
"Ok?"
Han Yi's thoughts raced, and he stood motionless for a long time, as if he hadn't come to his senses, staring intently at the endless stream of people on the street.
He activated all five senses, amplifying his aura perception to the limit, not missing a single person entering Hongji City from the city gate.
Han Yi, who had an extraordinary sensitivity to energy, slowly frowned and his expression gradually darkened. After confirming several times, as time went by, he finally discovered something wrong with the group of people.
“That is…” Han Yi’s pupils contracted, and his expression darkened.
Anyone entering the city must first pass through the city gate, through the pale gold protective shield, and be inspected. Once everything is confirmed to be correct, they will be allowed to pass.
From a step-by-step perspective, this series of processes is perfectly logical and reasonable.
Han Yi did not believe that he could have made a mistake in this matter. The identity of a member of the Hundred Veins could not be faked, and there could be no problem with his identity.
Chun Rongrong used the last of her strength to infuse all her life force into the star-shaped emblem she left on him.
Even if the three life-saving methods contained within were exhausted, and the symbol shape changed slightly, the traces and fluctuations remained. In any case, his identity as the heir of the Myriad Manifestations lineage, the Myriad Manifestations school, and the Myriad Manifestations sect could not be faked.
so…...
If there's no problem with yourself, then the problem lies with others.
By observing and sensing the internal workings of the human body, one can perceive the subtle changes in energy that are constantly circulating.
Han Yi could vaguely sense everyone except him.
Regardless of race, gender, or age, as they passed through the pale gold shield, a strange aura inexplicably rose from their bodies.
This aura was as light as smoke, ethereal and intangible; if his talent hadn't been strong enough, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
As this aura rose and slowly merged into the pale gold protection above, the energy within their bodies also experienced a very slight decrease.
This energy is not demonic power, true strength, internal energy, or other acquired power cultivated through various means.
Instead, it touches on the essence, the energy of the human body's origin.
It is something that constitutes human life and spirit.
Essentially, this is essence, the origin of life, the source of vitality for all living things, which accumulates and forms all things.
The amount of vital energy (jingqi) determines the length of life. A decrease in vital energy has the most direct impact on lifespan, leading to a reduction in lifespan and impairing lifespan.
Of course, all things move and live, and with every breath, every moment, every second, vital energy is silently lost.
But this loss is natural, a change that happens naturally.
Not the kind you see right now.
The moment you pass through the pale gold shield, everyone will have a wisp of their vital energy forcibly drained without them even realizing it.
This trace of vital energy is extremely rare.
In terms of lifespan, it's probably less than a second.
But the total accumulated over the years...
Over time, accumulated soil forms mountains, and accumulated water forms deep pools.
The total amount of essence absorbed and gathered is an absolutely terrifying astronomical figure.
Even though the Northland is not as densely populated as the Central Plains, Hongji City is the largest city in the southern part of the Northland.
Over the past decades or even centuries, countless people have come and gone from the city.
While hundreds of millions might be an exaggeration, the frequency of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of people is definitely not a problem.
“The demon race… Hundred Veins…” Han Yi felt a chill in his heart, and the coldness in his eyes grew stronger.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, and a wisp of vital energy rose from everyone, including the giant tree demon he had just seen.
The vital energy slowly rose, silently and imperceptibly disappearing into the pale golden halo.
Throughout the entire process, no one was aware of it, including themselves.
Only now did Han Yi understand.
The reason why the various lineages of the demon race are called demons is not without reason.
Since arriving in the North, the people he met, the things he encountered, and the scenes he witnessed were all very similar to those in Yunzhou. The only difference was in the cultivation system.
Even in the North, due to its inclusive and open nature, various races live together in harmony and peace, making the area appear even more harmonious.
But now that the truth has been revealed, I suddenly understand the cruelty of the North.
"Demon"... does not refer to different races.
Compared to the human race that occupies the Central Plains... the demon race has hundreds of lineages, and their behavior is strange and unpredictable, making them completely unpredictable to ordinary people.
The massive pale gold array enveloping the entire Rainbow City was initially thought by Han Yi to be a special protective array set up by the Hundred Veins, but now, upon closer inspection…
It's essentially a purely cruel, coercive formation that plunders vital energy.
All the time.
It continuously absorbs the essence from all living beings within the great formation. Demons, monsters, humans…
Those with powerful spirits, those with abundant demonic energy, martial arts practitioners, those who possess bloodlines…
They won't even spare the most ordinary people.
Why is there such a strong encouragement for childbirth here, with excellent welfare measures for pregnant women, children, and other members of the northern population?
Even if ordinary people don't engage in production, as long as they are alive, they will have food to eat.
Why was the slave trade so prevalent in the North, with people constantly being kidnapped from neighboring countries, yet still not enough to satisfy the demand?
Is increasing the population still the top priority?
In an instant, Han Yi understood many, many things.
Even if all that is plundered is a tiny bit of vital energy, it can't withstand doing this every day.
Especially for the majority of ordinary people, if they cannot cultivate, their vital energy will not be nourished. If they lose even a little bit, it is equivalent to losing a little bit forever.
If one's vital energy is too low, the body will become weak. Over time, even if one is not drained to death, one will eventually die from various accidents or illnesses.
Over time, in the north, the death rate naturally exceeded the birth rate, and the population decreased year by year.
Although it is unknown where such a large amount of essence was ultimately collected.
But Han Yi knew.
What lies hidden here is likely the true secret of the North.
hiss hiss hiss...
The massive gaze that lingered beside Han Yi seemed to be getting restless because it hadn't been able to absorb any vital energy from him for a long time.
"The North...the Hundred Veins..."
Han Yi's eyes turned cold, and he slowly relaxed his control over his physical body.
hiss…...
Instantly, wisps of extremely fine and pure essence emanated from his body, slowly drifting towards the pale golden protective shield above, just like the others.
With Han Yi's current physical strength and control, his body is self-contained, which can easily lock the flow of vital energy within his body and isolate him from external attacks.
He could completely ignore such a powerful drain on his vital energy if he wanted to.
But if he did that.
This will likely attract even more attention immediately.
temporary.
Before fully understanding the rules of the North and establishing a firm foothold, Han Yi still wanted to keep a low profile.
At the very least, he shouldn't be given special attention, lest he be constrained in his actions.
Han Yi composed himself, his expression returning to calm, and slowly walked into the city following the flow of people. Starting from the main road, he continued deeper into the city, where the crowds gradually thinned out, especially the number of ordinary people.
When we reached the deepest part of the city.
On the streets, you won't see a single ordinary person. The few passersby who hurry by are all true members of the Hundred Veins who have achieved success in their cultivation and possess considerable strength.
The majority of the population in the North is still made up of ordinary people, while the ruling class is still a minority.
Han Yi didn't stop, passing through all sorts of buildings along the way: small houses, courtyards, mansions...
After a while, a huge courtyard suddenly appeared in front of them.
A thick fog was faintly permeating the courtyard. The dense fog seemed to have solidified into a tangible substance, indistinct and not spreading outwards, completely enveloping the area.
Faintly visible within the courtyard were vast palaces and pavilions, their structures occasionally shimmering with various colored lights, casting a faint glow that made the mist appear somewhat whitish. "The Demon Saint Palace..."
Han Yi stared intently at the massive building complex in front of him, a strange look in his eyes.
Demon Saint Palace.
If we consider the entire Northland as a pyramid...
From bottom to top.
At the very bottom, naturally, are the most numerous ordinary people.
Above that level are cultivators of moderate strength from various races, including humans, demons, and monsters, as well as extraordinary individuals with innate abilities. These people straddle the line between the upper and lower levels, occupying a significant middle position, and their numbers are considerable, representing the overall strength of the Northern Lands.
Above that are the various schools of thought, represented by the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Upon reaching this level, one is essentially considered an administrator in the North, the nominal ruler. Their status and class are completely distinct from the two levels below, enjoying numerous privileges while also bearing various obligations. Above the administrators are the true rulers of the North.
Demon Saint Palace.
The vast Demon Saint Palace rules over everything in the North and manages all the meridians, making it the true master of the North.
The emergence of the Hundred Veins is actually closely related to the internal workings of the Demon Saint Palace.
Although the Demon Saint Palace acts discreetly and is accustomed to hiding behind the scenes.
However, judging from his work style, he is not the kind of local tyrant who is content with comfort and wants to rule over a place.
Their ambition and burning desires were evident not only in the Central Plains, but throughout the entire world.
Even back in Yunzhou, Han Yi had dealt with the Demon Saint Palace several times.