Chapter 791: Chaos Will Begin

Chapter 791: The Coming Chaos

"The Ghost Dao Ancient Archive is the repository of the Ghost God Path. Most who embark on the Ghost God Path can wield ghosts and capture souls, employing extremely mysterious and insidious methods. If no unexpected events occur, someone in this era should have already embarked on this path. Little junior brother, you are also in the Tianshu Domain, so if you encounter him, you must be extremely careful!

"Originally, we were worried about you and wanted to visit the Tianshu Domain, but Master recently forbade us from leaving the Xidao Ancient Archive. So, a few of us discussed it and secretly took something from deep within the Xidao Ancient Archive for you; it's inside this envelope.

"Carry this item with you; the instructions for its use are written inside. Little junior brother, if you need it, you can use it directly.

"Also, everything at the Xidao Ancient Archive has been well recently, so you don't need to worry, little junior brother.

"—Senior Disciple Brother, Ning Ruyu."

After reading the letter, a warmth welled up in Chen Ling's heart.

He had not hesitated to plunge into the fifth-tier battlefield between the Young Sect Master and the assassin just to retrieve this letter, for it represented the care and concern of all his senior brothers and sisters. It proved that all of it was worth it.

Chen Ling picked up the envelope again, felt around inside for a moment, and soon pulled out a flat, pouch-like object.

"This is..."

Chen Ling opened the pouch; inside was a small note. After glancing at the text on it, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.

He closed the pouch again, placed it securely close to his body, then picked up paper and pen to write a reply to his senior brothers.

Rustle, rustle—

The flame of the oil lamp flickered in the starlight, and the pen tip glided across the smooth letter paper, imprinting peace and longing onto it, every word, every sentence, filled with sincerity.

Two days later.

Clang, clang!

A city train sped along the tracks within the Tianshu Domain.

There were only a few seats in the carriage; most people stood on either side, holding onto the swaying handholds above to steady themselves. Others leaned against the metal bars by the windows, whispering among themselves.

Chen Ling held onto a metal bar with one hand, his other empty sleeve swaying gently with the train's stops and starts. Seeing this, other passengers silently made a small space for him, showing great consideration for this 'disabled person.'

Chen Ling's expression was incredibly odd.

Not long ago, he had confidently declared in the 'Era Archive' that he would never have to squeeze onto a subway again. Yet, in the blink of an eye, here he was in the Tianshu Domain, unable to escape his subway destiny. The good news was that this time, no one was really 'squeezing' him. In terms of humanitarian care, the Tianshu Domain was clearly doing quite well.

"So... everyone on this train is going to compete for the Celestial Star Position?" Chen Ling asked in a low voice.

"Oh, no," Jian Changsheng said, standing nearby and quickly flipping through the handbook issued by the organizers. "This is just an ordinary train. We need to reach the Old District before sunset, and changing trains is the fastest way."

"Isn't the competition for the Celestial Star Position starting today?"

"It is."

"Then why are we going to the Old District?"

"...You haven't read this handbook at all, have you?" Jian Changsheng tutted, patiently explaining, "The trial begins at midnight tonight and will last for 48 hours. The competition area is the Old District of the Tianshu Domain..."

"That's not quite what I imagined."

"What did you imagine?"

"In novels, don't these kinds of grand competitions usually involve powerful figures jointly creating a small world, then sending everyone in at once? And maybe offer remote viewing too."

"You're confusing it with fiction," Jian Changsheng said, rolling his eyes. "In this era, who can create a separate small world for you? Besides, with all the fighting and killing, who would watch remotely? It would scare the children!

"The people of the Tianshu Domain said that the Old District was originally a very old city area. Due to its age, its underground mechanical devices have all been damaged and cannot undergo the hourly transformations like the other new districts of the Tianshu Domain. In a sense, it's a malfunctioning old city district where all the buildings, transportation infrastructure, and streets are slated for demolition. The Tianshu Domain originally planned to completely demolish it in the second half of this year to rebuild a new district, but since this trial was to be held, they decided to use the entire district as the venue. Anyway, it's an abandoned area, so it doesn't matter even if we level it to the ground. In terms of area, the Old District is even larger than the four major districts of the Aurora Domain combined. It's definitely large enough for two hundred of us to fight."

"Fighting..." Chen Ling murmured, deep in thought. "So, in this competition for the Celestial Star Position, can people actually be killed?"

"Yes, they can," Jian Changsheng said, flipping to the last page of the handbook. "It's said that the leader of the Medical God Path, the president of the Kite Aid Society, will be stationed in the Old District. Within the range of his domain, the 'Realm of Lingering Souls,' the souls of all deceased individuals will be temporarily held. The handbook states that if a participant dies, people from the Kite Aid Society will carry away their body within ten minutes, treat and repair it, and then allow their soul to return to their body, completing a resurrection. Of course, those who are resurrected will not be able to continue competing for the Celestial Star Position and must wait outside the Old District."

"They can kill, but they won't truly die..." Chen Ling's brows immediately furrowed. "Darn it, doesn't that mean I can't die either?"

"Buddy, are you alright??"

"Forget it, I'll figure something out when the time comes," Chen Ling sighed. "Then how much longer until we reach the Old District?"

"Stay on this line to the end, then transfer to another line, and it's twelve more stops from there," Jian Changsheng said, glancing at the sky outside the window. "We should arrive before sunset today."

The train, like a streaking comet, shuttled through the ever-changing city.

The passengers around Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng grew fewer and fewer. By the time the faint glow of dusk filtered through the train windows, scattering across the floor, only a handful of people remained in the carriage. Barring any surprises, those people were likely also competitors for the Celestial Star Position.

Because the Tianshu Domain was so vast, the locations of all participants vying for the Celestial Star Position differed, as did their routes to the Old District and their travel times. Therefore, for the time being, there was no need to worry about large-scale clashes or premature chaos.

These few individuals rode the golden-yellow train. After exchanging glances, they tacitly lowered their eyelids, resting and recuperating.

As dusk gradually vanished beyond the horizon and night once again enveloped the land, the train finally rumbled slowly into the station.

Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng disembarked from the train one after another. They gazed at the dimly lit, dilapidated station before them, their eyes narrowing slightly.

"This... is the Old District?"

"It certainly is old," Jian Changsheng said, looking up into the distance. Unlike the other new districts of the Tianshu Domain, the surroundings were not filled with electric lights. Instead, they were immersed in an inky darkness, where only faint starlight allowed them to discern the outlines of old buildings.

This old, abandoned city district was the starting point of their journey on the Celestial Star Path... or perhaps, also its end.

At the same time, a figure carrying a kerosene lamp slowly walked towards them.