Chapter 3507: Heading South
Chapter 3507: Heading South
Leaving Blue City behind felt almost surreal.
The moment they passed beyond the last low buildings and sparse farmlands, the sense of stagnation that had clung to the place loosened its grip.
Lin Mu stood at the edge of a shallow hill overlooking the winding stone road that led south, the faint blue rooftops already shrinking into the distance. The sky above was clear, washed in pale sunlight, and the air carried the quiet stillness of a world that had long grown used to being overlooked.
"This really was a town pretending to be a city," Cattaleya muttered, cracking her neck.
Meng Bai nodded. "I think the guards there could barely handle spirit beasts, let alone immortals."
Daoist Chu exhaled slowly. "It explains why information moves so slowly here. Few travelers, fewer messengers, and almost no pressure to modernize."
Lin Mu did not reply immediately. Instead, he raised his hand and sent a familiar pulse of intent outward.
"Shrubby," he called.
A flicker of crimson light appeared beside him, followed by a small, fluffy form tumbling out of space itself. Little Shrubby landed awkwardly on the ground, his kitten sized body rolling once before he pushed himself upright.
He yawned.
It was a long, exaggerated yawn, complete with a stretch that made his tiny claws dig into the soil.
"Mmm... already?" Shrubby grumbled, rubbing one eye with a paw. "I was having a very good nap."
Lin Mu smiled faintly. "We need to move. South."
Shrubby blinked at him for a second, then nodded. "South it is."
In the next breath, his body expanded.
SHUA
Crimson fur rippled outward as muscle and bone surged, his frame growing until he towered over the group. His once soft kitten shape became that of a massive Liger beast, nearly ten meters tall, radiating raw vitality and power. Heat shimmered faintly around him, the faint scent of fire and lightning mixing with the air.
Cattaleya’s eyes lit up immediately. "There we go."
Meng Bai swallowed instinctively, though he had long grown used to Shrubby’s transformations.
They climbed onto Shrubby’s broad back, finding their usual positions. Lin Mu settled near the front, Daoist Chu and Elyon closer to the middle, with Meng Bai seated between them. Cattaleya sat near the back, legs crossed casually, as if riding a sonic speed beast was no different than sitting on a bench.
Shrubby crouched slightly.
Then he launched forward.
WHOOSH
The ground exploded beneath his paws as he sprinted, his massive form turning into a streak of red light that tore across the landscape. Wind howled past them, the scenery blurring into streaks of green, brown, and gray.
Lin Mu kept his gaze fixed forward, his immortal sense sweeping outward to ensure their path remained clear.
The Fifteen Ryze World unfolded beneath them in broad strokes. Endless forests broken by rolling hills. Wide plains dotted with villages and farmland. Mountain ranges that rose and fell like the backs of sleeping beasts.
It was... ordinary.
There were no forbidden zones radiating danger. No ancient ruins brimming with suppressed power. No massive sect compounds dominating the land.
Just a quiet world.
They deliberately avoided flying directly over settlements. Shrubby adjusted his course whenever Lin Mu nudged him, arcing wide around villages, towns and cities so as not to terrify the inhabitants. Even from a distance, Lin Mu could sense how fragile most of the people were. Spirit realm cultivators at best, with the occasional Immortal hidden among them.
A beast like Shrubby flying overhead would be enough to cause panic.
"We should really hurry," Meng Bai said after several hours of flight. "If the capital city is still jointly controlled, the teleportation array might have strict schedules."
"That is my concern as well," Daoist Chu replied. "Jointly governed arrays tend to involve bureaucracy."
Elyon smirked. "And none of us enjoy paperwork."
Lin Mu nodded. "We will register as soon as we arrive. Sightseeing can wait."
They flew without pause.
Day after day passed beneath them. Shrubby’s stamina was monstrous, and Lin Mu supplemented him occasionally with immortal stones when needed. The landscape slowly shifted. Forests thinned. Plains widened. The air grew heavier with salt and moisture.
On the fourteenth day, Lin Mu felt it first.
A shift in the air and the massive presence of Water elemental qi in the distance.
"The coast is close," he said.
Sure enough, the horizon ahead darkened with the deep blue line of the ocean. A massive city soon came into view, sprawling along the shoreline like a beast resting at the edge of the world.
"That has to be it," Meng Bai said, leaning forward. "Southern Port City."
Compared to Blue City, the difference was staggering.
Southern Port City was at least three times larger, its walls stretching wide along the coast.
Towers rose at regular intervals, and the port itself was immense. Ships of all sizes crowded the shoreline. Some rested on sandy beaches, their hulls etched with runes to resist corrosion. Others were moored along rocky cliffs, anchored deep into the stone where the water plunged into dark depths.
The city extended inland as well, warehouses and storage yards forming a dense outer ring around the core districts. Lin Mu estimated the entire area to span nearly thirty kilometers, with the main city itself occupying about half of that.
Immortal Qi here was noticeably denser due to the qi gathering arrays in the city. It wasn’t particularly rich or abundant, but it was far better than what they had felt in Blue City.
"I can feel it," Meng Bai said quietly. "There are a lot more immortals here."
Lin Mu nodded. His immortal sense confirmed it. Thousands of immortal signatures dotted the city, ranging from early tribulation stages to a handful approaching the mid stages.
"This is more like an immortal world city," Daoist Chu said with mild approval.
They did not land directly in the city.
Instead, Shrubby slowed and descended several kilometers outside the walls. His massive form shrank back down, returning to his kitten shape with a lazy shake of his fur.