Void Cultivation

"The Imperial City..."

Those words sounded strange, yet somehow familiar.

To ordinary humans, the Imperial City was not an entirely unfamiliar term. Almost every human had heard its name at least once in their lifetime. However, very few truly knew anything about it.

Moreover, even among those who had heard of the Imperial City, hardly anyone possessed any meaningful knowledge about the place. At most, they knew only the most superficial details, fragments of information passed down through ancient records, rumors, or the occasional story told by a wandering cultivator.

Grey was also among those people.

Besides hearing about the Imperial City from the mouths of cultivators, he had also come across its name in ancient jade slips and recordings. However, the information contained within them was pitifully scarce. Most of the records merely mentioned the Imperial City in passing, offering little explanation about its history, its current state, or the secrets hidden within it.

What Grey knew was that the Imperial City was considered a sacred place by the entire Human Race.

According to the records he had read, after the Human Race left the First Continent and crossed over to the Second Continent, they were met by countless inhuman races.

The arrival of humanity had not been peaceful.

A great war erupted.

It was a conflict that shook the heavens and earth, one that nearly drove the Human Race to the brink of extinction. Yet, from the ashes and bloodshed of that war, the first Human Emperor arose.

With his rise, nine other Emperors also emerged.

However, their might was not comparable to that of the First Human Emperor. Even among those nine supreme existences, the First Human Emperor stood far above them, his strength and authority surpassing what the others could hope to achieve.

After the conclusion of the great battle, the Second Continent was divided into five great quadrants.

The Human Race claimed the Central Quadrant.

There, they built the Imperial City.

At the heart of the Imperial City stood the Imperial Palace, a place that was regarded as even more sacred than the city itself. Only those who possessed the highest and purest human bloodlines were qualified to enter its depths.

It was said that the Imperial Palace was where the Human Emperor himself had once dwelled alongside his Nine Subordinates.

For generations, the Imperial City became the symbol of the Human Race.

It represented their survival, their unity and glory.

And their victory over the countless inhuman races that had once sought to destroy them.

However, shortly before God descended upon the world, something happened.

The Human Emperor vanished. No one knew where he had gone. And not long afterward...

God descended.

The Central Quadrant was one of the first regions to be struck by God’s blinding radiance.

That terrifying radiance had descended from the heavens, bathing the world in a light that ordinary humans could not comprehend. Wherever it passed, countless lives were extinguished, ancient lands were destroyed, and civilizations that had existed for countless years were reduced to ruins.

As a result, one of the first and oldest Corroded Zones was located within the Central Quadrant.

Yet, upon hearing that the Secret Order operated incredibly close to the Imperial City, Grey couldn’t help but feel that their motives were far deeper than what they had revealed.

There was something they were hiding. Something important.

Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.

He couldn’t help but wonder just how deeply the Secret Order’s roots extended.

"Don’t misunderstand me. It’s not as if I’m saying that the Secret Order’s headquarters is located near the Imperial Palace, or even within the Imperial City itself."

Bao paused for a moment before continuing.

"But the level of presence they’ve demonstrated in that region is the highest I’ve ever heard of. Thousands of people go missing every single year."

"Despite the Human Race’s forces trying their best to eradicate them, the disappearances continue to happen regardless of their efforts."

Bao let out a small sigh.

From his expression, one could tell that he was somewhat baffled by the situation of the Human Race.

However, strangely enough, he didn’t seem particularly shocked or surprised.

It was almost as if the existence of such a situation was something he had already grown accustomed to.

"But I’ve heard that they’ve recently begun placing bounties and offering rewards for Secret Order members who are captured or killed," Bao continued after shrugging his shoulders. "Because of that, the number of disappearances has now reached an all-time low."

He took another bite of the pink peach in his hand.

"Even so, people still disappear."

Grey remained silent.

This was the first time he had heard information about what was happening beyond their region.

Until now, his understanding of the outside world had been limited to fragmented records and occasional rumors. He had never imagined that the situation surrounding the Imperial City was so complicated.

The Imperial City. The sacred heart of the Human Race.

Yet, even a place as important as that was plagued by disappearances and the mysterious activities of the Secret Order. It went as to show how the glory of the former eras has disappeared.

Grey’s gaze flickered.

He couldn’t help but wonder how vast the world truly was.

There were countless regions beyond the land he currently inhabited. Countless cities. Countless powerful cultivators. Countless ancient organizations and races that he had never even heard of.

For the first time, hearing Bao’s stories ignited something within him.

A desire to travel beyond this region and explored the vast lands of Pangu.

He wanted to see the world beyond this region with his own eyes.

He wanted to travel across the vast and seemingly endless world of Pangu and discover the countless secrets hidden within it.

However, if he wanted to explore this region, let alone leave it and travel to distant lands, there was one thing he needed above all else.

Strength.

His cultivation base needed to increase. That was the only way.

Without sufficient strength, even leaving this region could prove to be impossible.

And if he truly wanted to venture into the wider world, he needed to become much stronger than he was now.

’Maybe my Brother and Sister are in the Imperial City.’

The thought suddenly appeared in Grey’s mind.

Immediately, an image formed within his consciousness.

It was blurry and indistinct, yet strangely vivid.

He imagined his siblings standing within the magnificent Imperial City.

Perhaps they were waiting for him. Perhaps they were searching for him.

Or perhaps... They had already forgotten about him.

Grey’s heart tightened slightly. A faint sense of longing and desire suddenly emerged within him.

He wanted to see them and know where they were.

He wanted to stand before them once again.

But the moment those emotions surfaced, Grey immediately suppressed them.

His expression became cold. His eyes narrowed slightly.

He could not allow himself to become distracted by emotions.

Several seconds passed.

The emotions gradually disappeared, buried deep within his heart.

Grey’s expression returned to normal.

However, there was something different about his gaze. It was slightly colder than before, but there was also a flickering determination in it.

"How far away is the Imperial City from here?"

Grey asked out of curiosity. Bao didn’t immediately answer.

He seemed to think for several seconds before finally speaking.

"I’ve never personally been there, so I can’t tell you exactly how far away it is."

He paused and took another bite from his peach.

"However, from what I’ve heard, traveling there normally takes an extremely long time. Depending on where you’re starting from, it could take several years."

"Several years?"

Grey’s eyebrows rose slightly. Bao nodded.

"That’s why teleportation runes have been established in strategic locations throughout the Second Continent. They connect several major regions and allow cultivators to travel vast distances in a relatively short period."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Even with the teleportation runes, though, getting to the Imperial City would still take several weeks. But compared to traveling there normally..."

Bao shrugged.

"It’s much faster."

Grey nodded slowly.

Several weeks. Even that was an astonishing amount of time.

However, before Grey could think further about it, Bao continued.

"But getting there is the least of your worries."

Grey glanced at him.

"What do you mean?" Bao gave him a strange look.

"To enter the Human Race’s Imperial City, you need either a token issued by one of the Super Sects or an invitation from someone with sufficient status within the Imperial City itself."

His expression became slightly more serious.

"Without one of those two things, entering the Imperial City isn’t easy."

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because the Imperial City isn’t an ordinary city."

Bao’s voice became slightly solemn.

"It’s the heart of the Human Race. The rules surrounding it are far stricter than those of ordinary cities."

He raised one finger.

"First, if you want to enter through a Super Sect’s token, you need to obtain one from them."

A second finger was raised.

"Alternatively, you can find someone with enough authority within the Imperial City and have them personally invite you."

Bao then spread his hands.

"Neither option is easy."

Grey listened without uttering a single word.

Bao continued.

"Getting a token from the Super Sects is incredibly difficult. They’re given only a limited number of tokens every few years, and the number of people who can receive them is extremely small."

He frowned slightly.

"Even if you’re powerful, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll give you one."

Grey nodded his head inwardly. That made sense.

The Super Sects were undoubtedly enormous powers. If they possessed the authority to grant entry into the Imperial City, then the tokens they controlled would naturally be incredibly valuable.

"Of course," Bao continued, "you could always try to find someone from the Imperial City and ask them to invite you in."

He gave a helpless smile.

"But honestly, I’m not sure that’s any easier."

Grey’s expression became slightly strange. But Bao wasn’t wrong.

Finding someone with enough status to invite an outsider into the Imperial City would probably be a monumental task in itself.

"The difficulty involved is probably not much lower than obtaining a token from one of the Super Sects," Bao said with a slight frown. "In fact, depending on your luck, it might be even harder."

Grey remained silent. His gaze drifted into the distance.

He had initially thought that reaching the Imperial City would simply require traveling a long distance.

Now, he realized that was only the beginning. The journey itself would take weeks, perhaps even longer.

And once he arrived...

He might not even be allowed to enter. But instead of feeling discouraged, Grey felt more determined to enter the Imperial City.