Translator: Jon Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys Ruins were everywhere in the broken city. Many parts of the city were nothing more than debris now. However, in these ruins, one could see the flourishing city it once was. Not many buildings had red lanterns in front of them. Presently, the building before Lu Ye’s eyes could very well save him. If it was just as he expected, he might stand a chance to survive. Nonetheless, if he was wrong, he would have no choice but to wait for death. At such a life-and-death moment, Lu Ye had never been more agile as he broke the siege of these insectoids and bolted towards that building. The insectoids were still running after him, and the chunky one was especially relentless. Lu Ye moved across dozens of meters in the blink of an eye before he dashed into the building and closed the door. As soon as he was done with that, he heard the noise of crashes coming from outside. The insectoids arrived and madly attacked the buildings. Their violent forces spread and thudded against the wooden structure. Something amazing happened. Regardless of what these insectoids, which were as powerful as Real Lake Realm Masters, did, and even though the entire building was trembling as the door and wooden slabs creaked, they were unable to destroy the building. It was as if a mysterious force was protecting the building, ensuring that it was safe from destruction. Lu Ye initially pressed his hands against the door, worried that the insectoids would barge into the place. Nonetheless, upon realizing the uniqueness of this building, he retracted his hands and stepped backwards. Supposedly, without him pressing his hands against the door, the insectoids could easily shatter it and come in. Truth was, regardless of how violently the door was trembling, it showed no signs of getting opened. The insectoids continued to hiss furiously. Nearby buildings could be heard collapsing, but the one Lu Ye was in remained impenetrable. He let out a breath and became slightly at ease, but more doubts formed in his mind. Things were just as he expected. In other words, he was really in that place. [But why am I even here?] Outside the building, the insectoids continued to attack for a while before leaving. Insectoids were not intelligent creatures. It could even be said that they had little sentience as they only acted instinctively. When Lu Ye was hiding in this indestructible building, they couldn’t see their enemy or detect his aura. As such, they soon forgot about him. Inside the house, Lu Ye felt those powerful auras moving further away. It wasn’t until all of them were gone that he set his mind at ease. Instantly, a sense of sleepiness swept over him, almost making him fall asleep. His injury was more painful than usual. This was an experience he had never had in the Rift of Illusions back then. According to his speculation, his soul had left his body on the basis that his current state was a reflection of his original self. He had consumed a lot of energy in the battle earlier, so it was a wonder if he could restore his power by taking Spirit Pills. Anyway, he just had to give it a try. He whipped out some Spirit Pills from his Storage Sphere and stuffed them into his mouth before refining them. What surprised him was that it actually worked. As the medicinal efficacies were refined, his energy was gradually restored. He quickly sat down cross-legged to recuperate while considering his current situation. He had some speculation while running for his life earlier, and it was eventually proven when he entered this building. Now, he could confirm that this world was a Hidden Realm he had visited before. It was the Lost City of Xianyuan, which was a Hidden Realm that appeared on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. When he entered the Hidden Realm back then, he was only an Eighth-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master. It had been one to two years since then. Although such a long time had passed, his memories of this place were still vivid. It was in this place where he acquired several bottles of Soul Cleansing Water, which helped strengthen his soul. It could even be said that it was thanks to Soul Cleansing Water that he managed to obtain so many benefits in Hundred Wards Tower. Moreover, he could never forget his experiences in the Lost City of Xianyuan. When he first arrived at this place, he was on his own, but it was thanks to Amber’s ability to turn apparitions into Ghost Spirits that he soon gained a footing here. The gambler Liu Sanbao, the weeping Pipa Girl, the scholar who loved hearing compliments but was actually talentless, the butcher who always held a knife in his hand, and the blind, muscular fortune teller who claimed to be the best in his craft. They were all once Amber’s Ghost Spirits. It was thanks to these special Ghost Spirits that Lu Ye was able to change the outcome of the battle between the cultivators of the two opposing sides. Most of the cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge who had entered the place were killed in the end. Only several of them managed to survive. When Lu Ye first arrived at the Lost City of Xianyuan, he didn’t think too deeply about it, treating it as just another Hidden Realm where he could get some training. Moreover, he obtained a lot of benefits in this place. Now, it seemed that this place wasn’t just a Hidden Realm. There seemed to be some secrets behind it. He couldn’t help but recall the red-clothed woman on the swing and the City Lord of the Lost City of Xianyuan. In the past, he only felt that they were beings that Spirit Creek Realm Masters were never a match for. It was a mystery as to why they even existed in such a Hidden Realm. Fortunately, they were not hostile toward the cultivators who wanted to get some training here. Otherwise, none of them could go against the duo. He also didn’t understand why he ended up arriving at the Lost City of Xianyuan after he opened the second door that led to the Rift of Illusions. There were two reasons why he believed this place was the Lost City of Xianyuan. First of all, he felt a sense of familiarity while running away from his enemies. After all, he had been to this place before, so he naturally felt familiar. The second reason, which was also the main reason, was the building with a red lantern in front of it. When he arrived at the Lost City of Xianyuan for the first time, apart from the cultivators of the opposing side, their biggest opponents were the sentries of Xianyuan City Watch that scattered around the city. Those sentries were fairly powerful, and the team leaders were especially formidable. To the Lost City of Xianyuan, these cultivators were invaders, after all. Once the sentries caught sight of these cultivators, they would capture them and confine them to the dungeon. Once that happened, they would usually end up in a horrible state. Rarely any cultivator could get rid of the sentries. Having said that, the cultivators could hide inside the buildings with red lanterns hung outside the doors. That was because the sentries were unable to enter such buildings. Lu Ye had done so before. When he was hunted down by the sentries, he eventually barged into such a building to get rid of the enemies. That was where he came across the gambler, Liu Sanbao. That was also the first Ghost Spirit that Amber had taken on here. History seemed to be repeating itself. When Lu Ye came to the Lost City of Xianyuan for the first time, he made use of such a unique building to get rid of the sentries. Now that it was his second time here, he still managed to keep himself safe from the insectoids with the help of such a building. These unique buildings seemed to have been blessed with a special protective power, ensuring that they were indestructible. They served as a sanctuary for cultivators in danger. Certainly, it was presumptuous to say that this was the Lost City of Xianyuan based on these observations, but Lu Ye was confident that his speculation was right. This place was likely to be the Lost City of Xianyuan. Now, he didn’t have time to ponder why the second door was connected to the Lost City of Xianyuan. It seemed that the city had been occupied by insectoids. After giving it some thought, he realized it wasn’t so surprising. Even though the sentries were fairly powerful, they were only in the Spirit Creek Realm, after all. However, the insectoids Lu Ye had come across this time were mostly in the Cloud River Realm and the Real Lake Realm, though there were those that were in the Spirit Creek Realm. Fortunately, he didn’t bump into insectoids in the Divine Ocean Realm. As he recalled the huge crack in the sky, he believed that insectoids in the Divine Ocean Realm might exist, but he was lucky enough not to come across them yet. It was only natural that the sentries were unable to fend off insectoids like them. Not even the mysterious red-clothed woman and the City Lord could do that. In fact, apparitions might lose their lives. As Lu Ye recalled Liu Sanbao and the other apparitions, he felt crestfallen. Regardless, those people had lent him a hand back then, but they were probably gone for good by now. Although he was taken to the Lost City of Xianyuan for some unfathomable reason, and he was in a perilous situation, it was also a rare opportunity for him. That was because there was the Pool of Divine Purification here with Soul Cleansing Water. It was a treasure that even the Divine Ocean Realm Masters coveted. Apart from a Hidden Realm like the Lost City of Xianyuan, there were no other ways one could acquire such a treasure. It wasn’t even available in the Vault of Providence. Lu Ye had previously acquired quite a lot of Soul Cleansing Water. He had used a fair amount of it, which allowed his soul to be much stronger than the cultivators in the same Realm, and he had also shared it with some people. Now, he only had half a bottle of it left. Certainly, no one would have enough of such a treasure. However, if he wanted to get Soul Cleansing Water, he had to go to the Pool of Divine Purification first. That was where the City Lord’s Mansion was located as well as the center of the Lost City of Xianyuan. Lu Ye had no idea if he could pull off such a feat. Nonetheless, since he was already here, he had to give it a shot. If he succeeded, he would be filthy rich. The reason he didn’t manage to get even more Soul Cleansing Water back then was that time was running out. The City Lord had only given him so much time. Now, the City Lord was probably gone for good. As long as he could reach the Pool of Divine Purification, everything was for his taking without any limitations. Perhaps he could even take the entire pool away. At the thought of this, he became fervent. Although the entire incident was bewildering, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Many ideas were undulated in his mind as he continued to recuperate. What surprised him was that regardless of how many Spirit Pills he consumed, he could never get rid of the sense of lethargy, and his wounds showed no signs of healing. After giving it some thought, he figured out everything. Since his soul had left his body, he was, strictly speaking, an apparition. Although he was able to consume Spirit Pills to restore his Spiritual Power for some reason, the Soul Power he had spent dealing with his enemies couldn’t be replenished in a short time, especially when he was badly injured. He had suffered some injuries in his current form, and it had nothing to do with the strength of his body. Therefore, consuming Spirit Pills did nothing to help heal his wounds or restore his Soul Power.