Chapter 2423: Tears of Karma

Chapter 2423: Wulei City Appears

The starry sky was vast and profound, stretching endlessly into the deep.

Space twisted, and mist swirled. In the haze, a fairy city gradually materialized. It was like a painting or a dream, exuding an ancient and weathered aura. It was nestled deep within the rain and fog, grand and enchanting, like a face half-veiled, concealing its peerless beauty and holding many untold stories.

"Oh my god! Wulei City."

Passersby among the cultivators exclaimed in surprise, gathering in groups of three or five.

Wulei City had reappeared in the mortal world.

This news spread like wings, drifting across the heavens.

Soon, rumbling sounds echoed one after another.

These were transmission domain gates, many at the emperor path level. Anyone who heard the news flocked over. Wulei City was a rare sight, appearing only occasionally, so how could anyone resist joining the excitement?

More people arrived, from elders to the young, some who had seen it before and others who hadn't. The younger generation gazed with sparkling eyes, their expressions dazed, for Wulei City was incredibly dreamlike.

In an instant, that vast starry sky filled with living beings again. Ancient stars were crowded with figures, and the space itself was a sea of people, dense and overwhelming.

"Wulei City, that elusive fairy city, is truly extraordinary."

"Every time it appears, there's bloodshed. I wonder how many will meet their end on the Naihe Bridge this time."

"Wulei means without tears, which is without emotion!"

Discussions and sighs filled the air, as everyone had heard the legends of Wulei. Since ancient times, they had witnessed the blood and tears on the Naihe Bridge, like those of the holy body Ye Chen or the Fifth Divine General. If one crossed it, lovers could finally be together; if not, it left eternal regret.

Ye Chen had arrived too, with Chu Xuan and the others by his side, gazing from afar.

"Mother, what is Wulei City like?"

Yang Lan turned her head and looked at Chu Xuan.

"It's a realm of immortals, all women, without tears and without emotion."

Chu Xuan smiled lightly, her expression a mix of nostalgia and daze. As the former Wulei Goddess, she had the most say and knew best what "without tears and without emotion" meant. Back then, if Ye Chen hadn't crossed the Naihe Bridge, she might still be in Wulei City, still living as that emotionless being.

"The people inside all have the same expression, like puppets."

Ye Ling was there as well, and as she spoke, she couldn't help but kick Tang San Shao. If not for this guy back in the day, she wouldn't have been captured and stuck there for over a hundred years, almost driving herself mad.

"Make trouble again, and I'll send you back in."

Chu Ling glared at him.

"Dad, Mom's being mean to me."

Ye Ling clung to Ye Chen's arm, looking utterly aggrieved.

"Kids being a bit naughty is normal."

Ye Chen said meaningfully.

"I'll show you normal."

Chu Ling kicked Ye Chen too, her beautiful eyes sparkling with anger. Was that just naughtiness? It was sheer lack of restraint! Had you ever seen a daughter who robbed people every few days and kidnapped them every so often? She had clearly inherited your ways.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and glanced at Ye Fan, half-wishing he could swap Ye Fan and Ye Ling.

"Ye Fan, come here, stay away from him."

Nanming Yushu reached out and pulled Ye Fan to her side. She could only blame Ye Chen's look for being so suspicious, as if he wanted to pass on his legacy to his son. If that happened, the world would be in chaos.

As everyone joked around, more domain gates appeared, bringing talents from the Xuan Huang realm in waves. Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu stood out the most, with Long Jie among them, his face bruised and swollen.

Such a grand scene naturally drew all the emperor-level figures from the heavens, who always gathered like this.

Many from the older generations came too, even ancestors in seclusion joining the fun.

Buzz!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a beam of light extended from the city, dyed with brilliant immortal glow. It was the Naihe Bridge, radiating exotic colors as before, entwined with vines and blooming red flowers. It truly was an immortal bridge, yet everyone knew how terrifying it was.

"Our heavens have two great achievement holy bodies—hand over the people quickly!"

Curses rang out before anyone stepped onto the Naihe Bridge. No one knew who started it, but the shouts were loud and spread through the crowd to confuse the enemy.

In reality, anyone with some insight knew the loudmouth was Xiao Yuan Huang.

"If you mess with our great achievement holy bodies, you'll regret it."

The talents from the Great Chu realm chimed in, their curses echoing. They shouted because they longed to see lovers reunited and hated separations, especially from a place that was without tears and without emotion.

In response, Wulei City remained silent. That silence said one thing: To take someone from Wulei City, you must cross the Naihe Bridge—no pleas would help.

But the people didn't think that way; their curses grew even louder, all waiting for the two great achievement holy bodies to appear. They didn't care if it was without tears or without emotion—they'd overturn it first.

After that, anyone without a wife could go and claim one.

Unfortunately, Wulei City was stubborn; threats meant nothing to them.

Amid the insults, someone finally stood at the bridge's head. It was an elderly man, white-haired and frail, with his lifespan nearly at its end. His turbid old eyes gazed toward the end of the bridge and Wulei City, as if he could see a graceful figure through the misty clouds.

He was the first to step onto the Naihe Bridge, determined to make one last attempt before dying, wanting to bring his loved one home. He was prepared to perish in the process.

His cultivation was not weak—he was at the peak of great saint level.

However, the Naihe Bridge didn't care about cultivation. He only managed nine steps before collapsing.

Once he fell, he never got up, his eyes full of tears as he choked and turned into a pile of ashes. Even in death, he never saw his loved one, leaving behind a lifetime of sorrow that vanished into smoke.

Ah!

The people sighed, shaking their heads helplessly, while the curses grew even louder. It was so full of emotion, yet so heartless. This human fairy city was too cold-blooded, stirring outrage among all.

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed as well, taking out a wine flask and pouring out some wine as an offering to the old man.

"Mark my words."

Another shout went up as the second person stepped onto the Naihe Bridge. It was a towering man with bright eyes, his arms bare and his body incredibly strong, with lightning tearing across his skin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His steps were heavy, each footfall making the Naihe Bridge rumble. His gaze was as hard as iron, driven by a resolve to die as he charged toward the other end.

Sadly, he couldn't defy fate either. His body was crushed into a mist of blood, adding another splash of color to the beautiful flowers, and his origin soul turned to ashes.

Every time this happened, sighs would rise, and the curses would swell like a tide, drowning Wulei City.

The elusive fairy city remained unresponsive, truly without emotion.

After the towering man, more people stepped onto the bridge one after another—elders, middle-aged men, youths—all with varying levels of cultivation. The strongest was at peak great emperor, the weakest a junior quasi-emperor. They all bore the destructive pressure, trudging forward with eyes full of bloody tears and choked sobs that never ceased.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

It was a dazzling immortal bridge, yet also a graveyard. As they walked, one after another fell, ground into blood mist, with red blood flowers blooming all over the Naihe Bridge.

Ah!

The sighs turned into a tide, while the curses faded away.

Ye Chen fell silent, gripping his wine flask tighter as he watched one vibrant life after another perish. His heart was filled with resentment.

In that moment, he felt a strong desire—if a great achievement powerhouse appeared, he wouldn't need anyone to ask; he would step onto the Naihe Bridge himself, stride step by step to turn that damned immortal bridge to dust, and then enter Wulei City to ask why it was so heartless.

Perhaps sensing his resentment, Chu Xuan reached out and held his hand.

Ye Chen was quiet, but helpless. He had crossed that bridge before and knew the state of mind on it—how could it be described as just heartbroken? The roars were gut-wrenching, laden with sorrow.

Ye Ling was silent too, glancing subconsciously at Tang San Shao.

Back then, this little chubby guy had also stepped onto the Naihe Bridge. Though clumsy and dark-skinned, he had been fearless, likely facing it with a will to die.

Tang San Shao chuckled foolishly, the silly type with no worries.

No one knew when, but the starry sky had grown quiet again.

Looking back at the Naihe Bridge, not a single figure remained. The flowers were stained the deepest red, and the bridge was covered in sorrow, with all those vibrant shadows having vanished into smoke on the immortal bridge.

Accompanied by the blood mist, many people took out their wine flasks and poured out offerings.

The Fifth Divine General was there too, with a woman in white beside him. She had once been a fairy from Wulei City, brought back to the mortal world by the Fifth Divine General during his tribulation.

After many years, she still had that indifferent expression, without tears and without emotion.

But the Fifth Divine General believed that with more time, he could erase the heartlessness from her face. One day, her eyes would gather tears, turning to frost under the moon.

"Total wipeout—no one else will go up now."

Fu Ya stroked his beard, having come from afar to witness this tale of sorrow.

No sooner had he spoken than another figure stepped out and stood at the head of the Naihe Bridge.

At the sight of that person, everyone in the heavens was stunned.

It was a young man, an emperor-level figure, with eyes like stars and black hair like a waterfall. His sturdy back stood like a monument. Wasn't it Song Yu?

The Martial King of Eastern Zhou seemed more disheveled than before, with stubble on his chin and a few strands of hair hanging down, covering part of his face. It was clear he hadn't groomed in a while.

"This..."

The Sun and Moon God Child twitched his mouth, unaware of this development.

"When did he get involved with Wulei City?"

The other emperor-level figures scratched their heads, baffled. If not for Song Yu stepping onto the Naihe Bridge, they wouldn't have known about this. It was truly novel.

"An emperor-level figure—if he falls, what a loss."

"Unexpected."

Ye Chen was also startled for a moment; he'd never heard Song Yu mention this and had no idea. That path was treacherous; even a moment of pity could lead to body and soul destruction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Under everyone's gaze, the banging sounds started again—slow and rhythmic—it was Song Yu walking. No one knew if his body was too heavy or the pressure too great, but every step made a rumble, and the entire Naihe Bridge hummed, with many flowers wilting.

He was a tough one. From the moment he stepped on the bridge, he didn't pause for a second, each step heavier than the last. His gaze was unyielding, and the stubble on his chin reflected his story.

No one knew on which step he finally stopped, but blood overflowed from his mouth, and his legs trembled. The pressure was overwhelming; it looked like nothing was there, yet it weighed like mountains.

Many held their breath, afraid the Martial King of Eastern Zhou would fall.

The bloody scene they imagined didn't happen.

Not only did the Martial King of Eastern Zhou not fall, he defiantly activated his bloodline limit. That's right, that undying and indestructible state. With his hair turned blood-red, he looked even more demonic, his fiendish aura soaring. The blood from his mouth turned black, and his eyes were like two black holes.

"Well, this bloodline limit has become the standard for crossing the Naihe Bridge."

"Back then, holy body Ye Chen did it this way, the Fifth Divine General did it this way, and now the Martial King of Eastern Zhou. Ye Chen and the divine general succeeded, so this one will probably make Wulei City embarrassed too."

"If he can't cross it, he might as well quit."

Amid the discussions, excitement grew. So many had died; it was time for a turnaround. Let you be without tears and without emotion—we must snatch a fairy from your city this time.

Indeed, the Martial King of Eastern Zhou didn't disappoint. He crossed the bridge with overwhelming force.

Bang!

With his final step, the entire starry sky shook, and Song Yu at the bridge's end shone like a star—it was hard to say if it was his aura or the light.

Good!

Cheers shook the nine heavens, the excited crowd feeling utterly satisfied.

Buzz!

Amid the cheers, the gates of Wulei City opened, and a graceful figure slowly emerged, enveloped in immortal splendor, like a dream. But her peerless face was etched with heartlessness.

"This..."

Ye Chen saw it and couldn't help but pause.