Dragon Tamer

The spacious pathways atop these mysterious walls serve as the seats for spectators, with the winding walls not only enclosing the entire mechanical city but also extending into the battleground cities within…

Gradually, the crowd began to “occupy” the mysterious walls, slowly dispersing to different places.

In each of the four directions of the mysterious walls, beautifully constructed city towers stand; these towers are where the nobles and members of powerful factions watch the battlefield engagements.

Each city tower has an excellent view, allowing one to see nearly everything happening in the mechanical city.

As the day rose, participants from the various powerful factions appeared at the gates of the mechanical city.

Before the official battle began, those partaking in this competition would enter the mechanical city in advance to prevent the congregation of four to five hundred disciples near the gates of the mysterious walls right at the start.

As Zhu Minglang and Nan Lingsha stepped into the city gate, a battle host loudly addressed every disciple entering the city, “Before the Flame Banners atop the city towers are lit, all forms of combat are prohibited; offenders will be immediately disqualified.”

“Half of the resources provided by the great factions are within this mechanical city. Disciples may seek them out themselves within the city, and upon obtaining them and lighting the Beacon Bamboo Tube, passing it to a judge will mean it belongs to them!”

“Inside the mechanical city, a large group of ferocious Ancient Dragons are kept; they will attack every one of you, so I hope everyone will try their best to avoid these fierce dragons while searching for resources to avoid accidents.”

“Lastly, please retain some sense of reason. Do not harbor murderous intentions towards those who have lost the ability to fight. Those disciples who are overpowered should also hand over their obtained resources as much as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble!”

After the rules were announced, the disciples entered the mechanical city one after another.

Zhu Minglang and Nan Lingsha walked together, following an ancient street straight into the mechanical city.

After walking a thousand meters or so, Zhu Minglang turned around only to find the long street had vanished. In place of the path he’d just been on, a dense forest appeared, seemingly containing some dilapidated villages…

Surprise filled Zhu Minglang’s face.

Could it be that this city itself is still in motion?

The mechanical city, this entire battlefield of an ancient city, would change every so often, inadvertently causing complete disorientation within the city?

Such a structure was quite extraordinary.

As they continued to walk, indeed, the layout within the mechanical city kept changing.

Zhu Minglang and Nan Lingsha were supposed to cross an open grassland but found tower after tower of rock buildings rising from the ground, while the earth itself kept shifting, turning from muddy to interlocked rocks…

A stone city formed right beneath their eyes, with what appeared to be a main street of shops, and densely packed houses, all made of rock and utterly empty inside, like mud fortresses made by playing children.

The terrain kept shifting.

The layout kept changing.

The mechanical city itself was one giant contraption of a labyrinth, and those disciples who had entered in the same direction soon found themselves scattered in different places.

And it was truly bizarre.

Despite the mechanical city having impossibly high mysterious walls and majestic towers, one would think that standing within this labyrinthine city, it would still be possible to use these walls and towers for orientation…

But they could not see any of the tall mysterious walls at all!

It seemed the mechanical city’s mechanisms were more complex than just a change in the landscape; there were dimensional contractions and expansions at play, employing techniques of illusion that made everything inside look even more intricate!

“The scorching sun, too, will shift in different directions, and the mechanical city has some visual illusions,” Nan Lingsha pointed out, indicating towards the Heavenly Dao with her hand.

Zhu Minglang looked up, only to find that the sun, which should be rising in the east, was now behind him…

He had clearly been walking eastward the whole time.

So, are they heading west now?

The directions are completely chaotic!

“You can’t rely on the sun to determine the cardinal directions here, Mechanism City is quite complex indeed!” Zhu Minglang exclaimed with some admiration.

A blaze of light suddenly ignited in the distance, its captivating brilliance hard to ignore.

It’s the Flame Banner!

This signals that the official combat has begun!

All disciples from the various forces can engage in battle upon encountering each other.

Ever since setting foot in Mechanism City, Zhu Minglang had been drawn to its layout, eager to grasp the principles behind its operation. After all, utilizing the terrain could offer a significant advantage.

But who would have thought time would pass so quickly.

The contest was underway, yet around him and Nan Lingsha, no disciples from any force were in sight. Rock City was vast and eerily empty.

“Half of the resources from the major forces are scattered within this Mechanism City. I think the disciples of the major forces must have started searching for these treasures as soon as possible,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Let’s look around,” Nan Lingsha suggested.

When the Flame Banner ignited, the layout of Mechanism City began to change more slowly. It seemed the initial multiple shifts aimed to disperse the disciples to different locations, adding more spectacle for the citizens of the Imperial City.

Stone City was deserted, Zhu Minglang and Nan Lingsha wandered aimlessly until the sound of fighting reached them from up ahead.

After rounding some rocky buildings, Zhu Minglang saw a statue at the open intersection ahead, standing in the middle of a fountain. It wasn’t very tall, but the statue held out a palm that cradled a shining brocade box.

Inside the brocade box, there must be a rare treasure!

Two groups of disciples had spotted the brocade box at the same time, both wanting to claim it as their own.

Zhu Minglang looked at the statue, and then glanced at the brocade box.

The spiritual resources were idly placed there.

As if they were meant to be found by the disciples from the major forces.

Zhu Minglang and Nan Lingsha exchanged a look, then nodded at each other.

Zhu Minglang stepped forward, unable to clearly discern which forces the several people belonged to.

“Bai Qi, go get it,” Zhu Minglang instructed.

Little White hopped off Zhu Minglang’s shoulder onto the ground, and then slyly made his way across the street ahead. He seemed like an innocuous little squirrel at most, perhaps just picking up scattered pinecones on the forest floor.

At first, those people didn’t take any notice. They were locked in confrontation, unleashing their Power of God and Mortality. Although still in a tentative stage, neither side was willing to step back.

But then, with a flicker of movement and a sweep of its tail, Little White snatched the brocade box and swiftly ran back to Zhu Minglang.

Zhu Minglang opened the brocade box to find inside a Contract Book.

“Runyu City deed??”

A city’s Contract Book!

They had just obtained a city!!