After leaving Flowfire City, Dark River asked, “Are we heading to Heaven-Severing City now?”

“No, to Yellow Spring City,” Xu Zimo shook his head.

“You’re going to help Old Wu find his son?” Dark River was stunned but quickly caught on.

“Go get Old Wu’s heirloom stone and tell him, I’ve accepted his request,” Xu Zimo replied.

“But if you don’t find his son, he definitely won’t give it to you in advance,” Dark River pointed out.

“That’s why I’m telling you to bring it to me,” Xu Zimo answered casually.

…

The legend of Yellow Spring City had existed for ages.

It used to be an ordinary city.

Roughly a few hundred years ago, half the population mysteriously died in a single night.

Since then, the whole city seemed cursed.

All outsiders who entered the city died without exception, leaving no bodies, no trace, nothing.

In the early days, some deliberately moved in, hoping to survive and break the so-called curse.

But as the death toll rose, the city was eventually deemed a deadly forbidden zone.

Listening to Dark River’s explanation along the way, the two had already arrived before the city gates.

Xu Zimo now had Old Wu’s heirloom stone, taken by Dark River directly from the old man.

Though it was taken by force, Xu Zimo hadn’t planned on running away. He fully intended to check out the city.

…

Looking at the gloomy city ahead, Xu Zimo couldn’t help but feel a sense of oppression.

The gates stood wide open, with no guards on either side.

The two walked inside; the streets were deserted.

Except for a few townsfolk walking around occasionally, there was barely any sign of life.

Even in broad daylight, it seemed everyone was hiding indoors.

“You scared?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile, glancing at Dark River.

“What’s there to be scared of for someone at the God Meridian Realm like me, unless these monsters are at the Immortal Path,” Dark River shook his head. “Besides, I’ve got you, don’t I?”

Xu Zimo chuckled and the two continued deeper into the city.

He looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Other than being eerily quiet, it didn’t seem much different from any other city.

The locals, upon seeing the two of them, would quickly avoid them from a distance.

After wandering around for a while, they found no clues.

By afternoon, they reached the city’s only inn.

“Yellow Spring Inn.”

Xu Zimo entered, and the innkeeper quickly came forward.

“Welcome, gentlemen. Looking for a room?” the innkeeper asked.

Xu Zimo nodded. After booking a room and ordering some food, they sat down to chat.

The innkeeper, surnamed Sun, had lived in Yellow Spring City for over a hundred years.

“Quite the empty place you’ve got here,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“Ever since the curse spread, no one dares stay here anymore,” the innkeeper replied, looking up.

“You’ve lived here so long, haven’t you noticed anything strange?” Xu Zimo asked.

“No. Just that everyone who comes here disappears. Nobody knows how,” the innkeeper replied.

“I’m looking for someone. About a month ago, a young man may have stayed here. Since your inn is the only one in the city, he would’ve stayed here if he came.”

“He did. You’re here for him, aren’t you?” the innkeeper smiled. “But don’t ask me anything, I don’t know what happened. He stayed one night and vanished the next day.”

“Is that so?” Xu Zimo pondered for a moment. “You’re pretty calm about it.”

“I’ve seen it happen too many times,” the innkeeper sighed. “No one’s ever walked out of this place alive since the curse began.”

“How much do you know about the curse?” Xu Zimo asked with a frown.

“Locals die if they leave. Outsiders die if they enter. That’s it,” the innkeeper said with a grin.

“Be careful yourselves. It’s been a long time since I had a returning guest.”

As the innkeeper walked away, Xu Zimo smiled with interest.

“Now this is getting interesting.”

…

The sun began to set, and dusk crept across the sky.

As darkness fell, the Yellow Spring Inn became unusually lively.

Many residents gathered here to eat.

Compared to the eerie silence outside, the inn felt oddly warm and bustling.

“Old Sun, I heard you’ve got new guests today. Make sure to treat them right,” said a man in a black robe at a nearby table with a laugh.

Another man, clearly drunk and stumbling, hugged a wine jar and came to Xu Zimo’s table.

He grinned and said, “Mind if I ask you two something? What kind of mindset brings people to Yellow Spring City? Sick of living? Or just plain curiosity?”

“Watch my lips,” Xu Zimo smirked and said, “Fuck off.”

“What did you say?” the drunkard’s face instantly darkened.

Xu Zimo grabbed the wine jar on the table and smashed it over the man’s head.

Crash!

The jar shattered, wine splashed everywhere.

Dark River froze, not quite expecting Xu Zimo’s sudden move.

“What are you doing?” the innkeeper asked in confusion.

“You’re still pretending?” Xu Zimo chuckled. “Undying scum.”

The entire inn froze in shock.

“So, you figured it out,” someone muttered.

All the people in the inn grinned eerily.

Their human skin split apart, and grotesque creatures emerged from within.

These monsters were short, with grayish-brown skin.

Their hands were twice the size of a normal human’s, with long, sharp claws.

Some were thin and wiry, others bloated and grotesque.

Even the innkeeper peeled away his skin, revealing his true monstrous form.

Dark River looked out the window and saw a massive horde of monsters surrounding the entire inn.

All the residents of Yellow Spring City had turned into monsters.

“How’d you know? I didn’t sense anything,” Dark River asked in surprise.

He was at the God Meridian Realm, yet hadn’t noticed a thing earlier.

Xu Zimo smiled.

“Let’s deal with these guys first.”

As for how he figured it out?

The answer was simple: Chaos told him.

During the Desolate Era, the Beast Race and the Undying Race were two major races.

To Chaos, who had encountered real Undying Race members before, the scent of their unique aura was unmistakable.

And Chaos had also told him: all these creatures in Yellow Spring City were just puppets.

The real culprit was still hiding in the shadows.