Chapter 335: 335. Yan’an welcomes you
"This is really..."
The coordination and integration ability of the gene seed took effect in an instant. The pair of demon hunter’s cat eyes, mutated through magic, underwent a brief and intense contraction and focusing.
Before Lann’s consciousness could react, the gene seed had already adjusted his body to a normal state.
Or rather — a combat-ready state.
And what was reflected in those amber cat eyes at that moment could only be described as a stunning scene.
The dazzling, blood-like sunset was about to go down.
Its rays shone over the horizon at an almost flat angle, but were blocked by towering, somber Gothic spire buildings.
Finally, only a few sharp, blade-like beams of light pierced through the gaps in the architecture.
Floating dust, debris, or something else indescribable hovered and drifted in these sparse beams of light.
Making the remaining sunlight in Lann’s eyes appear to have an added... vile yet sacred beauty.
Vile yet sacred?
What am I thinking?!
The newly arrived demon hunter suddenly shook his head vigorously, feeling that he must have been confused by the commotion from crossing the rift.
An inexplicable sense of insecurity arose in his heart, making him unconsciously place his left hand on the scabbard at his left waist, his thumb pushing open the guard of Aron Dite partially, revealing a bit of the sharp blade.
"Swish!"
Even though the sunlight was on the verge of disappearing, the bright gleam on the blade still made its surroundings flicker momentarily.
With a graceful arc, the blade swiftly swept through the grass beside Lann.
As the weeds slumped down a section, several banded, elongated bodies amidst the grass squirted blood, twisting and convulsing.
They were several very thick snakes, with beige scales and black spots. Generally speaking, non-venomous snakes would use precious energy for body growth, but Lann glanced briefly at the few snake heads he had cut down with one slash.
Their jaws kept opening and closing, with sharp teeth dripping green liquid, emitting a corrosive sound like strong acid upon contact with the ground.
With a single slash, three giant venomous snake heads fell to the ground. This action seemed to trigger some kind of switch.
In the dense grass of the wild, there suddenly appeared the sounds of scales rubbing against grass and sandy soil.
The hissing of snakes spiking sharply to a piercing level.
To make quiet cold-blooded creatures make such loud noises, there must be at least hundreds of them!
The wilderness of this world seems very dangerous.
Lann glanced sideways; the heavenly sphere convergence rift, the traces like shattered glass, were already gradually fading away, until they disappeared.
The terrifying snake swarm had already begun to flatten the half-human height cluster of weeds. During the last few seconds of the rift’s disappearance, Lann cut down another seven or eight snakes around him, ensuring none touched the rift.
Once the rift of the heavenly sphere convergence completely disappeared, Lann’s actions became more skillful because he no longer needed to guard a single place to the death; he could move freely.
Looking around, the situation was more exaggerated than Lann initially estimated; at least several hundred thick and long patterned venomous snakes were surging toward him.
It was like a wave of cold-blooded reptiles!
Some giant snakes entangled and twisted together while advancing, even forming disgusting snake clumps.
"Can’t stay here any longer."
In the midst of the snake swarm wave, Lann abruptly changed direction toward the sunlight.
There, not only was the sunlight from the setting sun but also the large group of buildings blocking the light.
In places where people congregate, these snakes likely wouldn’t dare to go, and it should be relatively safe... right?
The young demon hunter started moving along the mountain slopes, advancing toward the building cluster by navigating the rugged mountain path filled with rocks and dead branches.
That was a massive Mountain City.
The closer he got, the more unstoppable Lann’s astonishment became.
The gigantic city occupied almost the entire mountain, with areas on the mountain divided into an upper and lower three-dimensional structure based on the terrain.
Lann was only able to see the rough layout of the entire city because he was standing at a sufficient distance away. Once inside, people probably felt it was all twists and turns, up and down.
A single turn might lead to getting lost.
Lann moved very efficiently through the mountains, thanks mainly to the techniques he learned from the ninja.
He could climb and leap over many platforms and ravines that ordinary people would have to detour around.
Finally, before the sunset completely dipped below the horizon, he considered himself entering the range of the buildings.
The stone slabs underfoot provided a tactile sensation entirely different from the wild soil, marking the boundary between civilization and the wilderness, a feeling of culture that put one’s mind at ease.
Although the city’s buildings appeared crowded and cramped, and the terrain and roads twisted, just as Lann expected before he entered, the narrow roads extended windingly, reaching into the profound, somber corner darkness.
Nevertheless, this was a city inhabited by humans or other intelligent beings.
"’Yan’an welcomes you’... Yan’an? Is this the name of the city?"
On a signpost at an intersection, Lann learned the city’s name for the first time. He sheathed his long blade, ready to enter a city symbolizing order.
"Sounds pretty good."
Even just from a distant glimpse of the city’s exterior, one could tell it’s a place inhabited by at least hundreds of thousands of people.
Although, in Lann’s homeland, that number wouldn’t even constitute a town, compared to the Magic World; this place’s population density allowed him to feel a sense of intimacy and bustle.
But as Lann proceeded further along the winding, deep path into the city, his left hand unconsciously pressed again onto the scabbard at his waist.
This city isn’t right.
Although he initially felt a sense of affinity, as if he had encountered an era closer to home, that feeling evaporated in less than half a minute due to an overwhelmingly palpable weirdness.
The originally narrow and cramped streets were further obstructed by numerous items, making the roadside chaotic and congested.
If that were all, Lann would at most think the townsfolk only lacked a bit of decorum, nothing more.
After all, he’d been to places like King’s Landing, where people threw waste in the streets.
But what if the things blocking the road aren’t just clutter... but tombstones and coffins?
The tombstones had been arranged for a long time, with even the stone showing signs of aging.
And the coffins were even odder—they weren’t laid solemnly but were wrapped tightly with thick iron chains, as if fearing whatever was inside might escape.
Lann was quite sure the place he arrived wasn’t some funeral industry street, only an ordinary residential street.
"...Worship of the imagery of death?"
As an outsider, Lann could only speculate this much for the time being.
Furthermore, aside from these items that shouldn’t appear on the streets, there was also an unusual air of desolation among the populace.
The streets, which Lann estimated would be bustling, were currently devoid of people.
Even the houses on either side of the streets seemed uninhabited at the moment, merely illuminated from within.
The last ray of the sun disappeared.
In this desolate city, Lann frowned, watching helplessly as the illumination slowly shifted, dimmed, until it vanished.
In such a vast city, he had been inside for quite a while yet hadn’t found a place to stay overnight, nor encountered a single person.
His demeanor remained calm, not prone to acting like a horror movie protagonist, shouting down empty streets.
But he was getting a bit irritable.
All those rooms lined up, and was he going to "camp" in the city? That was a bit ridiculous.
But soon, Lann suddenly looked up at the distance.
As the sun set, nightfall approached. A distant bell tolled from the higher city sectors.