Song Yan concealed his qi, swept over the Vast Sea, and arrived again in the Mortal World, witnessing nothing but devastation.

It had been about two hundred years since the advent of the dark age of calamity, and the resistance in people's hearts had gradually turned into numbness and resignation. This was an era even more chaotic and disordered than the end of the Dynasty.

He had spent three years patrolling the area of the former Formless Ancient Country in hopes of discovering the traces of the Formless Ancestor.

But unfortunately, the target was hidden very deep.

This brought back memories for Song Yan of the days when he was being hunted.

In a change of roles, the prey may be terrified, but being the hunter isn't easy either.

The Qi Observation Pearl was only effective at the Purple Mansion Realm. Once one reached the Divine Infant stage, the Divine Soul merged with heaven and earth, making it impossible to see their qi. Not to mention the Formless Ancestor above the Divine Infant, and the Sea of Suffering Dragon Race.

On this day, he arrived at a destroyed town, initially planning to pass by as usual. But half an incense stick of time away, he quickly returned and descended upon this ruin.

The city walls had long crumbled, and only a small part of the city gate remained rusted and tilted among the debris. The old pavilions and towers along the streets had even had their foundations uprooted, revealing tamped earth and bones.

Even the roots of the grass on the tamped earth were withered, insect holes destroyed, and no sign of decaying birds. One could vaguely see some tattered and wrinkled wine flags, mixed among the government plaque.

This place was truly a lifeless land of the dead.

Song Yan walked silently, suddenly squatting down to look at a relatively complete skeleton. Feeling something in his heart, he raised his hand and gently touched it.

Snap.

A light sound, and the skeleton instantly turned to black smoke, disintegrating into ash.

He hurried to another spot and touched a certain skull.

Snap.

The skull also turned into ash.

He squinted his eyes, spreading his divine sense to cover the area.

He noticed something suspicious.

'First, there are extremely few skeletons here.

Normally, this might suggest that the government organized people to evacuate in advance, leaving just ruins rather than many corpses.

But over the years, as I traveled everywhere, the government long lost its early warning capabilities, merely seeking to maintain its interests in chaos. Whether they have such awareness and decisiveness is questionable.'

'Second, the few remaining skeletons are extremely strange, turning to ash at the slightest touch.

And judging by these plaques, the city gates aren't completely buried, suggesting this town's destruction wasn't long ago.

Even if a Celestial Calamity Beast passed through and destroyed this place, those residents who didn't evacuate in time would merely be skeletons weathered by time or shattered from violent impact, not like this.'

'Unless these civilians were inadvertently caught in intense crossfire, experiencing the impact of special magical energy waves...'

'Or perhaps... they didn't die at the hands of the Celestial Calamity Beast, but were sacrificed.'

'The few skeletons left here are not just a few unlucky ones, but a few "lucky ones" who, for some reason, maintained some skeletal integrity during the sacrifice, hence not turning into ash instantly.'

'If it was a sacrifice, that would be the work of the Celestial Demon, possibly the work of the Formless Ancestor.'

'They used the Celestial Calamity Beast as a disguise to sacrifice the city.'

'If that's the case, this would surely not be the only solitary city around. I should observe further.'

...

A month later, Song Yan descended upon a ruined city once again; this was the eighty-sixth city he had visited.

Among the surrounding towns, some were naturally destroyed by Celestial Calamity Beasts, while others had "extremely few skeletons that turned to ash at a touch".

And by inquiring in nearby cities with living residents, one could hear rumors of "demons devouring people," claiming that certain villages vanished overnight without a trace.

If this information were to be lightly passed over, any anomalies would be unnoticed.

But Song Yan had already sensed it.

...

After that, he spent another two months secretly searching.

But he found nothing.

Since it was highly likely that a Celestial Demon was present here, and the demon had methods that made it hard for him to detect, Song Yan's interest was piqued.

Because the opponent potentially met the conditions of being the Formless Ancestor.

He quickly compared the map, aiming to find a spot to "wait for the rabbit."

His plan was simple: go to a town highly likely to be sacrificed but not yet, conceal his presence, blend in as a mortal, and wait for the Celestial Demon to arrive.

Song Yan's gaze quickly swept across the map and suddenly fell on a city.

This city was called Shanyang, and back then... after he escaped from the Celestial Venerable Secret Realm, he had once become a mortal and used the secret technique mentioned in the "Dragon Burial Law" in the Mortal Realm to collect the herbs needed for the "Ancient Divine Infant breakthrough."

And the girl who helped him collect herbs was Wan'Er, his wife during his time as a mortal.

This girl named Wan'Er was taken by him as they charged against the Imperial Iron Cavalry, crossing a great kingdom, and arriving at a place to settle down.

That place... was Shanyang City.

But now, the once inland area hadn't even reached fifty years when it turned into a frontier.

'Perhaps it's destiny, I'll go to Shanyang City and wait then.'

With his mind made up, Song Yan put away the map, quickly heading toward the city, ready to choose a mortal, take their cause and effect, and blend in.

Because of Wan'Er's existence, a small additional expectation arose in his heart.

'If I could see Wan'Er again, that little girl... she should be fifty-five by now, right?'

'Back then, I gave her plenty of resources, and if she used them well, she would be an unrivaled expert in the Mortal Realm by now, living well over a hundred years isn't an issue.'

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