The streets on both sides of the Elemental Wasteland's outer city were filled with mud. Most of the houses were built with green bricks and black tiles. Most of the houses had long tables in front of their doors. On the tables were all sorts of goods. Most of them were ordinary items that were not worth looking at.
The closer he got to the inner city, the wider the road became. The houses on both sides were also taller and more magnificent. However, compared to the other continents in the Northern Frost Celestial Realm, the architectural style here was obviously different.
There were few round pillars in the houses here, and there were no statues of auspicious beasts on the eaves. There were no brick carvings on the walls either. The overall style was simpler and rougher, and less exquisite.
The decorations and the things for sale on both sides of the street showed that this place was different from the other continents.
Although the sky was getting dark, there were still many people on the street. After observing for a while, Han Li found that there were many alien races that were rarely seen in other places in the Northern Frost Celestial Realm. He had only walked a few hundred feet and he had already seen many alien races with strange clothes and strange looks.
However, when he thought that this was the border of the Northern Frost Celestial Realm, Han Li was not surprised.
"Uncle, it smells so good …" Jintong, who had just finished eating the candied fruit in her hand, wrinkled her nose and said.
As soon as she finished speaking, she scurried out and arrived beside a stall on the street.
"Hey, miss, would you like two skewers?" Standing behind the stall was a burly man with dark skin. He asked with a smile.
Han Li followed up and saw that there was a huge copper pot with boiling oil placed next to the stall. On the table next to it was a large pile of freshly fried food. It was pitch-black and ugly, but it emitted an alluring aroma.
After a short moment, Han Li's brows furrowed.
There were appendages as thick as an adult's arm, huge pincers the size of a table, and eyeballs of unknown beasts, all of which had been fried into a crisp, browned brown.
"Do you want to eat this?" Han Li asked.
"Yes, I want all of them!
Uncle, the bill! "Jintong's fingers were already moving. He immediately waved his small hand and said.
By the time she finished speaking, she had already stored all the strange food on the table into her storage bracelet.
Seeing this, Han Li smiled helplessly. He paid the bill for the overjoyed man and continued to head towards the inner city with a satisfied expression on his face.
The further he went into the city, the more people he saw on the road. He could hear people hawking their wares in all sorts of accents and tones, mixed with many shouts and quarrels. The language used was coarse, and it was very different from where Han Li had been in the past.
Between the alleys, there were also many brothels and tile-roofed shops, with many gorgeously dressed beauties standing at the door or upstairs, either leaning against the railings and calling softly, or waving their fans and waving their sleeves, softly trying to attract customers.
There were more mortals in the outer city. Although there were also quite a number of cultivators, most of them had low cultivation bases. Along the way, Han Li did not manage to get any useful information. He simply flew with the wind, grabbed Jintong, and headed straight for the inner city.
As he flew through the air, looking at the sparks of fire that stretched for thousands of miles below him, Han Li suddenly raised his eyebrows. He could not help but murmur, "I didn't expect Elemental Desolation City to have such a complicated formation … With the Great Wall as the pivot of the formation and the eighteen main streets as the base, the formation is more stable the larger the area of the city. No wonder there are no city walls, this is amazing …"
"Uncle, what's amazing?" Jintong asked as he held a giant pincer that had been fried to a golden color. He was chewing on it loudly.
"Eat your food …" Han Li said with a smile.
Compared to the outer city, the buildings in the inner city were much more intricate. There were many more carvings on the corners, cornices, beams, and painted rafters. However, the carvings were of ferocious beasts of peculiar shapes. Han Li had not seen most of them before.
The restaurants and shops on both sides of the street had also become three-story buildings. There were even some inns with deep courtyards in the middle.
What surprised Han Li the most was that there would be a huge circular building in the busiest part of the street every few streets.
These buildings often had a door in each of the four corners. The walls were engraved with runes that were used to strengthen the walls. From time to time, there would be cheers that sounded like a tsunami.
"Uncle, it seems to be very lively inside. Let's go in and take a look!" Jintong said as he was tempted by the cheers.
"It's just a gambling ground. It's just like how people in the market would catch wild dogs and chickens and put them together for them to fight. The onlookers would then bet on who would win," Han Li said as he shook his head.
"Oh." Jintong lost interest after hearing this explanation.
"We've been on the road for the past few days. Let's take a rest in this city tonight.
We'll consider leaving the city tomorrow. Let's go to the wild world, "Han Li said as he raised his head to look at the starry night sky.
"Uncle, you can decide.
I'm a little sleepy after eating. So, I'm going to sleep for a while, "Jintong said. He had no objections to this.
Then, he shrunk his body and transformed into a golden beetle that was a few inches in size. Then, he attached it to Han Li's finger and transformed it into a golden ring.
Han Li smiled helplessly as he walked towards the center of the city.
The buildings on the streets became sparser as he walked towards the center of the city.
Han Li understood that this wasn't because the inner city wasn't prosperous enough. Instead, it was because the buildings in the core area of the inner city were built according to the layout of the huge magic formation. So, they couldn't be changed at will. So, they wouldn't be crowded or expanded.
When he came to a street corner, Han Li saw a tall vermilion gate tower in the alley. The pillars were carved with dragons and phoenixes, and there were embroidered flowers on them. The words "Misty Garden" were written in the middle.
A blue light flashed in Han Li's eyes. Through the gate tower, he saw the area behind the street. The Qi of Heaven and Earth was abundant, far more than the surrounding areas. He walked towards the gate tower.
As he approached the gate, he noticed that there was a black wooden sign next to it. There was a line of words written on it.
"This garden only receives cultivators at the Deity Transformation Stage and above."
He smiled and shook his head. Then, he walked in.
As soon as he entered the gate tower, the light suddenly brightened. Han Li narrowed his eyes and saw a slender and beautiful female cultivator dressed in a palace dress. She slowly walked up to him.
The female cultivator bowed slightly to him and said, "Honored guest, please forgive me for not going out to greet you."
Her words and posture were very respectful. It was just that the smile on her face was too formal. It was like a standard posture that had been formed for a long time. It made people feel alienated.
"Are there any empty rooms?" Han Li looked around and asked.
"There is a room in the B class garden. The location is quiet …" The female cultivator replied.
"Are there any grades of rooms? Are there any rooms in the A class garden?" Han Li raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Honored guest, you must be new to Yuan Huang City?
All the Immortal Inns in this city have an unwritten rule. The rooms are divided into A, B, C and D classes. The A class is only open to cultivators at the True Immortal Stage and above. So … with your Mahayana Stage cultivation, the B class is the most suitable room. "The female cultivator bowed and said apologetically.
"I see. No problem. Lead the way." Han Li heard this and said with a smile.
He didn't care much about the residence. After all, he only planned to stay for a night.
The female cultivator hesitated and said, "Honored guest, don't you want to ask about the price?"
"I'll arrange for a table of banquet to be sent over. We'll settle the bill when we leave tomorrow." Han Li said indifferently.
"Okay.
Honored guest, please follow me. "The female cultivator bowed again and said.
With that, she led Han Li out of the back hall. They walked along a winding corridor towards the courtyard in the back.
"Honored guest, since you are new here, why don't you stay in Yuan Huang City for a few more days?
There are still some places worth visiting in this city. It would be a pity if you don't visit. "The female cultivator walked in front of Han Li and said.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to explain." Han Li said in a seemingly casual manner.
"It's impossible to determine when this Yuan Huang City was first built. It has been destroyed many times in history by the battles between cultivators and wild beasts. The current city was only rebuilt with the support of the top sects of the Northern Frost Celestial Region after it was destroyed in the last war," the female cultivator said as she slowly led the way.
Han Li's heart stirred as he asked, "Have the savage beasts invaded Elemental Desolation City on many occasions?"
"That's right.
It is said that they attacked Yuan Huang City under the leadership of some wild beasts.
However, it has been too many years since the last large-scale war. I'm afraid many people don't remember. "The female cultivator nodded.
"So, this Yuan Huang City is jointly managed by the big sects?" Han Li suddenly thought of something and asked.
"That's not the case.
Yuan Huang City's location is too special. Currently, it is managed by the City Lord Mansion. It is not restricted by the big sects.
However, it has a good relationship with the big sects. It has always been able to maintain its stability. "The female cultivator explained.
"What about the Immortal Palace? Don't they have the responsibility of supervising this place?" Han Li asked again.
"The Northern Frost Celestial Palace wants to intervene. On one hand, the big sects don't allow it. On the other hand, the City Lord is also a peak Golden Immortal cultivator.
But ….. "As the female cultivator spoke till here, she hesitated.
"But what?" Han Li had already guessed what she was going to say, but he still asked.
"It's not a secret that can't be told … Something unexpected happened to the Fire Dragon Path just now, and I'm afraid the situation in the Northern Frost Celestial Realm will change. Yuanhuang City might be affected," the female cultivator said worriedly as she slowed down.
When Han Li heard this, he felt somewhat relieved.