The moment the broken sword was inserted into the incense burner, the entire dilapidated temple was bathed in moonlight. The moonlight was so bright that it illuminated the entire room as if it were daytime.
Shi Xuan and the others couldn't see the changes behind the moonlight; it all happened in an instant.
At this moment, it was as if all the moonlight of the entire month had been concentrated and released together, so bright that it was almost blinding.
After the brilliance fades, everything quickly returns to normalcy.
There was no door opening as I had imagined; it was as if nothing had happened, without my knowledge or awareness.
When Shi Xuan looked around again, the situation was completely different from before.
The dilapidated temple is gone, replaced by a neat street. The time has changed from the moon being high in the sky to noon, and where the moon was just moments ago, the sun is now partially obscured by clouds.
And they were standing on a commercial street at that moment.
The scene had completely changed, indicating that they had entered a secret realm.
But this place was completely different from the secret realm they had imagined.
This neighborhood, bustling with people, is practically indistinguishable from the outside world.
The five people stood in the middle of the street, attracting the curious gazes of the street vendors.
Their clothing style is very different from the people here, making them look out of place.
The outgoing Lu Wenxing couldn't help but ask first.
He looked at the middle-aged man selling clay figurines and asked, "Uncle, where is this place?"
The clay figurine seller kept his head down for a long time before raising it and slowly replying, "Where is this? Where is it? Is this Wanjian Village?"
His reactions were slow, like those of an eighty or ninety-year-old man, forgetful and sluggish.
Seeing this, Shi Xuan pulled Lu Wenxing aside and said, "This place is a bit strange. Let's take a quick look around first."
The group of five walked along the street and circled the area.
Although it is called Wanjian Village, it is no different from the market outside the sect. There are only eight streets in total. The four outer streets form a square that encloses the central area, and the four middle streets also form a square shape.
The entire Wanjian Village, when viewed from above, resembles the shape of the Chinese character "回" (hui).
The outer ring is residential, while the inner ring consists of shops and vendors.
The middle block may not be large, but it has everything.
The largest and most bustling place was a tavern with a huge signboard hanging at the entrance that read "Guests Feel at Home." A wooden plaque at the entrance also read the name of the place: Holy Sword Tavern.
"Let's go in and take a look," Shi Xuan said, leading his fellow disciples into the tavern.
The tavern was quite large, with two floors. The central hall was filled with guests, drinking and chatting, all looking very spirited.
Shi Xuan and the other four found a corner in the hall and sat down.
A waiter came out to greet them, flicking the cloth in his hand and asking with a smile, "What would you five gentlemen like to order?"
Shi Xuan said, "Bring two jugs of wine, and some snacks to go with them."
"Alright!" the waiter replied, tossing his cloth around as he left.
The five people sat down, and Shi Xuan instructed, "When the food arrives, don't touch it. Let's observe it first."
All four nodded in agreement.
Lu Wenxing opened his mouth at first, wanting to ask why he couldn't eat it, but seeing that everyone else was nodding, he had to hold back his question.
The guests in the hall were all talking loudly, saying things that some of them couldn't understand.
"It's uncertain who will emerge victorious in this battle of the Sword Saints."
"It must be Yan Qian without a doubt. There is no one in Wanjian Village who is more skilled in swordsmanship than Yan Qian."
"But Yan Qian was seriously injured in the last great battle against the demons, and we don't know if that will affect this battle."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
"The timing is just right. But even if someone else wins, I doubt anyone would consider him a true Sword Saint. Strength is something that needs everyone's recognition."
...
Shi Xuan understood what they meant; a battle for the title of Sword Saint was about to take place here.
And isn't this Yan Qian the Sword Saint they know? She also has Yan Qian's sword "Ice Soul," which is a good weapon against demonic cultivators.
It was because of this Ice Soul Sword that Fan Mingzhu was forced to reveal her true form.
Shi Xuan continued to listen to them talk; all the topics revolved around the battle of the Sword Saints.
The hall is bustling with guests; sometimes one table leaves and a new table arrives, and they all talk about the same things.
After listening for a full hour, Shi Xuan paid the spirit stones and led the four of them out of the tavern.
On the street outside, everything was exactly the same as when they arrived; everyone was going about their business in an orderly manner.
By this time, it was getting dark.
People on the street gradually disappeared, and those who were packing up their stalls also hurried away.
Tang Nong said with some surprise, "They're in such a hurry to pack up and go home just as the sky is about to turn gray? That's not right. When I used to set up a stall in the markets of various sects, only a few people would leave at this time."
Lu Wenxing chimed in, "Yeah, why are they in such a hurry? It's like something's chasing them."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged woman chased after two teenagers running past them.
As the woman chased after him, she cursed, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? It's getting dark soon, hurry home or the monster will come and eat you up!"
In no time, everyone on the street had left, leaving only the five of them standing there dumbfounded.
Tang Nong looked around and tentatively asked, "How about... we find a place to stay for now?"
There was only one hotel on the street, but when they got there, the door was tightly shut. They knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came out to answer, as if there was no one there at all.
At this moment, the last ray of gray light disappeared, and the sky became completely dark.
At this moment, the atmosphere on the street suddenly became gloomy, feeling completely different from the daytime, as if it had become extremely cold.
The entire Wanjian Village is now eerily silent, except for the five of them.
Suddenly, a series of strange cries rang out, and a large number of demonic beasts surged into the street where they were standing from both sides!
The monsters looked very strange and their running posture was also very awkward, but they quickly arrived in front of the group.
The monsters seemed to be extremely hungry. When they saw the five people, their eyes lit up, and they pounced on them with a roar.
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