ATPnovel Chapter 406: The Sky Caravan (2)
Chapter 406: The Sky Caravan (2)
Kyrian remained motionless atop Arcon’s back.
The wind stirred his hair, a cold, cutting wind that came from the upper layers of the atmosphere and carried with it the scent of distant clouds. His violet eyes remained fixed on the gigantic creature crossing the heavens.
The more he observed...
The less he could understand.
It surpassed all logic.
All knowledge he possessed about beasts, and it was not little. Kyrian had studied bestiaries in the library of the Blood Court, read about legendary creatures, dragons, phoenixes, and divine beasts.
It was insufficient.
No bestiary he had ever read contained information about a beast this large.
Why?
Kyrian did not know.
Perhaps because it was a unique beast.
An entire city.
On the back of a single beast.
A beast so immense that it seemed to possess its own geography.
Mountains rose from its shell, some covered in snow, others blanketed in forests.
Forests stretched for miles, real trees, centuries old, with birds and small beasts living among their branches.
Lakes of crystal-clear water, so large that Kyrian could see their surfaces glittering beneath the sunlight.
Rivers flowed down the slopes, forming waterfalls that cascaded into the void, or perhaps onto lower layers of the shell.
All of that existed upon its body.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..."
The deep sound echoed once more.
Fainter this time. More distant.
Yet still powerful enough to make the air vibrate, to make Arcon’s fur stand on end, to make distant birds cease their singing.
Kyrian continued watching.
Then he noticed something. He was not the only one.
Small dots began to appear in the sky.
First one, a dark speck against the blue, moving quickly. Then three, flying in a small formation. Then ten, scattered apart, each coming from a different direction, all converging toward the same point.
Then dozens.
They were flying beasts. Other spiritual mounts.
Some resembled giant birds, with wingspans larger than houses, their feathers gleaming beneath the sun.
Others resembled bats, with leathery wings and dark bodies, silent and unsettling.
There were winged serpents, long and scaled, gliding through the air as if swimming.
There were even flying platforms powered by formations, wooden or metallic discs covered in glowing runes, carrying groups of cultivators.
Kyrian also spotted two cultivators in the Spiritual Fusion Realm, the same realm as Dong Zhen.
He knew this because both were flying without the aid of beasts, their bodies cutting through the air with the ease only cultivators of that level could achieve.
But all of them were heading in the same direction.
All were approaching the city.
"So I’m not the only one who saw it," Kyrian murmured.
Which was obvious.
Something of this size...
A flying city. A colossal creature. A living mountain.
Appearing suddenly in the heavens...
Many would notice. Many would see the shadow covering the earth. Many would feel the wind change. Many had heard that deep sound echoing through the mountains.
Kyrian thought for a moment.
If it truly was a city, with guards, rules, entrances, and exits, then perhaps someone there would know what was happening.
Perhaps someone could explain.
Or at least try.
He lightly tapped Arcon’s neck.
"Let’s go."
Arcon released a low sound, a muffled neigh that was almost a whimper.
He still seemed uncomfortable.
His body was tense, his wings beating at an uneven rhythm, his red eyes constantly monitoring the colossal creature.
But he obeyed. The enormous black wings beat once. Then again.
And they began moving toward the flow of travelers.
Five minutes later...
Kyrian drew alongside one of the mounts.
A massive brown falcon, its feathers dark, almost black at the tips, its yellow eyes shining with intelligence.
Upon it sat a young cultivator dressed in green robes, simple garments without the symbols of any sect or clan.
He appeared to be in his early twenties.
Or perhaps older.
Appearance meant little to those capable of living for hundreds of years.
The young man was so focused on staring at the colossal creature that he nearly jumped when he noticed Kyrian beside him.
"What the—"
Then he relaxed.
"Oh."
Kyrian pointed toward the city.
"Do you know what that is?"
The young man blinked.
Once. Twice.
Then looked at the creature. Then back at Kyrian. A nervous laugh escaped him.
"I was about to ask the same thing."
Kyrian raised an eyebrow.
"You don’t know?"
"Of course not."
The young man shook his head tiredly.
"I was traveling to Blue Lake City, three days south of here, when the sun suddenly disappeared."
He pointed toward the colossal shadow.
"At first I thought it was a storm."
"Then a cloud."
"Then I thought a mountain was falling from the sky."
The young man fell silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the creature.
"Now I don’t even know what to think."
Kyrian agreed internally.
That was understandable.
He himself had no idea what he was looking at.
The two remained silent for several seconds, observing the creature, its dark shell gleaming beneath the sun, green forests contrasting against the black, mountains rising like hills.
Then the young man spoke again.
"The only thing I’m certain of..."
His gaze remained fixed on the city.
"Is that I want to find out what it is."
Kyrian agreed.
That was exactly what he intended to do.
The conversation ended there. Both continued onward.
Alongside dozens of other curious cultivators. All converging toward the same destination.
As they approached...
Kyrian began to realize something terrifying.
The distance.
The creature kept growing larger and larger, becoming ever more imposing, ever more overwhelming.
Yet it never seemed to get closer. It was like looking at a distant mountain.
You walk. Walk. Walk. And it remains enormous. Always distant. Always unreachable.
What he had assumed would be a quick approach, perhaps a few minutes of flight, turned into nearly half an hour.
And even then, they were still far away.Very far away.
The scale of that being was absurd. Absurd to the point that it was difficult to process.
When they finally reached a reasonable distance...
The forest appeared. It truly was a forest. Not an illusion. Not low vegetation or shrubs.
Real trees. Thousands of them. Enormous. Ancient.
Growing directly upon the creature’s shell, their roots extending into invisible cracks, feeding upon something Kyrian could not see.
Flocks of birds flew among the treetops, some small, some large, all singing.
Small spiritual beasts ran across the fields.
Flame deer. Ice hares. Foxes with multiple tails.
Life flourished there.
As though it were a continent.
Not a living being.