Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3508: Arriving At The Southern Continent

”Are we stopping?” Shrubby asked.

”For now,” Lin Mu replied.

They entered the city on foot.

The guards at the gates stiffened at the sight of Cattaleya, but unlike in Blue City, they did not panic. They merely eyed her cautiously before letting the group pass. Immortals were not uncommon here, and the guards themselves were at least Dao Treading realm cultivators.

Inside, the city bustled with activity.

Merchants shouted prices. Dockworkers hauled crates infused with formation runes. Cultivators moved openly through the streets, some riding spirit beasts, others floating lightly above the ground.

They asked for directions to the teleportation array hall and were quickly pointed toward a massive structure near the city’s center.

”It is attached to the City Hall,” one of the locals explained. ”You cannot miss it.”

They did not.

The City Hall was enormous, a wide complex of stone and immortal wood nearly four hundred meters across. The teleportation array hall was built directly into its eastern wing, guarded by formation barriers and multiple layers of security.

Inside, the atmosphere was efficient but unhurried.

Lin Mu approached the counter and requested a teleportation slot to the southern continent.

The attendant checked a jade slip, then nodded. ”You’re in luck. A shipment is scheduled to depart shortly. You may join it.”

Lin Mu paid without hesitation.

”Departure in one hour,” the attendant said. ”Please prepare.”

They waited.

True to the schedule, an hour later they were guided into the teleportation chamber. Formation lines lit up beneath their feet, energy humming as spatial anchors locked into place.

The world twisted.

Their time in the teleportation channel was brief. Unlike long distance world to world travel, this local teleportation barely lasted ten minutes. The pressure was mild, the distortion gentle. Lin Mu didn’t even take out the mobile courtyard.

Then the light faded.

They arrived.

The air felt different the moment they stepped out. Denser. Warmer. Charged with unfamiliar currents.

Lin Mu exhaled slowly.

They had reached the southern continent.

And somewhere ahead lay the former capital of the Butterfly Kingdom, waiting for them.

Whatever delays and complications lay ahead, one thing was certain.

Their journey through the Fifteen Ryze World had truly begun.

The moment they stepped out of the teleportation hall, the change hit them like a physical wave.

Heat.

Not the dry, scorching heat of deserts or blazing suns, but a thick, clinging warmth that wrapped itself around the body. The air felt heavy, saturated with moisture, carrying the faint scent of salt, vegetation, and distant ocean currents. Every breath felt fuller, as if the atmosphere itself pressed gently against the lungs.

Meng Bai wiped his brow almost instinctively.

”...It’s hot,” he said, blinking. ”And humid. Really humid.”

Lin Mu nodded, already adjusting his circulation subconsciously. ”We are very close to the ocean, and the water density here traps heat. This kind of climate is common near equatorial regions.”

Cattaleya stretched her shoulders and rolled her neck. ”Hah. This is nothing. At least it’s not freezing.”

Daoist Chu exhaled slowly, his robes fluttering slightly as he let his Qi adapt to the new environment. ”The air is heavier, but stable. It will take some getting used to.”

Nearby, several merchants who had arrived through the same teleportation array were unloading goods into spatial storage rings or coordinating with port officials. One of them, a middle aged man with sun darkened skin and robes dyed in light sea colors, glanced at Lin Mu’s group and smiled knowingly.

”First time here?” he asked casually.

Lin Mu inclined his head. ”Yes.”

The merchant chuckled. ”No wonder. Everyone reacts like that the first time.”

He gestured broadly toward the city beyond the hall. ”Welcome to the Warm Ocean Kingdom. This city is Equator Port City.”

Meng Bai’s eyes widened slightly. ”Equator... as in the equator?”

”That’s right,” the merchant replied. ”The northern continent is far too north. Even Southern Port City was only temperate. But here?” He spread his hands. ”This is the belt of the world. Heat, rain, ocean winds. All year round.”

Lin Mu absorbed the information quickly. ”That explains the humidity.”

The merchant nodded. ”And the prosperity.”

With a friendly wave, the man departed, joining a group of dockworkers waiting outside.

Lin Mu and the others followed, stepping fully out of the hall.

What greeted them made even Lin Mu pause.

Equator Port City dwarfed Southern Port City in every sense. Massive stone avenues stretched outward from the teleportation district, wide enough for multiple beast drawn carriages to pass side by side.

Buildings rose in layered tiers, their architecture adapted to the climate. Tall structures with open corridors, wide overhangs, and slanted roofs designed to shed heavy rainfall.

Blue City had felt quiet and stagnant.

Southern Port City had felt functional.

But this place felt alive.

Immortal Qi flowed openly through the air, not thick and oppressive, but abundant and vibrant. Lin Mu’s immortal sense expanded instinctively, and what he felt caused his eyes to narrow slightly.

”Tens of thousands,” he murmured.

Meng Bai looked at him. ”What?”

”The number of immortals,” Lin Mu replied. ”There are tens of thousands here. And quite a few immortal beasts as well.”

Daoist Chu’s brows lifted. ”That many?”

”Yes,” Lin Mu confirmed. ”Spirit realm cultivators are still present, but they are no longer the majority. I would estimate... perhaps half.”

Cattaleya whistled softly. ”Now this is more like it.”

Daoist Chu allowed himself a faint smile. ”This finally feels like a proper immortal city.”

Indeed, while most of the immortals here were not particularly strong, first and second tribulation stage immortals made up the bulk of the population, their sheer number changed the atmosphere entirely. Cultivation stalls lined the streets. Formation components were sold openly. Even casual guards stationed at intersections radiated immortal auras.

After the disorientation of Blue City and the modest scale of Southern Port City, Equator Port City felt like a return to familiarity.

”Let’s not wander blindly,” Lin Mu said. ”We should gather information first.”

That turned out to be remarkably easy.