There used to be a big museum on this piece of land, where artefacts excavated from the ruins were displayed.
However, when the Liu Clan moved to Shu, they removed the magic tools inside the museum and tore it down.
Today, the once barren land has become a lush green forest thanks to the high amount of spiritual energy.
Chu Yu found the entrance to the ruins guarded by a group of men.
The place looked like a ruined altar, and was in the middle of the forest.
Chu Yu opened his vertical eye in his forehead and found that the strongest of the guards was merely an Acupoint Charging Stage Six individual.
These were likely to be the people of the Liu Clan of Shu.
After which, Chu Yu used his eye to look towards the altar.
The initially ruined altar instantly looked extraordinary under the glare of Chu Yu’s vertical eye.
A strong aura of grandeur struck him!
What strong spiritual energy!
Chu Yu was speechless.
Under the observation of his vertical eye, he saw a door in the middle of the altar. The strong spiritual energy was radiating from that door.
Yet, it did not seem to leak to the surroundings as those guarding the entrance seemed unaffected.
Chu Yu subsequently found out that the door hid a trap. The spiritual energies within it were like a raging tide, flowing ferociously, concealing an unimaginable power capable of ripping someone to shreds.
Anyone who could not sense this aura and barged in would be met with a grisly end.
However, upon closer observation, Chu Yu realized that the dark spiritual energy seemed to follow a pattern.
If one was familiar with the pattern, gaining entry would be much easier.
Chu Yu observed from afar, his body not leaking any power fluctuations.
Furthermore, those guards were of a low cultivation level and could not sense his presence.
Chu Yu waited patiently for half a day, and realized that even though the flow of the spiritual energy followed a pattern, it was extremely complicated. Its difficulty... was way harder than the mathematics problems from many decades ago.
For an Acupoint Charging Stage Eight individual like Chu Yu, even though his calculation skills were good, it would take him at least a few days to figure out the pattern behind the flow of the spiritual energy.
He smiled bitterly, he did not want to wait.
A nagging feeling of misfortune was bugging him. He wanted to enter the ruins as soon as possible to find Lin Shimeng.
Forget it, he wasn’t going to wait any longer!
Barge in!
This character was ingrained in Chu Yu. His 16 years of suppression had only taught him to be less crazy and arrogant.
However, it did nothing to control his impulsiveness!
Zoom!
Chu Yu sped through the door like a bolt of lightning.
The martial artists guarding the altar only felt a breeze, but when they recovered, they did not see anything out of the ordinary.
"What was that?"
"I don’t know, maybe it was just the wind..."
"Is there wind in this forest?"
These guards around the altar kept their distance, for fear of the terrifying force that lay within the altar.
After a moment of discussion, they decided to return to their posts.
In their minds, anyone who was going to barge in was courting death.
Once Chu Yu entered through the door, he instantly felt an overwhelming force crashing towards him.
It was like a merciless wave about to swallow him!
Chu Yu opened up the vertical eye in his forehead. Without time to calculate the pattern, he could only rock his body around, dodging all the power waves coming towards him.
The path leading from the door was long, and Chu Yu had not reached the inside even after more than half an hour of walking.
He suspected that his pace was sacrificed as he had decided to barge in.
The process of barging through was dangerous yet exciting. Any wrong step could bring about much misfortune.
However, in the process of dodging, Chu Yu’s body technique, as well as his control over his vertical eye had improved drastically.
This was why it was important to apply what one practiced.
A general who had never fought a battle could only plan on paper.
After 40 minutes, Chu Yu finally walked out of the path leading from the door.
However, in the next moment, he stepped into a large magical formation.
Woosh!
A wave of sword energies flew past, just above Chu Yu’s head, scaring him so much he broke out in cold sweat.
He had thought that someone had snuck up on him, but he quickly realized that this was the work of the magical formation.
Chu Yu used his vertical eye to survey his surroundings, realizing that they were laden with booby traps.
He closed his vertical eye and opened his eyes. All he saw were broken walls and smashed pillars.
"No wonder they are an ancient sect, I wonder how many years they took to set up all these terrifying magical formations."
Chu Yu murmured to himself before using his vertical eye to look for a safe path.
His first priority was not locating the treasure, he only wanted to find Lin Shimeng.
...…
Qi Heng stopped in his tracks and snickered, "You? Suicide?"
Lin Shimeng’s gaze was cold, "I admit I am not your match, but if I want to kill myself, you can’t do anything to stop me."
"Mm, what you’re saying... does make some sense." Qi Heng cocked his head, as if pondering about something.
All of a sudden!
His silhouette disappeared from his location in an instant.
Lin Shimeng suddenly felt weight disappear from her hands, the ancient bronze lamp was gone.
In the next moment, her body was... immobilized.
"Haha, this is our difference in cultivation level. Even though you are from an underworld clan, and are a disciple of the Han Xiao sect, however... your standing is not enough. The resources you can get, too weak."
Qi Zheng smiled casually and said flatly, "During the apocalypse, everything was sealed by a higher power. Anyone with abilities brought large amounts of resources to escape the barren land. Anyone without could only wait helplessly on this earth for death. Even the pocket dimensions created from nothing outside this Earth are on their last legs. The fact is, the world after the apocalypse is devoid of true cultivators and the influence of clans are declining, generation by generation."
Qi Heng’s voice was gentle, but his expression betrayed his feelings, his eyes revealing a tumultuous heart.
"If I was born billions of years ago, I would have been in the Xiantian realms by this age or even higher. Unfortunately, I was born in the wrong era. However, if I compared myself to my seniors, I am considered relatively lucky. I was able to see the revival of the world..."
"That still doesn't change the fact that you're a scum." Lin Shimeng was white with rage, her voice icy.
"Scum? What is scum? Anyone who does wrong without being able to quell the consequences after... that is scum! Anyone who could get away with doing countless evil deeds, that is formidable!"
Qi Heng’s doll face revealed a shameless smile, "Coincidentally, I am a formidable individual!"
He looked at Lin Shi Meng, "As you know, why would the Han Xiao sect want you to marry me? Han Xiao and Jiu Xiao share the same ancestry, and formed the two largest ancient sects after the splitting of the Earth. To link up Han Xiao and Jiu Xiao, there is no need for marriage. Lin Shimeng, do you want to know why your tutors want me to marry you?"
Lin Shimeng was unable to move, her eyes filled with rage. Yet, when she heard this, her eyes revealed a sense of thought and confusion.
Qi Zheng said flatly, "Because the Han Xiao requires resources, and you are of little importance to them! Else, why do you think they put you in the society? And not have you train back in the sect?"
"Rubbish!" Lin Shimeng replied coldly.
"Listen up, I have always done things openly, never secretly. This is the pride of a true genius! Above board, never in secret. This is the pride of a true talent!"
Qi Heng was extremely arrogant as he extended his finger to caress Lin Shimeng’s smooth chin, chuckling coldly, "You should be aware, your basic element is the Yin Fantasy, and the only reason why Han Xiao would take you in is because of your beauty. If you were truly talented, then... you would have become a saint in Han Xiao, and respected beyond imagination. Unfortunately, you are not talented enough, it is good for an underworld clan, but in an ancient sect... it is simply not noticeable.
Qi Heng put his finger to his nose and took a sniff, his expression indulgent, "How fragrant!"
"Shameless!" Lin Shimeng scolded.
Qi Heng was not bothered, replying flatly, "People of your basic element are rare, if you were born before the apocalypse, even if you were of average talent, many of the largest sects would be fighting over you. Unfortunately, you were born in an era where cultivation is on the decline, and the world is in a new era. As a result, people of average talent but exceptional basic elements can only become... items for trade."
Lin Shimeng felt as if she was struck by lightning, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Qi Heng looked at Lin Shimeng and dealt his final blow, "On the other hand, I train with the Intense Sun Heaven Shaking technique! If I bonded with you, my cultivation speed would be increased tremendously, at least by one fold! You don’t have to feel used, such cultivation is symbiotic, whilst I benefit, you will benefit... just as much!"
"I do not need it!"
Lin Shimeng could not move, but she could feel her heart shiver!
Qi Heng was calm, "If you follow me, you will soar into the skies! If you stay with Han Xiao, you can never escape your fate as a trading token. In order to get you, Jiu Xiao have already paid a large price. Haha... the Han Xiaos have a big appetite, don't they?"
"Rubbish, my tutors would never do something like that!"
Lin Shimeng stared coldly at Qi Heng, the rage in her heart burning. She had never expected that her tutors would betray her for benefits.
"Our marriage was arranged a long time ago, till today... you still do not believe your tutors would not do something like that? Should I call you naive, or stupid? Grow a heart next time."
Qi Heng said sarcastically, "Do you believe that if I did you right here, right now, and even if the elders from Han Xiao found out, they would not make a peep?"
As Qi Heng spoke, he let out a raging growl and a ray of light glimmered on his body.
His body was thrown many meters away. With a scream, he spit out a large amount of blood.
His face turned pale, evidently having suffered serious internal injuries.
Qi Heng roared, his eyes popping out of their sockets, "Who dares to sneak attack me?"
A silhouette walked out from the side. He was a thing and tall youth, and he looked regretfully at Qi Heng, as if regretting why he did not beat him to death just now.
"Do you believe, that if I killed you right here, nobody would care enough to even fart!"