63: Ruins of the Fallen

The chill of the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Sea had not yet fully receded from his bones when Xiao Chen found himself standing on a new land.

Looking around, a desolate, grayish-yellow hue permeated the world. Cracked earth stretched to the horizon, and broken weapons and giant withered bones lay half-buried everywhere. The wind carried the scent of rust and decay. Spiritual energy was exceptionally thin here, yet it was mixed with countless violent and chaotic energy remnants. The spatial structure also appeared fragile and unstable, with tiny black cracks occasionally flashing and disappearing.

This was the Ruins of the Fallen, a scar left by an ancient great war, where life was rare but countless secrets buried by time were hidden.

Xiao Chen reined in his aura, his Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul power spreading out like an invisible spider web. He immediately sensed several energy fluctuations of varying strengths, appearing and disappearing in different corners of the ruins, indicating that other explorers had arrived before him. At the same time, an extremely subtle but utterly dead will, like a thin mist, enveloped the entire ruins, interfering with soul perception.

"This is not a place to linger. I need to find opportunities quickly and then leave." Xiao Chen's heart tensed. He chose a direction with relatively abnormal energy fluctuations, employed his movement technique, and glided away silently.

Days later, beneath a massive hill of beast bones, he discovered a half-collapsed stone hall. The hall doors were shattered, and its interior was deep and dark. A pure fire-attribute energy, mixed with an ancient medicinal scent, faintly emanated from within.

Just as he was about to enter and investigate, his brows slightly furrowed, and his figure, like a wisp of smoke, disappeared behind a broken wall nearby.

A moment later, two streaks of light descended, revealing three cultivators. The leader was an arrogant-faced young man in brocade robes, his cultivation at the peak of Dou Huang. Beside him were two sharp-eyed, steady-aura middle-aged guards, both clearly low-level Dou Zong.

"Senior Brother, according to the incomplete diagram, this 'Burning Flame Hall' is a side hall of the ancient 'Burning Heaven Valley.' There might be clues about the 'Earth Core Spirit Quenching Milk' here," one of the guards whispered.

"Hmm, be careful. Besides those monsters, we also need to guard against other fellows in these ruins," the brocade-robed youth nodded, his gaze sweeping over the ruins with a hint of greed and vigilance.

Just as they were about to step through the hall entrance, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

"Hiss—!"

A chilling screech echoed from all directions. The withered bones on the ground began to squirm and combine, instantly transforming into dozens of skeleton warriors with flickering green soul fires in their eyes. Wielding bone sabers and bone swords, they surged towards the three like a tide! These skeletons were not strong, mostly equivalent to the Dou Wang level, but their numbers were vast, and their attacks carried a chilling, soul-corroding death qi.

"It's the Ruin Spirits! Form a formation!" The brocade-robed youth's expression changed. He and the two guards stood back-to-back, conjured their magic treasures, and unleashed their Dou Qi, fighting with the skeletons. Lights flashed, roars continuously erupted, and the skeletons were constantly shattered, but they quickly reformed, as if endlessly.

Xiao Chen remained hidden in the shadows, observing calmly. He noticed that the skeletons' attacks were not chaotic; they seemed to be guided by some invisible will. His soul perception pierced through the chaotic battle, locking onto an inconspicuous corner deep within the ruins. There, on the finger of a seemingly ordinary white bone, was a black ring covered in cracks, emitting faint control fluctuations.

"To catch the bandits, first catch their king." Xiao Chen's mind stirred. He did not reveal himself directly but highly condensed a wisp of his Spirit Realm Soul power, transforming it into an invisible "Startling Soul Stab." It silently crossed space, accurately striking the ring!

"Puff!"

With an almost imperceptible soft sound, the cracks on the ring suddenly widened. The green soul fire flickered violently once, then completely extinguished.

The skeleton army, which had been frantically attacking, halted in unison. The soul fires in their eyes instantly dimmed, and they clattered to the ground, scattering and reverting to withered bones.

The sudden silence in the field startled the three cultivators, who vigilantly looked around.

"Which friend lent a helping hand? Please show yourself!" The Dou Zong guard cupped his fist and called out, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Only then did Xiao Chen slowly walk out from behind the broken wall, his aura restrained, appearing to have only Dou Huang cultivation (he deliberately suppressed it). He had altered his appearance slightly, making him seem unremarkable.

"Just passing by. I happened to discover the nexus controlling these skeletons," Xiao Chen's voice was calm.

The brocade-robed youth scrutinized Xiao Chen, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. However, since the other party had helped them out of a predicament, he cupped his hands: "Thank you, Your Excellency. I am Han Chong, an outer disciple of Starfall Pavilion in the Central Plains. Is Your Excellency also here for this Burning Flame Hall?"

Starfall Pavilion? Xiao Chen's heart stirred slightly. This was a force related to Venerable Feng. He hadn't expected to encounter its disciples here. He remained outwardly calm: "A rogue cultivator, Chen Xiao. I have some interest in this place."

Seeing Xiao Chen's "low" cultivation and status as a rogue cultivator, Han Chong's arrogant expression returned: "Since that's the case, if there are treasures inside the hall, it's all up to individual fortune. But I warn you, it's probably even more dangerous inside." With that, he led his two guards and was the first to step through the hall entrance.

Xiao Chen didn't mind and slowly followed.

The space inside the hall was much larger than it appeared from the outside, filled with battle marks and collapsed stone pillars. The air was thick with rich fire energy and medicinal fragrance, the source seemingly deep within the hall.

The group proceeded cautiously, triggering several more broken array formations and restrictions along the way. However, with the two Dou Zong guards and Xiao Chen's secret assistance, they passed through all of them with fright but no danger. Han Chong was slightly surprised by Xiao Chen's "luck" and his occasional accurate pointing out of restriction weaknesses, but he didn't think much of it.

Finally, everyone reached the end of the main hall. There was a damaged altar, and suspended above it were three items: a crimson jade bottle, which seemed to contain liquid; a charred beast hide scroll; and an unremarkable dark red stone.

"Earth Core Spirit Quenching Milk! And a cultivation technique scroll!" Han Chong's eyes lit up with ecstasy, and he reached out to grab the jade bottle and the scroll.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the treasures, an anomaly occurred again!

From the shadows behind the altar, a black figure pounced out like a ghost, moving with astonishing speed, directly aiming for Han Chong's back! Its aura had clearly reached the Five-Star Dou Zong level, and it carried a dense corpse qi!

"Young Master, be careful!" The two guards were greatly alarmed and quickly turned to rescue him, but they were a moment too late.

Han Chong was terrified out of his wits, seeing the sharp claws about to pierce him.

The silent Xiao Chen moved. He did not display an earth-shattering Dou Technique. He simply took a seemingly casual step, perfectly blocking between Han Chong and the black figure. His right hand formed a sword-finger, and a wisp of Origin Qi and soul power-infused gang qi flickered at his fingertip. He struck later but arrived first, pointing at the black figure's palm.

"Chh!"

A soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through oil. The black figure let out a shrill scream, its palm was pierced through, corpse qi gushed out, and its figure retreated violently, revealing its true form: a refined corpse covered in red fur, looking at Xiao Chen with eyes full of terror.

The two guards' attacks now landed on the refined corpse, making it stumble.

Han Chong, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed to the ground, staring at Xiao Chen's back with a face full of horror. Only now did he understand how terrifying the strength of this seemingly ordinary "rogue cultivator" was! With a casual finger, he had severely injured a Five-Star Dou Zong-level refined corpse!

Xiao Chen ignored the refined corpse, his gaze falling on the dark red stone. In his perception, the fire-attribute energy contained within this stone was far purer and more massive than the liquid in the jade bottle, and it gave him a strange feeling of bloodline connection. He reached out and drew the stone into his hand.

The refined corpse glared at Xiao Chen with venom, let out a roar, and transformed into black smoke, escaping. The two guards, still shaken, dared not pursue.

Han Chong got up, his expression shifting, before finally bowing deeply to Xiao Chen: "Thank you, Senior Chen Xiao, for saving my life! This junior was blind! All the treasures in this hall are yours to choose first!" He no longer dared to show any arrogance.

Xiao Chen picked up the dark red stone and the charred scroll, then tossed the crimson jade bottle to Han Chong: "I'll take these two. This place is not suitable for long stays; you should leave quickly."

Han Chong received the jade bottle as if it were a great treasure, thanked him again, and hurriedly left with his guards.

Xiao Chen carefully sensed the dark red stone in his hand, injecting a wisp of Origin Qi into it.

Buzz!

The stone vibrated slightly, and countless fine golden patterns appeared on its surface. A stream of information flowed into Xiao Chen's mind:

"fragment of the heaven burning furnace... absorbs all fires, tempers the essence soul... needs to be nourished with primordial flames..."

At the same time, information also came from the charred scroll. It was not a cultivation technique, but an incomplete star map, pointing deeper into the Ruined Realm, with several ancient characters marked beside it—"Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion"... A sharp light flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. The water in the Ruins of the Fallen was deeper than he had imagined. The Soul Hall's pursuit, the ruins of ancient sects, mysterious refined corpses, and this star map pointing to the "Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion"... He put away the stone and the scroll, his gaze looking towards the depths of the ruins. It seemed this adventure had just begun. And the shadow of the Soul Hall seemed not to be far off, perhaps lurking in some corner of these ruins, observing everything.