160: Chapter 159 The Restraints in the Ruins

Cursing a powerhouse to death?

Ye Xiu pondered for a moment and asked, "What is the highest Realm of powerhouse that this book of life and death can curse to death?"

"If you provide enough power, any living being can be cursed to death."

"Any living being... can I take that to mean any Realm?"

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Theoretically, yes, but some powerhouses should have transcended the limits of the book of life and death. As for the specifics, this old man is not entirely clear."

"You haven't used it?"

"Naturally not. Everything in the Return to Ruins is dead matter. In truth, keeping the book of life and death with me serves no purpose."

After the old man finished speaking, he directly controlled the book of life and death in his hand and made it float toward Ye Xiu.

Watching the book of life and death float slowly toward him, Ye Xiu had his Immortal Power surging in his hands to guard against any unexpected events.

As the book of life and death came into his hand, a sense of death swirled in his heart; merely touching it made it difficult for him to bear.

Such a supreme treasure. Even if it were cursing a Supreme Realm powerhouse to death, it could likely be done with ease.

*Rustle, rustle...* He began to flip through the book of life and death.

On the thick ancient tome, every page was blank.

"How is this thing supposed to be used?"

"Condense your own energy and simply carve the name directly. However, it is best to use this thing sparingly, as it will entangle you in Karma with the Return to Ruins."

Hearing the old man's warning, Ye Xiu nodded.

His fingers slid slightly, tentatively leaving a mark on the blank page.

As his Immortal Power poured in, a faint stroke slowly appeared on the blank page of the book of life and death.

As the Immortal Power flowed in, that faint stroke gradually took shape, and an indescribable power awakened upon the ancient tome.

Seeing this, Ye Xiu did not dare to continue carving and hurriedly dispersed his Immortal Power.

Without the inflow of Immortal Power, the stroke on the book of life and death gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

"It's the real deal."

After confirming there was no mistake, he decisively put away the book of life and death, letting it float quietly in his Sea of Consciousness, just like the [Heavenly Emperor Sutra].

Seeing this small action of Ye Xiu's, a hint of a smile appeared in the old man's turbid eyes.

"Little friend, this is a heavy treasure of the Return to Ruins. When your cultivation reaches this old man's stage, I fear no one in this world will be able to escape your curse."

In his perception, Ye Xiu could clearly see every facial detail of the old man. After pondering for a few seconds, he decided to help this old man.

After all, the book of life and death was too miraculous. Perhaps it had a thousand threads of connection with the owner of the Return to Ruins.

It was highly likely that this book of life and death was the supreme treasure left behind by the owner of the Return to Ruins.

Besides that, the old man before him was no pushover. If he didn't help, it was hard to say whether he could leave alive.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the two had been communicating as equals for so long. It was only because this old man had no other choice.

If there had been another choice, he might have already died the moment the old man opened his eyes.

After all, the gap between the two sides was too great. If one were to divide it by the Realm of Law, this old man's strength would likely fall into the [Supreme Position] category.

"I will help with this favor, but I need information, the more the better."

Hearing Ye Xiu's agreement, the old man was visibly relieved. After slightly organizing his thoughts, he slowly began to speak: "The end of the passage is the World of the Dead, the final resting place for all living beings."

"As for where the Return to Ruins comes from, this old man actually does not know."

"Before a Cultivator has truly transcended, upon death, they will enter the Return to Ruins and be summoned away by the World of the Dead. This is like a curse."

"And to break this curse, a Cultivator needs to reach the level of establishing their own world, which is the same Realm as those corpses outside."

"This old man does not know what Realm those corpses outside belonged to while they were alive, but to not enter the Return to Ruins or the World of the Dead after death, one must reach the strength those corpses possessed while they were alive."

"As for the World of the Dead, it is a cage. Even if one can fight their way out, they will be like this old man, forever trapped in this passage."

The old man said up to this point, revealing a hint of nostalgia: "You are a living being. As long as that thing hasn't set its sights on you, you can freely enter and exit the Return to Ruins, so you don't need to worry too much."

That thing? Ye Xiu frowned slightly: "What do you mean? Besides the monsters that harvest the power of death in the Return to Ruins, is there something else?"

The old man's expression was somewhat solemn: "In the deepest part of the Return to Ruins, there is a monster that has evolved to the extreme. It already possesses intelligence and understands strategy."

"Strategy?"

"Heh heh... It doesn't quite count as strategy; it should belong to some minor tricks."

"Has it come looking for you?"

"Yes, it was too long ago, a matter from several million years ago. It wanted to leave the Return to Ruins. Because of this old man's carelessness, it entered the World of the Dead, and some minor episodes occurred."

"Minor episodes?" Ye Xiu's brows furrowed even deeper.

The monster in the old man's mouth was very likely the existence at the deepest part of the Return to Ruins. It was the monster that the Law feared. Had it already developed complete intelligence?

Then, his going to steal the higanbana likely wouldn't be so smooth. After all, a monster thinking about leaving the Return to Ruins must have broken free from the restrictions of the Return to Ruins' rules; otherwise, it wouldn't want to leave the Return to Ruins.

Was that thing unable to leave, or were there other restrictions in place?

Ye Xiu thought of the crack at the entrance of the Return to Ruins; leaving this place was not difficult. As long as one walked out of the crack, one could go to the Main World. This was also the reason why he dared to enter the Return to Ruins.

That thing, like the old man before him, should be bound within the Return to Ruins by some kind of rule. Otherwise, with its level of evolution, it would have long ago broken open the Return to Ruins and entered the Main World.

The old man shook his head slightly: "Let's not mention it. In the World of the Dead, as long as you don't forget yourself, you can walk out."

"Then who does Senior want me to bring out?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Ye Xiu's expression was strange. Could this old man be playing with me?

"Little friend, in order to break free from the World of the Dead, I lost many memories. Therefore, I need you to enter the World of the Dead to investigate my past and find the personality this old man lost."

"So you want me to bring out your personality?"

"I suppose so."

The old man was somewhat embarrassed and laughed very apologetically.

Seeing this, Ye Xiu fell silent. He understood this thing called personality quite well. After all, the wife he married had issues in this regard.

Finding it wasn't hard. But how to bring it out was a big problem. Logically speaking, this old man was so strong and didn't dare to enter the World of the Dead again; if he went in, it was hard to say whether he could come out. Not to mention bringing someone with him.

*Ahem...* The old man seemed to see Ye Xiu's worry. After a light cough, he began to explain.

"In the World of the Dead, as a living being, it is not difficult to come out. The Qi of life on your body, little friend, is the best shield. You only need to find that personality of this old man, and you can safely exit."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure. In these countless years, although this old man has not dared to enter the World of the Dead again, I have still conducted some research."

Hearing the old man's affirmative words, Ye Xiu's ugly expression improved quite a bit. He nodded.

He stepped forward toward the depths of the passage. When he passed by the old man, a chill suddenly rose in Ye Xiu's heart. Dangerous. Very dangerous. It was just like when he was awed by the Human Emperor's aura back then. This mysterious old man had the strength to crush him.

As his footsteps continued, Ye Xiu's figure slowly disappeared from the old man's line of sight.

A long time later, the old man's aged face began to change. Watching Ye Xiu's disappearing back, he revealed a forced, insincere smile.