206: Internal and external troubles

Song Xuan Sha slammed the railing, his voice cutting through the howling wind, filled with uncontrollable rage:

"Uncle Xiu! Our Song Kingdom is now plagued by internal and external troubles, teetering on the brink, like a collapsing mansion!

Qian Kingdom, this so-called suzerain state, instead of mediating the looming threat from Yan Kingdom, actually takes advantage of our misfortune and demands such a huge tribute!

Utterly shameless!

Such a suzerain, it's better not to acknowledge them!"

Song Cultivator hurriedly stepped forward, his wide sleeves flapping in the wind, his voice extremely low and filled with worry: "Your Highness! Watch your words! If such remarks were to be spread back to the Imperial Capital by someone with ill intentions, it would be greatly detrimental to your succession to the throne!"

Song Xuan Sha said: "Father Emperor's desire to levy more taxes will surely lead to widespread public resentment. To repel external threats, we must first stabilize internally!"

This time, we must uproot the World Awakening Alliance and the Starfall Heretical Cult entrenched here, leaving no future troubles!"

"Your Highness, this matter is far-reaching and cannot be accomplished overnight..." Song Cultivator's brows were tightly furrowed, his aged face filled with solemnity,

"If this trip fails to draw out the hidden enemy, this old subject dares to implore Your Highness to return to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible!"

"Uncle Xiu, you are always so indecisive!" Song Xian turned around, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes,

"I have already contacted Brother Chao Xingzhi of the Lihuo Sect! With Brother Chao presiding, even if several Star God Realm experts make a move, they are no match for him!"

Upon hearing this, Song Cultivator could only shake his head helplessly, his cloudy eyes filled with deep worry:

"Your Highness... Chao Xingzhi, his surname is Chao, not Song. I hope Your Highness... reconsiders."

Song Xuan Sha, however, paid no mind, snorting coldly and flicking his sleeve, walking alone to the edge of the spirit ship's deck, leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance.

The strong wind made his dark robes flutter, and an undercurrent churned in his heart:

"Our Song Kingdom Royal Family is precisely trapped by the rules of you old fogeys, suppressing non-Song Clan Cultivators and ostracizing Ascended powerhouses, which is why we have fallen into this desperate situation of being besieged on all sides today!"

...Just as Zhang Sheng was meditating in his cabin.

A 'thump-thump-thump' knocking sound echoed, and a familiar voice came from outside the door.

It was Qian Che and Wen Tao who pushed the door open, one fat and one thin, forming a stark contrast.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Sheng!" Qian Che's round face was wreathed in smiles, his voice booming,

"Your Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand is truly overbearing and astonishingly powerful, but... it's also genuinely difficult to learn!"

Qian Che's words reminded Zhang Sheng that the Earth Movement Technique Jade Slip he had exchanged for the Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand was still quietly lying in his storage ring, unstudied.

"As long as Fellow Daoist Qian Che is satisfied." Zhang Sheng rose to greet them, his gaze sweeping over the two,

"May I ask why the two Fellow Daoists have come together?"

Qian Che's smile lessened a bit, and he cautiously glanced left and right, then pulled out a palm-sized bronze Formation Plate inscribed with complex runes from hisHuai.

With a flick of his finger, the Formation Plate hummed, and a faint blue light screen instantly rippled out like water, completely enveloping the entire room and isolating it from the outside.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Sheng," Qian Che's voice was exceptionally clear within the Formation, carrying a hint of solemnity,

"Do you know how tragic the casualties of Cultivators were in previous explorations of Divine Ability ruins?"

Zhang Sheng's expression remained calm as he said:

"Naturally, I know a little. According to records, the overall survival rate for exploring Divine Ability-level ruins... is only about 30%. Some teams even... were completely annihilated, leaving no bones behind."

"Indeed!" Wen Tao interjected from the side, a mix of longing and apprehension on his gaunt face,

"Mysterious methods are captivating! Even with myriad dangers, if one can fortunately find a spatial mysterious method... the Star God Realm might be just around the corner!"

"More importantly," Qian Che lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming,

"It is said that the location of the ruins discovered this time was deduced by using this county's guardian Spirit Treasure – the spirit occupying disk!

It is an 'untouched' place that has never been excavated. This journey is fraught with unknown dangers, but the Opportunities... are equally immeasurable!

Fellow Daoist Zhang Sheng, the three of us should work together and help each other!"

"Fellow Daoist Qian is absolutely right." Zhang Sheng nodded cheerfully, flipping his hand to produce an ancient wine pot and three jade cups,

"Gentlemen, why not try the strong liquor from my hometown?"

The clear liquor poured into the cups, emitting a pungent, mellow, and exotic aroma.

Zhang Sheng smiled, but a warning bell rang in his heart.

Since the last incident, he had paid extra attention to every word Qian Che said.

This person specifically sought him out, and then set up a sound-isolating Formation to say these things; it was definitely not without purpose!

He tilted his head back, draining the spicy liquor in his cup. A burning sensation slid down his throat, but his mind rapidly calculated the various unusual aspects of this trip.

His Divine Sense subconsciously swept over the cold metal bulkheads and complex runic patterns of this massive spirit ship beneath his feet. A strange chill quietly crept into his heart,

As if... he had boarded a pirate ship sailing towards an unknown abyss. After the Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand broke through to the True Intent Realm, Zhang Sheng did not rush to Cultivate other offensive Spells, but instead settled down to practice Alchemy.

The massive spirit ship traveled steadily through the hazy gale layer for seven days.

Surprisingly, the journey was unexpectedly smooth, encountering no attacks from fierce desolate beasts and no unexpected incidents.

This eerie calm, however, cast a shadow over the hearts of some experienced old Cultivators.

On the seventh day, the spirit ship slowly descended, and the scene below came into view—a boundless, scorched yellow wasteland!

The earth looked as if it had been burned by fire, cracked and dry, hard as iron.

Scattered, strangely twisted plants stubbornly rooted in the cracks. Further in the distance, faintly visible, colossal, ferocious desolate beasts were fiercely battling,

Their roars faintly carried on the wind, adding to the desolate and grim atmosphere.

Xiao Buyu, the leader, stood at the bow of the ship, his voice clear and penetrating the deck:

"Everyone! The spirit occupying disk indicates that the entrance to the ruins is beneath this wasteland!"

The spirit ship retracted, and the protective light screen enveloping everyone instantly vanished.

A dry, hot wind, mixed with the smell of dust and desolate beasts, rushed towards them, making them gasp.

In the distance, several sensitive desolate beasts had already stopped their fight, their cold, bloodthirsty gazes uniformly directed at these uninvited guests.

"No time to lose, act quickly!" Xiao Buyu commanded in a deep voice.

The spirit occupying disk could only delineate a general area; the exact entrance to the ruins still required everyone to search for it themselves.

Zhang Sheng landed on the ground with the crowd.

Under his feet was scorching, parched earth, emitting a slight cracking sound when stepped upon.

As far as the eye could see, it was a desolate, earthy yellow, with only scattered, stubbornly twisted green plants interspersed.

Gale winds stirred up dust across the sky, crackling against the protective spiritual light.

Cultivators displayed their Divine Abilities: some held compass-like Magical Artifacts, chanting incantations as the pointers spun wildly;

Some had green light flickering in their palms, vines drilling into the hard ground like spirit snakes; others used Spiritual Artifacts, digging downwards with great effort... Zhang Sheng's gaze sharpened, falling upon Song Xuan Sha not far away.

He saw that an invisible vortex seemed to form around Song Xuan Sha, and the free-floating Spiritual Qi particles in the world spontaneously and continuously surged into his body.

This was the distinctive feature of having cultivated a Qi Refining Cultivation Technique to the Perfected State! Just like himself.

Zhang Sheng no longer hesitated, his vast Divine Sense instantly unfurling like mercury spilling across the ground,

Silently covering a vast area of a thousand li, encompassing the entire possible range of the ruins estimated by the spirit occupying disk.

However, the ability of Divine Sense to probe underground was ultimately limited; after penetrating about twenty kilometers of scorched earth and rock layers, it encountered significant resistance.

Thanks to the Breath Concealment Art at the True Intent Realm, his massive Divine Sense scan was not detected by the other Divine Power Realm Cultivators present.

Only one person was an exception.

Song Cultivator's aged voice directly sounded in Song Xuan Sha's ear, with a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation:

"Your Highness, that little fellow named Zhang Sheng... did you perceive his Divine Sense probing?"

Song Xuan Sha's heart suddenly tightened, his pupils constricting:

"Uncle Xiu, are you saying... he unleashed his Divine Sense?"

Song Cultivator remained silent, which was an affirmation.

Song Xuan Sha's heart was greatly shaken.

This meant that Zhang Sheng's Mental Energy cultivation was actually above his own!

Even more terrifying, to Cultivate the Breath Concealment Art to a degree where even he could barely detect the other party's Divine Sense scan, the Realm of that Breath Concealment Art... must have reached True Intent!

Who would expend such effort to study a seemingly 'useless' Breath Concealment Art?

This person... is truly bizarre!

Song Cultivator's voice sounded again, with a hint of advice:

"This child's Qi Refining Cultivation Technique has also reached the Perfected State; his Foundation is solid and his potential profound, truly rare.

Your Highness, you should foster good relations with such a person.

Given time, he might become a valuable aid to Your Highness."

Song Xuan Sha looked at Zhang Sheng's inconspicuous back, his gaze deepening, lost in thought.

A moment later, he whispered to Song Cultivator: "Uncle Xiu, if... those people really intend to make a move on this trip, it will probably be within these ruins.

Should an urgent situation arise... I ask Uncle Xiu to also look after him a bit."

"This old subject... understands."

...Not far away, Qian Che was vigorously performing the Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand.

A giant earthy-yellow Spiritual Qi hand condensed out of thin air, grabbing fiercely at the ground, tearing up large chunks of hard scorched earth.

He himself floated in mid-air, directing the giant hand to continuously dig, quickly excavating a large pit several zhang deep, sending dust flying.

Zhang Sheng watched, a wry smile on his face, and sent a voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist Qian, don't you know the Earth Movement Technique?

Wouldn't using the Earth Movement Technique to tunnel and explore be much faster than this brute force method?"

Qian Che stopped, wiped his sweat, and gasped as he transmitted back:

"Oh, my Fellow Daoist Zhang, you don't know!"

Who knows what ancient Restrictions or vicious mechanisms are buried underground?

If I foolishly use the Earth Movement Technique and crash into something deadly, I'd truly be 'walking into a trap,' and my life would be over!"

"I advise you, use my method as well; safety first!"

Zhang Sheng's lips curved slightly; how could he use such a clumsy method?

With a thought, the scorched earth within several zhang of his feet instantly softened and liquefied, turning into swirling quicksand!

Spell — Earth-Binding Quicksand!

Immediately after, invisible object manipulation power precisely controlled large gushes of quicksand to surge out of the pit like a fountain, hurled far away.

A deep hole extended downwards at a visible speed, and Zhang Sheng's Divine Sense also probed deeper into the ground.

His digging speed was astonishing, like an earth dragon turning over, causing several Divine Ability Cultivators nearby who were laboriously digging to turn their heads, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Aside from him, it was unlikely anyone would expend such effort to Cultivate this 'unorthodox' Spell to such a profound Realm.

Ten thousand meters! Twenty thousand meters!... Zhang Sheng controlled the quicksand, his speed undiminished. One hundred thousand meters deep!

Below, it was still hard, scorching rock layers; the trace of the ruins remained elusive.

Qian Che looked at the bottomless, continuously expanding deep hole beneath Zhang Sheng's feet, and the ceaselessly gushing quicksand, his jaw almost dropped, and he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Holy crap! Zhang Sheng! This Spell of yours... wasn't it specifically cultivated to this Realm for grave robbing... oh no, for exploring ruins?!"