488: The spirit world! The spirit kingdom!

Only then did the townsfolk belatedly notice the unfamiliar outsiders who had appeared at some unknown time, their gazes a mix of curiosity and wariness.

On the city wall, the townsfolk who had originally followed Xu Kai also ascended one after another, but subconsciously distanced themselves from Xiao Zhuo and his group, forming an invisible boundary, their guard evident.

Tian Yidao grinned, completely ignoring the nervous Xu Kai beside him.

His figure suddenly moved, like a white flowing shadow, lightly sweeping back onto the city wall, silently landing behind Wind Jade, and standing with his arms crossed.

Xu Kai and the elder—the town chief—both turned their gazes towards Xiao Zhuo and his group.

Emotions surged in Xu Kai's eyes, finally transforming into a silent sigh, and he saluted from afar with cupped hands.

A flicker of imperceptible surprise crossed the elder's eyes, but he did not speak immediately; he simply slowly regulated his breathing, then called out to the townsfolk in the fields: "Clean up the Red Boar's carcass, be careful not to waste the flesh and blood!"

His voice was steady and powerful, carrying the authority of someone accustomed to giving orders.

Hearing this, the townsfolk in the fields immediately sprang into action, their gazes at the enormous wild boar carcass burning with desire—the town's farmlands had been destroyed multiple times, and food stores were low, so this Red Boar was undoubtedly their guarantee for winter.

Xu Kai quickly walked to the elder's side, lowering his voice and urgently reporting something.

The elder nodded slightly, and after exchanging a few low-voiced sentences, the two turned and returned to the town, leading Xiao Zhuo and the others back.

Moments later, everyone gathered again in the simple courtyard.

Beside the root-carved wooden table, the elder, Xu Kai, and Xiao Zhuo sat facing each other.

A subtle silence permeated the air, broken only by the wisps of steam rising from the rough pottery bowls on the table.

The elder—Xu Gunlong—was the first to break the silence, his voice hoarse yet solemn: "Your Excellency, Ah Kai has already informed this old man of your origins. This old man is the Town Chief of Dragon Bone Town, Xu Gunlong, and this is my good-for-nothing grandson, Xu Kai. Just now, thank Your Excellency for helping us resolve the crisis in our town."

As he spoke, he solemnly cupped his hands towards the direction where Tian Yidao stood.

Tian Yidao merely nodded slightly, as if in response.

Xu Gunlong's cupped hands then turned towards Xiao Zhuo, his gaze calm: "Though this old man's eyes are dim, I can see that Your Excellency is the one in charge. Dragon Bone Town is poor and remote, surviving in dangerous lands, so please forgive any lack of courtesy."

Xiao Zhuo smiled, his demeanor composed: "Town Chief Xu exaggerates. Seeing injustice, it was merely a small favor. We truly bear no ill will, but have simply stumbled into this place by accident and need to understand the surrounding situation. We hope the Town Chief will not hesitate to inform us."

He paused slightly, his gaze turning to Xu Kai, his tone becoming inquisitive: "Just now, I heard Brother Xu mention that the previous two groups of outsiders unfortunately perished. May I ask what exactly happened?"

Xu Kai looked at his grandfather, and seeing Xu Gunlong nod slightly, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "The first time I saw outsiders was thirty years ago. I was still young then, about five years old. That group of outsiders... we couldn't understand their language, and for some unknown reason, they suddenly attacked, instantly killing over a dozen of us."

His voice deepened, carrying a trace of imperceptible pain, "In the end, it was Grandpa and Priestess Grandma who joined forces, risking severe injuries, to defeat those four people... Their power was strong, but they seemed to lack staying power, eventually exhausting themselves and being cut down."

"The second group came when I was twenty, seven people in total. The situation was largely similar; six of them were equally ferocious and were killed by the combined efforts of the elders in the town. But... one person was different."

Xu Kai's tone became somewhat complex: "That person never made a move from beginning to end, merely watching with cold eyes. Afterwards, he left the town alone and disappeared into the wilderness. We thought he had left, until a few years later, someone found his remains at the edge of the Black Forest... More than half of his body was gone, and the remaining parts were withered beyond recognition, as if his life had been instantly drained, making him terrifyingly old."

Xiao Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly, his mind quickly calculating.

He had just witnessed the combat power of the Xu family grandfather and grandson after activating their runes, which was roughly comparable to a Golden Core Cultivator from the outside world.

In this place, the Divine Sense and Divine Thought of ordinary Cultivators were suppressed, and the power of their spells was reduced to less than one-tenth; the higher the cultivation, the greater the weakening.

If the previous two groups of Cultivators could be killed by them, it meant their cultivation had certainly not reached the Immortal Realm, and possibly was at most the Void Refining Realm.

As for the Cultivator who never made a move and eventually died strangely, it was highly likely that in this Ruins of the Lost, where Spiritual Qi could not be replenished, his magical power completely dried up, causing his Physical Body to be unable to sustain itself, leading to rapid aging and collapse.

"I see." Xiao Zhuo's expression remained calm as he continued to ask: "May I ask, what exactly is this place? And how vast is the area?"

"We have lived here for generations and call it the 'Spirit Realm'." Xu Gunlong took over the conversation, a hint of confusion flashing in his cloudy eyes, "As for how large it is... to be honest, we don't know either. In our town, no one has been able to leave and return safely for over a hundred years."

He sighed, his voice carrying a desolate tone: "According to ancient legends, beyond the town lies an endless wilderness and mountains, harboring countless terrifying Savage Beasts. Even with my strength, I dare not stray too far from the town, fearing that I might accidentally become food for those fierce creatures."

Xiao Zhuo nodded understandingly, then pressed on: "In this Spirit Realm, is Dragon Bone Town the only Human Race settlement?"

Xu Gunlong shook his head: "That's not the case. Although we haven't seen people from other towns with our own eyes, the writings passed down by our ancestors tell us that the Spirit Realm is by no means only Dragon Bone Town. Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, there was a vast Human Race kingdom called 'Spirit Kingdom', with cities standing in great numbers and countless towns."

His fingers unconsciously traced lines on the rough wooden tabletop, as if outlining a lost glory: "It's just that for some unknown reason, later on, the Savage Beasts from the outside became increasingly powerful and terrifying, and this gloomy world also seemed to be constantly expanding and extending... The connections between towns were severed by ever-increasing distances and endless Savage Beasts, eventually, all communication ceased."

Xiao Zhuo understood, and directly cut to the most crucial question: "Does the Town Chief know in which direction the nearest city to Dragon Bone Town is located? And how does one get there?"

"This..." Xu Gunlong's face showed obvious hesitation. He looked at Xiao Zhuo and his group, seemingly weighing something.

Finally, as if having made up his mind, he said to Xu Kai: "Ah Kai, go to my room and fetch the ebony box under the bed."

Xu Kai responded and left, returning shortly with a three-foot-square ebony box. The box was carved with simple, ancient patterns.

Xu Gunlong took the wooden box and carefully opened it.

Inside lay a folded piece of thick animal hide, its edges already somewhat worn.

He took out the animal hide and slowly spread it on the wooden table.

A scent mixed with age and the unique smell of animal hide diffused into the air.

Xiao Zhuo and the others' gazes were immediately drawn to it.

On the animal hide, a map was drawn with dark brown pigment, with mountains, rivers, towns, and paths faintly discernible, though the writing and markings in many places were slightly blurred.