27: The token guides and the lingering shadow of the bamboo garden

The sudden heat and guidance from the cloud pattern token disrupted Wen Youyi's original exploration plan.

Should he follow this unexpected clue, or continue searching the relatively safe areas according to the original plan?

With almost no hesitation, Wen Youyi made his decision—follow it and take a look!

Yun Zhi's identity was mysterious and her attitude ambiguous, but so far, she had shown more goodwill and warnings than anything else. The fact that this token was triggered in the Ancient Ruins was no accident. This was likely an important side quest, perhaps linked to deeper secrets, or even related to the "Inner Network" they were currently developing.

"Brothers, the token Fairy Yun left behind has reacted; it's pointing that way." Wen Youyi showed the burning token to everyone. "There might be unknown dangers, but there could also be a great Opportunity. Are we going?"

Zhao Iron Pillar slapped his chest with a thud. "Little Wen, you just make the decision! I'll listen to you! Fairy Yun is a good person; the path she points out definitely won't be wrong!"

Wang Wu and the others nodded one after another. After one success after another, they had an almost blind trust in Wen Youyi's judgment.

"Good! Then we'll venture into this dragon's den!" Wen Youyi's spirits rose. "Maintain the 'Inner Network' connection and be extra careful!"

The core five people adjusted their direction and headed toward the left-front indicated by the token, toward the rolling mountains shrouded in gray mist.

The closer they got to that area, the more eerie the surrounding scenery became. The blood-red color of the ground gradually faded, turning into a deathly grayish-white. Vegetation was almost non-existent, with only some twisted, charcoal-like withered trees standing. The chaotic Spiritual Qi in the air seemed to have been combed by some force, becoming thin and stagnant, yet it gave off an even more unsettling feeling, like the calm before a storm.

The burning sensation of the token grew stronger, and its guidance became clearer.

They carefully navigated through the grayish-white mountains. The rocks here seemed to have been drained of all vitality and were ice-cold to the touch. Occasionally, they could see some ruined building foundations with an ancient style, completely different from the designs of the Qingxuan Sect.

"This place... seems to have experienced a great battle," Wang Wu whispered, looking at a mountain ridge that appeared to have been split open by a giant blade.

Wen Youyi nodded in agreement. The silence and degree of destruction in this area far exceeded other parts of the Ancient Ruins.

After traveling for about another hour and passing through a narrow valley, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

Deep in the valley, there was actually a small patch of green that was completely out of place with the surrounding deathly silence!

It was a sparse purple bamboo forest! In the center of the forest, the outline of a simple bamboo garden was faintly visible!

However, both the purple bamboo and the bamboo garden appeared in a translucent, illusory state, like a mirage, fluctuating slightly with the wind and extremely unstable. Above the bamboo garden hung a thin, water-ripple-like transparent light shield, isolating the deathly silence of the outside from the vitality (even if illusory) within.

"It's here! The Bamboo Garden, West Foothill of Danxia Peak!" Wen Youyi's heart shook violently. The destination pointed to by Yun Zhi's token was indeed here! But this was clearly not a physical entity; it was more like an imprint of the past, or rather... an extremely realistic phantom?

The token flew in front of Wen Youyi, its cloud pattern glowing brightly as it resonated with the transparent light shield above the bamboo garden. The shield rippled, revealing a gap just large enough for one person to pass through.

A fresh, pure Spiritual Qi with a faint herbal fragrance wafted out from the gap. This Spiritual Qi was completely different from the chaos of the Ancient Ruins and the external 'spirit net,' possessing an independent, self-contained quality!

Just by inhaling a sliver of it, Wen Youyi and the others felt their spirits lift, and the fragile 'Inner Network' circulation within their bodies seemed to become slightly smoother!

"So... such comfortable Spiritual Qi!" Zhao Iron Pillar's eyes widened, like a starving man smelling the scent of meat.

Wen Youyi was excited. This afterimage of the bamboo garden could actually produce independent Spiritual Qi that wasn't contaminated by the 'Outer Network'?! This was practically the prototype of the 'Perfect Inner Network' he had envisioned!

"Let's go in and see! Stay alert!" Wen Youyi suppressed his excitement and was the first to step through the gap in the light shield.

The moment he passed through the gap, it was as if he had entered another world. The deathly silence and oppression of the outside vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility. Although the purple bamboo and bamboo garden before him were still translucent phantoms, the fresh Spiritual Qi was real.

The bamboo garden wasn't large, consisting of only three bamboo rooms and a small courtyard. In the courtyard was a stone table and several stone stools, and there seemed to be something placed on the tabletop.

Wen Youyi approached the stone table and found a new Jade Slip, along with a small jade bottle beside it.

He picked up the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Inside was not a Cultivation Technique or a Spell, but a message of Divine Thought left by Yun Zhi, her voice cold yet carrying a trace of weariness:

"To be able to reach this place proves you have already begun to sense the abnormalities of this world and have found a glimmer of Opportunity."

"This is an afterimage of the past 'Pure Bamboo Residence,' barely maintained through a crack in the Ancient Ruins and an old array foundation. The Spiritual Qi within is independent and can temporarily evade the detection of 'the net.'"

"The jade bottle contains 'heart-clearing powder,' which I refined according to an ancient recipe. It can neutralize the poison of the 'calming heart pill' and temporarily slow the growth of 'Heart Demons.' However, this substance is extremely difficult to refine and limited in quantity; use it sparingly."

"This place cannot be stayed in for long; the energy of the afterimage will soon dissipate. If you wish to truly break the deadlock, you must find 'star core fragments' and reconstruct the 'Primal Array'..."

"...The road ahead is treacherous. I hope you take good care of yourself."

The information ended abruptly there.

Stormy waves surged in Wen Youyi's heart!

Yun Zhi indeed knew the truth about 'the net' (spirit net) and the 'calming heart pill' (calming heart pill)! She had even been secretly researching an antidote (heart-clearing powder) and methods to resist! This afterimage of the 'Pure Bamboo Residence' was a small 'refuge' and experimental base she had created!

"star core fragment"? "Primal Array"?

What were these? They sounded like the keys to fundamentally changing the current situation!

He picked up the small jade bottle and pulled out the stopper. Inside were over a dozen pearl-sized, milky-white medicinal powders emitting a cool aura. This was the heart-clearing powder that could counter the "Heart Demon Harvest"!

"Little Wen, what did Fairy Yun say?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked curiously.

Wen Youyi briefly recounted the contents of the Jade Slip, omitting key information like the "star core fragment," only mentioning the effect of the heart-clearing powder and that they shouldn't stay long.

Hearing that this medicinal powder could neutralize the poison of the calming heart pill, everyone was overjoyed. The hidden danger of Heart Demons had always been one of the swords hanging over their heads.

Just then, the entire afterimage of the "Pure Bamboo Residence" suddenly shook violently. The surrounding purple bamboo and bamboo rooms became even more transparent, as if they would vanish at any moment. The light shield above also flickered uncertainly.

"The afterimage is disappearing! Let's go, quickly!" Wen Youyi swiftly put away the Jade Slip and the heart-clearing powder.

The five people didn't hesitate and immediately rushed out of the gap in the light shield.

The very next second after they left, the entire afterimage of the "Pure Bamboo Residence" vanished completely into the air with a "pop," like a bubble, as if it had never existed. The surrounding deathly silence and grayish-white closed in once more.

The cloud pattern token in his robes also returned to its ice-cold state, no longer providing guidance.

Standing in the empty valley, the five of them felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Although it was only a brief stay, the information obtained and the "heart-clearing powder" undoubtedly lit a brighter guiding lamp for them.

"star core fragment... Primal Array..." Wen Youyi murmured to himself, an unprecedented fire burning in his eyes.

He knew that he had finally touched the tip of the iceberg regarding the truth of this "Ranch World," and had also found a potentially viable... path of resistance!

(End of Chapter)