43: Chapter 43: Ancient Ruins

At this moment, Shen Qingrou raised her hand, signaling for silence.

The scene immediately fell silent.

She then spoke:

"For this trip to the Ancient Ruins, all one hundred core elite Disciples have arrived."

"Regarding these Ancient Ruins, I presume this is the first time all of you Disciples have heard of them, so I will explain the key points."

"These Ancient Ruins are actually a mountain range of Vicious Beasts. The ruins open once every five hundred years. There are many Vicious Beasts inside; some are common ones that can still be seen in the outside world today, while a few only existed in the ancient era. Furthermore, there is a juvenile Divine Beast, the Vermilion Bird!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene erupted in an uproar!

The Divine Beast Vermilion Bird was known to everyone; it was a top-tier Divine Beast that only existed in the ancient era!

Shen Qingrou continued: "Your mission is to work together to capture that juvenile Vermilion Bird."

Upon hearing this, the complexions of the Disciples changed, and they all revealed looks of worry.

Ancient Ruins, Vicious Beast mountain range—just hearing these eight words was full of endless danger and terror!

It even reeked of the scent of death!

They couldn't help but feel like retreating.

"Disciples, there is no need to fear. These Ancient Ruins have existed for countless years, and the space within is extremely unstable. Therefore, under the influence of the internal Law, the Vicious Beasts inside can only Cultivate up to the second-Rank upper stage, which is the human Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Circle Realm."

Upon hearing this, the Disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was no wonder all the Disciples here were at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Circle; it seemed the ruins could only be entered by Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Circle Realm at most.

"Moreover, this trip is also an Opportunity for you. If you can capture those rare Vicious Beasts from the ancient era and tame them as spirit pets, your combat power will increase exponentially."

"I hereby promise that if you can capture the juvenile Vermilion Bird for the Sect, everyone who enters the ruins will be rewarded with five million Spirit Stones each!"

Boom!

As soon as this was said, the Disciples' minds roared, and the crowd immediately became restless.

Except for Gu Jing, everyone was ecstatic!

Five million Spirit Stones—this was an immense fortune!!

One must know that many Cultivators spend their whole lives without encountering any Opportunity, and they wouldn't even be able to save up one million Spirit Stones, let alone the astronomical figure of five million!

If they were lucky and could also capture those rare ancient Vicious Beasts as battle pets, their own strength would also see a leap in improvement!

All the Disciples were so excited they couldn't help themselves, wishing they could rush into the ruins immediately.

Unlike them, Gu Jing was eyeing the Vermilion Bird; if he caught it, it would be his!

Shen Qingrou raised her hand.

The scene instantly quieted down.

She continued:

"Disciples, do not rejoice too early. For this trip to the Ancient Ruins, besides our Spirit Sword Sect, the other three major Sects—the Divine Sword Sect, the Moon Goddess Palace, and the Eight Wastelands Holy Sect—will all be participating."

"Therefore, it is inevitable that fights will break out within the ruins over the snatching of other rare Vicious Beasts or rare treasures. Since there will be battles, there will inevitably be casualties."

"Furthermore, after entering the ruins, everyone will be randomly teleported to different locations. After entering, do not go off alone to search for rare Vicious Beasts for the time being. Because there are many dangerous places within the ruins, and you must also guard against people from the other Three Sects, finding your fellow Disciples to travel together is of the utmost importance."

"Of course, the main purpose of traveling together is that the juvenile Vermilion Bird requires at least fifty Disciples at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Circle to strike simultaneously in order to suppress it."

Shen Qingrou finished speaking slowly.

She scanned the Disciples, "Do you all understand?"

"Understood!"

All the Disciples said in unison, their voices full of drive. This trip to the ruins was filled with both danger and Opportunity; it was possible their fates would undergo a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change!

"Right, there is one more most important point."

Shen Qingrou suddenly looked serious.

"There is an extremely terrifying Vicious Beast inside the ruins: a swarm of golden flying insects, similar in size to cicadas. Although they are only at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Perfection level, their devouring and biting power is incomparably terrifying; they can devour a thousand people in an instant!"

"Because they are numerous, their lethality is even more terrifying than the juvenile Vermilion Bird!"

"Five hundred years ago, except for me, all the Disciples from the four Sects were instantly devoured by that swarm of flying insects in just a single encounter. Therefore, if you Disciples encounter them, you must flee at top speed!"

Once Shen Qingrou said this, the whole scene was horrified!

The Disciples looked at each other, their faces filled with terror.

Only Gu Jing was overjoyed!

According to Shen Qingrou's description, weren't those golden flying insects Golden Beetles!?

Although Golden Beetles are not as good as the Divine Beast Vermilion Bird, they are extremely terrifying in large numbers. Lord Dao once said they even killed an Immortal Emperor from the Immortal Realm!

He must get his hands on them!

If he could breed them, they would be a major weapon!

"Disciples, there is no need to be too afraid." Shen Qingrou spoke again.

She reassured them: "That swarm of flying insects only lives in the deepest part of the north side of the ruins. As long as you do not go there, you naturally will not encounter them."

Upon hearing this, the Disciples' emotions finally stabilized.

They decided that they would not go to the deepest part of the north side, even if they died!

But Gu Jing decided that after entering the ruins, he would head straight for the depths of the north side, unite the one hundred Golden Beetles in his possession, subdue that swarm of Golden Beetles, and then go find the juvenile Vermilion Bird.

After all, he had the exact location of the Golden Beetles, but he didn't know where the Vermilion Bird was.

"Alright, Disciples, follow me and let's set off."

After saying this, Shen Qingrou waved her slender hand, and a massive cyan sword appeared on the open ground nearby.

Everyone flew onto it simultaneously, and the massive cyan sword shot straight into the sky, disappearing above the Spirit Sword Sect.

...

"Wan'er, your Cultivation is the lowest. After entering the ruins, you must meet up with your fellow Disciples as soon as possible. You are a True Disciple of the Empress, so nothing can go wrong!"

At the very front of the Flying Sword, Shen Qingrou looked at Mu Wanqing earnestly and said.

"Sect Master, rest assured. Although I am only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, I have almost no opponents among those of the same Rank, and I will also act with caution."

Mu Wanqing was not boasting. After all, she possessed a Mutated Ice Spiritual Root, and the vastness of the spiritual power within her body was enough to rival a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Circle. Coupled with the Divine Ability of the Mutated Ice Spiritual Root, as well as the life-bound Flying Sword qing shang zhu xue bestowed upon her by her Revered Master, she was invincible among those of the same Rank!

Of course, except for Gu Jing...

Shen Qingrou naturally knew that Mu Wanqing was almost invincible among those of the same Rank, and said gently:

"Caution is the parent of safety. After meeting up with your fellow Disciples, it is best to always stay with Little Gu. With him there, I will be more at ease."

For some reason, Shen Qingrou's sixth sense felt that Gu Jing was even stronger. Even if he didn't use the Kitchen Knife, he was terrifyingly strong, even capable of defeating Mu Wanqing in a single blow.

Mu Wanqing nodded slightly, stealing a glance at the tall and handsome Gu Jing beside her, feeling sweet inside.

Being with Gu Jing gave her an inexplicable sense of comfort in both body and mind.