64: Chapter 64 Ruins

Three days later, in a secluded valley rarely visited by humans.

Daoist Gao Ren, wearing a washed-out, faded Daoist robe, crawled out from a shack nestled between two trees.

He glanced at the sky and muttered, "Why isn't he here yet? He wouldn't stand me up, would he?"

After waiting for several more hours, seeing that Lin Yuan still had not appeared.

He beat his chest and stomped his feet in anger: "You beast, you beast! This rotten-to-the-core brat has no integrity. I curse you to be ganged up on by Demonic Path experts every single day!"

After sulking for a while, Master Gao had no choice but to keep waiting for Lin Yuan. After all, he only knew this one great expert, and at least with him, he wouldn't have to worry about being backstabbed while exploring a dungeon.

Returning to the shack, just as he was about to lie down to rest, he suddenly noticed a hole that had appeared in the roof of his shack at some unknown point.

Curious, he leaned toward the hole and looked up. Through the dim view, he saw an—eye?

Huh? How strange. Let me look again.

It really was an eye, and it was upside down.

This—

"Ah!!"

A ghost!

Master Gao shrieked in terror, scrambling out of the shack, where he then saw Lin Yuan hanging upside down from a tree.

"You f***—"

He was overheating, completely overheating!

The elder's blushing face spoke louder than a thousand words.

"Long time no see, Daoist."

Lin Yuan jumped down from the tree, looking at him as if nothing had happened, and suddenly added, "Why is your face so red?"

"You, I, he..."

Master Gao's face shifted through various colors before he finally let out a sigh: "Forget it, it's good that you're here."

He's a '98 model; I can't outplay him.

Lin Yuan certainly wasn't trying to tease Daoist Gao Ren on purpose; he was actually gathering intelligence.

The seemingly ordinary old village swindler before him was actually not simple at all. When they met last time, he had been completely unprepared, so there was no need to worry, but this time he had come by invitation, so he had to avoid fighting on the opponent's home turf.

Just like how you can never wait for Batman to be prepared before fighting him.

Whoever invented this thing called Master Gao, he gets angry fast but recovers even faster. A few minutes later, he had completely forgotten what just happened and began showering Lin Yuan with flattery.

"Brother, I knew you had potential from the start. Just as I expected, in just a few short years, you've swept through the younger generation undefeated and killed a Spirit Sea expert with one hand. Now, the entire Yue Kingdom is singing your praises!"

"When I was providing postpartum care for a pig demon in the countryside that had just given birth, even it had heard of your glorious deeds."

Incredible, the old Daoist has such skills?

"So, do you really possess the combat power of someone who has just entered the Spirit Sea, as they say?"

Facing the old Daoist's curiosity, Lin Yuan shook his head, denying this claim.

Because his battle record was truly too terrifying, people outside had elevated him to an unknown height.

But only he himself knew that his true strength should be above the limit of the True Aperture, and below the Spirit Sea; he could tentatively be considered to be at the Half-Step Spirit Sea Great Perfection realm.

Being able to kill the Demonic Path Spirit Sea Martial Artist instantly before was entirely the result of multiple factors working together.

Lin Yuan admitted that there was a bit of gambling involved; fortunately, he had won the gamble.

If he hadn't managed to kill the Demonic Path Martial Artist instantly the first time, allowing him to react, he could have used his flight advantage to unleash suppressive firepower.

At that point, Lin Yuan would have had no choice but to flee.

Of course, he definitely would have been able to escape.

Lin Yuan coughed lightly, unwilling to continue this topic, and therefore said.

"Back to the main topic, where is the forbidden figure's relic that we agreed upon?"

"Follow me."

When it came to serious matters, Daoist Gao Ren became a bit more solemn and began leading the way.

The two left the valley and followed an abandoned forest path, walking for about two days until they arrived in a primeval forest with exceptionally dense vegetation.

"The Opportunity you mentioned is here?"

Before Lin Yuan lay a continuous rift valley; he could not see the beginning, nor the end, and looking down, he could not see the bottom.

"Mm."

Master Gao carefully identified the surroundings and beckoned, saying, "It's down below."

He entered the rift valley first, and Lin Yuan had nothing to say, so he followed.

After walking down for another incense stick's time, the two finally reached the bottom of the canyon. It was unknown how many thousands of meters it was from the surface, yet it did not appear dim. On the surrounding rock walls, traces of blades and axes could be seen. Facing them was a dilapidated ruin, with two extremely tall stone pillars supporting a gate.

"This place—"

Lin Yuan frowned. He could sense a manic and twisted energy near the entrance, which was extremely terrifying.

"Be careful, the area around the entrance is covered with residual Formation power. If you barge in randomly, you will be completely killed by it."

Master Gao took out two jade pendants.

"Wear this."

Lin Yuan hung the jade pendant on himself and, paying attention to detail, lagged half a step behind Master Gao.

Fortunately, everything was safe and sound, and the two successfully entered the gate.

Behind the gate was an exceptionally wide hall. Inside the hall, Chaos Qi permeated the air, obscuring the mottled murals on the walls.

"Kid, this is it. This is the passage leading to the depths of the relic, but there are two stone pillars guarding the entrance."

Master Gao led Lin Yuan to the end of the hall. At the entrance to the passage leading to the next level, there stood two stone puppets, three meters tall.

Their strength was extremely high; ordinary True Aperture seventh or eighth-stage Martial Artists were simply no match for them.

But for the current Lin Yuan, they were existences that could be dismissed with a casual wave of his hand.

After killing them, the two entered the lower level.

The moment he stepped into the lower hall, the scene before Lin Yuan's eyes changed abruptly.

It was as if some power had taken him through time and space, arriving in an unknown world.

A twisted sky, a parched earth, the wailing north wind, and a broken him.

An existence with an indistinct face, impossible to measure, was thrown down from the sky by someone. He landed on the ground, his body divided into five equal parts, buried in the five directions of east, south, west, north, and center.

A crack opened in the sky, from which a crimson pupil was revealed, scanning the earth with a high and mighty posture that looked down upon all living beings.

Its gaze possessed incomparable power; wherever it looked, mountains and rivers collapsed, all things withered, and even time and space shattered.

At this moment, another person flew in from afar.

His back was exceptionally tall and majestic, his whole body filled with rage, pointing at the crimson pupil and cursing angrily.

The owner of the pupil was enraged, opening the passage in the sky to descend the light of world destruction.

The man who arrived later let out a great roar and charged straight toward the crack in the sky, leaving behind only one clearly audible howl.

"Beast Master!!!"

...

Why are you shouting so loudly.

When all the illusions dissipated and vanished, Lin Yuan found himself standing in a stone room. Master Gao was nowhere to be seen, and in front of him, a golden bracelet lay quietly.