The morning mist dissipated, and the rosy dawn light spilled over the mountaintops. The sky was clear and transparent, a pristine blue.
Knowing that Xiao Yi Xian and the other women were not in danger, Chen Xiao, despite traveling at extreme speed, wasn't overly anxious.
Instead, he was filled with curiosity.
After all, the Northern Heaven region wasn't small, but it wasn't exactly vast either.
Chen Xiao had seen lists of all the major and minor powers and families there, none of which could stir up much trouble.
Given this, the significant event that prompted Xiao Yi Xian and the others to crush the Jade Slip and notify him could only be the Northern Heaven Ruins, which they had been searching for all along!
"I hope I'm not mistaken..."
With anticipation, Chen Xiao increased his speed a notch.
Traveling non-stop was too monotonous. With a thought, Chen Xiao took out the Jade Bottle that sealed the Eight Heavenly Guardian's soul from his Storage Ring.
After removing the seal at the mouth of the bottle, Chen Xiao flicked his finger, and a cluster of cold white flames immediately flew into it, greeting the Eight Heavenly Guardian warmly.
"Ahhh... Chen Xiao... What are you doing?!"
Ignoring the Eight Heavenly Guardian's angry shouts, Chen Xiao chuckled, "Now, I ask, you answer. Do you understand?"
"Heh heh heh, do you really think I'd tell you anything? Do you think you'll let me go if I answer your questions?"
Without the torment of the Heavenly Flame, the Eight Heavenly Guardian started being stubborn again.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly. "Indeed, if you fall into my hands, you are as good as dead. However, I can make your death a little quicker."
Seeing the disbelief written all over the Eight Heavenly Guardian's contorted face, Chen Xiao didn't waste any more words. A wisp of Bone Spirit Cold Flame floated into the Jade Bottle again, and before the Eight Heavenly Guardian could even scream, he sealed the mouth of the bottle.
Although the Bone Spirit Cold Flame didn't have the same special restraint on souls as the Fallen Heart Flame, it was sufficient for torturing soul bodies.
After traveling like this for two hours, Chen Xiao didn't inject any more Heavenly Flames into the Jade Bottle.
He removed the seal at the mouth of the bottle and looked at the Eight Heavenly Guardian's soul body, which was barely recognizable. Flames flickered from his soul's fingertips.
"You... What do you... want to know..."
This short sentence almost exhausted the Eight Heavenly Guardian's strength.
He didn't want to experience the pain of soul incineration by Heavenly Flame for the fiftieth time.
Since the outcome was already decided, it was better to die quickly as Chen Xiao had said.
"First question, back at Yellow Maple Valley, you said the Ancient Clan and a few other clans crossed the border first, and only then did the Soul Hall cause trouble in the Eastern Region. What did you mean?"
The Eight Heavenly Guardian's soul body took a long time to recover before he began to answer intermittently.
"It means what it says. Although my Soul Hall has always... captured soul bodies on the continent, we maintained a policy of non-interference with the territories of other Ancient Races. It wasn't... it wasn't out of fear, but to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"But ever since that old fellow Yao Chen revealed the secret of the Soul Hall collecting Soul Origins, the Six Clans have repeatedly opposed my Soul Hall. If it were just that, it would be fine, but they even sent people to closely monitor our branch halls and the Soul Clan in secret."
"A few months ago, the Soul Hall transferred a batch of Soul Origins, but they were intercepted en route. The leader was a Dou Saint expert from the Ancient Clan!"
"Because of this incident, the Soul Clan's higher-ups were furious and ordered the Soul Hall to enter the territories of the Six Clans to cause them some trouble. As long as their subordinates were in chaos, they wouldn't have so much energy to monitor us."
Listening to the Eight Heavenly Guardian's account, Chen Xiao was stunned.
The Six Clans were really quick to act.
And the Soul Clan was incredibly patient!
With the Soul Clan's strength, if they had truly gone all out, the experts of the Six Clans wouldn't have had the chance to monitor them; they would have been lucky to not be hunted down.
This could be considered the fearlessness of the ignorant.
"It shouldn't be just that, right?"
"Of course not! The so-called Six Great Ancient Clans and the Soul Clan behind my Soul Hall are all birds of a feather. Moreover, these hypocrites are even more disgusting! I'll tell you about something I personally experienced, and perhaps you'll understand."
"Before I entered the Eastern Region, during a conflict with the Pill Tower, I was almost killed by that Heavenly Thunder Child. But when Heavenly Thunder Child was about to pursue me, he was stopped by someone."
"It wasn't just me; there were at least dozens of similar instances in just half a year. The experts sent by the Six Clans to support the Pill Tower were a great help. If they hadn't repeatedly hindered us at critical moments, my Soul Hall, though powerful, couldn't withstand the attacks of the Pill Tower, which was fully supported by the Six Clans!"
"Since the Soul Hall and the Pill Tower officially went to war, the Soul Hall's speed in collecting Soul Origins has increased more than fivefold. And this is all thanks to the Six Clans fanning the flames!"
"They outwardly uphold justice but secretly wish for this conflict to last as long as possible, preferably so that the Soul Hall collects enough Soul Origins for the Six Clans to divide, allowing each clan to cultivate an Emperor Realm soul. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"In any case, the bad reputation is all borne by the Soul Hall. They are all contributing effort and manpower to this cleansing of the Soul Hall, which will be a beautiful story when it's passed down."
"As for the lives of those ants, what does it have to do with them?"
After listening to the Eight Heavenly Guardian explain the cause and effect, Chen Xiao silently sealed him back up.
Before, it was just speculation, but now that it was confirmed, Chen Xiao felt that these Ancient Races were truly, as the Eight Heavenly Guardian had said, all birds of a feather!
Chen Xiao had always considered himself not a good person, but a self-serving individual.
Just like the Soul Origins collected by the Soul Hall, he would snatch them if he could and use them without any psychological burden.
But even so, if he were to stir up the situation in the Central State to help the Soul Hall collect Soul Origins faster, thereby seeking greater benefits...
Chen Xiao believed he couldn't do something so disgusting!
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao tore open space and stepped out.
He had already entered the Pill Domain, and his gaze swept over, landing on an unfamiliar city at the end of his line of sight.
After a slight hesitation, Chen Xiao still decided to delay for a moment and write a letter to Xuan Kongzi for confirmation.
After all, the Eight Heavenly Guardian's words were only one side of the story.
He couldn't completely believe them, nor could he completely disbelieve them.
After a quarter of an hour's delay, Chen Xiao continued on his way.
As Chen Xiao left the Pill Domain and entered the Tian Bei region, he keenly sensed something unusual before he even ventured deep into it.
All along the way, large crowds of people were rushing towards the depths of Tian Bei, all in a hurry, as if they wanted to increase their flying speed tenfold or a hundredfold.
"Brother Li, why did you call me out of seclusion so urgently?"
"Stop the nonsense. I'm doing this for your own good. You can go into seclusion anytime, but if you miss this opportunity, you'll regret it."
"Tell me more, tell me more."
"It's hard to explain in a short time. You just need to know that an ancient ruin has appeared on the edge of the Northern Heaven Desert!"
As Chen Xiao traveled, his soul perception quietly spread out, and from their conversations, he confirmed his suspicions.
It was indeed the ancient ruins of the Northern Heaven region that had appeared!
Ancient ruins, as the name suggested, were naturally things passed down from ancient times. And if they could leave traces after enduring the changes of time, then the owners of these ruins must not have been ordinary people. Many were even left behind by Dou Saint powerhouses!
This was a consensus among all cultivators.
Because of this, every time an ancient ruin appeared, it would inevitably lead to a bloody storm.
After all, the items left behind by Dou Saint level powerhouses possessed an allure that could drive people mad.
Take cultivation techniques, for example. Many Dou Venerate powerhouses' progress was slow, or even stagnant, precisely because they couldn't obtain higher-grade cultivation techniques.
And in these ancient ruins left by Dou Saint powerhouses, there was a high probability of finding the cultivation techniques they practiced during their lives. This was hope for breaking through to higher realms!
Furthermore, in ancient ruins, anything was possible.
Dou Skills, cultivation techniques, medicinal ingredients, elixirs, and so on. Even a small gain could be a life-changing opportunity for many!
Therefore, even though they knew the competition would be fierce, and even that it might be a near-death experience, countless people still rushed into it like moths to a flame, willingly.
Having confirmed the reason for the commotion, Chen Xiao no longer divided his attention and focused entirely on his journey.
...
Purple Firmament Pavilion.
On the vast square beneath the Thunder Pagoda, teams of inner and outer disciples stood ready.
In front of the square, Xiao Yi Xian was issuing orders in an orderly manner.
"Elder Yang, take a team of disciples to Myriad Snake Gorge and inform the four elders of the Snake-People Race to observe the situation and not act rashly. Wait for the Pavilion Master to return before making a decision. After that, you will be stationed at Myriad Snake Gorge to protect the Snake-People Race and await orders."
"Yes!" An elder bowed and accepted the order, leading over a dozen inner disciples away quickly.
With large numbers of powerhouses flooding into Tian Bei, conflict was inevitable.
Since Cai Lin was in seclusion and Chen Xiao was also away, it was natural to look after the Snake-People Race.
"Han Chi, take a team of inner disciples to the Sand Shadow Mountain Range and follow Qing Lin's arrangements."
"Yes!"
"Iron Sword, seal off Qifeng Mountain during this period. Entry and exit are forbidden to anyone except those from the Purple Firmament Pavilion!"
"..."
As orders were issued one after another, 99% of the people in the entire Purple Firmament Pavilion began to busy themselves.
It was also at this dusk that Chen Xiao finally returned.
The moment he stepped into Qifeng Mountain, Chen Xiao noticed that the pavilion was sparsely populated, with at least half the people gone.
Although some disciples were rushing about, they were orderly, clearly acting according to the orders of the higher-ups.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao didn't stop them. He flashed and arrived at the backyard.
In contrast to the increasingly tense atmosphere outside, the backyard was peaceful and serene.
Two fiery red figures were playing with Yao Yao, the three little ones gathered together, their crisp laughter echoing, and they didn't notice Chen Xiao's arrival.
And in front of a courtyard, Xiao Yi Xian and Cao Ying stood side by side, watching the playing children with faint smiles, whispering intimately.
Suddenly, a light cough broke the harmonious scene.
Five pairs of eyes looked over, their joy varying.
"Daddy!"
"Teacher!"
The three little ones were the first to rush over.
The changes in the situation outside had nothing to do with them.
To them, at this moment, there was only the joy of reunion with loved ones.
Chen Xiao couldn't bear to break the moment. He looked at Xiao Yi Xian and Cao Ying, who were walking over, and gestured for them to wait a moment.
After spending about ten minutes talking with the three little ones and calming them down for the time being, Chen Xiao then walked over to Xiao Yi Xian and Cao Ying.
"Xian'er, Ying'er, I heard some things about the ancient ruins on my way back, but I don't know much. Can you tell me in more detail?"
"Sister Xiao Yi Xian, you should tell him. If anything is missed, I'll help you add it."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly and didn't refuse. After a moment of thought, she began to narrate.
"You'd never guess, but it was Qing Lin who discovered this ancient ruin."
"Qing Lin?"
Chen Xiao was a little surprised. He truly hadn't expected this.
On the way back, he had thought it was Brother Hei Qing's doing.
"That's right. Before you left, didn't you ask Brother Hei Qing to take those puppets back to Dragon Island to upgrade their rank? Brother Hei Qing was very fast. In less than a month, he brought back all the puppets, without exception. They all advanced to the Heavenly-grade Heavenly Demon Puppet rank. Now, our Purple Firmament Pavilion has nearly forty Dou Venerate-level combatants!"
"After Brother Hei Qing handed over the puppets to us, he continued to search for the ancient ruins. Qing Lin was curious that day. Nine Dou Ancestor-level puppets forming a formation could already display strength comparable to a One-Star Dou Venerate. If nine Dou Venerate-level puppets formed a formation, what kind of power would they possess?"
"Out of curiosity, she took the puppets into the Northern Heaven Desert to test it. She had the puppets attack her in formation. As a result, they ended up near the edge of the desert in the Sand Shadow Mountain Range. Under the intense combat aftermath, she then noticed that the space there was somewhat abnormal."
"Later, we asked Brother Hei Qing to go and investigate. As expected, the ancient ruin was hidden there!"
"Perhaps influenced by the battle between Qing Lin and the puppets that day, the spatial fluctuations there became more abnormal and noticeable with each passing day. In just four or five days, even though we had sealed off that area and I had set up many illusion formations there, the news still managed to leak out."
"Was it the magical beasts in the Sand Shadow Mountain Range?"
"It could be them, or it could be humans. The Sand Shadow Mountain Range is considered a relatively large magical beast mountain range near the Northern Heaven Desert. It contains countless magical beasts, including many high-level ones, and strong individuals often pass through. When the spatial fluctuations appeared, if they were not far away, they might have also detected them." Xiao Yi Xian nodded helplessly.
There was truly no way to prevent it.
After all, no one knew it would be such a coincidence. They had no psychological preparation at all.
Moreover, the emergence of the ancient ruin, while not as publicized as a 'server-wide announcement' like a natural phenomenon, still caused a significant stir and was not easily concealed.
However, from Xiao Yi Xian's account, Chen Xiao did notice one thing.
The owner of this ancient ruin definitely wasn't as powerful as the Array Heaven Sacred Hand who created the False Heaven. This could be seen from the stability of the ruin.
Perhaps, without Qing Lin's coincidental discovery, this ruin would have revealed itself on its own in a few hundred or even a thousand years.
"After the news of the ruin spread, large numbers of people have been rushing to the Northern Heaven region every day. The flow of people has surged, and unfamiliar powerhouses can be seen everywhere. The Sand Shadow Mountain Range is even more crowded, with magical beasts barely having any room to stand."
"Qing Lin, Heavenly Flame Honored One, and Brother Hei Qing are currently there controlling the situation. It's fine as long as the ruin hasn't fully emerged. Once the space there stabilizes, the situation might instantly spiral out of control."
"I've already informed the Snake-People Race and all the forces and families that have pledged allegiance to the Purple Firmament Pavilion to remain calm and wait for your return before making any decisions."
Chen Xiao nodded slightly. The die was cast. It wouldn't be easy to keep this treasure all to himself this time.
Most importantly, this was a completely unfamiliar ancient ruin, unlike the one in the Beast Region.
To explore this ruin, Chen Xiao's foresight would be of no help whatsoever.
After a moment of consideration, Chen Xiao quickly made a decision.
"Exploring an ancient ruin is no small matter. It's good that the news has spread. At least it can reduce many casualties for us. Since so many people are interested in this ancient ruin, why not let them scout the way!"
"Let's compete fairly! The Ancient Eight Clans are not here, and the Soul Hall is too preoccupied to care. With our current strength, we don't fear any competition!"
In this ruin, Chen Xiao valued only one thing the most.
That was the elixir recipe for Spirit Nurturing Dust!
This was the only remaining elixir recipe on the continent, and it was the key to him completing his future pre-payments.
However, even if this elixir recipe fell into someone else's hands, as long as it wasn't destroyed, Chen Xiao would find a way to locate it!
Therefore, fair competition was not a problem!
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