"This matter is easily settled. We can ask the other senior brothers to help look after things. Besides, in half a month, Elder Gao Fanzhi of the Xuanming Sect will come to Xiancheng to oversee things. Once he's here, everything will be much easier. We just need to notify him before leaving for a few days."
"A Golden Core elder is coming? Is something happening in Guanghan Immortal City?"
Chen Jinshu sensed something wasn't quite right. While Guanghan Immortal City was one of the largest cities in the area, it usually wouldn't warrant the presence of a Golden Core-level elder. Something serious must be going on.
"You're sharp, Junior Sister. You guessed right."
"In half a year, a beast tide is expected to erupt from the western region where the demon clans reside. The elder is here to monitor the situation closely and determine the exact timing of the outbreak. If we don't keep watch, the nearby markets and towns will be completely overrun."
"I see!" Chen Jinshu nodded in understanding.
That made much more sense. No wonder a Golden Core elder was being stationed here. The western region was inhabited by the demon clans—territorial and aggressively expansionist by nature. They would never leave the fertile lands of the central domain untouched.
"I'd appreciate it if you senior brothers could share some information about the Nascent Soul cultivator ruins so I can better prepare."
"Of course! We plan to depart in half a month. Do prepare everything you need by then. While we'll travel together, what you gain from the ruins will depend entirely on your own strength."
"Understood, Senior Brother Chuke!"
Chuke likely didn't invite her because of her strength but because breaking the Nascent Soul formation would require multiple cultivators working together. She was invited to help break the formation—what she gained inside would be her own doing.
...
Half an hour later, Chen Jinshu left the sect's store.
Aside from the venomous insects outside, the ruins were rumored to be filled with poisonous creatures and shrouded in total darkness, making it impossible to see clearly.
Upon returning to the rented courtyard, she saw her mother and second uncle cleaning up garbage in the yard. They cast a few fireball spells to incinerate the trash, then used cleaning magic to dissipate the foul black smoke that filled the courtyard and surrounding area with a sharp, unpleasant stench.
"Mother, I'm back!"
Chen Jinshu called out.
The three turned to look at her.
"All done with your errands?"
"Mm-hmm." After stepping into the courtyard, she activated the formation.
She didn't plan to tell her mother and the others about her upcoming trip to the ruins—not because she didn't trust them, but to avoid unnecessary worry.
"What about the Ning family?"
"They've already left."
"Thank you again, Jinshu. I didn't expect you to be so powerful." Ning Lingwei recalled the sight of Jinshu standing proudly while playing her zither, fending off the Ning family's elder. Guilt stirred in her heart.
If not for the fact that she and Chen Wentang had yet to form their Foundation, they would've been powerless against the Ning family's Foundation Establishment cultivators. Without Chen Jinshu, they would've been torn apart—she taken back to the Ning family, and Chen Wentang left to struggle for decades just to reunite with her.
"What are your plans now? Though Guanghan Immortal City looks impressive, it's not as good as it seems. It doesn't even compare to Vermilion Market in terms of cultivator population. It's best you leave."
Chen Jinshu had no complaints about helping her second uncle with his wedding. It was repayment for all he'd done for their family over the years. Now that her affairs here were done, she wasn't sure if they'd ever meet again.
"We plan to head to the Yanyang Sect in a few days and continue cultivating. We'll find our path." As Ning Lingwei spoke, she held Chen Wentang's hand.
"Seeing you support each other puts me and Mother at ease. I couldn't give you the Foundation Establishment pills earlier due to the Ning family's presence. But now that you're leaving, take them with you. Just be careful—never let outsiders know you possess them, not even familiar faces."
Chen Jinshu took out two brocade boxes and handed them over.
"I don't know how to thank you enough. If you ever need anything, come find me or your aunt," said Chen Wentang.
"If I need help, I will."
"Once you leave, don't come back. The Chen family has nothing worth staying for. As for your big brother's grave, I'm sure Huaiyang and the others will take care of it," said Madam Wu Shuya, knowing they would soon depart. Though she felt a tinge of sadness, she still offered her blessing.
"Understood, Sister-in-law."
Three days later, Chen Wentang and Ning Lingwei departed.
Chen Jinshu and her mother accompanied them to the outskirts of the city. During this time, she explained her plan to be away for a few days and promised to return in three to five days. After that, they could take the return ship to the Xuanming Sect.
Five days passed.
Chen Jinshu had stocked up on plenty of antidotes, talismans, and even scented sachets from Guanghan Immortal City to guard against poison.
The poisonous insects and gu creatures were a category of their own. Luckily, Xiao Yin assured her that she could ward them off within a certain range—causing them to fall asleep if they came too close.
"Junior Sister! You're here! The Golden Core elder has arrived. We've taken five days off for this. Of course, we also paid the senior brothers some compensation since we all need to work together," said Chuke, who had been waiting outside the city.
"As we should," she replied.
Chuke then brought out a spirit ship—much smaller than the one from the sect—barely able to hold twenty people. This time, twelve Foundation Establishment disciples from the Xuanming Sect joined the expedition. Chen Jinshu also invited Wang Quan and a few others she had bonded with previously.
"The ruins are about a thousand li away. It'll take roughly two hours to reach. But we'll have to disembark fifty li from Qingfeng Isle due to the heavy presence of poisonous insects—we'd be attacked by venomous flying insects if we flew any closer."
They had encountered a massive swarm of toxic flying insects in that area before. No one knew where they came from or what level they were, but their venom was incredibly potent. By sheer chance, the group had discovered a large formation during that encounter and confirmed the location of the Nascent Soul ruins.
However, several early Foundation Establishment disciples had suffered from the poison—skin corrosion and sleep-inducing toxins among the symptoms.
Two hours later—
The spirit ship arrived at a misty area shrouded in pale grey fog. The air was thick with a pungent stench, and all around them was eerily silent, as if they had entered a cursed land.
"We'll begin here. But stay close—stray too far, and it could be dangerous," Chuke warned softly, taking out a jade-like bead from his storage pouch. It emitted a faint green glow and clearly wasn't ordinary.
Chen Jinshu placed Xiao Yin on her shoulder. Its sharp claws gripped her robe tightly. She wore a white veil hat that shielded her from toxic air. The gauze was thin and translucent, offering her an unobstructed view of the path ahead.
Rustle, rustle…
"Careful! The poisonous insects have been stirred!"