Chapter 502: Jie Jie Jie Jie—It

Fang Yu examined the Map of the Nine Abysses in Prince Yi's mansion.

Undeniably, the Map of the Nine Abysses compiled by Zhutaiyi Sect was far superior to Yuhua Sect's Book of Worlds; now that Fang Yu had read the Map of the Nine Abysses, he would have greater confidence when venturing into the Nine Abysses for training.

If he eventually cultivated to the Longevity Secret Realm, he could use the Nine Abysses passages to travel—places like the Kanli Great World, the Honghuang Great World—and if he gained any advantages in these Great Worlds, his cultivation base would improve dramatically.

The Xuanhuang Great World was originally ranked first among the Thousand Great Worlds, comparable to the Immortal Realm, but after the World Tree was cut down, it declined further; yet other Great Worlds did not decline—some harbored abundant spiritual energy and countless treasures.

Of course, the Xuanhuang Great World itself also held many treasures, such as Immortal Mansions, but the forbidden laws guarding them were terrifying, beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators to breach.

"It seems you're truly interested in these, I'll give you a set later. I may not have much else, but these I do have."

Prince Yi carefully observed every move Fang Yu made, as if trying to detect some clue.

"Then I thank the Prince. Whatever you need me to do—like killing a few people—I can assist you. Of course, fools like Gu Dao, if not for your sake, would already be dead. If he dares provoke me again, I'll rip out his soul and flesh, refine them into my magic treasure. The soul and flesh of a Golden Core cultivator still hold some value."

Fang Yu chuckled "Jie jie jie jie," exuding the arrogant, ferocious aura of a demonic cultivator.

He was currently playing the role of a demonic cultivator, so his speech had to be grim, and his laughter had to be "Jie jie jie jie."

"Please, Master, calm your anger—such incidents will never happen again."

Upon hearing Fang Yu's words, Prince Yi immediately assured him, though deep inside he was greatly satisfied, realizing his suspicion was correct: this demonic cultivator, who appeared to be only in the Heavenly Man Realm, was in fact a Golden Core cultivator—and had shattered Gu Dao's hand with ease, clearly possessing more divine abilities beyond the Golden Core, making him a valuable ally.

"Speaking of which, I do have a matter requiring your aid. Three days from now, our Imperial Prince will explore an ancient ruin—could you lend me your strength?"

"Ancient ruin? What dangers does it hold? What benefits?"

Fang Yu spoke in a deep, resonant tone.

"Our Daixuan Empire governs countless cities across the Xuanhuang Great World, and every year we discover new ruins. This time, we found an underground ruin—extremely strange. Many soldiers who entered died without cause. The Imperial Clan Elders have ordered us Princes to explore it, to see who gains a miraculous opportunity—it's both a trial and a test."

Prince Yi said.

"Oh?"

Fang Yu grunted.

He had assumed Prince Yi would take him to Panlong Star to find the ancient Heavenly Dragon's treasure, but this seemed to be another ruin.

Of course, that was perfectly normal—across the entire Xuanhuang Great World there were countless ancient ruins and ancient teleportation arrays; as the official rulers of the Xuanhuang Great World, the Daixuan Empire discovered many such places each year, and each discovery greatly strengthened their power.

"In that case, I'll accompany the Prince."

Fang Yu nodded.

"Good!"

Prince Yi's face lit up with joy. "With your aid, my chances of obtaining treasures will greatly increase. Rest well in my study until we depart in three days!"

Fang Yu grunted and truly rested in Prince Yi's study—though "rest" was a misnomer; he was reading. The Imperial Prince's collection of books was immense, offering far deeper insights into the Xuanhuang Great World than Fang Yu had ever possessed.

In past years, Fang Yu's knowledge of the Xuanhuang Great World came only from Yuhua Sect's Book of Worlds and his own travels through a few places—he had never been to most regions and knew little of them.

Now, with Prince Yi's books, Fang Yu opened his mind to absorb this knowledge, directly imprinting the Map of the Nine Abysses into his memory; if its contents were true, its value would be immense.

For instance, the Map of the Nine Abysses recorded the origin of the Flesh Mire, its danger level—it stated the danger was extremely low, and any Zhutaiyi Sect disciple could train there, slaying demonic spirits to hone their spirit.

Yet when it came to the Taiyuan Immortal Mansion in the Nine Abysses, Zhutaiyi Sect explicitly marked it as Extremely Dangerous—do not enter, for entry meant certain death.

Such records indeed helped Zhutaiyi Sect disciples train properly, avoiding the fatal mistake of blindly storming the lair of a Golden Core Great Demon Lord.

Three days passed swiftly; Fang Yu read, rested, and replenished his vigor.

When the day arrived, Fang Yu departed with Prince Yi, arriving at the very center of Xuanhuang City.

It was a vast square dominated by a towering ornate pillar from which light continuously descended from the sky—members of the Daixuan Imperial Clan in yellow robes were imperial princes, while others wearing coiled-dragon sashes were distant royal relatives.