Chapter 236: A Different Ancient Ruins Space

Hum—

The blade's shadow, wrapped in a raging wind, flashed seven times, arriving at Xu Qianmen's face.

Xu Qianmen himself was also at Nascent Soul cultivation; seeing this, his pupils contracted, he extended his right hand, and the spiritual energy of half a peak swiftly gathered, in the blink of an eye forming a palm half the size of a palace, which he thrust toward the great blade.

Bang!

However, the 'great hand' couldn't even block for a single breath, shattering with a boom.

Xu Qianmen's face changed, and he flickered to a distance of several tens of zhang away.

Boom!

The illusory blade's shadow didn't cease, and in one stroke it sliced off half of the gate of the Taiyi Hall.

Just then, an illusory finger flashed out from within the hall, lightly flicked, and dispersed the illusory blade's edge.

Sect Leader Zhenxuan's voice sounded somewhat helpless as he said: 'Junior Sister, what do you want to do? Just say it!'

Nangong Liluo shouldered the great blade, her pretty face filled with killing intent: 'Return my disciple to me!'

Sect Leader Zhenxuan clasped his hands inside his sleeves, walked out of the main hall, and said: 'What's the point?'

Nangong Liluo sneered: 'What's the point of being a master if you don't protect your disciple? Why don't your disciples just kill one or two?'

Not far away, Xu Qianmen shrank his neck and dodged to the side.

Daoist Zhenxuan smacked his lips: 'That little brat indeed used the remnants of an ancient demon to kill his fellow sect members, and doing so before everyone's eyes has too great an impact; as a senior brother, I cannot ignore it…'

Saying that, he glanced at Nangong Liluo's murderous gaze, then immediately changed his tone: 'I have no problem here, but the other sects will still require some effort!'

'What a load of effort!' Nangong Liluo sheathed the great blade: 'I'll exchange the merit I earned by exploring those ancient ruins back then, which I established for the various sects, to clear my disciple's name.'

At this moment, Daoist Zhenxuan pinched his fingers, his face strange: 'Your precious disciple just happened to enter the Jianhai Guji, competing with thousands of elite disciples from the fourteen sects for the Fate Opportunity.'

Nangong Liluo waved her sleeves and turned to leave.

Daoist Zhenxuan said: 'Where are you going?'

'Summon the old ghosts of the fourteen sects—Zhou Daoling, Jiang Yuansong, and the venerable Monk Shancun—and go together to the Jianhai Guji to judge the reasoning!'

……

This is a boundless expanse of forest, the trees lush, thorns everywhere; through the thickets one can faintly see distant misty mountains looming in the clouds.

The air was filled with a strong killing intent, seeming to be a mix of some hostile aura and bloody smell, further fermented by the trees and flora, altogether quite strange.

Heng Xian took off his blood-red cloak and carefully stored it away.

He rushed day and night from Wanli Han Mountain to here, taking a full six days, then evaded the guardians of the various sect elders, sneaked in, and glanced at the Jianhai ruins.

That 'sea water' is actually a phenomenon of dense spiritual energy gathering on the seal, but there is no entrance, making it very hard to break through the ancient seal and enter.

He used the Xuanhuang Heavenly Hexagram to divine a hexagram, which gave seven methods of dyeing clothing with the blood of seven spiritual beasts, capable of cracking the ancient ruins' seal here.

He then ran across a three-hundred-li radius, hunted seven kinds of spiritual beasts to make a blood cloak, and then hurried back.

Only then did he have the scene of rushing from Zhenxi and, before the eyes of thousands of disciples from the fourteen sects, plunging into the 'Jianhai'.

As for how to get out later, we'll talk about it then!

Underfoot lay accumulated forest leaves of unknown years, emitting a 'shasha' sound.

He glanced around, stopped his steps, plucked a blade of grass, and rubbed the green juice in his hand.

It can be confirmed that these plants are not illusions but truly exist.

It's just unknown which direction this place lies in the ruins of the super sect.

Just then, a noisy sound came from afar behind him.

The disciples of the major sects have entered!

Heng Xian's figure flickered, and he dashed straight toward the dense forest ahead.

Not knowing how long he had run, he leapt to a towering tree in a secluded corner, tapped his foot onto a branch, and hid there.

The dense forest was too thick to see clearly how many sect disciples had arrived; he only felt they seemed to have scattered.

Heng Xian rose, looked outward, and saw the sky dull and overcast; from below he could no longer see that 'sea of seals.'

Beneath the sky, mountains rose one after another, densely packed, all the way to the distant, vague void.

This ruin actually shows no sign of how vast it is!

Moreover, there is fundamentally no trace of the ancient super sect's ruins; not even a fragment of broken wall can be seen!

This is completely different from what Heng Xian had guessed—a wasteland filled with various seals and dangers, where everyone competes for treasures by ability!

He immediately opened the Xuanhuang Heavenly Hexagram: 'I want the most precious things here—inheritances, techniques, treasures—where should I go?'

The Heavenly Hexagram immediately displayed a series of hexagrams.

Heng Xian examined it carefully from beginning to end, and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath of cold air.

The complexity of this ruin far exceeds his imagination!

'Somewhat interesting!'

He couldn't help but laugh, took out a bamboo scroll, scribbled and sketched, began designing a complete treasure-hunting plan.

Not knowing how long had passed, the sky suddenly darkened and strange rain began to fall.

Heng Xian put away the bamboo scroll, hid in a dry spot among the tree branches, and sat cross-legged in meditation.

Nearby, no one passed by at all; it seemed as if the few thousand people who had entered were scattered across this vast forest, making them feel tiny and sparse.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the rain stopped.

Heng Xian opened his eyes, sniffed the air, reached out to feel it, rubbed his nose, and said: 'It's about to begin!'

His figure leapt like a fish, darting toward the distance.

When he finally stopped, he found himself before a solitary little house deep in the dense forest.

The house is very ancient, completely unlike the dwellings outside; it has no windows, and beside the door are two faceless stone carvings.

He cautiously approached, lifted his leg and kicked a stone into the house.

Translation: He cautiously approached, lifted his leg and kicked a stone into the house.

We need to keep as single line.

Cang—

That's a sound: "Cang——" maybe? The character is pronounced "cāng". As an onomatopoeia? It's likely a sound like a deep hum? We'll translate as "Cang—". Keep the dash.

On the door beam, more than ten broken swords suddenly stabbed down, fast and steady; those below the Qi Hai Realm would likely find it hard to dodge.

Translation: On the door beam, instantly more than ten broken swords stabbed down, with such speed and stability that those below the Qi Hai Realm would probably find it hard to dodge.

We need to keep the term Qi Hai Realm.

Immediately, Heng Xian stretched out a leg between the two stone statues, then quickly retracted it.

Translation: Immediately, Heng Xian, between the two stone carvings, extended a leg, then quickly withdrew it.

Wuu—

Sound: "Wuu—" maybe? The character is pronounced "wu". We'll translate as "Wuu—".

Beneath the two stone statues, a chilling monster growl echoed; as the leg withdrew, it vanished again.

Translation: Beneath the two stone carvings, a chilling monster low growl sounded, and as the leg withdrew, it disappeared again.

Heng Xian smiled, tapped his foot to the roof, and slipped along the beam into the house like a loach.

Translation: Heng Xian smiled, tapped his foot onto the roof, and like a loach slipped along the door beam into the house.

The interior isn't large, but the tables, chairs, and stools are complete, and they don't look rotten, as if someone had used them not long ago.

Translation: The interior wasn't large, but the tables, chairs, and stools were all present, and they didn't look decayed, as if someone had used them not long ago.

There was also a bed in the corner.

Translation: There was also a bed in the corner.

Heng Xian looked at the bed, and his heart gave a sudden thump.

Translation: Heng Xian looked at the bed, and his heart gave a sudden "thump".

He saw a young corpse lying on the bed, as if it had died not long ago.

Translation: He saw a youth's corpse lying on the bed, as if he had just died not long ago.

He stepped forward gently, pinched the corpse's neck—it was hard—likely a corpse from tens of thousands of years ago; for some reason, it had been preserved here.

Translation: He quietly stepped forward, pinched the corpse's neck—it was hard; it should be a corpse of an ancient person from tens of thousands of years ago, but for some reason, it actually has a preservative effect here.

At the corpse's waist was a wooden plaque; picking it up, he saw an ancient seal script inscription: "Under Azure Ridge, Immortal Seeker Qi Sibai!"

Translation: At the corpse's waist was a wooden carved token; picking it up, he saw an ancient seal script: "At the foot of Cangling, the one who seeks immortality, Qi Sibai!"

Thus line: "At the corpse's waist was a wooden carved token; picking it up, he saw an ancient seal script: 'At the foot of Azure Ridge, the Immortal Seeker, Qi Sibai!'"

But we need to keep the exclamation inside quotes? We'll keep.

The meaning is easy to understand: this sentence says the corpse is named Qi Sibai, this mountain range is called Azure Ridge, and an Immortal Seeker likely came here to join the Immortal Sect.

Translation: "The meaning is easy to understand: this sentence says the corpse's name is Qi Sibai, this mountain range is called Azure Ridge, and 'Immortal Seeker' likely means he came to pay respects to enter the immortal gate."

This person came to pay respects to the Immortal Sect, but ended up dying here!

Translation: "This person came to pay respects to the Immortal Sect, but ended up dying here!"

Heng Xian set down the token, bowed to the corpse, then began rummaging through the room.

Translation: "Heng Xian set down the token, bowed to the corpse with clasped hands, then began rummaging through chests and cabinets in the room."

The room had a full set of pots and pans, but there weren't many items—

Translation: "The room had a full set of pots and pans, but there weren't many items——"

A scripture that falls apart at a flip, a bamboo slip recording tens of thousands of years of erotic literature, three metal coins shaped like knives, a curved blade, and a small bottle of gray liquid.

Translation: "A scripture so worn that a flip would tear it, a bamboo slip recording erotic literature from tens of thousands of years ago, three metal coins shaped like knives, a curved blade, and a small bottle of gray liquid."

He only packed the metal coins and the liquid, grabbed the blade, and retraced his way out of the house.

Translation: "He only packed the metal coins and the liquid, took up the blade, and retraced his way out of the house."

Just after stepping out of the house, the building behind him seemed to lose some balance, instantly collapsing into a pile of weathered dust.

Translation: "Just as he stepped out of the house, the building behind him seemed to have its balance destroyed, instantly collapsing into a expanse of weathered dust."

Heng Xian rubbed his nose, rushed to the distance, scanning everywhere; he searched for seven or eight li and saw a cave overgrown with weeds.

Translation: "Heng Xian rubbed his nose, ran straight to the distance, his gaze searching everywhere; after searching a full seven or eight li, he saw a mountain cave overgrown with weeds."

He approached the cave, glanced inside, didn't go in directly, but moved to the side, picked up the curved blade he had obtained earlier, and began digging.

Translation: "He approached the cave, glanced inside, didn't go in directly, but walked to the side, picked up the curved blade he had obtained earlier, and began digging."

With the strength of a Ninth Level Qi Hai Realm peak, digging a hole was no problem; soon he broke through to the depths of the neighboring cave.

Translation: "With the strength of a peak Ninth Level Qi Hai Realm cultivator, digging a hole was no problem; soon he broke through to the depths of the neighboring cave."

He squeezed through the entrance and entered the neighboring cave's interior.

Translation: "He slipped into the cave entrance and entered the interior of the neighboring cave."

Facing the daylight, he saw the cave filled with all kinds of things, and in the innermost part sat cross‑legged a bald, burly corpse.

Translation: "Facing the daylight, he saw the cave filled with all kinds of things, and in the innermost part sat cross‑corpse of a bald, burly man."

Just like the corpse in the house, this bald man's skin was dry and hard, he had been dead for tens of thousands of years, and at his waist was also a wooden plaque bearing an ancient seal script: "Azure Ridge, Immortal Seeker, White King".

Translation: "Just like the corpse in the house before, this bald man's skin was dry and hard, dead for tens of thousands of years; at his waist was also a wooden carved token, inscribed with ancient seal script: 'Azure Ridge Immortal Seeker, the White King.'"

Heng Xian bowed again and began searching for things.

Translation: "Heng Xian again bowed with clasped hands, then began searching through things."

This bald elder left behind many belongings—various toys, weapons, clothes—but like before, there were also some blade‑shaped metal coins and a small bottle of gray liquid.

Translation: "This bald elder left behind many relics—various toys, weapons, and clothing in heaps—but similarly, there were also some knife‑shaped metal coins and a small bottle of gray liquid."

Heng Xian collected the "blade coins" and the liquid, ignored the rest, and flashed out of the cave.

Translation: "Heng Xian collected the 'blade coins' and the liquid, ignored the rest, and flashed out of the cave."

We need to keep the term as "blade coins".

Just after stepping out, a "boom" sounded from behind.

Translation: "Just as he stepped out, a 'boom' sounded from behind."

The cave collapsed, and everything inside turned to dust.

Translation: "The cave collapsed, and everything inside turned to dust."

These small relics—exploring one destroys it.

Translation: "These minor ruins—exploring one means destroying it."

Heng Xian rubbed his nose, a strange smile flickered on his face, and he muttered: "A‑level cheeky operation procedure, I wonder how the disciples of the great sects would play with it?"

Translation: "Heng Xian rubbed his nose, a strange smile crept onto his face, and he muttered: 'A‑level cheeky operation procedure—I wonder how the disciples of the major sects are supposed to play with it?'"

(End of chapter)