Chapter 241: The Situation of the Return Ruins

"Within our Huantian Alliance, there are currently members from seventy-six different worlds."

"We should all gather here in the Return Ruins to exchange intelligence and provide for each other's needs."

Xu Yingping carefully introduced the situation of the Huantian Alliance to Chen Mo, while simultaneously registering his information into a ledger.

"This is a Tongxuan Stone; many of our alliance's outposts use this stone to communicate with one another."

"By holding an alliance Token and coming here, you can also query information and intelligence within this Tongxuan Stone, or exchange for supplies you require."

"All of this requires sufficient alliance contribution, and wanting to earn contribution is actually quite simple."

"The first way is to perform meritorious deeds for the alliance; for example, by guiding a senior into the alliance, one can obtain some alliance contribution."

"The second is to hand over various resources to the alliance, or to complete tasks issued by the alliance."

"For example, collecting the killing aura of a hundred weapons in Hundred Weapons Valley, or heading to other secret lands of the Return Ruins to gather resources."

"As long as these tasks are completed, one can obtain a portion of alliance contribution."

"We are not far from them, and because we compete for cultivation resources within the Return Ruins, there are naturally many conflicts."

"The journey is nearly four thousand li; a round trip takes at least eight or nine days."

"As for what the specific harvest is, it actually depends heavily on luck, and on the reason why the giant beast that was slain was formed in the first place."

"It is just that it is quite far from our city, a full four thousand li away."

"This is still assuming one travels along the official roads; there are no roads in the Return Ruins, and sometimes one might even have to climb over mountains and ridges."

"Among them, the most conspicuous spot was marked in red with the six characters: 'Stone Forest Wanyao Alliance'."

"Although some powerful demon clans have been completely destroyed by the Mirage Sea, many weak demon clans, or those that have severed their own bloodlines, still remain."

Xu Yingping carefully spread it out on a table to the side and reached out to point at a section in the upper left corner to introduce it.

The time consumed for the main journey would naturally be even longer.

While speaking, Xu Yingping walked to a side room and quickly retrieved a map.

"Of course, these demon clans do not consider themselves demon clans; they refer to themselves as the Wan Ling Alliance."

The powerful figures of the demon clans are naturally the same, opening up countless small worlds to allow demon clan creatures to hide within them and multiply.

There are no clear road signs in the Return Ruins to determine direction; even a Martial Artist could get lost if they are not careful.

A Martial Artist at this realm can travel at most eight or nine hundred to a thousand li in a day by exerting their full power.

Those who are not of our race must have a different heart.

Therefore, even if we change our outpost in this era, our descendants will still come here in the next era.

"This Wanyao Alliance, could it be a force of the demon clans? Do they also have a presence here in the Return Ruins?" Chen Mo asked in a deep voice.

In the first layer of the Return Ruins, the strength of all Martial Artists is restricted to the Tongmai Realm.

The Return Ruins is vast, but there are not many places where one can cultivate in peace, and no one is willing to take the risk to head to other regions.

"I will not go into detail about this point; you will understand these things once you receive your Token."

Even today, facing the Catastrophe of the Mirage Sea, the two sides have simply not engaged in direct war.

There was a hint of unhappiness and anger in Xu Yingping's tone; it was evident that there must be friction and enmity between the Huantian Alliance and the demon clans.

Aside from these three regions, there were only a few other markings on the map.

Xu Yingping reached out to lightly tap the map; Chen Mo had an impression of this place, as Black Scorpion had mentioned it to him before.

Looking at it this way, the specific situation of this Huantian Alliance is actually not very different from the Cangxuan Alliance.

Both merely provide a platform for numerous Martial Artists to provide for each other's needs.

Chen Mo nodded lightly upon hearing these rules.

"This is only natural; when the Catastrophe of the Mirage Sea descended, our Human Race's strongest figures opened up worlds to provide shelter for their descendants."

"Senior, you have not yet received your Token, so you cannot yet utilize the profoundness of the Tongxuan Stone."

Xu Yingping reached out and pointed to a valley pattern that had been sketched out.

These demon clans also possess Secret Techniques or Gui Xu Gates to enter the Return Ruins.

"By then, having lost years of accumulation, our Human Race's descendant cultivators would inevitably be at a disadvantage everywhere in the Return Ruins; therefore, whoever changes their outpost becomes a sinner through the ages."

This map was half a zhang square, divided into four regions by two horizontal lines of runes.

"This is the first layer of the Return Ruins; besides this Wanren City, our alliance also controls another place called Baiqiu Mountain."

It is impossible for the Human Race and the demon clans to trust each other completely, nor have they ever formed a single force.

Therefore, unless it is necessary, Martial Artists from the other city will not easily come to Wanren City.

It is just that the Huantian Alliance covers a wider area and has more worlds.

"This here is Hundred Beasts Valley; it contains many giant beasts formed by the power of the Return Ruins and the laws remaining from the previous era. Slaying these giant beasts often yields some harvest."

"Even if one can leave temporarily, if the mark of the Gui Xu Gate is not changed, then in the next era, our descendants will still appear in this place."

Xu Yingping spoke in a low voice, roughly summarizing the contradictions between the two forces.

"So in most cases, our two Return Ruins locations only rely on the Tongxuan Stone to communicate."

Wanting to live in harmony and get along in complete peace is an entirely impossible thing.

The regions occupied by both sides are limited, and neither side can possibly withdraw.

As time accumulates, the contradictions will naturally grow greater and greater.

Until it is a fight to the death, completely irreconcilable, and only possible if the other side withdraws entirely.

Xu Yingping did not introduce the situation of the Wanyao Alliance in detail, only mentioning it briefly.

In most cases, the two sides do not encounter each other.

Even if there is conflict between the two sides, without profit, no one will do nothing else but focus on attacking the other.

There are those who will do business that risks their heads, but no one will do business that loses money.

"Our Huantian Alliance also has outposts in the second layer, and the same goes for the third layer; however, we have not explored the fourth layer much."

The further one goes into the Return Ruins, the more remnants belonging to the previous epoch there are.

This means that various secret lands with bizarre rules, as well as the spirits of the epoch remaining from the previous era, will also increase.

While there are certainly many gains to be had, the dangers are also unimaginable. Therefore, for every layer one goes deeper into the Return Ruins, the difficulty doubles.

Nowadays, the world is not as it was in the ancient times, and the number of experts exploring the Return Ruins has greatly decreased.

Even if it is only a portion of the territory in the first three layers, the resources produced are enough for us to use for cultivation.

Coupled with a shortage of manpower, there is no further ability to explore deeper.

Therefore, our Huantian Alliance's exploration of the Return Ruins has only reached the third layer; although a small number of experts have entered the fourth layer, the number is small and not worth mentioning."

Xu Yingping continued to speak, introducing things to Chen Mo; he had joined the Huantian Alliance for over a decade.

He was naturally familiar with these situations, though there was one point he did not mention.

That is, the remnants of the previous epoch that can be found within the first layer of the Return Ruins are, in fact, absolute treasures.

Because these supreme treasures have endured countless destructions yet are still able to remain, until arriving at the first layer of the Return Ruins, the place closest to destruction.

This is enough to prove that the quality of those treasures is far, far better than other treasures.

Experts capable of entering the Return Ruins for training will not lack treasures on their persons.

When acquiring other rare treasures, the main goal is quality, not quantity.

The acquisition of one true supreme treasure is worth ten or a hundred mediocre rare treasures.

Following this, Xu Yingping told Chen Mo more about the situation he knew, as well as the rules that members of the alliance must abide by.

It is nothing more than not being allowed to have friction with one another, and if one encounters an ally asking for help, one must try one's best to rescue them.

Of course, whether to go and save them, and how much of a price to pay, depends on the members of the alliance to judge for themselves.

Furthermore, the member of the alliance asking for help must also provide a reward as compensation before they can ask for help.

"Fellow Daoist." Ma Bufan had already arrived in the courtyard at this time, holding a token in his hand.

This token had a glowing, precious light flowing within it, and its entire body was pure emerald green; one could tell at a glance that the material was extraordinary.

"Although this token is not made of materials from within the Return Ruins, it can only be used within the Return Ruins. Once it leaves the Return Ruins, it will lose all function."

Ma Bufan handed the token to Chen Mo and cautioned him carefully.

Xu Yingping looked at this token with quite a bit of envy; he had joined the alliance for over ten years, working conscientiously and striving hard, yet now he only had a Green Jade Token.

And what he had obtained through effort was merely a starting point for Chen Mo.

However, he was not jealous of this, because he knew too well that with Chen Mo's strength, he was absolutely worthy of this token.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist." Chen Mo took the token and said with a laugh.

"It is a small matter; every new member who joins the alliance has a certain quota of contribution points. Fellow Daoist can first use these contribution points to experience the benefits of our alliance." Ma Bufan wore a smile on his face, and after finishing, he exchanged a few more pleasantries with Chen Mo.

He asked whether he understood the situation in the alliance and if Xu Yingping had explained it clearly to him.

The few did not chat much, and Ma Bufan and Xu Yingping left one after the other.

In this large courtyard, only Chen Mo remained.

No one was worried that he would cause any damage to this place, because the most valuable thing here was the Tongxuan Stone.

And given the sturdiness of this material, even if a Heaven-Human Martial Artist arrived in person, they would still be helpless.

Chen Mo was strong, but not strong enough to destroy the situation here.

Moreover, he had absolutely no reason or motive to do so; if he were not of the Human Race, but some other creature, Ma Bufan might have had some precautions.

But since he was of the Human Race, there was absolutely no need to take too many precautions; doing so would instead make it seem like they did not trust Chen Mo.

As the two left one after another, he took out the treasures he had obtained earlier one by one.

Upon his verification, these things could indeed be placed into the Storage Ring.

Since they could be put inside, it indicated that these things could be taken away by him.

If they were objects of the Return Ruins, then he would have no way to put them into the Storage Ring.

Aside from that pair of precious hammers, there was also a diamond-shaped crystal; this crystal was called a Ruins Crystal.

This was what Xu Yingping had told him earlier: the Ruins Crystal contains the power of the Return Ruins, and a Martial Artist can comprehend the Nirvana Law by refining it.

The Ruins Crystal is of great help to the cultivation of certain Martial Artists; even if one cannot use it oneself, one can trade it away.

Of course, it can also be put into the Creation Divine Pool to be converted into Heaven and Earth Divine Liquid.

The Heaven and Earth Divine Liquid converted from this one Ruins Crystal would definitely not be a small amount.

It is easy to obtain Ruins Crystals; there are many giant beasts formed by the power of the Return Ruins in the Hundred Beasts Valley, and slaying them gives one a chance to obtain them.

In addition, there are many peculiar creatures in other secret lands of the Return Ruins, and slaying or temporarily defeating them may also yield results.

Ruins Crystals are also divided into six grades, and the classification of high and low is consistent with the colors of the Huantian Alliance tokens.

The one in Chen Mo's hand was pitch black, which was exactly an Ink Jade grade Ruins Crystal; among the six-tier classification, it belonged to the fourth tier, second only to Gold Jade and Purple Jade.

The Huantian Alliance had been established for a long time in this era, and the highest quality Ruins Crystal they had obtained was only purple.

For Chen Mo to have such a harvest just by defeating that Lord of Wanren City could be called quite good.

If this Ruins Crystal were traded to the alliance, Chen Mo could exchange it for at least ten thousand contribution points.

This is not a small amount; the vast majority of members joining the alliance for the first time only have one hundred alliance contribution points.

For Xu Yingping, who patrols the city daily like this, in a situation where his luck is bad, ten days would only amount to one hundred and fifty points of contribution.

If by some chance he happens to guide others to join the alliance, then there is an extra income, but it still needs to be split with companions.

Putting away the Ruins Crystal, Chen Mo examined the token in his hand; the token was pitch black and emitted a cold, biting chill.

Its material was extraordinary, and it should have been frequently worn by some master of the sword path.

The token itself was also imbued with three parts of sword intent, and holding it in his hand felt like holding an incomparably sharp precious sword.

Chen Mo cautiously controlled his own Blood Qi to differentiate a wisp; at the Tui Fan Realm, it stood to reason that there should not be the phenomenon of Blood Qi leaving the body.

It was just that Chen Mo's current cultivation situation clearly could not be judged by common sense.

As Blood Qi circulated and instantly took control of this Token, Chen Mo immediately understood its meaning.

This Token is a Passage Token, and with it, he can freely pass in and out of the city, as well as enter the Hundred Weapons Forbidden Land.

Upon entering the Hundred Weapons Forbidden Land, he does not need to undergo trials like others, but can go directly to challenge the Wanren City Lord.

However, according to the description on the Token, the strength of the Wanren City Lord he challenges each time will be stronger.

Furthermore, there must be a certain interval between each challenge; having won once before, he must wait at least one month to challenge him again.

That is to say, the next time he enters the Return Ruins, he can challenge him again.

During this one-month interval, besides recovering, the Wanren City Lord is also adjusting himself.

Every time Chen Mo challenges him, he will do his utmost to study the circumstances of Chen Mo's attacks, seeking an opportunity to defeat Chen Mo.

Viewed in this light, the Wanren City Lord he defeats each time will indeed have improved in strength.

Although the opponent is no longer a complete living being, his pursuit of the pure Dao of technique is truly admirable.

Chen Mo is actually quite curious in his heart whether the opponent can rely on technique to overcome a vast gap and defeat him.

There is no risk in exchanging blows with the Wanren City Lord; the opponent pursues the ultimate of technique, not the ultimate of slaughter.

Many people within the Huantian Alliance have exchanged blows with him, but they were basically only lightly injured; there is not even anyone who has been seriously injured.

Having this Passage Token is naturally a good thing for Chen Mo.

This means that every time he enters the Return Ruins, he can go find this City Lord to exchange blows and fleece a fourth-rank Ruins Crystal from him.

This harvest is by no means small; if he comes a few more times, he likely will not need to worry about the matter of Heaven and Earth Divine Liquid anymore.

Putting away the profound black Token, Chen Mo took out the Huantian Alliance green jade Token.

Refining and mastering this Token was equally convenient, and everything was completed in just an instant.

Chen Mo must stand within this courtyard while holding this Token for it to exert all its functions.

Because only by connecting to the Tongxuan Stone can one communicate with the various information within the Alliance.

Chen Mo sank his mind into the Token and immediately saw his Contribution Points.

Currently, there are only five hundred points.

In addition, a great deal of information followed one after another, such as tasks issued by the Alliance; for example, collecting slaughter Qi or patrolling within the city can earn a sum of Contribution Points.

However, these tasks are currently all at full capacity; if he wants to accept them, someone must be expelled from the Return Ruins first.

Furthermore, there is the cost required for cultivating in the secret grounds within the city; for instance, in the Sword Washing Pool, a Martial Artist must pay ten Contribution Points for one day of cultivation.

Besides this, there is also detailed information on the many Dense Gatherings nearby.

Purchasing these also requires spending a sum of Contribution Points, though the amount is not very large.

Because the Huantian Alliance cannot control members of the Alliance telling other friends the information they have purchased themselves.

Therefore, the price for purchasing information is set extremely low; two or three points are enough.

But to prevent the leakage of important information, purchasing information on certain secret grounds requires higher authorization.

These are all the functions of the Token; apart from this, the Alliance Leader or Elders may also urgently issue certain information or tasks.

However, such situations are relatively infrequent.

Chen Mo browsed through all the information in the Token roughly and immediately made a decision.

He is going to the Sword Washing Pool to cultivate, to wash away his impetuous Qi and prepare for breaking through to the Myriad Phenomena Third Heaven.

(End of this chapter)