It was not without reason that the Big Ruins had become a cursed land.
Light grey sunlight, yellow sand that filled the sky, and dangerous lands that could be encountered at any time.
Of course, the most important thing was that there were countless foreign races in the unknown regions. As long as the divine statues outside the cities were destroyed, the foreign races would attack the cities. Now, all the statues had been standing for 10,000 years. The period of destruction was not far away, and the great disaster was approaching. All of this could prove that the Big Ruins was a cursed land.
Outside the light screen, the God-favored ones stared at each other.
After expressing themselves, someone finally asked, “Those… Those people really escaped from the Venerable One?”
“Uh, it seems so now. Moreover, that human actually killed the son of the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon. That… Is too terrifying,” someone nodded and replied. His eyes flashed with a strange light of disbelief. Although he had witnessed the scene, it still gave him a huge shock. It was unbelievable.
“Oh? What’s the name of that human?” Someone asked quietly. This would probably be the only time he would encounter such a matter, hence he had to know clearly.
After a full 10 breaths of silence, someone uttered, “Yu Tianrui—his name is Yu Tianrui.” The person who spoke had bought medicinal pills from the Pill Workshop in the ancient city, so he recognized Ou Yangming. At this time, Ou Yangming’s story of entering the Big Ruins had also been dug out.
“Yu Tianrui killed the Blood Horned Dragons’ prince in front of the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon.”
“As an Advanced Spiritualist, he forced the VenerableOne to defend with all his strength and even cut his palm, causing blood to drip.”
“He escaped from the Venerable One twice.”
“He exchanged a few moves with Ji Haoran, and they were evenly matched.”
…
Just one of those things could cause a sensation, but Ou Yangming did all of them.
Such news eventually spread everywhere.
※※※※
Outside the ancient city, black mists surged, and no one knew when they would engulf the city. The divine statue had been towering for all eternity, and it was covered with densely packed marks.
The streets were still dilapidated, and the city was bustling.
At this time, the Longevity Alley no longer had lost its human touch as the people had dispersed.
After Ou Yangming and the others moved out of the Longevity Alley, Master Duan had also moved to a different place. His business was prosperous, but he would still come to the alley when he had nothing to do.
In the Governor’s Residence, Jiang Caijin was not glowing with health but after his vitality was prolonged for 50 years, he became much more energetic. He grew flowers and grass, and he practiced calligraphy. His days were very fulfilling.
At this moment, he was holding a brush in his hand and practicing calligraphy in the study. His strokes were straight and fast, vigorous and powerful. He wrote in one go. On a piece of fine paper, a line of words was written: “It’s better to hide wisdom than to be clever. Be a muddle-headed, smart person. Hide your strength and bide your time.”
He waited for the ink to dry and started to read it carefully.
All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Jiang Caijin did not hesitate and called out in a low voice. He knew the only person who would knock on the study’s door was Jiang Yuping.
“Creak!” The door opened. It was indeed Jiang Yuping.
Jiang Yuping considered his words. After a moment, he cupped his hands and asked, “Governor, do you still remember a month ago when Master Yu and Elder He went out together?”
“Yes, I heard that they killed a Blood Horned Dragon squad. It’s just a pity for those few villages,” Jiang Caijin responded softly.
Jiang Yuping’s turbid eyes emitted a bright light as he said in a trembling voice, “Wrong—we were wrong! At that time, the two of them didn’t just kill the Blood Horned Dragon squad. Instead, they also killed the prince, and…” He paused and adjusted his breathing.
“Don’t hesitate so much when you speak!” Jiang Caijin reprimanded unhappily.
Jiang Yuping did not take it to heart and continued in a deep voice, “They killed the prince in front of the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon, and they even escaped.”
When Jiang Caijin heard this, even with his temperament, his hands trembled slightly.
After a moment of silence, he uttered in a low voice, “How could a gifted person be mediocre? Once he has great encounters, he’ll soar like a dragon.”
Jiang Yuping’s throat moved slightly, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. After clenching his teeth slightly, he said, “Master Yu…” His voice was dry as he spoke, “That’s not all. This time, outside of the Barren Desert, as an Advanced Spiritualist, Master Yu forced the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon to defend with all his strength and even cracked his hand.”
This time, even Jiang Caijin looked shocked and asked in surprise, “Is that true?”
“It’s true, the news came from the Jiang family.”
“Good, good, good. As long as the Jiang family has his help, we won’t have to worry.”
At the Jiang Residence, the totem that was hundreds of meters tall was awe-inspiring, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a scene of prosperity.
In a small courtyard, Lil’ Man was carving wood. His knife skills were crude, but he was meticulous as if this was the most sacred thing to do.
Jiang Qingcheng was teaching Lil’ Lan how to read. She had grown sideways a little, and she had a fluffy ponytail. Her face was exquisite, and her eyebrows were graceful like thin and long willow leaves. Below them were a pair of lively eyes. They were big as if they could speak, and her nose was small and delicate. As long as the girl smiled, 2 small dimples would appear on the sides of her mouth. She was adorable.
At this moment, an elder, who was an Advanced Spiritualist, walked in with a gentle smile. He was a little chubby, and his eyes were small. He held an exquisite carving knife in his hand.
After looking around, he walked to Lil’ Man’s side and said with a smile, “Come, Lil’ Man, I’ll change a carving knife for you. This is made of meteorite iron from outer space. It’ll be more comfortable for you to use this.” He smiled, and his originally small eyes were narrowed into a line, making him look a bit funny.
Lil’ Man did not even look up. He answered coldly, “No need. My carving knife is a gift from Big Brother Yu.”
The old man paused his hand in the air. He was in a dilemma.
Jiang Qingcheng smiled and accepted the knife instead. She was mischievous, but she was not without schemes. She had grown a lot since she came to the Jiang Residence.
The old man let out a long sigh of relief and left slowly.
2 old men with slightly decaying auras were standing side by side in the clouds. They were the 2 Venerable Ones of the Jiang family—Jiang Yuchen and Jiang Xiaoxu.
Rubbing his chin with his fingers, Jiang Yuchen asked in a low voice, “Big Brother, aren’t you overreacting?”
“Overreacting?” Jiang Xiaoxu raised his voice.
He sighed and explained, “It’s just a gesture. If we don’t do it, someone else will. The true path intent. You and I haven’t figured it out yet. Back then, He Jian dominated the whole generation. Wasn’t he amazing? But he was still blocked from advancing. However, Master Yu’s different. He has figured out the true path intent. Without a doubt, he’d be able to become a Venerable One. With his current strength, he’d become even stronger after he becomes a Venerable One. Why let such a God-favored one run away when he has already been in contact with the Jiang family? We’d be struck by lightning!”
He looked at Lil’ Man with a profound look.
“I see.” Jiang Yuchen nodded slightly.
“Yeah. Have you sent Liuche out?” Jiang Xiaoxu asked.
“He went to welcome them with the other powerhouses of our clan,” Jiang Yuchen answered.
“Okay, that’s good.” Jiang Xiaoxu looked into the distance and nodded. At this moment, he finally understood why He Jian thought so highly of Ou Yangming. The young fellow was a monster. He had forced the Venerable Blood Horned Dragon to defend with all his strength despite being an Advanced Spiritualist. There had never been anyone like him before. Even He Jian was far behind.
Nonetheless, no one knew that the Big Avalanche required one to visualize the snow mountain daily with one’s mental power, and it was not a one-day feat.
If it was not for the fact that the head swallowed a Bone Dragon, allowing Ou Yanmging’s mental power to replenish itself, he would need at least several years to visualize the snow mountain to be 33 kilometers tall.
※※※※
In the Ji Residence, which belonged to the Blood Dragons, a Blood Dragon stood in a huge stone square. It carried the blue sky on its back and stepped on the ground, making a gesture of wanting to soar into the sky. Bloody mists appeared on every scale. Its dragon claws were as black as ink and were slightly separated. Its nails were thin and long, unusually sharp, like 5 invincible bone blades. From afar, this totem seemed to be pervaded by bloody mists.
Under the bloody mists, countless Ji family disciples sat cross-legged.
Their bodies were filled with dense murderous auras as they closed their eyes. One could feel the arrogance of the Blood Dragon Clan with just a glance.
Behind the Blood Dragon Totem, there were many pavilions. They took up at least 10 kilometers. In the most eye-catching spot among the pavilions…
There was a 9-story tall tower. It was simple and ancient. It stood proudly, and every inch of it was carved with exquisite flowers. This was the Daoist Disciple Tower, where the Daoist disciples of the Ji family lived.
At the top of the Daoist Disciple Tower, Ji Haoran sat cross-legged. There was a faint black aura on his body. He was obviously healing his injuries.
After a while, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, and his face turned ruddy once again.
Suddenly, an old man in beast skin stepped on the stairs and walked up. There was a hand bone hanging on his neck. It was crystal clear and gave off a holy feeling. His eyes were turbid, and there was no spiritual energy fluctuation on his body. He looked just like an ordinary person.
“Are you injured?” His voice was not hoarse. Instead, it seemed to be full of vigor.
“Yes, I’ll win it back next time.” Ji Haoran clenched his fists. His long fingernails sank deep into his palm, causing blood to drip.
“Do you know why the Daoist Disciple Tower has 9 floors?” The old man did not reply. Instead, he asked inexplicably.
“9 is the limit of single-digit numbers. I’ll be the one that’ll break through the limit and conquer the heavens,” Ji Haoran answered softly without thinking.
Only then did the old man’s expression soften. He said softly, “The Ji family’s the strongest among the human forces in the Big Ruins. We’re above all other forces. “You’re the Daoist disciple of our clan, and you’re destined to be extraordinary. You’re destined to soar through the nine heavens so what’s a small setback to you? What’s a momentary gain or loss to you? Your opponents aren’t the Daoist disciples of the other clans, but the Heavenly Disaster—the tribulation of breaking through to become a Venerable One. If you don’t become a Venerable One, you’ll eventually become insignificant. Only after becoming a Venerable One will you understand the vastness of heaven and earth and the boundless great path.” The old man’s voice was not loud, but it carried a faint sense of majesty.
“I understand…” Ji Haoran nodded heavily.
The old man waved his sleeve, and his expression was benevolent. He added softly, “It’s not that I’m harsh on you but right now, the Big Ruins is in chaos. If you don’t become a Venerable One, you won’t even have the right to live. As for the person who injured you, as long as you become a Venerable One, you’ll be able to kill him like a dog. Besides, the Ji family isn’t that easy to deal with…” He looked down and sneered, his voice filled with coldness.
