Lu Yin slowly closed both of his eyes, as the commotion in the city ruins was just getting started. He needed to wait a bit longer for more people to arrive.
…
Ten days later, the city could no longer be considered a ruin anymore. It had become a normal city, as tens of thousands of people had settled down within it. These people were mostly experts from various great powers, and the number of powers that had gathered here was not much less than what had been forcefully gathered to defend the border from the Sixth Mainland’s invasion.
Xuan Jiu had also arrived, and when he did, he unfurled his large flag in an ostentatious manner. Whenever he met anyone, he would proclaim that they were Gu Yue’s heir, which caused many people to chase him around. He felt wronged by their reaction, as in his mind, he was obviously sharing kind words. Xuan Jiu did not know who had ruined his reputation, but it was now common knowledge that everything he said was wrong.
Xi Qi had also arrived. She had been roaming the Outerverse during this period, searching for more sourceboxes to unlock, which was a rather decent way to live.
Any location with a ruin was a potential source of sourceboxes, and she was greatly anticipating finding some at this place.
Atop her head, the fish looked about in a contemptuous manner as it raised its fins, mocking every person it encountered.
…
Another ten days passed like this in the city ruins. During this time, the experts from the Great Eastern Alliance had fought against the experts from the central region’s various forces for several rounds already. Mu Nichang, Meng Tianlong, and the others had all taken action, and if Yuehua Mavis and some other neutral experts had not stopped them, then the battles might have gotten out of control and affected the entire city.
Even though the two sides temporarily stopped, there were still two clearly distinct sides.
Surprisingly, nobody from the Great Yu Empire arrived, which left many people quite puzzled. However, nobody thought much of it, as they all simply assumed that this was because Lu Yin was in seclusion and that none of his subordinates dared to make a move without his express permission.
Lan Si indifferently watched the situation develop from the sidelines. Although some people from the central weaves wanted to enlist his help to deal with the Great Eastern Alliance, he did not agree.
He was competing with Lu Yin for the position of an Honored Chosen, but Lan Si did not actually have any grudges with Lu Yin himself. Moreover, Lu Yin was a major factor in why so many people had been able to escape from the Innerverse, and Lan Si still felt slightly guilty towards Lu Yin for it.
However, the path of cultivation was an emotionless one, and this was simply the way of the universe. Lu Yin could not keep the position of an Honored Chosen from him.
Qiong Shanhai did not intervene either. The ruins had become a maelstrom of tension, and it would be difficult to emerge once one entered.
Elder Daggs also made the trip to the ruins, along with a number of other experts from the border, which intimidated many others. The revelation of Yuan Shi’s existence had reinforced the power of the Hall of Honor, and it was even more intimidating than before the Outerverse had been cut off from the Innerverse. Nobody dared to underestimate the Hall of Honor any longer.
Expert after expert arrived at the place that was reportedly Gu Yue’s ruins, and they all searched through the city alone. Five Enlighters had already been spotted, and some people had even seen Elder Lohar moving about.
These people were merely the almighty experts who could be seen. Considering the fact that this place was supposed to be Gu Yue’s historic ruins, it would not be a surprise if even Envoy-level powerhouses appeared.
The five Hunters whom Lu Yin had knocked unconscious also finally awakened at this time. They had all been thrown onto nearby planets, and they immediately reported back to Zi Tianchuan as soon as they woke up. However, he ordered them to not reveal themselves, and they were absolutely forbidden from contacting anyone else. If the others learned that the Zi family had sent five Hunters to guard over these ruins, then the Zi family would be in serious trouble. Zi Tianchuan did not know what Lu Yin’s goal was, and the Zi family patriarch was simply scared that he would be forced to pay back this debt to Lu Yin in the future.
The city had already been thoroughly searched, and at this time, only the building that had been constructed in a different style remained untouched. Everyone had gathered at that place, each person trying their own methods to break through the door.
Qiong Shanhai made an attempt, and he could not open it.
Lan Si tried, and he also could not open it.
Elder Daggs acted, but he similarly failed.
Even Yuehua Mavis tried, but the door remained closed.
The large door was very sturdy, abnormally so.
Finally, Yu Mu secretly tried to open the door, but even he could not open it. Even when the gathered powerhouses united and acted together, they still could not open the door. It was only then that the crowd finally realized that this door could not be opened unless an Envoy-level powerhouse acted. However, once such a powerhouse appeared, they themselves would have nothing to do with whatever was inside the building.
Countless watched the large door with fervent eyes; Gu Yue’s inheritance was definitely inside.
“Move aside! Let Lord Fish try.” The fish atop Xi Qi’s head was very arrogant. “A toy like this requires a Lockbreaker. If there is something disobedient, it needs to be unlocked.”
Under the eyes of countless experts, Xi Qi forced herself to move forward. She softly mumbled, “I’ve never seen a sourcebox like this before. Is this really a sourcebox?”
The fish raised its fin and said with absolute confidence, “Listen to Lord Fish! Nothing will go wrong.”
Xi Qi acted, only to be stumped as the door was actually just a door. There were absolutely no solidified energies to lockbreak, so how could she unlock this thing? What was this? She could not even find a palace to begin.
The fish incessantly slapped Xi Qi with a fin. “Stupid! You’re stupid! You’re actually trying to unlock it! Lord Fish merely came up with a way for you to come to the very front so that whenever some fool opens this door, you’d be in the best position to charge in. Really stupid!”
The crowd was furious, as this damned fish’s words were just too demeaning.
“Steam, steam steam…”
Someone else in the crowd shouted, “Add some chilli powder!”
The fish looked back and glared at the person. “It’s that bastard! The one surnamed Ku—you still dare appear before Lord Fish?”
Xi Qi felt sullen, and her face was also flushed a deep red. She turned around, looked at the crowd in a pitiful manner, and shouted, “Just stop talking!” After that, she quickly slipped away.
Ku Wei had also come to the city ruins, as he would absolutely visit a place that was rumored to be Gu Yue’s ruins. Additionally, he could not hold himself back from speaking up when he saw that damned fish.
After Xi Qi left, Xuan Jiu walked up. “Cough, cough. That- I have a way to open the door, but it’s too precious, and a disaster will spread once this building is opened. If-”
Before he could even finish speaking, the furious crowd shouted at him, “Scram, stupid liar!”
“Stupid liar, go away…”
Xuan Jiu was infuriated. “A bunch of rotten goods! Idiots! I am the heir of Heaven’s Enigma! What do you guys know?!”
“Scram!”
“Scram, liar!”
“Stupid blind old man.”
…
Xuan Jiu cursed, “When did I become blind? Stop starting rumors!”
…
Off in the distance, Yuehua Mavis felt a headache developing. She did not know where this bunch of idiots had emerged from.
At this point, Yu Mu walked over to her. “Do you really think that this place is Gu Yue’s ruins?”
Yuehua Mavis shook her head. “The style doesn’t seem like it.”
“That’s also what I was thinking. The style of these structures is even more ancient than Gu Yue’s era,” Yu Mu replied.
Yuehua Mavis stared at the large door of the building, focusing her attention on the pair of eyes with rune-shaped pupils. After some time, her eyes flickered. As someone from the Mavis family, she was privy to many secrets that the other people present did not have access to, which included Rune Technology. She was certain this city was a ruin of the Rune Civilization, but she was uncertain why someone had falsely called this place Gu Yue’s ruins.
The civilization that had sprung out of Rune Technology was considered taboo even within the Mavis family’s historical records. It was the most resplendent, but it was also the most short-lived and mysterious civilization; countless people were curious about it. Yuehua Mavis was naturally no exception, and she also wanted to know what this building contained.
Too many powerhouses had gathered in the city, both openly and secretly. This group could represent almost the entire Outerverse. Even people such as Black Mask and the Nalan family’s old woman had arrived. Everyone was present, and they were all waiting for the moment the door opened. However, only a portion of the experts had shown their faces thus far.
Lan Si stood at the back of the crowd, accompanied by Elder Tie.
“Shall we make them leave?” Elder Tie asked.
Lan Si shook his head. “It’s fine.”
Currently, Lan Si was the most concerned about Lu Yin. He was in seclusion? With the appearance of Gu Yue’s ruins, would that person really remain in peaceful seclusion? Lan Si did not believe that story for a single moment.
After half a day of commotion, someone suddenly cried out, “Look! Hasn’t this door been burned before?”
The others started to seriously observe the marks on the door.
“It wasn’t burnt. These are just the marks from the other experts’ attacks just now.”
“That’s not true. None of them were able to leave any sort of mark. These are clearly old burn marks.”
“We’ll know if we try.”
Behind the door, Lu Yin’s eyes opened wide when he heard these words. Someone had finally noticed the clues that he had painstakingly placed down. He had started wondering if anybody would notice anything, and he had even considered setting a fire himself, but fortunately, someone had seen the burn marks in the end.
Before long, multiple people took action, and their star energy formed flames that engulfed the large door.
But the large door did not react.
More experts appeared, and their numbers soon reached the hundreds, some of them even had innate gifts related to fire.
Finally, the door opened slightly. It only moved a hair, and ordinary people would not have noticed anything. However, the gathered crowd mostly consisted of powerful cultivators, and they were all able to sense it.
Meng Tianlong, Mu Nichang, Gui Wuzong, Ke Yun, and the other experts all tore through the void and appeared at the front of the crowd, looking at the large door with fervent eyes.
“It’s the fire! Only a powerful fire can open this door. Burn it!” Ke Yun barked, and he was the first to act. At this moment, all grievances were set aside; everything could be settled after the door was opened. However, many people made secret preparations so that they could launch a fatal attack at their opponents at any moment.
Behind the door, Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief. They had finally started following his plan. Soon, the fire started.
A human-created blaze was insufficient to restore the Skyblaze Stone, even if an Enlighter like Ke Yun was the one producing it. Next, Yu Mu, Elder Daggs, Yuehua Mavis, and the other experts all joined in, and the temperature of the entire city instantly soared to a sweltering blaze. The crowd continuously retreated from the door since they could not endure the intense heat.
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up, as the Skyblaze Stone was showing signs of being restored by the blaze. However, the fire was not hot enough, and it was actually horribly insufficient.
The blaze continued on for several days, and during that time, the door opened slightly, giving everyone there hope. Each of them continued to valiantly feed the flames, but the door did not ever open by more than just a crack.
“The temperature of this fire isn’t enough. We have to find something with an even higher temperature,” someone commented.
Quite a few people threw out some items that caused the inferno to grow even more intense. All sorts of things were tossed out, and one person even threw out a pile of firewood.
“Throw that fish out there, I’m hungry,” Ku Wei slyly suggested.
Quite a few people actually felt that this was a good idea.
Xi Qi was frightened by their thoughts, and she quickly slipped away.
“And that broken flag.” Someone pointed over at Xuan Jiu.
Xuan Jiu glared furiously at that person, but then he also fled from the scene.
Everyone was thinking of ways to increase the fire’s temperature, but the door only opened slightly more. Currently, not even a worm could pass through the opening, let alone a human.
Elder Daggs raised a hand, looking quite thoughtful as he contemplated something. “Everyone, when I was younger, I obtained a tinder with an extremely high temperature, and I can use it. However, I will only do so under the premise that once the door opens, I’m allowed to enter first. Whoever dares to fight me for that position will become enemies with my Hall of Honor.”
Yu Mu frowned. “Elder Daggs, you dare to use the Hall of Honor to suppress us?’
Elder Daggs seriously answered, “If I am the one who pays the price, then I must naturally be the one to reap the harvest.”
Yu Mu replied, “I can also provide a source of extreme heat.”
At this moment, more people spoke up in turn, each one sharing that they could provide a source of extreme heat.
In the end, although most of the cultivators did not know what was agreed upon, a wave of high temperature suddenly washed over the city. The sky over the city changed, and many of the experts gathered in front of the building felt an unbearable heat wave sweep out towards them, forcing them to step back. Those who took a little longer to retreat were nearly cooked alive.
Nobody reminded anyone of anything, as a price had to be paid if one wished to compete for an inheritance, and these people deserved it if they died. This was a natural part of cultivation.
Behind the door, Lu Yin’s eyes grew brighter. This was the right way; this was what he wanted to see. As he thought about it, he opened the door slightly more, and then another sliver. He wanted to suck these people dry, as there were definitely some people who were still holding back.
