The Nanyuan Ruin

Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Things had reached the point where everyone was gambling with their lives; throwing in some money was nothing. Wan Tiansheng also began preparing to construct a new pocket space and fabricate a new ruin. Watching him effortlessly tear through space and construct it right inside Xiuxin Pavilion, Su Yu was shaken. Just how powerful was this man? "Manor Head, have you ever been to a real ruin?" While busy absorbing the Heaven and Earth Profound Light, Su Yu continually assigned tasks to his subordinates. He had been quite busy lately. The All-Races Cult was also constantly interrogating him about various matters, which he couldn't be bothered to answer. "I have," Wan Tiansheng said calmly. "Nothing special. Just some junk, that's all." "An Invincible ruin?" "You could say that." "Then why didn't you attain the Dao..." "When I was young, my dreams were too grand," Wan Tiansheng said impassively. "Nor did I have any interest in attaining the Dao within a ruin. Ye Batian and I split that Invincible ruin between us, each taking a share of the spoils." "A carrier?" "There were carriers. We split them, one each." Su Yu nodded, then asked, "What exactly is the difference between attaining the Dao in the Human Realm, a minor realm, or the All-Heavens Battlefield?" "A difference in strength, and a difference in survivability," Wan Tiansheng smiled faintly. "Attaining the Dao in a minor realm yields the weakest results, needless to say. Attaining it on the All-Heavens Battlefield yields the strongest, followed by the Human Realm. Furthermore, their prospects differ. Attaining the Dao on the All-Heavens Battlefield offers hope of reaching the Half-Emperor Realm. The Half-Emperors of races like the Demons and Immortals all attained their Dao on the All-Heavens Battlefield." "Wait, that's not right. Wasn't the All-Heavens Battlefield closed back then?" "For them, it was open." "Still, it's only been open for about a thousand years. Did they only attain the Dao a thousand years ago?" "No. Through twists of fate, those fellows had entered the All-Heavens Battlefield long before that." Su Yu understood, then asked, "Are there minor realms within the Invincible Realm?" "Yes," Wan Tiansheng said with a faint smile. "They aren't strictly minor stages. Once you reach the Invincible—or rather, the Eternal Realm—it largely depends on your mastery over time, the expanse of your sea of will, the strength of your physical body... Overall, there are no rigid subdivisions of cultivation tiers, but purely in terms of combat power, distinct tiers exist." "How are they divided?" "Knowing this is useless to you." "I should at least know something about it. I feel like I'm not that far from the Invincible Realm!" "..." What grandiose talk! Wan Tiansheng thought for a moment and chuckled. "Then I'll give a brief overview. Broadly speaking, the Invincible Realm can be divided into several tiers. The first tier consists of the current Half-Emperor experts. The second tier is King Daqin's level. The third tier is King Daxia and his peers. The fourth tier is Demon King Lade's level. The fifth tier consists of those who normally attain the Dao on the All-Heavens Battlefield. The sixth tier consists of those who have just attained the Dao in minor realms." Su Yu clicked his tongue. "The difference in strength is that huge?" "Not that huge," Wan Tiansheng explained. "It really comes down to execution and methods. I placed King Daqin in the second tier, but that doesn't necessarily mean he would lose to those Half-Emperors. The title of Half-Emperor merely signifies being universally acknowledged as the leader of an entire race! The human race is somewhat unique. Because their attainments of the Dao occurred so close together in time, and because they were constantly embroiled in war, King Daqin subsequently held down the East Rift Valley. He had neither the time nor the energy to subjugate the human race. Since everyone attained the Dao around the same time, he never became the Half-Emperor of humanity. Understand?" Su Yu sighed. "If King Daqin had truly become a Half-Emperor, humanity wouldn't be in this state." "It isn't as dire as you think," Wan Tiansheng said indifferently. "Certain flaws have merely emerged over time, which is why order must be restored from chaos!" "Is Manor Head willing to be the one to restore order?" Wan Tiansheng smiled. "I have no such ambition. Circumstances simply pushed me here. Besides... Never mind, you wouldn't understand. Some time from now, if I'm still alive, remember to keep your distance from me." Su Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Do you mean... if the plan succeeds, you might end up ostracized as well?" "Heh!" Wan Tiansheng chuckled, not answering, and changed the subject. "Want me to help you open that box?" "I'll do it myself!" Su Yu pressed no further. He sensed that Wan Tiansheng's objective might not be as simple as just killing a traitorous Invincible. Of course, some thoughts were best kept to himself; he didn't want to say too much. This time, the Great Xia Prefecture had drawn so many people—not just one or two, but a massive crowd. What would become of them? Many of those who had come were descendants of Invincibles. Su Yu didn't dare think too deeply about it. He feared trouble! At Wan Tiansheng's level, there was no need for Su Yu to offer advice anyway. Of the two, one began forging a new ruin while the other cultivated in silence, working on opening the treasure box along the way. From time to time, Wan Tiansheng would offer a few remarks. "Corrode this part slightly with death qi." "Add some Heaven Yuan Qi here..." "Ruins don't have soil; they're all constructed from special ancient stone materials..." "Once it's done, wash it with the River of Time. Back then, if you had washed that god corpse in the River of Time a few times, hardly anyone would have been able to tell whether it was real or fake." "..." It seemed Old Wan was also a master counterfeiter, merely limited by his wallet. He had no money! Even the cleverest homemaker couldn't cook without rice. Without money, no matter how skilled he was at fakery, without treasures, it was all hollow. Now that Su Yu was supplying the treasures and Old Wan was handling the fabrication, it actually taught Su Yu a great deal. ... While the two were busy crafting the forgery, the outside world grew increasingly chaotic! The geniuses began entering the realm! Accompanied by their dao protectors—or rather, the main force vying for the ruin—they flooded across the border. All-Heavens Prefecture. Tens of millions of soldiers radiated boiling baleful qi, watching like predatory tigers. Inside the passage, geniuses emerged one after another, some smiling, others looking around with curiosity. The Human Realm? So this was the Human Realm! Someone tested the waters, stretching their limbs, and laughed. "The Human Realm really doesn't have any suppressive force!" "It feels like I can let loose even more than on the All-Heavens Battlefield!" "The space is very stable, too!" "It's just that there's a bit less yuan qi!" "Yeah, the yuan qi is too thin. The Human Realm... interesting. According to ancient legends, this place might have been the starting point of the heavens and myriad realms, a sacred land of pilgrimage!" Someone made the remark, but another immediately retorted, "Who said the Human Realm is a sacred land of pilgrimage? Not necessarily. It might have just been our subsidiary territory back then!" Genius after genius emerged, some debating, others ignoring the chatter. Soon, the voices died down. Seven or eight powerful figures appeared. Purple-haired Moduona, silver-haired Zhan Wushuang, the ethereal and transcendent Xuan Wuji, the gloomy Ming Yue, the eerie and frigid Zhou Hun... When these figures stepped out of the passage, the surroundings fell dead silent. On the perimeter, human Sun Moons felt their blood stirring with murderous intent! These were the geniuses of the heavens, the apex prodigies on the Heaven Hunting Ranking. Slaying them would make the myriad races spit blood with grief. Yet these individuals all had powerful dao protectors. Over a hundred geniuses had arrived this time, accompanied by over a hundred dao protectors, nearly all of them in the Sun Moon Realm. At this moment, Sun Moons were truly everywhere; the myriad races had spared no expense. Just then, a genius expert with blood-red hair laughed loudly. "Where are the human geniuses? Send a few out to play!" "Zhan Ta!" someone said indifferently. "Blood Fire Demon race, stop bringing trouble upon our Demon race!" The young demon scoffed with cold disdain. "Don't order me around! My Blood Fire Demon race is no vassal of yours! Moduona, don't you agree?" Ahead of him, Moduona didn't even spare him a glance. Zhan Ta didn't care either, laughing heartily. "Where's Qin Fang? Where's Huang Teng? Why don't they come out and play!" "Arrogant!" "Insolent!" Human experts cursed inwardly in fury. The baleful qi of millions of troops boiled, changing the very color of the sky. Yet Zhan Ta wore an utterly nonchalant expression. Killing intent? As if he hadn't seen it before! He was a Shanhai—Fifth Layer Shanhai. Formidably strong! Of course, he wasn't on the Heaven Ranking, but was an expert on the Earth Ranking. At that moment, a booming voice resounded: "Living beings of all races shall not stir up trouble, slaughter human civilians, or engage in combat within primary cities. Violators shall be executed without mercy! "Humans above the age of one hundred shall not clash with the geniuses of all races... but you may kill their dao protectors!" "..." At the first half of the declaration, several humans were enraged, but the second half abruptly infused the air with murderous intent! They understood! Humanity needed to preserve its dignity. A fair fight among peers was acceptable; leave the geniuses alone, but the dao protectors were fair game! At this moment, the burly, axe-wielding Sun Moon whom Su Yu had encountered previously—surnamed Wu, the leader of the War God Hall's three hundred thousand strongmen—stepped forward and sneered, "We won't play child's games with you. Doesn't the Blood Fire Demon race love to slaughter? Send one out and let me hack him to death for fun!" The moment he stepped forward, many human experts sneered along with him. On the Blood Fire Demon race's side, beside Zhan Ta, a rugged giant glanced over and chuckled, "Wu Ji, you're already at the Ninth Layer Sun Moon, and you want to fight me? Where's the fun in that? Lord Gu Shan has arrived; why don't you play with him?" Among the crowd, a particularly massive giant turned his head to glance at him, remarking in surprise, "Yo, the Blood Fire Demon race has learned to pull tricks like this? You've improved! Count me out. We Primordial Giants are just here to watch the show. If I fight, it has to be against someone of Qin Zhen's caliber. Beating Wu Ji to death wouldn't be proper." Gu Shan of the Primordial Giant race was an expert on the Dao Attainment Ranking. He was not the only one from the Dao Attainment Ranking present; he had come as a dao protector, escorting a genius of the Giant race. Seeing that Wu Ji seemed ready to blow his top, Gu Shan laughed heartily. "Wu Ji, I'm speaking from the heart; I'm straightforward. If you want to fight, go ahead and beat those Blood Fire Demon fellows to death. But... experts from the Primordial Demon race have also arrived. We've just gotten here; shedding blood right off the bat isn't good!" He then chuckled again. "No need to pay attention to these juniors. They're just posturing here. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, your human Su Yu was the truly formidable one, thrashing them until they looked like grandchildren. Now that Su Yu can't return, they dare shout a few words. Don't take it too seriously!" Wu Ji glanced at him, snorted, and threw a contemptuous glare at the Blood Fire Demon expert, sneering, "At least you know your place! Among the Blood Fire Demon race, your kind is what I've killed the most!" The Blood Fire Demon expert didn't care in the slightest, remarking casually, "Kill all you want; our race has plenty of experts!" Just that blunt! Their race never lacked experts! Aside from having fewer Invincibles than the Primordial Demon race, when it came to other experts, they might not lag behind at all. They had fought their way up! Without constant slaughter, where would so many experts come from? Of course, slaughtering didn't guarantee success, but after fighting, plundering, and winning, they simply returned home, leaving the mess to the entire Demon race, which the Primordial Demon race had to clean up. Using the Blood Fire Demon race as the vanguard came with a cost. Over the years, although many Blood Fire Demons had died, they had also reaped enormous profits. Once the battle ended, they wiped their hands clean and returned home to cultivate so long as they survived, leaving the Primordial Demon race to settle the disputes. While they were speaking, another group of young men and women emerged from the passage, accompanied by several dao protectors. Seeing them, many on the human side wore complex expressions. The lower ranks had little idea what was going on, but the Sun Moons in high leadership almost all understood the situation. Among these young men and women, some kept a frighteningly low profile, others appeared terrifyingly haughty, and some were intensely vigilant, scanning their surroundings to assess the situation. Many of them were visiting the Human Realm for the first time. The scene grew quiet. Among the foreign geniuses who had arrived earlier, some smiled, some paid little heed, and others looked toward Moduona and his group. Yet Moduona and the others didn't even spare a glance at the newcomers behind them. Moduona stepped into the air and walked forward, saying softly, "Let's go check out Nanyuan, Su Yu's hometown. I wonder if there's a second Su Yu there." His only interest lay with Su Yu; the rest held none for him. At that moment, someone among the newly arrived group of young men and women transmitted their voice: "Test them out. Those fellows are probably the geniuses on the Heaven Hunting Ranking. The Manor Head told us to test them..." "Be careful, don't get careless! The geniuses on the Heaven Hunting Ranking are all formidable!" "We all belong to the multiple divine character faction and are invincible among our peers. Let's just test the waters..." Among the group, some transmitted their voices secretly while others maintained an impassive front. None rushed forward to aggressively flaunt their strength. Some among them had already become local overlords in their minor realms and had engaged in countless slaughters; they were not as reckless as one might imagine. Even the haughtiest individuals kept their composure. What if I'm arrogant? I won't actively pick a fight. Arrogance could also serve as a shield, making others wary of you. Just then, several individuals from the group flew a short distance outward, drawing sideways glances from the foreign geniuses. Among them, a short-haired young man bared his teeth in a smile, then abruptly changed expression and shouted, "Insolence! How dare you touch me!" With that, he roared, "Form the formation, kill the enemy!" In an instant, more than a dozen divine characters manifested from him and his three companions, directly binding a Demon race genius. The short-haired man produced a sword and thrust it straight forward! There wasn't just one binding character, but over a dozen. The trapped demon genius roared maniacally as his blood and qi surged skyward. With a boom, the divine characters were blasted backward. *Pfft!* The short-haired man's sword plunged into the demon's forehead. Blood streamed down his head, only making the demon look all the more savage. "You're courting death!" *Boom!* A fist smashed forward. The short-haired man's face shifted slightly. Without another word, he dragged the other three with him into a protective barrier formed by divine characters. In the blink of an eye, the barrier melded into the void and vanished without a trace. It all happened far too fast! The demon genius went mad with rage, his face drenched in blood as he roared, "You bastards are courting death!" The young men and women at the rear silently calculated their thoughts, ignoring his roars. Someone chuckled, "It has nothing to do with us; we don't know them. Go find him yourself! Everyone scatter, head back to your respective prefectures!" As they spoke, the group exchanged voice transmissions. "A demon genius, Ninth Layer Lingyun, ranked seventeenth on the Mystic Ranking, is actually this difficult to deal with!" "That was Shang Ming from the Great Shang Prefecture just now, right? Four of them joined hands to bind him, yet he still managed to break through. Shang Ming possesses the strength of a Ninth Layer Lingyun himself, yet he couldn't kill a Mystic Ranking genius with a single sword strike!" The group was inwardly alarmed. Shang Ming was a prodigy of the multiple divine character faction. Joining forces with three others, he had instantly suppressed the demon, yet the opponent had still broken free. That was rather terrifying. Was the Mystic Ranking really this strong? The group hurriedly traded transmissions. The demon genius was beside himself with fury, wanting revenge, but those four had already fled. He looked toward the rest of the group—nearly a hundred people traveling in packs. Meanwhile, on his own side, many wore amused expressions, sizing up each other's strength; none showed any intention of helping. "Moduona!" the demon roared. "They ambushed me, outnumbering me! Are you just going to ignore it?" Moduona, who had already walked quite a distance away, felt a twinge of helplessness upon hearing this. Without a word, he threw a punch! *Boom!* A punch crossed a thousand meters, detonating yuan qi. A massive protective barrier instantly materialized and shattered with a resounding crash! Shang Ming and his three companions were inside. The divine characters exploded, causing all four to cough up blood. His face deathly pale, Shang Ming manifested another divine character without hesitation, dragging the others along as they vanished on the spot. All of them were at the Ninth Layer Lingyun! Moduona was at the same stage! Yet at this moment, shock reverberated in all directions. Was this the number one figure on the Heaven Ranking? A single punch across a thousand meters had heavily injured Shang Ming and his group, who had displayed considerable combat prowess just moments ago. All four were badly hurt, and one or two of their divine characters might have completely shattered. Moduona did not pursue them; he had no interest. Turning back toward the others, he said calmly, "I am not your dao protector, nor am I responsible for protecting you. I have my business, and you have yours! If you are beaten to death or slain, that is your own affair! I am here today, so I stood up for you once. There will not be a second time!" He then looked toward the humans, his tone equally composed. "Do not provoke me; you are not worthy. Or rather... only slaughter will teach you a lesson, and I wouldn't mind killing you right now!" Total silence fell! Moduona smiled, his long hair fluttering as he swiftly walked away, his voice drifting back once more: "If Su Yu is willing to come out of the city, I'd gladly fight him. But if he won't, forget it. After suffering several setbacks, I won't step into another city!" A hint of amusement lingered in his tone. Su Yu was indeed worthy of a battle. However, doing so inside a city was out of the question; that fellow was no honest man and would definitely set a lethal trap. Fighting outside the city was far better! Zhan Wushuang and his peers wore equally indifferent expressions. They didn't look at the human experts, nor did they look at the foreign geniuses. Filled with immense pride, they simply disdained fighting such people. In an instant, they departed, disappearing from view. Boring! Even though Sun Moons existed among these human geniuses, they still found it dull. Sun Moons? It wasn't as if they hadn't killed them before! The entire All-Heavens Prefecture fell quiet for a moment. Among the human geniuses, someone let out a self-deprecating laugh. "It seems we were ignored and looked down upon. Those Heaven Hunting Ranking geniuses didn't seem to think much of us." It was the truth. Even though Shang Ming and his group had just taught that demon genius a lesson, they had still failed to draw any real attention. Someone said calmly, "That's a good thing. If they look down on us, so be it! Broadening our horizons is good enough!" Minor realms never had this many experts. Sun Moons stood proud, their auras shaking the heavens. Of course, because a major battle hadn't erupted yet, the impact wasn't as pronounced. Once battle commenced, the spectacle would likely surpass anything they had ever witnessed. Right at that moment, someone chuckled, "Fellow human geniuses, do not be intimidated by them. They're just doing it on purpose." A humanoid creature with a yellowish-gray complexion stepped forward, beaming broadly. "I am from the Five Elements race, a race friendly to humanity. My name is Foutuling. Let's make friends. We've just arrived in the Human Realm, so let's all be amicable and avoid fighting and killing..." The crowd watched him silently. Foutuling... they seemed to have heard of him. Just as someone prepared to initiate contact, a massive mountain crashed down from behind Foutuling! "Fuck!" Foutuling cursed loudly. "Shi Zun, what are you doing?" *Boom!* The mountain crashed down, and a stone figure stepped forward. "I've been annoyed with you for a long time! Now that we're in the Human Realm, I'll butcher you!" *Rumble!* A battle erupted instantly. The earth shook and cracked. Foutuling melted into the ground and fled rapidly, while Shi Zun flew overhead, hurling mountain after mountain to strike at him. In no time, their battle carried them far into the distance. The others were left dumbfounded! Those two... also seemed absurdly strong. They felt capable of battling Shanhai experts. Weren't they on the Earth Ranking? Was the Earth Ranking this strong? Both were in the Lingyun Realm. At the same stage, the disparity was vast. There were monsters like Moduona, experts like Foutuling, and people like Shang Ming's group... In an instant, the expressions of the multiple divine character faction geniuses who had just entered the realm shifted. They were not weak, but how could there be so many monstrous talents? Shan Xiong alone had swept through the multiple divine character faction geniuses everywhere, yet Shan Xiong had previously only been on the Yellow Ranking of the Heaven Hunting Ranking, having only recently advanced to the Mystic Ranking. Shan Xiong had maintained an unbroken streak until he encountered Su Yu, where he finally suffered defeat. In other words, the majority of people here were inferior to Shan Xiong. Otherwise, Shan Xiong would have been a laughingstock. Few could match Shan Xiong at the same cultivation stage, so the gap between them and the Earth and Heaven Rankings was naturally immense. In the vast Human Realm, there wasn't a single person currently on the Heaven Ranking. Previously, only Su Yu and Qin Fang had ever entered it. After Su Yu withdrew, the one who entered the Heaven Ranking was Zhou Hun of the Tianyuan race. Many geniuses groomed by great clans in the Human Realm had failed to enter. To expect those emerging from minor realms to be stronger than these monstrous talents was simply overestimating those clans. A complete mess! Foutuling and Shi Zun's battle faded from the All-Heavens Prefecture, leaving quite a few people disheartened and dispirited. The human experts, along with the foreign dao protectors, merely watched in silence, no longer intervening. If they couldn't even overcome this mental hurdle, they would be ruined. They had to adjust on their own! Countless geniuses experienced a sense of powerlessness upon stepping onto the All-Heavens Battlefield. At the same cultivation stage, there would never be a shortage of experts capable of killing you with a single punch. If everyone fell into despair, cultivation would become impossible. ... Once everyone had departed, Wu Ji sighed. "Not too disappointing, but not particularly breathtaking either. I was hoping these youngsters would show me a few astonishing prodigies!" At that, he muttered, "Speaking of breathtaking, it still has to be Su Yu. When that kid posed as Cui Lang last time, I didn't see through him at all. What a pity he can't return this time!" A trace of regret lingered in his tone. Beside him, Ye Hongyan said indifferently, "Not everyone is Su Yu, nor is everyone Ye Batian. Being too monstrous rarely ends well. Take Moduona; I doubt he'll meet a good end either!" Moduona was indeed breathtaking. Only at the Ninth Layer Lingyun, rumors said he might already be capable of fighting a Sun Moon. Of course, Moduona didn't seem to have fought a Sun Moon yet, so the truth was hard to discern. Such an individual was already terrifyingly formidable. He had consistently dominated first place on the Heaven Ranking, save for the brief time Su Yu had edged him out. Wu Ji said nothing more. Glancing at the distant geniuses, he gritted his teeth. "If we can't touch those geniuses, then let's kill those dao protectors. Wipe them all out, and the myriad races will cry!" Ye Hongyan looked at him with an odd expression. "Refraining from touching those geniuses is only on the surface. In the shadows, we naturally kill them! As long as you can kill them in a single strike, who's going to know who did it? Do you think the Invincibles of the myriad races are monitoring you right now?" You actually took an Invincible's words seriously? Didn't you understand the subtext? Killing dao protectors was fine out in the open. As for killing geniuses... just keep it hidden. Nobody said you couldn't kill them; this was humanity's home ground. Those geniuses understood this all too well, which was why each ran faster than the last. Did anyone truly believe they would trust humans not to send assassins after them in secret? What a joke! Of course, they were used to it. It was the same on the All-Heavens Battlefield; which genius of any race hadn't faced covert ambushes? Only those who survived were geniuses. Those who died... were trash. Wu Ji shuddered. "True. But... won't those fellows ambush our geniuses as well?" "Hard to say. Keep a close eye on the dao protectors; as for the geniuses, let them be," Ye Hongyan said coolly. "On the All-Heavens Battlefield, even for people like Qin Fang, the Great Qin Prefecture wouldn't intervene unless an Invincible or a Sun Moon stepped in. If Invincible descendants like Qin Fang can handle it, so can the others! Don't go crying to parents over every little thing!" Failing to beat someone of the same stage and calling for your parents was simply embarrassing. Wu Ji opened his mouth, then swallowed his words. It was easy to say, but the ones who arrived this time were top-tier geniuses. How could humanity produce enough peers capable of contending with them? ... Su Yu paid no attention to what unfolded in the All-Heavens Prefecture. As time passed, Wan Tiansheng gradually forged numerous components. Looking toward Su Yu, he asked, "Did you open the box?" "Almost!" As Su Yu spoke, the box in his hands trembled. Opening it, despite having anticipated the result, he still cursed in disappointment, "Fuck, it really is a carrier! I thought it was something left behind by that traitorous Invincible, or evidence kept by Cult Master Tianyi, but it's neither!" He had held out some hope that it wouldn't match his initial guess. Reality proved he had overthought it. Su Yu was deeply disappointed! Inside the box was a piece of jade. Touching it, as an Earth armamentsmith, he possessed the requisite discernment. It was exceptionally durable, at least Heaven grade—definitely a carrier! "..." Wan Tiansheng felt exhausted! Wasn't this a supreme treasure? Why did it sound utterly worthless coming from his mouth? "This is Tianque Jade, indeed one of the more common types among carriers," Wan Tiansheng smiled. "Take this small piece out, and you could trade it for three to five hundred drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid instantly. Do you believe me?" Su Yu nodded, then quickly asked in confusion, "Where did Cult Master Tianyi get this?" As a Seventh Layer Sun Moon, would the Tianyi God race really gift him such a thing? That would be far too generous! Wan Tiansheng picked up the jade piece and examined it, stroking the pendant. Sun and moon revolved within his eyes as faint silhouettes flickered continuously. Soon, Wan Tiansheng smiled. "It doesn't have much to do with an Invincible. It might be connected to the Star Residence Mansion. Perhaps he was lucky, or perhaps some geniuses he nurtured procured it for him." Examining it, he caught faint traces of the Star Residence Mansion. Su Yu asked in confusion, "Then why didn't he carry it with him?" "Fool!" Wan Tiansheng laughed. "You still don't understand? He had prepared himself for the possibility of his physical body being destroyed or suffering severe injuries. Carrying it on him would make it far too easy to lose, so hiding it in his lair was the safest option! Going to kill Xia Longwu was no simple task. Carrying it on him is the choice of a desperate outlaw; he clearly still wanted to live." Su Yu said in surprise, "But I like keeping all my treasures on me." *Because you are a desperate outlaw!* You're the type who walks out the door never expecting to return. Otherwise, not keeping it on you was the safer choice. That way, it wouldn't easily be lost or stolen, and even if your physical body was destroyed, you'd still have hope of escape without losing your treasures. Not bothering to comment on that, Wan Tiansheng asked seriously, "Are you sure you want to shatter one and stuff the rest into the fake ruin?" Su Yu nodded. Seeing that a pocket space had already formed, he asked in confusion, "Don't we need divine characters?" "With a carrier, divine characters aren't necessary. It avoids having divine character fluctuations detected by others," Wan Tiansheng explained. "A carrier is sufficient; shattering one will do." "Is this a Human Realm pocket space?" "No, just casually crafted. It's very fragile, which is why it needs a carrier to support it. Su Yu, are you certain you want to stuff all this inside?" Even Wan Tiansheng was beginning to feel reluctant! Su Yu said nonchalantly, "I can't use them right now anyway. If we win, they're still mine. If we lose and you all die while I run away, consider these treasures my funerary offerings for you!" "..." Jinx! Wan Tiansheng smiled and said nothing more. There was some logic to it. Su Yu quickly added, "If you don't die and the items are lost, you have to compensate me. Both the Great Xia Prefecture and you, Manor Head, will have to pay me back!" Wan Tiansheng laughed. "Fine!" "Let's write an IOU!" Su Yu swiftly recorded the debt, writing out a slip listing all the treasures. "Manor Head, stamp this for me!" "..." Wan Tiansheng was helpless. "Go have the Xia family stamp it!" Why come to me! "Manor Head, both you and the Xia family must stamp it!" "..." Wan Tiansheng felt utterly exasperated. Had he just saddled himself with a massive debt? There was no reasoning with him! Soon, he acted decisively, letting out a low shout. His aura erupted within a confined area, crushing the dragon bead until cracks spread across it. Yet carriers were exceedingly resilient; even Wan Tiansheng had to exert his full strength. The next moment, his aura surged another three degrees! These carriers had remained intact even after the destruction of Invincibles, which spoke volumes about their durability. After a moment, with a resounding boom, an extraordinarily potent power erupted. Wan Tiansheng continuously manipulated those energies, integrating them into the space. A massive pocket space took shape within his palm. The next instant, a Sun Moon Xuanhuang pool appeared, drawing in the remainder of Su Yu's Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid, which gathered into a stream and poured into the pool. After another while, a vast quantity of Heaven Yuan Qi was channeled inside, along with other treasures and ancient artifacts. This included a large number of books, some of which Su Yu had just fabricated. Finally, the jade pendant and the iron block were placed inside as well. Wan Tiansheng continually washed the entire space with the River of Time. Gradually, the items that had looked brand new just moments ago became aged and weathered, as if they had weathered countless eras. "Step inside and inspect the effect!" Su Yu took a step forward, entering the newly formed space. Desolate and ancient! Colossal buildings and courtyards appeared before his eyes. The Heaven Yuan Qi was dense, and the area was vast. Su Yu suddenly noted, "Something's still missing! People usually lived in ruins, right? Wouldn't there be sparring matches? Wouldn't there be traces of daily life? These things look old, but they still lack the feel of having been used!" Thorough! Wan Tiansheng nodded and swiftly made the adjustments. Su Yu continued wandering. Walking through this miniature city, he felt as though he had truly traveled back to ancient times, a sense of vast historical change washing over him. "Manor Head, is it fine without corpses?" "No need. Ancient ruins almost never contain corpses; they were likely vaporized back then." "Shattered all at once by someone?" "That's possible." Su Yu nodded and kept walking. After a while, he said, "I've never been to an ancient ruin, so I can't be sure if it looks authentic..." "Hm?" Wan Tiansheng paused, looking at him. "You've never been to one?" Su Yu replied with complete calm, "What's wrong with never having been to one?" "..." Wan Tiansheng froze, speechless. Impossible! It was impossible that you've never been to a ruin! I really want to reverse time and trace your past right now! How could you possibly have never been to a ruin? "Then... your cultivation techniques..." "I'm a genius; I deduced them myself. Too bad no one believed me, so I had to claim I found a ruin." Su Yu said dejectedly, "Actually, I never even said that. Everyone just assumed it, and after hearing it enough times without bothering to deny it, it became the truth." At this moment, only a single thought crossed Wan Tiansheng's mind: *I don't believe you!* *Impossible!* Are you kidding me? Self-taught, and you opened 360 acupoints? Self-taught, and you've forged your body dozens of times without finishing? Who are you trying to fool! Wan Tiansheng frowned. "Something's off. If you really never obtained a ruin... Among the four directions—East, South, West, and North Yuan—there really might be a ruin in Nanyuan! I always thought you took it and didn't want to make it public, so I never paid it much heed. But if it wasn't you... then... Nanyuan... might truly have a real ruin!" Indeed, he had assumed Su Yu had claimed it. That was why he had never cared much; if Su Yu didn't want to disclose it, so be it. Liu Wenyan, Xia Longwu, and the others had also assumed Su Yu took it. A long time ago, Liu Wenyan had mentioned that a ruin in Nanyuan had been opened by Su Yu. Back when Su Yu was a child, Liu Wenyan had already noticed his peculiarities. Yet today, Su Yu told Wan Tiansheng that he had never visited a ruin. At this moment, Wan Tiansheng's gaze shifted slightly as he looked at Su Yu. Could it be that the kid had entered it without even realizing it himself? Bizarre!