Standing at the desolate mouth of the valley, the mountain wind, carrying the scent of decay, blew past and lifted the corner of Ye Chen’s robe.
He glanced at Lin Tianzheng beside him, whose face was pale—obviously fearful of the miasma within the valley—then casually took out a package and a jade talisman from his storage ring.
“There’s some dry rations and fresh water inside. Wait here.”
He handed over the package, then flicked his finger.
The jade talisman turned into a stream of light, shooting three feet in front of Lin Tianzheng and, with a hum, unfolded into a faint golden light screen visible to the naked eye, enclosing him within.
This simple Defensive Formation was enough to block the valley’s miasma and ordinary beasts.
“If I don’t return in three days,” Ye Chen’s voice was calm as he placed another identical jade talisman in Lin Tianzheng’s hand, “crush this talisman. At that time, the sect will send someone to take you away.”
Lin Tianzheng held the still-warm jade talisman, feeling its weight like a thousand catties.
He looked at the immortal master before him, emotions surging in his heart, and finally, all the words he wanted to say turned into a deep, respectful bow.
“Immortal master’s great kindness… the Lin family… will never forget it!”
Ye Chen ignored his endless gratitude, merely nodding slightly before turning to step into the entrance of the shattered Ruins, strewn with jagged rocks.
The entrance was filled with collapsed walls, overgrown with vines and moss, leaving only a narrow passage barely wide enough for one person at the center.
As he moved deeper, the outside light quickly dimmed, and the air grew cold.
However, when he emerged from the end of the passage, the scene before him opened up—not the underground cave he had expected.
This place… was actually an independent subspace, separated from the Main World.
He looked around.
Except for the passage he came through, there was no other path.
“A Secret Realm subspace that has existed for at least three years, yet no one manages it?”
A trace of doubt flashed in Ye Chen’s mind.
In theory, any spatial fluctuation within the Zixiao Sword Sect’s territory should be under the sect’s surveillance.
Yet this place was so abnormal, as if forgotten.
He didn’t dwell on it.
His gaze was soon drawn to the soft orb of light floating at the center of the space.
It was a Space Transfer Point.
Without hesitation, Ye Chen stepped into the orb.
A slight sense of dizziness followed, and the scenery before his eyes changed instantly.
He found himself standing at the center of a massive Altar.
Surrounding him were ancient buildings, long since collapsed, their style rugged and grand, filled with the aura of a savage era.
Six enormous stone pillars, each tens of meters tall, encircled the Altar, though most had broken halfway, and the huge stones had tumbled down, riddling the once-flat ground with deep pits and cracks.
Ye Chen was unmoved by the desolation and ruin.
He had no interest in exploring the history of this Secret Realm—his only purpose was to quickly find clues about Lin Tianxiong.
He slowly closed his eyes.
An unnamed cultivation method began to circulate, allowing him to sense the residual energy traces in this space.
The surrounding spiritual energy was so thin it was nearly depleted—a dead land to any cultivator.
Yet in this “desert” of spiritual energy, Ye Chen could clearly “see” many mottled and chaotic colors—traces of different spiritual powers left in the space after their eruption.
One, two… more than ten.
“It seems those who have come here are far from just one group.”
Obviously, Lin Tianxiong was not the only intruder.
Just as he prepared to distinguish these auras one by one, his spirit suddenly trembled, catching a strand of exceedingly familiar energy.
This energy was scorching and pure, carrying an indomitable sharpness.
It was Yan Hongxiu’s spiritual power.
He couldn’t possibly mistake it.
When he removed the “Shadow Thorn” for her, he had entered her dantian’s Linghai, becoming intimately familiar with the source of her power.
“She’s been here too?”
Ye Chen’s heart stirred.
Counting the days, it had been two years since they parted.
She must have successfully broken through to the Golden Core, then begun to confront the hidden matters within her heart.
Judging from the intensity of the residual aura, she had indeed stepped into the Golden Core realm.
Suppressing his emotions, Ye Chen’s spirit continued to probe.
Soon, he caught another crucial trace among the dozens of auras.
Although this energy was far less refined than Yan Hongxiu’s, its origin was identical to the bloodline aura he had sensed on Lin Tianzheng at the Lin manor yesterday.
It must be Lin Tianxiong, the one he sought.
Ye Chen’s purpose became clear.
He opened his eyes, calm and resolute.
He decided to first pursue Lin Tianxiong’s aura.
Completing the commission came first.
As for why Yan Hongxiu would appear here… If he found time after locating his target, he could investigate further.
With his mind made up, Ye Chen’s figure blurred, becoming a shadow as he followed the faint Lin clan aura toward the depths of the Altar.
Following the faint, intermittent bloodline aura, Ye Chen moved through the dim underground space.
He passed through a corridor built of massive stones, and the area ahead suddenly opened up.
A vast underground cavern appeared before him.
From the dome, countless crystalline stones emitted a ghostly glow, and at the center was a huge formation covering hundreds of meters.
Dark red lines stretched out in all directions, etched into the ground like red wires, outlining an evil pattern.
Countless Black Runes flickered and flowed along the red lines.
At the edge of the Great Array lay three corpses, already cold.
They wore matching black combat attire, with no identifying insignia.
Each had a fatal wound at the throat—a single clean sword strike.
Ye Chen’s gaze moved past the bodies, focusing on the core of the Great Array.
There, a giant Shadow Cocoon, formed from the power of darkness, rose and fell with the pulse of the formation.
Shadow power was a branch of spiritual energy.
Through the semi-transparent shadow, he clearly saw two figures trapped within.
At the outer layer was Yan Hongxiu.
She sat cross-legged, her flame-red attire drenched in sweat and clinging tightly to her body.
Her usually bright and lively face was now as pale as gold leaf, with cold sweat beading on her brow.
Even her tightly shut lashes trembled uncontrollably.
Above her head, a Golden Core glowed unsteadily, like a candle in the wind, on the verge of going out.
Countless black and red threads, thinner than hair, stretched from the blood lines of the Great Array, piercing the Shadow Cocoon and stabbing into her limbs and bones, slowly siphoning the essence of her Golden Core.
Behind her, at the deepest part of the Shadow Cocoon, a more indistinct figure was tightly bound by dozens of thick tendrils, nearly merging with the shadows and barely clinging to life.
Lin Tianxiong.
Ye Chen instantly understood everything.
This was a formation that used living beings as sacrifices to feed evil entities.
It was not some ancient Ruins, but a deliberately constructed, vicious Bloodfeed Grand Array.
Lin Tianxiong had likely wandered in by accident—a piece of Old Feed.
Because his cultivation was weak, he was only “kept alive” by the array to barely sustain its operation.
Yan Hongxiu’s arrival, to the array’s creator, was an enormous boon.
Her newly-formed, vibrant Golden Core was an ideal New Sacrifice to mature the array’s core evil entity.
The Great Array was fully activated, trying to drain her completely in the shortest possible time.
Had he arrived six months later, the moment her core shattered would be the birth of the evil thing within.
And this forgotten “Ruins” was probably a “breeding ground” deliberately established by someone within the sect.
Otherwise, how could such a place go unmonitored?
All these thoughts flashed through Ye Chen’s mind.
Save them.
Break the array.
Ye Chen did not attempt to break the Great Array with brute force.
The formation was closely intertwined with the life essence of those trapped within.
Any reckless attack would accelerate their deaths.
Ye Chen slowly raised his right hand, fingers forming a sword.
An unnamed technique flowed, and a thread of supremely pure, formless sword intent began to condense at his fingertips.
“Essence Perception.”
In an instant, the complex and evil Great Array became transparent in his eyes—every flow of energy, every node of Black Rune laid bare.
Now!
Ye Chen’s figure vanished from his spot.
The next moment, he stood before the vast Shadow Cocoon.
His fingertip, carrying invisible sword intent, touched seven different points on the cocoon’s surface—light as a feather.
“Hiss… hiss hiss…”
Like ice melting.
The countless black and red threads connecting to Yan Hongxiu severed simultaneously, dissolving into black smoke.
Yan Hongxiu, resisting the invasion with all her strength, shuddered, let out a muffled gasp, and her body went limp, consciousness fading as she slumped forward.
At the same time, the Shadow Cocoon, deprived of the New Sacrifice’s power, pulsed violently.
The entire Great Array trembled, its operation faltering in chaos.
Ye Chen seized the moment.
A gentle wave of spiritual power swept out, passing through the cocoon, catching Yan Hongxiu’s limp body and pulling her free.
He placed her gently on a clean stone outside the array.
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