Chapter 14: Ancient City Ruins
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Thirty people received their orders with a roar. They each summoned their Demonic creatures and then rushed towards the giant pit. Upon reaching the edge, they all leaped into the abyss.
Chu Yun and Shi Jiaming exchanged a look and followed suit, jumping into the pit. Shi Jiaming summoned the Golden Jade Immortal Butterfly. This Demonic Beast already possessed the cultivation of a Peak Spirit Monster. It clung to Shi Jiaming’s back, its two broad butterfly wings fanning, carrying its master to soar freely through the air.
As for Chu Yun, he used Travel on Air. He had the Five-Colored Rainbow Demon and the Swift Grass Shoes on his feet, so he was naturally unafraid.
The giant pit was extremely deep, hundreds of zhang in height. After quite some time, Chu Yun finally descended to the ground at the bottom of the pit.
To call it “ground” was inaccurate. It was like a colossal sieve. Some areas were solid stone, while others were vast empty spaces and holes.
Infinite sand and gravel poured and swept in from all directions. However, it also permeated through the various round holes and gaps on the ground at the bottom, seeping to a layer further below.
These round holes and gaps ranged in size from a well mouth at the smallest to large enough to swallow a warship at the largest. They were numerous, densely covering Chu Yun’s entire field of vision. It was precisely because of these holes that the Yellow Sand leaked away, preventing it from accumulating at the bottom of the pit.
Looking back, the Yellow Sand surrounding them expanded outwards with a roaring sound. The scorching sun shone brightly in the sky, and dust and sand flew. This caused the bottom of the sand pit to be not bright, but rather dim.
In a World of Yellow Sand, the thirty people who had entered earlier had already gathered together.
As for Bai Shasha, she remained by Shi Jiaming’s side.
Shi Jiaming studied the map for a long time before finally choosing one of the holes on the ground. “We will follow the Yellow Sand and jump into the hole, officially entering the Ancient City Ruins!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The sand and gravel flowed like water through countless holes, heading deep underground. These holes formed countless interconnected tunnels, creating a complex and intricate network of passages in the stratum hundreds of zhang beneath Chu Yun’s feet.
Only by traveling through these passages along with the flowing sand could one finally reach the Ancient City Ruins.
If the Sand Demon Tribe was the first trial to the Ancient City Ruins, then these Sand Paths were the second.
Each Sand Path had countless branches and junctions. If one was swept into them and had bad luck, they could end up in a dead end. Surrounded by endless Yellow Sand on all sides, the pressure would crush the body, making movement impossible. In the end, one would either suffocate, starve to death, or be crushed to death by the continuously flowing Yellow Sand.
The earthen walls of these passages were exceptionally hard. To create a passage in a stone wall hundreds of zhang deep, even if Chu Yun himself made the effort, the chance of success would be quite slim.
Every time the Dunhuang Sand Eye opened, hundreds or even thousands of people died in the Sand Paths due to bad luck.
“This Sand Path is one that the Dunhuang Royal Family’s successive exploration teams, after paying countless lives, discovered as a relatively safe route. Its main path is wide and leads directly to the Ancient City Ruins underground. Even the side branches are few in number,” Bai Shasha explained, pausing before adding, “Of course, if you really get swept into these small branches, it can only mean you have exceptionally bad luck.”
Chu Yun shrugged, feeling no pressure. He was more confident in his luck than anyone else, as he possessed Destiny Demonic Treasures from six King level powerhouses.
“Follow the power of the sand flow, and absolutely do not try to act on your own. Otherwise, if you change the flow and accidentally enter a branch, you’ll have only yourselves to blame,” Bai Shasha said somewhat impolitely, but with a kind heart beneath her cold exterior, showing great concern for her subordinates.
Plop! Plop!
One after another, everyone jumped into the Sand Path. At the entrance of the Sand Path was a vortex of sand formed by the Yellow Sand, which swallowed them in an instant.
Chu Yun wrapped himself with the Colorless Rainbow Demon. With its current adequate defensive Cultivation Method, the Colorless Rainbow Demon was no longer just a speed-type Demonic creature.
He jumped into the Sand Path and immediately felt a tremendous force envelop him. It was like being swept down by a waterfall.
His vision was entirely darkness. Yellow Sand was much more brutal than water, constantly and violently grinding against the defensive Cultivation Method on the Colorless Rainbow Demon.
This was a trial that tested both luck and the defensive capabilities of a Monster Tamer. Finally, after the Demonic Yuan of the Colorless Rainbow Demon was consumed by half, Chu Yun suddenly felt the pressure around him lighten, and the tightly packed Yellow Sand suddenly loosened.
At the same time, he felt his descent speed increase more than threefold, like a wild horse that had broken free.
He immediately realized he had passed through the Sand Path and quickly urged the Colorless Rainbow Demon and the Swift Grass Shoes to rush forward.
The next moment, an incredibly magnificent underground city unfolded before him.
It was grand and majestic, magnificent and solemn, yet also deep and distant, prosperous and beautiful.
Its architectural style was unique, combining exquisite detail with simplicity. The flowing lines of the walls and domes exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.
It covered an enormous area, exceeding thousands of acres. Most peculiar was the building material. It was an extremely special type of stone, found only in this Ancient City. People called it Star Stone because, in the darkness, faintly colorful starlight emanated from its surface.
Star Stone was extremely hard. If one painstakingly cut it, its cross-section would also reveal specks and clusters of starlight flowers. Each piece of Star Stone seemed like a work of art.
These countless, almost inexhaustible, and numberless works of art formed an ancient ruin of a city.
Infinitely many star patterns shone brilliantly, resembling a vast and boundless sea of stars! The scenery was so magnificent and wondrous that Chu Yun, standing in mid-air, was struck dumb for a long time, staring in awe.
“I’ve always heard rumors about how magnificent and mysteriously brilliant the Ancient City Ruins were. Today, I finally see it with my own eyes. Such a grand spectacle truly surpasses the limits of language. I feel as if I’ve arrived in a river of stars.”
Chu Yun murmured to himself, the star radiance reflecting on his face, his eyes filled with obsession.
This was originally a world of absolute darkness underground, but the Ancient City Ruins shone like a sea of stars, the deep blue star radiance illuminating everything around.
Here, the sky was round and the ground square. The dome, nearly a thousand zhang from the ground, was covered with various holes from which countless streams of sand were gushing out.
These sand streams were originally thick, but due to the immense height, as they poured and crashed through the openings in the dome, the entire stream became elongated, forming long, thin lines. They produced a deafening roar.
It was precisely by relying on one of these sand streams behind him that Chu Yun had arrived here from the outside.
“The mysteries and wonders of nature, the ancient people’s enigmatic wisdom… why was this Ancient City built? What precious treasures does it hold?” Chu Yun felt a surge of longing, his explorer’s passion ignited.
He landed on the ground and touched the Star Stone. A cool and refreshing sensation immediately flowed from his fingertips into his heart. Chu Yun instantly felt as if the dust in his heart had been swept away by some magical power, leaving him clear and clean, like the sky after rain.
“Star Stone has the effect of calming the mind and clearing the spirit, making it the best tool for meditation. Some say the greatest treasure of the Ancient City Ruins is not hidden in the High Tower at the center, but the Ancient City Ruins themselves. Unfortunately, this Star Stone seems to only exist here. Once taken out, it crumbles into sand.”
Chu Yun lamented inwardly, then suddenly felt something was amiss.
“Hmm? Wait a moment, why am I the only one here? Where are Shi Jiaming and the others?”
His mind had been captivated by the Ancient City Ruins. Now, realizing the situation, he found that his companions who had jumped into the Sand Path before him had vanished.
What was going on?
Chu Yun stepped on the void, climbed to a high vantage point, and surveyed the area. He then took out the map from his怀 and consulted it. After a moment, he finally confirmed that they hadn’t met with any misfortune, but rather he had not landed at the designated spot.
“With six Destiny Demonic Treasures on me, I was actually swept into a side branch,” Chu Yun was speechless.
However, this situation was not impossible. As the Sand Paths were scoured by the sand flow with such immense power, branches would constantly be formed.
Many newly formed branches were dead ends, burying the lives of countless explorers.
Thinking this, Chu Yun broke out in a cold sweat. Although he had been swept into a branch, he was fortunate that this branch was not a dead end and led to the Ancient City Ruins.
“But where exactly is this place?” Chu Yun looked at the map in his hand again and again. This map was the crystallization of countless explorations by the Dunhuang Royal Family.
However, on this map, Chu Yun could not find his location.
The Ancient City Ruins were simply too vast. Even merging over ten cities together would not match its area. Although the Royal Family’s map was detailed, in reality, it did not even encompass one-tenth of the Ancient City Ruins’ outer perimeter.
“Where has the sand flow sent me?” Helpless, Chu Yun had to give up the idea of following the map and meeting up with Shi Jiaming and the others.
“It seems this time, I’ll have to explore alone.” Chu Yun shook his head and sighed.
Before he finished speaking, the Blissful Joy Ship on his chest vibrated, and then he heard the giggling laughter of thirty-one Immortal Consorts in his heart.
“Did you forget we’re with you?”
“What a magnificent Ancient City…”
“Actually, it’s good to be alone; we can be free and unrestrained, and we don’t have to worry about being discovered.”
…
Chu Yun smiled. Since signing the alliance Contract, his communication with the Immortal Consorts had become much more convenient. They could communicate in each other’s hearts through the spiritual light of the Contract.
With them accompanying him, he would not only not be lonely, but he would also have the assistance of thirty-one strategists and experts in various fields, which was of immense help.
“Is no one around? I want to go out and get some fresh air,” Hongshang Fairy was the first to be impatient, wanting to fully explore the scenery of the Ancient City.
“Don’t move rashly for now. I’ve detected a group of people approaching,” Cui Feng Fairy suddenly said. She was best at detecting Cultivation Methods. io!~!
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