Captain

The Black War Chariot was parked in front of the valley entrance.

Inside the valley, ghost soldiers emerged, bowing and reporting something.

The person inside the vehicle issued commands to all the ghost soldiers via telepathy. He never showed his face, remaining quite mysterious.

"They're actually summoning the ghost soldiers of Yecheng."

"To summon the Yin soldiers, one must use the Years Ruins God Token. Such an important item would surely be entrusted to the most trustworthy expert by Chu Yutian. Who could it be? Qingzao? Or perhaps Luo Yinji, who has yet to appear?"

Li Weiyi's gaze was fixed intently, not missing a single detail.

It was discovered that the two leaders of this ghostly cavalry were even burning with Karma Fire on their armor. Their ghostly bodies were several meters tall, and their aura was extremely powerful. They were clearly formidable figures from the <Records of Ye City Lord Marquises>.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the two looked towards where Li Weiyi was hiding.

Li Weiyi's expression changed drastically as he realized that the prolonged gaze had alerted the other party. He quickly cleaned up the marks on the ground, then used the wind to conceal himself and drift away.

Fortunately, the distance was far enough that the other party was unsure if someone was watching them, so they only did a quick check and then turned back.

Inside the Black War Chariot, a voice, neither male nor female, rang out. "Do not linger at the valley entrance. Lead your troops into the valley immediately. I still need to go and guide the next batch of troops."

After leaving the Fanye Valley Nether Domain, Li Weiyi immediately headed towards the border of the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin, intending to report the matter to the Sentinel Spirit Army first.

Even without the Years Ruins God Token, one can still traverse the Withered-Prosperous Belt, but the lifespan will be reduced by even more.

If all else fails, you can reconcile your statements with Tang Wanzhou afterward and say that the Years Ruins God Token was on him at the time, which can cover up the truth.

Using the time-manipulation power of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, Li Weiyi stepped out of the Withered-Prosperous Belt, and then blew his whistle. A moment later, from the distant darkness, a whistle responded to him, indicating that it was someone waiting outside to meet them.

After reporting the situation, Li Weiyi returned to the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin, preparing to immediately set off for Chun City.

In the distance, he saw again the ruins of the ancient city where they had temporarily settled after entering the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin.

Like a colossal beast abandoned by time, it lies quietly on the horizon.

The ancient city ruins are only 500 miles away from the Withered-Prosperous Belt and are close to the Ancient Ye City. In the prosperous period of the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin, it would definitely have been an important border town defending against the vengeful spirits and wronged souls in the south.

Thinking back to the footprints they found, Li Weiyi still felt it was too much of a coincidence.

And so, as if by some strange twist of fate, I found myself once again outside the ruins of the ancient city.

The city wall is severely weathered, with only the innermost earthen mound and half-exposed boulders remaining, like a giant beast whose skin has been peeled off, revealing its skeleton.

The city was even more dilapidated, with houses long since collapsed, leaving only crumbling ruins. On some of these walls, ancient paintings could still be faintly seen.

Outside the city, the footprints that Li Weiyi had initially discovered had disappeared.

It's unclear whether they disappeared naturally or were removed by humans.

"The wind here is very weak."

Li Weiyi entered the city, releasing Spiritual Light Threads from between his brows to probe the entire ruins. He also released his Earth Nerve Technique to investigate the underground.

He stopped beside an Ancient Well.

It was a dry well, and the surrounding stones had been polished smooth by thousands of years.

Li Weiyi squatted down and was surprised to find that moss was growing on the bottom of the stones surrounding the edge of the dry well.

The moss is sparse and shallow, indicating that it has only grown in the last few months.

It's also possible that it was cleaned up a few months ago.

In the lifeless and desolate ruins of the ancient city, this faint sign of life seemed all too strange and abrupt.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Weiyi jumped into the dry well.

The dry well was very deep, dozens of meters deep, and pitch black.

"Sizzle!"

A spiritual fire ignited in his palm, illuminating the darkness.

Soon, Li Weiyi discovered moisture and traces of moss on the well wall, indicating that it was spreading up from below.

The inspiration condensed into Earth Nerve Technique, probing downwards into the mud layer at the bottom of the well.

Suddenly.

Hearing a noise coming from the well above, Li Weiyi's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly looked up.

There, a withered head with disheveled white hair lay on top, peering down and blocking the entire well opening. Its appearance was terrifying and horrifying.

Li Weiyi returned to the well.

Looking at the slender figure in blue standing not far away, then at the desiccated corpse beside him dressed in the robes of the Immortal Mist Sect, he patted his chest, let out a long breath, and complained, "Captain, do you know how much you scared me to death just now? Were you doing it on purpose?"

Qing Ziqin stood gracefully four steps away, wearing a veil. Her jade-like neck was as slender and sexy as a white swan's, and her breasts were rounded and full. The white belt quickly cinched her waist, making her legs appear as delicate as a handful. Her lower body was also well-proportioned, and even without lifting her skirt, one could feel the astonishing length of her legs.

The thirteen mummified corpses, scattered throughout the ruins, evoked a sinister Sha Qi atmosphere, creating a stark contrast with the graceful, beautiful woman standing in the night.

She scoffed, "You completely concealed your presence; how would I know if the person in the well is friend or foe? It's good enough that I didn't bury you in the well."

Li Weiyi asked seriously, "How long did it take to arrive?"

Qing Ziqin collected all the mummified corpses. "I just arrived! I remembered the footprints I found last time I passed by, and I was going to investigate, but I didn't expect to run into you. What are you doing here?"

"That's what you call fate, and I feel the same way."

Li Weiyi felt the coincidence was too much, so he asked, "Didn't we agree to meet in the Tiandu River Nether Domain? Where did you go? I waited for you there for two years, blowing the whistle countless times, thinking something had happened to you. When I went to investigate the Fanye Valley Nether Domain before, I thought the flagpole was hanging there for you. Do you know how worried I was during this time?"

"You waited for two years?"

Qing Ziqin found it hard to believe.

Li Weiyi said, "Originally, I planned to go to Chun City with Nangong and Liu Ye, but considering your low cultivation level, lack of experience, and stubbornness, I was worried that you might die alone in the Tiandu River Nether Domain, or be captured by the Taiyin Sect and the Wraiths. I would regret it for the rest of my life. Since you are alive, why don't you come and join me?"

Above Qing Ziqin's veil, her eyes were icy cold. "You still have the nerve to say that? What place did you arrange to meet? That day, after we parted, I had just arrived in the Tiandu River Nether Domain when I encountered the Departed Spirit Marquis and nearly died there."

"After escaping, I could only hide in a remote underworld to recuperate. More than two months passed outside, and I thought I was safe enough to return to Fanye Valley to investigate. But then... I saw Lu Qing... Li Weiyi, do you know who else is still alive?"

Li Weiyi said, "I only know Nangong, Liu Ye, and Shengsi. By the way, did you find anything unusual when you went to the Fanye Valley Nether Domain?"

Qing Ziqin said, "This is precisely why I passed through this place. I have been secretly observing for three days, and a large number of Commander Level Yin soldiers from the Ancient Ye City have gathered there. They must have something to do. I don't know who else is still alive, nor do I know who to trust. I can only risk my life to break through the Withered-Prosperous Belt and leave first to report the news."

"We had the same thought, but after walking over, we felt afraid. We were afraid that the Saint Mind Master's three-hundred-year lifespan wouldn't be able to withstand the power of time in the Withered-Prosperous Belt." Li Weiyi said with a sincere, bitter smile.

Qing Ziqin said, "How could it possibly cost us three hundred years of lifespan? Let's go out together. With our cultivation levels, it's too dangerous for us to stay in the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin."

Li Weiyi shook his head. "Before you came, I was still hesitant. Now that you're here, let's split up. You go out and report to the Sentinel Spirit Army, and I'll head to Chun City to find Saint Si and the others."

Qing Ziqin stared at him for a long time, then slumped down by the well and sighed sadly, "I have absolutely no confidence in whether I can get through the Withered-Prosperous Belt."

"Why don't we go to Chun City together? We'll fight together, we'll leave together, and we'll never abandon a single Lesser Yang Guard," Li Weiyi said.

Qing Ziqin said, "That's true..."

"Someone's coming!"

Li Weiyi's expression changed slightly. He exchanged a glance with Qing Ziqin, and the two immediately jumped into the dry well.

Before going down into the well, Qing Ziqin took out a talisman and stuck it on the edge of the well.

Suddenly, the entire dry well vanished without a trace, and it would be impossible to find without close inspection.

It fell to the bottom of the well.

Qing Ziqin noticed the moss on the well wall, examined it carefully, and asked softly, "Is this the anomaly you detected earlier?"

Li Weiyi kept his eyes glued to the well opening above him, very nervous. He circulated his magical energy to his ears and asked, "How reliable are your concealment talismans? We don't want to trap ourselves inside this well."

Qing Ziqin rolled her eyes at him. "Your talent in mental power is very high, but in the Talisman Path, you're far behind me, okay?"

"Rustle!"

Two whooshing sounds entered the ancient city ruins, and footsteps landed lightly on the ground.

The two were hundreds of feet away in the city area, but Li Weiyi could still picture in his mind how they landed and their next route.

They released their magical energy, searching and exploring in all directions.

"This is Ye Yun Pass, a once important military stronghold in the southern part of the ancient Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin. It once garrisoned a million soldiers and had countless formations. It is said that there is a Spatial Teleportation Array set up inside the pass, so that top experts can be teleported here immediately in the event of war." A young voice rang out.

Another voice said, "Brother, do you think the Ancient Years Clan bypassed the Withered-Prosperous Belt using Spatial Teleportation Array? If it were that simple, why wouldn't the Demon Kingdom, the Du'e Temple, the Demon Race, and the Netherworld of the Departed do the same?"

"Who knows? Perhaps they think the Spatial Teleportation Array in the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin were all destroyed by the Years Ruin Empress before her death. In any case, all the special places along the border of the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin are worth exploring."

Immediately afterward, the voice continued, "We've received news that the Ancient Years Clan has experienced some unusual developments in the last hundred years, with several unknown experts suddenly emerging and some cultivators experiencing sudden and significant advancements in their cultivation."

"The higher-ups speculate that the Ancient Years Clan has secretly mastered the method of freely entering and leaving the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin. We must investigate this thoroughly. A generous reward will be given for any clues found."

Two sets of footsteps came from above, heading towards the Ancient Well.