Ancient Ruins

"Then thank you very much, senior." Yi Yun did not refuse.

Yi Yun led the Old Man Black Stone out of the Medicine God Formation. Instead of going to the wasteland, they appeared directly in the palace of the Nine Li Witch Kingdom.

Yi Yun knew that Danxin Old Ancestor and his group were still searching for a way to open the entrance to the great formation. Yi Yun had specifically instructed Ling Xie'er to find a way to prevent these guys from getting in.

This Medicine Nurturing Great Formation was not easy to enter to begin with, and with Ling Xie'er already becoming the spark of the Medicine Nurturing Great Formation, it wouldn't be difficult for her to cause any damage.

Yi Yun followed the Old Man Black Stone and the Nine Li Witch Maiden to the altar, where he saw a teleportation array.

The teleportation array stood in the dry riverbed, emanating a strange aura, its destination unknown.

The three of them stood together on the teleportation array.

Looking out along the riverbed from here evokes an indescribable feeling, as if time would stand still.

It's unbelievable that this river, which seems to be the River of Oblivion, can still evoke such a feeling, even though it's been dry for who knows how long.

At this moment, the Old Man Black Stone cast several spell seals, and the teleportation array was activated. Yi Yun's vision blurred, and spatial fragments kept flashing past him, and he didn't know how far he had traveled.

After a long time, Yi Yun finally felt his feet touching solid ground.

Yi Yun then saw that they had appeared on a vast and ancient continent, standing on the summit of a mountain.

Looking down from here, there is an endless expanse of Gobi Desert, devoid of plants and seemingly devoid of any sign of life. A thick aura of death permeates the air amidst the swirling sand and stones.

This deathly aura made Yi Yun feel a little uneasy.

What place is this?

What shocked Yi Yun even more was that he saw a riverbed that ran across the continent and stretched on and on.

"The River of Oblivion..." Yi Yun hadn't expected that the River of Oblivion would cross such a long distance and spread here.

The riverbed here is many times wider than that of the Nine Li Witch Kingdom; perhaps this is the widest part of the River of Oblivion.

"You know about the River of Oblivion?" The Old Man Black Stone was somewhat surprised, then he shook his head and said, "This is not the real River of Oblivion, but just a tributary of it. My Nine Li Witch Kingdom is the source of a tributary of the River of Oblivion."

The Old Man Black Stone's words sent a chill down Yi Yun's spine. Was such a wide riverbed just one of many tributaries?

"This place has existed for a very, very long time; its history is so ancient that it is unimaginable."

The Nine Li Witch Maiden took a small step forward, gazing into the distance, and said softly, "What exactly this place is is no longer known; we now call it the Ancient Ruins Realm. Some say that this is the true Ruins of Return, the origin of the Ruins of Return in ancient times."

"Yi Yun, let's head into the secret realm," said the Old Man Black Stone.

The teleportation array is located on a mountain range, and within the mountain range lies a deep valley. Looking up from the bottom of the valley, only a sliver of sky can be seen. However, the sky here is different from other places; instead of a clear blue sky with the sun, moon, and stars, what you see are fragments of spacetime flashing by.

"This entire mountain range belongs to my Nine Li Witch Kingdom. It has a protective array that is always open, and the secret place you are about to enter is further protected by multiple arrays. You don't need to worry about your safety here," the Old Man Black Stone said as he walked forward.

Yi Yun couldn't help but ask, "Are there any other dangers here?"

"It's not dangerous, it's just that the Ancient Ruins Realm is vast and full of mysteries. Powerful forces within the Ancient Ruins Realm all try to occupy territory there, and the Nine Li Witch Kingdom only occupies a small place," the Nine Li Witch Maiden explained.

The Old Man Black Stone wanted to say something more, but thinking that Yi Yun was just in seclusion here and there wouldn't be any problems, he stopped talking.

The three of them slowly made their way through the deserted valley. Yi Yun felt as he passed through layer after layer of "membranes," all of which exuded a very dangerous aura. They were clearly the protective formations that the Old Man Black Stone had mentioned.

As they ventured deeper into the valley, a riverbed came into Yi Yun, surrounded by two towering mountain walls.

The landscape here exudes an ancient and desolate atmosphere, with the riverbed flowing right beneath the mountains.

The Old Man Black Stone and the Nine Li Witch Maiden led Yi Yun to the entrance of a cave deep within the mountains. "We've arrived."

Yi Yun stood in front of the cave, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Inside this cave, there is a small, deep pool.

This deep pool was only the size of a large bowl, but the black water inside seemed bottomless. This endless pool seemed to lead to the underworld.

"The water is shallow." The Nine Li Witch Maiden walked to the edge of the deep pool.

She reached out her slender, delicate hand and gently slipped it inside.

Instantly, the black water rippled out, and the Nine Li Witch Maiden's hand reached directly to the bottom.

Yi Yun showed a hint of surprise. This was hardly a deep pool; it was just some rainwater that had accumulated in the low-lying depressions of the rocks after a rain.

However, the black water in front of them was clearly not just rainwater.

"This is the Oblivion River Water," said the Nine Li Witch Maiden.

Oblivion River Water?

Yi Yun took a deep breath. The River of Oblivion was one of the Twelve Demon Gods. Over the years, although Yi Yun had come into contact with some relics left behind by the Twelve Demon Gods, these were far from the real Twelve Demon Gods. Yi Yun did not expect to see a small Oblivion River Water here!

A tributary of the River of Oblivion, dried up for billions of years, still has its Oblivion River Water. The Nine Li Witch Kingdom not only has a dried-up River of Oblivion, but also its Oblivion River Water, making it difficult to imagine its ancient history.

"The Oblivion River Water can only exist within the River of Oblivion; once they leave, they vanish into thin air," said the Nine Li Witch Maiden. "These Oblivion River Water contain the energy of time; drinking Oblivion River Water will make a person ageless, as if time has stood still on their face."

"Eternal youth?" Yi Yun's eyes lit up. "Would it extend lifespan?"

"No..." The Nine Li Witch Maiden shook her head slightly, "Although she remains forever young, she cannot escape the cycle of life and will eventually die of old age. Her fate dictates the day she will die."

"Is that so...?"

The Nine Li Witch Maiden was referring to the effect of preserving youth. For martial artists, the allure of preserving youth is great, but it still falls short compared to the actual improvement in cultivation.

Yi Yun did not believe that the Oblivion River Water only had the effect of preserving youth.

The Nine Li Witch Maiden continued, "Drinking the Oblivion River Water has another wonderful effect on martial artists, which Young Master Yi can experience for himself. Actually, this pool of Oblivion River Water was originally intended as a reward from my Nine Li Witch Kingdom after Young Master Yi refined the elixir. However, now, this Oblivion River Water is being given to Young Master Yi first."

Yi Yun replaced the original array fire with Ling Xie'er, Nine Li Witch Kingdom naturally did not hesitate to pay Yi Yun the reward in advance.

Moreover, Yi Yun's cultivation level is currently insufficient, so improving Yi Yun 'Yi Yun cultivation level will greatly help him complete the Medicine Nurturing Great Formation.

"This gift is too much." Yi Yun felt a little bad, even though he hadn't done anything yet.

The Nine Li Witch Maiden shook her head. "Young Master Yi, there's no need to refuse. The Heaven- Heaven-Defying Fate-Changing Pill is many times more important to me than the Oblivion River Water. Although the Oblivion River Water is precious, this cave nurtures a small pool of Oblivion River Water every thousand years. This is the core secret place of my Nine Li Witch Kingdom."

"Furthermore, Young Master Yi should have also noticed that this Ancient Ruins Realm has many differences, and this secret place of my Nine Li Witch Kingdom is also a wondrous place in the Ancient Ruins Realm. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi and fragments of laws here are much more concentrated than outside."

"Then I thank Your Highness the Witch Maiden and Senior Black Stone." Yi Yun was not a pretentious person, and he thanked her solemnly.

The secret location and the precious Oblivion River Water provided by the Nine Li Witch Kingdom demonstrated the Nine Li Witch Kingdom's great sincerity.

Yi Yun knew that by offering this secret cultivation ground to him, he was essentially sacrificing the resources of the geniuses of the Nine Li Witch Kingdom. Yi Yun was always one to repay kindness with kindness and avenge wrongs, and he would remember this small pool of the Yi Yun of Oblivion River Water.

After bidding farewell to the Old Man Black Stone and the Nine Li Witch Maiden, Yi Yun sat down cross-legged beside the deep pool.

For martial artists, decades of seclusion are nothing; cultivation knows no time.

"I wonder what special effects this Oblivion River Water has after drinking it."

Neither the Old Man Black Stone nor the Nine Li Witch Maiden offered an explanation, which greatly piqued Yi Yun's interest in the Oblivion River Water.

Water that contains the energy of time sounds extraordinary.

Yi Yun hesitated for a moment, then gestured with his hand.

Instantly, the deep pool transformed into a line of water, flowing towards Yi Yun.

Yi Yun opened his mouth and drank the Oblivion River Water as if he were drinking fine wine.

As the Oblivion River Water entered his body, Yi Yun gradually felt as if he had entered an independent space-time. It was a very strange feeling. Looking at the world from his perspective, everything in it became nothingness, as if he were looking at the other side across a River of Time.

Yi Yun had also comprehended the Space-Time Law, and he had even condensed the Nine-Leaf Spacetime Dao Fruit. This allowed him to keenly discover that the flow of time within him was different from that of the outside world. In other words, he and the world around him were in two different spacetimes.

His flow of time was many times faster than the surrounding space, but Yi Yun could clearly grasp every minute and second, as if the River of Time was flowing through his fingers, giving him complete control over time.

This is a truly wondrous state; is this the effect of the Oblivion River Water?

Yi Yun made a rough guess: what might have been a year or two here could have been only a month in the outside world.

Drinking the Oblivion River Water increased Yi Yun's efficiency in using time by at least twenty times!

Twenty times the speed of time flow, coupled with absolute control over time.

Moreover, Yi Yun remembered that the Nine Li Witch Maiden had said that the Oblivion River Water would not prolong life; one would die on the day one was destined to die.

Yi Yun originally thought this was a limitation of the Oblivion River Water's power, but now he realizes that it is a manifestation of the Oblivion River Water's power.

This is equivalent to Yi Yun turning a segment of his life into twenty times its original length, allowing his foundation to be fully refined over this extended period without depleting Yi Yun life potential!

"So this is the power of the Oblivion River Water." Yi Yun seemed to have discovered the door to a new world, his eyes gleaming.