Large Ruins, Xu Bai Emerges from Seclusion

Time is like a constantly moving trajectory, unimpeded by anything. Even if earth-shattering changes occur, they cannot stop the passage of time.

In the blink of an eye, nearly two months have passed.

In the past two months, all sorts of bizarre events have occurred.

Strange occurrences have been frequent in various places, causing great distress to the people.

Although the Bureau of Surveillance changed their deployment methods today and were able to arrive in time, there will always be oversights.

Fortunately, the situation is not so dire that people's morale is low, and it is barely under control.

On the other hand, Ruins have been appearing frequently in the Great Chu Kingdom, with an average frequency of appearance much higher than before.

For those in the industry, this is a good thing, but for those at the top, such unusual changes often bring unknown consequences.

Changes were happening everywhere, including in the Barbarian Territory.

Over this period of time, some missing important institutions have finally been successfully established, and the Barbarian Territory are now basically operational.

Chu Ling is in a slightly easier position. She has now been relieved of many burdens and her workload has decreased significantly, allowing her to take a break.

Inside the magnificent palace, Ye Zi was helping Chu Ling sit down.

In two months, Chu Ling's belly had begun to show, and now she was wearing loose clothes, which didn't seem to have much of an impact on people in the industry.

Although the fetus in her womb was constantly absorbing her power, as the Barbarian Territory became more and more complete, she, Wang Xing, was not far from becoming extraordinary, and was able to balance the degree of this absorption.

"Sister, I wonder how my husband is doing. I haven't seen him for two months." Ye Zi helped Chu Ling Chu Ling down and poured her a glass of water.

Over the past two months, the two of them have been working almost non-stop to get the Barbarian Territory fully operational.

During these two months, Xu Bai never showed his face and stayed in the Royal Palace Treasury. If it weren't for the fact that everyone in the world knew that King Xu had not left the Barbarian Territory, they would probably think that he was no longer there.

"It's probably something important. As long as my husband doesn't call us or come out, we shouldn't disturb him." Chu Ling touched her belly with a smile.

Pregnant women may become more irritable, but they also radiate a maternal glow, just like Chu Ling is now.

The two of them hadn't seen Xu Bai for over two months. To be honest, they both really wanted to see him, but they both restrained themselves.

They believe that sensible women always know when to give men space, especially when they are doing important things, and that disturbing them excessively is a foolish thing to do.

"That's true." Ye Zi nodded gently.

Even if you really want to see Xu Bai, you shouldn't bother him at this time.

Ye Zi looked at Chu Ling's increasingly protruding belly and couldn't help but touch it.

The two women had a very good relationship in private, and they were very relaxed when no one else was around.

Chu Ling was already used to this kind of action and did not stop her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

At the same time, a crisp sound was heard.

"Your Highness, Qing Xue has something important to report."

"Come in." Chu Ling hurriedly slapped Ye Zi's hand away, and resumed her elegant and dignified demeanor.

Ye Zi stuck out her tongue and sat quietly to the side.

The door was pushed open, and Qing Xue, dressed in green, hurriedly walked in, holding a folded document in her hand.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Because of Xu Bai, Chu Ling ascended to the throne of the Barbarian Territory and became Barbarian Territory current master.

Qing Xue, too, is now a prominent figure in this Barbarian Territory because of Chu Ling.

Whenever there were internal matters that needed to be reported, Qing Xue would deliver them on their behalf.

"Your Highness, Ruins have been discovered two hundred miles north of the Royal City, indicating that the ruins are about to open." Qing Xue handed the memorial to Chu Ling, and then added a sentence at the end.

"Very big."

The size of any Ruins can be seen before it is opened. Qing Xue's expression was very solemn, which shows that this Ruins is very unusual.

Chu Ling didn't speak. She stretched out her fair hand, took the folded document, and after opening it, her slender eyebrows furrowed tightly.

With the same solemn expression, she slowly finished reading the memorial.

After she finished reading it, she solemnly put the folded document away, seemingly lost in thought, and did not say anything.

Beside her, Ye Zi casually picked up the folded document and began to look through it as well.

His already large eyes widened even more when he saw the folded paper.

The memorial stated that the Ruins that appeared this time were extremely Ruins.

This means that there will be plenty of resources inside, but equally, there will be plenty of hidden crises.

That's how Ruins are; they may seem unreasonable, but they are actually very fair and just, and there will be no tilting.

If you want good stuff, excellent resources, and greater profits, then go to the Ruins.

But at the same time, they will also face endless dangers and unimaginable horrors.

The Ruins described above are large, but that's not the main point. The most important thing is that this was Barbarian Territory.

This is the second time an incident Ruins has occurred since we took over.

The distance between the two is long, but since it has already happened, it means that this is not a simple beginning.

Sitting in their positions, they are all well aware of the major events happening now, especially the frequent appearance of Ruins.

Does this mean that the current Barbarian Territory have already begun? Once this begins, will more and more Ruins appear at an increasingly faster pace?

Ye Zi felt that her conjecture made a lot of sense and was in line with the current global trend.

"Understood, Qing Xue. Go to the Royal Palace Treasury and find your husband. Show him this memorial." Chu Ling handed the memorial back.

They didn't want to bother Xu Bai, but their husband had already instructed them about this matter a long time ago.

If anything related to abandonment comes up, you must tell him immediately, which is why Chu Ling sent Qing Xue over.

"Yes." Qing Xue took the folded document, bowed slightly, and left without saying a word.

After Qing Xue left, a look of worry appeared on Chu Ling's face.

Now that she has fully operationalized the Barbarian Territory, let's hope there are no more unexpected problems.

All he wants now is to finish his daily court duties and then focus on his pregnancy, giving birth to Xu Bai's child. He doesn't want to do anything else.

"Sister, don't worry. Don't forget who your husband is. With him in charge of this fiefdom, unless those few Entering Sainthood Expert come, they will all be no match for you," Ye Zi said softly, comforting Chu Ling. Chu Ling nodded in agreement.

Although he agreed, the worry on his face remained.

Qing Xue walked through the spacious and clean palace, carrying the memorial.

At this moment, her hands were clenched tightly, unlike her previous relaxed and indifferent demeanor when facing Chu Ling; she appeared extremely nervous.

The letter was crumpled in her hand.

"Keep calm, keep calm." Qing Xue took a few deep breaths, patted her large chest, and after calming down, she headed towards the Royal Palace Treasury.

Royal Palace Treasury

At this moment, in the majestic Royal City, in the royal treasury, Xu Bai was sitting in a chair, holding a book on his Entering Sainthood Failure Insights, his eyes fixed on the progress bar.

Now, the progress bar is just a hair's breadth away, just one step away from complete perfection.

Only Liu Qingfeng remained by her side; the Female Daoist Abbot had already left the Royal Palace Treasury not long ago.

In the quiet room, Liu Qingfeng felt that he had no hope of competing for the qualification to become a saint, but he still stared intently at the book in his hands.

Even if the hope is slim, you have to try. If you don't even dare to try, then your mindset will be seriously affected. With his current strength, he can't tolerate that.

Thinking of this, Liu Qingfeng even subconsciously glanced at Xu Bai, sighed slightly, and thought to himself, "To be able to reach the Extraordinary Peak so easily in such a short time, even in my era, he would probably be a darling of heaven and earth."

Sometimes, comparing yourself to others can be incredibly frustrating, and that's absolutely true. But at least Liu Qingfeng has lived this long, and although he's been crazy most of the time, he doesn't get jealous.

At most, I'm just envious, so envious it's almost sour.

Xu Bai felt Liu Qingfeng's envious gaze and knew why he was being looked at.

But he couldn't be distracted to talk to Liu Qingfeng, because he was completely focused on the book, and the golden progress bar had reached its limit at this moment.

The pale blue text, suspended in mid-air, quickly formed a sequence that Xu Bai could understand and appeared before his eyes.

[Your observation of the lessons learned from the failure to attain sainthood has yielded 1 insight into integration.]

Soon, the light blue text disappeared, but after it disappeared, it did not enter Xu Bai's mind. Instead, it turned into another line of information.

[Matching fusion options.]

Match successful!

The Fusion Art can forcibly categorize and merge unrelated skills.

[Integrating...]

After a while, new text appeared again.

[Merger successful!]

As the Fusion Art he had just acquired disappeared, the pale blue text finally transformed into information and entered Xu Bai's mind.

Xu Bai closed his eyes and carefully sensed the information in his mind before opening them.

Before his eyes, the pale blue text was gone, replaced by brand new attributes.

[Name: Xu Bai]

[Realm Level: Ninth Rank Loose Cultivator]

[Myriad Aspects Heavenly Attraction Mountain Sea Art (Transcendent Rank 9.1): Max Level.]

[Bewitching Shadow Great Art (Transcendent Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Myriad Attacks (Sainthood Level 1): Max Level]

[Myriad Defenses (Sainthood Level 1): Max Level]

[Myriad Miscellaneous Arts (Saintly Level 3): Max Level]

[Myriad Assistance (Sainthood Tier 1): Max Level.]

[Myriad Strange Arts (Transcendent Rank 9): Max Level.]

[Comprehension: Max level.]

This time, he finished reading both books on attaining divinity, and both of these books on Entering Sainthood Insights came from Miao Xiao.

The Myriad Miscellaneous Arts were formed by combining the Myriad Poisons Compendium, the Mechanism Puppet True Explanation, the Water Adaptation Method, Feng Shui Arithmetic, the Thousand Mysteries Myriad Faces Formless Art, the Mountain Sea Deity Summoning Method, and the Corpse Control Method, and even more ridiculously, they reached the third level of the Saintly Realm.

To be honest, it is indeed very strong, but this skill is not geared towards combat; it feels more like a mix of many different things.

However, reaching this level is considered the pinnacle in any field.

The other one made Xu Bai slightly happy.

The Myriad Assistance are a fusion of the Strengthening Kidney Returning Origin Method and Yin Yang Coexistence techniques, reaching the first level of Sainthood.

The two have different characteristics when separated. First, the Strengthening Kidney Returning Origin Method is equivalent to storage.

The Yin Yang Coexistence can enhance one's combat power.

Now, after the two have merged, they have reached the first level of sainthood. Putting aside other things, both of them have reached this level.

First, this skill retains its original storage function, but it can now store True Yuan Power at the Saint-level 1.

Of course, this content is not just about quantity.

"I feel that by mobilizing the True Yuan Power within my body, I might be able to fight against someone at the first level of Sainthood."

The skill's description defines its function; it's that domineering and unreasonable.

Being able to store True Yuan Power at the first level of Sainthood means that although he has not reached the first level of Sainthood, he already possesses the combat power of the first level of Sainthood.

The more Xu Bai thought about it, the more he couldn't help but laugh.

This is equivalent to receiving a Sainthood experience card, and a 24-hour Sainthood experience card at that.

Comfortable!

More importantly, the role of Myriad Assistance is not just to increase True Yuan Power. There is another more important function: to enhance combat power by achieving the Yin Yang Coexistence.

"That was awesome!" Xu Bai thought to himself.

This gain was extremely important to him.

However, there was something that dissatisfied him: his strength was still only at the Extraordinary Rank 9.

The mental techniques did not merge at all, which indirectly confirmed his previous conjecture.

He was grinding the progress bar, and if he was grinding the inner cultivation techniques, the inner cultivation techniques would automatically merge, so he couldn't find a place to perform the Fusion Art.

"So there really is no shortcut to this, you just have to grind like crazy?" Xu Bai thought, feeling a bit of a headache.

He became increasingly speechless, especially when he thought about how grinding through more than a dozen extraordinary level 9 books would only improve the progress of that one book by 0.1.

Apart from the Bewitching Shadow Great Art method and its inherent mental cultivation method, all the others have become skills starting with "myriad".

Now there are two situations. The first one is that other skills of his liver will not be fused. Instead, the fusion technique must be used to fuse them into the skills starting with "Wanban".

This is the best-case scenario, so that the progress won't be slowed down.

There's a second possibility: once you've unlocked other skills, you can immediately merge them into the skill tree. But at the current rate, even merging a dozen or so skills probably won't increase your stats much.

"I hope it's the first scenario," Xu Bai thought to himself.

If it's the second scenario, he really can't figure out whether this Fusion Art is a gain or a loss. As for which scenario it is, he can only try it out after he's worked on a new one.

Also, should I grind more skills in the future and find Entering Sainthood Failure Insights? That way, I can fuse more books and achieve higher ranks.

Of course, that's all for the future; there are more important things to do right now.

Xu Bai's gaze fell on the corner of the stairs, where a woman in green was slowly walking towards them.

Qing Xue approached gracefully, handed over the folded document in her hand, and said softly, "This is from His Highness; it's about the Ruins."

Xu Bai took it and didn't even glance at it.

He already knew that because of Chu Ling's pregnancy, a part of his soul was focused on taking care of Chu Ling, so he was already aware of these things.

"I understand. I'll go in and take a look at the Ruins this time," Xu Bai said.

Qing Xue was slightly surprised. "Weren't you in seclusion?"

No one had seen Xu Bai for the past two months, so Xu Bai was very surprised to hear Qing Xue say he was leaving seclusion today.

"It's been more than two months already, that's a long time. It's time to get out and move around," Xu Bai said with a smile.

He hadn't forgotten about the Ruins, and what was inside Ruins was very important.

He could easily continue grinding now, since there are quite a few cultivation techniques available from the Barbarian Tribe, but he doesn't want to continue now.

The reason is simple: if it were a small Ruins, it might not arouse his interest, but this Ruins is very large, and he might be able to find some clues.

Moreover, he could also find a progress bar in the Ruins, which was a win-win situation, so he certainly wouldn't let it pass him by.

Qing Xue bit her rosy lower lip. "Then I'll go tell His Highness now."

"Let's go together." Xu Bai stood up.

Qing Xue nodded and said nothing more.

The two left the Royal Palace Treasury together.

The place became much quieter in an instant, leaving only Liu Qingfeng alone.

Liu Qingfeng looked left and right, then looked down at the book in his hand, feeling inexplicably lonely.

The palace is not far from the Royal Palace Treasury; you can get there quickly if you walk at a moderate pace.

Xu Bai and Qing Xue slowed their pace and fell into an eerie silence.

After walking nearly halfway, Qing Xue finally couldn't hold back any longer, quickened her pace, walked ahead of Xu Bai, and stopped.

Xu Bai also stopped and looked at Qing Xue with a puzzled expression.

Qing Xue gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and said, "Your Highness told you before that I was a maid who accompanied you in your dowry, you..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how. He hadn't said the rest yet.

Even if Xu Bai were a fool, he could understand the meaning behind it. He smiled and shook his head, "I can't give you an answer now. I will give you the answer you deserve after everything settles down."

Qing Xue and I both looked up, our eyes slightly brightening. "Good or bad?"

"It's probably a good idea," Xu Bai said thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure." Qing Xue nodded vigorously, indicating that she was very certain.

Xu Fan looked the woman in the green dress up and down, and finally sighed.

"Let's go, you'll get the answer you're looking for, but we need to settle things down first."

Qing Xue stared directly at Xu Bai, still not moving an inch. "Just like the answer you gave Liu Xu?"

"How did you know..." Xu Bai said a few words and then shut his mouth.

Qing Xue's lips curled up slightly. "I know a lot of things. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's hurry up and go. His Highness must be getting impatient."

At this moment, Qing Xue stopped and walked ahead of Xu Bai, leading the way with lighter steps.

Xu Bai shook his head with a wry smile and followed behind.

Before long, the two arrived at the palace. Qing Xue did not go in, but simply opened the door and let Xu Bai in.

After Xu Bai went inside, Qing Xue left.

As Xu Bai entered the room, he looked at Chu Ling's slightly protruding belly and couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"Come, let your husband hear it."

As he spoke, Xu Bai walked directly to Chu Ling's side and put his ear to Chu Ling's abdomen.

Sensing signs of life within, Xu Bai smiled with delight.

Chu Ling gently stroked Xu Bai's head, a look of pure enjoyment on her face.

"Husband, my sister is pregnant, and you only care about her?" Ye Zi said, pretending to be jealous.

Xu Bai stood up with a smile, "Didn't we always treat everyone equally at night before? How could we possibly favor one over the other?"

Ye Zi blushed slightly upon hearing Xu Bai's teasing and turned away.

Xu Bai stopped joking and said seriously, "I want to go inside the Ruins this time. If there are any problems while I'm away that you can't handle, you can tell Liu Qingfeng and let him take care of them."

Entering Ruins takes time, and a large Ruins can take quite a while.

They will only emerge from the Ruins once the time they existed there has expired; otherwise, they will remain inside indefinitely.

So Xu Bai also made some arrangements for things outside. Among the extraordinary experts he could currently mobilize, Liu Qingfeng was considered top-tier. Other forces could also be mobilized, but not as directly as Liu Qingfeng, since Liu Qingfeng had essentially been sold to Xu Bai.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ling said with a hint of worry, "Husband, the Ruins are very dangerous. You must be careful."

She didn't stop her, nor did she say she wouldn't go.

Because they've all known each other for so long, they're familiar with Xu Bai's personality. Once Xu Bai makes a decision, nothing can change it.

Xu Bai patted Chu Ling's head. "Don't worry, I am now Extraordinary Rank 9 expert. There are very few people who can be my opponents."

This might sound a bit pretentious, but it's actually a very practical statement.

No one could refute this, because apart from experts who had reached the Saint level, there was truly no one who could withstand a single strike from Xu Bai.

Next, Xu Bai discussed the follow-up matters with Chu Ling and the others. Knowing that the Ruins would be opened tomorrow, he decided to go tomorrow.

But tonight, he will not return to the Royal Palace Treasury.

It's so boring there, nowhere is as fun as here?

The bed in the palace was of very good quality; it was so quiet that it didn't even make a sound when you shook it.

This shaking lasted all night.

The next day.

Xu Bai got up early, and with the help of the two women, he got dressed and washed up before heading straight to the massive Ruins.

The two women did not follow; they still had matters to attend to at court, but that did not mean they would relax their vigilance regarding the Ruins.

People from the Bureau of Surveillance and the army had already been sent to guard the area.

The Ruins are open to the public, but order must be maintained, so there can't be no one there.

The Ruins were located in the middle of the Great Chu Kingdom and the Barbarian Territory, in a desolate wilderness. When Xu Bai arrived, he was overwhelmed by the crowds of people and felt uneasy.

Although I knew that a large Ruins would be very attractive, I didn't expect there to be so many people, surrounding it in layers. If it weren't for the soldiers guarding the edges, something really might have gone wrong.

"Greetings, King Xu!" From the shadows, a person dressed in ordinary clothes came forward and bowed.

Although dressed plainly, he had a badge hanging from his waist, and Xu Bai immediately recognized him as a member of the Bureau of Surveillance.

"Where is Ying Yue?" Xu Bai asked, frowning.

"Lord Mu has already dispatched people over, but she is currently investigating strange matters and is therefore unable to attend to them all. However, there are many people who have been transferred, so there shouldn't be any problems," the man explained.

Lord Mu refers to Mu Yingyue.

Xu Bai nodded, indicating that he understood.

Xu Bai is now widely known. Unless he changes his body shape, he will be recognized as soon as he arrives.

So at this moment, many people had already noticed Xu Bai and turned their attention to him. Xu Bai had excellent hearing and was able to hear their conversation.

"It's King Xu! I never expected that this Ruins would alarm King Xu. We actually met King Xu!"

It was an excited sound, Xu Bai guessed, it was another one of those fanatical fans.

"That's it, that's it... Blood Slaughtering Saber Wielder even came in person, he's probably going to loot a huge amount of stuff inside, that's it!"

This is a voice that seems to resign itself to its bad luck, as if everything inside belongs to Xu Bai.

"Hehe, I am also a transcendent being. Although I am only a third-rank, I have long wanted to meet King Xu. This time, let's see if my search yields as much as King Xu's."

extraordinary?

You've taken the wrong path, young man.

Xu Bai sifted through some information and tried to spread his divine soul. Soon, he sensed several extraordinary people, all of whom were at an extraordinary level.

"I didn't expect it to attract so many people, even those who are extraordinary. It seems everyone is eager to compete for the resources inside."

Unfortunately, I didn't see any people from the Academy or Buddhists, nor did I encounter Liu Xu or Wu Hua.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, it was the right thing for them not to come.

The Academy, with their immense power, certainly didn't lack these resources. Moreover, those scholars were more interested in becoming officials while studying.

As for Buddhists, everyone is now studying the new Buddhist teachings spread by Wu Hua, so they have no time to care about these things. Therefore, Xu Bai was not surprised that these two forces did not come.

The noise grew louder and louder, all because of Xu Bai's arrival, which made Xu Bai's brows furrow even more.

He knew that if he didn't speak up at this moment, the situation could easily spiral out of control.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai could only speak slowly.

"Gentlemen."

He had only uttered two words when everyone present stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the room.

Xu Bai felt the gazes of everyone present and laughed, "Don't lose your composure just because I'm here. Once inside, find your own opportunities and don't cause me any trouble."

This statement meant to reassure them, to prevent them from being too surprised, and it also served as a warning.

If it were some nobody giving a warning here, it would probably provoke public outrage, but who can blame them when it's Xu Bai speaking? That's how it is most of the time these days.

To put it simply, among ordinary people, if an extremely ordinary person speaks, few people will pay attention to them, but if a powerful and influential person speaks, they will be sought after by many.

That's how Xu Bai is now.

No one dared to object, and Xu Bai ignored them, his gaze sweeping over the crowd to the sky ahead.

There is a vast area there that is constantly being distorted.

This scene is quite similar to when I first entered the Ruins.

Xu Bai stroked his chin and asked the member of the Bureau of Surveillance next to him, "Approximately how much longer?"

The member shook his head. "We can only give a rough estimate. Anyway, we should be able to go in today. Your Prince may have to wait a little longer."

Xu Bai hummed in agreement and said nothing more.

Today, as all the members knew, if Xu Bai didn't want to talk, his staying here would only annoy others, so they said goodbye and left.

Xu Bai lifted his foot and walked forward. Wherever he went, the martial arts practitioners all made way for him.

He arrived at the front without any hindrance.

With so many people watching him, he actually felt very relaxed. He casually found a spot and waited patiently.

These martial arts practitioners, however, felt uneasy and uncomfortable, as if something was amiss.

In this very strange atmosphere, time continued to pass, and before long, night fell.

The distorted space in mid-air suddenly became even more distorted, like a snake constantly crawling and swishing its tail.

"It's coming!"

A man from the martial arts world couldn't help but shout.

Xu Bai was naturally drawn to the scene as well. He looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes slightly.

The distorted space continued to expand, and soon, an enormous black hole appeared, which was the entrance to the Ruins.

Logically, once he appeared, everyone present would have rushed in, but now no one dared to go in first, and all eyes were on Xu Bai.

Everyone knew that Xu Bai was definitely going to go in. No matter how big the Ruins, there was a limit to the number of people. If they rushed to get in, but Xu Bai didn't get in in the end, then none of them would be able to get in.

After all, it's rumored in the martial arts world that the Blood Slaughtering Saber Wielder is extremely vengeful.

Xu Bai knew what these people were thinking, so without hesitation, he flew up and landed in the black hole.

Since he had already made up his mind, he didn't argue any further.

Soon, his figure disappeared.

Seeing this, the martial artists all breathed a sigh of relief. Then, they entered in an orderly fashion, taking turns, until the limit was reached and the large hole in the Ruins disappeared.

Xu Bai felt a blur before his eyes, and soon he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

Now, he was standing on a vast grassland, the grass on the ground was withered and yellow, and looked lifeless.

Because of the vastness of the grassland, the sky appeared even more expansive from his vantage point.

Most importantly, there's no one here! Logically, if everyone entered together, they would most likely end up in one place.

Xu Bai waited for so long, but no one came.

All around, there was nothing but emptiness.

Except for... corpses.