Within the Yin Ruins, everything lay in decay. Unlike the desolation visible from outside, this was a ruin of broken walls and shattered remnants, steeped in bleakness and destruction.
"Desolate outside, miserable within... Shang." Ji Chao sighed as he walked along the streets of the Yin Ruins, investigating the area.
The smell of charred ash and soot brought by the corrosion of time seeped into Ji Chao's nose, making him sneeze twice.
The houses had collapsed into scattered wreckage. Every now and then, he came across two weathered, charred corpses. Other than that, due to the hidden barrier, there was no sound at all. Only the wind occasionally blowing in from outside could stir the sorrow of the Yin Ruins.
"What a miserable sight."
After spending several days investigating every part of the Yin Ruins exposed aboveground, Ji Chao found nothing of value. Aside from ruins and charred corpses, there was nothing else to be seen.
"So the truly valuable things should be down below."
Ji Chao looked at the ground beneath his feet, sighed, and rubbed his stomach.
It seemed he had not brought enough food.
And excavating the Yin Ruins would probably be a massive undertaking. It would take years to chew through this bone.
He would take it slowly.
After going out to purchase enough food, Ji Chao settled into the Yin Ruins. Unless he needed to buy supplies, he did not leave the ruins at all.
Only a small portion of the Yin Ruins remained aboveground; most had already been buried beneath sand and earth. Various buildings had only half their structures exposed, and it was impossible to know what lay hidden beneath these relic-like remains. Ji Chao could only suppress his impatience and excavate the Yin Ruins bit by bit, searching for the contingencies left