Ahead of Huo Hai lay a small grove. There were no powerful factions around it; after all, this place was already close to the Vast Earth Empire's Imperial Capital. No faction would establish its headquarters or branches in a place like this.
Even if they wanted to establish one, wouldn't it be better to do so inside the Imperial Capital? Though that would put them under the direct supervision of the Vast Earth Empire's Imperial Family. Nearby, there was only a small village, not even a reasonably large town.
Naturally, there were no powerful spirit beasts in a place like this either. Even the strongest spirit beast in the grove and its outskirts had not reached the spirit bone realm. Most were ordinary wild beasts, providing game for the commoners in the village. No one approached the area near the grove, either. This place had once enjoyed a period of prosperity.
That was because there was a medium-grade ruin here, though it was not particularly large. After discovering it, the Vast Earth Empire had secretly explored it and taken almost everything inside. Then they had made the ruin public, letting others come and have a sip of the broth.
This was an unwritten rule among the major factions. Besides, it was only a medium-grade ruin, hardly anything significant. When it had first been opened to the public, it had drawn countless visitors, just like other such places.
For an entire year, countless people had streamed in and out of the ruin every day, turning the whole place over several times. Like other ruins, it had been searched from top to bottom, and when nothing more could be found, it had gradually fallen out of favor. Over the following ten years, fewer and fewer people had come. Only those occasionally interested