The night passed without a word, with only the wasteland wind howling tirelessly.
When the first faint ray of daylight pierced the murky yellow clouds and illuminated the Blood-Baleful Wasteland, the campfire had already burned out, leaving only a heap of ashes.
Ye Chen was the first to open his eyes, a purple gleam flashing through them before vanishing. Cultivating in this land where the Great Dao was incomplete was far less efficient than in the Ye Clan's Ancestral Grounds, but his primordial immortal body operated on its own, slowly yet steadily absorbing and adapting to this realm's violent spiritual energy, then converting it into pure primordial chaos purple qi. He felt that his sense of rejection toward this world seemed to have weakened a little.
The others woke one after another. Ye Yun checked his sword first, as always; emerald motes danced at Ye Ling's fingertips as she sensed the morning wasteland's fluctuations of vitality, so faint they could almost be ignored; Shi Meng stretched, his bones crackling sharply as his robust blood energy drove away the last traces of the cold.
Lin Qingxue and her two guards had already risen as well. After a night's rest, aided by Ye Ling's life force, their complexions had improved considerably. Uncle Chen and Uncle Li were carefully wiping down their weapons, their eyes regaining their former sharpness, though gratitude and awe filled them whenever they looked at Ye Chen and his companions.
"Young Master Ye, honored benefactors, did you rest well last night?" Lin Qingxue approached and bowed slightly, her clear voice carrying more vitality than it had the day before. She had cleaned the blood and dust from her face with a spell, revealing a lovely, refined countenance that made the stubbornness and cool reserve in her features all the more apparent.
"Well enough." Ye Chen nodded, sweeping his gaze over everyone. "We shouldn't linger here. Those men from the Blood Skull Stronghold failed to return all night, which may lead to trouble. We need to leave as soon as possible."
"You're quite right, Young Master Ye," Lin Qingxue said quickly. "About three days east of here is a small gathering place for cultivators called Greenstone Valley. Several senior rogue cultivators maintain order there together, so it's relatively safe. We can rest briefly, replenish our supplies, and inquire about the latest news."
Greenstone Valley? Ye Chen looked at Emperor Xuanwu.
Emperor Xuanwu gave a slight nod and transmitted his voice. "Young master, according to the fragmented memories obtained from last night's soul search, such a place does exist. It's one of the rare neutral areas on the fringes of this wasteland."
"Good. Then we'll go to Greenstone Valley." Ye Chen made his decision.
The group set off again. With a clear destination, their pace increased considerably. Ye Chen still walked in the middle of the group, while Emperor Xuanwu followed at his side with apparent nonchalance. In truth, his divine sense had already spread out, watching for every stir of wind and grass within several hundred li.
Lin Qingxue took the initiative to walk slightly behind Ye Chen at his side, occasionally offering quiet explanations about unusual terrain along their route or potentially dangerous areas. Her two guards dutifully brought up the rear.
"Young Master Ye, you... aren't from the Primordial Realm, are you?" As they walked, Lin Qingxue hesitated repeatedly before finally asking the question troubling her in a low voice. She simply couldn't imagine which faction in the Primordial Realm could nurture such young experts with such pure, unfathomable auras, much less provide that inscrutable elderly guard.
Ye Chen turned his head to glance at her, neither confirming nor denying it. He merely asked calmly, "Why do you ask?"
His gaze made Lin Qingxue a little nervous. She lowered her head and said softly, "Your auras... are too pure. They don't fit in here at all. Besides, none of you seem very familiar with... common knowledge about the Primordial Realm." She was referring to Ye Chen's questions the previous night about the divisions between factions and cultivation realms.
"We come from somewhere very far away." Ye Chen gave a vague answer, then changed the subject. "Are you familiar with Greenstone Valley, Miss Lin?"
Seeing that Ye Chen was unwilling to discuss his origins, Lin Qingxue tactfully stopped pressing him and replied, "I've been there a few times. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion occasionally sends disciples to the wasteland's fringes for training or to purchase certain unique artifact-refining materials. Greenstone Valley is a necessary stop. Its valley master, Old Man Greenstone, is a rogue cultivator at nascent soul great perfection. He's reasonably upright, and under his authority, private fighting is forbidden in the valley. It's something of a pure sanctuary in this chaotic land."
"Someone at nascent soul great perfection can maintain order over an entire area?" Listening nearby, Shi Meng couldn't resist interjecting in his booming voice. "If this were back where we... ahem." Halfway through, a glare from Ye Yun silenced him, and he rubbed his head sheepishly.
Lin Qingxue paid no heed to Shi Meng's slip of the tongue and merely said with a bitter smile, "You may not know this, big brother, but resources are scarce in the Primordial Realm, and cultivation is difficult. A nascent soul cultivator is already a local expert, while someone at nascent soul great perfection is powerful enough to establish a sect or occupy a territory and rule it like a king. Most spirit transformation cultivators hold important positions in the major factions or live in seclusion, cultivating in pursuit of a breakthrough. They rarely come to manage small gathering places on the wasteland's fringes."
Ye Chen understood. This realm's harsh cultivation environment meant that the proportion of high-level cultivators was far lower than in the Three Thousand Great Worlds. In the Ye Clan, those in the nascent soul realm were merely young disciples who had just crossed the threshold of cultivation. Here, however, they were already "experts" capable of maintaining order over an entire area.
"Scarce resources..." Ye Chen grew thoughtful. He recalled his treasury, which nearly filled an entire small world. Any useless piece of "junk" from it would probably stir up bloody winds and rains of carnage if brought into this realm, wouldn't it?
He glanced at Lin Qingxue beside him, whose expression had dimmed at the mention of resources, and suddenly felt that it was truly no easy feat for this young woman from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion to preserve such a clear sword heart in an environment like this.
They continued east, encountering several more groups of wasteland demonic beasts foolish enough to get in their way. Ye Yun and Shi Meng dispatched them all with ease; they didn't even merit making Ye Chen stop walking. Lin Qingxue and her guards once again witnessed the group's terrifying combat prowess. Demonic beasts that would have forced them into bitter battles, or even defeated them, couldn't withstand a single blow from Ye Yun's seemingly casual Sword Qi or Shi Meng's savage fists.
She grew even more curious about Ye Chen and his companions' origins, but also even less willing to ask.
At noon on the third day, after they crossed a red mountain ridge thick with the smell of sulfur, a long, narrow valley ringed by enormous gray-white boulders appeared before them.
At the valley entrance stood a blue-black boulder several zhang tall, bearing three large characters carved with bold, powerful strokes—Greenstone Valley.
Cultivators around the Golden Core Realm stood guard at the entrance, warily scrutinizing everyone who passed. When they saw Ye Chen's well-dressed group with their extraordinary auras, and especially when they sensed Emperor Xuanwu's profound presence, which inspired dread despite his deliberate restraint, the guards immediately became respectful. Without much questioning, they politely let the group through.
Once they entered the valley, the scene was entirely different from the desolation outside.
Though the spiritual energy's inherent violence was still perceptible in the air, formations had clearly regulated it within the valley, making it much gentler. The streets were paved with green stone slabs, lined with shops and inns either carved from enormous boulders or built from thick timber. They sold pills, magical artifacts, talismans, and all manner of materials unique to the wasteland. People came and went, and although most faces bore the weathering and wariness peculiar to wasteland cultivators, there was at least a clear sense of order, with little shouting or fighting.
Vendors' cries, haggling, and the murmurs of cultivators mingled into a strange, lively bustle.
"Finally, somewhere halfway decent!" Shi Meng eyed an inn with a wine banner fluttering outside and licked his lips. "Young master, shall we get something to eat and drink first? The demonic beast meat in this damned place tastes awful, but they ought to have wine, right?"
Looking at this gathering place with its foreign atmosphere, Ye Chen felt a flicker of interest as well and nodded. "Very well."
Seeing this, Lin Qingxue hurriedly said, "Young Master Ye, I know an inn with decent surroundings and reasonably clean food and wine."
Led by Lin Qingxue, the group passed through the bustling streets toward the depths of the valley. Ye Chen's gaze swept casually over the shops on either side, his dual pupils flickering almost imperceptibly as he took in the goods for sale and the cultivation levels and auras of the passing cultivators.
Perhaps Greenstone Valley would be a good starting point for him to understand this Primordial World. And after he entered the valley, the Nameless Fragment tucked against his chest seemed to give off another faint pulse, pointing toward a certain direction within the valley.
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