Dead silence.
The gray mist flowed Soundless, licking away the bloodstains and scattered weapon fragments on the ground, as if trying to devour all the evidence of the crime.
The Fairy Scarlet Luan stood leaning on her spear, her chest heaving violently as she moved through her tattered armor. Each breath aggravated her wounds, yet her grip on the spear remained firm.
Her gaze was fixed on Su Yu, who was three zhang away.
The man's expression remained unchanged throughout. When he killed her, it was as if he were brushing dust off his clothes. Now, looking at her, it was as if he were assessing the quality of a piece of merchandise, devoid of any human emotion.
This calm was more chilling than any menacing expression.
The pressure, like a solid leaden cloud, hung over her heart.
Finally, she moved.
Without uttering a single unnecessary word, without offering a single thank you, she endured her injuries and retrieved a crimson jade slip from her tattered storage bracelet.
Faint flame patterns flowed across the jade slip.
She tossed the jade slip forward.
The jade slip traced an arc in the air and hovered precisely in front of Su Yu.
Su Yu extended two fingers and pinched the jade slip. His divine sense surged into it like a tide.
" Scarlet Baleful Intent Body Burning ".
The Heaven Realm Low-Grade Body Refinement Technique uses malevolent energy to temper one's body. Upon Sha Qi, one's blood and qi are as red as malevolent energy, carrying terrifying high temperatures, and one's physical body can be compared to that of an ancient ferocious beast.
[Genuine product.]
A thought flashed through Su Yu's mind, and he put away the jade slip. His gaze towards the woman remained unchanged, but the invisible pressure he felt had subtly dissipated.
Transaction complete.
The woman's tense body relaxed almost imperceptibly. She knew she had made the right gamble. With this kind of person, no amount of insincere politeness or gratitude was as valuable as a straightforward transaction.
"My name is Luo Yuan." She spoke first, her voice weak from blood loss, but her words were clear. "Commander of the Scarlet Feather Battalion under the Zhennan Great Liang Dynasty."
Su Yu's eyebrows finally twitched almost imperceptibly.
The Great Liang Dynasty?
In this vast territory, dynasties rose and fell, and the Great Qin Dynasty was merely one of the many powerful states among them.
Su Yu had originally thought that this alternate dimension belonged to the Demon Suppression Bureau the Great Qin Dynasty, but now it seemed that the Demon Suppression Bureau might only have control over one of the entrances.
Su Yu's gaze calmly swept over the three corpses on the ground that were beginning to grow cold.
Luo Yuan understood that look.
"They are also from Great Liang." Luo Yuan's eyes dimmed slightly, tinged with hatred. "They were my former comrades. I was ordered to wipe out a rebel army on the border, but unexpectedly they secretly colluded with the Blackwater Alliance. I was surrounded and attacked, and while fleeing, I inadvertently stumbled into this place."
"Forbidden area?" Su Yu uttered two words.
A bitter expression appeared on Luo Yuan's face as she nodded. "In our Great Liang, this place is called the ' Lost Forbidden Land,' or some call it the ' Dead Land.' Because for thousands of years, nine out of ten people who have ventured into this place have never been able to leave."
She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, before continuing, "However, one of my ancestors miraculously survived from here five hundred years ago and left behind some notes."
Su Yu's eyes finally lit up for a moment.
intelligence.
This is what he needs most right now.
Luo Yuan noticed the change in his eyes, and feeling somewhat reassured, she immediately told him everything she knew.
"According to the ancestral records, this space is extremely strange, forming its own world. The air is not filled with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but with a more ancient and violent Chaos Qi. If ordinary martial artists inhale it, they will either have their spiritual energy disordered at best, or explode and die at worst."
"There are no sun, moon, or stars here. Beneath the gray fog lurk countless demons corrupted by Chaos Qi, like the ' Earth Baleful Intent Mimicry Beast ' we just encountered—those are merely the lowest level."
She glanced with lingering fear at the deep crater Su Yu had created with his claw.
"Besides demons, the notes also emphasize that there are... alien races here."
"An alien race?" Su Yu repeated.
"Yes." Luo Yuan's expression was more solemn than ever before. "They are neither Demon Race nor Devil Race. They are a kind of creature we have never seen before. They are born with the ability to control the Chaos Qi of this place, their physical bodies are extremely strong, and they regard us humans as... food."
She took a deep breath, as if recalling some terrible record.
"Of course, there are great dangers, but also great opportunities."
Luo Yuan changed the subject, her voice carrying a hint of heat that she herself was unaware of.
"This Lost Forbidden Land is said to be a fragment of an ancient battlefield. Countless ancient powerful beings perished here, and their legacies and cave dwellings are scattered throughout this space."
Su Yu listened quietly, but his heart was already stirred with emotion.
Ancient battlefield.
The power of inheritance.
This perfectly corroborates Deputy Director Li Ning's statement, "Don't die inside."
This place is both a perilous place where one is almost certain to die, and a treasure trove where one can rise to the top in one step.
Looking at Su Yu's still calm face, Luo Yuan gritted her teeth and threw out her last and most important card.
"My ancestor once saw a line of words on a stone tablet at an ancient ruin."
Her voice was extremely low, as if the words themselves contained some kind of magic.
He said that the lowest level of inheritance here... was left behind by a powerful figure at the Emperor Realm!
The legacy left behind by a powerful figure at the Emperor Realm!
These seven words, like a boulder thrown into a still lake, are enough to stir up a monstrous wave even for any martial artist in the Heaven Realm.
The Emperor Realm is a realm where one can touch the laws of heaven and earth, where words become law. It represents the true foundation of major families and the cornerstone of dynasties. Any trace of Daoist wisdom they leave behind is enough for the Heaven Realm expert to comprehend for a hundred years and benefit immeasurably.
After saying this, Luo Yuan stared intently at Su Yu, observing his reaction.
She had considered many possibilities: shock, ecstasy, greed, or even the thought of killing to steal information.
However, Su Yu's reaction exceeded all her expectations.
He simply stood there quietly, his chaotic eyes remaining completely still, as if he hadn't heard "the inheritance of the Emperor Realm " but rather "a stone by the roadside."
[ Emperor Realm Inheritance? Sounds valuable. I just wonder how many I'd have to kill to exchange for it.]
The thought flashed through Su Yu's mind, and then he looked up and calmly looked at Luo Yuan.
Where are your ancestor's notes?
His questions were direct, cold, and went straight to the heart of the matter.
Luo Yuan was slightly taken aback, then a look of helplessness and bitterness appeared on her face. "The notebook was destroyed along with the storage bracelet when I was on the run. But I have memorized all the key contents inside."
"Very good." Su Yu nodded.
This answer satisfied him.
The notes are dead, but the memories are alive. This means that, before the ruins are found, this woman is the most valuable living map.
Luo Yuan looked at him, gritted her teeth, and took the initiative to speak, "Fellow Daoist, my injuries are very serious, and this place is fraught with danger."
How about we cooperate? I'll guide you to the ruins recorded in our ancestors' handbooks. In exchange, I only ask to live safely here under your protection.