Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Yun Tianmo turned around and whispered a few words in Yun Tianying's ear, then instructed the shadow guards to handle things as they saw fit. If they could get in, that would be best; if not, it was important to preserve their strength first.
"Is the Ninth Prince of Cloud Nation going too?" The crowd, previously worried about injuries and being sidelined, became restless upon seeing Ouyang Zixin disappear. Now that even the most influential Ninth Prince of Cloud Nation was attempting to enter, they feared that if they didn't act quickly, they might end up with nothing even if they managed to get inside.
As everyone discussed their next steps while keeping an eye on Yun Tianmo, they were astonished to see him disappear from his spot in no time at all, leaving them wide-eyed in shock.
Was it really that simple? What were those guards doing earlier?
Could it be that Dream Nation was deliberately misleading everyone? Were they waiting for everyone to retreat before entering themselves?
The looks directed at Dream Nation changed significantly, which drove Feng Chengxuan nearly to madness as he glared at Baike. "You brought these useless people!"
Baike had no words to express her frustration; this wasn't some trick but rather that the guards had genuinely failed. However, seeing the two of them enter one after another left her with no room to argue, so she lowered her head and ignored the stares.
Ouyang Zixin was the first to enter, followed by Yun Tianmo. After these two entered the Millennium Ruins, the others were unwilling to fall behind and began trying their luck as well...
————————————————
Upon entering the Millennium Ruins, Ouyang Zixin was startled by what she saw. In front of her stood two enormous statues: one was imposing and serious, holding a long knife, while the other appeared playful and mischievous, seemingly holding a bag.
These statues were so lifelike that Ouyang Zixin initially thought they were real people. After a moment of shock, she remembered that the Millennium Ruins had been sealed for so long; how could there be any living beings? Gathering her courage, she approached to examine them more closely. The statue holding the long knife had a somewhat weathered exterior, but the knife itself was remarkably well-preserved and still glinted with a metallic sheen.
However, since the Millennium Ruins were buried underground, there shouldn't be any light here. Why did the blade still reflect light?
Following the direction of the reflected light, Ouyang Zixin took small steps forward. It turned out that many luminous objects were embedded in the stone walls; they sparkled brightly, but she couldn't tell what material they were made of. Yet after a millennium or even longer, their ability to shine indicated that they were anything but ordinary.
Ouyang Zixin was contemplating whether to dig out a little to take with her when she realized that she didn't have a single suitable Mystical Artifact at hand. She couldn't help but regret rejecting Ouyang Hao's offer to find a Mystical Artifact for her. Even a small dagger would have sufficed.
The treasure was right in front of her, yet she couldn't obtain it, which made Ouyang Zixin feel quite pained.
Well, perhaps she would find some Mystical Artifact later; she could dig then.
Thinking this way, Ouyang Zixin no longer felt it was such a pity. She turned to look at the statue holding something resembling a bag. The expression on the statue's face was very rich. It had a somewhat strange smile, but it was clear that the sculptor intended to convey a joyful emotion.
"Turns out it's not a bag," Ouyang Zixin said as she stepped closer. She discovered that what the statue held was merely a piece of cloth-like material, with some patterns faintly visible on it. "Could it be a map?"
If this was indeed a map, then the figure beside it holding a long knife should represent a warrior, while this one represented a scholar. What could be the significance of these two statues, one literary and one martial? Could it be that this place was not some ruins but rather the tomb of a Sovereign?
Ouyang Zixin shivered all over, suddenly feeling an eerie sensation in this bright underground ruin. Although it might just be her imagination, she couldn't shake off the thought lingering in her mind.
Out of superstition or respect, Ouyang Zixin bowed to each of the two statues. Even if they were merely guardians, proper etiquette should still be observed.
"Buzz—"
Just as Ouyang Zixin prepared to continue deeper inside, the buzzing sound in her mind started again. Although it was likely that the previous buzzing sound had echoed with that single chime to allow her safe passage inside, most of the time, its meaning remained unclear.
"What do you mean by buzz? What are you trying to say? If you have something to say, just say it!" Ouyang Zixin retorted, though her steps halted. Could it be that there was some mystery about those two statues that she had overlooked?
"That map in the statue's hand."
"I know that's a map; how could I not..." Ouyang Zixin began to respond casually but realized halfway through that something was off. Wait, did it really just speak?!
"Come on, Master, it's only been a short while since we last met, and you've even become slower to react." Nameless thought that during its sealed period, its master had become duller, mistaking the buzzing sound in her mind for actual speech.
"Ah, so it's Nameless. I was wondering how after all this time, the buzzing sound that never communicated properly could suddenly speak. It really scared me half to death.
But why did Nameless suddenly reappear?
'After Lingchi Peak returned, were you sealed by some strange power again?' Other than this possibility, Ouyang Zixin couldn't think of any reason why Nameless had been silent for so long. Even during the last time when her life was in danger, he didn't show up.
'Yes, and that time the power was particularly strong. It seemed to break through some kind of restriction and then connected with Nameless, but then it disappeared again, and Nameless was sealed at the same time.'
Another mysterious power. Every time Nameless is sealed in the Yuhai Continent, what good is that? It's not like danger only exists in ruins or secret realms, or places like Lingchi Peak.
'Really can't figure it out?'
Nameless seemed to think for a moment before speaking: 'I have some clues now, but it's still not very clear. Master, let's check the map first.'
'Oh, right.' Ouyang Zixin finally remembered that they had stopped for that so-called map and turned back. 'But how did you wake up after buzzing? I thought there might be something else in my head that could talk.'
Nameless felt helpless about Ouyang Zixin's confusion. If he said it was just a coincidence, she probably wouldn't believe him anyway, so he chose to remain silent.
When they reached the front of the map, Ouyang Zixin bent down to take a closer look. The lines drawn on it were not many; it was a very simple map. After looking for a while, she discovered that there were actually three entrances on this map, while there was only one exit, resembling a maze.
'This should be a topographic map of this place.' Nameless released his consciousness to explore. After comparing, he found that one of the entrances on the map resembled their current location somewhat.
'Only you would waste your consciousness on exploring paths. You should know how vast this place is; if you exhaust too much Mysterious Energy, what will we do if we encounter danger?!' Ouyang Zixin felt that Nameless was being quite extravagant and couldn't help but complain.
'Alright, I've noted everything down. Let's go.'
'Hey. I say, do you want to come out? It wouldn't feel so lonely this way.'"
"Hey. I said, why have you become so silent?"
"Hey, how about you come out and I'll teach you to compose poetry?"
"Master, didn't you say to conserve Mysterious Energy? It's good to save both energy and words."
Uh...
---
Not long after Ouyang Zixin had entered, Yun Tianmo also stepped into the Millennium Ruins. As expected, the mystery lay within those fish-like eyes.
Casually surveying the surroundings, Yun Tianmo found that the interior of the Millennium Ruins was very spacious, completely unlike the cramped appearance of Luoping Village. However, the lighting here was not very sufficient. To see clearly, one would need to exert some effort.
The interior of the Millennium Ruins was entirely made of stone, with surfaces polished to a smooth finish, showing no signs of decay. The place where Yun Tianmo stood was an empty room; aside from the walls, there was nothing but stone.
The lack of light made it difficult for Yun Tianmo to see all four walls at once, and he didn't want to waste Mysterious Energy right after entering. He quickly walked around the walls to get a general idea and found that there were no mechanisms in this room, nor any signs that anyone had ever stayed here.
Could it be that Ouyang Zixin hadn't come in? No, that’s impossible!
As Yun Tianmo pondered whether to search for Ouyang Zixin, he noticed that the traces left behind had mysteriously vanished. If he hadn't known better, anyone else who came here might think no one had ever been present.
"I see." With a smirk, Yun Tianmo decided to check other areas; perhaps he might run into Ouyang Zixin after all.
He couldn't see an entrance in the room; only a passage-like opening on the wall directly in front of him led into darkness, with no indication of where it might lead. But regardless of where it went, he had no choice since this was the only path available.
As he walked through the passage, Yun Tianmo began to worry about Yun Tianying. His brother was in bad shape; poison had seeped into his bones. Although he had been suppressing it with medicine, it couldn't be delayed any longer. Originally planning to enter together for mutual support, who would have thought that the Millennium Ruins would be so strange? Not only was there uncertainty about encountering each other inside, but it seemed that far fewer people could enter than anticipated.
He had already conveyed the key information to him. If he could enter, that would be best; if not, there was nothing more to be done.
The passage was long, and without any light, Yun Tianmo had no idea how long he had been walking or where he was headed. Just as he counted his steps approaching ten thousand, a faint current of air finally stirred in the passage, indicating that the exit was not far away.
Calmly, Yun Tianmo continued at a steady pace, knowing that as long as he reached an exit, there was no need to rush.
Sure enough, after walking for a while longer, he saw a faint glow ahead. Just as Yun Tianmo stepped out of the passage, he realized he had returned to the same empty room as before, but this time it was slightly brighter.
Since the entrance and exit were the same, this room must be illogical. After circling around and returning here, the room had brightened a bit. What did this mean?
Turning around, Yun Tianmo looked back into the passage for a moment and confirmed that it was still pitch black inside. However, when he had stood in the room looking inward earlier, it had also been dark. Now that he had come out and seen a change in the room, could it be that the passage would also change?
Hmm, this is interesting.
Without hesitation, Yun Tianmo stepped back into the passage. This time he walked even slower, testing as he went by slightly releasing some of his spiritual awareness. It wasn't about wasting energy anymore; without understanding the intricacies of this place, let alone exploring the Millennium Ruins, finding a way out would likely become a significant challenge.
Eight thousand steps.
When Yun Tianmo stepped out of the passage back into the room this time, he had only taken eight thousand steps—at least two thousand steps fewer than before. This meant that with each passage through, it became shorter, and he needed to find a way out before it shrank to just one step back to the room. Otherwise, this passage would become meaningless, and he would be trapped in this increasingly brightening room.
After observing for the second time, Yun Tianmo noticed that there seemed to be stone partitions in the passage approximately every thousand steps. These partitions were embedded in the stone walls and were hard to notice unless one looked closely. What purpose did these partitions serve? Could they be some kind of mechanism? Should he try to investigate?
If nothing unexpected happened, Yun Tianmo likely had no more than four chances left, so he needed to think carefully before stepping back in.
Meanwhile, while Yun Tianmo was stuck in place, Ouyang Zixin had arrived unimpeded at the second gate of the Millennium Ruins. Why call it the second gate? Because it was also a Double Stone Gate adorned with an old Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram.
"Seriously? Not again!" Ouyang Zixin was exasperated. Could they not come up with something fresh? Every gate looked the same; there was absolutely no creativity involved.
"Master, wait a moment."
"What is it?" Nameless had been silent throughout the journey and had even made some sarcastic remarks about Ouyang Zixin. Now that he spoke up again, Ouyang Zixin naturally did not respond with a pleasant tone.
Well, it's confirmed, the master is becoming more and more childish.
"Master, is this the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram you mentioned?" Since Nameless had not awakened before entering the ruins, this was his first time seeing the pattern on the stone door.
"Yes, that's it. Don't worry, I have experience. The first door looked exactly like this one; I'll open it."
At this moment, Nameless couldn't care less about being discreet. He transformed and floated ahead to closely examine the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram. His floating form in the ruins indeed resembled something eerie, causing Ouyang Zixin to feel an inexplicable chill.
"Walk properly; don't float around. You should at least be aware of your surroundings. What if you get mistaken for a Ghost?"
Nameless was so focused on studying the pattern on the stone door that he completely missed what Ouyang Zixin said. Later on, it was precisely because of this remark that he almost became a Ghost.
Uh, that's a story for another time. (To be continued.)
P.S.: Tomorrow is Friday again. Will Kouxin continue to run around naked? Sigh, has Kouxin turned into a single-player game? Just weakly asking, how many people are still following the story? Can anyone say something?
Comment 0 Comment Count