Ssssh, ssssh…
The faint rustling noises echoed continuously through the dilapidated little village, casting an eerie undertone over the abandoned settlement that hadn’t seen a soul for a thousand years.
Plop!
A shard of green tile fell from the eaves, startling some small creatures sleeping nearby.
“There’s really nothing here? How strange…”
A voice filled with puzzlement reverberated inside the dim little room. Colorful eyes swept over the walls, marked with the traces of time.
Hua Jian had to admit, the resource point she’d imagined wasn’t as rich as she thought.
While wandering in the wild, she had suddenly come across this abandoned village and was certain there’d be some treasure hidden inside.
But after entering, all she found were stones and some decayed, unrecognizable household items— nothing else.
Not even a single human bone remained. It was basically a ghost village.
The small animals and plants living here carried no spiritual energy at all, utterly useless.
After wandering around for quite a while, Hua Jian sighed in disappointment.
It seemed this place truly had no land worth exploiting. She certainly couldn’t just haul away these thousand-year-old stones and tiles to sell.
This world did have an antiques market, but ordinary tiles hardly counted as antiques.
As dusk fell, Hua Jian glanced up at the sky, deciding not to travel under the cover of darkness.
She’d rest here for one night and head elsewhere at dawn.
With that in mind, Hua Jian chose the cleanest house in the abandoned village as her resting spot for the night.
Though she knew wilderness survival, if she could stay inside a proper building, of course she’d take that option.
At least that way, she wouldn’t have to worry about waking up the next day surrounded by a group of adorable little creatures knocked out by her.
…….
“In this place? Strange… why does this smell remind me so much of those guys…”
In the dead of night, a demon cultivator clad in black quietly entered the abandoned village. The moment he stepped into the town’s perimeter, he couldn’t help but pinch his nose.
The pungent scent carried a faint familiar floral fragrance — so there were quite a few travelers in this secret realm, even those guys had sent someone in.
But that made sense. This secret realm was the battlefield of the legendary Battle of Qinglong and the Demon, one of the Four Saints.
That battle ended with Qinglong defeating the demon at the cost of injury, and after the war, the realm detached from the shattered space, isolating itself from the world for thousands of years until now.
With Qinglong wounded, the land naturally retained traces of Dragon Blood and dragon scales. Though the Dragon Blood may have long since vanished, the dragon scales must still exist here!
“These righteous fools are truly stupid, not realizing such treasures still exist in this secret realm,” the demon cultivator snorted coldly, narrowing his eyes as he headed toward a withered well in the village.
In his palm was a Bone Compass, its surface stained with a faint golden glow of blood.
The compass needle pointed straight at the well — there was no doubt the treasure he sought lay within.
Whoosh!
Like a gust of wind, the black-clad man leapt into the well, disappearing without a trace.
Several breaths later, a pair of colorful eyes appeared in the darkness, nervously looking toward the direction where the black-clad figure had vanished.
Hua Jian had naturally been awakened by the arrival of the black-clad man.
The instant he stepped into the village, she felt a chill surge from the base of her spine, immediately snapping her out of her cultivation state.
All she saw was the figure leaping into the well. She didn’t know what the man intended, but her intuition told her he was no good.
That well was unusual too. She hadn’t explored it during the day because even approaching it gave her an icy feeling deep in her heart.
Again, intuition warned her that this place likely concealed an enemy she couldn’t defeat — like an Egg Boss lurking on a hidden roadside path, guarding a treasure solely to bring players smiles.
To be safe, Hua Jian chose not to risk entering the well.
“I… better get out of here quickly.” Without hesitation, she picked the most instinctive option.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems say fleeing is the best plan; she wasn’t about to serve anyone tonight. Bye-bye!
Just as she turned to leave, the well suddenly exploded with a burst of sinister energy.
It erupted like a volcano, sending two black shapes flying out— one after the other— beginning a fierce battle in this desolate place.
The black robe on the black-clad man was corroded by the dark energy, riddled with holes. As he made large, sweeping movements, Hua Jian caught a clear look at his face.
It was a pale-faced girl, as if she hadn’t seen sunlight for centuries— a vampire.
Her opponent was a Dried Corpse clad in armor and wielding a long halberd.
They clashed in midair, exchanging blows that shook the entire area.
“What kind of spirit cultivator is this? Why are there cheats on this side too!” Hua Jian covered her head and ran amid the aftershocks of their battle.
Among spirit cultivators, Linglong was the pinnacle of combat strength she had seen so far, yet this girl fought even stronger than Linglong— she must be at the Spirit King level!
They said only spirit cultivators could enter this place, but what’s this Spirit King nonsense? Leaders of the Sacred Sect, mind your business— someone’s definitely cheating!
Hua Jian’s panicked retreat caught the vampire girl’s attention. Looking at Hua Jian’s form, which had turned into colorful petals, confusion flickered across her eyes.
Why was this person wearing the outer disciple uniform of Wanhuagu? Had their spies infiltrated the Sacred Sect?
Tsk, whatever, better focus on dealing with this Dried Corpse first. Without defeating it, the treasure in the well couldn’t be retrieved.
“Wanhuagu’s, come help me out!”
She had backup?!
Hua Jian didn’t look back as she ran, completely unaware the vampire girl was calling out to her.
Seeing Hua Jian’s resolute flight without a glance back, the vampire girl grew annoyed. Those old geezers were right— Wanhuagu really was a bunch of indecisive wastes!
After trading a couple more blows with the Dried Corpse, the girl cursed under her breath. This thing was stubbornly tough; she barely had any way to deal with it.
She’d need to prepare thoroughly before returning to deal with it.
Not wanting to get tangled any longer, the girl flicked her black robe and transformed into a gust of shadowy wind, chasing after Hua Jian’s fleeing figure.
First, she’d settle the score with that Wanhuagu troublemaker!
Watching the girl leave, the Dried Corpse that had just been battling her did not pursue. Instead, it stood dumbfounded in midair, staring after her.
Only after the girl had completely exited the village did it react, leaping back into the now-exploded well.
But now, this place no longer had the concealment it once did.
Anyone could see the secret hidden here— otherwise, why would the well’s mouth have burst open?