Exploring Ruins to Claim Rare Treasures, the Free Wanderer Returns to Begin the Journey Anew

The dark river, carrying gravel, scraped against the soles of Shen Yi’s boots. Using his sword sheath, he brushed aside the glowing moss hanging down. Squinting in the eerie blue light refracted by the stalactites, he focused intently.

Suddenly, the bronze compass in Mingyue’s hand emitted a buzzing sound, its needle pointing directly at a gap in the stone wall, partially concealed by vines—there, the faint outline of a faded three-eyed serpent pattern was visible, identical to the totem on the back of the Chiyang Sect’s token.

“This pattern…” Qingfeng lifted a half-broken vine with his folding fan, revealing a crevice in the stone from which a sandalwood-scented mist began to pour forth.

At that moment, a frost blossom instantly formed on the Clear Heart Pendant at Gaoyao’s waist. She swiftly pressed down on Shen Yi’s wrist just as he reached out to touch the stone wall. “It’s the remnants of the Nine-Turn Sealing Spirit Formation. Don’t touch it!”

The spiritual energy lingering at Shen Yi’s fingertips sparked tiny arcs within the sandalwood mist. Seizing the moment, he pulled Gaoyao half a step aside, a roguish smile tinged with seriousness playing on his lips. “Fairy, you seem so nervous. Could it be you’re worried I’ll claim the credit first?” As he spoke, the phantom of the Seven Absolute Heart-Biting Grass flickered briefly in his palm. Dark purple vines slithered into the stone crevice, producing a few sharp clangs as metal struck stone.

The gap suddenly exploded open, revealing not a deadly formation as expected, but a stone chamber measuring thirty steps in every direction.

A bronze lamp ignited on its own without wind, illuminating every detail of a jade slip suspended above the central stone altar. The golden inscriptions flowing across the jade were as gentle and warm as spring water, yet the mechanical spider device assembled by Mingyue shattered into iron fragments as soon as it climbed onto the threshold.

“Nice find,” Shen Yi whistled, stepping over the scattered spider remains.

His divine sense swept over the pitch-black fruit within the system space, noting that the ancient tomb patterns on its surface subtly echoed the inscriptions on the jade slip.

Just as he was about to move forward, Qingfeng’s blood-stained folding fan suddenly barred the way. “Brother Shen, look at the ground.”

Silver sand oozed from the cracks between the bluestone slabs, curiously flowing backward toward the base of the stone altar. Gaoyao flicked a cluster of gravel with her sword tip, her dark brows knitting. “It’s spirit-devouring sand mixed with meteorite iron. No wonder my divine sense couldn’t detect any anomalies earlier…”

Before she could finish, the stone altar suddenly sank three inches.

The rumbling sound of mechanisms echoed from the walls as seventy-two poisoned bronze spikes rained down like a storm, while the floor split open in a spiderweb pattern.

The black iron chain Mingyue had just thrown around a pillar began to glow red as it was corroded by the black mist rising from the fissures.

“Keep going!” Qingfeng swirled and flicked away his fan, eighteen ribs transforming into streams of light that vanished into the wall.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yi launched the Seven Absolute Heart-Biting Grass seeds. Dark purple vines wove a dense net through the rain of bronze spikes, their poisoned tendrils continuously regenerating.

Gaoyao’s frost sword technique froze three cracks, yet more fissures spread beneath her feet.

“Third stone tile on the left!” Mingyue suddenly shouted, bronze counting rods flying from her sleeve to form a star chart in midair. “But someone needs to press down on the southeast corner at the same time…” The sound of the mechanism drowned out the rest of her words. Shen Yi watched helplessly as the protective barrier around the jade slip flickered uncertainly—if the mechanism continued unchecked, this treasure was doomed to perish with the chamber.

The burning backlash of the Heart-Biting Grass’s spiritual power surged through Shen Yi’s meridians. Wiping blood from his lips, his divine sense scanned the system alert: [Top-grade Earth-rank “Void Formation Decryption” fragment detected. Recommended priority for host acquisition.]

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gaoyao’s frost-bound hairpin and recalled her trembling fingertips as she secretly used her life blood last night to suppress his backlash.

“Let’s gamble,” Shen Yi declared suddenly, withdrawing his protective spiritual light as the phantom of the Heart-Biting Grass swelled behind him.

Three bronze spikes whistled past his neck as he leapt toward the edge of the black mist-torn fissure. Gathering emerald spiritual light in his palm, he struck fiercely toward Mingyue’s indicated spot. “Bookworm, it’s your turn!”

Mingyue caught the mechanical box he tossed her. Dozens of gear components automatically assembled midair.

---

She bit her finger and inscribed talismans on the bronze counting rods, her voice trembling with sobs. “It needs half an incense stick’s time!” At that moment, the last three supporting pillars slowly sank underground, tilting the entire stone chamber while the golden light from the jade slip was gradually devoured by black mist.

Shen Yi grabbed Qingfeng’s arm with one hand just as he was about to slip into the abyss. The Heart-Biting Grass vines wove a fragile net beneath their feet.

Gaoyao’s frost sword energy continuously froze the cracks, but ice crystals had already formed at her temples—a sign of spiritual power exhaustion.

He reached into his pocket for the pitch-black fruit when a system alarm suddenly blared in his divine sense: [Warning! Forced maturation will trigger spiritual power runaway.]

“Damn it…” Shen Yi laughed abruptly, his blood-stained teeth gleaming eerily in the dim light.

Emerald spiritual blades formed at his fingertips, but instead of striking the mechanism’s core, he slashed his own wrist. “Mingyue!” The golden blood droplets landed precisely on the pivot of the rotating mechanical box. “Save that for me!”

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