Chapter 441: Chapter 439: Ruins of a Second-class Sect
Shen Haoran clenched his fist. The power surging endlessly through him filled his entire body with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. If he weren’t in such a perilous Secret Realm, he couldn’t have stopped himself from roaring toward the heavens.
A moment later, Xu Hao and his group felt Shen Haoran’s aura from outside the cave and came inside.
"Brother Shen, congratulations! You’ve grown stronger again!" Xu Hao said with a smile, cupping his fist. He could no longer see through Shen Haoran at all; the man seemed to be shrouded in a transparent mist.
"It’s all thanks to you for standing guard," Shen Haoran replied with a smile. While he had been in seclusion for the Refinement of the Energy within the Golden Death Warrior Medal, a squad of Black Iron Level Death Warriors had barged in. If Xu Hao and his group hadn’t stopped them, he likely would have been forced out of his secluded state. He might have even suffered a backlash, causing his strength to plummet.
"This is the antidote for the Spirit Devouring Pill. It’s for you," Shen Haoran said, pulling a Jade Bottle from his Storage Ring and tossing it to Xu Hao’s group.
Hearing this, Xu Hao and his men quickly caught it. Although they understood why Shen Haoran had forced them to take the Spirit Devouring Pill—after all, they had been hostile to him before, so his suspicion was reasonable—it was never a good feeling to have a ticking time bomb inside your body. Now that Shen Haoran had given them the antidote, a great weight was finally lifted from their minds.
"By the way, has anything happened outside while I was in seclusion?" Shen Haoran asked, watching Xu Hao and the others take the antidote. ’It’s been four or five days since we entered the Secret Realm. At the speed Xue Shitian and Jian Wushuang travel, they must have already found some ruins. I refuse to believe that with their status in their Sects, they wouldn’t have some inside information.’
At Shen Haoran’s question, Xu Hao gave him a rough summary of what had happened during his seclusion. "Things have gotten restless in the Secret Realm since yesterday evening. The number of Death Warriors suddenly skyrocketed, and from time to time, brilliant glows erupt in the gray sky. Those are probably caused by disciples from other Sects triggering the ruins of the Ancient Sects. As for any other major events, nothing else has happened."
Hearing this, Shen Haoran lowered his head and began to ponder. ’What Xu Hao said is mostly what I expected. The ones who can enter this Secret Realm are the elites from the various Sects of the Northern Domain, the genius disciples of the younger generation. Their main purpose here isn’t to fight for their Sects’ rankings, but to increase their own strength. The inheritances from the Ancient Sects within this Secret Realm are their top priority. Therefore, finding the ruins of these Ancient Sects is what matters most; hunting Death Warriors has become secondary.’
"Looks like it’s time I went looking for the ruins of those Ancient Sects," Shen Haoran muttered. ’Most of the Death Warriors wandering this Secret Realm are Black Iron Level; even Silver Level ones are rare. To find any Gold Level Death Warriors, I’ll have to go to the ruins of the Ancient Sects. If I can find an Elixir or two, or maybe an Ancient Martial Skill in those ruins, I’ll have hit the jackpot!’
"Since you entered the Secret Realm, have you discovered any ruins of the Ancient Sects?" Shen Haoran asked Xu Hao and his group.
When they heard Shen Haoran’s question, Xu Hao and his group looked a little embarrassed. He gave a wry smile and said, "Brother Shen, we haven’t had the time to look. Even if we found some, with our strength, we wouldn’t be able to get very far inside. To be honest, and please don’t laugh, our Qi Refining Sect is just an ordinary Third-class Sect. Even though my strength has reached Tier Nine Spirit Marquis, the Cultivation and Martial Skill I practice are far inferior to those of disciples from Major Sects. My combat power can’t even compare to a Tier Eight Spirit Marquis from your Celestial Spirit Sect. So when we entered this Secret Realm, we set our sights on just hunting the wandering Black Iron Death Warriors to raise our strength. We never even considered going after the ruins of any Ancient Sects."
Hearing this, Shen Haoran’s expression turned strange. He then said, "If that’s the case, why did you attack me at the Altar Square? Didn’t you know I was a disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect?"
When Shen Haoran brought it up again, Xu Hao’s face flushed red. He coughed and said, "Ahem... At the time, I saw that your strength was low, but you were acting so arrogantly. I just wanted to step up and show off a bit, to let our Qi Refining Sect make a name for itself in front of all the Major Sects of the Northern Domain. Who knew you were such a monster?"
Shen Haoran found this rather amusing. ’But since Xu Hao and his group are following me, I can’t let them leave empty-handed. A trip to the ruins of an Ancient Sect is a must.’
RUMBLE...
While Shen Haoran was lost in thought, an earth-shattering boom suddenly came from outside. The entire cave began to tremble. The stone walls, which were already covered in cracks, now began to collapse, and it looked like the cave was about to be buried by falling boulders.
"Get out, now!" The sudden turn of events caught Shen Haoran and his group off guard. They immediately dashed out of the cave. Just as they escaped, a thunderous roar sounded from behind them. A cloud of dust and debris billowed out as the cave they had just been in was instantly flattened.
"What’s going on?" Xu Hao stared at the peak, from which boulders were still tumbling, unable to process what had just happened.
"Look over there!" one of the disciples shouted, pointing toward the distant horizon. Hearing this, Shen Haoran and the others turned their gazes in that direction. The sight on the horizon left them all stunned.
In the distance, the once-gray sky was now covered by a boundless, multicolored radiance, a magnificent and fantastical sight. An incredibly fierce Sword Qi erupted from within that brilliant glow, looking as if it could cleave the very heavens and earth apart. The tremor from before must have been caused by this Sword Qi.
"The ruins of a Second-class Ancient Sect!" Xu Hao couldn’t help but cry out as he saw the immense radiance.
"Second-class Ancient Sect ruins? The ruins are ranked?" Shen Haoran asked, confused by Xu Hao’s words.
"Of course. This Secret Realm was left behind by the hundred great Sects of the Northern Domain in Ancient Times. Those hundred Sects had their own hierarchy of strong and weak, so the ruins they left behind are also ranked. The ones that have appeared over the last few days were just third-class ruins, equivalent to a modern Third-class Sect. There probably isn’t much of value inside them. This one before us is a second-class ruin, which would be on par with a Sect like the Celestial Spirit Sect today. There’s bound to be plenty of treasure inside. And our ultimate goal, the Saint Emperor Sect... well, that’s a first-class ruin. I don’t even need to explain what that means, do I?" Xu Hao explained.
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