Pathway

Chapter 136: The Desolate Ruins [1]

The encampment surrounding the Desolate Ruins, which Yan Zhihao called the Titan's Tears, remained a wonder to behold. Even though it appeared as if it had been tossed together in an hour in a strange manner. Shacks and stalls were cobbled together from raw materials, many in a half-constructed state all over the wilds.

Every year, all the sects on the continent of Dajing would come together to participate in the competition known as the Run-Of-Ruins. Disciples from these sects would be pitched against one another in finding the treasures of the ruins, especially the extremely valuable cores of the powerful beasts. The black dragons in particular. This year was no different. The only one road leading into the ruins was packed with different types of cultivators from various sects who couldn't wait to get going.

Since this was a major ruins, the anticipation was high for the sects' elders and students. Some large fireflies dashed between ramshackle huts, making buzzing sounds that sounded across the Desolate Wilds. But all these details could not hide the obvious from the groups of disciples which surrounded Ju Feng from every angle. 

Ju Feng had been selected, alongside another young girl from the house of fire, Liu Bo, to go with the appointed peak stage cultivators of the Flying-Stars sect.  Ju Feng watched in fascination, young cultivators from different factions of the Flying Stars sect, all dressed in sect's robe designed with their factions emblems. Some had outer robes sewn with images of dragons and birds in flight, others of lions and tigers.

Ju Feng had never seen so many sects and different factions of disciples packed into such a tight space. Disciples carrying various types of weapons. Ranging from swords, spears, whips, hooks, axes, awls, to halberds and other weapons. He was really admiring all the disciples. They were dressed in intricate formal robes. Some that burned like a phoenix's flames, and others that were of shoddy brown castoffs. 

Above it all, the titanic layers of the Desolate Ruins loomed like a mountain carved of brown stone. It reminded Ju Feng of the Deathkeep on Lumence dimensional world which he had visited back at the forsaken palace. It was so strangely familiar when compared to Deathkeep that Ju Feng wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But he knew it wasn't of the same make. Deathkeep was on a dimensional plane while this was on the mortal plane.

Looking around properly, he discovered most of them were peak stage zuji cultivators. Only a few of them were at the early stage like himself, with specific purposes. 

Yan Zhihao, who had been looking anxiously at the ruins, brightened up. He waited until a massive cart had rattled by before he spoke.

"The cores of the divine beasts of the Desolate Ruins are the most prized, Ju Feng. But we still take any treasure we see. You can seek treasures individually, but don't stray too far from the group. And if you encounter a black dragon, call for help. Everybody seeks a core of the black dragon, forgetting about its dangers. But I won't lie to you, the corevof the Desolate dragon will elevate one faction to the heavens."

Yan Zhihao couldn't contain his excitement. He began to prepare himself, gesturing with his hands so that his spear bobbed wildly, causing several rifts to appear in the air. He continued as though he hadn't seen them. 

"You see this ruins, it's a treasure on its own just like the others like it. They are drawing heavenly energy from hundreds of miles around, and filled with ancient secrets of great power. Almost a thousand years ago, the Desolate Wilds were totally lawless, plagued by beasts and by mutated daemons no better than animals themselves. Each man considered himself an Emperor, each woman an Empress, and they ruled whatever they could take at the end of a blade. But one day..." 

Yan Zhihao stared at Ju Feng proudly.

"...A woman emerged from nowhere with a heavenly treasure in her hand. A red spear. She united these rogue sacred artists under one name, killing those who resisted, and spreading law and civilization across the Wilds. No one could stand against them, because no one could oppose her powers."

He smiled wider, because even Zu Tao, one of the other cultivators of the house of lightning, was also listening with obvious interest. 

"You see, her heavenly powers were said to devour spirits. When she destroyed a daemon, she consumed its power, until she grew so strong that she could slay entire armies at a stroke. For the next two centuries, while she was around, all the Desolate area remained peaceful under her rule."

He waved a hand as though brushing aside two hundred years. 

"The story of her ascension is a long one, but it's enough to say that the Ruins rose on the day of her ascension. She entered and never emerged again. She ascended while inside the ruins. Some say that she received her power from the Ruins in the beginning, and she was only returning the power she had borrowed before she ascended. I believe that she found some treasures inside the ruins. Her legacy could be inside, who knows. But our aim is the core of the desolate black dragon. That's power."

"I believe you can retrieve the shadow dragon core, brother Zhihao" 

Ju Feng said with a nod. Though it was clear that Yan Zhihao wasn't the most powerful young cultivator in the Flying Stars sect, Ju had a feeling about him. Yan Zhihao clapped Ju Feng on the back so hard that Ju Feng thought he would bruise. 

"I know my place, Ju Feng. I'm only here to bring some small glory to our sect as much as I am capable of. But the dragons are not for individual disciple to confront. Same thing applied to you. You see, the Desolate Ruins is a deadly place. The group must work together when needed. That's why you trained in the circle of one."

He smiled wider, because even Zu Tao, one of the other cultivators of the house of lightning, was also acknowledging with obvious nods. 

"You'll be tested inside."