Chapter 1396: Ruins Exposed

The Golden Eagle Market in the Ghost Sea was bustling with people, and the sounds of activity filled the air, presenting a lively scene.

The Golden Eagle Market is the closest market to the Ghost Sea, a vast region where numerous treasures have been left behind. This attracts a large number of cultivators seeking riches, contributing to the market's prosperity. However, precisely because of this, the Golden Eagle Market is a motley mix of people, and incidents of murder and robbery are more common here than in other sea regions.

In the northwest corner of the market stood a secluded courtyard. This was a residential area, where cultivators were rarely seen walking on the streets.

It was a two-courtyard house, featuring a pond several hundred feet in size, a patch of green bamboo, and a three-story green pavilion.

A pale yellow light barrier enveloped the entire courtyard. Suddenly, the pavilion began to shake violently, and a faint, deafening dragon roar could be heard.

Inside the pavilion, Huang Yuxu sat cross-legged on a green meditation cushion, his upper body bare. A miniature, entirely yellow flood dragon continuously swam across his skin. Wherever the yellow flood dragon passed, his muscles visibly swelled, accompanied by a crackling sound of bones.

A loud dragon roar sounded as the miniature flood dragon suddenly flew off his body, hovering erratically inside the room and emitting deafening roars.

Countless yellow spiritual patterns lit up on Huang Yuxu's body, and his aura expanded considerably.

Not long after, the miniature flood dragon flew back onto his body, and with a flash of yellow light, it vanished.

Huang Yuxu exhaled a long, turbid breath. He had disguised himself and hidden in the Ghost Sea. Fearing betrayal, he had brought no subordinates and had not contacted any cultivators from Huanglong Island.

It's said a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. But he was no gentleman; he could wait five hundred years, let alone ten.

He knew very well that he was no match for the Green Lotus Immortal Couple. A rash attack would only alert his enemies. Against a powerful foe, he must either not act or strike with full force. Until he had a ninety percent chance of defeating the Green Lotus Immortal Couple, he would not engage in direct conflict with the Wang family's high-level cultivators, much less trouble their younger generation. He intended to endure hardship, cultivating diligently for his revenge.

Huang Yuxu took out a communication disk, entered a magic formula, and commanded, "Sun Qian, come see me at once. I have something to ask you."

"Yes, Master."

To ensure a steady flow of information, he had subjugated a group of cultivators, tasking them with gathering all kinds of intelligence, including news of secret realms, ancient ruins, and reports on the Wang family and various major powers.

Huang Yuxu's features blurred, transforming him into an old man with a wizened face. He walked out, gazing at the clear blue sky. He stretched his body and then removed the restrictions.

Not long after, a man's voice came from outside: "Disciple requests to see Master."

"Come in!"

A green-robed old man with a shifty appearance pushed open the courtyard gate and entered. He quickly walked up to Huang Yuxu and bowed respectfully.

"Dispense with the formalities," Huang Yuxu said. "Has anything significant happened in the South Sea while I was in secluded cultivation?"

Huang Yuxu asked casually, his tone indifferent.

The green-robed old man dared not neglect the command and truthfully recounted everything he knew.

Huang Yuxu frowned. He wasn't concerned about Zhou Sihong's existence; in fact, he even wished Zhou Sihong would open a spatial passage to the Demon Realm! Only if the South Sea descended into chaos could he profit from the confusion. Ideally, the spatial passage would be near Green Lotus Island.

Even if the entire South Sea were destroyed by demons, Huang Yuxu wouldn't feel any regret. He was now a solitary figure, free from constraints and with no attachments. If cultivation in the South Sea was ruined, he could go to the Northern Frontier or the Central Plains; the Dongli Realm was vast enough that he would always find a place to settle.

What concerned him was Wang Qingshan. The fact that Wang Qingshan had sparred with True Lord Jinjing and actually fought to a draw made him increasingly wary of the Wang family.

"I understand," Huang Yuxu said. "You have handled matters very effectively; this flying knife is your reward. I will be leaving for a while. Don't wander off or stir up trouble, and pay attention to Zhou Sihong and the situation in the Five Dragon Sea Region."

Huang Yuxu took out a crimson, shimmering flying knife and handed it to the green-robed old man, who profusely thanked him.

Leaving the market, Huang Yuxu transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot through the air, flying towards the Ghost Sea.

The Green Lotus Immortal Couple and the Green Lotus Sword Master far surpassed cultivators of the same rank in strength. If he had a spirit treasure in hand, Huang Yuxu would feel more confident. Huanglong Island possessed only one spirit treasure, the Yellow Dragon Seal, which was now in Zhang Wuchen's possession. If Huang Yuxu wanted to obtain a spirit treasure, he would have to try his luck in forbidden lands, secret realms, or ancient ruins.

The Ghost Sea was once the headquarters of the Myriad Ghost Sect. The entire region had been ravaged, leaving behind many treasures. Throughout history, a few cultivators had discovered treasures here and risen to prominence.

An hour later, Huang Yuxu's escape speed slowed. He frowned slightly, observing more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators battling in mid-air.

Huang Yuxu had no interest whatsoever in watching low-level cultivators fight. However, he noticed one group of cultivators using puppet beasts against their enemies.

A young man in a green shirt, in his early twenties, scoffed and sneered, "Hmph, it's your good fortune to die by a puppet formation."

Huang Yuxu's expression turned cold. In the entire South Sea cultivation world, not many forces could use puppet formations in combat, and the Wang family was one of them.

Huang Yuxu was already angered by the news that Wang Qingshan had fought True Lord Jinjing to a draw. Now, encountering what appeared to be Wang family cultivators, he naturally wouldn't hold back his fury.

He slammed his right hand towards the void. A loud whooshing sound filled the air as countless thin yellow lights emerged, striking towards the green-shirted youth and his companions.

The green-shirted youth and his companions were greatly startled. They tried to dodge, but it was too late; the dense yellow lights instantly reached them, binding them. More than ten puppet beasts were struck by an invisible, powerful gust of wind and immediately exploded.

Huang Yuxu's figure flickered, appearing before one of the green-shirted youths.

"Senior, spare my life..."

Before the green-shirted youth could finish speaking, Huang Yuxu's right hand pressed onto his head. A large swath of white light emanated from his hand as he performed a soul-searching technique, hoping to uncover information if the youth was indeed a Wang family cultivator.

If he discovered the whereabouts of Wang family cultivators in the Ghost Sea, Huang Yuxu would absolutely exterminate them all.

Huang Yuxu's eyes lit up, and his expression grew excited. The Wang family cultivators had discovered a ruin in the Ghost Sea, and thousands of Wang family cultivators were living within it.

"Haha, heaven helps me!" Huang Yuxu cackled. "First, I'll collect some interest from you."

Huang Yuxu laughed maniacally. A large swath of yellow light emerged from his body, transforming into numerous three-foot-long yellow sharp swords that shot out in all directions.

A series of screams erupted as more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators were cut into bloody mist by the yellow sharp swords, leaving only five Wang family Foundation Establishment cultivators alive.

Huang Yuxu took the five Foundation Establishment cultivators and flew towards the Zhenhai Sect ruins. These five cultivators were originally guarding the market, but having encountered a bottleneck in their cultivation, they had gone out to seek opportunities. Unexpectedly, they first encountered rogue cultivators, and then ran into Huang Yuxu during their battle.

The tricky part was that entering and exiting the ruins required a specific key; without it, one couldn't get in.

These five Foundation Establishment cultivators did not have the key, so they couldn't actively enter the ruins. He decided he could try using a spirit treasure to open a breach.

If he couldn't enter the ruins, Huang Yuxu would still spread the news. If others knew that the Wang family controlled a massive ruin, other forces might seek to cause trouble for them.

A month later, startling news quickly spread: deep within the Ghost Sea lay the ruins of a major cultivation sect, now occupied by the Green Lotus Wang family.

Some believed it, while others doubted. However, as the ruins of the major cultivation sect were deep within the Ghost Sea and fraught with danger, no one had yet verified the claim. Nevertheless, the news spread rapidly.