Chapter 172: Message from the Land of Ancient Ruins

Though composed, the elder sister strictly adhered to the principles of hierarchy, making her seem more distant.

The group of three headed towards the reception room.

Shortly after.

“I wondered who it was; it’s indeed the Deputy Sect Master of the Ink Wash Sect. My two thoughtless disciples have inconvenienced you, Daoist Brother.”

“By no means, City Lord, you speak too highly.”

It had to be admitted that after the downfall of the Tuoba and Bai families, Guiling City, under Wang Yu's rule, was indeed flourishing, exhibiting far greater vitality than in the past.

Many policies offered partial concessions to stimulate the prosperity of the entire Guiling market, which in turn solidified this burgeoning alliance of interests.

Some people had already wholeheartedly recognized Wang Yu's rule.

The Deputy Sect Master stood before them, dressed in a thin green robe, carrying a pear-carved box on his back.

This was a secret art of the Ink Wash Sect; inside, it contained scrolls they had painted during their cultivation of the art of painting. These scrolls held the formidable power to transform the ephemeral into reality and spiritual consciousness into artistic essence.

It was not only a symbol of their painting mastery and state of mind but also their method of combat, much like talismans. Each scroll was an unfathomable trump card.

However, these painted treasures had to be kept close to the body and nourished with their unique ink-wash true essence to ensure their power was not lost.

Only after prolonged nourishment could they be fully stabilized, allowing them to be stored in storage bags or passed down as a legacy for future generations, much like high-level talismans.

The Deputy Sect Master's title was Recluse Qingyang.

At the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, it was rumored that with just a suitable Core Formation spirit item or the assistance of a high-grade Golden Core Pill, he would have an 80% chance of successfully breaking through.

His reputation in this area was no less than that of the ancestors of Guiling's Three Clans.

The Ink Wash Sect, founded a millennium ago by a loose cultivator who acquired the legacy of painting arts from an ancient ruin, had yet to produce a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Combining this with the information provided by Guan Yingxue, their purpose was self-evident.

Recluse Qingyang, humbling himself, stood up and bowed, saying, “I believe the City Lord can guess the reason for my visit this time. The ancient ruin holds great opportunities. Would the City Lord consider allowing my Ink Wash Sect to occupy a section of the ruins alongside you?”

Wang Yu remained silent, contemplating quietly.

The ancient history of this realm was divided into two periods.

The period from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago was the ancient era, for which current historical records are relatively complete, allowing for a general reconstruction of the historical timeline.

The period from 50,000 to 100,000 years ago was the primordial era. The rulers of heaven and earth at that time were a glorious Immortal Dynasty, rumored to have connections with immortals, but a complete history is difficult to piece together.

Some major events were fragmented and recorded ambiguously.

And before 100,000 years ago was the lost era, for which there are no current documents or ancient texts with records.

The ancient ruin was a remnant of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty.

The one near Guiling City was an ancient capital of the Immortal Dynasty named Dongji Capital, whose area was immeasurable. Only a small part of it was currently visible above ground.

Every day, cultivators entered the ruin's depths to explore and seek treasures.

Recently, it was unknown what had been triggered, but certain anomalies had appeared, causing the surrounding forces to be greatly stirred and begin their own actions.

“This matter is of great importance. Not only the forces around Guiling City, but even the Yama Ghost Market and Yellow Springs Temple might be drawn in. I, Wang, must make a cautious decision.”

Recluse Qingyang nodded.

“Qingyang understands, but… I would like to see what the previous Guiling City Lords knew about the ancient ruin. I presume they left behind a good deal of information, right?”

“Oh?”

Wang Yu smiled. The old fox was finally revealing his true intentions.

Cooperation was merely a secondary objective; his true aim was to review the exploration intelligence left by previous City Lords. The Ink Wash Sect should also possess a significant amount of information in this regard.

“That's simple. Daoist Brother Qingyang just needs to exchange it for information from the Ink Wash Sect. All my previous Guiling City Lords hailed from the Sacred Sect; there's no need for me to elaborate on their methods. Their intelligence will only be of higher value than yours.”

This was true, and after a slight hesitation, Recluse Qingyang nodded in agreement.

“The City Lord is indeed straightforward. Let us proceed with the exchange then.”

“Follow me.”

In an intelligence exchange, it wasn't about who gained or lost, but whether the information could be effectively utilized.

The Ink Wash Sect had previously benefited from the ancient ruin, so they undoubtedly had deep knowledge of its interior. Perhaps their founding patriarch had left behind a great deal of valuable intelligence.

Wang Yu would not necessarily go to explore. After all, he still had many opponents in the Foundation Establishment stage. This anomaly had attracted too many cultivators, and there would definitely be Golden Core cultivators inside.

It was even possible to encounter low-profile Nascent Soul old monsters. He couldn't join in this excitement unless most people had dispersed and it reverted to its usual state of only a few casual explorers.

Shortly after.

From the archives, they retrieved the past intelligence jade slips, a stack of twelve in total, each left by one of the previous twelve Guiling City Lords of extraordinary background.

Wang Yu had already reviewed the information contained within.

It mainly focused on the topographic restoration and speculation of Dongji Capital. As one of the four capitals of the Primordial Immortal Dynasty, it was equivalent to a national capital and thus had an imperial city.

The ruler of the Immortal Dynasty rarely visited this place, but the specifications and standards were those of a crucial capital region.

The part currently visible above ground mostly consisted of ordinary buildings such as residential houses, ancient streets, watchtowers, entertainment venues, and stables. Even so, there could still be opportunities hidden within.

It was as if everyone in the Primordial Immortal Dynasty could cultivate.

Going deeper underground, one would find a street of official residences, including the Tea and Horse Office, Canal Transport Office, Ministry of Revenue Yamen, Ministry of Personnel Yamen, and Court of State Ceremonials, among others. Many names unfamiliar to present-day people were comprehensible to Wang Yu, as he had studied history in his original world.

In the history of this realm, after the Primordial Immortal Dynasty, the concept of a 'nation' never emerged. It was entirely ruled by cultivators, and the method of building cities around spiritual veins was also passed down from the late Primordial era.

The Taihu Spiritual Domain and the Scarlet Phoenix Demonic Domain possessed vast, boundless territories. One was home to over ten billion humans, while the other had only a little over one billion, making it sparsely populated.

Yet, Wang Yu always felt it was too small!

Especially after learning that the endless ice plains in the far north were perilous lands even Nascent Soul cultivators struggled to cross, he began to feel that this continent was somewhat small.

The more he compared it to the power of cultivators, the stronger this feeling became. He couldn't explain it, nor could he understand the origin of his thoughts—was it intuition, or perhaps a sudden whim?

At this moment, Wang Yu's thoughts began to wander.

“City Lord?”

Recluse Qingyang gently called out, and only then did Wang Yu snap back to reality, realizing he was still holding the twelve jade slips.

The other party's intelligence had already been handed to him, but he had yet to provide his own.

“My apologies, I suddenly remembered something.”

“No worries at all.”

Having received the intelligence jade slips from the previous Guiling City Lords, Recluse Qingyang, slightly excited, clasped his hands and bowed to Wang Yu.

“I wonder if the City Lord has a quiet room for guests here? I assure you, I will not take this valuable information out of the City Lord's manor, nor will I secretly copy and remove it.”

Naturally, the fewer people who knew this type of information, the better.

However, judging by Recluse Qingyang's attitude, he might not even disclose it to the Ink Wash Sect. Could he truly be seeking an opportunity for Core Formation?

“Indeed, there are quiet rooms. Yingdong, lead the Recluse to the Garden of Marvelous Stones for his temporary stay.”

“Yes, Master.”

After seeing him off, Wang Yu read the Ink Wash Sect's intelligence on his way back. Their exploration and research weren't as extensive as that of the Guiling City Lords, but they had a deep understanding of one specific aspect.

At the end of the street of official residences, the Ink Wash Sect had discovered a place called the Virtuous Academy, which contained a small department with the official title 'Painting Director'.

It was here that they obtained some legacy and clues regarding the art of painting. After several more explorations, they found a gate close to the Imperial Palace, and beneath the Imperial City, they discovered the Craftsmen's Guild.

Besides stonemasons, carpenters, shipwrights, lacquerers, etc., there were also 'Painters' and 'Imperial Painters,' who were also classified as artisans.

The Ink Wash Sect's founding patriarch had received the legacy of the Painters. In his conjectures, he believed that the Imperial Painters, whose title sounded even more impressive, likely possessed Nascent Soul-level painting art legacies.

Subsequently, a succession of fatal expeditions began.

It was unclear if it was due to triggering something within the Imperial City, but from then on, the entire Dongji Capital became exceptionally dangerous, including the street of official residences and even extending to the outer residential areas.

Many deadly dangers emerged.

From minor mechanisms and restrictions to major formations and monsters!

At its most dangerous, even Golden Core cultivators would meet their demise. The last piece of information left by the Ink Wash Sect's founding patriarch before his death was that he had entered the Dongji Capital ruins.

After reviewing all this, Wang Yu gained a better understanding of how to obtain legacies within. Over the years, the Ink Wash Sect was not the only faction to benefit from the ruins.

Given this, the manifestation of this anomaly would only attract more cultivators.

A single Craftsmen's Guild could potentially hold a Nascent Soul legacy.

If Dongji Capital's Imperial City were to be activated, it would be a major opportunity affecting the entire Scarlet Phoenix Demonic Domain.

Let alone nearby forces and cultivators, even the demonic overlord, the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, would come to contend for it. This sect corresponds to the Void Heaven Sword Sect.

The few remaining Soul Transformation stage experts were found within these two major forces.

“Too dangerous.”

The end of the intelligence jade slips contained a summary of the types of monsters, mechanisms, restrictions, and formations within the ruins, as well as a 'relatively safe' route discovered by the Ink Wash Sect.

After withdrawing his spiritual consciousness.

Wang Yu firmly decided not to go!

The Dongji Capital ruins were only a few thousand li from Guiling City, not particularly far, but what they involved was extremely significant. Sometimes, local serpents couldn't defeat powerful dragons from afar.

He had a city under his control and could acquire all the resources he needed through major merchant guilds; there was no need to take further risks.

Sometimes, knowing when to advance and retreat, and suppressing greed, was also a path to progress.

There was no need to grasp everything.

He hadn't even finished learning the legacies he currently possessed; further greed would likely lead to an unfavorable outcome.

Wang Yu would only take risks when he could gain immense benefits and when it was absolutely necessary, preparing thoroughly before tackling challenges.

The dangers of Dongji Capital were a classic example of unnecessary risk.

Moreover.

The ancient ruin was simply there. For countless years, no one had emptied the Imperial City, and it was clearly impossible this time either. Once the commotion died down, his Guiling City would still be right on its edge.

He could go whenever he wished, so why contend with others?

Having come to this realization, Wang Yu paid no further heed to these trivial matters. He cultivated when he should, managed affairs when he should, acting as if nothing had happened.

A few days later.

Numerous visitors arrived.