The Central Ruins Realm was a place entirely engulfed by sand and storms, constantly ravaged by apocalyptic tempests. Even the border of the realm, the safest area, was never free from the relentless movement of sand.
"Fuck! When can I leave this godforsaken place?"
At the border, a gust of sandy wind blew toward a man's face, but before it could touch him, his profound energy blocked it. He cursed loudly, and then a lecherous look appeared in his eyes as he muttered longingly, "I miss Lady Shi... Damn it! Once it's time to rotate shifts, I'll head straight to the 'Lingering Peach Garden' and give her some 'love'!"
The man wasn't alone. He was with two other disciples, forming a group of three. They were stationed at the border of the realm, keeping watch to prevent any ignorant fool from wandering in.
One of them shot him a disdainful glance and scoffed, "What's so good about a prostitute?" Then, with a lingering look of satisfaction, he added, "There's nothing better than ripe women, hehehe..."
"Last time, when I slept with Junior Brother Jian's wife, it was unforgivable... When I leave this place, I'll go straight there to 'share' the burden with Junior Brother."
"Sick fucks," the other man muttered with disgust in his tone, not even bothering to look at the two men. He was the only one among the three who diligently focused on his task, keeping an eye out for any strangers approaching.
At that moment, without them noticing, Yun Wuji's group casually walked right in front of them. But thanks to Yun Wuji's 'Curtain of Darkness,' the guards couldn't see them at all.
Hearing the men's conversation, Fairy Zixuan and Yan Yao's faces were filled with disgust, while Dongfang Hanwei's face burned from embarrassment.
Yun Wuji glanced at the three men but didn't say anything. After all, he wasn't in a position to judge them, he, too, had experienced the taste of netori and had visited a brothel before. So, he couldn't criticize these men.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
By the time Yun Wuji's group had moved far beyond them, the three men's bodies suddenly collapsed to the ground.
They were dead!
There was no blood or visible injuries on their bodies. Their eyes remained wide open, their expressions froze with confusion. Even in death, they didn't know how they had died, or perhaps they hadn't even sensed it happening.
'What is this woman up to?' Sensing the deaths of the trio, Yun Wuji shot a glance at Yan Yao. But the woman continued to stare ahead as if unaware of his gaze, her face still impassive. Yun Wuji couldn't glean anything from her expression, so he could only look away.
As they ventured deeper into the Central Ruins Realm, the power of the storms grew increasingly intense. In this place, those below the Divine Spirit Realm couldn't even set foot, and even Divine Spirit Realm practitioners wouldn't be able to endure it for long.
"This is the inside of the Central Ruins Realm? It's so dangerous!" Everyone in the group had their own thoughts, but Dongfang Hanwei, the most innocent of them all, looked around with curiosity and fearful eyes. She had heard stories about this place many times but never imagined that she would actually set foot here one day.
Looking at the terrifying, apocalyptic storms passing by them, Dongfang Hanwei shivered in fear. If any of these storms were to hit her, she would probably perish in a matter of seconds. Without thinking, she subconsciously moved closer to Yun Wuji.
"Tsk!" Fairy Zixuan glanced at the girl, clicking her tongue in displeasure.
After traveling for a long time, the group finally approached the core of the realm. The sandstorms howled around them, sounding like the wails of countless devils. The power of the storms grew more intense, and the barrier protecting them began to tremble, nearly overwhelmed by the crushing pressure.
"My lord, I heard that even the great Four Realm Kings can't reach the core area of the realm. Are we really going to continue?" Fairy Zixuan glanced at the barrier, which seemed to be on the verge of giving way, and spoke with concern.
The Four Realms had controlled this place for many years, yet they had never fully explored its core due to its extreme danger.
Of course, there was another possibility, they might have already ventured into the core with outside help and discovered the Heretic God's Wind Seed. Perhaps they realized they couldn't use it or noticed that taking it would halt the production of resources in this realm, so they chose to leave it untouched.
However, that possibility was slim.
"You all stay here. I'll go inside alone," Yun Wuji said slowly, his gaze fixed on the giant cyclones colliding and forming apocalyptic scenes of destruction and chaos. At the same time, his eyes shifted slightly toward the eastern direction.
Hearing his words, Dongfang Hanwei wanted to grab his hand but hesitated, as if afraid of offending him. She clenched her hands together and said timidly, "Lord, please be careful."
Yan Yao looked at Yun Wuji and said in her usual arrogant tone, "Hmph! Don't die! I still haven't beaten you up!"
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Yun Wuji nodded at them and flew out of the barrier. The moment he stepped beyond its protection, sharp winds capable of reducing planets to dust howled from all directions, closing in on him like countless invisible blades. However, as they reached his body, nearly 80% of their power was nullified instantly, while the remaining force struck his protective profound energy and scattered harmlessly.
With his devil body's current cultivation, Yun Wuji could resist this power, but it would be extremely taxing. However, he had come prepared. Before arriving, he had crafted a one-time-use artifact to help him withstand the wind for a short period.
Flying forward, Yun Wuji acted as if he didn't notice the wind, continuing onward without hesitation. In just a few moments, he faded from the girls' sight, disappearing into the deepest part of the storm.
Contrary to what one might expect, the core area of this realm wasn't filled with deadly winds or world-destroying storms. Instead, it was surprisingly calm. Yun Wuji glanced around briefly before his eyes landed on the ground at the center. There, floating gently, was a small orb emitting a soft green light.
"Found it," Yun Wuji smiled and quickly flew over, grabbing the Wind Seed. "Everything went smoother than expected," he said.
He glanced at the raging storms around him and added, "Without the Wind Seed, this world of storms and wind will fade in less than a hundred years."
...
A short time after Yun Wuji left the group, the women remained inside the barrier, waiting for him. However, not long after, two figures descended from the sky with overwhelming might.
Before they even touched the ground, the earth beneath them trembled as if struck by an earthquake. The two men's clothes fluttered wildly in the wind.
One man was middle-aged, while the other appeared elderly. Both wore dark, gloomy expressions, especially the middle-aged man. His eyes were bloodshot, and he scanned the area furiously. From his expression, it was clear he was searching for someone.
"Show yourself!" the middle-aged man bellowed, his eyes gleaming with deep hatred and fury. With a swift motion, he stretched out his hand and fired a black beam toward an empty space.
Boom!
The beam collided with the invisible barrier, triggering a massive explosion. A black blast erupted, mixing with the sand and wind to form a towering mushroom cloud.
Crack! Crack!
As the cloud settled, a barrier became visible before the middle-aged man's eyes. Numerous cracks spread across its surface, and with a crisp sound, it shattered completely.
Without the barrier, the three women were exposed. Fairy Zixuan and Dongfang Hanwei's faces turned deathly pale as they stared at the two men before them. Fairy Zixuan's gaze locked onto the middle-aged man, her voice trembling as she stammered, "Realm... Realm King!"
Yan Yao stood in front of the two women, her face expressionless as she stared at the two men.
"Speak! Are you the one who killed my son?!" The middle-aged man glared at the three women, his gloomy face twisted with rage. To their surprise, he didn't ask why they were here or what their motives were, his first words were about his son's death.
"Killing your son?" Yan Yao was taken aback, her tone filled with confusion as she asked.
"Don't try to deny it. Young Master Dong Xueci and his followers were killed just a few hours ago," the old man said coldly, his glare locked onto Yan Yao. "We investigated the scene and found traces of your aura there."
Although the woman before him was undeniably beautiful, the old man couldn't care less. He was here for revenge.
As it turned out, the young master who had tried to block them earlier, and was killed by Yan Yao, was the son of the East Ruins Divine Sovereign.
After losing contact with him, they traced the last sound transmission he had sent and found his beheaded corpse along with his servants. At the scene, they discovered a faint aura belonging to a stranger and followed its trail all the way to the Central Ruins Realm. However, the aura disappeared upon reaching the border.
While searching, they soon stumbled upon three more dead disciples, further fueling their rage. Enraged, the two men scoured the area frantically until, just moments ago, they managed to pick up the same aura again, leading them straight to this spot.
"Oh, you're talking about those three useless trash I killed?" A look of realization crossed Yan Yao's face before she spoke with disdain. "So he was your son? If you hadn't reminded me just now, I would have forgotten all about it."
...
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