An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 259 Blessed Land
"I know your purpose in coming here. Just like the invaders of that time, you have also set your sights on the unique Yin energy environment of our world, ghosts, Yin-attribute minerals, or special creatures, and so on."

"But no matter which one it is, you need to find a place with abundant yin energy, am I right?"

Chu Xiu nodded.

The boy continued, "My request is simple: I need to see 'hope'."

"If you can help me find any surviving member of my clan, even just one, I will teach you how to find places where Yin energy gathers."

Chu Xiu sneered, "Your civilization has long been extinct, you should know that too."

The boy said calmly, "That's not necessarily true."

“In that disaster, every tribe had its own contingency plan. They did everything they could to ensure the continuation of their civilization. There were many exceptionally talented people among those tribes. I firmly believe that our civilization will not be so easily wiped out, and that there must be survivors.”

Chu Xiu said, "Since you're so sure, why don't you go out and look for it yourself?"

“Because I can’t get out,” the boy said with a look of dejection. “Our tribe’s plan for survival is for eight elders, hundreds of guards, and their protective spirits to voluntarily imprison their souls here for eternity, creating a fixed domain with the help of formations to protect our people from enemy attacks.”

"Unfortunately, although we repelled the attacking ghosts, we were assimilated by the formation and could no longer leave this place. As the controller of the formation, I am the only one who has retained my consciousness."

"Two thousand years ago, I watched helplessly as my relatives, lovers, and clansmen were assimilated by the domain before my eyes, turning into unconscious ghosts, and then absorbed by the domain, becoming a complete part of it, no different from those Yin energies."

A deep and intense sadness welled up in the boy's eyes, which made Jiang Miaoyin, who was standing beside him, feel a pang of sympathy.

Chu Xiu remained expressionless and said, "So you want us to conduct a lot of meaningless searching for a single possibility? Why don't we just kill you and search for the possibility ourselves?"

Faced with Chu Xiu's questioning, the boy sneered, "Do you think this domain that can withstand heroic spirits and ghosts can be destroyed so easily?"

"If you are truly confident in yourselves, you might as well give it a try."

Chu Xiu was silent for a moment, and the boy continued, "Even if you really have the strength to kill me, I will definitely destroy the secret treasure that points to the place of inheritance before I die."

"Without the guidance of the secret treasure, do you really intend to search this vast world one by one? I might as well tell you that these places of inheritance were discovered by my clan through tens of thousands of years of exploration. Even if you have tools to track Yin energy, it is absolutely impossible to find them in a short period of time."

The boy's words made Chu Xiu look thoughtful.

Indeed, as the other party said, the world of the Hundred Demons' Forge is too vast, and most importantly, it is a three-dimensional structure, which makes the effort required for exploration hundreds or thousands of times greater than that of ordinary worlds.

He didn't doubt that the other party had the ability to destroy the secret treasure. That domain was indeed extremely powerful. Even if Chu Xiu had brought in two other heroic spirits to cooperate, it would have been difficult to kill it instantly.

What he really cares about is: Two thousand years have passed, is there still a way to find the place where the inheritance is passed down?
Could it be that the exorcist in front of him was just deceiving and using him? Although he appeared in the form of a boy, Chu Xiu knew very well that the other party was an old monster who had lived for two thousand years. To be able to maintain his sanity for such a long time was definitely not simple.

"I can help you find hope, but I need to get some benefits in advance."

After thinking for a moment, Chu Xiu replied, "Tell me the location of a place of inheritance. This will serve as both a deposit and proof that what you said is true."

"Furthermore, I will help you search for a maximum of three years. During these three years, I will explore various places primarily for my own benefit. Helping you search will only be a side job. But I promise you that I will not do it perfunctorily. If any clues are found, I will definitely investigate them in depth."

Chu Xiu's request was unreasonable. In fact, he was just asking for an exorbitant price first and then trying to bargain. He thought the boy would be furious and refuse, but to his surprise, the exorcist nodded and agreed after thinking for a while.

“In our civilization, there is a saying of nine holy sites and eighty-two blessed lands. I can tell you the location of one of these blessed lands.”

“Once you bring the living members of your exorcist clan, I will tell you the locations of the remaining holy land and seven blessed lands that I know of. If you don’t find any living members, some well-preserved relics can be used for trade. I also have some things here that you might be interested in.”

Chu Xiu was surprised that this person was so easy to talk to, and for a moment he couldn't help but wonder if there was something fishy going on, but he naturally wouldn't refuse: "Deal. By the way, do you have a map of the nearby cities?"

“Yes,” the exorcist nodded, “I can give you this, but I also hope you can help me collect some well-preserved items in this city.”

“This altar is too empty; I can no longer bear this loneliness.”

Chu Xiu paused for a moment, and after carefully considering it and confirming that there was no conspiracy involved, he nodded in agreement.

Although the entire city was buried and most of the items faded and turned to dust over the course of two thousand years, there are still a few sealed chambers in this Soul Palace containing a few barely usable "artifacts".

After fulfilling their agreement, Chu Xiu led Jiang Miaoyin away from the hidden altar. He released ghosts to collect items from the Soul Palace, while he looked at Jiang Miaoyin and said, "Could you ask the other two heroic spirits how their exploration is going?"

"You suspect he deceived us?" Jiang Miaoyin asked.

"It's never a bad thing to be sure," Chu Xiu said.

Jiang Miaoyin didn't say much and went into Yuancheng to communicate.

About fifteen minutes later, she opened her eyes.

"The progress of the exploration is a very secretive matter, and the two seniors were unwilling to say much. However, they both said they could tell us that they had not yet obtained any clues about the place of inheritance."

"The Soul Temple in their city was completely buried, and only a few pieces of special equipment that were preserved by supernatural power were found."

"I also asked them whether there were any survivors of the Exorcist civilization. They were all surprised by my question and said they had no clues to provide."

Chu Xiu responded, not finding it strange at all.

The world of the Hundred Ghosts Forge has been swallowed by the abyss. Even if there are survivors, they are completely sealed in an independent space, just like the Old Trials, and have no contact with the outside world.

The chances of finding such a space are extremely slim.

However, the information provided by Jiang Miaoyin seems to indicate that the Lord of the Domain was not lying, and that the two of them were actually the lucky ones who were able to encounter a ghost with whom they could communicate and trade.

Chu Xiu took out the map he had taken out earlier and looked at it. It only showed five major cities. The other two heroic spirits were moving faster than them and should have already set off for the remaining two cities.

If Chu Xiu wants to monopolize the resources, he should check if there are any new cities on the map provided by the Lord of the Domain.

As he pondered, tens of thousands of ghosts, along with Setsuna, gathered the best-preserved relics from the Soul Palace.

There are only a dozen or so items in total, all of which are props and equipment with extraordinary power. However, due to the erosion of time, they can only maintain their original appearance, and their rank has dropped to the warrior rank or even the mortal rank.

After the exchange, Chu Xiu successfully obtained a new map. He glanced at it and saw two new cities and vague routes leading to other tribes, which could roughly indicate the direction.

In addition, the Lord of the Domain showed them his equipment and items, including dozens of King-rank items and hundreds of General-rank items! Although there were no Legendary items, their quality was not low.

In this realm, time has not diminished their power; on the contrary, it has deepened the foundation of these equipment and props.

Finally, there's the item that leads to the blessed land.

This is a strangely shaped skull. It seems to be engraved with some kind of strange restriction. It will not fall to the ground when you let go, but will remain suspended in the air.

Once the restriction is lifted, it will turn in one direction, which, according to the boy, is the location of the blessed land.

Chu Xiu took the skull and left the city in the direction it indicated. Jiang Miaoyin followed closely behind him.

Chu Xiu originally didn't want to take her along, but the girl pitifully said that if she left Chu Xiu, she would be doomed if she was targeted by the murderer. She hoped that Chu Xiu would keep her because she had worked hard, even if she hadn't made any great contributions.

He also stated that he would continue to provide Chu Xiu with reconnaissance services and keep him informed of the latest information from the other three major families.

After thinking about it, Chu Xiu agreed.

As it turns out, the girl's concerns were not unfounded.

Almost the instant the two left the Soul Palace, Chu Xiu's divine sense detected a figure hidden in the ruins.

"They're like a persistent ghost," he sighed.

However, Chu Xiu did not kill him.

This is actually a perfect opportunity to shake off the killer. Once the spirit puppet is killed, it will be difficult for the killer to keep up with the two of them.

However, Chu Xiu had already secretly taken a liking to the other party's amazing talent, so he simply let him come along.

Boarding Jiang Miaoyin's ghost carriage, the two instantly broke the sound barrier and rushed towards the location indicated by the skull.

Chu Xiu soon discovered something interesting: the skull was exquisitely crafted. In addition to the nose pointing in a fixed direction, there was a diagram on the skull that shortened like a charging bar, seemingly indicating the distance to the target.

About half an hour later, the two of them came to a rough estimate that they were still 2,400 li away from their destination.

This distance would have taken less than a quarter of an hour on land, but unfortunately, in this intricate underground world, the roads built by the exorcist civilization were not only winding and circuitous, but also largely collapsed, with very few sections still intact. The two had to constantly expend their magic power to clear the way, greatly slowing down their progress.

It took the two of them a whole day to finally reach their destination.

"boom!"

Chu Xiu stretched out his right hand, and the surging demonic energy transformed into a giant fist, blasting away the rocks blocking his way.

With a deafening explosion, a dark valley appeared before the two.

It was less a valley and more a huge abyss, with only darkness below, and even with King Chu Xiu's eyesight, he could not see the bottom.

As soon as they approached, a biting cold wind blew in from the gap, as if countless tiny insects were crawling into their skin.

"It seems we've found the right place. The concentration of Yin energy here is several times higher than in other places!" Jiang Miaoyin said with delight.

Chu Xiu felt a little relieved. He patted the soul banner, and the surrounding yin energy was immediately drawn into it, nourishing the ghosts inside.

"Let's go."

Chu Xiu unfurled the wings of Garuda behind him and plummeted into the depths of the valley.

A howling, cold wind swept out from the bottom of the valley, making their clothes flutter. The deeper they flew, the denser the yin energy became. Surprisingly, even after falling more than ten kilometers, they still hadn't reached the bottom of the abyss!

At this time, the concentration of Yin energy was more than a hundred times that of the outside world!
Jiang Miaoyin shivered and took out an old oil lamp. The moment the lamp appeared, it was as if a warm force spread around the two of them, blocking the cold air that kept coming.

This scene made Chu Xiu nod inwardly, thinking that this woman had indeed made ample preparations for her arrival, and having her with him would bring a lot of convenience.

Without that oil lamp, although the soul banner absorbed the yin energy, it wouldn't be so cold that it was impossible to move forward, but it would still be somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as Chu Xiu was pondering this, a fluorescent light suddenly appeared beneath their feet.

Only when you get closer do you realize that it is actually a piece of fluorite embedded in the stone wall.

"Blue Yin Stone! Senior, this place is truly blessed. We found a rare material just by strolling around!" Jiang Miaoyin exclaimed happily.

Chu Xiu reached out and grabbed, and instantly the demonic energy destroyed the surrounding rock walls, allowing him to perfectly extract a whole piece of Blue Yin Stone, which was the size of a water vat.

"Wow, such a huge blue yin stone, it would definitely fetch 5 billion. I wonder how many other precious materials are hidden in this deep valley. Senior, you're going to make a fortune!" Jiang Miaoyin said with envy.

Chu Xiu remained calm: "The more treasures a place has, the more dangerous it is. This place might not be a blessed land, but rather the burial ground where we lose our lives."

"Pah, pah," Jiang Miaoyin slapped her hand in front of her mouth twice, "Senior, don't jinx it."

After saying that, her eyes darted around: "By the way, senior, this place is so big, do you need me to release Setsunagi to help you explore it?"

Chu Xiu laughed and said, "Didn't you promise to provide me with reconnaissance services?"

Jiang Miaoyin chuckled and said, "It wasn't said to be free."

As she spoke, she took Chu Xiu's arm and said, "Oh, senior, I certainly won't take anything from you, but this place is so big. Without my Instant Wonder, it would take who knows how long to explore, and we might even miss out on some opportunities!"

"You've eaten all the meat, so please leave a couple of drops of soup for my daughter."

Chu Xiu was amused by the girl. He looked around and realized that his spiritual sense was indeed restricted under such dense yin energy.

"Can your Setsunagi still move in this environment?" Chu Xiu asked.

“Originally it was not possible, but I can use my magic to enhance their adaptability.”

"Senior, you probably don't know this, but Setsuna is a type of spirit with extremely strong adaptability. They can change their form according to different environments, and my command can enhance this trait."

"Not only that, I also have [Command: Split] to double their numbers, [Command: Levitate] to speed up their movement, and [Command: Leave a Mark] to..."

Jiang Miaoyin spoke as if she were promoting a product to a customer, rattling off a long string of words, which amazed Chu Xiu.

The four great families possess extraordinary resources. Jiang Miaoyin has been awakened for over ten years now. This continuous, targeted training has indeed nurtured a cursed spirit with exceptional search capabilities. No wonder the heroic spirits all need her help.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Xiu said, "Since that's the case, then..."

He originally intended to agree to Jiang Miaoyin's suggestion and give her some benefits to help her search, but before he could finish speaking, a muffled sound suddenly rang out in the valley.

"Boom-"

It was like a giant bell being struck, the sound carrying for dozens of miles.

But why is there a bell here? And who rang it?

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and tacitly flew toward the direction from which the bell was ringing.

(End of this chapter)