Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 176 Ancient Ruins
They arrived at a small town called Lingxi Town, where the residents were still shaken by the blood mist incident.

Gu Changzhou and his group found an inn to stay at and then asked the innkeeper for information.

The innkeeper, a middle-aged man, spoke with lingering fear about the blood mist incident: "Sir, that blood mist was truly terrifying. The entire town was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere, and many people were too scared to leave their homes. Moreover, I heard that when the blood mist was at its thickest, strange noises could be heard coming from outside the town, like someone howling in pain."

Gu Changzhou frowned slightly and asked, "And then what happened? Did anyone go out to check the situation?"

The innkeeper shook his head: "Who would dare? Everyone's afraid of danger. Only when the blood mist suddenly dissipated did people dare to go out. However, some strangers came to town, behaving suspiciously, and we don't know what they're up to."

Liu Sijun's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of strangers? Can you describe what they look like?"

The innkeeper recalled, "Those people were all wearing long black robes, covering their faces completely so you couldn't see their features. They wandered around the town in groups of three or five, without interacting with anyone. Something just felt off about them."

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun exchanged a glance, understanding that these people were likely related to the Blood Spirit Sect or the Mysterious Hall.

"Boss, thank you for the information. If you find anything else unusual, please let us know immediately." Gu Changzhou said, handing a bag of crystals to the innkeeper.

The innkeeper quickly accepted it, bowing and scraping as he said, "Of course, of course. Please feel free to ask if you need anything, sir."

After leaving the inn, Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun decided to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the strangers to see if they could find any clues related to the Blood Spirit Sect and the Xuanji Hall.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun left the inn and quietly traveled through Lingxi Town.

Using their keen senses, they searched the town for traces of the men in black robes.

The afternoon sun shone on the stone-paved road, and although the pedestrians in the town had recovered somewhat, they still walked with a degree of caution.

Liu Sijun said softly to Gu Changzhou, "If these men in black robes are from the Blood Spirit Sect or the Xuanji Hall, they are probably here on some mission, which may be related to their subsequent conspiracy."

Gu Changzhou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping warily around him: "Indeed, we must proceed with caution and avoid alerting them."

The two strolled slowly along the street, paying attention to every corner.

Suddenly, Liu Sijun grabbed Gu Changzhou's sleeve and gestured towards a secluded alleyway ahead.

Several men in black robes were seen huddled together furtively, seemingly discussing something in hushed tones.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun quietly approached and hid in the shadows, listening intently to their conversation.

A man in black robes lowered his voice: "The changes in the Burial Valley have disrupted our plans. We've been ordered to wait here for further instructions."

Another man in black robes complained, "Hmph, I don't know what those idiots were thinking, they couldn't even hold onto the core of the formation."

"Stop complaining, all we can do now is wait. However, I've heard there are some clues about ancient ruins nearby, and the higher-ups might send us to explore them."

"Ancient ruins? They might hold powerful magical treasures and cultivation techniques. If only I could obtain them..."

At this moment, one of the men in black robes seemed to have noticed something and suddenly turned his head to look in the direction where Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun were hiding.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun tensed up, immediately holding their breath and concentrating their spiritual energy to conceal their presence. The man in black frowned and said to his companion, "I feel like someone is watching us. Be careful, everyone."

The other men in black robes became alert and looked around.

After a while, finding nothing unusual, the leader of the black-robed men said, "Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. Everyone, continue to keep an eye on the surroundings and wait for news from above."

After the men in black robes dispersed, Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun emerged from the shadows.

Liu Sijun's expression was solemn: "It seems that they are indeed related to the Blood Spirit Sect or the Mysterious Hall, and it seems that they are also plotting something about the ancient ruins."

Gu Changzhou's eyes were firm: "No matter what their conspiracy is, we must find out about the ancient ruins before they do, and we must not let them succeed. The most urgent task is to find out the clues about the ancient ruins in this area as soon as possible."

The two decided to try their luck at the library in Lingxi Town, hoping to find records about ancient ruins there.

The library in Lingxi Town is located in an ancient pavilion in the center of the town. It is quiet and exudes a strong scholarly atmosphere.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun walked quickly toward the library. As they stepped inside, a musty smell of ink and paper wafted over them.

The interior was dimly lit, and rows of bookshelves were filled with various ancient books and scrolls.

An elderly man with white hair sat behind the counter, intently flipping through an ancient book. When he saw people come in, he slowly raised his head and looked at them with gentle eyes.

Gu Changzhou stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Senior, we have heard that this place has a rich collection of books, so we came here to look up some information about the ancient ruins in the vicinity. Would you be so kind as to give us some guidance?"

The old man frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Ancient ruins? This is no ordinary topic. Why are you asking about this?"

Liu Sijun stepped forward and said with a smile, "Senior, to be honest, we were traveling near the Burial Valley when we overheard some rumors about ancient ruins. We were curious and wanted to learn more about them."

The old man sized up the two of them, seemingly judging the truthfulness of their words. After a moment, he slowly said, "Most of the records about ancient ruins are in the ancient book section on the third floor, but those ancient books are very old, so you need to be extra careful when reading them."

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun thanked the old man and went straight up to the third floor.

The bookshelves on the third floor were even older, with dust dancing in the light streaming through the windows.

The two began to search carefully among the bookshelves, flipping through and examining one ancient book after another.

Time passed quietly in silence, when Liu Sijun suddenly called out softly, "Changzhou, look at this book."

Gu Changzhou quickly went over and saw that Liu Sijun was holding a yellowed ancient book with the title "Records of Ancient Sites in Lingxi" on the cover.

Turning to ancient books, one finds records of some little-known historical sites around Lingxi Town, including a description of a site that appears to be an ancient ruin.

"According to legend, in the Black Wind Mountain northwest of Lingxi Town, there is an ancient ruin that has been sealed by the ages. This place was once the cultivation site of an ancient great power, containing many magical treasures and cultivation manuals, but it is also full of traps and mechanisms. Few who dare to enter have survived."

Gu Changzhou said, "It seems that this is very likely the ancient ruins mentioned by the man in black robes. Black Wind Mountain is in the northwest direction, we must get there as soon as possible, and not let the Blood Spirit Sect and Xuanji Hall get there first."

(End of this chapter)