Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 424 This kindness and virtue will be repaid with death
Just as Chen Ye was pondering what was happening in the Ruins of Return, someone in the depths of the Ruins of Return was seen flying around and darting about like a blind fly.

The terrifying water pressure, enough to crush even a Nascent Soul cultivator into a pulp, was blocked by an invisible force three feet away from the Flying Demon Lord, unable to penetrate any further.

Although resisting the water pressure wasn't very taxing, the Demon Lord Feilian's face was still grim, even as dark as the deep sea itself.

Simply because he failed once again.

Beneath my feet lies the shimmering ruins, and above me hangs a thin, luminous white light.

He had just tried to force his way upwards with his physical body, attempting to break through that invisible barrier, but his body was almost chopped into mincemeat.

Even though he used his supernatural power of making his words come true, it had little effect. Apart from expending a lot of magical power, he gained almost nothing.

"Youluozi! You're going to die, but why do you have to drag me down with you?!"

Feilian let out a roar that was suppressed to the extreme. The violent sound waves instantly turned the surrounding seawater into a vacuum. Countless tiny bubbles emerged wildly, only to be instantly annihilated under the terrifying water pressure.

He never imagined that he would be schemed against like this, and even though he was very careful, he still fell into the trap.

Back then, Youluozi found him and said that the prisoners in Guixu knew the secrets of the ancient times and could explain why the Heavenly Dao was in a broken state.

For Fei Lian, who had already cultivated to the Dao Integration Realm and was about to ascend, this was undoubtedly an irresistible temptation.

He was confident in his immense strength, believing that as long as he was careful, that Youluozi wouldn't be able to pull any tricks. No matter what dangers lay ahead, with his cultivation level, he could always escape.

So Feilian agreed to Youluozi's request to explore the mysteries of the Ruins together.

At first, it was normal; the pressure of the deep sea was not a problem for cultivators in the Dao Integration Realm.

Upon entering the Ruins of Guixu, Feilian was also astonished by the magnificence of this ancient secret realm, wondering how much manpower and resources it must have taken to build such a palace on the seabed.

As a cultivator at the Dao Integration Realm, he was already at the pinnacle of the mortal realm, but even the Flying Demon Lord felt that he was not worthy of such a place.

As they ventured deeper, Youluozi led Feilian Demon Lord to the heart of Guixu, where they encountered the terrifying black dog.

It perched before that enormous bronze door, its body as massive as a mountain, its eyes tightly closed, yet radiating a ferocious aura that made heaven and earth pale in comparison.

Youluozi told Feilian that the black dog was merely the lingering remnant of the divine beast's true form, and in the real immortal realm, the black dog's true form was not considered a powerful figure.

Fei Lian felt a sudden darkness before his eyes.

If this thing is just the lingering regret of the original body, and the original body of that black dog is just an ordinary person in the Immortal Realm, then with my limited abilities, do I even have a chance to ascend to the Immortal Realm?

The righteous and demonic predecessors who ascended earlier have long since become dinner for something like the black dog, haven't they?

Upon thinking of this, Fei Lian decisively stopped in his tracks.

No matter how sweet-talking Youluozi tried to persuade him to get closer, saying that getting closer would allow him to make contact with the one in Guixu, Feilian refused to take even half a step further.

“If you can truly communicate with the prisoners inside, then pass on the message to me now.” Fei Lian’s attitude hardened. “Don’t even think about letting me get any closer to that thing.”

He had already noticed something was wrong.

Seeing that he was not fooled at all, Youluozi's persuasive expression gradually faded, turning into a long sigh.

She turned around, looked calmly at Fei Lian, and said the words that he could never forget to this day.

"Only the one deep within the Ruins can break the seal."

Before Fei Lian could even ponder the meaning of those words, he witnessed a scene he would never forget.

Without the slightest hesitation, Youluozi transformed into a streak of light and charged resolutely toward the sleeping black dog.

"Ow!"

As if sensing some kind of blasphemy, the black dog did not open its tightly closed eyes, but suddenly opened its huge mouth, which was large enough to devour mountains. A terrifying suction force came, about to swallow Youluozi directly.

Youluozi neither dodged nor avoided, letting himself plunge into that dark abyss.

Just as she was about to be swallowed by darkness, Fei Lian saw a poignant and heroic smile appear on her face.

The next moment, under Fei Lian's shocked gaze, You Luo Zi resolutely chose to self-destruct.

boom--!
An indescribable surge of violent energy exploded from the black dog's mouth! This witch, seemingly older than the history of the Demonic Sect, unleashed her entire life's cultivation and divine soul in that instant!

The terrifying energy surge caused even the black dog's lingering spirit to tremble violently, its massive body momentarily dazed, as if it had become even more ethereal.

Feilian couldn't understand why Youluozi had suddenly committed suicide.

What shocked him even more was that right after the black dog was injured, the divine beast let out a low growl, and the entire Guixu shook violently.

An ancient restriction he had never seen before emerged from the void, like a net that instantly sealed off the entire Guixu.

Fei Lian was startled and immediately turned to run away.

He tore through the void, trying to escape this area directly.

But he was shocked to discover that no matter how much he shattered the void, he could only teleport within the Ruins of Return and could not escape this area at all. It was as if the entire Ruins of Return had been cut off and sealed off, completely separated from other worlds.

Feilian tried every possible method, using all his magical treasures and supernatural powers to the fullest extent, but he ended up covered in wounds and could not break through the light barrier no matter what he did.

Only now did Feilian finally understand the true meaning of Youluozi's last words.

Only prisoners deep within the Ruins of Return can break the seal.

If he cannot rescue the being behind that door, then he, the mighty Demon Lord Feilian, will have no choice but to wait in these ruins.

Perhaps by the time his lifespan ends, he won't even have the chance to see the light of day again. "A madman!"

Feilian once again unleashed a helpless rage. He hated his own greed and even more so Youluozi's reckless madness.

He was now like a wild beast locked in a cage, but the key to open the cage was in the mouth of an even more ferocious beast.

Fei Lian seemed to be driven into a corner.

Putting aside the impenetrable bronze door, the black dog guarding it was not something he could easily deal with.

Youluozi's earth-shattering self-destruction only slightly weakened the black dog's form; it didn't cause any fundamental damage.

However, Youluozi's sacrifice was not entirely in vain.

The earth-shattering energy impact, besides stimulating the black dog's remaining instincts and activating the final restriction sealing the entire Ruins, also caused the ancient, immovable bronze gate to tremble violently, revealing an extremely brief, almost imperceptible crack.

At that very moment, an indescribable ancient aura emanated from it.

The crack vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed, but this tiny leak of energy was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, causing a dramatic change in the entire desolate Ruins.

The various deep-sea monsters, which were originally just acting on instinct, suddenly boiled over as if they had been thrown into a furnace with a catalyst.

They became ferocious and bloodthirsty, and began to attack and devour each other madly.

The seawater of Guixu was dyed a dark red, and in this bloody feast, the losers became nourishment, making the victors even stronger.

Fei Lian witnessed firsthand how a giant octopus, several times larger than a blue whale, used its eight tentacles to lift up a half-collapsed underwater palace after a fierce battle, making it its lair. What shocked him even more was that the octopus began to use the natural terrain around the palace to set up a simple yet effective defensive formation.

As Fei Lian approached that area, an incredibly clear divine thought pierced directly into his mind.

"Outsiders, leave my territory, or we will fight to the death."

The thought was clear and logical, full of warnings and threats, no different from that of a normal intelligent being.

Feilian didn't engage with it and chose to back away.

He discovered that, apart from the giant octopus, all the other sea creatures that had gained the upper hand in this chaotic struggle had, without exception, awakened their intelligence.

Not only are they born with supernatural powers and sturdy bodies, but after gaining intelligence, they also know how to utilize the fragmented world pieces and complex terrain within the Ruins of Return to divide their territories and create their own kingdoms.

Fei Lian considered that he could easily deal with any one of them in a one-on-one fight. However, if these hundreds or thousands of terrifying sea beasts that had awakened their intelligence and knew how to attack in combination attacked him, even he, a great cultivator at the Dao Integration Realm, would find it extremely troublesome.

Who would have thought that after cultivating to the point of Dao Integration, I would still live such a stifling life?

Feilian's face grew increasingly gloomy, his anger almost materializing, boiling the surrounding seawater.

It's all that damn crazy woman's fault!
In order to force him to release the prisoners of Guixu, she didn't hesitate to give up her own life.

Fei Lian couldn't help but recall You Luo Zi's resolute gaze at the end.

The so-called benefactor... just how profound was that favor that made Youluozi, a demonic overlord who had lived for thousands of years, willingly give up his long life just to create a chance for that person to escape?

He didn't understand.

Feilian was not a grateful person; he could not understand Youluozi's resoluteness and loyalty. He only knew that he had been dragged into a huge trouble.

He was not one of those sea creatures and could not adapt to permanent survival in the Ruins. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

Are we really going to fight that black dog to the death?

Fei Lian pondered to himself, even if he were lucky enough to defeat the black dog and open that door, would the person inside really remember his favor?
That chances are probably slim.

Ultimately, Youluozi died because of him. If he hadn't changed his mind and gone back on his word, Youluozi might not have had to take such a desperate step.

Who knows, after that prisoner escapes, the first person he might want to settle scores with is himself.

Feilian felt a sudden headache.

Now is not the time to risk everything.

He hadn't been driven to the brink of despair and didn't want to give up so easily.

"There must be some good stuff in ancient ruins," Fei Lian comforted himself. "Perhaps we can find some treasure that can solve our current predicament."

Having made up his mind, he didn't linger any longer. His figure transformed into a shadowy shadow, and he began to carefully search this ancient and mysterious realm, which was fraught with danger.

This time, his luck seems to be good.

Before long, he discovered an area emitting a soft light.

Fei Lian cautiously approached, and the sight before him made him turn his head in surprise.

It was a huge palace, with gold and jewels covering the ground, leaving no room to even step.

Hundreds of enormous, strange jellyfish floated slowly within, emitting a colorful glow that illuminated this dark corner.

And within the thousands of tentacles of each jellyfish, a treasure box, large or small, is carefully wrapped.

This place is a vast treasure trove that has been hidden for countless years.

Hundreds of treasure chests—if he can find even one item inside that helps him pass through the light barrier, he can escape alive!

(End of this chapter)