You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Seeing Liu Piaopiao's difficult appearance, Chen Yang made up his mind.

Although he can move around with difficulty now, his movements are still slow and heavy. Bearing such terrifying pressure, it is probably beyond his ability to break through the arena formation on his own or forcibly take Liu Piaopiao away.

"Piaopiao, don't worry."

Chen Yang slowly, as if carrying an immense burden, moved his body little by little, approaching Liu Piaopiao.

This process is extremely slow, each step feeling like wading through quagmire, and is incredibly exhausting.

"I... I'll carry you down."

"Huh? Carry me on your back?"

Liu Piaopiao was taken aback, then blushed and shook her head repeatedly.

"No...no need, Brother Chen...I can...I'll climb down myself..."

It was incredibly embarrassing to have a young woman like her lying on Chen Yang's back in this strange place.

Chen Yang shook his head, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"If you keep climbing like this, not only will you not succeed, but what if you trigger other mechanisms along the way, or what if someone chasing after you sees you? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing? Listen to me."

Looking into Chen Yang's firm and clear gaze, and feeling her own body still feeling like it was glued to her, Liu Piaopiao knew he was telling the truth. After hesitating for a moment, she finally blushed and whispered a soft "Mmm."

Chen Yang moved with difficulty to Liu Piaopiao's side, slowly turned around, and squatted down with his back to her.

"Come on, lie down and hug me tight."

Liu Piaopiao bit her lip, used all her strength to move her body little by little, and finally managed to lie down on Chen Yang's broad but slightly taut back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

With their skin touching, she could feel the hardness of Chen Yang's back muscles and his slight trembling. She could also smell the scent of sweat mixed with a unique, refreshing aroma emanating from him. Her face burned, her heart pounded, and she buried her head deeply in his chest.

Chen Yang, however, did not have so many romantic thoughts.

He felt a weight on his back; the weight of Liu Piaopiao combined with the terrifying pressure of the arena itself caused his bones to groan once more.

He took a deep breath and used the rhythm he had just grasped, synchronized with the "power field," to its fullest extent. The remaining magical power in his body flowed slowly at a peculiar frequency, resisting the omnipresent pressure.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He carried Liu Piaopiao on his back, like a diver carrying a heavy load in the deep sea, moving slowly and heavily, but firmly, toward the edge of the arena and the black stone steps.

With each step, the arena floor seemed to tremble slightly, leaving a shallow footprint stained with sweat and blood.

Finally, after taking the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Yang, carrying Liu Piaopiao on his back, stepped down the last black stone step with difficulty but success!
The moment both of them left the ring, the terrifying pressure that had enveloped their entire bodies and seemed to crush their souls vanished like a tidal wave!
"Pfft!"

"Ouch!"

The sudden loss of pressure caused them to lose their balance and fall to the ground together.

Chen Yang knelt on one knee, exhausted, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face.

Liu Piaopiao rolled off his back and collapsed to the ground, touching her body, which had regained its freedom but was now incredibly sore, feeling as if she had been through another world.

"We...we did it! We're out!"

Liu Piaopiao was so excited she almost cried.

Chen Yang also let out a long breath, feeling as if his body was falling apart, but his heart was filled with a strange sense of fulfillment.

After that brush with death and struggle, he felt as if his body had been tempered anew by that terrifying "force." Although he was seriously injured, his muscles and tendons had become noticeably more resilient.

Although the soul was greatly depleted, it seemed to have been cleansed, becoming more refined and clear.

"Congratulations, Master."

Li Rou's voice rang out, tinged with a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

"You not only successfully escaped the predicament, but more importantly, you gained a preliminary understanding of the basics of 'momentum'."

Although it is still very basic, it is enough to give you an adaptability and resistance far exceeding that of ordinary people when facing any kind of intimidating attack or environment in the future.

The aura emanating from this arena is far more powerful than the pressure released by ordinary cultivators. Your ability to withstand and initially adapt to it proves that your potential and temperament are both superior.

Chen Yang sincerely expressed his gratitude in his mind's eye.

"Li Rou, I owe you so much this time. Without your guidance and assistance, I would never have been able to do it."

"This is your own destiny, Master."

Li Rou humbly and modestly.

"I only provided a direction and a little help. From now on, you need to be more careful."

Chen Yang nodded, struggled to his feet, and pulled Liu Piaopiao, who was slumped on the ground, up as well.

Both men were in a sorry state, their clothes soaked with sweat and a little blood, and they were breathing weakly, but their eyes were brighter and more alert than before.

Chen Yang looked up and glanced at the black arenas scattered throughout the ruins.

At this moment, in his perception, these arenas were no longer just silent stone platforms.

He could vaguely "see" that above each arena, there was an invisible yet heavy "force field," like a series of distorted gravity traps.

The feeling of being completely deceived had disappeared, and his understanding of this strange space seemed to have become clearer.

"It seems that the owner of this 'self-refining furnace' not only uses the grand formation to temper himself, but also uses these small 'power field arenas' to select, hone, or... process 'materials'."

Chen Yang thought to himself.

Just then, Liu Piaopiao suddenly tugged at his sleeve, lowered her voice, and pointed nervously in the direction they had come from.

"Brother Chen! Look ahead! Isn't... someone coming?"

Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately focused his gaze.

Sure enough, a group of shadowy figures appeared on the hazy, dark red "horizon" in the distance!

They seem to have also spotted the black city and are moving rapidly in this direction! There appear to be quite a few of them, at least twenty or thirty!
Moreover, judging from their movement patterns and the subtle aura they exuded, they had a clear objective and acted swiftly, clearly not aimless explorers!
Something's not right!

Chen Yang gave a low shout and made a decisive decision.

"These people are up to no good. We've just escaped and are in poor condition; it's not wise to confront them directly. Let's go, let's avoid them for now!"

As he spoke, he pulled up Liu Piaopiao, whose legs were still a little weak, and instead of following the main road, he quickly turned into a narrow alley formed by collapsed buildings. Using the ruins as cover, he stealthily made his way deeper into the city, in the opposite direction from where the group of people had come from.

Their figures had barely disappeared into the shadows of the ruins when the group arrived swiftly at the entrance to the black city, and... quickly discovered the black arena in the middle of the street where Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao had been trapped not long ago.

The leading old man with a hooked nose swept his sharp gaze across the arena, then looked at the messy footprints and faint water stains and bloodstains on the ground, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Are there signs of a fight here? No... did someone trigger the restrictions?" He crouched down and carefully examined the edge of the arena and the surrounding ground.

"The footprints are fresh! The blood is still wet! They just left! Split up and search!"

"Let's see who these people are, managing to trigger the ancient restrictions here and still leave! Maybe... they know a way out of this hellhole!"

As soon as the hook-nosed old man finished speaking, the group of cultivators who had been following closely behind, each with a different aura, quickly dispersed, searching among the collapsed walls and shattered streets like hyenas that had smelled blood.

They soon discovered more than one fresh trace—footprints, drops of sweat and blood, and a faint, lingering sense of unease in the air, a result of intense energy fluctuations.

"They haven't gone far!"

A burly man with a face full of scars spoke in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping around menacingly.

"Damn it, we've been guarding outside for ages, only to have the monsters mess things up and force us to crawl into this ghost tower. Now look what's happened, we're stuck in this godforsaken place, not even knowing how to get out!"

"Who can argue with that!"

A chubby man next to him chimed in with a complaint, wiping the oily sweat dripping from his forehead. The high temperature in this "self-refining furnace" space made him extremely uncomfortable.

"The restrictions outside are incredibly fierce. The third brother was gone in a single move... We thought there were good things at the top of the tower, but each level is more sinister than the last. This place is more of a maze than a labyrinth, and we can't even see a trace of an exit!"

"That's why we need to grab those two in front even more!"

A tall, thin cultivator with a sinister look in his eyes said coldly.

"They managed to trigger the restriction but didn't die, and were even teleported here. They must know something! Maybe the way out is in their hands!"

"Yes! Grab them and force them to tell us how they can leave!"

"Hand over the treasure too!"

The crowd echoed their sentiments, their indignation mixed with fear of the unknown predicament and greed for any potential "advantage."

They were originally a group of independent cultivators or small gangs who had temporarily come together for profit, but now, under the common predicament and the pursuit of a common goal, they have temporarily united as one.

Just as they were preparing to follow the trail left by Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao, a curious young cultivator in the group, who had noticed that there seemed to be nothing unusual on the arena earlier, noticed a faint reflection in the center of the black arena, as if something had been dropped.

Without thinking twice, he leaped up, hoping to get a free ride.

"Hey, don't mess around..."

The burly man who had warned Liu Piaopiao earlier hurriedly tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The moment the young cultivator's feet touched the stone surface of the arena, his expression changed drastically! His once nimble body suddenly sank downwards, as if he had been slammed hard onto the stone platform by an invisible giant hand, producing a muffled thud.

He was pinned to the center of the ring in a spread-eagle position, unable to move even his fingertips. His eyes rolled in terror, and he made a series of labored gasps.

"Junior brother!"

A middle-aged cultivator who had come with him was shocked and rushed onto the arena without thinking to pull him up. As expected, he too was instantly imprisoned by the terrifying "force field" pressure, collapsing next to the young cultivator with his face pressed against the cold, rough stone surface, unable to utter a single word.

This scene made everyone gasp. The footsteps that were about to disperse stopped in their tracks, and they stared at the silent black arena with surprise and uncertainty.

"Don't go up there!"

The more knowledgeable and burly man shouted sharply, his voice tinged with lingering fear.

"This arena is strange! It's some kind of extremely powerful gravity or suppression barrier! Once you go up, it's easy to get stuck!"

Upon hearing this, everyone took a few steps back, moving away from the edge of the arena, and looked at the two people on the stage with fear and pity.

"help me……"

The young cultivator mustered all his strength to squeeze out a weak cry for help through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with despair.

The middle-aged monk also struggled to turn his eyes and look at his companions below.

The crowd below fell into a brief silence.

Some people looked reluctant, but many more had a flicker of something in their eyes.

This arena is so strange, we don't even know how it was triggered, who would dare to try to save someone? What if they fail to save someone and get themselves killed?
The old man with the hooked nose swept his gloomy gaze across the arena and the two people on it, then looked in the direction where Chen Yang and the other man had disappeared, and quickly made a decision.

He spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"This restriction is strange; forcibly attempting a rescue may backfire."

The most urgent task is to find those two people.

They might be able to escape such restrictions, or perhaps they know how to break them.

This statement undoubtedly provided everyone with an excellent, and even more self-serving, excuse.

"You're right, senior! Finding those two people will save you!"

Immediately, others echoed this sentiment.

"Senior brother, junior brother, hold on! We'll come rescue you once we catch those two and get the answer from them!"

Another person shouted towards the stage, sounding quite sincere, but subtly took a half step back.

"Don't worry, we won't abandon you!"
But right now, saving lives is the priority... uh, finding a way to save lives is the priority!

Some people are saying things they don't even quite believe themselves.

"Wait for us! We'll be right back!"

Amidst a cacophony of "comfort" and "assurance," the group of monks quickly reached a consensus.

They took one last look at the two men who were immobilized on the stage, their hope gradually replaced by despair, then turned around without hesitation and quickly followed the trail left by Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao that led to the depths of the city.

Compared to rescuing companions trapped in unknown dangers, seizing the "precursors" who might hold the key to the way out and the treasure is clearly more likely to unite this mob.

As they listened to the receding footsteps of their companions, the last glimmer of light in the eyes of the two abandoned on the stage was completely extinguished, leaving only boundless coldness and deathly silence.

The scorching air inside this "Refining Furnace" felt even more piercing than ice at this moment.

……

By this time, Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao had already shaken off their pursuers by taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and the complex cover provided by the ruins.

Both were in very poor condition. Chen Yang was suffering from internal injuries and exhaustion, while Liu Piaopiao was suffering from shock and weakness. They were only able to survive by sheer willpower.

They dared not linger or make too much noise, weaving through the ruins and choosing secluded and difficult paths.

After an unknown amount of time, a mansion, though equally dilapidated, but significantly more magnificent in scale than the other buildings, came into view. (End of Chapter)