I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

It's 90% related to the great calamity, and the remaining 10% is just a coincidence.

Using the power of destiny to conceal himself, Bai Qingyu wondered if the power of destiny within him would also have an effect. After all, it was borrowed from Xiao Ya and had not yet been returned to her. Assuming that this ruin was indeed prepared for Xiao Ya and was the will of Heaven, then the power of destiny should also have some effect.

Upon further reflection, it makes sense. Why weren't the ruins simply located beneath the palace?

If the whole world knows about it, then anyone could be involved.

If it has nothing to do with Xiaoya, then we'll just abandon this ruin and wait a few years until Xiaoya takes over before we go to Tianyang Palace to discuss cooperation.

The scenery below rushed past, and Bai Qingyu quickly flew over the capital city and arrived in front of the ruins.

There's no need to search for these ruins; you can see them even across the capital city.

The ruins have been almost completely excavated and fully exposed. Of course, only the barrier has been exposed. The cultivators have yet to find a way to enter and have even lost several people.

As it turns out, even destroying this ruin was difficult. Those who attacked the ruin suffered a backlash, and the strength of the counterattack depended on the strength of the attacker. What Mahayana didn't know was that one of the Void Refinement cultivators had died.

The ruins that have been unearthed with great difficulty are larger than a city, but we can only look at them and not go inside to learn about their secrets.

Attacking the ruins will result in backlash, and attempting to decipher them will also result in backlash. Groups of Mahayana monks came, each taking a look around before shaking their heads and leaving.

No matter how powerful the secrets of the ruins are, no matter how much they could overturn the world order, they're useless if you can't unlock them.

They could only watch longingly and drool, taking back a few fragments from the very outermost, barely even outermost, area. They only knew how powerful the ruins were, but they couldn't figure out a single thing about them.

Bai Qingyu flew into the sky, observing the ruins from afar.

It's clear that these guys haven't given up yet; there are still quite a few cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage searching around the ruins.

The entire site resembles an ancient city, but calling it an ancient city is less accurate than describing it as a military camp that resembles a city, and it also has some characteristics of a garrison town.

After confirming that there were no Mahayana cultivators around, Bai Qingyu landed.

Instead of rushing to collect the essence blood, they flew around the ancient ruins once.

The entire city was shrouded in a barrier, and nothing could be seen except for a general outline.

At first glance, Bai Qingyu didn't think much of the ruins, but as she studied them more carefully, she began to notice that something was amiss.

As the power of destiny was activated, the mist within the barrier indeed disappeared in her eyes, revealing a large army of armored soldiers.

They weren't terracotta warriors, but rather figures in black armor, standing at attention as if they were still alive. Even through the barrier, one could feel their overwhelming aura of menace.

Bai Qingyu was extremely shocked.

If Xiaoya could control this power, then why bother cooperating with Tianyang Palace? She could just wipe out Tianyang Palace as well.

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Fifty-Four - Bai Qingyu's Audacious Plan

Bai Qingyu carefully examined the ruins. She used her luck to conceal herself, making her invisible to the surrounding minor cultivators, who would subconsciously ignore her and not care at all, thus achieving a semi-invisibility effect.

As the interior of the ruins gradually became transparent, Bai Qingyu looked inside and found that it was exactly as she had imagined. This was not an ordinary city but a garrison town, which was square in shape with a huge square in the center used for military training.

On this huge square, Bai Qingyu saw rows of black-armored soldiers standing proudly.

Conservative estimates put the number of these soldiers at over 100,000. What's frightening is that these soldiers are not all of them. There are also small squads guarding the streets throughout the city. If these squads are included, the number of soldiers in the city may indeed reach 200,000.

Their numbers are terrifying, but more importantly, their strength is terrifying as well.

Through the barrier, Bai Qingyu couldn't sense the exact strength of these black-armored soldiers, but her subconscious told her that these soldiers were definitely not weak, at least not weaker than those at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Golden Core cultivators are definitely the mainstream, making up the vast majority. There are certainly many above Golden Core as well. Of this number of soldiers, there are at least several thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, and perhaps around a thousand or more at the Divine Transformation stage or above. Even if we don't say a thousand, two hundred would be terrifying enough.

The combined stage or even the Mahayana stage may not be nonexistent; if they exist, there will certainly be more than one.

To summarize their strength, if all the soldiers guarding this city were to come back to life and deploy their troops as they did in life, it would be easy to take down Tianyang Palace. They could sweep away any force in the current world. Even if all the cultivators joined forces, this army could still hold out.

Even before arriving here, she sensed that this place was extraordinary. After examining the fragment that Xu Yuanqing had taken out, she felt that the future world order would inevitably be disrupted or even changed. Now that she was here, she was even more certain of her thoughts.

Even she couldn't suppress the impulse in her heart at this moment.

She thought, how wonderful it would be if Xiaoya could master this power. Then the Human Emperor would be a true Human Emperor, no longer an empty shell with no power to be manipulated by cultivators. He would be called the Human Emperor, but in reality, he would have to depend on the whims of cultivators in everything he did.

The current Great Spirit Emperor, backed by the Heavenly Sun Palace, has to consult with the Heavenly Sun Palace before taking any action, and only when he is sure there are no problems can he make a move.

That's why it's said that there hasn't been much technological progress in the world for tens of thousands of years. Essentially, it's because some old-fashioned people have strangled it, preventing any development. Maintaining the status quo is what's most advantageous for them.

Of course, some old-fashioned people are also out of touch with the times; their outdated minds only think that the world should be this way.

So when Bai Qingyu saw this town, she saw many, many things.

Xiaoya's future, the Human Emperor's status, and the development of the world!

Actually, these things are not something a demon like her should be thinking about. The state of the human race is none of her business. She only really cares about a few humans, either her children or her friends. What does the overall development of the human race have to do with her? If it doesn't develop, that's their own problem.

Bai Qingyu only thought about these things.

In comparison, the most crucial question is whether Xiaoya can master this power.

Bai Qingyu landed and stood in front of the city gate.

Behind them were cultivators from all walks of life. After more than half a year of research, they had already gained some understanding of this ruin and knew that they could not decipher anything in a short time. They were just occupying the area and waiting for news from their own sects.

The fact that no one approached gave Bai Qingyu an opportunity.

For some reason, Bai Qingyu's heart was beating unusually fast at this moment.

The benefits here are so great that she's starting to worry about what will happen if Xiaoya can't make use of this ruin.

It's like a person holding a key, with a large box in front of them containing treasures that could last several lifetimes. Knowing how enormous this wealth is, success or failure hinges on the small key in their hand.

If you open it, you'll enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor; if you can't, you'll have to slink away, watching others mess with the treasure chest.

So, it would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous the moment before opening the treasure chest.

Bai Qingyu did not experiment with Xiaoya's blood first, but instead tried to touch it with his own Qi Luck Power.

The power of luck just now allowed her to see what was inside the barrier, which is a very good omen, indicating that luck does indeed have an effect on this barrier.

The energy slowly penetrated deeper into the barrier, touching the tightly closed black door.

Bai Qingyu didn't dare to use too much power to touch it, worried that her strength would expose her.

The key is to sneak in and out secretly, without letting anyone find out. Xiaoya's secret must never be known to anyone, otherwise, there will be big problems.

Such a massive treasure is here, a treasure powerful enough to overturn the world.

If anyone finds out about Xiaoya's secret and spreads it, there's a 100% chance someone will take the risk.

The worst-case scenario is that a group of powerful cultivators join forces to kill her and try to seize Xiaoya.

That's entirely possible. A relic is here; opening it is better than not opening it. Even if you can't get the meat, you can at least have some soup. And what if...?

Bai Qingyu focused her mind, and she would suppress any movement she heard immediately.

When a wisp of platinum-gold power touched the gate, the originally dim black gate instantly brightened for a moment. Bai Qingyu suppressed it, but this reaction was already quite significant.

She sensed her surroundings, but none of the cultivators around her reacted.

These guys aren't paying attention here; they're probably just tired of looking at it.

Bai Qingyu felt relieved, but was deeply shaken.

It actually works!

Xu Yuanqing was right; this ruin really is related to Xiaoya.

Looking at the patterns on the gate, Bai Qingyu understood something. She drew a trace of blood and fused it into the patterns. Sure enough, the blood adhered to the patterns, filling them with a barely perceptible red mark.

This discovery is certainly a good thing, and since it involves Xiaoya, it brings hope.

Bai Qingyu tested her own blood and, finding it ineffective, became even more certain of her idea.

While I was happy, another problem arose.

The opportunity to open the door has arrived, but when should we open it?

The cultivators have been keeping watch here. The opening of the gate will be quite a commotion. Once it opens here, all the cultivators in the world will know about it in no time. Just because these cultivators aren't paying attention to this place doesn't mean they don't care. If they really didn't care, they would have already left.

A Nascent Soul cultivator is a renowned and powerful figure in any region. In smaller sects, a Nascent Soul cultivator is equivalent to an elder, and there aren't many like that in the entire sect.

Even in Tianyang Palace, a Nascent Soul cultivator can sit in the position of Elder, although the position of Elder is not very valuable in Tianyang Palace.

The fact that such a large number of powerful individuals are wasting their time here shows the importance of this ruin. And this is only because of the time factor. Bai Qingyu sensed no less than ten powerful auras around her, all of them at the Integration Stage. In other words, if she had arrived a month or two earlier, she would have encountered these Integration Stage cultivators.

The fact that there are few people now doesn't mean that no one is coming to see it. Bai Qingyu suspects that these sects have a plan.

After a period of chaos, they realized that if things continued like this, no one would be able to properly investigate the ruins. So they decided to split up into groups, each doing their own thing without interfering with the others.

If I'm not mistaken, another powerful figure will come to inspect during this period.

Bai Qingyu stared intently at the bloodstain on the door, then reached out and pulled out the strand of blood.

No matter how small the mark is, there is still a risk of being exposed. Under the spiritual power scan of various powerful beings, let alone a blood mark, even a change smaller than a spider silk might be noticed by this group of people.

Anyway, there's no rush. These ruins definitely won't be opened anytime soon.

Now that my thoughts have been confirmed, I feel much more at ease. To put it bluntly, the appearance of this ruin is "divine will." This great calamity is definitely not simple and will certainly be more serious than the previous calamities recorded.

From the premature emergence of the Heavenly Demon Sword and the arrival of Xiaoya, the chosen one, to Xu Yuanqing's cleanup of the capital, and now to the ruins, all of this is so interconnected that it's hard not to overthink it.

In other words, the probability of the ruins being opened is almost zero unless the right time and the right person arrive. Otherwise, if cultivators gain control of the ruins' power, there's no point in opening them at all, as the cultivators' power would increase dramatically, and no one could help them.

Thinking it over, Bai Qingyu left the scene.

They came without a sound, and they left without leaving a trace.

There was another important reason why the surrounding cultivators stayed here: to stop Bai Qingyu.

Bai Qingyu has too many methods, and they are all mysterious things like luck and faith. It would be bad if they could be used against the ruins, especially since he is a demon and not a human.

The powerful figures were well aware that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for these guys to discover Bai Qingyu's movements. The reason they kept them around was simply to make Bai Qingyu wary, so that he would at most come and take a look but would not dare to make a direct move.

Taking a look is fine. Even if Bai Qingyu comes openly, who can say she can't see it given her Mahayana cultivation?

On the way home, Bai Qingyu slowed down and observed the changes in the capital.

The discovery of this relic gave her reason to suspect that the decline of the Great Ling's national fortune was also the will of Heaven, and that the purpose was to target Xu Yuanqing.

I just can't understand it. If that's really the case, can Heaven consider so many things? Isn't it said that Heaven's will is a kind of instinct of Heaven and Earth?

At most, one can only arrange the general direction of things; the details and process are not important. Fate only cares about the result. But what is being presented now is truly terrifying, making one feel uneasy upon closer examination, as if a giant hand is manipulating everything from behind.

Everyone is a pawn: Changsheng is, Dongqing is, and Xiaoya is.

Even Xu Yuanqing is very likely part of the great calamity, and that includes Bai Qingyu as well...