I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

He spent 1,000 Ghost Stones to craft a Giant Turtle.

This vehicle’s creation process was different from the others. The Vehicle Workshop’s exit suddenly opened, and countless rays of light shot out from within, slowly forming a "Giant Turtle" composed of white lines in the air outside the cave.

Once the lines solidified.

A "Giant Turtle" made entirely of a skeleton slowly took shape. It had no flesh or skin; its shell was a dense, hollow lattice of bone.

It looked a bit like...

A giant, hollow computer mouse.

A full thirty meters wide.

An absolute behemoth.

He tested its crawling speed. It moved at the pace of a normal horse—much slower than a Skeleton Horse, but still far faster than a person walking.

"Er..."

Chen Fan eyed the vehicle before him with some hesitation. Its purpose was obvious: it had an extremely high carrying capacity and could transport a large batch of goods at once. ’But will anyone actually buy this thing?’

’This speed...’

’It’s just too slow.’

’I’ll just put it on the market first and see if anyone buys it.’

He wanted to upgrade the Vehicle Workshop to Level 6, but he couldn’t.

Upgrading to Level 6 required 20,000 Ghost Stones and one of the Heavenly Materials and Treasures, such as "Ya Bone" or "Blood Demon Bone." He didn’t have any at the moment, but that was fine. He would soon.

...

Chen Fan smiled, satisfied with his Silk Road plan. This plan wasn’t just about earning Ghost Stones. As for the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures needed for upgrades, how long would it take for his force, based solely in Jiangbei, to find them on its own? But with so many factions helping him search, it was a different story.

The speed would be drastically increased.

"Domain Lord!"

Just then—

Wang Kui, who had been taking inventory in the Warehouse this morning instead of going to Mortal City, rushed out of the camp, out of breath. He jogged all the way to Chen Fan and said, "The Ghost Object Bones in the Warehouse are almost gone! There’s not much left."

"The Ghost Bones are used up?"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. He had never really thought about that material. Crafting a Skeleton Horse required 100 Ghost Stones and a small amount of Ghost Object Bone, but he rarely paid attention to the latter requirement. It was like how crafting a Ghost Fire needed 3 Ghost Stones and a handful of dry grass—no one cared about the dry grass.

During the rainy season.

He had obtained a large quantity of Ghost Object Bones, all of which were stored in the Warehouse.

’I never thought we’d actually run out one day.’

...

His brow furrowed slightly. "Make me a list of everything in the camp that’s running low. I’ll post a purchase request in the Mortal Realm Marketplace."

"Yes!"

Just then—

Hey Hey poked its head out of the cave. It seemed to have overheard their conversation. After tilting its head in thought for a moment, it walked over to Chen Fan’s feet and repeatedly nudged its head against his thigh.

"What’s this?"

Chen Fan was surprised. "Are you trying to say you know where to find a large amount of Ghost Object Bone?"

"Let’s go!"

He couldn’t help but grin, hopping onto Hey Hey’s back and letting it carry him out of the ravine. ’Has this guy really buried that much good stuff in the mountains?’

"Wait!"

After rushing out of the ravine, Chen Fan couldn’t help but look back at the receding Nameless Mountain in confusion. "Hey Hey, are you going the wrong way?"

They weren’t going up the mountain.

Instead, they were charging toward the sea.

He admitted he was a bit afraid of water. He wasn’t a strong swimmer, so he rarely came to the coast. Hey Hey carried him in a mad dash, quickly reaching the shore. After setting him down, it began to dig furiously with its front claws.

...

Chen Fan stood alone on the shore, leaning on his Jade Staff, and gazed at the horizon. He couldn’t see the end of it, nor did he know how far the next landmass was. The sea after the rainy season was calm and tranquil.

The wind wasn’t strong.

The waves weren’t large.

It looked perfect for a voyage.

He waited patiently as Hey Hey dug, wondering what it could possibly unearth.

This wasn’t a sandy beach underfoot.

It was a gravel plain.

The ground was very hard. Only a creature like Hey Hey could dig through it; he certainly couldn’t.

...

About ten minutes later.

Hey Hey emerged from the hole, its face full of excitement as it invited him down.

"Let’s go!"

Chen Fan followed Hey Hey down into the hole. Every time he went digging with Hey Hey, he got the feeling they were robbing a tomb. This time, the tunnel wasn’t very deep, and they soon reached the bottom, which opened up into a wide space.

It seemed there was already a cavern underground. There were no sources of light, save for the natural light filtering down from the entrance, which was just enough for him to make out the Ghost Object Bones under his feet.

As for the surroundings, they were completely invisible.

It was pitch-black.

He didn’t know how large the cavern was, or what lurked in the darkness.

"Hey Hey..."

Chen Fan gripped his Jade Staff tightly, a little wary. He patted Hey Hey beside him, which gave him a small sense of security. His eyes scanned the surrounding darkness. "Take me back up. I’m not a big fan of exploring. This place feels a little off."

The next moment—

The cavern was suddenly illuminated by a blindingly bright light. A pillar of light formed, forcibly pushing Chen Fan and Hey Hey out of the hole. Just as it was about to shoot toward the Firmament...

SMACK.

Hey Hey raised a paw and slapped the pillar of light back down.

It forced the light into a Light Curtain on the ground, about the size of a person.

There was text on the Light Curtain.

-

"The world knows me as the Immortal Celestial Master. By decree, I was to defend Jiangbei. I was no match. The city fell, my people perished, and I was defeated."

"Countless Ghost Tides surged into Jiangbei, plunging the living into misery and suffering."

"I was born in Jiangdong and am now too ashamed to face its people. I take my own life here in Jiangbei, leaving behind my legacy. If future generations are fortunate enough to set foot here, I hope what I have left behind will be of use to you."

"Three days from now."

"The trial of inheritance will begin. All may enter. The main inheritance is that of an Architect, though other paths are touched upon, but not by much."

-

...

...

Chen Fan stared at the sudden development, stunned for a moment before it dawned on him. This was the "Ancient Ruins" recorded in the Pill Sect Jade Scroll. He had stumbled upon it—or rather, Hey Hey had dug it up.

The entrance to the hole was now blocked by a barrier of light.

It was clearly impossible to enter again.

They could only enter in three days.

But...

He shot the Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile beside him a strange look. That pillar of light was supposed to shoot straight into the Firmament, where the Light Curtain would have unfurled in the sky, announcing the opening of this trial of inheritance to everyone. ’But the moment it flew out of the hole, the Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile just slapped it back down?’

As a result, it never reached the sky.

He was the only one who saw the message in the Light Curtain.

Just as he was about to say something.

The Heaven-Swallowing Crocodile, which was lying beside him, suddenly opened its gaping jaws and swallowed the text-filled "Light Curtain" in a single gulp!

"Hey!"

Chen Fan yelled out subconsciously, completely bewildered. But it was too late. The creature even looked like it wanted more. Before he could react, Hey Hey crawled back to the hole’s entrance and, with another swipe of its claw, shattered the light barrier blocking it.

Only then did it tilt its head to look at him, its tail wagging constantly.

It was as if it was signaling that he could go down into the hole now.

...

Chen Fan stared at the scene, his face a blank mask, at a loss for words. After a long moment, he climbed back onto Hey Hey’s back and descended into the hole again. ’Now I think I understand why ’That Person’ kept two Heaven-Swallowing Crocodiles with him.’

’This creature...’

’Does it have some kind of Array Breaking effect against things like these magical Arrays?’

An Ancient Ruin designed to screen for inheritors had, with two slaps from Hey Hey, become his own private tour.

These Ancient Ruins had existed for a very long time.

’Since Hey Hey could find it...’

’...then there’s no reason Hey Hey’s parents couldn’t have found it.’ They were already back in the cavern, and the surroundings had brightened. He cautiously surveyed the area while pondering this question.

’Could it be that ’That Person’ looked down on these Ancient Ruins?’

...

Ancient Ruins came in many varieties.

Based on the information he’d gotten from the Pill Sect, they could be roughly categorized as follows.

Ruins of a Sect, family, or other faction. These had no rules of inheritance and were simply places that had been wiped out by a powerful enemy. There might be some treasures left inside, but they were generally not dangerous, as few traps could remain functional for so long. These were chaotic ruins.

Then there was another type.

The legacy left behind by a faction or a powerful individual before their death, hoping to benefit future generations.

Most of these were orderly and not particularly dangerous.

A small portion were orderly but very dangerous, left by individuals with poor character.

And a very small fraction were simply traps set by those who didn’t want to die alone—anyone who entered would die with them.