Chapter 736: Life Flame (II)
Deep within the wilderness.
This region no longer belonged to Great Wei and was, in theory, part of the barbarians' territory. However, its towering mountains, rugged terrain, harsh environment, and scarce resources made it virtually uninhabited. Lin Zheyu sped through the void, looking down at the vast wilderness below with a hint of curiosity.
How did Fan Hongwei discover these ruins in such a remote and desolate place?
A gentle breeze swept past, rustling the leaves. Lin Zheyu approached from a distance and arrived at the agreed meeting place.
"Since you are already here, why bother hiding, fellow friend? Is there something you do not want others to see?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile, looking ahead and to his left.
Fan Hongwei slowly emerged from the void with a genial laugh. "Haha, the spirit divine ability you awakened is indeed formidable, fellow friend. You managed to detect me even though I used a concealment formation."
He stroked his graying beard, looking every bit like a benevolent and otherworldly sage.
"You flatter me. Are the Shamanic Clan Ruins here?" Lin Zheyu asked calmly.
His powerful senses spread outward, but he detected nothing.
"Of course not. Did you come alone?" Fan Hongwei shook his head and surveyed the surroundings through narrowed eyes, smiling pleasantly.
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" Lin Zheyu replied.
"Haha, alone is best. Alone is best. Please follow me. The Shamanic Clan Ruins lie within a spatial rift, and special methods are required to enter." Fan Hongwei laughed heartily. He turned and set off to lead the way, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint sneer.
A trace of mockery appeared in Fan Hongwei's eyes.
This fellow is certainly confident. It seems he has a powerful trump card. But what difference does that make? I anticipated it long ago!
Did Lin Zheyu truly think he had done nothing after being stood up so many times? Fan Hongwei had long since prepared plenty of surprises for him within the ruins.
Two figures sped through the mountain forest. The meeting place Fan Hongwei had chosen was rather far from the ruins, with more than fifty kilometers separating them.
Their footsteps rustled against the withered yellow leaves as the old man and the young man emerged from the forest. Before them stood a vast cliff. Clouds and mist shrouded the depths below, concealing the bottom from sight.
Fan Hongwei pointed below the cliff and said calmly, "This is the place. Please wait a moment, fellow friend. I will open the entrance."
He stepped forward and rapidly formed a series of hand seals. A black longsword shot from his body, pierced into the void, and vanished. Fan Hongwei had clearly tampered with this place so that it could only be opened through special means. Lin Zheyu stood silently to the side as his spiritual Heavenly Eye opened, quietly observing Fan Hongwei's every movement.
He had already examined the surrounding area and found no signs of tampering or an ambush. Either Fan Hongwei had laid a trap inside the ruins, or the old bastard intended to dispose of Lin Zheyu once he had outlived his usefulness. Lin Zheyu did not care which it was. The moment they entered the ruins, he would immediately strike and capture Fan Hongwei.
Although Lin Zheyu was confident that Fan Hongwei posed no threat to him, he was no masochist. As long as no Deity Transformation realm expert appeared and no method comparable to the Deity Transformation realm was employed, he feared nothing. Even so, he would hardly give the old bastard an opportunity to scheme against him when he already knew Fan Hongwei harbored ill intentions. He was only cooperating because he had yet to confirm whether this place truly led to the Shamanic Clan Ruins.
A highly sophisticated formation, but without an expert guarding it, forcibly breaking through should not be difficult, Lin Zheyu concluded as he observed Fan Hongwei's movements.
"It is ready. To enter the Shamanic Clan Ruins, we must pass through a spatial rift roughly one kilometer below us. Crossing it carries considerable risk. Do you have a defensive dharma treasure?" Fan Hongwei asked with a smile. "If not, I can lend you one."
"We martial artists have no need for external objects, so naturally, I have no defensive dharma treasure. In that case, I will have to trouble you to lend me one," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.
Of course, he knew that Fan Hongwei's offer was merely a courtesy. However, since the man was being so polite, how could he possibly reject his goodwill? If a free dharma treasure was being offered, there was no reason not to use it.
Fan Hongwei smiled and took out a suit of jade-green treasure armor. "Hehe, there is no need to be so polite. This is the Jadebone Armor. It is inscribed with a Void-Warding Formation and was specially made to protect its wearer while traversing spatial rifts. I shall lend it to you for now."
A trace of cold amusement flashed deep within his eyes. He had merely tossed out some bait, yet the other party had actually taken it. What a foolish brute. Did he not know that one should never rashly use another person's dharma treasure while its owner was still alive? The Jadebone Armor was also known as the Immortal-Trapping Armor. Once Xiao Yu put it on, Fan Hongwei would easily have him at his mercy.
Lin Zheyu accepted the Jadebone Armor with a smile. "Then I must thank you."
He carefully examined the Jadebone Armor, inspecting it inside and out with his spiritual Heavenly Eye, then sneered inwardly. Fan Hongwei had indeed tampered with it. Although Lin Zheyu had no complete lineage and had only begun studying and comprehending the Dao of Formations later in life with the aid of his powerful spiritual Heavenly Eye, he still possessed considerable discernment in the field.
With the help of his powerful spiritual Heavenly Eye, Lin Zheyu discovered a concealed backdoor Fan Hongwei had left within the Jadebone Armor, even though he could not discern its true hidden function. The Jadebone Armor was not Fan Hongwei's natal dharma treasure, so it could not share a direct mental connection with him. To control it, Fan Hongwei had to rely on a formation backdoor resembling a 'spiritual sense receiver' that he had installed beforehand, allowing him to seize control of the treasure armor by force.
Lin Zheyu remained calm as though he had noticed nothing. While putting on the Jadebone Armor, he silently erased the concealed backdoor Fan Hongwei had left behind.
"Let us go," Lin Zheyu said calmly.
Seeing Lin Zheyu put on the Jadebone Armor, Fan Hongwei laughed heartily. "Haha, very well. I will lead the way, so be sure to keep close."
Lin Zheyu smiled faintly and leaped into the chasm below. It was not difficult to guess that the cultivator who originally discovered these Shamanic Clan Ruins had probably fallen from the cliff by accident and stumbled into them through a fortunate coincidence.
The fierce wind howled past their ears. The two descended rapidly and reached the spatial rift in the blink of an eye. The rift was no larger than a person and was rather unstable. After waiting outside for roughly two minutes, Fan Hongwei called out softly, "Now!"
With that, he leaped into the spatial rift first. Seeing this, Lin Zheyu covered his body beneath his clothes with scales and quietly tightened his right hand around the shrunken Primordial Chaos Pool. Then he leaped into the spatial rift as well.
The spatial rift was filled with violent spatial turbulence and all manner of terrifying chaotic energy. However, these posed little threat to a Nascent Soul realm expert. Even a Golden Core realm cultivator could safely withstand the dangers of an ordinary spatial rift with the protection of a defensive dharma treasure. With sufficient luck, even an ordinary person could pass through safely.