Chapter 1752: Acting Alone
"The ruins are open! Get inside!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the cry instantly ignited everyone's excitement.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures shot into the air one after another, racing toward the depths of the valley.
Ling Feng exchanged a glance with Xiao Juanyun and the others. Without another word, they unleashed their movement techniques and swiftly entered the valley.
"We're here!"
The shout rang out as everyone came to a halt.
The person at the very front was a disciple from Tianchuan Sword Manor named Yi Ming.
The surrounding martial artists immediately grew excited.
"Let's go!"
Without a second thought, Yi Ming darted straight into the entrance.
"Move!"
Warriors from every faction surged forward, each desperate to be first, as though whoever entered ahead of the others would seize the greatest opportunity and obtain the inheritance treasures first.
Just then, a cold voice reached Ling Feng's ears.
"So you're Ling Feng?"
He turned and found Han Su from Dragon Sword Heavenly Manor staring at him.
Han Su was transmitting his voice through spiritual consciousness, so only Ling Feng could hear it.
"Kid, I've got my eye on you. Pray we don't run into each other inside. Hek hek hek..."
With that, Han Su's figure blurred and disappeared into the glowing gateway of the ruins.
"Let's head in as well."
Xiao Juanyun took a deep breath.
Ling Feng moved at the same time, advancing shoulder to shoulder with Luo Hanzhou as they led the dozen or so martial artists from the Dongling Region into the ruins.
***
Darkness swallowed his vision for an instant before light returned.
It was the glow of torches. The flickering flames swayed under an eerie current of air, casting elongated shadows across the surrounding rock walls. The twisting silhouettes shifted constantly, resembling grotesque demons lurking in the darkness.
Some martial artists carrying rare treasures simply summoned their flying swords or magical artifacts. Beams of different colors lit up the pitch-black cavern, allowing everyone to make out their surroundings.
The place was an enormous cave with passageways extending in every direction, branching into countless tunnels.
Suddenly, cries of alarm erupted ahead.
"What's going on?"
"My sword essence feels..."
Soon, everyone else realized something was wrong. The martial artists from the Xijian Region found their sword essence sealed. Those from the Dongling Region discovered their elemental force had been suppressed. As for the warriors from the Beihan Region, their vitality had also been completely locked away.
In short, the very powers every martial artist relied upon had all been mysteriously sealed by an unknown restriction the moment they entered this place.
Ling Feng narrowed his eyes. His situation was even worse. Not only were his elemental force and vitality suppressed, but even his spiritual consciousness suffered the same restriction.
He cultivated all three paths, yet every single one of them had been sealed.
Seriously? Ling Feng muttered inwardly. Who am I supposed to complain to about this?
"What even! What kind of damned place is this!"
"How are we supposed to survive like this? If we run into a fierce beast here, aren't we dead?"
More and more people realized their abilities had been sealed. All they had left were their martial skills, swordsmanship, fist techniques, and movement arts.
Ling Feng glanced at Xiao Juanyun and noticed that he didn't seem surprised at all.
Thinking back to the tea gathering, where Xiao Juanyun had specifically instructed everyone to suppress their elemental force, Ling Feng immediately understood. Xiao Juanyun had known about this all along.
"The Great Desolation Ruins suppress all forms of power. That's hardly a secret," Xiao Juanyun said with a faint smile. "Most of the people acting shocked already knew this would happen. They're only pretending to panic so they can scare off those who don't know the truth. Once fear sets in, they'll naturally have fewer competitors."
Ling Feng nodded as he watched several martial artists hesitate. They didn't want to give up the opportunity, but they were equally afraid to move forward.
"What a bunch of actors," he thought as he shook his head. He couldn't help but feel that life was one big performance. It was all about how well one's acting skill was in life. It was no wonder some of those exaggerated expressions had looked so fake.
"At best, those people will only make it through the outer layers. Let's not waste any more time," Xiao Juanyun said as he unfolded his map and strode confidently toward the tunnel directly ahead.
Ling Feng smiled calmly. "I'll take the passage on the left."
According to the map, although the outer tunnels were incredibly complicated, they all eventually converged toward the core of the ruins. There wasn't any single correct route.
Since everyone was searching for their own opportunities, there was no need to travel together.
"Very well. Since you've decided to go alone, Brother Ling, be careful."
Xiao Juanyun didn't try to persuade him otherwise. Sometimes traveling as a group would cause more trouble than it solved. Going alone meant that if someone encountered an opportunity, there would be no disputes over how to divide it.
Luo Hanzhou glanced at Ling Feng, casually picked another tunnel, and walked off without following him.
Ling Feng turned toward the others from the Dongling Region.
"Senior Brother Shi, Brother Ao Jue, Senior Sister Yue, everyone, let's split up here."
He couldn't spend the entire journey protecting them like a mother hen guarding her chicks. This simply wouldn't be realistic. Anyone who chose to walk the path of martial arts had to be prepared to face danger and death. Otherwise, they might as well go home and become farmers.
Ling Feng cupped his fists toward everyone before turning and disappearing into the tunnel.
The martial artists from the Dongling Region silently watched his departing figure.
Earlier, Ling Feng had copied and distributed the route map he obtained from Xiao Juanyun, ensuring everyone had one. Compared to the countless people wandering without any map at all, they already held a considerable advantage.
***
After choosing a direction at random, Ling Feng strode deeper into the passage. His spiritual consciousness, elemental force, and vitality were all heavily suppressed. In fact, even his Boundless Vision had been reduced to barely half its normal capability.
He took out a luminous pearl to light his way, but the dim glow barely illuminated ten meters ahead. The narrow tunnel stretched endlessly forward, and every so often it branched into another three-way intersection.
Fortunately, Ling Feng wasn't someone who suffered from indecision. Otherwise, this maze alone would probably have driven him mad.