Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Zi Shang’s Brutality

The Iron Tower Man whipped his head around. A handsome man with gray hair and eyes was squeezing his heart with a cold expression.
The paleness of that gray-haired man’s palm accentuated the bright red color of his own heart.
Zi Shang tightened his grip and crushed that heart into a puddle of bloody liquid on the ground.
That Iron Tower Man fell to the ground with a thud. Surprisingly, his last thought before his death was about his astonishment that his heart was red.
Zi Shang shook off the blood on his hand in disgust. The blood droplets splattered everywhere.
Yun Jiuge swallowed her saliva. Every time Zi Shang removed someone else’s heart in front of her, she felt pangs of chest pain from his brutality.
“Why are you standing there like an idiot?” Zi Shang pointed at that Iron Tower Man’s Magical Bottomless Bag.
Yun Jiuge’s chest pain subsided immediately. She came forward to grab the Iron Tower Man’s Magical Bottomless Bag and Black Iron Hook Weapon gleefully.
On the other hand, Liu Mei’er commanded her Ba Wang Flower to devour the Iron Tower Man’s flesh and heart remains.
“Help me take a look inside this bag and see if there’s anything valuable.” Yun Jiuge gave the Iron Tower Man’s Magical Bottomless Bag to Zi Shang.
She could not disable the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Level barrier that prevented her from opening the Magical Bottomless Bag.
After Zi Shang helped her to undo the Magical Bottomless Bag, he pulled a black bangle out of it and said, “This must be the item that will allow us to pass through the fog.”
“Then let’s try it out!” As soon as Yun Jiuge thought of how the Ruins was on the other side, she felt rather excited.
“You should wear your Bat Wings now.” Zi Shang tossed the Magical Bottomless Bag to Yun Jiuge.
Yun Jiuge stored the Magical Bottomless Bag away and attached the Bat Wings to her body.
The Liu Sisters also gripped a Paper Crane in their hands. They were prepared to flee at the first sign of danger.
“Let’s go.” Zi Shang activated the black bangle. A faint glow enveloped Yun Jiuge and the Liu Sisters. After that, they walked into the darkness ahead of them.
Countless tiny black particles, which were flying within the darkness in breakneck speed, rushed towards them like an unforgiving storm.
Zi Shang released a stream of Purple Mist which acted as a shield to stop these terrifying black particles from attacking them.
Yun Jiuge and others navigated through the darkness with much difficulty. After some time had passed, they finally saw the light.
They stared at the magnificent Palace Ruins from afar. It was so impressive that it had more than 10 entrances.
Numerous rays of Spiritual Light whooshed towards the palace gates. All of them were Cultivators who were at the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage. Yun Jiuge wondered how Wanli Mingxuan was doing right now.
“Senior Yun Jiu, should we proceed?” Liu Tian’er’s voice was filled with anticipation and fear.
With their current Cultivation Level, the Liu Sisters were no match for those Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators. It was quite risky for them to fight those Cultivators over some treasures. However, she thought, “What if we manage to get our hands on them?”
When she thought of this, she was all fired up.
“Most of these Cultivators come from the Zhong Province. They will usually team up to explore the Palace Ruins. If we enter the Palace Ruins now, I am afraid that they would make quick work of us.” Unless Yun Jiuge was backed into a corner, she did not want to let others know about Zi Shang’s existence.
“Then let’s forget about it!” Liu Mei’er abandoned her desire to enter the Palace Ruins at this time decisively. Since they possessed the Ba Wang Flower now, they would own an extremely powerful treasure if they nurtured it properly. They did not have to court death by attempting to go against such formidable opponents.
Zi Shang was indifferent to whether they should enter the Palace Ruins. If Yun Jiuge wanted to venture to the Palace Ruins, he would accompany her. If she did not feel like going inside, he would not mind going home.
“Let’s stick around and see if we can find Wanli Mingxuan.” If they could make him their ally, then they could give it a go.
Yun Jiuge waited for a long time. When the glow of the Palace Ruin’s gates began to fade, it was an indication that the Palace Ruins was about to close its doors to them. However, she still did not see any sign of Wanli Mingxuan.
“Senior Yun Jiu, let’s leave now!” The Liu Sisters also gave up on entering the Palace Ruins.
“Alright!” Yun Jiuge could only call it a day.
At this time, the Magical Bottomless Bag, which was tied to her waist, shook. The Green Bronze Cauldron flew out of it with a swoosh. Akin to a shooting star, it charged towards one of the palace gates and disappeared into the Palace Ruins.
“F*ck!” Yun Jiuge moved her Bat Wings subconsciously. She transformed into a meteor and went after the Green Bronze Cauldron.
“Senior Yun Jiu!” Upon seeing that, the Liu Sisters gritted their teeth and released the Paper Cranes. After that, they followed Yun Jiuge into the Palace Ruins.
“How troublesome.” Zi Shang furrowed his brows. Although the Liu Sisters took off first, he overtook them in the blink of an eye.
However, once he stepped foot into the Palace Ruins, Zi Shang realized that he had lost Yun Jiuge. He performed a hand gesture to determine her location and chased after her in the east direction.
Even though Yun Jiuge looked high and low for the Green Bronze Cauldron in the Palace Ruins, she could not find it at all. She yelled, “Little Cauldron, where are you?”
“Please stop shouting.” Zi Shang dashed forward and dragged her towards the ground. He scolded her with a scowl, “How can you be so reckless? I can’t believe that you had the temerity to rush headlong into this place without having an idea of what’s in here.” If it was not because of the Slave Contract that bound them together, he would have lost her for real.
“I couldn’t find the Green Bronze Cauldron.” Yun Jiuge was really worried.
“Check if that Black Fat Rat is still with you.” Zi Shang suggested.
Yun Jiuge pulled out the sack where she kept her Spiritual Beasts. She looked inside and saw that the Treasure-hunting Scorpion was cuddling with his wife, fast asleep. Her pink cocoon still remained in the same state. Pipi Jam was supposed to be resting between them, but the place was empty. It seemed that it left with the Green Bronze Cauldron.
“Haven’t I treated them well? Why would they run away from me?” Yun Jiuge was furious that they were so ungrateful, considering everything that she had done for them.
“It’s likely that there’s something in this Palace Ruins that attracted its attention!” Zi Shang surveyed the area. They were completely surrounded by an endless expanse of fog.
“What could it be?” Yun Jiuge’s eyes brightened immediately. The Green Bronze Cauldron and Pipi Jam were valuable treasures themselves. If the item could entice them, it had to be a finer treasure.
“You should ask the Treasure-hunting Scorpion to search for it.” Zi Shang summoned the Treasure-hunting Scorpion right away.
The Treasure-hunting Scorpion emerged from the sack and waddled to Yun Jiuge’s shoulder. It asked, “Mistress, how can I serve you?”
“Can you sense the presence of any treasures in this Palace Ruins?” Yun Jiuge ordered.
The Treasure-hunting Scorpion jumped onto the ground and moved its thick tail to and fro, before voicing his confusion, “Mistress, I can’t detect any treasures in this place. There’s something here that has concealed the Spiritual Energy in the Palace Ruins.”
“As expected, it’s not easy to get my hands on a new treasure.” Yun Jiuge was not disappointed at all. After she instructed the Treasure-hunting Scorpion to return to the sack, she remembered something and asked, “By the way, where are the Liu Sisters?”
Because she ran off hastily earlier, she forgot to inform the Liu Sisters on where to meet up. It was likely that they felt extremely anxious now because they were separated from Yun Jiuge.
“They came after you, so they’re in here as well.” Zi Shang was fully focused on pursuing Yun Jiuge, so he did not have the energy to take care of the Liu Sisters.
“Let’s find them first.” The Palace Ruins gave her an unearthly vibe. Moreover, they had many enemies who were scattered around the area. If no one was protecting the Liu Sisters, they would be in a very dangerous situation.
“We should start by walking towards the west.” Zi Shang vaguely remembered that the Liu Sisters were teleported by the Palace Ruins to that direction.
Yun Jiuge flapped her Bat Wings and flew westward together with Zi Shang.
After flying for a while, the fog gradually dissipated. A small village appeared out of nowhere.
Grass Huts were found in the entire village. A scraggly dog was lying on its stomach at the village entrance with its tongue sticking out.
A few old cows were plowing the fields.
The farmers that were tilling the fields had glum expressions, while the clothes that they were wearing were so shabby that there were patches sewn over other torn patches. They had the appearance of people who lived in poverty.
The crops that had grown on the fields were sparse and showing signs of wilting, foretelling a poor harvest for this year.
A middle-aged lady with graying hair and weathered face sat near the fields, wiping her tears constantly. She seemed rather miserable.
The scene before Yun Jiuge seemed so realistic that she thought that she had walked into the wrong place for a second.
“This is an illusion.” Zi Shang figured out what was happening at once.
“Let’s head over there and have a look.” Yun Jiuge believed that this illusion would not appear for no reason at all.