A technologically powerful nation: The national treasure is actually myself.

The atmosphere inside the outpost was somewhat somber.

My teammate's words made sense.

Compared to life, nothing else matters.

As soldiers of the government, we are required to obey orders.

The squad is now ordered to remain stationed in Blazing City. If the malevolent power within that ancient ruin spreads, they will be the first to be affected.

It seems there's still time to run.

In the silence, Li Rui spoke up: "The situation is still unclear, and it would be a bit rash to run away right now. Of course, I won't stop you from making your choice, but I just think we can wait and see how things go."

After speaking, Li Rui paused for a moment, then said softly, "Besides, where can we run to? With our strength, we can't run very far. If we can't leave the manor, it's better to stay in the manor army. At least we'll have another layer of support, which is much safer than running around on our own."

As he spoke, he glanced at the group and said, "These are just my personal thoughts. If any of you want to leave, you'd better report it and leave the government army through normal channels as soon as possible. Don't just run away on your own."

After saying that, Li Rui said nothing more.

The team members all began to ponder.

Cheng Fu quietly nudged Lin Yang's arm and asked telepathically, "Lin Yang, what are you thinking?"

Lin Yang pondered for a moment before replying telepathically, "I also think the captain is right. Having the identity of a member of the Prefectural Army is like having an extra layer of protection. If something really happens, there are still the higher-ups in the Prefectural Army who can be relied upon."

"If I were to run away on my own, not to mention whether I could actually escape, the risks along the way would be considerable."

"Besides, we don't have enough Yuan Sha to leave the Far East Prefecture by teleportation array. Since we can't escape the Far East Prefecture, we might as well continue to serve as the prefectural army. The higher-ups are unlikely to allow the prefectural army to get into trouble easily."

Cheng Fu nodded slightly: "I think so too. The main problem is that all the Yuan Sha I've accumulated over the years has been used for cultivation. If I had enough Yuan Sha, it would be safest to run away first."

Lin Yang didn't say anything more.

Cheng Fu's words hit the nail on the head.

It's not that he doesn't want to run away, it's that he doesn't have the money to run away!
The soldiers in the prefecture receive generous benefits, but cultivation costs money!
All cultivation resources had to be purchased with money, and he hadn't saved up much Yuan Sha.

It wasn't just him and Cheng Fu who were short of money.

The team members were basically the same.

Running away would be the safest option, but when faced with the real problems, the team stopped mentioning running away.

Running too close is useless, and running too far doesn't provide enough money for travel expenses.

Staying here for now is the best option.

"If only I had the strength of the Nirvana Realm, I would have so many more options."

One of the team members remarked with emotion.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The team members were mostly at the mid-to-late stage of the Dao Fire Realm.

They usually use the rewards from missions to buy resources to improve their skills and are working hard to cultivate, hoping to reach the Nirvana Realm as soon as possible.

Now, no one can come up with a large sum of money to run away with.

The stronghold fell silent.

Since we can't run away, all we can do now is improve ourselves as much as possible.

Everyone has started practicing.

Lin Yang was also cultivating, but not in deep seclusion.

The current situation is not suitable for deep seclusion.

A few days later, news about the Great Ferocious Ancient Ruins that the Yun family, Li Liping, Xin Hao, and Shi Jie had gathered came in one after another.

Lin Yang read through them one by one, but there wasn't much useful information; it was basically the same as what the team had summarized.

Obviously, these are all just ordinary news items.

Truly confidential information is still very difficult to obtain.

Li Liping said that although Yuyu Sect is a major sect, his current status within the sect is limited, and he is unable to obtain more information.

Shi Jie and Xin Hao were in a similar situation, and they informed Lin Yang that the Xu and Rong families were considering relocating their entire clans and planned to leave the Baichi City area first.

Both families have Nirvana Realm experts stationed within them. While relocating the entire clan would be difficult, it's not entirely impossible; it would simply require sacrificing some members.

Even Yun Bu revealed to Lin Yang that all the major families in Baichi City are now considering relocating.

Although it's not realistic for the whole clan to relocate to another prefecture, they still want to leave Baichi City as much as possible.

This place is too close to that ominous ancient ruin, making people feel very unsafe.

Almost all the families around Baichi City that have the means are considering relocating.

This news surprised Lin Yang, but upon reflection, it made sense.

"Is Baichi City going to become a ghost town?"

Lin Yang couldn't help but think about it and looked around the city.

The once bustling city of Baichi has become deserted at a visible speed.

"I wonder how the big shots up there are doing with their investigation."

Lin Yang continued his cultivation.

More than half a month passed peacefully like this.

Li Rui's slightly surprised voice came through: "Everyone, we have received the latest news that the higher-ups have conducted a preliminary investigation of the ancient ruins and have not detected any dangerous forces leaking out. The area outside the ancient ruins is currently safe."

This news brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

"Captain, do you have any more detailed information? For example, what exactly is the situation inside that ancient ruin?" Cheng Fu asked.

Li Rui shook his head: "I don't know the specifics."

After saying that, he lowered his voice and said, "According to rumors, the exploration of the ancient ruins suffered great losses. It is said that some adults paid a huge price to barely find out anything. The danger of this ancient ruins is beyond imagination."

"Moreover, in theory, the power within this ancient ruin should be able to easily spill out and destroy the area. However, for some reason, the power within the ancient ruin has not spilled out, so the outside is still safe."

The team members looked at each other.

Lin Yang said, "Captain, do you mean that under normal circumstances, this ancient ruin should be overflowing with power?"

Li Rui nodded: "Yes, the power within this ancient ruin is very strong. According to the adults, there have been similar ancient ruins before, and they all basically destroyed the area due to the overflowing power. I just don't know why this one hasn't."

"So what do we need to do now? Can we evacuate Baichi City?" Cheng Fu was very concerned about this question.

Li Rui shook his head again: "The higher-ups haven't issued any instructions for us to evacuate Baichi City yet."

"Alright." Cheng Fu sighed helplessly.

Li Rui looked at him: "Now that we're safe, what are you still afraid of?"

Cheng Fu pursed his lips: "Although we're safe for now, it's only temporary. Who knows if the power of this ancient ruin will leak out again in the future? Anyway, it'll be more reassuring to leave as soon as possible."

"That's true, but since there are no instructions from above, let's wait a bit longer." Li Rui smiled, indicating to the team members to continue their cultivation in peace, as the news would be announced soon.

It was almost shortly after Lin Yang and his group received the news.

News of the fact that the power of the ancient site had not leaked out quickly spread.

The Baichi City area is still safe.

This news reassured many people in the Baichiren area.

People are restless these days. Those who can relocate are preparing to do so, while those who lack the means are filled with despair.

This news has reassured many people.

However, the gossip that Li Rui could find out could also be found out by others.

Rumors about the ancient ruins, which should have revealed power but for some unknown reason did not, also spread quickly.

This has once again raised people's doubts and uncertainties.

The temporary safety left people feeling insecure again. Before long, some large families began to relocate as a whole.

The existence of such a terrifying ancient ruin right next to one's bed can never truly put one at ease.

Those large families that relocated didn't want to gamble.

With leaders taking the lead, families gradually moved away one after another.

The city of Baichi began to grow increasingly deserted.

However, neither Tiankun Sect nor Hongwei Sect reacted.

As a sect or faction, it would be much more difficult for them to relocate to another place.

After all, everyone in the sect needs to cultivate.

Cultivation requires resources.

Where do the resources come from?
Territory!

In other cities, local clans and powerful families had already divided up the territory.

If a large sect relocates there, it may be difficult for the sect to survive without land.

A family can gradually build its business after relocating to a new place, but a sect cannot.

A sect must have a stronghold, and it must be a good stronghold.

However, the best mountains with excellent Taoist charm are all already owned.

Therefore, the relocation of sects will present even more challenges.

The Moon Shadow Sect also remained silent.

Although the Moon Shadow Sect is in a semi-closed state, it still has some territory for resource production.

If they move away, they may face the risk of their sect disbanding.

The three major families in Baichi City did not move out immediately.

They have been operating in Baichi City for countless years and have long since established their roots there.

If they went to other places, they would quickly become just an ordinary family.

Although Baichi City was beginning to decline, the three major families were unwilling to move away unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, not relocating the entire clan does not mean not evacuating at all.

The elite members of the family were still removed to prevent any unforeseen events in Baichi City from leaving the family without successors.

After these repeated evacuations, White Blaze City became even more desolate.

What remains today are ordinary families and independent cultivators who lack the resources to relocate or leave as a whole clan.

The once bustling streets are now deserted.

The city, which was crowded with people not long ago, has become deserted.

The contrast between prosperity and decay is stark.

The days passed by.

Lin Yang's team, along with several other teams, still hadn't received orders to evacuate Baichi City.

Furthermore, no further instructions for new missions were received.

It was as if their squad had been forgotten by those above.

If it weren't for the fact that the payment was still being made on time.

One thousand years, two thousand years, three thousand years…

For over three thousand years, no new tasks were assigned.

This has far exceeded the standby period.

"What exactly does the higher-ups mean? Why won't they let us evacuate, and why aren't they giving us any new missions?"

On this day, one of the team members couldn't help but approach Li Rui, his voice loud and somewhat irritable.

Lin Yang glanced at him. This person was named Liu Ling, a veteran member of the team. Although they didn't have much contact on a regular basis, Lin Yang knew that Liu Ling had a very good temperament.

There were also two hot-tempered guys in the group.

For some reason, Liu Ling was even more impatient than the two hot-tempered teammates today.

His voice caused the other team members to stop cultivating and look at Li Rui.

Li Rui paused for a moment and said, "We don't need to go on missions, and we're still receiving Yuansha and resource subsidies on time. This allows us to focus on our cultivation, so everyone doesn't need to worry too much."

“But Captain, there are rumors outside that we’re staying because the first group to get close to the ancient ruins has been tainted by some kind of power within them, so they’re not allowed to evacuate to prevent that power from spreading from us and contaminating more people.”

"In a way, we became the test subjects."

Liu Ling's voice was still very loud, even carrying a hint of anger.

Li Rui frowned: "Those are all rumors and gossip. Don't believe them."

"Then how do you explain our current situation?" Liu Ling countered.

Li Rui's face darkened: "Liu Ling, you're usually quite composed, why were you so impulsive today?"

"Why don't you think about this? If it's true that we were the first people to approach the ancient ruins and were contaminated by some kind of power, which could then spread from us to others and prevent us from leaving, then how do you explain the relocation and departure of so many people?"

"Among those people, many were among the first to approach the ancient ruins. If it were really for the reason you mentioned, they would definitely have been stopped from leaving by the higher-ups, but they still left at will, didn't they?"

Liu Ling was taken aback.

Li Rui continued, "Besides, leaving the government army is a matter of personal freedom. If any members of other squads are worried, they can withdraw from the government army and then leave Baichi City."

"If the higher-ups block us from leaving, then it proves that it's not just a rumor, but a fact."

"But the fact is, why don't they leave? Why don't those guys spreading rumors try leaving the garrison themselves?"

Liu Ling remained stunned.

Li Rui's tone softened, and he continued speaking slowly:

“I can understand how you and everyone else feel right now, but it’s obvious that someone is likely stirring things up and trying to get others to be the first to take the lead.”

"Staying in the government army is the least risky option at present."

"Liu Ling, don't let yourself be used as a pawn. If someone tries to incite you, why don't you let them try to quit the government army themselves and see what happens?"

Liu Ling fell silent.

After a long while, Liu Ling spoke up: "I'm sorry, Captain, I don't know what came over me. I just acted impulsively in a moment of passion."

"It's alright, I understand." Li Rui waved his hand, not taking it to heart.

Lin Yang watched from the side and thought Li Rui's words made a lot of sense.

He was also a little puzzled. Who could possibly incite someone as composed as Liu Ling to act impulsively?

Li Rui told Liu Ling to rest first, then turned to the others and said, "You all should calm down. Since such rumors are circulating, it won't be long before some people really can't help but encourage others to leave the government army. We'll see how things go then."

"Yes, Captain," everyone replied in unison.

Li Rui still enjoys a high level of prestige within the team.

No one objected, and everyone continued their cultivation.

Li Rui did not cultivate; instead, he left the stronghold and returned after a long time.

Time continued to pass day by day.

That day, while Lin Yang was still cultivating, Li Rui suddenly shouted to everyone, "Attention, everyone stop cultivating for now. Several soldiers from other squads just applied to withdraw from the army. We'll know soon enough whether it's a rumor or not."

Everyone's expressions brightened, and they all turned their attention to the scene. (End of Chapter)