You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"That's my own business. Since I've chosen this path, I have no regrets!"
"Senior Brother Liu, and fellow disciples, farewell!"

After saying that, she ignored Liu Haoran and the others, whose faces were ashen, and gave Chen Yang a wink.

"Brother Chen, let's go."

Seeing this, Chen Yang knew that there was no point in saying anything more. He nodded slightly to Liu Haoran and the others as a greeting, and then turned and walked out of the ruins with Liu Piaopiao.

Liu Haoran stared intently at the backs of the two walking side by side, especially Liu Piaopiao's back that showed no reluctance and even a hint of relief. He felt a surge of anger burning in his chest, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

But he didn't lash out in the end. He just let out a suppressed growl from deep in his throat, his eyes flashing with cold light, as if he was plotting something.

After leaving the safe zone of the ruins for a while, the surrounding light seemed to brighten up a bit, although it still carried the dimness characteristic of the trial grounds.

Liu Piaopiao took out her bronze-colored tracking compass, infused it with magical power, and carefully sensed its movements.

Chen Yang looked at the slightly trembling pointer on the compass and the faint, star-like points of light appearing on it, and asked.

"Miss Liu, which direction should we go? I'm completely unfamiliar with this place."

Liu Piaopiao pointed to a relatively bright area of ​​light on the compass and analyzed it.

"The best way to find out about your friend is to go to crowded places and try your luck."

In the Trial Grounds, the most crowded places, besides the 'safe zones' like last night, are a few fixed resource trading points and the vicinity of possible 'immortal traces'.

"Trading point?"

Chen Yang was somewhat surprised.

"There's another trading point here?"

Of course!

Liu Piaopiao explained, her tone revealing a hint of understanding of this "outsider's" lack of common sense.

"The trial lasts for two or three months. Everyone explores inside and will find all sorts of things—technique jade slips that they can't use, magic weapon materials with incompatible attributes, spiritual herbs that are too old or unusable, or even spoils 'obtained' from others."

If you can't use it or dare not use it, and it's a waste to throw it away, the best solution is to find a place to trade it for spirit stones, pills, or suitable weapons and armor that you urgently need.

She pointed in a direction indicated by the compass.

"If you keep walking along this road for about two days, you will reach a trading hub that is generally considered to be a popular meeting point for transactions."

It was originally the ruins of an ancient small city. Although dilapidated, it covered a considerable area and was relatively open. Moreover, it was surrounded by natural terrain barriers and remnants of ancient formations, making it relatively safe.

Many people go there to trade, exchange information, and even temporarily form teams. We go there to see if we can find any news about your friends, and maybe we can even find some useful items!

Chen Yang suddenly realized that a crude set of rules for survival and circulation had already been formed within this trial ground.

"This is a good place."

"Then let's go in the direction you suggested."

"it is good!"

Liu Piaopiao put away the compass and determined the direction.

"Then let's set off! If my compass senses any 'celestial traces' or spiritual energy fluctuations that resemble those of previous inhabitants' caves along the way, we can go and take a look. We might find something of value. After all, seeking opportunities is part of the trial!"

Without further delay, the two quickly set off in the direction indicated by Liu Piaopiao.

At first, they traveled along a rugged mountain path, with steep cliffs and dense but dark-colored forests on both sides.

Soon after, the terrain gradually flattened out, revealing large areas of wasteland and low hills, with the shadows of continuous, indistinct mountain ranges in the distance.

The journey was far from peaceful. The wilderness of the trial grounds was home to many spirit beasts that had mutated due to the spiritual energy and environment, among which were many ferocious and bloodthirsty creatures.

They encountered several waves of spirit beasts, including venomous leopards that lurked in the grass and moved with lightning speed, iron-beaked eagles that swooped down from the sky with sharp claws and teeth, and groups of steel-bristled wild boars with exposed tusks.

However, most of these spirit beasts were between Foundation Establishment and Pseudo-Core Formation, posing little threat to Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao, who were prepared.

Chen Yang didn't even go all out. He just cooperated with Liu Piaopiao, either dodging or repelling her attacks. He didn't get too entangled with her, so as not to cause more trouble or expose too much of his strength.

Liu Piaopiao was agile, and with the help of several low-level talismans and precise swordsmanship, she also demonstrated good adaptability.

And so, the two of them made their way quickly, albeit with some close calls. Based on their sense of the slowly flowing time, when the surrounding "sky" began to turn noticeably dusky, it was already "afternoon" in their physical senses.

Liu Piaopiao stopped and looked at the fading light of the sky, her expression becoming serious.

"Brother Chen, we need to find a safe place to stay for tonight as soon as possible."

It's getting dark; those 'evil spirits' will probably start to become active again.

Chen Yang nodded.

"That's right. Safety first. Can your compass point to any potential safe zones nearby?"

"I'll give it a try."

Liu Piaopiao took out the compass again, this time infusing it with even more magic power. The runes on the compass lit up, and the pointer began to spin rapidly, seemingly scanning the energy field over a large area. After a moment, the pointer slowly stopped, pointing to the left front of their direction of travel.

"there!
After about two hours of travel, the compass sensed a relatively stable array energy reaction there, with attributes leaning towards 'purification' and 'protection'! It seemed to be quite large, likely a larger safe zone similar to the ruins from last night!

Liu Piaopiao's tone carried a hint of excitement.

"There's no time to lose, let's speed things up!"

Chen Yang said.

The two immediately increased their speed and sped off in the direction indicated by the compass.

Before the "sky" was completely replaced by a deep bluish-gray, they finally arrived at their destination.

Before us lay the ruins of an ancient city, far larger than the town ruins we'd seen last night!
The outline of the tall, cracked, and vine-covered city wall is still faintly visible. Although most of it has collapsed, the remaining base and some of the arrow towers still show its former grandeur.

The city gates have long since vanished, leaving behind a huge gap. Inside the city, ruins stretch as far as the eye can see, with the direction of the streets and the division of different functional areas still faintly discernible.

Traces of sword cuts, magic attacks, and other slashes are visible everywhere on the remaining walls. In some corners, one can even see the remains of bones that have long since weathered away, silently telling the story of the fierce battle that once took place here.

The entire city ruins were shrouded in twilight and deathly silence, yet they also exuded a sense of vicissitude and mystery.

More importantly, what surrounds this massive ruin is a more clearly defined and complete array of restrictions than the town did last night!
Although equally dilapidated, the array patterns embedded in the base of the city walls and the foundation stones of key buildings still emit a stable, pale golden glow, forming a huge protective shield that envelops the entire city.

At this moment, a few scattered figures are cautiously approaching or entering this ruined city from different directions. Clearly, this is indeed a recognized and relatively large "safe zone" and "trading point".

Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of relief in each other's eyes. Without further hesitation, they also walked towards the massive breach in the city gate.

Once inside the city ruins, the view opened up slightly. The streets, though broken, were still passable.

In front of some relatively intact buildings, people had already occupied the space, either chatting in small groups or meditating alone.

A tense and vigilant atmosphere permeated the air.

When Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao, a rather "slender" couple, walked in, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

These gazes contained scrutiny and curiosity, but more than anything, they carried an undisguised sense of assessment and a hint of greed. After all, in such places, lone cultivators, especially those who appeared weak, were often the easiest targets—"easy prey."

Liu Piaopiao was clearly uncomfortable with this atmosphere. She quietly approached Chen Yang and lowered her voice.

"Brother Chen, be careful... The people here are a mixed bag, and many of them are not good people. Look at those guys over there, their eyes look suspicious."

Chen Yang remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the malicious stares, and he nodded slightly.

"Yes, I know. Stay close to me and don't stray too far."

The two walked along the main road into the depths of the ruins, intending to find a relatively secluded place to settle down first, and then consider asking for information or checking if there was any trade.

However, they hadn't gone far when a few people suddenly appeared at the corner of the road ahead, and they ran right into Chen Yang and his companion.

The two men leading the group were young men.

One of them was dressed in a light blue outfit, with a somewhat effeminate face and sharp, eagle-like eyes.

The other man was dressed in a black robe with water patterns, had a burly build, a hideous scar on his face, and a fierce aura.

When Liu Piaopiao saw the two of them, her expression changed drastically, she stopped in her tracks, and instinctively shrank behind Chen Yang, while speaking urgently in a very low voice.

"Brother Chen, be careful! It's Liu Cheng from 'Qingya Cave' and Xue Kainan from 'Black Water Pool'!"
They are mortal enemies of our Spirit Creek Valley; they often resorted to underhanded tactics during the trials!"

Chen Yang understood, but remained outwardly calm, subtly protecting Liu Piaopiao to his side as he continued walking forward, intending to bypass them.

But the effeminate young man in blue—Liu Cheng—had clearly already recognized Liu Piaopiao.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. He took a step and blocked the way for Chen Yang and his companion.

"Oh! Who do we have here!"

Isn't this Liu Piaopiao from Lingxi Valley, the great beauty Liu?

Liu Cheng's voice had an unpleasantly high-pitched quality.

"Why are you wandering around these ruins all by yourself? Where's your good senior brother Liu Haoran? And what about your followers from Lingxi Valley? Are they all dead? Or did they just abandon you?"

As he spoke, he looked Liu Piaopiao up and down with his narrow eyes, his gaze lingering on her beautiful face and slender figure, making no attempt to hide his frivolity and malice.

But when his gaze swept over Chen Yang, it turned into undisguised contempt and mockery.

Liu Piaopiao's pretty face turned pale with anger, but she suppressed her rage and said coldly.

"Liu Cheng, Xue Kainan, who I'm with is none of your business! Please move aside!"

"Tsk tsk, quite the temper."

Liu Cheng clicked his tongue twice, his smile becoming increasingly irritating.

"What, you've finally found a better match? Or have you just given up and settled for any Tom, Dick, or Harry?"

He emphasized the words "cats and dogs" and looked at Chen Yang with a defiant gaze.

At this moment, Xue Kainan, the burly man with a scarred face in black, also stepped forward. He was half a head taller than Chen Yang and looked down at Chen Yang from above. Suddenly, a powerful and fierce aura burst forth from his body!

The aura was mixed with the smell of blood and a cold, water-attribute power, indicating that he had been through a lot of fighting. Moreover, the black robe he wore and the metal bracers on his hands faintly shimmered with spiritual light, indicating that they were high-quality armor and amplification artifacts.

Chen Yang merely glanced at Xue Kainian and roughly judged his strength—around the mid-stage of the False Core Realm, but relying on his armor and weapons, he might be able to unleash combat power close to the peak of the False Core Realm.

In his eyes, this kind of strength, which is forcibly enhanced by external means, is nothing more than a facade with an unstable foundation.

Seeing that Chen Yang, instead of panicking and retreating in the face of his imposing aura, revealed a faint, almost mocking expression, Xue Kainan felt insulted and sneered.

"Kid, what kind of look is that? Are you looking down on your Master Xue? Liu Piaopiao, you've found such a reckless bastard to be your backer?"

Chen Yang finally spoke, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable chill.

"A good dog doesn't block the way."

If we want to take action, we should do it quickly before those monsters come out.

"If we wait until nightfall to have the monsters besiege the city, I have no interest in wasting my time here with you."

His words were spoken calmly, but were extremely arrogant! He not only directly called the other party a "dog," but also acted as if to say, "Hurry up and fight, don't delay my business."

Upon hearing this, Liu Cheng and Xue Kainian were first taken aback, then as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world. They looked at each other and burst into shrill laughter at the same time.

"Hahaha! Brother Xue, did you hear that? What did this kid say? A quick and decisive battle?"

Liu Cheng laughed so hard he almost fell over, pointing at Chen Yang.

"You? A wild cultivator who popped out of who-knows-where? You dare to spout such nonsense?"

Xue Kainan was so angry that he laughed, his face contorted with the scars.

"Kid, you're pretty arrogant! Good!"

"Since you're courting death, I, Xue, will grant your wish! It'll be a good opportunity to stretch my muscles!"

Liu Piaopiao listened from the side with her heart in her throat. Although she felt that Chen Yang was extraordinary, Liu Cheng and Xue Kainian were, after all, the best disciples of Qingya Cave and Blackwater Pool of this generation, with a notorious reputation, and it was two against one!

She couldn't help but tug at Chen Yang's sleeve and whisper.

"Brother Chen, don't be impulsive... They're very cunning, and there are many of them..."

Chen Yang gently patted the back of her hand to reassure her, and then said to Xue Kainian.

"Then stop talking nonsense. Where to go? There are too many people and too many eyes around here, it won't be a good place to maneuver, will it?"

"Good! You've got guts!" (End of Chapter)