The man in black strode into the ancient castle.
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King exchanged glances, then cautiously followed him inside.
Within the ancient castle, it was incredibly dim, filled with a gloomy atmosphere.
In the center, there was a shabby wooden table.
On top of the table lay a jet-black dagger.
The man in black walked to the table, grabbed the dagger, then turned to face the man and wolf.
"What do you intend to do?"
The Wolf King immediately took a step back, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
The man in black gazed at the pair, slowly raised the dagger, placed it against his mouth, and licked the blade.
The sight was eerily reminiscent of a butcher brandishing his knife.
"Don’t be nervous. It’s just tradition. Every newcomer must bear a mark. I have one too."
The man in black smiled insidiously and brushed aside his messy black hair to reveal his wrinkled forehead.
Qin Feiyang’s pupils contracted.
In the center of the man’s forehead were two small black characters.
The two characters read ’Ruins’!
The man in black explained, "This is the identity mark of the Ruins. Without it, you’re not recognized by the Ruins, and everyone will see you as an enemy."
Qin Feiyang frowned.
"Moreover, this dagger is crafted from a special material. The characters it carves will never disappear."
"Unless you cut the flesh from your forehead."
"You have no choice. Once you step into the Ruins, no one can leave."
The man in black cackled ominously.
"Could we choose another spot?" Qin Feiyang asked, frowning. A mark on the forehead was rather unsightly.
"Sure. Apart from your forehead, you can also choose your left or right cheek. Anywhere on your face will do."
"However, before that, hand over your Qiankun Bag."
"Or else, I won’t carve your marks. It won’t be long before you’ll be brutally killed and dismembered!"
At this moment, the man in black’s eyes were filled with greed, his threatening intent undisguised.
A cold light flashed in the depths of Qin Feiyang’s and the Wolf King’s eyes.
Qin Feiyang said helplessly, "Elder, I’d love to give you my Qiankun Bag, but it was destroyed when I was being chased by enemies. I’m now poorer than you."
"Ghehehe..."
"Little guy, you’re not being honest!"
"I’ve been observing you since before you even set foot in the Ruins."
"I personally saw you pull out a Qiankun Bag and take a pill. That was a Rebirth Pill, wasn’t it?"
The man in black sneered.
Bastard, Xiao Qinzi, we have to find a chance to take him down!
the Wolf King communicated telepathically.
Qin Feiyang calmly asked, "Elder, may I ask, what is your cultivation level?"
The man in black sneered, "What? You want to know my cultivation level so you can kill me and try to escape your fate?"
A chill ran down Qin Feiyang’s spine. This old geezer is too shrewd, isn’t he?
The man in black continued contemptuously, "However, I don’t really care about you two. Listen well, you two small fry! I am a Five-Star Martial Ancestor."
"What?"
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King were both dumbfounded.
Such an impressive figure is only a Five-Star Martial Ancestor? You must be joking, right?
The next moment, Qin Feiyang struck out decisively. His Wind-Thunder Palm, imbued with a dreadful astral wind, slammed heavily into the man in black’s chest.
PUFF!
The man in black spurted out blood and was sent flying.
CRACK!
The wooden table behind him instantly shattered into splinters. He then crashed into the wall behind him and, with a THUD, tumbled to the ground.
The man in black was somewhat stunned.
His face turned deathly pale, and his head was spinning.
How can this young man’s strength be this formidable?
Originally, he had thought that a boy in his mid-teens would be, at most, at the Martial Master Level.
But he never expected that the power behind that palm would surpass his own!
Immediately, he was filled with humiliation and fury—his face contorted, and he glowered at Qin Feiyang. "How dare you strike me!"
"Damn!"
Qin Feiyang swiftly stepped in front of the man in black and ruthlessly kicked him in the stomach.
The man in black slammed into the wall and curled up in a corner, wailing in pain.
The Wolf King ran up, cursing, "A mere Five-Star Martial Ancestor, and he dares to be so arrogant before us? Courting death! Have a taste of my Holy Water."
He snickered, lifted his leg, and urinated on the man in black’s face.
"Beast, I am going to slaughter you!"
The man in black was seething with fury.
But before he could rise, Qin Feiyang launched another kick. The man in black’s head hit the wall hard, and he saw stars.
Blood continued to pour from his mouth.
"You brat, if I were still in my prime, killing you would be as easy as slaughtering a dog!"
He groaned weakly, his face filled with resentment.
"In your prime?"
The man and wolf were stunned.
Qin Feiyang, arms crossed, asked curiously, "Well, tell us, how powerful were you in your prime?"
"When I first entered the Ruins, I was a Nine-Star Martial Ancestor."
"I thought that even in the Ruins, there wouldn’t be a shortage of Qi Gathering Pills."
"But resources here are far scarcer than you can imagine."
"To get a single Qi Gathering Pill, you have to pay a heavy price."
"Decades have passed, and my strength has not only failed to improve, but has even fallen to a Five-Star Martial Artist."
"Oh, I regret it so much!"
"If I could have stayed outside, I would have been a War King by now!"
"But, ghehehe..."
"You will soon follow in my footsteps."
The man in black cackled hideously.
Hearing his words, the pair was astonished. They had gravely underestimated the harshness and adversity of this place.
"Spare me!"
"I don’t want to die yet."
"I don’t want your Qiankun Bags."
"I won’t mention you two to anyone else."
The man in black suddenly began to plead.
Qin Feiyang asked, "Where is the most populated place in the Ruins?"
The man in black hastily replied, "King City has the most people."
The Wolf King asked, "What is King City? How far is it from here?"
The man in black said, "King City is the capital of the Ruins. Given your speed, it will take at least half a year to get there."
"That far?"
Qin Feiyang frowned and asked, "Is there a shortcut?"
"Yes, there is a city nearby to the south called Crouching Tiger City."
"All the major families in the city keep a type of flying beast."
"Riding them, you can reach King City in at most half a month."
"If you have any more questions, ask freely. As long as you spare my life, I’ll answer anything," the man in black said with a flattering smile.
"How long have you been here?" Qin Feiyang asked.
The man in black said, "About thirty years."
Qin Feiyang’s eyes lit up.
The owner of the Lion Headed Hawk had entered the Ruins over twenty years ago. This man has been here for over thirty years, so he must have seen her.
He waved his hand, and True Qi emerged, quickly forming a beautiful figure.
"Have you seen her?" Qin Feiyang asked.
The man in black looked up, nodded, and said, "Yes, yes, I’ve seen her."
"Really seen her?" Qin Feiyang raised an eyebrow.
He answered too quickly. It was hard not to suspect he was just trying to get it over with.
"I really have!" the man in black hurriedly said. "Although I have been guarding here for decades, people only enter the Ruins every few years."
"So, my impression of everyone is very deep, as if it were yesterday."
Qin Feiyang frowned.
It does make sense. Who would want to come to this godforsaken place?
He asked, "Then do you know where this woman went?"
The man in black said, "I don’t know. But back then, she was also asking about populated places. She might have gone to King City. Her strength is also very formidable; she’s at least a War King."
King City.
Qin Feiyang pondered for a moment, then turned and walked out of the ancient castle with the Wolf King.
"Ghehehe..."
"Little brats..."
"You are still too naive..."
"Wait until I spread the news of your appearance, then you’ll know what it’s like to wish for death..."
A moment later, the man in black finally scrambled up, limping out of the main hall. Seeing that the man and wolf were gone, he cackled madly.
SWOOSH!
However, before he could finish speaking, Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King suddenly reappeared as if from nowhere.
"How did you..." The man in black stared at them, bewildered.
Appeared from nowhere? Can they turn invisible?
Qin Feiyang regarded the man in black coldly. "It seems one can never afford to be merciful."
"My lord, spare me! I was wrong!"
"I was just confused for a moment."
With a THUD, the man in black fell to his knees, begging for mercy.
Qin Feiyang said nothing, slowly advancing on the man in black.
"Go to hell!"
When they were barely half a meter apart, the man in black suddenly lunged, his old face contorted into a cruel grin as he struck out with his palm at Qin Feiyang.
"HUMPH!"
Qin Feiyang snorted coldly. He employed the Smoke Step, easily dodging the attack.
Then he lifted his arm, his index finger covered in an icy mist, and pointed it towards the man in black’s head.
PFFT!
CRACK!
A bloody hole instantly appeared in the man in black’s head, piercing straight through. Blood spurted out like an arrow.
"Xiao Qinzi, will killing him draw attention?" the Wolf King asked with some worry.
"Who cares about someone who can’t even get his hands on a Qi Gathering Pill?"
Qin Feiyang hoisted up the man in black and flew towards the black abyss.
Upon reaching the edge, he threw the man in black directly onto the iron chain bridge.
The terrifying gravity instantly crushed the man in black to pulp.
His blood stained the iron chains!
"This way, even if someone discovers his death, they’ll merely assume he was trying to escape the Ruins," Qin Feiyang said with a faint smile.
"Brilliant!"
"Heh heh!"
"I was a bit nervous when I first saw him, but I didn’t expect him to be so useless."
"It seems that with our strength, we can already sweep through the Ruins," the Wolf King cackled.
"We can’t be careless. There must be many powerful experts in King City."
Qin Feiyang led the Wolf King back into the ancient castle.
When they reappeared, the characters for ’Ruins’ were now on their foreheads. They had written them with ink that would wash off if it got wet, exposing their deception.
Then, the man and wolf sped south.
「Two hours passed.」
They had traveled several miles. They encountered no danger but also saw no sign of human life.
If they hadn’t known about the conditions of the Ruins in advance, they would have believed the Ruins truly was just a desolate ruin.

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