The border between Bai County and Shi County.
An abyss lay across the earth, its depth unknown. Violent black storms howled, piercing the air with an eerie whine. Above the abyss, an ancient iron chain bridge led to the other side. The bridge, speckled with rust, exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.
SWISH!!
In the void above the bridgehead, two figures appeared out of thin air: Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen.
Looking at the dark abyss, the terrifying hurricane, and the iron chain bridge—wide enough for only one person and swaying violently in the fierce wind—Lu Xingchen’s pupils involuntarily shrank. Qin Feiyang, however, remained calm.
Lu Xingchen turned to Qin Feiyang and, seeing his composed expression, asked doubtfully, "Brother Qin, why are you not surprised at all?"
Qin Feiyang replied, "I have been here once."
"What?" Lu Xingchen looked at him in disbelief.
"Let’s go!" Qin Feiyang said lightly, then dived and landed before the bridgehead.
Lu Xingchen also landed beside Qin Feiyang, his eyes filled with trepidation as he gazed at the iron chain bridge before them.
"Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous on the bridge."
Qin Feiyang stepped onto the iron chain bridge and walked towards the other side at an unhurried pace.
Lu Xingchen quickly followed.
After walking some distance and confirming there was no danger, he secretly sighed in relief and said with a smile, "Brother Qin, your relationship with Grandfather Ren seems quite special!"
Qin Feiyang’s eyes glinted as he said lightly, "The Lord Prefect and I merely have a relationship of mutual interest. Unlike you, whom he watched grow up, like family."
"Family?" Lu Xingchen shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Grandfather Ren and I indeed used to be like grandfather and grandson, but because of my arrogance, our relationship has grown increasingly distant..." Pausing here, Lu Xingchen sighed, "This is my own doing; I can blame no one."
Qin Feiyang glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
Why does it feel like this Lu Xingchen has become a completely different person now? If not for verifying his identity with the Eye of Heaven Stone, I would definitely suspect him of being an imposter. But undeniably, this Lu Xingchen is more difficult to deal with than the previous one.
Lu Xingchen composed himself and asked, puzzled, "Brother Qin, why exactly have we come to the Ruins this time?"
"To find the Lord Prefect’s son," Qin Feiyang replied without concealment; Lu Xingchen would find out sooner or later.
Lu Xingchen was startled and asked in surprise, "Uncle Ren? When did he come to the Ruins? How did I not know?"
Qin Feiyang frowned. "You’ve always been in the State City; how could you not know?"
"To be honest, Brother Qin," Lu Xingchen explained, "when Uncle Ren suddenly disappeared back then, Grandfather Ren never offered any explanation. So, all this time, we assumed he had unfortunately perished outside. I never expected he would actually be in the Ruins."
A look of realization dawned on Qin Feiyang’s face.
Lu Xingchen asked, "Do you know why Uncle Ren came to the Ruins?"
Qin Feiyang shook his head. "I don’t know; the Lord Prefect didn’t mention it."
"That’s strange." Lu Xingchen’s face was filled with puzzlement. "It doesn’t seem like there are any treasures here?"
After an uneventful journey of three days, Qin Feiyang finally set foot on the lands of the Ruins once more.
"This is the Ruins?" Lu Xingchen stood beside him, surveying the desolate land before them, his face filled with shock.
Qin Feiyang, however, was lost in thought. Ren Wushuang had once said that during those twenty-odd years, she had searched everywhere but found nothing. Moreover, at that time, Ren Wushuang was a disciple of the Ruin’s King, famous throughout the entire Ruins. If her father had been there, he would surely have sought her out, but he hadn’t.
This suggests he might not be here at all. And in the Ruins, apart from this land before them, only the black abyss remained!
Thinking this, Qin Feiyang turned to look down at the black abyss, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Lu Xingchen asked, "Do you suspect Uncle Ren is down there?"
"Yes," Qin Feiyang nodded.
"The black storms are lethally powerful; the chances of him being down there are slim." Lu Xingchen glanced at the hurricane within the abyss, then turned his gaze ahead. "There’s an old castle up ahead. Let’s check there first. If he’s not there, we can then figure out a way to search below."
Qin Feiyang pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. In that case, let’s head directly to the King City of the Ruins."
Ren Wushuang’s father, as the Lord Prefect’s son, must have once been an overlord-class figure. If he had ever entered the Ruins, then the Ruin’s King, as the Domination of this place, should know about it. Unless he never set foot in the Ruins. Or, he went directly into the black abyss.
"King City?" Lu Xingchen was taken aback. "The Ruins has a King City?"
Qin Feiyang nodded.
SWISH!!
Both simultaneously strode forward, speeding towards the ancient castle.
"Finally, more people have arrived." Atop the ancient castle, a burly man in black armor stood against the wind, observing Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen.
But suddenly, his pupils contracted as he stared intently at Qin Feiyang.
How could it be him? Didn’t he already leave? Why has he entered the Ruins again?
The black-armored man’s eyes were filled with disbelief, mingled with a bone-chilling killing intent.
The two arrived before the ancient castle.
Upon seeing the black-armored man, Qin Feiyang looked slightly puzzled.
Why does this person seem so familiar?
Lu Xingchen, however, showed surprise.
A Three-Star War King? Why so weak?
"Qin Feiyang, prepare to die!" the man in black armor shouted from above, then leaped down, his Battle Intent surging as he charged Qin Feiyang.
"Huh?" Qin Feiyang was taken aback.
What’s going on?
He raised his arm and struck out with a palm across the air. Battle Intent surged forth, transforming into a torrent that slammed into the black-armored man.
"AARGH..." Instantly, the man in black armor let out a miserable scream and was sent flying, crashing into the ancient castle behind him.
BOOM!
With a loud crash, a large hole was smashed into the wall!
Lu Xingchen asked, puzzled, "Brother Qin, does this man have a feud with you?"
Qin Feiyang shook his head, equally bewildered.
"How is this possible?!" With an enraged shout, the blood-soaked man in black armor stumbled out, staring at Qin Feiyang in shock.
Qin Feiyang asked, "What deep-seated hatred is there between us, exactly?"
"You don’t remember?" Qin Feiyang’s question, rather than calming him, sent the black-armored man into a towering rage, his face becoming savage.
"Explain yourself," Qin Feiyang frowned.
The black-armored man said, "That year, when you were in the King City and forced your way into the Royal Palace, I was the one who took you to see the Great Commander."
"Hmm?" Qin Feiyang paused, searching his memory for a moment. Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "Are you that Commander Rong?"
"Correct," Commander Rong nodded.
Qin Feiyang was surprised. "Weren’t you in the Royal Palace? How did you end up guarding this place?"
The man in black armor said angrily, "It’s all your fault!"
"What does it have to do with me?" Qin Feiyang was perplexed.
Commander Rong roared, "That year, you took Ren Wushuang away from the Ruins! When the King learned of this, he was furious and blamed the Great Commander for not keeping a proper watch on you two.
"As a result, the Great Commander made me the scapegoat, and the King banished me to this place.
"There are no resources here, no Essence. In the years since, not only has my cultivation stagnated, but it has actually regressed.
"This is all because of you!"
"Er..." Qin Feiyang was taken aback. He looked at Commander Rong with some sympathy and sighed, "If you must blame someone, you should blame your King."
"If you hadn’t taken Ren Wushuang away, would I have ended up in this situation? Don’t try to shirk responsibility!" Commander Rong bellowed.
Qin Feiyang couldn’t be bothered to argue further. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Die!" Seeing his enemy had made Commander Rong completely irrational. He charged Qin Feiyang in a frenzy.
"When will this cycle of vengeance ever end?" Lu Xingchen shook his head, his arm shooting out to grab Commander Rong’s wrist. "This matter truly cannot be blamed on Brother Qin," he said. "Stop making such a scene."
"And who are you?" Commander Rong shouted angrily.
"Who I am is not important," Lu Xingchen said. "I have questions for you now. As long as you answer truthfully, I won’t kill you. Don’t cause any more trouble. You are only a Three-Star War Emperor, while Brother Qin and I are both War Emperors. You are no match for us."
"War Emperors!" Commander Rong’s eyes trembled.
How is that possible? Back then, when Qin Feiyang entered the King City, he was merely a Martial Ancestor. How could he have broken through to War Emperor so quickly? This is too monstrous, isn’t it?
In an instant, Commander Rong deflated.
Lu Xingchen waved his hand, and a phantom image of Ren Wushuang’s father materialized. He asked, "This man is named Ren Duxing. Have you seen him?"
Qin Feiyang murmured to himself,
So that nominal older sister of mine, her father is named Ren Duxing.
He then looked at Commander Rong, only to see him staring at the image of Ren Duxing, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
A thought struck Qin Feiyang, and he asked, "You know him?"
"I’ve seen him," Commander Rong said.
Joy flickered in Qin Feiyang’s heart, and he asked hurriedly, "Where is he?"
"I don’t know," Commander Rong shook his head.
"Are you toying with us?" Lu Xingchen frowned.
"No, no," Commander Rong quickly explained. "I mean, back then, Ren Wushuang was also looking for this man in the Ruins. I only heard her mention it."
Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen exchanged glances, disappointment inevitably creeping into their eyes. They had thought they had found Ren Duxing’s whereabouts, but their hopes were unfortunately unfounded.
"Let’s go to the King City," Qin Feiyang said calmly, then rose into the air and headed deeper into the Ruins.
Lu Xingchen waved his hand, killing Commander Rong instantly. He then caught up with Qin Feiyang and asked with a smile, "You won’t blame me, right?"
Qin Feiyang said, "He deserved to die."
Lu Xingchen smiled and asked, "Can you tell me what happened between you and Wushuang here?"
Qin Feiyang smiled faintly. "Nothing much. I was merely entrusted with a task and saw it through."
Lu Xingchen didn’t press further, changing the subject to other matters.
「The next morning.」
A massive city finally came into view. The dilapidated city walls, ancient structures, and battle-scarred streets all bore witness to the city’s immense age.
Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen made no attempt to conceal their auras as they flew brazenly into the King City, heading towards the royal palace.

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