Chapter 269: Eight Great Yin Ruins

Once Lu Bai had finished up, he headed for Chen Shihu’s main tent.

After a brief announcement, he walked inside.

"That was fast?"

Sprawled confidently in his seat, Chen Shihu shot Lu Bai a sideways glance and commented casually.

"What was fast?"

Lu Bai paused, not understanding at first.

But when he saw the teasing glint in Chen Shihu’s eyes, Lu Bai instantly understood. He shook his head slightly and said, "Brother Chen, you’ve misunderstood. We aren’t married."

Chen Shihu said, "That girl’s feelings for you are genuine. Back in the Longling Mountain Range, she nearly died snatching those treasures to bring back for you. You’re all she thinks about."

"I heard you even stabbed her, and despite that, she wasn’t angry. She even made excuses for you..."

Lu Bai sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice. "It’s a long story."

Chen Shihu waved his hand dismissively. "You don’t have to explain to me. Matters of the heart are for you to decide, not outsiders. Just be sure of what you’re doing and don’t fail her. By the way, where is she? She was badly hurt earlier."

"She... left."

Lu Bai hesitated.

’It was, after all, difficult to explain that Bai Chuchu had transformed into a wisp of ethereal light and entered the Ancient Mirror on his chest.’

Seeing Lu Bai’s hesitation, Chen Shihu knew there was more to the story, but he didn’t press him for details.

"Brother Chen, where can I find a high concentration of Ghost Souls and other evil spirits?" Lu Bai asked suddenly.

The Wu Country had the Evil Extermination Bureau, so even if Ghost Souls and other evil spirits appeared, they were rarely able to grow powerful.

’To save Bai Chuchu, I’ll need more Soul Light, and of a higher grade.’

’In the Wu Country, even Fierce Ghosts are rare, let alone the more powerful Corpse Ghosts and Flying Corpses.’

’Saving Bai Chuchu wasn’t just about repaying her for saving me. She must know a lot, and I might be able to get some clues from her about the origin of the Ancient Mirror.’

"When it comes to Ghost Souls and evil spirits, all the other Vassal States have significant problems, unlike the Wu Country."

Chen Shihu mused, "If you’re looking for the place where Ghost Souls and evil spirits are most numerous and rampant, that would have to be the Great Geng to the west."

Great Geng is one of the Four Great Dominator Countries, far surpassing the Wu Country in both strength and territory.

Chen Shihu clicked his tongue, his eyes glinting. "However, Great Geng is backed by the Western Ling State, a land where Buddhism flourishes and temples abound. The Great Geng dynasty relies on the power of the Buddhist Sect to suppress Ghost Souls and evil spirits."

Lu Bai was lost in thought.

’Bai Chuchu’s life shouldn’t be in danger in her current state.’

’But to restore her completely, I’ll have to collect enough Ghost Souls and evil spirits. I’m afraid I’ll have to make a trip to the Great Geng eventually.’

"What, thinking of going to the Great Geng?" Chen Shihu asked, seeing what was on Lu Bai’s mind.

Lu Bai didn’t answer directly. After all, he was still serving out a sentence and held a key post in the army; he couldn’t just leave whenever he pleased. He gave a noncommittal reply, "I’m just asking. It’s something for the future."

Chen Shihu said, "The journey to the Great Geng is long and fraught with uncertainty. You haven’t even stepped into the Alchemy Dao yet, so you lack the power to protect yourself. It’s not a good idea for you to leave the Wu Country for now."

"What’s more, the way to the Great Geng passes through the Quicksand Sea. If you were to run into the Endless Death Desert... forget you, even I would have no chance of survival if I got trapped in there."

"The Quicksand Sea? The Endless Death Desert?" Lu Bai looked at him questioningly.

’I still know too little about this world,’ he thought. ’It’s true that I shouldn’t undertake a long journey before I have the means to protect myself.’

Chen Shihu said, "The Celestial Divine Land is vast and ancient, filled with countless dangerous and perilous lands. Among them are five great ones, places that even the most powerful experts dare not tread lightly."

"Within the Longling Mountain Range lies a ruin called the Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain. It’s one of the five great perilous lands—a desolate, dead-silent wasteland where not a single blade of grass grows. There are no signs of life, and nothing that enters has ever come out alive."

At this, Chen Shihu paused briefly before continuing, "Your ’wife’ snatched the Taisui Helmet. The Combat Corpse, wearing the rest of the battle armor, fled into that Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain and was destroyed by its rain of fire."

"The Taisui Battle Armor has an extraordinary origin. It ranks in the top ten of the Seventy-Two Ancient Exotic Treasures. Its true form is a Flesh Ganoderma that lived through the eras of the White, Green, Black, and Red Emperors. It cultivated itself by devouring flesh and blood on battlefields and absorbing Evil Qi. When the armor first appeared in the world, its birth was marked by all sorts of ominous signs."

"The Desolate Emperor of old was wearing this very armor when he fell in battle within the Longling Mountain Range. That battlefield turned into the ruin we now know as the Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain."

"So the Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain is where the Desolate Emperor fell!"

Lu Bai was shocked and asked subconsciously, "Does that mean the Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain was created because the Desolate Emperor died there?"

Chen Shihu shook his head slightly. "Of the five great perilous lands, besides the Heaven-Burning Forbidden Domain in the Longling Mountain Range, there is also the Endless Death Desert in the Central Earth Quicksand Sea, the Fallen Soul Valley in the west, the Land of Falling Stars in the east, and the Blood Purifying Permafrost in the north."

’Five great perilous lands, corresponding to the Five Emperors... Is that a coincidence?’

’But according to legend, the Desolate Emperor was the only one of the Five Emperors to die in battle.’

As if reading Lu Bai’s mind, Chen Shihu continued, "The five great perilous lands are indeed connected to the Five Emperors. In the past, when demons plagued the world, each era saw the birth of a Demon Ancestor who would lead a Demon Army to wreak havoc upon the mortal realm. This caused wars to erupt across the Divine Land, bringing immense suffering to its people and sowing chaos everywhere."

"These five great perilous lands are the very ruins left behind after the Five Emperors slew the Demon Ancestors of their respective ages."

Lu Bai had heard that the Five Emperors’ legendary status was due to their suppression of the Demon Dao’s great upheavals.

He was only now learning more detailed information about the Demon Dao from Chen Shihu.

A thought struck Lu Bai, and he suddenly asked, "From the distant past to the present day, how many Demon Ancestors have been born in total?"

Chen Shihu shot Lu Bai an approving glance. "Eight."

Lu Bai nodded to himself.

’Just as I thought. Eight Demon Ancestors, corresponding to the current Eight Great Demon Sects!’

Lu Bai asked again, "Then what about the other three? Besides the five Demon Ancestors who were killed in the Divine Land..."

Chen Shihu said, "Those three were all slain by the Land Immortals of their respective eras. One was buried in the Boundless Deep Sea, creating the perilous land known as the Eternal Day Nether Abyss. Another fell in the Burial Soldier Valley of the Eastern Desolate Xuan State. The last one died on Spirit Mountain in the Western Ling State, forming the Jile Stone Forest."

"These eight locations are the ruins left behind from the great wars between the world’s strongest experts and the Demon Ancestors—the final battlegrounds between heroes and the Demon Dao. Countless experts and members of the Demon Army are buried in them, and the Yin Qi is overwhelmingly dense. They are also known as the Eight Great Yin Ruins."

’This world is too vast.’

’Beyond the Celestial Divine Land where the Wu Country is located, there’s the Eastern Desolate Xuan State, the Western Ling State, and the Boundless Deep Sea that I know of.’

’At my current level of strength, forget traversing the Celestial Divine Land—even leaving the Wu Country would be difficult enough.’

Chen Shihu said, "Just keep the Eight Great Yin Ruins in mind; you’re unlikely to ever run into them under normal circumstances. However, you’d better be careful with that Taisui Helmet your ’little wife’ snatched for you. Don’t use it lightly."

"The Taisui Battle Armor is evil and inauspicious. Even though it’s one of the top ten Ancient Exotic Treasures, not even the Desolate Emperor himself could control it back then. It may be split in two and incomplete now, but I doubt you have the strength to master it."

Lu Bai nodded.

The moment he’d come into contact with the Taisui Helmet earlier, he had sensed its profoundly malevolent nature. He had no intention of touching it again for the time being.