Chapter 517 - 310: Arriving at the Returning Ruins Silent Sea

The blood-red sky, cast in the sun’s glow, looked strangely magnificent.

Lu Mingyuan slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself enveloped beneath the Grotto Heaven’s blood-red sky.

Looking down, every stone beneath his feet was like a translucent red agate.

CRACKLE!

A sound echoed from not far away. The surrounding space had become extremely unstable; spatial rifts were constantly expanding and stretching outward, forming pockets of chaotic void.

"This Grotto Heaven is rapidly collapsing. Soon, the entire Grotto Heaven will completely connect with the outside world and become a Blessed Land in the truest sense."

Lu Mingyuan glanced to his side and was surprised to see it was Yun Qinghe who had spoken.

Her expression was grave, her usual detached demeanor gone.

"It’s becoming a Blessed Land?"

As Lu Mingyuan asked his question, he realized they seemed to have landed on a shore.

Before them stretched an endless black sea, a Sea of Death as far as the eye could see.

"A Grotto Heaven is defined by its isolation from the outside world," Sui Yuqing explained, slowly rising to her feet. "Once its spatial barrier weakens and its structure collapses, it will inevitably connect with the world beyond, becoming a part of the Central Plains World."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan more or less understood.

A Grotto Heaven was like a spatial bubble in this world, containing rare treasures from various eras.

Once the bubble burst and fell to the earth, it would become part of the world.

"Ten thousand years ago, the Fuyao Blessed Land was also a Grotto Heaven," Sui Yuqing added. "But later, due to over-exploitation and the decline of its Spiritual Qi, it was downgraded to a Blessed Land."

"How long does this process usually take?" Lu Mingyuan asked.

Yun Qinghe cut in before Sui Yuqing could speak, her tone light. "It could be several years, or it could be as long as a century. Who knows? Without external force, it takes a very long time for a Grotto Heaven to become a Blessed Land. This also proves that this Grotto Heaven was formed a very, very long time ago. There must be countless Celestial and Earthly Treasures inside."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan’s heart stirred.

’As the space collapses further, many Immortal Spirit Earth Treasures will emerge. This is an Immortal-Level Cave Heaven, after all. If I can just seize one Opportunity, I might be able to break through to the Martial Saint Realm.’

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

To the west, dust and dirt billowed into the air.

A group of beings with powerful auras charged out from the blood-red dust, releasing a savage, blood-scented aura of the Wilderness.

It was a dozen or so tall Beastmen, all of them with Cultivation at the Middle Fifth Grade. Not a single one could be underestimated.

At the very least, each one had the strength of a Demon King.

Lu Mingyuan found it strange. ’Why have all the Demon Kings of the Wilderness Army gathered together?’

He had just scanned his surroundings and hadn’t seen any sign of Qi Muxue, the Chess Saint, or the others.

’This means I’ve been separated from them.’

At the same time, the soldiers of Great Yan had also all been scattered.

Lu Mingyuan said in a low voice, "As I thought, we’ve been scattered. I don’t see any sign of Mu Xue or the others."

There were only tens of thousands of soldiers before him; the army of 200,000 had been split apart.

For Lu Mingyuan, this was not good news.

The only consolation was that Qi Muxue was with the Chess Saint, so she should be in no danger.

"Your Majesty, a group of Beastmen of unknown origin is approaching!"

Soon, Yang Zhaoyuan came forward to report.

Of the three great generals, only Yang Zhaoyuan had been transported to Lu Mingyuan’s side.

Lu Mingyuan frowned. "Unknown origin? You don’t think they’re Desolate Demons at all?"

He quickly noticed something was wrong.

The Flesh Bodies of these Beastmen were comparable to those of Tenth Realm Martial Artists. Their intimidating pressure rivaled that of the Human Race’s Nascent Soul Cultivators, and they were incredibly fast. Each one had a humanoid form.

"Prepare to engage the enemy! They aren’t Desolate Demons; they’re natives of this Grotto Heaven!"

Lu Mingyuan made a swift decision, issuing a command for everyone to be careful.

These Beastmen looked unfamiliar; they must be creatures that had spontaneously evolved within the Dragon Peak Cave Heaven.

In the distance, a humanoid Beastman that looked like a White-Eyebrowed Ape, apparently the leader of the group, roared, "A great harvest! A great harvest! With so many from the Human Race, we won’t have to worry about rations for the next ten years!"

The strange thing was, these Beastmen were speaking the human tongue, not some beastly language.

"I’ll handle this," Sui Yuqing volunteered.

"I have followed Your Majesty for a long time and made many mistakes. It is time I made up for them."

She was not supposed to have come to Dragon Peak Mountain on this trip.

The great crime she had committed was practically impossible to atone for.

She should have been under house arrest in the Imperial Palace.

However, Lu Mingyuan had brought her along anyway. The reason he gave was that if her Heart Demon erupted again, the guards in the Imperial Palace would have a great deal of trouble suppressing it, so it was better to keep her by his side.

And so, Sui Yuqing had no choice but to accompany the Nine Dragon Carriage.

In reality, she didn’t feel forced at all; on the contrary, staying by Lu Mingyuan’s side made her feel incredibly at ease.

"There’s no need for you to act, Senior Sister. A trivial matter like this is something I can handle."

Hearing Sui Yuqing speak up, Yun Qinghe couldn’t help but volunteer as well.

"Junior Sister, the Cultivation of these Beastmen is not low. They cannot be treated like the common Demon Race. You mustn’t be careless. It’s better if I handle it."

"Senior Sister, you are an honored master of the Twelfth Realm. Why should you trouble yourself with a few worthless members of the Demon Race?"

Yang Zhaoyuan, who had been on the side gathering his momentum to attack, was a bit stunned when he saw the sparks flying between the two Fairies.

’What is going on here?’

"Actually, you can both go."

At that moment, Lu Mingyuan looked into the eyes of the two women and said with the utmost seriousness.

"What do you think, Minister Yang?"

Lu Mingyuan looked at Yang Zhaoyuan by his side, his eyes full of heavy implication.

Even as cold sweat beaded on his forehead, Yang Zhaoyuan could only bite the bullet, cup his hands, and reply, "Your Majesty’s words are wise. It would be most prudent for both Fairies to act together."

Since it had come to this, Sui Yuqing and Yun Qinghe argued no further.

They both turned to look at the Beastmen, who were now close at hand.

Yun Qinghe was the first to fly out.

Not to be outdone, Sui Yuqing followed close behind.

No matter how strong these Beastmen appeared, they were no match for the two women. Sui Yuqing was an incredibly powerful Cultivator, and Yun Qinghe was protected by her Immortal Sword—her Sword Qi was unbreakable by ordinary people.

In no more than ten breaths’ time, they captured the entire group of Beastmen alive.

Yang Zhaoyuan was silent. He had his men bind all the Beastmen and await His Majesty’s judgment.

Lu Mingyuan looked at the White-Eyebrowed Ape before him, figuring he must be the leader, and asked:

"You must be their leader. Tell me about this place and how to leave it. If you’re honest with me, I might let you live."

As a native of the Grotto Heaven, the White-Eyebrowed Ape had never seen such powerful Human Race Cultivators.

He had thought these humans would be easy to bully, but he never expected the two women at the forefront to be so ferocious, capturing them all alive in just a few moves.

He was so scared he had practically wet himself. He obediently replied:

"This is the Returning Ruins Silent Sea."

"To cross this sea, you need the Lord God’s Ancient Ship."

"Returning Ruins Silent Sea? Ancient Ship?"

Faced with these new terms, Lu Mingyuan had a rough idea.

’These must be secrets exclusive to this Grotto Heaven.’

...