Anything related to the ancient past was highly valued by the major sects and even secular dynasties. It was because the term 'ancient' often represented a distant time. Among the various sects, the Deercry Monastery had the longest surviving lineage in the world presently. It was difficult to ascertain how many years this leader of Buddhism had existed, but no matter how long it was, it was at most a thousand years. As for the Infatuation Daoist Temple, it existed for an even shorter time. People had very little understanding of history from a thousand years ago, and everything could only be learned through artifacts excavated from the ruins of these ancient sects to understand the ancient history.
Through these items, they could gain insights into what the world was like thousands of years ago.
Therefore, these ancient ruins, especially the ancient ruins of major sects, had always been very important.
If it was just an ordinary cave abode, the Infatuation Daoist Temple and these sects probably would rush here impatiently to get a share of the pie.
Chen Chao sighed and said, "It seems that I didn't consider everything thoroughly back then."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution said, "That's not Warden Chen's problem. Such matters are destined to not be able to hide from everyone. To be able to do something like this, to want to do such a thing, and to achieve such results in the end, it's already excellent."
"The ancient ruin is highly valued by the foreign cultivators. There are rumors that these ancient sects possess extraordinary cultivation methods different from those of today. There are also legends of powerhouses from a thousand years ago who were much stronger than today's powerhouses. However, these are all ultimately just legends. To obtain answers, one can only look for oneself. Therefore, whether is it the various major sects, or the imperial court, they attach great importance to this. If it weren't for the unique nature of this place, the imperial court might have dispatched a Nepenthe Realm great cultivator to enter personally."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution said, "Disciples from the Sublime Bright Sect said that the place should be huge. They've been exploring it for many years and have likely only scratched the surface."
Chen Chao nodded. As a cultivator who had ventured into that ancient ruin, he naturally knew how terrifying it was inside. Back then, when he had mistakenly entered that place, he had almost died inside. Furthermore, the deeper inside, there would definitely be even more formidable and dreadful things.
"It's very dangerous. If ten people enter, it's possible that none of them will come out alive."
Chen Chao was very solemn as he said, "If it's only exploring the periphery, it won't serve much purpose.
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution wore a grave expression. He came to find Chen Chao this time in order to learn about the situation inside the ruins.
"This has been discussed with the foreign cultivators. Once the cultivators enter, they will be responsible for their life and death."
Exploring the ruins not only meant dealing with the inherent dangers that existed in the ruins, but also facing even greater risks as they went deeper in.
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution looked at Chen Chao and said, "The attitude from the Divine Capital is clear: you must come out alive no matter what."
……
……
After all preparations were in place, Chen Chao did not leave the warden's office in the coming days. The new county chief had arrived, it was a thin middle-aged man. He had a fair complexion without any facial hair, looking like an ordinary scholar.
However, when Chen Chao looked at him, he felt a sense of familiarity. Looking at the man's appearance, he vaguely found him rather familiar.
The county chief introduced himself, "This official is Wei Xing, from the Divine Capital. I greet Warden Chen."
Chen Chao looked at him and quickly understood. This man must be from the Divine Capital's Wei Family.
He couldn't help but be taken aback. Rainwater Commandery was currently a very important place, and it was likely that more than one pair of eyes was staring at this place. With the rivalry between the Wei and Xie families, both sides had to be exerting effort. In theory, neither party should be sending anyone here; it should be a third party unrelated to these two families. However, the one who appeared here was actually from the Wei Family. Furthermore, he made no effort to hide that he was from the Wei Family's main clan.
The power of the Wei Family in the imperial court had surpassed his expectations.
Chen Chao looked at him and asked, "What about the new warden? Why didn't he come with Lord Wei?"
Apart from sending a new county chief, the imperial court had also sent a new warden. After all, Chen Chao was about to enter the ancient ruin, and it was uncertain what would happen.
Wei Xing shook his head, "The Ministry of Personnel didn't inform this official."
Chen Chao did not speak.
Wei Xing chuckled. "But I suppose it won't be long. It should be in the next few days."
Chen Chao nodded, then suddenly asked, "How is the Divine Capital doing now?"
Having been away from the Divine Capital for so long, he had not actively sought out many updates. So, he was not very clear about the current situation in the Divine Capital. He had only heard about how the Emperor wanted to personally lead an expedition, and how it was stopped by the court officials. The atmosphere in the Divine Capital seemed somewhat delicate. Since this county chief was coming from the Divine Capital, it was a good opportunity to inquire.
Wei Xing gave Chen Chao a thoughtful look and did not withhold any information. He briefly recounted the things most people in the Divine Capital knew.
Chen Chao furrowed his brows slightly.
"Will Warden Chen be returning to the Divine Capital after this matter is concluded?"
Wei Xing asked seemingly casually, his expression neutral
Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "Who knows, I might not make it out alive, and end up dying in that ancient ruin. It's a possibility."
Wei Xing furrowed his brows imperceptibly. He vaguely sensed that the young man's words had an implied meaning, but he was not being direct.
"Nothing will happen to Warden Chen."
Wei Xing smiled slightly, his tone relaxed.
But Chen Chao did not respond to his words, he just looked up at the sky.
In the sky, several streaks of light had already passed by. At the edge of his vision, he could even see a massive boat soaring through the heavens.
"That..."
Wei Xing looked at the massive boat with a mix of excitement and puzzlement.
Though he was from the Wei Family, he lacked the aptitude for cultivation and could only focus on academics and literary pursuits.
"It's a celestial boat, a kind of magic artifact,"
Chen Chao looked at the sky, his expression very complicated.
……
……
Several days ago, when those cultivators learned about the ancient ruin hidden on the Sublime Bright Mountain, they scrambled over here. At that time, the sky was also filled with countless streaks of light, representing many prominent figures. There were even quite a few Nepenthe Realm powerhouses. Now, the same streaks of light filled the sky, but they were not the same big shots as before.
They were the young cultivators from the various major sects.
They came.
From distant places, they had come to the current Sublime Bright Mountain.
Most of the young cultivators on that celestial boat were from various major sects.
It was a celestial boat of the Daoism lineage.
More precisely, they were young daoist cultivators from the Longevity Dao lineage.
"We're here!"
"I heard that Senior Brother Yun arrived here a long time ago. I've been hearing Senior Brother Yun's name for a long time. Now, I'll finally get to meet him."
"It's a pity that I heard Senior Sister Ye is still in closed-seclusion. Otherwise, we'd have been able to meet the Twin Pillars of Daoism this time."
"It's a real shame. But with Senior Brother Yun here, I think our Daoism lineage will shine brightly this time and win the top spot. It's a pity that there's no ranking list, or else, we should be able to see our Daoism lineage surpassing the other lineages."
"However... you can't use your cultivation inside the white mist, so martial artists will probably be at a greater advantage..."
The daoist cultivators on the celestial boat discussed animatedly. As one of the most powerful lineages among the current cultivators, the Dao society naturally had their own confidence. Moreover, it was not just them this time, there was also Yun Jianyue who was hailed as one of the Twin Pillars of Daoism.
But soon, someone said, "I heard that this time, there's also that young martial artist from the Great Liang Dynasty."
They came from various places in the foreign lands, and their information channels were highly efficient, so they naturally knew a lot.
"The winner of the Myriad Willow Convention?"
Someone furrowed their brows, their expression unnatural as they said, "Speaking of which, due to the reform of the Myriad Willow Convention's martial examination, he got lucky. Now, he's going to benefit again just because he's a martial artist. That's really lucky."
Many people were dissatisfied with Chen Chao's victory in the Myriad Willow Convention. This was a complete loss of face for them, the foreign cultivators.
"But that's not the case, he openly defeated Song..."
"Shut up!"
Someone spoke up softly, but was cut off halfway.
It was a fellow senior brother of that cultivator. He was currently looking at this junior with a serious expression, lowering his voice and saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Senior Brother Song is still here..."
Sure enough, at the front of the boat, there was a tall figure. He was standing there calmly at this moment, with the air of an immortal. He was precisely the youngest genius within the Daoism lineage, apart from the Twin Pillars of Daoism; Song Changxi.
His cultivation base was profound. Hearing the conversation over here, he turned his head to look in their direction and said calmly, "Losing is losing, there's no need to find excuses."
He was very indifferent and did not try to hide anything about that previous battle. He continued frankly, "He's a very troublesome opponent. Unless necessary, don't take the initiative to provoke him."
Someone looked at him, a bit puzzled as he asked, "Didn't he use underhanded means during that battle?"
This cultivator had not been to the Divine Capital and did not take part in the Myriad Willow Convention either, so he was not clear about the stories that happened back then. He had only heard rumors and naturally felt dissatisfied with Chen Chao's victory. In his view, Chen Chao's victory was purely due to luck and the tactics of the Great Liang Dynasty.
Song Changxi looked at the young cultivator, and recognized him as a disciple of a certain sect. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "No."
The short and concise word shattered all illusions of the young cultivator before him.
For a moment, the cultivators on the boat were all stunned, unable to accept this fact.
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