Chapter Forty-Eight: Yun Tianchen

Inside the entrance to the ancient ruins, tens of thousands of disciples from various sects did not rush forward, but instead dispersed and organized their teams.

As soon as the disciples of the Void Spirit Sect entered the ruins, they quickly distanced themselves from Shen Wan.

Zhang Haoyun wore a face full of resentment, looking exactly like a bitter wife.

Fortunately, he had enough self-control earlier; otherwise, if he hadn't restrained himself, he might have already been thrown out by now.

Naturally, Shen Wan had no time to pay attention to this group.

At this moment, he was facing a new wave of fury.

Yun Yi stood before him, her whole body stiff with tension. Though she was still dressed as a man, there were certain features that could hardly be hidden.

These wicked hands—he deserved to have them chopped off!

Seeing the fury blazing in the girl's eyes, Shen Wan finally realized his actions had crossed a line.

He hurriedly withdrew his hand, awkwardly at a loss for what to do, and instinctively wiped it on his clothes.

"You..."

Yun Yi, seeing this, could no longer hold back, and the pent-up fire in her eyes finally burst forth.

She swung her arm and slapped Shen Wan hard across the face.

A crisp, resounding slap.

"Bastard! You’ve already touched me, and now you act disgusted?!"

Her words were squeezed through clenched teeth, not loud, but enough to express her inner rage.

Whether from anger or shame, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

Biting her lip, Yun Yi glared fiercely at Shen Wan and then turned on her heel and strode away.

Watching the enchanting sway of her departing figure, Shen Wan was left utterly bewildered.

"I wasn't disgusted at all..."

Nearby disciples, hearing the commotion, turned to look, but having missed the key moment, they were clueless about what had happened, only seeing Shen Wan with a swollen left cheek, looking rather lost.

Fortunately, the Disciples of the Owe Profound Sect had entered early, and under Wu Xi’s leadership, were already deep within the forest.

Shen Wan pressed his aching left cheek.

"All this just because I didn’t let her drink my cola, and she’s still holding a grudge."

He felt wronged, glancing around.

Most disciples from the other sects had already disappeared into the forest, leaving only a handful who had yet to act.

Pursing his lips, Shen Wan found his fear of this place easing somewhat.

Still, he looked around to see if he might slip away unnoticed.

Outside the ruins, most people had already gone to the rest hall, leaving almost exclusively disciples from the Gu You Sect.

These disciples gathered tightly around the entrance, showing no intention of leaving.

"Why are they still guarding the gate?"

It was clear what they were up to, and Shen Wan’s mood soured further.

"Looks like there’s no hope of sneaking out."

Resigned, he wrinkled his nose, recalling how inside the Ten Hells Tower, he’d once tried to find a place to hide and wait out the trial.

He had only come here for the excitement anyway—chance and fortune had nothing to do with him.

Now that the fun was gone, what was left to do?

Shen Wan thought to himself that he was truly bored to keep getting involved in these things—curiosity really does kill the cat.

Since he’d decided to repeat his old trick, he might as well look for a nearby tree, whether to nap or bask in the sun, as long as he could muddle through the next few days.

After all, finding a hiding spot here was far easier than in the Ten Hells Tower.

Adjusting the Wanmo Black Blade on his back, Shen Wan trotted off into the woods.

Outside the Ancient Ruins.

The elders from the various sects had long since departed, leaving a large number of Gu You Sect disciples to handle the aftermath.

One disciple was tidying up the area when he suddenly felt a powerful presence approaching. Looking up, he saw a group striding toward him.

He hastily stopped what he was doing, pressed his palms together, and bowed low in greeting.

The surrounding disciples did the same.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Yun!"

The newcomer was none other than Yun Tianchen, the young master of the Gu You Sect.

A group of elders accompanied him, halting at the entrance to the ruins.

Though Yun Tianchen was technically still a disciple, as the sect master’s son, his status was considered far above that of the elders. Thus, all present paid homage only to him.

Yun Tianchen, proud and aloof, ignored his peers, merely raising his eyes toward the entrance and declaring,

"The Giant God Clan—hmph, let’s see how mysterious you can remain this time!"

At these words, a woman at his side cast him a subtle glance, her emotionless eyes betraying nothing.

"All the valley’s prodigies have entered. This time, that gate will surely open," an elder said, stepping from Yun Tianchen’s side.

This was Yun Shengyi, the Grand Elder of the Gu You Sect, and the sect master’s own younger brother—Yun Tianchen’s uncle.

"Uncle, you are absolutely right. Our Gu You Sect has waited for thousands of years, enduring centuries of tests. This time, we are destined to succeed," Yun Tianchen said with unshakable confidence, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the ruins, as if the treasure within was already his.

Yun Shengyi nodded, then waved his hand, and more than ten people stepped forward from behind him.

These were also elders of varying age and gender, but all were above the Golden Core stage.

The strongest three had even reached the Soul of the Core realm.

Turning his head, Yun Shengyi’s gaze was sharp. "Your task is to protect the young master. There can be no mistakes—do you understand?"

The group bowed. "At the Grand Elder’s command. We understand."

With that, their forms blurred and they all transformed into the appearance of young men.

The Gu You Sect’s claim that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could enter the ruins had always been a ruse. In truth, the ruins were protected by an extremely powerful restriction, which forcibly suppressed anyone’s cultivation—whether Golden Core, Soul of the Core, or even those who had reached the Divine Initiation realm—to the Foundation Establishment level upon entry.

To prevent other sects from sending powerful cultivators inside, the Gu You Sect spread the lie that only those below Foundation Establishment could enter.

Once the group was ready, Grand Elder Yun Shengyi addressed Yun Tianchen with gentle affection:

"Tianchen, once inside, be careful. Do not get involved in any disputes. Focus on reaching the inner sanctum first. Aim to reap the fisherman’s benefit."

"Hmph, aside from our Gu You Sect, the rest inside are nothing but pawns and small fry. I would never stoop to fighting with them—it would be beneath my station."

With a haughty tilt of his chin and a sneer, Yun Tianchen ignored his uncle and strode directly toward the entrance.

Yun Shengyi simply shook his head lightly at the sight.

He glanced again at the group behind and said, "Go in, but don’t let the young master’s temperament take over. Keep the bigger picture in mind."

They bowed once more. "Yes!"

With that, they all followed Yun Tianchen in, along with more than thirty of the Gu You Sect’s top one hundred disciples.

The woman at his side was among them.

Watching the grand procession vanish into the shimmering barrier, Yun Shengyi looked up at the sky.

"Clear skies and ancient fortune—an auspicious sign indeed."

With a sweep of his sleeve, he vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, Yun Tianchen and his entourage quickly passed through the barrier into the ruins.

By now, not a single disciple from any sect remained outside.

Yun Tianchen looked into the distance, where eight sky-piercing pillars could be seen faintly reaching into the clouds.

"Hmph, I hope you all won’t let me down."

With another cold snort, the group plunged into the forest.

Of course, Shen Wan saw none of this.

At this moment, he was clinging to a tree trunk, suspended in mid-air.

The tree was not especially tall, but at three or four meters, there was a particularly broad branch—just wide enough to lie on if he could climb up.

Afraid of being discovered sleeping on the ground, Shen Wan had wanted to climb up, but as fate would have it, this tree’s branches were coated in a thick, viscous liquid—like the drool of some movie monster—absolutely disgusting.

He decided to try another tree, but as he attempted to come down, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance.

Luckily, he grabbed a branch just in time, leaving him dangling like a monkey.

With at least two meters to the ground, Shen Wan was utterly miserable.

"Damn it... now I’m really screwed."

He wanted to call for help, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Then, suddenly, he felt a slight sensation on his fingers gripping the trunk.

Looking up, he saw the viscous liquid slowly seeping down towards his hand.

"Shit!"

It had looked disgusting before, but now that it was on his skin, it felt even worse.

Unable to go up or down, he could only let the liquid creep ever lower.

It began to flow faster, and in moments, it had seeped into his sleeve.

The itch of it crawling along his skin was agonizing—Shen Wan thought he’d rather break his leg falling than endure this torturous blend of disgust and itching.

Steeling himself, he decided to let go and jump.

But no matter how he tried, his fingers wouldn’t release the branch—they seemed glued to it.

Just then, he heard a squelching sound near his ear.

Turning his head, he saw a large green grub happily licking up the sticky fluid on the branch.

The grub worked quickly, its single eye on its head rolling wildly as its tongue darted about.

Seeing it approach his fingers, Shen Wan panicked, twisting and struggling desperately, but his hand remained firmly stuck.

"Ahhhh! Get away from me, damn you! Get away!"

Earlier, he’d feared being discovered, but now he wished for anyone to appear and save him.

The grub, apparently nearly blind, relied on its tongue to find its way, caring only for the sticky fluid and entirely oblivious to Shen Wan.

At last, it reached his fingers.

Following the trail of the liquid, the grub began to crawl downwards, disappearing into his sleeve.

Shen Wan’s pupils dilated, and every hair on his body stood on end.

There was nothing left but revulsion.

But that was no longer the worst of it.

For at that moment, the disgusting liquid had reached the edge of his underwear...

"Help! Somebody save my little brother!!!"