The cold wind whimpered...

Everyone who had survived this calamity looked at each other.

Their bodies bent at the same time as they cupped their hands and bowed. "Thank you for your saving grace, senior." Their voices were in unison and contained spiritual power. They exploded with a loud bang as if they were thunderbolts from the nine heavens. An invisible storm swept out in all directions and dispersed the faint grey clouds in the sky. There was a look of worship in each of their eyes and reverence in their hearts.

"There's no need to be like this. This is just a small matter." Ou Yangming waved his sleeve lightly.

"Senior, how is it a small matter when it comes to our lives? We know that our cultivation is too low and can't help you much, but we'll repay your kindness. In the future, you only need to say a word, and we'll be willing to sacrifice our lives for you." The man holding the huge ax roared at the sky. His expression was sincere, and his words were straightforward.

"Yes, we're willing to sacrifice our lives for you!"

His voice burst out again and swept away.

For these surviving cultivators, they had fallen into a bottomless abyss and were desperate. Perhaps they would be swallowed by the poisonous insects in the next second and die miserably, but Ou Yangming forcefully pulled them back. This feeling of despair and seeing the light again was too precious. Therefore, their gratitude toward the young fellow was sincere and not a bit fake.

Listening to the voice that made people's blood boil, Ou Yangming's expression was strange. He wondered, 'How did I... Become a senior?'

Nonetheless, he quickly raised his hand above his head, and the entire place fell silent. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

He organized the words in his mind and with a confident look, he laughed heartily. "Thank you, fellow friends, for your love. If such a day really comes, I'll surely look for you."

As his voice reverberated, the eyes of the surviving cultivators lit up with a different light.

At this moment, the spiritual spring in the depths of the Black Fog Mountain erupted with a dazzling light and an incredibly powerful aura.

Even so, no one rushed forward. Instead, they all looked at Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming waved his hand and said with an exaggerated expression, "Let's go and snatch the treasures. We've suffered such a huge disaster, so we have to compensate ourselves."

Instantly, everyone on the balcony burst into laughter. Colorful lights then tore the sky of the Black Fog Mountain into pieces.

Ke Xinyue glanced at Ou Yangming and took half a step forward. She bit her lower lip and her throat moved slightly. Nevertheless, before she could speak, she was suppressed by Ke Yanshuo's imposing manner, making her unable to move.

The black fog around the Black Fog Mountain had dispersed, revealing a ditch that was hundreds of meters deep. There were numerous dried bones piled inside. Where the vortex was, not a single trace was left behind.

Ou Yangming pondered for a moment before asking softly, "Senior He, what do you think the disaster was all about?"

He Jian lifted his sword case, and a ruthless glint flashed past his eyes. He spoke out his own guess, "I once saw a foreign race in an ancient book. They can transform into vines, poisonous insects... It's very similar to today's situation."

"Another foreign race!" Ou Yangming's expression turned cold.

"Yes, there are all kinds of odd foreign races in great ruins. They're hidden in unknown areas, and no one knows how many there are." He Jian sighed faintly, and he sounded like he had seen the vicissitudes of life.

"Let's go quickly. We'll talk about it after we get there!" Ou Yangming shook his head and suppressed the thoughts in his mind.

He Jian did not refute him. He stepped on the broken balcony and used the momentum to speed off into the distance.

Seeing that Ou Yangming had left, Ke Yanshuo finally dispersed the aura on his body. Ke Xinyue gritted her teeth and asked fiercely, "Brother, why did you stop me?"

Ke Yanshuo's gaze deepened, and his voice was slightly bitter. "I've watched you grow up so with one look, I know what you're thinking."

His gaze shifted, and he continued, "I know you like him. Yes, who wouldn't like such a God-favored one? But you're not from the same world so forget it. This kind of feeling is like taking a bite of a spiritual fruit and leaving it in spiritual Qi; it'll rot. How can there be so many wonderful things in this world? What good ending can a little fish have when it falls in love with the sky? Besides, look at how his style of doing things is flawless." He paused and looked at Ou Yangming's receding figure.

After a moment, he added, "The distance between you is too far. It's even farther than the distance of the entire sky."

His voice was soft but every word sounded like a sharp needle piercing deeply into the heart of Ke Xinyue.

"I know, I know, but why did you have to say it out loud?" Her expression was a little sorrowful, and her voice sounded a little hysterical.

From a young age, she had been very arrogant. Coupled with her superior family background, she had come into contact with a lot of things, so her taste was naturally extraordinary.

She simply would not notice her peers at all. Furthermore, the scene outside the balcony earlier...

It kept playing in her mind like a movie, and there was a faint sweetness in her heart. There were even some vague fantasies in her heart that even she did not notice. Despite that, after only a few breaths, they were heartlessly broken. How could she accept it?

Deep down, Ke Yanshuo also felt that he was being too cold and heartless but those words had to be said by someone, and they had to be said very clearly.

Once one had fantasies about feelings, one would sink deeper, unable to extricate oneself.

※※※※

Ou Yangming did not know what happened. He and He Jian did not stay any longer and directly jumped over the spring.

Lil' Ming had also become very picky, after all. Ordinary treasures could not catch his eyes.

After hurrying to the north for 3 days, the sky became dimmer. Countless storms condensed on the ground. Just the shockwaves from the periphery could make a Rudimentary Spiritualist disappear.

Ou Yangming smacked his lips and joked, "Senior He, given the kind of storms, anyone below an Intermediate Spiritualist will surely die if they encounter them. It's hard to imagine that you passed through them as a Rudimentary Spiritualist."

He Jian's lips curled up, revealing a bright smile. The wrinkles on his face were squeezed together, and he nodded heavily. "Yes, now that I think about it, I'm still a little scared."

Half of his shoe sank into the yellow sand, and his old fingers lifted his shoulder strap. He pondered for a moment.

His voice became solemn as he noted, "Brother Yu, we have to be careful. I remember that there's a kind of Black Iron Beast around here. Its body is tremendously strong, and it's difficult for swords and sabers to harm it."

Hearing this, Ou Yangming looked stern. His interspatial bag flashed and when the light was gone, the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer was already in his hand.

Between them, the one with the lower cultivation base was an Advanced Spiritualist. It was worth noting that they were as fast as lightning.

All of a sudden, a creaking sound came from somewhere as if many people were grinding their teeth in their sleep.

The sound grew louder and came from all directions.

"Creak, creak..."

It was empty around Ou Yangming and He Jian, but the sound seemed to have come out of thin air, making people's scalps go numb.

He Jian's eyes focused as he said in a deep voice, "Brother Yu, be careful. They're coming."

Ou Yangming nodded his head gently. After a long while, 10-meters-tall ferocious beasts with a pair of horns on their heads and bodies covered in black scales rushed out from the yellow sand. Their throats kept trembling as they let out screeching sounds of teeth being ground. Having said that, the most shocking thing was that their eyes did not have any spiritual essence as they only looked bloodthirsty.

"Senior He, is this a ferocious beast?" He could sense life force from the ferocious beasts, but he could not sense any spiritual essence.

"Yes, the Big Ruins is divided into 3 major forces." He Jian stretched out 3 fingers and shook them.

Ou Yangming stroked his chin and listened quietly. He knew there was definitely more to come.

As expected, just as the thought appeared, He Jian continued, "Firstly, the Humans, who obtained the Dragon and Phoenix Bloodlines, where the 3 Dragons and 3 Phoenixes are the leaders. Secondly, the foreign races with the Horned Dragons, the Qiongqis1, and the Blood Rocs as the leaders. Finally, the ferocious beasts. They obtained the Dragon and Phoenix Bloodlines, but they failed to mutate."

"Failed?" Ou Yangming raised his voice.

"Yes, they failed, which is why they lost all their intelligence and only had killing in their hearts. Even so, every type of ferocious beast has obtained divine abilities and magic arts that humans dream of. For instance, spitting fire, spitting ice... They've mastered them."

As He Jian said this, he pointed at the Black Iron Beast in front of them.

"Look, though their physical quality and strength... Are normal in all aspects, in terms of physical strength alone, they've reached the pinnacle of fierce beasts. Even for me, it's not easy to break through their defenses." His face was also filled with emotions.

Ou Yangming nodded and asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do?"

A flash of sword-light appeared in He Jian's eyes as he said in a low voice, "Blast them away and open up a path."

Given that he said to "blast them away" instead of killing them, one could imagine how formidable the Black Iron Beasts were.

After hearing what he said, Ou Yangming somehow thought of the mutated fierce beasts in the Forest of Death. 'What's the connection between them?' He raised his eyebrows and wondered.

He forcefully suppressed this thought and muttered softly, "Strong physical bodies? I'd like to see it."

Before he finished, his fingers tightly gripped the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer. Instantly, the spear seemed to become a part of his body, and countless runes jumped.

A wild spear technique resounded. Ou Yangming held the spear tightly in his hand and communicated with his dantian. His Qi was as smooth as one, and his body overlapped with the Blood Spear Dragon Slayer. With a flash, he lightly thrust the spear forward.

Ou Yangming had achieved a remarkable level in terms of the spear attack and his control over every detail.

Even an ordinary top-grade Spiritualist would find it difficult to do so.

The Black Iron Beast's eyes were bloodthirsty. It spat out mist from its nose, and the scales on its skin flickered with a dim light. They connected into one, making them look incomparably hard, and they overflowed with a cold light. It opened its bloody mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp white teeth. With a stomp of its hind legs, a large pit appeared on the yellow sand on the ground. Like a small mountain, it charged toward Ou Yangming. This was the Black Iron Beast's attacking method. It used its physical strength to block the magic tool and look for an opportunity to counterattack.

Ancient Chinese mythological tiger-like flying creatures.