Hiding in a corner to regulate his breathing for about an hour and downing a few Medicinal Pills, Fang Hao felt the stifling pain in his chest had finally been suppressed.

Although he had won the recent fight, it served as a reminder that this godforsaken place was truly not meant for humans; one wrong step could cost him his life.

Not daring to linger, he packed up, erased his tracks, and like a rat, silently slipped into the labyrinthine tunnels deep within the ruins.

The further he went, the more sinister the place became.

The tunnels grew alternately wide and narrow; sometimes he had to crawl over half-collapsed piles of stone or wade through knee-deep, foul-smelling stagnant water.

On the stone walls on both sides, vague murals and incomprehensible runes began to appear. The style was ancient and carried an indescribable sense of eeriness, depicting what seemed to be exotic flowers and herbs, as well as scenes of rituals and Alchemy.

Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, they were severely damaged, and he couldn’t make heads or tails of them.

The smell of stale, ancient dust in the air had faded slightly, replaced by a faint, elusive floral scent that smelled quite pleasant. However, Fang Hao dared not be careless; who knew if it was some kind of intoxicating poisonous miasma?

He kept holding his breath, relying entirely on internal Qi circulation.

Along the way, he encountered a few sporadic waves of Demon Beasts—unlucky creatures disturbed by those ahead of him, such as "Phantom Yao Bats" or "Corrosive Poison Wolf Spiders." Their Rank was not high, so he dealt with them effortlessly and collected all the Materials.

He also heard intense sounds of fighting and dying screams from afar, likely other treasure-hunting teams running into tough opponents.

Fang Hao bypassed them all, never joining the fray. Let whoever wants to wade through these muddy waters do so.

After many twists and turns, the view suddenly opened up, and he arrived in a massive underground grotto.

This grotto was boundless, with countless glowing stalactites hanging from the ceiling, resembling a starry sky.

In the center of the grotto was a lakebed that had been dry for unknown eons. Across the lakebed, one could vaguely see the shadows of dilapidated palaces; the scale was significant, so it was likely the core area of the ruins.

The lakebed was not peaceful either; several groups were confronting each other, daggers drawn, all competing for a few Spiritual Plants growing in the crevices of the stones in the center of the lake, shimmering with Spiritual Qi.

Judging by the Spiritual Qi fluctuations, they were at least Rank 3 treasures!

Fang Hao didn’t dare to reveal himself, hiding in the shadows of the entrance and squinting to observe.

Among those groups, there were those wearing uniform cyan Daoist robes, looking like Disciples of some Sect; a group of Loose Cultivators with heavy Evil Qi; and a few scattered, tough-looking lone travelers.

Their cultivation was at least Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and the leaders were all Early Golden Core Stage.

"Fight, fight hard. Every one that dies is one less," Fang Hao thought secretly, wishing they would both suffer losses.

He had no intention of interfering; while those Spiritual Plants were good, his life was more important. He planned to wait until these people fought until they were brain-dead, or dispersed, before finding an opportunity to sneak past.

But the heavens wouldn’t let him be. Just as he was watching, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, and a sinister Killing Intent locked onto him from behind!

"Oh no!" Fang Hao shuddered, and his Divine Spirit Steps instinctively prepared to activate!

Unfortunately, it was too late! A pitch-black, gleaming shuttle dart carrying a fishy stench, fast as lightning, had already shot toward his back!

This sneak attack was ruthless and venomous, and the timing was captured perfectly—exactly when his attention was drawn to the struggle on the lakebed!

He couldn’t dodge it! Fang Hao could only desperately twist his body, while simultaneously, a Five Elements Spirit Shield instantly condensed behind him!

Pfft! The shuttle dart hit the Five Elements Spirit Shield, emitting a muffled thud!

This shuttle dart had immense power and carried an eerie corrosive force; the Five Elements Spirit Shield only blocked it for a moment before shattering instantly!

The momentum of the shuttle dart slowed slightly, but it still slammed hard into Fang Hao’s left rear shoulder!

"Ugh!" Fang Hao let out a muffled groan as a heart-piercing pain surged through him, and half his body went numb! The virulent poison on the shuttle dart was frantically drilling into his body!

He endured the excruciating pain, used the momentum to lunge forward, and simultaneously spun around!

He saw a Cultivator wearing dusty, gray clothes, thin as a monkey, walking out from behind the stone where he had just been hiding, with a sinister smile on his face, holding another shuttle dart in his hand.

"Hehe, kid, your alertness is quite high, but unfortunately, you were still a bit slow!" The monkey-like Cultivator licked his lips, staring greedily at Fang Hao. "Hand over your storage ring, and Grandpa will give you a quick death!"

This monkey-like man was at the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment, clearly used to killing and robbing, specifically targeting lone individuals!

Fang Hao was both shocked and furious; the wound on his left shoulder had turned black, and the blood flowing out was black—the poison was spreading!

He hurriedly circulated his Spiritual Qi to suppress the poison, while staring fixedly at the opponent.

The people on the lakebed also noticed the commotion here, and a few curious yet indifferent gazes swept over, but no one bothered to interfere.

"You want my things? Let’s see if you have the life to take them!" Fang Hao’s eyes turned cold; knowing begging for mercy was useless, he had to fight!

He vibrated the yitian sword in his right hand and initiated the attack! Dividing Light Sword Shadow! Dozens of sword lights enveloped the monkey-like man!

"Petty tricks!" The monkey-like man sneered disdainfully, his movement twisting eerily, slipping through the gaps in the sword light like a loach, while the other shuttle dart in his hand shot out, aiming straight for Fang Hao’s face! The speed was astonishing!

Fang Hao hastily dodged, the shuttle dart flying past his cheek and taking a lock of hair with it! That was close!

The monkey-like man’s movement technique and hidden weapons were too tricky! Fang Hao’s left shoulder was injured, affecting his movements; for a moment, he was forced into a flustered state, only able to barely struggle by relying on Divine Spirit Steps and the Five Elements Spirit Shield, adding several more wounds to his body.

"Damn it, this won’t do!" Fang Hao was anxious; the poison was eroding him, and a prolonged fight meant death! He had to end it quickly!

He hardened his heart and exposed a larger opening, leaving his chest wide open!

The monkey-like man fell for it, a flash of joy in his eyes as he pounced, a pair of pitch-black claws thrusting straight at Fang Hao’s heart! The claw wind was sharp and carried a fishy stench!

Now! Fang Hao didn’t dodge or evade, instantly bringing out the empty clarity mirror, and with a flash of mirror light, it shone into the monkey-like man’s eyes!

The monkey-like man was caught off guard, dazzled by the mirror light, his vision instantly blurred, and his movements stalled!

"Die!" Fang Hao roared, the yitian sword erupting with all its power, no longer fancy sword lights, but a straight thrust condensing all his spirit and energy! Starfall Sword Art—Meteor Strike! Man and sword became one, transforming into a brilliant stream of light, piercing straight toward the monkey-like man’s throat!

This sword strike was fast! Accurate! Ruthless! It contained all the anger and Killing Intent he had been holding inside!

The monkey-like man’s vision was obstructed, and he couldn’t react in time!

Pfft! The sword tip pierced through his throat without any obstruction!

The monkey-like man’s eyes widened, full of disbelief, a "clucking" strange sound coming from his throat, and his body slumped down softly.

Fang Hao panted, pulled out his long sword, didn’t even look at the corpse, immediately knelt down to search for the monkey-like man’s Storage bag, then staggered to a crevice at the edge of the grotto, immediately sat cross-legged, swallowed an antidote, and exerted all his energy to force out the poison.

The fight just now, while seemingly short, was actually extremely dangerous; he almost flipped the boat in the gutter! The wound on his left shoulder was pitch black, and the poison was stubborn, making it very difficult to force out.

"This godforsaken place..." Fang Hao gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Exploring ruins was indeed fraught with danger at every step; he couldn’t relax for a moment.

It took nearly an hour to barely force out most of the poison; his left shoulder finally regained some sensation, but for a short time, this arm was effectively half-crippled.

He dared not stay any longer, simply bandaged his wound, took healing Medicinal Pills, and crept toward the group of dilapidated palaces across the lakebed.

He just wanted to leave this place of trouble immediately and see if there were any clues or exits in the core area; the outer perimeter was just too chaotic.

As for those Spiritual Plants in the center of the lake, he had no thoughts about them at all; you have to be alive to take them, and alive to enjoy them.

Crossing the dry lakebed and avoiding the groups still confronting each other, Fang Hao arrived safely at the ruins of the palace complex.

Broken walls and ruined fortifications, a scene of desolation, with only some tall stone pillars standing stubbornly, telling of past glories.

He carefully navigated through the ruins, his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes scanning everywhere, hoping to find something useful, or... a way to leave this place.

As he was walking, faint voices came from a relatively intact palace ahead; it seemed someone was inside.

Fang Hao’s heart tightened; he immediately converged his aura, silently approached, hid behind a huge stone pillar, and peeked inside.

Upon seeing this, his pupils shrank violently!

Inside the palace, two people were confronting each other.

One of them, dressed in a goose-yellow palace gown, with a graceful figure and a noble, cold, and glamorous aura, was none other than the female Nascent Soul Cultivator with whom he had had a wild night in the valley—the Grand Princess of the Mingling Empire, Princess Mu Yijing!

And the other was an old man wearing a black robe with a sinister face; the Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanating from his body were clearly also at the Nascent Soul Stage!

Moreover, Fang Hao felt that the Black-robed Elder’s aura seemed to be a notch stronger than Princess Mu Yijing’s!

Between the two, a strange flower emitting seven-colored flowing light, dreamlike and illusory, was floating; its Spiritual Qi was overwhelming, and one look told him it was no ordinary item!

"Seven-Colored Spirit Nourishing Flower! This item is of great use to me. Fellow Daoist Black-robed Elder, please do me a favor." Princess Mu Yijing’s voice was cold and clear, carrying unquestionable majesty.

"Hehe, Grand Princess, treasures belong to those fated to have them. I have taken a liking to this flower as well!" The Black-robed Elder laughed sinisterly, not giving an inch.

The two Nascent Soul powerhouses were about to fight over that strange flower!

Fang Hao groaned inwardly. Why did he run into this ancestor everywhere he went? And this time, there was an even more ruthless character! If they started fighting, the mere shockwaves alone could shake him to death!

He held his breath, not daring to move, with only one thought in his mind: Please don’t discover me! Please don’t start fighting!