Chapter 396: The Ancient Ruins of You Gui

Chapter 396: The Ancient Ruins of You Gui

Bang!

The last Stone-Blind Giant's head exploded, its massive body collapsing to the ground. With its demise, the commotion within the cave finally subsided.

The vast cave was littered with corpses, the air thick with the iron scent of blood.

The eight Ji Xinghuo, scattered across the cavern, began to move, shadows merging back into their respective bodies as they disappeared. Ji Xinghuo's shadow clones could be manually dispersed, allowing him to recoup the remaining stellar energy.

Qinghong, too, leaped off the fallen Stone-Blind Giant, retracting her Rekong Claws and shrinking back to her usual size by Ji Xinghuo's side.

Ji Xinghuo patted her head gently. "Well done."

This battle had been an unexpected development.

It had been over a dozen days since they arrived on Hei Huanxing, and Ji Xinghuo had been hunting monsters within the Equator's Scorched Abyss.

He had started on the outskirts, gradually venturing deeper. The number, density, and danger of the monsters were increasing. Despite his growing familiarity with the creatures and environment, Ji Xinghuo opted to slow down his hunting pace for safety.

This particular cave was located beneath a rift valley, over 3,000 meters deep. It had taken Ji Xinghuo half a day to find it, and within, he discovered a group of Stone-Blind Giants.

These creatures resembled giants, towering at a height of four to five meters.

The Stone-Blind Giants' corpulent bodies were as hard as rocks, devoid of sight but with incredibly keen hearing and sense of smell. They possessed formidable strength, resilience, and regenerative abilities, coupled with a decent level of intelligence and a tendency to congregate in groups, making them a formidable force within the Scorched Abyss.

Ji Xinghuo had encountered and slain Stone-Blind Giants before.

However, he had never come across a group of this scale—a total of more than thirty giants.

Among them were two Hong-level monsters.

After scanning them, Ji Xinghuo deemed the situation safe and decided to take action. But as soon as he made his move, an unexpected turn of events unfolded. Various monsters in the vicinity, as if responding to a signal, swarmed towards them, catching him somewhat off guard.

He reacted swiftly, unleashing Qinghong and employing his shadow clone technique, bringing the battle to a swift conclusion within minutes.

This was, by far, the most rewarding hunt since they entered the Scorched Abyss.

Ji Xinghuo opened the Wanxiang Xingtong interface.

[Spiritual Source Energy: 51,498]



"Nearly 2,000 points of Spiritual Source Energy from a single battle! Amazing!" Ji Xinghuo's heart swelled with joy. With less than 10,000 points to go, he would be able to upgrade both his Rotating Magnetic Field and Electrostatic Field to Level 5.

Based on his experience, both abilities were likely to advance upon reaching that level.

Rotating Magnetic Field and Electrostatic Field were highly correlated, two sides of the same coin. Their progress had always been synchronized, whether during cultivation or evolution.

[Ability: Rotating Magnetic Field (Level 4 - 20,673/50,069)]



[Ability: Electrostatic Field (Level 4 - 20,673/50,069)]



The progress was precise down to the single digits.

This synchronization wasn't something Ji Xinghuo actively controlled. Initially, there had been discrepancies, but over time, they naturally aligned.

It hinted at some underlying mystery.

Even if Ji Xinghuo didn't fully understand the reason, he knew that upgrading these abilities in tandem might lead to unexpected pleasant surprises.

"At the rate of harvest these past few days, another two to three days of hunting should suffice."

Ji Xinghuo closed the interface and surveyed the cavern filled with monster corpses.

He reached out and touched the largest of the Stone-Blind Giants.

[Monster: Stone-Blind Giant]



[Level: Heaven-Shaking Disaster - Hong]



[Variants: Blind Sight, Ultrasound Sensitivity, Higher Resilience, Basalt Body, Rapid Regeneration, Crushing Stone Fist, Berserk, Beastly Might]



Ji Xinghuo perused the variant information, his eyes lighting up.

While this Hong-level Stone-Blind Giant didn't possess an extensive list of variants, the quality was exceptional, boasting three super-limit variants.

Basalt Body was a familiar variant, so he didn't dwell on it. Ultrasound Sensitivity, however, was a superior ability to "Shape of Sound." It offered enhanced auditory range, sensitivity, and frequency domain compared to its predecessor.

With Ultrasound Sensitivity, one could even forgo their sense of sight entirely.

"No wonder its hearing is so acute," Ji Xinghuo realized. He then turned his attention to the other Hong-level Stone-Blind Giant and found that it, too, possessed Ultrasound Sensitivity.

Both giants had the "Beastly Might" variant.

"A power-type ability!" Ji Xinghuo mused aloud. Just days ago, he had been contemplating the possibility of acquiring a power-type variant to fuse and upgrade.

And now, that opportunity had presented itself sooner than expected.

Beastly Might, Giant Elephant Power, and Giant's Power were all super-limit variants, essentially interchangeable with minimal differences in effect.

The vast majority of power-type Inhumans would fuse with one such ability. Examples included "Giant General" and "Iron Guard," while "Gravity Master" and "Martial Artist" were also viable options. Through training and evolution, their strength would continue to increase, making them highly cost-effective choices.

These pure power-type variants were not particularly rare.

Many heavy-duty superpower weapons and equipment were infused with power variants during their creation, such as the Electrostatic War Blade.

"Let's check the fusion rate first."

Ji Xinghuo swung Raijin and sliced through the Stone-Blind Giant's corpse, carefully extracting the "Beastly Might" ability.

The ability manifested as a resilient tendon, about two dozen centimeters long and pink in color.

Ji Xinghuo gave it a slight tug, feeling its remarkable tensile strength, and the ability's information appeared before his eyes.

[Ability: Beastly Might]



[Grade: Super-Limit]



[Fusion Success Rate: 81%]



[Upgradable: Yes]



"Hmm..." Ji Xinghuo stroked his chin, thinking, "An 81% fusion success rate is decent, but it could be better."

He only had one more fusion opportunity left, which he intended to save for the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Body.

Even if the fusion rate for "Beastly Might" was above 90%, he wouldn't be able to fuse it right away and would have to postpone the process.

Therefore, he didn't feel the need to rush his decision.

Ji Xinghuo stored the ability away and continued collecting more.

After nearly an hour of work, he had collected almost three hundred abilities from over a dozen Stone-Blind Giants and more than two hundred other monsters, discarding the lower-value ones.

The Ring of Dragon had already accumulated four to five thousand abilities, most of which were of superior or exceptional quality. It was almost full.

There were also over a dozen super-limit abilities, the best in quality, all stored within the Dimensional Stomach Bag.

Ji Xinghuo flew out of the cave, emerging into the pitch-black depths of the rift valley, where he had wiped out all the monsters. He quickly ascended, and a narrow strip of light appeared above him, growing larger and brighter until it finally burst into the sky.

The Antlercloud Elk ran over, and Ji Xinghuo landed steadily on its back but didn't rush off.

He surveyed his surroundings.

They were deep within the Scorched Abyss.

The charred ground was riddled with eye-catching craters, and the sky was constantly streaked by flaming meteors. Explosions rumbled in the distance, and the ground trembled beneath his feet.

Smoke billowed, and the temperature fluctuated between hot and cold, like a hellish landscape.

Yet, within this complex and ever-changing environment, countless monsters survived, and one wrong step could mean death.

Ji Xinghuo scanned the area with his electromagnetic induction.

He casually pointed towards the east, and the Antlercloud Elk leaped across the rift valley, running on air.

Over an hour later.

A massive rift valley loomed before them, spanning three to four thousand meters in width, with no end in sight on either side.

From the depths of this bottomless chasm rose black fog and a chilling forest.

Ji Xinghuo's expression turned solemn.

This was the largest rift valley he had ever seen, and when he checked the satellite map on his personal terminal, he realized it was right at the heart of the Scorched Abyss. Moreover, it wasn't an ordinary valley; it had once been a city of the You Gui tribe.

Over a millennium ago, this area had been subjected to a saturation nuclear strike.

A massive satellite fragment had also crashed down here.

"Damn!"

Only then did Ji Xinghuo notice the strange mountain range on the other side of the rift valley, about ten kilometers away. It was steep and bare, originally a meteorite—a part of the Black Ring Star's satellite—with a mass in the billions of tons.

It was unimaginable what kind of destruction such an enormous meteorite could cause when falling from outer space.

The You Gui city had long been reduced to ashes.

"The Everdark Chasm."

Ji Xinghuo checked the information. The chasm before him stretched for over eight hundred kilometers, running from south to north and almost cutting through the entire Scorched Abyss region.

Its average depth exceeded seven thousand meters, but its deepest point remained unknown. Innumerable fissures and tunnels crisscrossed within, forming vast cavities and caves. Most of the monsters on Black Ring Star could be found here, creating an underground ecosystem.

The Scorched Abyss owed much of its infamy to the Everdark Chasm.

Countless hunting teams had met their end within its depths, and even Titans could find themselves in unexpected peril.

Ji Xinghuo didn't rush into the chasm. Instead, he directed the Antlercloud Elk to run along the top of the rift valley, using his electromagnetic induction to scan the areas below. However, he could only detect a portion of the region, as many of the fissures and tunnels extended beyond his induction range.

He discovered numerous monsters.

At the same time, he also detected the presence of other Inhumans and hunting teams.

Despite the dangers of the Scorched Abyss, it attracted many elite hunting teams, some of which included Sixth-Stage powerhouses, drawn by the promise of treasures and opportunities.

Ji Xinghuo had been carefully avoiding them.

He chose an area where no other hunting teams were present and instructed the Antlercloud Elk to hide itself before leaping down.

His altitude dropped rapidly.

As the light above him faded, Ji Xinghuo slowed down and flew into a naturally formed fissure, skillfully navigating through it.

Soon, a cave appeared before him.

Luminous ferns grew on the rocky walls, dispelling the darkness with their soft glow. Several cracks in the cave led to other areas.

Despite being naturally formed and well-hidden, logic dictated that it should have been occupied and nested in by monsters. Yet, instead of finding any, there were abundant traces of their activity.

His electromagnetic induction was constantly scanning and spreading.

Beyond those cracks, there were no monsters or lairs.

However, unlike other fissures that would usually be blocked off, these extended deeper underground, beyond the radius of his electromagnetic induction.

"Something's not right..."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

During his descent, there had been countless hidden crevices on the rift valley walls, each harboring monsters to varying degrees. It was the oddity of this place that had drawn him in, and now, upon closer inspection, his suspicions were confirmed.

"I should retreat for now." Ji Xinghuo didn't want to take unnecessary risks; harvesting spiritual source energy was his primary goal.

He promptly retraced his path and flew elsewhere.

After traversing over a dozen kilometers beneath the Ever-Dark Rift Valley, Ji Xinghuo located a monster's lair. He sneaked in invisibly and began his hunt.

[Spiritual Source Energy +9]



[Spiritual Source Energy +6]



...

Moments later.

When Ji Xinghuo emerged, his spiritual source energy had increased by over a hundred points, and the Dragon Ring now contained over a dozen more exotic beasts.

Having cleared out multiple fissures and caves, he finally flew upward to rest.

His spiritual source energy continued to increase gradually.

Ji Xinghuo relentlessly hunted, scouring the shallower layers of this over-a-dozen-kilometer-long rift valley, leaving almost no monsters in his wake.

[Spiritual Source Energy +115]



A Flood-level Rock Borer was bisected by Ji Xinghuo's sword, revealing him to be unblemished by blood amidst the electric light.

Skilfully collecting the exotic beasts, he prepared to leave.

Ji Xinghuo turned to glance at the back of the Rock Borer's lair. There, the rock wall had been drilled full of holes large enough for humans to pass through, and his electromagnetic induction had mapped out the terrain, forming a three-dimensional map in his mind.

Like an anthill, there were more Rock Borers inside, but they were scattered.

"Might as well wipe them all out."

Ji Xinghuo flew into the holes, slaughtering the Rock Borers along the way, gradually reaching the deepest part of their nest.

After eliminating the last Rock Borer, he looked towards the passage ahead.

"Was this dug out by humans?"

Ji Xinghuo discerned carefully before shaking his head inwardly, "Unlikely, it was probably drilled by Rock Borers."

Nonetheless, this passage was incredibly deep, and he wondered where it led.

However, from the direction of the passage, it seemed to connect to that peculiar cave he had discovered earlier. If this were a naturally formed underground space, the probability of such an occurrence would be extremely low.

After some consideration, Ji Xinghuo proceeded down the passage.

He activated his invisibility.

His electromagnetic induction was running at full capacity, probing the surrounding terrain and movements, his full attention focused on his surroundings.

The passage continued downward, soon revealing a cave inhabited by a group of vampire bats, which Ji Xinghuo effortlessly dispatched. He then pushed further, clearing out all monsters along the way as he delved deeper underground.

On his journey, he encountered numerous forks in the road, some leading up, others down, forming what seemed to be an enormous maze.

An ordinary person would have gotten lost long ago.

However, Ji Xinghuo had a clear understanding of his location and, having encountered no dangers thus far, continued to press on.

Suddenly, he came to a halt.

A blank spot had appeared within the range of his electromagnetic induction, an area where the magnetic field was extremely chaotic, approximately two thousand meters below him. This position was over fifteen kilometers deep into the earth's crust and was also very large in scale.

After careful induction, Ji Xinghuo grasped its rough outline.

It was a massive cave.

Its periphery far exceeded the range of his electromagnetic induction, with a height ranging from four to seven hundred meters. Countless gigantic rock pillars, resembling stalagmites, supported the ceiling, and faint traces of man-made structures could be discerned within the cave, though they appeared to have collapsed.

In Ji Xinghuo's perception, the most striking sensation was one of chaos—that space was filled with vast and peculiar energy.

"What is this?"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel curious.

He located the nearest passage leading to the underground cave, winding his way through without disturbing the monster lairs along the route, always descending.

Moments later.

The area of chaotic magnetic fields detected by his electromagnetic induction was now just a few hundred meters away.

Ji Xinghuo slowed down, flying invisibly through the darkness, and after passing through a narrow cleft, his eyes widened at the sight before him. Illuminated by the faint light of fern-like luminescent plants, he could make out...

"It's actually a ruin!"

Ji Xinghuo was astonished. He quickly realized that this must be a relic of the You Gu tribe!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end