Chen Xuan's expression grew tense as he silently pulled a machete and a length of rope from his woven bag.
He tied the bag shut, slung it across his back, and then slipped on a black robe over his bulky frame — his silhouette now hunched and oddly misshapen, like an old man carrying a heavy burden.
"Old Chen, what are you doing?" Xu Mu asked, frowning.
"Brother Mu, since we entered this place, you've been leading the way. I feel bad about that. This time, I'll go first."
With machete in hand, Chen Xuan sprang forward toward the black-robed figure in the distance, leaping deftly from one round stone pillar to the next until he landed atop the largest one at the center.
The column was nearly ten meters wide. The black-robed man sat cross-legged at its center, his entire body wrapped in cloth save for a pair of lifeless, dark-red eyes.
"Greetings, senior," Chen Xuan said respectfully, pulling back his hood and bowing.
Without a word, the man reached for the long black sword at his side and stood.
A sharp boom split the air as he swung.
A golden arc of sword qi, more than ten meters long, ripped toward Chen Xuan, making the air crack like thunder.
Chen Xuan threw himself backward, barely dodging.
Judging by the color of the sword qi, this man's power was at the Mystic Art Realm.
Before he could regain balance, the black-robed swordsman was already upon him, another strike flashing down.
Chen Xuan rolled across the stone, blocking the blow with his machete.
Clang! Sparks exploded where the two weapons met.
"Brother Mu! Go on ahead!" Chen Xuan shouted.
"Old Chen, how can I leave you behind?" Xu Mu shouted back, stepping lightly across the pillars to approach.
"Don't worry — I have my ways to escape!" Chen Xuan yelled.
Xu Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He's the protagonist, Xu Mu thought. He must have something up his sleeve.
Seeing Xu Mu leap past, the black-robed man turned to intercept, but Chen Xuan's figure blurred, blocking him.
"Your opponent is me!"
Xu Mu glanced back once, then continued forward, hopping from pillar to pillar until he reached the end of the formation.
There, a three-meter-wide path stretched on.
He followed it barely a hundred meters before reaching a massive stone gate carved with winged symbols.
The gate was slightly ajar.
As he stepped through, a faint glowing ring appeared on his wrist — this one with a strange rune inside.
When he touched it, he found it tangible, something he could even remove.
He slipped the ring off and looked around.
He now stood in a vast desert of golden sand, surrounded by clusters of ancient stone structures — dense and weathered, each spaced barely thirty meters apart.
"This ancient ruin… really is on another level," Xu Mu muttered.
Then, two glowing butterflies suddenly flitted out from one of the stone buildings.
"Miao He! What are you doing?" he called.
At his voice, the butterflies slowed, circled once, and flew back.
Moments later, Miao He stepped out.
"You're really something," she said coolly. "I thought I'd have to protect you, but you got here first."
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe… you're not Miao He at all?"
"Of course I am," she replied. "I just happened to know this formation's layout — took a shortcut."
Her gaze lingered on the glowing ring on his wrist.
"How do you know the formation here?" Xu Mu pressed.
"Because… I can't tell you," she said, shaking her head. "All you need to know is we're on the same side. I won't harm you."
Just then, the ground trembled violently.
Seeing this, Miao He grabbed Xu Mu and pulled him into the nearest building.
A few seconds later, a hulking figure in black armor crashed down from the sky, kicking up clouds of sand.
The man had silver hair and red eyes, gripping a massive battle-axe.
He scanned the area warily, then slowly walked away.
"What was that thing?" Xu Mu asked grimly.
"A tomb guardian," Miao He explained. "Most ancient ruins are destroyed sects' remains, but this one—this is a tomb."
"That's not what I meant." Xu Mu pointed toward where the armored warrior had gone. "His body was crawling with Gu."
"You… how do you know that?" Miao He asked in shock.
Xu Mu's expression darkened. "Miao He, you know this is a tomb. You know the formation. You have Gu in your body — and silver hair, just like him."
He fixed his gaze on her. "You'd better give me an explanation."
"I…" Miao He clenched her fists, shaking her head. "Xu Mu, stop asking! I don't want to say!"
"You think I don't already know? Then let me give you one clue — the word 'Nine.'"
Xu Mu stared coldly at her. "This is your last chance. If you stay silent, our partnership ends here."
The moment he said "Nine," Miao He's eyes widened in disbelief.
She stumbled back several steps, voice trembling. "Xu Mu… you actually… Fine. I'll tell you!"
Xu Mu watched silently as she reached up, brushing aside her silver hair.
She pinched her eye lightly, removing a black contact lens.
Beneath it, her eye gleamed a deep crimson, the pupil nearly black.
"You're right," she said softly. "I'm from the Jiuli Clan."
She gestured at the exposed eye. "I suppose I don't need to take the other lens off, do I?"
"No," Xu Mu said with a faint smile, leaning back against the stone wall.
"So your silver hair is natural. No wonder your eyelashes are silver too.
I was just wondering if… everything else matched that color."
"You're not afraid of me looking like this?" she asked quietly.
"When I ran away as a child, people called me a monster and threw rocks at me."
Xu Mu chuckled. "The Jiuli Clan were among the ancestors of the Dragon Nation. Most people probably have a trace of Jiuli blood in them."
He recalled the storylines of later arcs — and the ancient records.
In the earliest eras, three mighty tribes ruled the land: the Yellow Emperor, the Flame Emperor, and Chiyou.
The Yellow Emperor and Flame Emperor joined forces to defeat Chiyou and founded the Dragon Nation — their descendants known as the Children of Yan and Huang.
But before that, the two had also fought each other in the Battle of Banquan, a brutal conflict where countless lives were lost.
The Flame Emperor fell, and the two tribes eventually merged. Out of respect, the Yellow Emperor named their people "Yan Huang," placing "Yan" first.
Against Chiyou, however, the Yellow Emperor showed no mercy — dismembering him and burying his body parts in different places so his soul could never reunite.
Legends describe Chiyou not as a man but a monster: horns on his head, wings on his back, red eyes, skin like iron.
In the story's lore, the reason the Yellow Emperor accepted the Flame Emperor but destroyed Chiyou was simple —
the Jiuli Clan led by Chiyou were not human like the Yan Huang tribes.
In other words, to the people of the Yan Huang lineage—
the Jiuli were a foreign race.