Chapter Twelve: Beneath the Ruins
"That was a fearsome display, expedition leader," a Gold rank expert said, his voice a mixture of awe and respect.
The group nodded in agreement.
"How is that possible?" asked Ye Feng. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you did it, but this wasn't just any beast. A draconic one, with such a realm disparity, should have killed you easily."
Long Qingxiao breathed heavily. He needed to play the part well enough, so he took some time before answering. "The beast lost its rationality... so I took advantage of my breakthrough, as I said I would, and fought it. Probably if it wasn't for my desperate breakthrough to try and save Elder Ye Lao, things would have been different. The momentum was too good to let pass," he explained.
Ye Feng nodded slowly. If he had doubts, he kept them to himself. "Thank you for saving brother Ye Lao."
Long Qingxiao nodded and then looked at Long Min. "Use your Healing Mist. It can renew the group and probably awaken the elder."
She nodded, and just as she did, someone shouted.
"The beast has a Demon Spirit!" It was Long Hai. He knew it probably would, thanks to the beast's cultivation; the new bestiaries Long Tian had shown them were useful like that.
Everyone looked at the two leaders, and Ye Chen said in a joking manner, "Now you don't want to sell it, I believe?"
The tension didn't leave, but at least it was clear he didn't intend to go back on his word, even for a Draconic Demon Spirit. The Heavenly Dragon Patriarch was thankful for that and answered with a smile, "Not this time. My family needs it very much. But the rest of the materials are yours to take." He then looked to his subordinate and said, "Since you found it, keep it, Elder Long Hai."
"Oh? Not saving it for your son?" Ye Chen asked.
"Not needed. I believe we'll find more by the time he's at the age to fuse with one. Elder Hai is our head of external affairs; he needs it more right now," Long Qingxiao answered.
After the short exchange, both groups turned to remove the beast's materials. Its scales were excellent for forging weapons and shields. This was already a great haul, even if they didn't find anything in the ruins of the Black Gold Empire's capital. The process took almost an hour, until Long Qingxiao ordered the group to move. With his new demon spirit, Long Hai's power would soar, and his Adamantine Blade skill would be even more potent once fused. In Long Qingxiao's mind, this trip was already worth it, but they needed to get there and find something just so they could put their plan in motion when they returned to the city.
The group moved again, this time maintaining the defensive formation Ye Feng had ordered during the battle against the Wyvern. Everything went smoothly during their passage through the rest of the Mountain Pass. It took three days, and they were finally out of it.
"Finally!" a Bronze rank man said, celebrating.
It was a feeling that everyone shared, but the snow desert in front of them wasn't exactly an inviting sight.
"We need to go around it," said Ye Lao. In these last three days, he had expressed his thanks to Long Qingxiao and also his apology for what he had said at the beginning of the journey. He claimed that he had only wanted to test how the Patriarch would handle the pressure, since Ye Chen's safety was their priority.
"We will cross it," said Long Qingxiao, confirming his plans.
"But Patriarch Long, this is dangerous. We'll surely be ambushed by Glacial Scuttlers and Rime-Scale Serpents, not to mention the nuisance that Blizzard Hounds are," argued Ye Zhao, the last Black Gold rank guarding Ye Chen.
"I know," Long Qingxiao said. "But going around will add at least half a week to our journey."
"I don't think we should take that risk. These beasts aren't exactly powerful, but the constant ambushes will tire us out," Ye Chen agreed with his companion. Detouring was the best option.
"Only if we don't know the attacks are coming, right?" the expedition leader said with a smile.
The three Black Gold experts raised their eyebrows. It was well known that this region was dangerous precisely because of the ambushes.
"Oh? Do you know a way, Patriarch Long?" asked Ye Feng. "And what would we do about the Avalanche Behemoths? Those things are weak for Legend rank beasts, but only if we're not taken by surprise."
"The Behemoths are the easiest. We use the 'listening to the ice' technique," Long Qingxiao answered. The Snow Wind group looked at him without understanding, unlike his own elders.
It was one of them who explained. "As you all know, below the snow, everything here is ice," Long Shan began. "It's hard to identify a Behemoth's ambush because our feet are on the thick snow. This technique is to use a steel rod to pierce the snow and touch the ice. When the beast comes from below, you'll feel the ambush from miles away."
"And for the other ambushers, we look for 'frost-feathering,'" said Long Min. "It's possible to identify the beasts by looking at how the frost forms on the snow above them. The pattern is very distinct from a normal snow dune."
"And how do you know all this?" asked a Gold rank expert, absolutely surprised.
"How do you think our family hunted Draconic Demon Spirits all these years? Luck?" Long Qingxiao said with a smug smile. "This brings us to my objective in crossing the desert. We'll pass close to the mountains there. We're looking for Ice-Shard Drakes."
"Are you for real, Patriarch?" asked Ye Chen.
"Yes. We only want a Demon Spirit in case we find one. We won't even take the materials; you guys can have everything. This place is perfect for jewelry materials, isn't it?" He wouldn't tell them that only a Black Gold rank of this species was guaranteed to form a spirit. He just wanted to scout first.
The mention of the valuable materials made some eyes pop.
"Okay, we agree," Ye Feng proposed. "But we'll only pass by the external parts of the mountains. It's said that everyone who entered those mountains never left. We won't take that risk."
"I didn't have any intention of going deep in there anyway," Long Qingxiao agreed. "So, are we all prepared? Long Tao, take the steel rods and distribute them among the people."
Long Tao gave a steel rod to everyone in the party, and after that, Long Qingxiao ordered them to proceed.
For the Snow Wind contingent, the journey across the desert was unnerving—not because of the danger, but because of its conspicuous absence. Hearing tales of ancient survival techniques was one thing; witnessing them render a death trap into a manageable trek was another entirely. The Glacial Scuttler and Rime-Scale Serpent ambushes were easily anticipated, making the party very happy, as their materials were also valuable. The only real problem they had was the nights. If a normal desert is cold at night, this one was unbearable, so they didn't stop. Long Qingxiao ordered the group to tie ropes around themselves so no one would be lost, a common practice for crossing this region.
During the night, they came into the vicinity of some Avalanche Behemoths, but the beasts passed them by as they stopped to avoid notice. The Ice-Shard Drakes weren't a problem either; they didn't hunt in packs like the annoying Blizzard Hounds, so it was easy for the group to deal with them whenever they appeared. They didn't actually fight many of them, but it was enough to make some Demon Spirit Coins.
It took five days of walking, without sleep, but they finally crossed. The Bronze ranks were exhausted, as were most of the others. Only Long Qingxiao and the high-level experts weren't. If they weren't cultivators, this trip would have been impossible, but even they had their limits.
"We'll rest here for today and proceed to the capital at first light," Long Qingxiao ordered, and without much strength, the group just sat.
"It was a good decision," said Ye Chen, also seated, looking a lot better than the rest but tired nonetheless.
"A necessary one," the Patriarch said before adding, "You rest now. We'll need you for the night watch."
"You two can rest. We'll take the watch during the day," suggested Ye Feng.
"I won't complain," Long Qingxiao said shortly and went to rest close to a tree.
The day passed without much occurring, just a few beast attacks that were easily handled, but exhaustion limited even the conversation.
When the first sunlight snuck through the ice fields behind them, Long Qingxiao opened his eyes. He was the one on vigil, having taken the last turn. Thanks to his technique, he could have gone the whole time awake, but he wouldn't complain about some rest.
"It's time!" he said, awakening his companions.
The party slowly got up, the excitement as they dismantled the camp visible. The trip was already a good one, but now they were hoping to find some treasure inside the ancient city.
When the group finished packing, Long Qingxiao took a small square table from his ring and a map, which he put on top. "Everyone, please, come here."
The group reunited around him, and he started, "Coming on this trip was an uncertainty for everyone. I can't promise we'll find treasure, but I can certainly say we have a chance bigger than the others."
"And what makes you so sure, Patriarch Long?" Ye Chen asked.
"See the map?" he pointed, and the group nodded. "So you see the circles. Can any of you say what these are?"
"This one here, beside the Lord's Mansion, seems like a training ground. The other two seem like noble training yards," pointed out Ye Zhao.
"Exactly. I have it on good authority that some of these places have underground structures to keep people safe in case of disaster. So we'll excavate them," he said seriously.
"Again, why are you so sure?" a Gold rank expert asked.
"Well, think like this: in a moment of disaster, what is the safest place to hide?" Long Qingxiao countered.
"Hmm," Ye Chen made a thinking pose before saying, "I see your logic. Below the ground is the safest place. I know the Lord's Mansion has one, though I don't know where."
Long Qingxiao looked up from the map, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the group. "This is our advantage. This is our chance to find what others have missed. Are you with me?"
"Let's say you're right and we find treasure. Then what?" another Gold rank asked.
"The expedition was our idea," said Long Min, annoyed.
"Miss, we didn't cross all this just so your family could take everything," said Ye Lao respectfully.
"So how about we divide the group into three, and whoever finds something has the rights to it?" suggested Zu Hao.
"I agree," said Long Qingxiao. "So it'll be my group, Ye Chen's group, and the Black Gold group. Are we agreed?" Everyone nodded, and he said, pointing at the map, "That place is ours." It was one of the noble houses.
"My group will take the Lord's Mansion," Ye Chen said, leaving the last group with the other noble house.
"Long Tao, give the equipment to the other groups," Long Qingxiao ordered, and the man did as asked. "Let's move!"
The walk to the city was silent but full of excited eyes, and when they finally saw the walls, they were shocked. It was huge, bigger than Glory City's for sure, but what shocked them more were the enormous holes in it. They seemed carefully crafted, like someone had opened a perfect circle in the wall on purpose.
The group didn't stop and crossed the gates. The vision was even more impressive. The houses seemed big and sturdy, but most had been torn apart. The city itself was surely bigger than Glory City's central ring, and the collapsed architecture pointed to great wealth.
"Once a seat of power and wealth," Ye Chen murmured, his voice somber. "Now, only a tombstone to history." The unspoken thought hung heavy in the air, reflected in the solemn expression of every cultivator present: This could be Glory City.
"Let's part ways here," Long Qingxiao's voice was as solemn and somber as their faces. "We join again here at most by tomorrow morning. In case someone doesn't show up, we'll go looking. So don't wander beyond your designated area."
Without a word, everyone nodded and went to their positions. Ye Chen's group gained the company of Ye Zhao, and they walked to the center of the square-shaped city. Long Qingxiao's group went left, and the Black Gold Duo (Ye Feng and Ye Lao's group) went to the right.
A few minutes later, a Bronze rank cultivator named Long Fu asked in curiosity, "Patriarch, why didn't you choose that Lord's Mansion?"
"Because if I'm right, that's where the most treasures are," Long Qingxiao explained.
The Bronze rank group got confused, and another man asked, "But wouldn't it be better to take that place then?"
Long Shan was the one who answered. "No. We discussed this before the journey. The Patriarch says it would attract too much attention if we were the ones to find it. Our family isn't powerful enough for what that place could possibly hold. This empire is at least three thousand years old."
"But what if only that place has treasure?" another one asked.
"Then we got unlucky. But I'm sure we'll find something," Long Qingxiao said, and the group got even more confused.
How could the Patriarch be so sure? they thought.
"Let's make haste. We want to end this before nightfall," Long Qingxiao ordered, and the group happily quickened their pace. Big treasure or not, if they found something, maybe some of them could finally break through to the Silver rank.
It took about an hour for them to arrive at their destination.
The mansion was big; the ruins said so. It was surely larger than their own family manor, at least twice the size.
"No need to enter. Our objective is to the side. Come," the Heavenly Dragon Patriarch said, signaling for the group to follow.
"This will be hard, Patriarch," said Long Tao, looking at the huge amount of stone and rubble covering the training yard.
Long Qingxiao looked at the scene in front of him. He could certainly clear it easily if he fused with his demon spirit.
"Well, I feel this secret won't be safe on the journey back," he sighed after whispering it. Then he looked at his Bronze rank subordinates and said seriously, "Everything you see from here on, you will keep secret. Am I clear?"
The tone left no room for disagreement, and so they nodded nervously.
And then, the oppressive Soul Force of Long Qingxiao started to rise. The Bronze ranks had their eyes wide open.
"How..." one of them said with a tremble. But his trembling was of excitement, just like the others in the group. They had a Black Gold rank expert in the family!
"And you'll know when we're back at the family. If any whisper of this comes from your mouths during the rest of the trip, you'll be punished by family law," Long Shan said, and the men nodded frantically at his cold voice.
Just as Long Shan finished, the family's Patriarch was totally fused with his demon spirit. Scales the color and texture of ancient bark erupted across his skin. Great, leaf-like wings unfurled from his back, and a long, powerful tail shimmering like pure jade whipped through the air. His form elongated and grew, his voice becoming a resonant bass that seemed to shake the very stones.
"No need to scare the men, Elder Shan," Long Qingxiao said in his new, imposing voice. He then warned, "Take some steps back, all of you."
And the group did as they were warned.
It didn't take long for the hands of Long Qingxiao's beast form to start extending in the form of branches. He used them to envelop all the structures above the training yard. After he did, exerting an insurmountable amount of force, he moved everything to the side, in front of a very open-mouthed group.
Huff... Huff... He was exhausted. With some difficulty, he said, "Men, let's dig."
And dig, they did.