Human Clan Defender-Chapter 689 - s 51 to 52 Return to the Exiled Immortal Valley, Ancient Ruins (Two in One, Asking for Monthly Tickets)_3

This was true for Yi Ning, and equally so for Shen Changqing.

Time trickled by. Soon, night fell. Then, dawn broke.

The darkness that enveloped Heaven and Earth gained a faint glimmer of light.

The two of them, originally seated cross-legged and silently cultivating themselves, opened their eyes at the same time.

"It's time!"

Yi Ning stood up. The bronze token, as if drawn by some unseen force, detached from his hand and flew upward.

When it reached the same level as the stone statue of the Taoist, the bronze token simply halted in place.

At this moment, Heaven and Earth Purple Qi came surging in. Eventually, the purple qi settled upon the bronze token.

HUM!

The bronze token vibrated, and the Taoist image upon it seemed to come to life.

Released from the token's restraints, the image walked step by step towards the stone statue of the Taoist in Exiled Immortal Valley.

Right after, the two merged into one.

BOOM—

Exiled Immortal Valley shook violently.

The stone statue of the Taoist seemed to come alive. Though it remained standing in place, its facial expression appeared to have changed.

"As expected!"

The statue wasn't built by the Ancient Court at all; it dates back to the Ancient era, Shen Changqing became even more certain of his speculation as he witnessed the changes in the stone statue.

Exiled Immortal Valley had nothing to do with the so-called Ancient Court. It was just that so much time had passed that some things had gotten distorted along the way. But no matter what, the current changes in the statue indicated that the Ancient Ruins were opening.

Quickly, two beams of purple light burst from the eyes of the stone statue, landing directly upon the bronze token.

The next moment, the bronze token reflected the purple light, aiming it at the palm of the Taoist stone statue.

The void twisted and changed.

On the horizontally held palm, space warped into a vortex, emitting an enigmatic aura.

"Pavilion Master Shen, that's the entrance to the Ancient Ruins!" Yi Ning exclaimed upon seeing the vortex.

Shen Changqing wore a strange expression. He hadn't forgotten that the last time the Heavenly Realm opened, the entrance had been in this exact same location.

What did that mean? Could it be that the Heavenly Realm *is* the Ancient Ruins? Or is it that the Heavenly Realm just happens to overlap with the Ancient Ruins?

Between the two possibilities, Shen Changqing leaned towards the latter.

After all, if the Heavenly Realm were indeed the Ancient Ruins, then the Demonfolk and the Defender Envoys would not have been able to enter. The only explanation is that the Heavenly Realm's location coincidentally overlaps with that of the Ancient Ruins. Furthermore, at present, it seems only the entrance location is the same. The specific whereabouts of the Heavenly Realm and the Ancient Ruins are still unclear.

Yi Ning retrieved the bronze token.

"Pavilion Master Shen, follow me!" Saying this, Yi Ning dashed straight into the vortex.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing turned to Tiankui and instructed, "You stay here. If anyone comes by, just drive them away. Unless absolutely necessary, do not recklessly harm anyone."

"Understood!" Tiankui responded.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing wasted no more words and, following Yi Ning, entered the vortex.

With the disappearance of the bronze token, the vortex lasted for less than a quarter of an hour before slowly dissipating into nothingness.

Tiankui glanced at the spot, shook its head, found a suitable place to lie down, closed its eyes, and dozed off.

Since being taken from the Heavenly Realm, it had spent most of its time sleeping.

Over time, Tiankui had developed a fondness for deep slumber.

In the eyes of most people, Exiled Immortal Valley was a place potentially fraught with danger. But for a Fierce Beast such as Tiankui, Exiled Immortal Valley could not be more peaceful.

「——」

The scene changed.

Upon entering the vortex, Shen Changqing felt the space around him shifting.

Compared to the last time he entered the Heavenly Realm, this spatial transformation did not cause him to lose his bearings.

The traversal of space was visible to the naked eye.

Once fully within the Ancient Ruins, Shen Changqing was still savoring the sensation from moments before.

That kind of method was not something he could grasp at present. His current level of strength was partly to blame, but more importantly, he simply didn't understand the technique involved.

"Pavilion Master Shen?" Yi Ning's voice sounded beside him.

Shen Changqing opened his eyes and saw Yi Ning next to him, then immediately began to survey their surroundings.

A massive hall came into view.

They were outside the hall, surrounded by pitch darkness, as if by an endless abyss ready to devour everything.

"This is the Ancient Ruins!" he breathed.

Without a doubt, this place was definitely not Exiled Immortal Valley.

What met their eyes was like a patch of level ground standing amidst endless darkness. Upon this ground stood a hall, and the remainder was the platform where the two of them stood.

Yi Ning also looked impressed. "Indeed, this is the Ancient Ruins. The Ancient Ruins I've entered in the past were all situated in some hidden place, be it a cave dwelling or something else. This is the first time I've witnessed a direct traversal to another space like this."

Between the two, the latter method was undoubtedly more mystical.

Shen Changqing tried to extend his Divine Sense, but it could not penetrate the hall.

Upon touching the surrounding darkness, it felt as if he had encountered something terrifying. All the Divine Sense that came into contact with it was devoured by the darkness.

Instantly, he retracted his Divine Sense.

Looking again at the darkness, his eyes were filled with shock.

What on earth is this place, to possess such mystique!

Shen Changqing knew this was the Ancient Ruins, but what he truly cared about was where exactly these Ancient Ruins were situated.