"That statement is both true—and not true."
General Quentin Shaw laughed, "No one can trace how the Great Ruins came to be. But when our Everpeace Empire was founded, we received a divine oracle. It declared the Great Ruins to be land abandoned by the gods, and that the people abandoned by the gods must remain within it—any who escape are to be killed without mercy. I’ve heard that other countries received similar oracles. But the natives aren’t the only ones living here; some desperate, ruthless people also choose the Ruins as a refuge. In my opinion, those are even more dangerous than the abandoned natives!"
Lord Marcus asked curiously, "I’ve seen merchant caravans coming and going at the border. Why does our Everpeace Empire still do business with the abandoned people of the Great Ruins?"
"You may not know this, my lord, but while the Great Ruins is poor, it’s rich in resources—rare treasures and spiritual materials are everywhere. We only need to trade worthless things like salt, oil, and vinegar for these treasures, precious beast hides—why wouldn’t we?"
General Quentin Shaw said, "Over these years, border trade with the Great Ruins has made us untold fortunes, subsidizing our military and making Everpeace’s armies strong—far stronger than those of other nations."
Lord Marcus asked, "But what if some of the abandoned people sneak across the border? Isn’t that dangerous?"
"When the oracle was delivered, it came with several treasures called Viewing Mirrors. They hang over the border forts leading to Everpeace. Any native of the Great Ruins is exposed by the mirrors. The Imperial Preceptor suspects the abandoned people may have a different bloodline, but his examinations found no obvious difference."
General Quentin Shaw laughed, "Every year those border forts catch many demon folk trying to flee from the Ruins into Everpeace. Some are executed on the spot, others sent to the mines—if they survive a year or two, they’re considered lucky."
The warship gradually sailed away. Quinn Shepherd stood atop the cliff and praised, "That man is formidable, his eyesight extraordinary—no wonder he’s so young and already a general! He’s mapping the river’s geography; does Everpeace plan to invade the Great Ruins?"
He found it strange. The Great Ruins was obviously a barren, dangerous place, plagued by nightly darkness. He doubted Everpeace could conquer it with force.
If Everpeace sends too few troops, they’ll barely be enough to fill the teeth of the Great Ruins’ strange beasts. If they send too many, where will those soldiers hide when night falls?
The dangers lurking in the Great Ruins are simply too many—no one has ever truly ruled it.
Everpeace won’t succeed either.
If Everpeace tries to invade, they’ll suffer a disastrous defeat!
Suddenly, Quinn remembered something and hurriedly called out, "Big Guy, go back to Calamity-Seal Palace and destroy the map of the Great Ruins on the wall!"
The Demon Ape jumped up, grabbed the Dragon-Elephant, let out a roar, and leapt onto its back. The Dragon-Elephant immediately charged away at full speed.
"Everpeace has already started mapping the river’s geography. If they find the map in Calamity-Seal Palace, it’ll be like giving wings to a tiger." Quinn’s expression shifted as he thought.
It was a shame to destroy the map, but he had already memorized the geography of the Great Ruins—he wouldn’t forget it.
Soon, the surface of the river turned faintly red. Quinn paused, startled, and looked upstream—he saw that the incoming water was even redder than the flow downstream!
"Young master, there are corpses in the river!" Lina the Spirit Fox suddenly cried out in alarm.
Quinn also saw the corpse, but said nothing. He looked upstream—more bodies were drifting this way. Beneath the surface, big fish and river beasts thrashed, splashing water as they seized the corpses and devoured them. It was a gruesome, chaotic scene.
Activating his Divine Firmament Heaven Eye, Quinn focused on a bobbing severed head in the water. His body trembled slightly—these corpses were the same travelers who’d just passed Emerald Cloud Valley!
The river surged on, its bloody hue deepening, even staining the floating ice.
A hundred corpses alone could never stain the river so red!
The Yong River was vast, over ten li wide and swift; the blood of a hundred people could never dye it so red.
Quinn’s expression froze—he saw a tide of corpses surging down from upstream!
These people must have all gone upstream in batches to ambush the general. There were so many of them, all planning to set up a formation and attack—but they were slaughtered by the general!
The fact that they formed the Ice-Corpse Flood meant their deaths happened almost simultaneously!
They died nearly all at once, cut down by the general or other powerhouses aboard the warship!
Quinn steadied himself—it was the first time he'd witnessed such carnage, even worse than the village massacre he saw as a child when Granny Sue took him to deliver a baby in an outer village.
Back then, he’d been so terrified his soul left his body, and Granny Sue had to drag it back. Now, even as a cultivator, the sight still shook his soul.
It was too brutal.
That young general from Everpeace was so fierce, so ruthless—if Everpeace’s iron cavalry came to the Great Ruins, what kind of havoc would they wreak on this wild land?
Quinn shook his head, forcing away his unease, and told Lina, "Don’t go out drinking these days. Tell your sisters to stay put too—no wandering outside."
Lina nodded repeatedly.
Though she was a demon, even Lina was frightened by the scene before them.
"Lina, go find your sisters and stay home. I’ll go down and check—if these corpses pile up, they could form a thousand-corpse ice-dam lake!"
With that, Quinn leapt down, sprinting along the cliff face to the riverbank, then dashed out over the water.
The corpses piled on the floating ice, sweeping up more and more floes as they drifted downstream. Quinn quickly caught up with the Ice-Corpse Flood and saw it growing ever larger: ice blocks crashed together with constant cracking, bodies crushed into severed limbs and scattered atop the ice.
He raced along the river for dozens of li. The floating ice had become towering ice mountains studded with mangled corpses—a truly terrifying sight.
The Ice-Corpse Flood and ice mountains grew heavier and taller, moving more slowly. Even the ever-surging river was getting blocked, and the water level behind kept rising.
Quinn frowned. For now, the Yong River ran straight, but when it reached Serena Clearbrook’s oasis, it bent. There, the ice would jam up, forming a dam—the water and ice would pile higher and higher, until it reached several hundred feet!
When the ice-dam finally collapsed, a massive flood would sweep away everything in its path—humans, animals, all would be washed away!
Many Great Ruins villages were built along the river for convenience. If a flood broke out, who knew how many would be destroyed?
"Granny Sue and the others are still downstream clearing the river—they probably have no idea a dam is forming here. Only the Village Chief is left in the village, and he can barely move. Who else can help me deal with the Ice-Corpse Flood?"
Quinn racked his brain. The Ice-Corpse Flood had already passed Oldridge Village, ice blocks crashing together with loud cracks. With his current strength, he couldn’t possibly solve it alone.
At the village gate, the Village Chief sat calmly. Suddenly, he widened his eyes as he watched Quinn and the Ice-Corpse Flood pass by. Shaking his head, he chuckled, "That rascal is causing trouble again..."
With the flood blocking the river, water was almost at his feet. Just then, yuanqi surged from the stumps of his legs, forming two phantom legs. He stepped into the air, sat down, and watched Quinn from above.
Those legs were made of yuanqi, indistinguishable from real ones. When his yuanqi dispersed, they would vanish.
That's it—go find Serena!
On the river, Quinn's eyes lit up. He sped up, leaping across the water, bounding atop an ice mountain, then launched himself forward, leaving the Ice-Corpse Flood behind as he raced ahead.
He sprinted at full speed and soon reached the oasis in the middle of the river. The oasis was like a lonely island, with a temple on it—inside, the old monster Serena was imprisoned.
With a few quick steps, Quinn reached the oasis and charged up to the dilapidated temple, barging right in.
Inside, a little girl with three braids swung her feet, bored and waiting for prey. When she saw Quinn rush in, her eyes blazed with hatred—she jumped off the Buddha’s hand, hid behind the statue, and glared at him.
"Serena, I mean no harm!"
Quinn spoke quickly: "The Ice-Corpse Flood is about to reach here. I need your help to smash it!"
The little girl stepped out from behind the Buddha, hopped onto its hand, and said listlessly, "Not interested. This flood comes every year. The Buddha protects this place—nothing ever reaches me."
Quinn’s eyes flickered. "I can break your chains and set you free!"
Serena’s eyes lit up, then dimmed. She shook her head. "If one of your elders came, maybe. But you can’t do it."
Quinn unleashed his yuanqi, drew the Grand Guardian’s Sword from his back, and slashed down with sword-fingers!
Clang—
A thunderous crash rang out as Quinn’s sword struck one of the chains binding the bronze Buddha, carving a deep crack that began slowly healing itself.
Ignoring the regenerating chain, Quinn gathered his yuanqi and swung his sword again!
Clang, clang, clang—a series of crisp blows rang out, and soon Quinn severed one of the chains completely!
Serena stood stunned, torn between shock and delight. Suddenly, the bronze Buddha opened its eyes, its voice booming like thunder: "Wicked creature, how dare you disrupt my cultivation and destroy my merit?"