"Bang!"
A deafening noise echoed.
A man in a blue robe came crashing down from the sky.
The man got up looking disheveled and pointed at the sky, cursing loudly, "Little Aunt, can you just be a bit more reliable for once?"
Hardly had his voice faded when a strange, mournful wail filled the air.
Only then did Feng Zhan notice his surroundings.
The cold wind howled. The place he had landed was extremely eerie. Connected to it were piles of white bones, and a putrid stench wafted from around them.
Where was this?
A mass grave?
It didn't seem so.
Even when he was in the Yun Dynasty, he had never seen such a vast mass grave that seemed to stretch out of sight.
What was even more peculiar was that these rotting corpses didn't seem to be just human bones.
The place was extremely gloomy and terrifying. Feng Zhan lifted his foot, trying to find a clean spot to step on, but he found that there wasn't a single clean place around.
"Come on! What the hell is this place?"
Feng Zhan shivered. He had always been a clean - freak. Even after killing people, he never got a single drop of blood on himself.
Now that he was in this place full of corpses, the fact that he didn't vomit on the spot was already quite an achievement.
Feng Zhan was, after all, a member of the Feng royal family. His light - body skill had once been praised by his father. So, with a few leaps, he finally landed on a big tree.
On the tree, there were many crows and some vultures that fed on corpses.
As soon as Feng Zhan landed on the tree, the birds took flight, scaring Feng Zhan, who was already on edge.
In his heart, he silently cursed Little Aunt again.
Feng Zhan thought that he must have been out of his mind at that time. Otherwise, why would he have softened his heart when Little Aunt cried? He even thought that the unreliable Little Aunt would be reliable for once. Now he saw that if she were reliable, she wouldn't be Nineteen.
After standing on the tree, grumbling for a while,
Feng Zhan finally noticed a thin figure moving in the distance.
He quickly pushed his feet against the tree - tip and flew towards the figure at full speed.
Imagine being in a place full of corpses, filled with a putrid smell, and not even knowing where you were.
Suddenly seeing a figure would be extremely exciting for Feng Zhan.
"Hey!"
The sudden shout made the old man carrying a lantern in front tremble.
He dropped the lantern on the ground.
The old man raised his hands and didn't dare to turn around. Trembling, he said, "Senior, I'm just a corpse - collector. Your death has nothing to do with me."
Feng Zhan was confused. His voice wasn't that terrifying, was it?
"Turn around."
The old man turned around shakily.
He was wearing ragged clothes, and his face was full of wrinkles. His eyes were extremely cloudy, looking as if he had suffered a great deal.
When he saw the person in front of him, the old man let out a sigh of relief.
The young man in front of him was extremely handsome. There was even a hint of rascality on his face.
He was dressed in a blue robe, with a complexion as fair as snow and a straight posture.
The young man was imposing, with a noble appearance. His eyes shone like cold stars, and his eyebrows were as black as if painted with ink. His chest was broad, exuding an awe - inspiring might.
The old man's scrutinizing gaze made Feng Zhan feel uncomfortable.
"Senior, your attire is really strange."
To the old man, it was a miracle that someone who came here could still have such a clean face and clothes without any dirt on them. Moreover, Feng Zhan's clothes seemed a bit different from those of the people here.
"Judging from my age, I should be younger than you. Why do you call me senior?"
The young man's words were really strange.
On the Nine - Province Continent, strength was respected. Those who could come to this place were all people with extraordinary strength. The old man called him senior out of respect, as it was the custom on the Nine - Province Continent.
"Um, young master, did you call me for something?"
Feng Zhan said, "Do you know where this is?"
"This is the Ancient Desolate Land. It's a place specially for burying wronged - dead demonic beasts and spiritual pharmacists."
The Ancient Desolate Land? Demonic beasts? Spiritual pharmacists?
What were these?
"And who are you?"
"I'm a corpse - keeper. I've lived here for more than thirty years."
Living in such a harsh place for more than thirty years?
Feng Zhan couldn't even imagine it.
The old man also smelled pungent.
"I'm looking for someone named Yan Ruyu. Do you know where he is?"
That should be the name Little Aunt mentioned, right?
Also, Little Aunt said that there was a strange beast that had fallen into this world. He didn't know how it had developed.
"Yan Ruyu? The Millennium Imperial Teacher Yan Ruyu?"
"Huh? I don't know. Maybe."
"Are you also someone seeking immortality and the Tao, young master?"
Seeking immortality and the Tao? Feng Zhan pointed at himself. Did he need to do that? His uncles and aunts were not ordinary people, and even his father and mother had extraordinary backgrounds. Did he really need to seek immortality and the Tao?
"I'm not. Uncle, I just want to find Yan Ruyu. Can you tell me where he is?"
The old man bent down, picked up the oil - lamp from the ground, knocked it a bit, and thought it was still usable.
Then he led Feng Zhan while saying, "Why did you come here, young master?"
Why did he come here? It was all because of that unreliable Little Aunt.
"I'm just passing by."
As soon as these four words came out, the old man stopped in his tracks and looked at him in disbelief. Passing by the Ancient Desolate Land and coming to this place full of corpses, this young master's hobby was really unique.
"Sorry, young master. I don't know where the Yan Ruyu you're asking about is."
"Ah. Then do you know where I can get information about him?"
The old man shook his head.
"Nowhere."
"Why?"
Could Nineteen be that unreliable? Could she even misremember a name?
"Because Yan Ruyu is just a figure in legends. So far, those who have seen him should all be dead."
Dead -
As soon as these three words came out, Feng Zhan was completely stunned.
No way! No way!
Nineteen, did you really get it wrong?
"Is that so?"
Feng Zhan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had been teleported to this strange place, and now even the only two clues he had were gone.
How could he go back? That was still an unknown.
"Where is this?"
"This is the Ancient Desolate Land, a corpse - hiding place in the Ghost Realm. Young master, the Ghost Realm has many rules. Judging from your delicate appearance, it's basically impossible for you to survive here."
The Ghost Realm?
What was this place?
Maybe Feng Zhan's surprise was too obvious on his face, so the old man added, "On the Nine - Province Continent, most places respect Yan Ruyu. Only this place is beyond the jurisdiction of the Nine - Province Continent."
Was the existence of the Ghost Realm like the Charm Forest of his mother?
Neither was under anyone's jurisdiction.