Chapter 243: The Forbidden Ruin – Black Mist, Broken Bones, and Free Trap-Clearing (Part - 2)

The next day, the streets of Moonlight Town were pure chaos.

Shouting young masters, frantic mercenaries, massive beast carriages forcing their way through the mud, and local merchants shamelessly selling completely useless "dungeon exploration packs" at ten times the normal price to wide-eyed disciples.

Gu Fan had carefully suppressed his 2nd Stage Origin Realm aura down to Mid-Spirit Realm level, ensuring he drew no unnecessary attention from any of the hidden dragons.

He walked between Song Yan and Bai Bing, deliberately letting his strong arm brush against their curves. The pervert inside of him could not help but draw energy from his ladies.

As they moved with the crowd, Song Tianyu began pointing out the different factions with the cheerful tone of a tour guide.

"Look at them over there," he chuckled, nodding toward a group of loud disciples in flashy golden robes.

"They belong to the famous Golden Mountain Sect."

"They are the strongest Body refining cultivators in the enitre Souther Cloud Province."

"They are already arguing about who gets to claim the ’Inheritance’ before they have even stepped inside the death trap. Classic." Gu Fan shook his head ath the stupidity of the so-called strongest cultivators.

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely stupid," Bai Bing was quick to agree with Gu fan.

Song Tianyu then quickly turned to point towards a silent, heavily scarred group of men checking their crossbows with professional calm.

"Blood Wolf Mercenaries. They don’t care about inheritances. They are here to wait until everyone else is tired and bleeding, then slaughter them and strip their spatial rings," Song Tianyu continued as he imparted the trivia knowledge on everyone else.

"Efficient. I almost respect it," Gu Fan nodded, glancing over at the group who were busy licking their swords, and scouting their targets.

"And look at them. The self proclaimed descendents of a sword saint," Song Tianyu looked at the bunch in awe, "They have made it their mission to purify any demonic taint throughout the Yan Empire."

"They will be the first ones to die screaming. Mark my words," Gu Fan smirked as he looked away from the righteous bunch, only for his his eyes to lock onto another group standing all alone in one corner.

It was a group of eerily silent group of women dressed in skin-tight black leather and dark purple veils. They moved through the crowd like living shadows, refusing to speak to anyone.

"The Black Moon Palace," Gu Fan murmured, eyes lingering on their tight curves a little longer than necessary, "All-female sect specialising in the undead and the dark arts. Now that is a group worth keeping an eye on."

Bai Bing pouted her lips as she looked at Gu Fan with accusing eyes, "Now you suddenly know everything about them."

"Hahaha..." Gu fan just laughed it off as how was he going to xplain it to her that he was the creator of this world, and for the majority of the time, he did not need anyone to tell the God of his creations.

Song Yan remained silent, but her icy gaze lingered on the Black Moon Palace women significantly longer than on any of the other groups.

As they neared the eastern edge of town, the crowd started to grow thicker and thicker.

And at the same time, many eyes had already been locked on Bai Bing and Song Yan.

Before they could even stop, an arrogant young master with a very punchable face from the Golden Mountain Sect suddenly stepped into their path.

"Hello beautiful ladies!" the boy said radiating an 8th Stage Spirit Realm aura and was backed by five sneering disciples.

His greedy eyes had lit up the moment they landed on Song Yan and Bai Bing.

He planted himself in front of them with a false, slimy polite smile while blatantly staring at Bai Bing’s big breasts and Song Yan’s veiled face.

"Fellow Daoists!" He continued to speak, "I see that you are also here to explore this Ancient Ruins."

"But trust someone who has explored dozens of such ruins."

"These ancient ruins can be incredibly dangerous for delicate flowers like yourselves."

"And looking at the two servants following you," the young master continued, looking Gu Fan and Song Tianyu from head to toe with a disdained look, "I think they will turn canon fodder in no more than the time it takes for the incense stick to burn."

"But fear not when you have me," The young master bowed lightly in front of the two ladies, "Why don’t you two beauties join my Golden Mountain exploration team?"

"I will personally guarantee your protection... and even offer a generous share of the treasures once we have successfully explored the ruins."

"Fuck off!" Bai Bing didn’t even glance at him and said with her voice flat.

The young master’s fake smile falterred as he looked at Bai Bing with shock.

His fragile ego could not handle public rejection.

For a split second, surprise flashed across his face. But it vanished almost immediately, replaced by forced arrogance as he tried to regain control of the situation.

"I don’t think you understand who you are talking to, my beautiful lady!"

He lifted his chin, attempting to sound imposing, "Do you even know what my status is in the Golden Mountain Sect?"

Bai Bing’s eyes turned colder than ice.

"Trash like you," she said flatly, "Doesn’t even deserve to announce its name in front of me."

The insult landed like a slap.

The young master’s face instantly darkened, all pretense of composure shattering.

"You... !"

Fury surged through him.

"I don’t think you understand who you’re talking to, bitch."

Without another word, he reached out to grab Bai Bing’s wrist. And instantly Gu Fan’s brows furrowed.

’An 8th Stage Spirit Realm cultivator?’

’Even with my cultivation suppressed to the Mid-Spirit Realm, killing someone like this doesn’t require me to expose anything.’

And Gu Fan simply stepped forward with ghost-like speed, caught the young master’s wrist in mid-air, and twisted it backward with absolute, brutal force.

CRACK!

A loud, wet snap echoed through the crowded street.

The young master’s forearm shattered into jagged pieces, white bone punching through the golden silk sleeve.

"AGHHHHHH!"

The arrogant young master dropped to his knees, clutching the ruined arm and screaming.

"How dare you attack our Senior Brother?!" the five Golden Mountain disciples roared, drawing glowing sabers and charging.

What followed was short, public, and extremely educational.

Gu Fan didn’t bother drawing a weapon.

He ducked under the first disciple’s clumsy slash and drove a Qi-infused punch straight into the man’s ribs.

The ribcage shattered.

A lung punctured.

The disciple collapsed, choking on blood.

He spun on his heel, caught the second disciple’s arm, and snapped it just as cleanly as the young master’s.

Two fingers stabbed into a vital pressure point on the third disciple’s chest.

The man violently vomited a massive stream of dark blood onto the muddy street and went down hard.

The fourth disciple tried to sneak around behind Gu Fan.

Bai Bing scoffed in annoyance as she flicked her wrist.

The temperature around her suddenly plummeted.

A thin layer of frost spread across the muddy ground, rapidly thickening as Absolute-Zero Frost Qi exploded outward.

The fourth disciple’s legs froze solid in mid-air.

Before he could even scream, she delivered a single, ruthless spinning kick to his frozen knees.

CRASH.

Both legs shattered into thousands of bloody ice crystals that scattered across the dirt.

Gu Fan finished the lesson by grabbing the still-screaming young master by the hair, dragging him up, and slamming his face into a nearby solid stone wall hard enough to shatter his nose and leave a perfect, bloody print on the brickwork.

Song Yan watched the unprovoked violence with cold, empty eyes and refused to intervene.

Song Tianyu looked far too terrified of triggering his sworn brother’s wrath again.

Dozens of surrounding cultivators instantly averted their eyes and hurried their pace.

No one wanted to get involved in a bloody street brawl before the Ancient Ruins even opened.

Gu Fan crouched down beside the whimpering, heavily bleeding young master and patted the boy’s bruised cheek with a pleasant, almost conversational tone.

"Next time you see two stunning women walking with a man, immediately assume they already belong to a bastard who is infinitely bigger and far more ruthless than you."

"It will keep your pathetic bones intact much longer."

A few minutes later, the group arrived at the chaotic outer perimeter of the actual Ancient Ruins.

An enormous black stone gate had risen directly out of the cracked, ruined earth.

It towered over the surrounding camps, covered from top to bottom in ancient, deeply sinister demonic characters that pulsed faintly with dark energy.

Thick, unnatural black mist continuously leaked from the massive seams of the gate, coating the muddy ground in a thin layer of toxic residue.

Strangely, the air did not smell of rotting corpses.

It smelled slightly sweet.

Almost inviting.

Several young disciples nearby took deep breaths, seemingly enjoying the strange fragrance.

Gu Fan’s nose twitched.

His expression changed almost imperceptibly.

’This fragrance...’