Chapter 244: The Ancient Demon Trial – Let the Idiots Melt First

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

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

It towered over the surrounding camps like the entrance to some ancient tomb built for a dead god.

The entire gate was covered from top to bottom in ancient demonic characters.

Some were carved deeply into the stone.

Others seemed to float just above its surface.

All of them pulsed faintly with dark purple energy.

Thick, unnatural black mist continuously leaked from the massive seams between the stone doors, slowly crawling across the muddy ground and coating everything nearby with a thin layer of dark residue.

Strangely, the air did not smell of rotting corpses.

It smelled slightly sweet.

Almost inviting.

Several young disciples standing nearby took deep breaths.

One of them even closed his eyes and sighed in enjoyment.

"What a strange fragrance..."

"It smells like some kind of spirit flower."

"I feel strangely refreshed."

Another young disciple laughed.

"Maybe the Ancient Ruins contain some rare spiritual treasure. We are already benefiting before even entering."

Gu Fan’s nose twitched.

His expression changed almost imperceptibly.

’This fragrance...’

His Heaven-Devouring Poison Body immediately warned him that the sweetness wasn’t natural.

There was something sinister about it. Something toxic.

It had no obvious spiritual fluctuations and didn’t attack the body directly.

Instead, it seemed to slip into the cultivator’s spiritual energy and quietly spread throughout the meridians.

Gu Fan narrowed his eyes. ’Is this bait?’

He quietly observed the disciples breathing the mist.

At first, nothing seemed wrong.

Then he noticed something.

One young disciple scratched his neck.

Another unconsciously licked his lips.

A third took an even deeper breath.

Their pupils were slightly dilated.

Their breathing had also become deeper.

It wasn’t enough to be noticeable.

But Gu Fan noticed it.

His Heaven-Devouring Poison Body had made him extremely sensitive to abnormalities most cultivators would completely overlook.

’It’s stimulating their bodies.’ He picked up a small piece of blackened earth from the ground.

The residue covering it looked almost like ordinary mud.

Gu Fan secretly circulated a trace of his spiritual energy through his fingertip.

The black residue immediately began to move. It twisted like a tiny living worm before slowly crawling toward the spiritual energy in his fingertip.

Gu Fan’s eyes narrowed, ’Interesting.’

He immediately cut off his spiritual energy, and the residue stopped moving.

’It isn’t trying to attack spiritual energy.’

’It’s attracted to it.’

Gu Fan glanced toward the black stone gate.

’So what exactly are you feeding?’

~~~~~

At the same time, within twenty-four hours, dozens of temporary camps had already formed in a massive circle around the gate.

Flags bearing the symbols of various sects fluttered in the evening wind.

Arrogant formation masters were sweating as they crouched over formation plates, arguing with one another.

Hundreds of young disciples shouted over one another about who would be allowed to enter first.

Some had already started arguing about which sect would establish the first foothold inside the ruins.

Others were discussing the treasures they expected to find.

"According to the records, ancient ruins of this scale usually contain at least one Emperor-grade treasure!"

"Emperor-grade? You are dreaming. This place is clearly far older than that."

"I heard someone discovered a Emperor-grade inheritance inside the previous ruins! This one is clearly more ancient."

"Then why are you still standing here talking?"

"Because I don’t want to die, idiot!"

The surrounding camps became increasingly chaotic.

Gu Fan watched them for a moment.

Gu Fan’s gaze slowly moved across the countless characters on the gate.

His eyes became colder. The countless characters seemed to be connected to something beneath the ground.

It felt less like an entrance formation.

It felt like a restraint.

Like the gate was holding something behind it.

Gu Fan’s expression became thoughtful, ’Could this gate actually be a prison door?’

If that was true...

Then everyone surrounding it was preparing to do something incredibly stupid.

Gu Fan stood at a safe distance from the screaming crowds, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.

He quietly swept his spiritual sense toward the ancient stone doors.

The instant his spiritual sense touched the black gate, his vision seemed to darken.

For a brief, terrifying second, his Heaven-Devouring Poison Body reacted on its own.

It completely bypassed his conscious control.

His meridians trembled.

His blood seemed to freeze.

A deep, hungry, almost desperate sensation echoed from far beneath the ruins.

Something was trying to latch onto his blocked meridians.

Gu Fan’s eyes snapped open.

’What the hell was that?’

His breathing became slightly heavier.

’My Heaven-Devouring Poison Body actually reacted on its own?’

That had never happened before.

His Heaven-Devouring Poison Body had always responded to his own cultivation and deliberate use of its abilities.

Gu Fan slowly clenched his fist. The sensation was already gone, but he could still remember it.

Hunger. Recognition. And something disturbingly close to excitement.

Whatever was buried beneath this place...

It had somehow noticed him.

An excited smile slowly spread across Gu Fan’s face, and instead of fear, curiosity burned in his eyes.

’Whatever is down there can sense the Heaven-Devouring Poison Body.’

That alone made the Ancient Ruins far more interesting.

Gu Fan looked at the disciples surrounding the gate.

Most were still breathing deeply.

Some were laughing.

Some were arguing.

Some were already preparing their weapons.

Nobody realized they were slowly inhaling something that shouldn’t exist.

Gu Fan’s smile widened.

"It is now attracting its food."

He glanced over his shoulder at the massive, still-growing crowd of eager cultivators.

"And it looks like the first course of idiots is already lining up perfectly for the slaughter."

Song Tianyu, who had been quietly observing the gate beside him, frowned.

"Big Brother! You sound remarkably happy about that."

Gu Fan glanced at him.

"Why wouldn’t I be?"

Song Tianyu stared at him for a moment, while Bai Bing’s eyes remained fixed on the black mist.

~~~~~

As the afternoon slowly gave way to evening, more heavily armed groups continued to arrive and stake their claims.

Yet one group behaved differently.

The Black Moon Palace members had established a secluded position farther from the Ancient Ruins than anyone else.

While other factions competed for the closest positions, the Black Moon Palace deliberately kept its distance.

They watched the black stone doors in complete eerie silence.

Gu Fan studied their camp. Gu Fan’s eyes narrowed.

’Everyone is trying to get closer.’

’And they are doing the opposite?’

’Either they know something...’

’Or they are even more cautious than they look.’

Nearby, a wild-eyed, heavily bearded wandering old man sat cross-legged with a notebook resting on his knees.

He obsessively sketched the glowing demonic characters covering the gate.

His clothes were old and patched together.

His hair was a complete mess.

He looked like the kind of wandering cultivator who had spent the last thirty years sleeping under bridges and arguing with trees.

Gu Fan glanced at him.

’Well, everyone has their hobbies.’

He was about to turn away when something caught his attention.

The old man’s hand suddenly stopped.

He stared at one particular demonic character.

Then he slowly scratched it out.

Gu Fan’s eyes narrowed.

The character he had erased wasn’t currently visible on the gate.

Gu Fan looked back at the stone.

The character was indeed missing.

Gu Fan’s expression became slightly more serious, ’Now that’s interesting.’

The old man suddenly muttered under his breath.

"No..." He scratched another symbol out, "Not yet."

Gu Fan quietly memorized the man’s appearance.

And the old man suddenly looked up. For an instant, their eyes met.

The wandering cultivator smiled, then he lowered his head and continued drawing.

Gu Fan turned around.

"Let’s go."

Song Tianyu, Song Yan, and Bai Bing followed him away from the crowded perimeter.

~~~~~

As night began to fall, the black stone gate continued to pulse with faint dark purple light.

The surrounding camps had become even more crowded.

Bonfires burned throughout the encampment.

Sect elders quietly discussed strategies.

Everyone was preparing for the moment the gate opened.

Gu Fan, meanwhile, had found a slightly elevated, clean rock near the edge of the treeline.

He sat down.

The location gave him a clear view of the gate while keeping him far enough away from the thickest concentration of black mist.

Song Yan sat beside him.

Bai Bing stood close behind his shoulder, maintaining silent guard.

Song Tianyu sat a short distance away, occasionally glancing toward the surrounding camps.

Gu Fan casually rested his hand high on Song Yan’s soft thigh without the slightest attempt at subtlety.

She stiffened for a moment, and her cheeks developed a faint flush.

But she didn’t stop him.

Gu Fan lazily rubbed his thumb against her leg while continuing to stare toward the distant gate.

"There is absolutely no point in doing the dungeon’s dirty, lethal trap-clearing work for free."

Song Tianyu raised an eyebrow, "You are planning to wait, Big Brother?"

"Of course." Gu Fan’s tone was completely shameless, "We sit right here and wait until the first wave of greedy, arrogant idiots charges inside."

Song Yan looked at him, "And if they don’t?"

"They will." Gu Fan looked at her as if she had asked a ridiculous question.

"Greed is one of the most reliable forces in the cultivation world."

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