Chapter 114: The First Trial, Like Raising Gu

The crowd gathered at the scene gazed at the pillar of light, their faces etched with excitement.

"The Xuan-Gui Realm has opened." Iron Calculator held his compass, a look of bewilderment in his eyes. "I cannot calculate it. Everything before me is shrouded in mist; it is as if there are ten thousand possibilities, yet at the same time, perhaps only one..."

Fang Mu frowned. "What do you mean?"

Iron Calculator snapped back to reality, shaking his head. "I am not sure. What I saw from the ruins of the Xuan-Gui Realm... the variables are too many, far too many."

Fang Mu looked up toward the center of the vortex in the sky. "Is there any risk?"

"I cannot calculate it," Iron Calculator continued to shake his head. "It is all fog; I can see nothing."

As they spoke, the light beaming down from the sky expanded, doubling in size. The crowd began to surge, pouring into the pillar of light. Once they entered, they vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Let’s go." Fang Mu gripped his butcher’s knife and spoke concisely.

The two followed the flow of people and stepped into the pillar of light.

...

The light penetrated Fang Mu’s body. The moment he stepped into it, he suddenly found himself plunged into a deathly silence. It was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop; it was as if he had been abruptly cut off from the world.

A flash of light crossed his vision, and an image appeared before him. Fang Mu frowned at the sight. It was a dilapidated city wall, upon which hung a dozen corpses dressed in various styles. An assortment of weapons had pierced the bodies, pinning them to the wall. The image flickered and vanished, instantly returning to the golden glow.

As time passed and the golden light rapidly dissipated, Fang Mu found himself standing in the midst of ruins. Everywhere he looked, there were broken walls and crumbling remains, all bathed in a gray, hazy hue. He could see his surroundings, but when he looked up, the sky was choked with heavy clouds; there were no moon or stars to be found.

Fang Mu turned his head to see Iron Calculator behind him. "Did you see anything?"

Iron Calculator shook his head with a bitter smile. "Every ruin is different, and I truly cannot calculate anything."

Fang Mu patted Iron Calculator’s shoulder and sighed with regret. This gesture startled Iron Calculator for a moment. What did this mean? Had he already become an incompetent tool?

With nothing but ruins and no signs to follow, the scattered crowd began to break apart, heading off in different directions. Fang Mu chose a path and led Iron Calculator and the others away.

This direction led to nothing. After walking for a long time, the group had achieved no results. Fang Mu stopped. This way of wandering would lead nowhere. They had checked the ruins along the way, but they contained only mundane items, with no signs of anything abnormal.

Iron Calculator also stopped, took out his turtle shell to perform another divination, and sighed. This was the first time his ability had failed him; he could calculate almost nothing.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Just as they halted, a sound of footsteps echoed through the air. Fang Mu turned to look and saw a man wearing the uniform of the Inspectorate approaching from behind. The man had a goose-quill saber slung at his waist, and the sleeve of his left arm bulged slightly, as if he were hiding something inside. At first glance, one could sense a gloomy aura emanating from him.

"I am Liu Xu, greetings to you both." Zhang Liu cupped his fists, offering a pseudonym. "I am a case officer of the Inspectorate."

Fang Mu recognized the uniform, but encountering someone from the Inspectorate here felt out of place. It was highly suspicious to run into them specifically within the Xuan-Gui ruins.

"The Inspectorate?" Iron Calculator said cautiously. "We are just honest and law-abiding practitioners, merely here to seek our fortune."

Fang Mu curled his lip; the words "honest and law-abiding" did not quite fit Iron Calculator.

Zhang Liu smiled, shifting his gaze to Fang Mu. "This Xuan-Gui Realm cannot be navigated simply by walking."

Fang Mu said with interest, "What are the hidden mechanisms?"

Since he did not understand the situation, Fang Mu revealed nothing.

Zhang Liu pointed to the surrounding ruins. "I have entered similar Xuan-Gui ruins before. The first step in this place is the thinning of numbers. Everyone wants the opportunity, but how could everyone possibly have it? The first step is undoubtedly a screening process."

Fang Mu stroked his chin, now understanding Zhang Liu’s meaning. It was like having a single bowl of porridge with a dozen people fighting to eat it—what could be done? Naturally, the strongest would get to eat. Since the first hurdle of the ruins was the sheer number of people, the result was clear: they needed to be thinned out, and there was no other way to do that besides mutual slaughter.

Fang Mu smiled. "You’ve told us so much; what is your objective?"

Zhang Liu smiled as well and reached out a hand toward Fang Mu. "I wish to form an alliance with you all. After all, everyone wants to reap the benefits here."

Fang Mu did not hesitate and nodded in agreement.

The speed of his decision caught Zhang Liu off guard. He had not expected such a swift response, but he did not dwell on it, having successfully infiltrated the group to complete the first step of his plan. In truth, Fang Mu’s reasoning was simple: it was easier to control those he could see than those he could not.

After forming the alliance, the group continued forward. According to Zhang Liu, not everyone would be slaughtering each other in this first stage; there were always clever people who would band together.

After walking for a while, the unchanging ruins finally showed signs of change. Not far ahead, several corpses with gruesome, horrifying injuries appeared in their line of sight. Their bodies were covered in wounds, seemingly inflicted by various weapons.

"Has it already begun?" Fang Mu stepped forward to examine them, but found nothing; they had not been killed by supernatural entities. The presence of the corpses proved that some had grown impatient.

The group continued forward. The road was unusually long, seemingly endless. After walking for a while longer, just as Fang Mu thought they would find nothing, a clamorous sound arose. The noise grew louder as it approached. Fang Mu looked up, his gaze sharpening.

A group of people was walking toward them. Fang Mu recognized some of them—they were the practitioners he had met on the open ground earlier. However, their state was different; their movements were stiff, and their eyes were vacant, as if they had lost their minds.

Behind this group, Fang Mu vaguely caught sight of a graceful figure flickering in the shadows.

"Hehehehe..." A crisp female voice echoed. "Go up and kill them!"

As the words fell, the stiff people moved. Various attacks were unleashed toward Fang Mu and his group.

"A Soul-Puppeteer!" A cold light flashed in Zhang Liu’s eyes as he drew his goose-quill saber.

Iron Calculator moved to act, but Fang Mu held him back, looking at him with confusion. Fang Mu tilted his head toward Zhang Liu, signaling for him to handle it. Understanding Fang Mu’s intent, Iron Calculator held his ground.

Zhang Liu’s aura turned gloomy as he pointed his saber at the group. "The art of refining living people into corpses—die!"

With that, Zhang Liu took a step forward. Just then, a hand rested on his shoulder. Zhang Liu turned his head in confusion.

Fang Mu’s eyes were glowing. "You just said... refining corpses?"