Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao leaped off the backs of their beast mounts and entered the abandoned Yellow Sand City.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the wind passing through the city. The wind lingered among the ruins, its mournful melody as if whispering untold stories, imbuing everything with an inexplicable sense of desolation.

Though this city couldn't compare to the grandeur of Gusha City in scale, it was still considered a medium-sized cultivation city deep in the desert. At a glance, one could see traces of a human-built city on top of the natural rock formations. As the city gradually decayed, it left behind numerous discarded materials.

They wandered through the rubble, surveying the entire city.

The city was empty, devoid of any valuable items. It was clear that since Senior Brother Chen and his group had stumbled upon it by getting lost, others must have visited before them. Anything of worth would have long been taken.

As they moved further in, they could see the transformed living spaces within the rock caves, which were better preserved than the outer walls, indicating that the city was still habitable.

Wen Qiao reached out to touch a windowsill, her hand meeting a thick layer of dust.

It was evident that no other living creatures had visited for a long time—no cultivators, nor even the beasts and insects native to the shifting sands.

"Husband, the rock caves in this city are well-preserved, and look quite clean," Wen Qiao commented as she observed her surroundings, turning to Ning Yuzhou. "But why haven't the beasts and insects from the desert come here?"

Creatures that made their homes in the shifting sands were plentiful, including beasts, venomous snakes, and various insects. Due to the harsh environment and scarcity of resources, not only did cultivators fiercely compete for territory, but these beasts and insects also engaged in intense battles for survival. Especially desirable were suitable sandstone cave dwellings, which were prime targets for both beasts and insects alike.

Therefore, the situation in Yellow Sand City seemed somewhat abnormal.

Perhaps someone had noticed this peculiarity, but no one had been able to uncover its cause.

Ning Yuzhou said, "We're not sure yet. Let's take a closer look."

However, after thoroughly exploring the city inside and out, they found nothing except an empty shell, and no sign of anything similar to the stone Senior Brother Chen had discovered.

Wen Qiao retrieved the light blue stone from her storage bag, gazing at the winged ant trapped inside. She then presented it to the two Yellow Crystal Ants, asking, "Big Ant, Little Ant, do you recognize this thing?"

The two ants' antennae twitched before they placed them on the light blue stone.

Ning Yuzhou was speechless at the casual names "Big Ant" and "Little Ant." Suddenly, he felt that "Bunny" was actually a decent name—it at least showed some thought.

Bunny lay on Wen Qiao's shoulder, peering at the two Yellow Crystal Ants.

"Can you help us find where there might be more of these stones nearby?" Wen Qiao continued, addressing the ants.

Ning Yuzhou couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah Zhuo, Yellow Crystal Ants' innate abilities are limited to guiding; they don't possess treasure-seeking traits."

As he spoke, the two Yellow Crystal Ants withdrew their antennae from the stone and deftly climbed out of the pouch. They jumped to the ground and began crawling around, their antennae constantly moving. Eventually, they headed in a specific direction.

Wen Qiao noticed and tugged at the slightly dazed Ning Ge, following the two Yellow Crystal Ants.

The ants led the way into the heart of Yellow Sand City, passing through a long corridor and arriving at a room that appeared to have been used for storing miscellaneous items. They circled around the room before settling in a corner, looking up at Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao.

Wen Qiao exclaimed in delight, "Are you saying there's something here?"

Ning Yuzhou was speechless. He didn't recall mutated Yellow Crystal Ants having treasure-seeking abilities. Could it be that after mutating, their instincts changed?

Prince Ning Qi of Dongling was momentarily lost in contemplation about the evolutionary instincts of mutated beasts.

Unaware of her husband's rare moment of introspection regarding his knowledge, Wen Qiao approached the spot the ants had indicated, tapping and probing to see what secrets it might hold.

After struggling for a while without discovering anything, she became perplexed and called Ning Yuzhou over. "Husband, come take a look."

Her husband was quick-witted and possessed a wealth of inherited knowledge, making him better suited for such tasks than her half-skilled self.

Ning Yuzhou walked over, examining the area the ants had pointed out and inspecting the surroundings. A thoughtful expression crossed his eyes.

"Wen Qiao looked at him expectantly.

Ning Yuzhou snapped back to reality, smiling at her. "Don't worry. It's still early. Let's wait until nightfall and take another look."

Wen Qiao accepted his suggestion without pressing further.

Although they didn't know the secrets of Yellow Sand City, they weren't in a rush to leave now that they were here. They decided to stay for a while, taking the opportunity to rest as well.

Wen Qiao led the beast mount into the city and set up several warning arrays around the perimeter.

Night soon fell.

Despite the unknown reason for Yellow Sand City's abandonment, the cluster of rock caves provided a safe haven. Even as the winds raged outside, peace reigned within the city walls.

After dark, Wen Qiao ate her medicinal meal, fed the two Yellow Crystal Ants, and they returned to the room the ants had specially marked.

She produced a spirit stone-powered lamp, instantly bathing the room in bright light.

The room wasn't large, lined with cabinets made of spirit wood that likely held miscellaneous items in the past. When the cultivators departed, they left these items behind. The quality of the spirit wood was excellent, remaining intact despite years of neglect, merely aging rather than decaying.

Wen Qiao returned to the corner the ants had indicated, tapping and probing again in search of any anomalies.

Once again, she found nothing.

She summoned Ning Yuzhou once more, inquiring about his observations without doubting whether the ants had misled them.

Ning Yuzhou approached calmly.

There was a wall near the location the ants had indicated. Ning Yuzhou placed his hand on the wall and tapped it.

Wen Qiao had previously tapped this wall herself, finding it solid with no hidden compartments. As she contemplated this, she watched Ning Yuzhou retrieve a formation-breaking talisman and press it against the wall.

The wall, as if possessing its own consciousness, suddenly rippled with layers of spiritual light, engulfing the talisman.

"Eh?" Wen Qiao exclaimed in surprise. "There's a formation here?"

She reached out to probe but found nothing, no trace of the array's fluctuation.

Ning Yuzhou smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, there indeed is an array here. Not just one, but multiple arrays, forming a nested array. Among them is a hidden array, used to conceal the traces of the other arrays. That's why it's hard for ordinary people to detect..."

Wen Qiao was left in a muddle, only grasping one thing: There were arrays here, but they couldn't be easily seen by those without the capability.

Ning Yuzhou stared at the wall, his interest piqued. "A nested array like this requires exceptional expertise in array formation. I wonder who could have done this."

Wen Qiao asked, "Husband, can you decipher the array?"

Ning Yuzhou turned to look at her.

His gaze under the lamplight was peculiar, making her feel strangely uneasy.

"It will take some time," Ning Yuzhou said, a meaningful expression on his face. "I also want to see what's hidden inside."

Wen Qiao uttered an 'oh', then took out tables, chairs, and a tent from her storage bag, planning to spend the night here.

Then, Ning Yuzhou began to study the array, while Wen Qiao sat on a chair, with Wen Tutu and the two Yellow Crystal Ants on the table, all watching him work.

Ning Yuzhou spent the entire night studying, until dawn, when he finally moved.

Wen Qiao had stayed up with him, watching him closely. Seeing him move, she quickly got up and quietly asked, "Husband, do you need any help?"

Ning Yuzhou turned to her, smiling. "I've made some progress. We'll decipher the array tonight."

"Another night? Why?" Wen Qiao couldn't help asking, assuming that the array only reacted at night based on his behavior yesterday.

Ning Yuzhou casually explained, "The winds and sands are stronger at night. No one will suddenly barge in and disturb us. It's safer."

He made a good point, leaving Wen Qiao speechless.

Though he said that, during the day, Ning Yuzhou specially left the city, circling around it several times, observing as he went.

Wen Qiao and the others followed aimlessly, wandering and looking around.

Perhaps this place was too remote, even the bandits from Blackrock Gorge and the beasts wouldn't come over. Wen Qiao wandered around but didn't find any signs of humans or beasts, not even the venomous creatures like snakes and ants that usually roamed the desert.

Wen Qiao was somewhat disappointed.

When night arrived, she quickly cheered up, returning to that room.

Ning Yuzhou first set up a large defensive array nearby, then took out array flags to form a Spirit Gathering Array in the room.

As the Spirit Gathering Array activated, the spiritual energy in the world surged into the room. Instantly, the small room filled with surging spiritual energy. Within an hour, the density of the surrounding spiritual energy was so thick that it felt like every pore in one's body expanded.

Wen Tutu couldn't resist rolling around, enjoying the environment rich in spiritual energy.

Wen Qiao watched Ning Yuzhou work, curious but silent.

When the spiritual energy reached a certain level, Ning Yuzhou began to decipher the array.

Watching him, Wen Qiao suddenly understood why he had set up a Spirit Gathering Array and waited for the surrounding spiritual energy to reach a certain level before starting to decipher the array.

During the process, the wall kept absorbing the spiritual energy in the room, instantly taking away more than half. The originally dense spiritual energy became thin.

As the spiritual energy in the room dwindled, Wen Qiao finally sensed the fluctuations of the surrounding array.

It was the nested array, finally revealing its traces, allowing one to clearly feel the presence of an array here.

Wen Qiao stared intently at the wall, while Wen Tutu stopped rolling and jumped onto her shoulder to watch Ning Yuzhou decipher the array. The antennae of the two Yellow Crystal Ants waved in the air, indicating they had discovered something.

Wen Qiao noticed the ants' actions and placed them on her other shoulder.

Ning Yuzhou's hands moved swiftly, forming seals so fast they appeared like illusions, dazzling to watch. Wen Qiao looked for a while but soon felt dizzy and disoriented.

She quickly came to her senses, withdrawing her gaze, not daring to look again.

Even so, her shock didn't lessen.

She was now in the middle stage of the Spirit Vein realm, and due to her divine bloodline, her sea of consciousness and divine sense were far stronger than ordinary cultivators. Her divine sense at the Spirit Vein realm was equivalent to someone else's at the late stage of the Yuan Void realm. In theory, with the breadth of her current sea of consciousness and the strength of her divine sense, she shouldn't have felt dizzy from watching the array deciphering process unless the array was so profound that her current cultivation couldn't handle it.

Her gaze returned to Ning Yuzhou, noticing beads of sweat on his forehead, sliding down his face.

His expression was serious, yet his hand movements didn't pause for a moment.

With each movement, waves of array spiritual light rippled around, continuously devouring the spiritual energy in the room.

As Ning Yuzhou's complexion grew paler, finally, the last seal fell. A loud bang echoed, and the array in the room was cracked.

When the array was broken, the entire abandoned Yellow Sand City seemed to emit a resonating sound, as if something had been shattered, then extinguished in the sandstorm outside.

The array being broken, the wall crumbled inch by inch, revealing a passage leading downward.

Wen Qiao quickly stepped forward, supporting her husband, worriedly asking, "Husband, how are you? Do you want to rest a bit?" As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and fed him several spirit pills.

Ning Yuzhou's complexion was pale. He allowed her to help him sit on a chair, swallowing a few spirit pills which improved his color significantly.

"It's fine, I just consumed too much spirit power." At this point, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, subtle but noticeable to her.

"Liar, your divine sense must be nearly depleted as well," Wen Qiao bluntly pointed out, serious. "You need rest now."

Ning Yuzhou's dark eyes met hers. Sometime during the process, they had become bloodshot, looking somewhat terrifying.

After a while, he softly said, "Alright, I'll rest a bit."

Wen Qiao finally smiled.

She didn't look at the passage, instead circling around him, occasionally stuffing spirit pills into his mouth, the ones he once refined for her to munch on like candy beans. Seeing him frown and show discomfort, she placed both hands on his head, gently massaging to relieve the pain in his temples.

Ning Yuzhou closed his eyes slightly, enduring the aftereffects of overexerting his divine sense.

In truth, he hadn't anticipated that the formation here would be so vast, not just encompassing this room, but the entire city. Thus, when dismantling it, the mental energy expended was immense. Had his divine sense not been far stronger than an ordinary person's, he might have been unable to sustain the process, and the backlash from the formation could have led to the collapse of his sea of consciousness.

After resting for a moment, he finally opened his eyes.

"Husband, how are you?" Wen Qiao asked anxiously.

Ning Yuzhou smiled at her, took her hand, and said gently, "Ah Chuo, I'm much better now; there's no need to waste spirit pills."

"It doesn't matter. Spending them on you is never a waste," Wen Qiao said matter-of-factly.

Hearing words akin to a confession, Ning Yuzhou felt a tremor in his heart.

Perhaps due to the excess of spirit pills, a faint flush appeared on his jade-like face, leaving her somewhat dazed and bewildered.

Ning Yuzhou, though slightly flustered, didn't resist the affection stirred by her actions. He couldn't help but pull her into an embrace, then kissed her slightly parted lips, which were open in confusion...