Chapter 1 .，！

Outside the passage's exit, a steep cliff of fifty to sixty meters loomed. Below, a vast valley unfolded, offering a clear and unobstructed view, devoid of the ever-present mist. Instead, magnificent architectural complexes stretched across the landscape!

At first glance, these structures appeared splendid, but closer inspection revealed the ravages of time's relentless passage.

While reminiscent of the Dubhe people's architecture on the periphery, these complexes possessed a thicker, more solemn air. Beyond their decaying facade, a millennia-old resentment and helplessness emanated.

It was likely afternoon, with the setting sun casting its rays upon the sprawling ruins below, coating them in a layer of molten gold, amplifying both their grandeur and desolation.

At this moment, Fang Senyan finally deduced the true identity of these Dubhe people: they were remnants, descendants of a once glorious and vast empire.

When the empire crumbled amidst bloodshed and madness, these most loyal subjects fled to the sacred grounds for respite, preserved by the natural barrier of the Dubhe Great Marsh.

However, due to the scarcity of written records and inherited knowledge, these loyal subjects, after dozens of generations, had forgotten the magnificent civilization and technology of their past, existing here in silent obscurity. The only thing passed down was religion, for only mind-controlling religions and beliefs could create the most loyal and fearless warriors! This was the most crucial element in maintaining their rule.

With pursuers closing in, Fang Senyan had no time for sentimentality. He followed Mbenga, rapidly scaling down the cliff's edge. The cliff was not overly steep, but severely eroded. At times, a slight exertion of force would cause a cascade of rocks to crumble beneath their feet.

It was akin to a landslide. Had Fang Senyan not had the Kou Weisi to assist, driving each blade deep into the rock, he would surely have fallen.

Upon reaching the cliff's edge, the pursuers above, seeing the two fleeing downwards, were both shocked and enraged, shouting curses. However, they made no attempt to follow, instead raising their weapons and hurling them with immense force!

Fortunately, Fang Senyan had anticipated this tactic. Releasing his grip, he dropped downwards. After falling five or six meters, he spotted a protruding rock on the cliff face. Once past the rock, he forcefully plunged the Kou Weisi into the cliff face!

Immediately, rocks rained down as the Kou Weisi scraped against the cliff face, creating a long trail of sparks. Amidst the dust, the sharp blade finally caught Fang Senyan, the projectiles from above blocked by the protruding rock, creating a clattering din.

Without delay, Fang Senyan waited for his downward momentum to slow before kicking against the cliff face, using the force to pull out the blade! After falling another five or six meters, he drove the blade deep into the cliff face once more. Though this caused great damage to the weapon, it was a necessity for Fang Senyan, fighting one-armed. The loss of a hand was indeed a great inconvenience.

After landing safely, the pursuers behind were unable to follow. As Fang Senyan's feet touched the ground of the ruins, the Nightmare Imprint once again issued a warning: "Warning, warning, Contractor 1018's time in this world has expired."

"Warning, warning, Contractor 1018 has entered the internal region of the hidden world, Dubhe Great Marsh. You will continuously expend 10,000 Universal Points per hour."

"Warning, if your Universal Points are insufficient to pay, your equipment will be forcibly sold to cover the costs."

Fang Senyan gasped! 10,000 points per hour! This was beyond extravagance; it was utter "squandering!" He turned to find Mbenga had vanished again in the fierce battle. Coming into close proximity with the ruins, Fang Senyan now noticed that the stone used to construct this magnificent city was quite peculiar, a leaden color, like the stiff skin of a corpse left out for a day and a night.

The stone was fine at first glance, but close inspection revealed it was darkly continuous, branching out towards distant places, hidden amidst the crumbling walls and vines. Fang Senyan also noticed, at the base of the cliff, surrounding him, were piles of bones. Only a few were human; most appeared to be from large fish, suggesting that food scraps were often thrown down here.

Seeing this scene, Fang Senyan pieced together some of the historical context and fragments. In recent years, something must have occurred in the inner region of the Dubhe Great Marsh. Some millennia-old biochemical equilibrium must have been disrupted, or even lost control. The Dubhe people living in the inner region were increasingly unable to suppress the tian shi (sky eaters), mutant spider crabs, and other bizarre creatures, successively abandoning village after village, until they were even forced to abandon their largest central sacrificial village in disarray.

In this situation, those of higher status, qualified to enter the core region to guard the last temple ruins, could only retreat in sorrow, entering the final line of defense…

…the labyrinthine passages, like the mi (lost) palace, for refuge. These passages were originally designed as the last line of defense for the temple ruins, relying on the terrain to finally keep the mutated monsters at bay, resulting in a stalemate where neither side could overcome the other.

Those last Dubhe guardians also needed to eat and drink. Fang Senyan estimated that the designers of the Dubhe Empire had also considered this. Among the dense, web-like passages, one or more should have delved deep underground, where they could access underground rivers, providing a continuous supply of food and water.

Naturally, Fang Senyan's deduction still had many doubts. For example, how was the ecological balance that had been maintained for thousands of years broken? What mysterious role did Mbenga play in all of this? However, Fang Senyan believed that even if there were discrepancies in the details, his reasoning should still have reconstructed the general situation. Fang Senyan would never make such serious directional errors frequently.

Fang Senyan now gazed at the city center, where a huge altar stood. Upon the altar, faint traces of something piled up could still be seen. Fang Senyan's eyes flashed. If there were no accidents, lighting a bonfire there would be enough to cover the entire ruins in its glow. This should be the huge bonfire mentioned in Bernard Fokke's nautical log.

This meant that he was very close to his destination. However, "he who travels a hundred li considers ninety as half," Fang Senyan clearly knew that the closer he got to the destination, the closer he got to the truth, the more dangerous it would be. His nerves were completely taut as he slowly advanced.

The setting sun had gradually faded behind the dark clouds, so that even the clouds had a layer of burning golden edges, painting the scenery in the ruins with a layer of soft afterglow. But the cold of the night had already emerged, feeling as if the sun was forced into silence and retreat under the relentless pressure of darkness.

Before Fang Senyan was a tall stone coffin. The coffin's overall shape had been eroded by thousands of years of wind, and even had clear cracks. Strangely, nothing grew around it.

The lid of the stone coffin had been opened, revealing a glimpse of a strange black gas emitting a slight "hissing" sound, dissipating into the air. It was not a deadly poison or trap, but the miasma brewed for thousands of years by the decomposition and fermentation of the corpse.

Taking advantage of this gap, Fang Senyan lowered his head. A seemingly slight scratch on his waist had turned purplish-blue, penetrating deep into the surrounding skin. This was an injury caused by a previous mechanism. Although the arrows on this mechanism had been weathered for thousands of years, they still possessed a certain degree of toxic effect. Fang Senyan now felt half of his waist was paralyzed.

With a flip of his wrist, he skillfully opened his space and took out a spare scalpel. After quickly disinfecting it, he cut a "cross" on the wound. Blood quickly flowed out, and in addition to the pain, there was a piercing itch. At this time, Fang Senyan also distinguished that the arrowheads were likely coated with a metallic mineral toxin, similar to antimony or phosphorus. It was not the kind of botulinum toxin derived from prolonged decay, or the neurotoxic venom secreted by organisms.

Therefore, although this injury would not quickly endanger a person's life, it was also not easy to get rid of. Unlike those biological toxins, which could be quickly relieved by finding the right antidote.

Fang Senyan injected himself with a dose of medicine, closed his eyes and rested for a while. Seeing that the miasma in the stone coffin had dissipated, he swayed and walked over. Forcing the stone coffin completely open, ignoring the decaying bones, he picked up a diamond, a gold brick, and half a bag of gold sand from inside. These things were immediately sold by Fang Senyan into Universal Points, because he was now very short of money!