After a minor interlude, everyone in the team dared not approach Zi Long and the other person again.
They understood that the small favors in their hands were futile and could not attract the attention of the two.
They continued forward like this, and finally, the desert disappeared, replaced by traces of human existence.
These were a few broken stone pillars, scattered haphazardly, but judging by their arrangement, there should have been a plaza in the center.
However, the plaza was covered by yellow sand, and all that could be seen was an ancient well nearby.
"Have we arrived?"
Seeing the tour guide stop, everyone looked at the ancient well and walked towards it.
From the scene, the ancient well seemed to be the only entrance to the ruins.
But to everyone's disappointment, the ancient well was filled with yellow sand, with only about one meter around the well opening not buried.
"Not there?"
On the other side, Ye Cang Tian saw the lost and confused expressions of the crowd and understood everything. He asked Zi Long doubtfully.
"Naturally."
Zi Long nodded, his gaze swept across the many stone pillars, and he said indifferently, "Don't you notice?"
"Hmm?"
Following Zi Long's gaze, Ye Cang Tian was stunned for a moment and immediately understood something.
This was a desert, with strong winds and sand. Forget a few broken stone pillars; even a city could be easily buried by yellow sand.
How could it be that even a few mere stone pillars could not be buried?
There was obviously something strange!
Seeing Ye Cang Tian's gaze fixed on the stone pillars, Zi Long smiled calmly and said, "It seems you've noticed. That's right, it's those stone pillars. Only at night will the entrance truly open."
Ye Cang Tian nodded in understanding.
On the other side, the tour guide gave everyone a brief explanation and then began setting up tents.
...
The scorching sun blazed overhead, and the wind and sand filled the air.
It was better to take shelter in the tents.
Thus, the group waited in boredom for several hours, and the sun finally set.
Night slowly descended.
Everyone walked out of their tents, rubbing their hands together, drawing their weapons, and preparing for battle, as if injected with adrenaline, ready to fight with all their might.
Ye Cang Tian was speechless at this. These people had probably never been to a world-class ruin and didn't have much brains.
After all, this was the headquarters of the Dark Association. Once they entered, it should be a safe place.
After all, this was the entrance, and not only outsiders passed through, but also many members of the Dark Association themselves.
While Ye Cang Tian was murmuring in his mind, the moon had quietly risen.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the shattered stone pillars inexplicably lengthened, eventually converging at the center of the plaza.
At the same time, the yellow sand on the plaza splashed everywhere, revealing a stone platform, and a downward staircase appeared in the center of the platform.
That was the true entrance to the ruins.
As the entrance appeared, the tour guide was the first to walk onto the stone platform, leading the crowd down the stairs step by step.
...
Passing through the entrance.
A burst of light struck, and everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.
It was not night in the ruins, but dusk. Those who came from the night took a while to adapt.
Scanning everything around.
The surrounding green mountains and clear waters formed a picturesque landscape, with large cities in the distance.
However, there was one point that puzzled everyone. Although it was dusk and the surrounding scenery was pleasant, after looking at the scenery for a long time, there was always a gloomy feeling.
Not only the scenery but even the wind that blew carried a hint of gloom.
"Everyone, have you all adapted!"
"Then follow me into the city!"
The tour guide did not give anyone a chance to ask questions. Seeing everyone looking around, he said with a smile and turned to walk towards the distant city.
"It seems these people have some skill."
While following the tour guide towards the nearest city, Zi Long, at the rear, whispered to Ye Cang Tian.
"Huh? Lord Zi Long, how did you know?"
Ye Cang Tian asked doubtfully, feeling a little nervous in his heart.
The members of the team had concealed their auras, and he was curious how Zi Long had judged this.
After all, he was now concealing his cultivation. If Zi Long saw through it, it might bring trouble.
"There is a formation at the entrance."
"The purpose of this formation is to detect strength. If one's strength does not reach the minimum requirement, that person will be rejected."
Zi Long explained indifferently.
The Dark Association was not a charity. Not just any trash could enter. Only those who reached a certain level of strength and were capable of carrying out missions were allowed in.
...
The two walked slowly towards the city.
With nothing else to do, Zi Long briefly introduced the ruins.
Similar to the ruins in China, for convenience, the Dark Association had divided the ruins into four regions: southeast, northwest, and southwest.
Similarly, the exploration of the ruins was very limited.
The difference was that there was no sea area here, and there were fewer city settlements.
In addition, due to the large number of treasure hunters from outside, and among them were many arrogant individuals, all four regions had been explored.
The location of the Dark Association was in the northern region, which was the area with the most frequent human activity in the entire ruins.
The western region was an ancient graveyard, where countless ancient powerhouses were buried, with rich burial goods, but it was extremely dangerous.
Even Zi Long had to be extremely cautious when entering, and there was even a risk of being instantly killed.
The eastern region was an ancient battlefield. Unlike other places, this area was full of dangerous spots and formations like clouds.
Furthermore, this area contained extremely Yin places, causing immense resentment and eerie winds, making it a habitat for powerful demons.
The last southern region was a desert.
The desert appeared calm, but the hidden dangers were far beyond what the other three regions could compare to.
It was said that a strong team organized by a Heavenly-rank expert of the Dark Association had entered it, but they never returned.
Later, this place was basically designated as a forbidden zone for humans...
In addition to these, the greatest characteristic of this place was the absence of day and night cycles, only endless dusk.
This was something that newcomers had to adapt to as soon as possible.
Listening to Zi Long's introduction, cold sweat involuntarily beaded on Ye Cang Tian's forehead.
The third largest world-class ruin sounded no less dangerous than the ruins in China.
From this, it could be seen that the treasures contained within were also extraordinary, no wonder they allowed the Dark Association to rise over decades and contend with the Hidden Group.
Soon, after a brief understanding of the ruins, everyone finally arrived outside the gate of the nearest city.
The ancient inscriptions on the city walls had been erased and replaced with three large characters.
Jie Yin City (Reception City).
As with other places, looking closely at Jie Yin City gave a gloomy feeling.
On the black and gray city walls, if one looked closely, they could see some dark red bloodstains, as if these bloodstains had been deliberately smeared away.
This scene made the faces of others in the team turn a little pale.
They were not afraid of danger and could face death for a certain purpose.
But thinking about surviving in such a gloomy environment, not knowing when they would see the light of day again, they felt a chill in their hearts.
Little did they know that the current effect was still the result of the Dark Association's embellishment by humans!
Otherwise, the city would have felt even more gloomy, because it was not originally intended for human habitation; it was initially filled with undead.