195: Center Ruins Realm

"Lord!" Suddenly, Dongfang Hanwei rushed from her father's side and stood in front of Yun Wuji, looking at him with earnest, hopeful eyes. They sparkled with a kind of fire as she gathered her courage and said, "Can I go with you as well, Lord Jiao?"

'Sigh, this little girl!' Dongfang Zhuo, the Monarch, looked at his daughter and let out a long sigh, feeling a mix of complicated emotions.

On one hand, he was very happy to see his daughter with a powerful man like Jiao Heng. Not only could this elevate his kingdom to greater heights, but it also ensured his daughter's safety in the future. Yet, on the other hand, he was reluctant to part with her, she was his most beloved child!

In the end, he let out a sigh, 'This is the sorrow of having a daughter.'

Facing those earnest eyes, Yun Wuji felt, for some reason, that he couldn't look at them directly. He had never had any significant interaction with this girl, how had she ended up like this?

Honestly, he didn't want to take her with him, she was too weak. He wasn't going on a leisurely trip; he was heading straight into trouble. Bringing her along would only make her a burden.

But he also couldn't bring himself to turn her down...

'In that case, let's include her in my plans. Maybe she'll become useful.'

Watching Yun Wuji remain silent for so long, Dongfang Hanwei felt a wave of dejection. She clenched her hands tightly over her chest and lowered her head to hide the tears welling in her eyes. But then, suddenly, she heard Yun Wuji's voice: "Sure, you can come."

"Really?!" She lifted her head, her slightly red eyes wide with surprise, and exclaimed with a bright smile. "Thank you, my Lord!"

For some reason, everyone present, including Yun Wuji, felt that her smile was radiantly beautiful.

'Is this the smile of a woman in love?' They all shared the same thought.

...

The Five Nether Ruins is a group of five Middle-Rank Star Realms, and the East Ruins Realm is one of them.

The others are the West Ruins Realm, the South Ruins Realm, the North Ruins Realm, and the Center Ruins Realm.

Among them, the Center Ruins Realm is particularly unique. It is also the largest of the five, yet it is completely uninhabitable due to its desolate landscape and constant, violent storms.

However, although it is uninhabitable, it is incredibly rich in wind and storm-type profound resources. Because of this, the realm is jointly ruled by the four Realm Kings' sects.

Every hundred years, they compete to divide the rights to the realm's resources among themselves through the "Battle of the Center Ruins."

After leaving the East Territory, Yun Wuji's group continued flying at a moderate speed, heading toward the Center Ruins Realm.

Naturally, Yun Wuji wasn't interested in whatever resources were there—his goal was the Heretic God's Wind Seed.

Speaking of which, the reason there are so many resources there is because of the Heretic God's Wind Seed.

It's fascinating how the seed's presence completely altered the development of the five realms. Nearly every profound practitioner in the five realms cultivates wind and storm profound arts due to the abundance of resources available there.

While flying, Fairy Zixuan glanced at Dongfang Hanwei, who was trailing behind, her eyes fixed on Yun Wuji's back as he led the way. She snorted and muttered under her breath, "Why did we bring this burden along?"

All three of them were Divine Kings, and with their speed, they could have already left the East Ruins Realm. But because of Dongfang Hanwei, they had to slow down to accommodate her, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to keep up.

"I'm very sorry for burdening you, Senior," Dongfang Hanwei said, her voice filled with guilt as she lowered her head.

She felt deeply ashamed. She had hastily asked to join them without considering how low her cultivation was. Now, she began to regret her actions. Wasn't she just holding her lord back and dragging him down? If they encountered danger along the way, wouldn't her weakness put them at risk?

"Hmph! Stop bullying the girl," Yan Yao said, shooting Fairy Zixuan a disdainful glance. She then flew to Dongfang Hanwei, grabbed her shoulder, and turned into a streak of light, leaving Fairy Zixuan alone.

'Why are you acting so arrogantly? Didn't you get your ass whooped by Lord Jiao anyway?' Fairy Zixuan didn't dare to talk back to her, so she could only grumble in her heart before turning into a streak of light and following them.

"Someone is coming our way," Yan Yao said suddenly after flying for a while, staring ahead.

"Ignore them," Yun Wuji replied. He had also sensed the approaching figures, they seemed to be heading straight toward them.

A few seconds later, three figures appeared. The one leading them was a man in a green robe, while the other two were middle-aged men dressed in blue.

All three of them were at the Level 10 Divine King Realm.

They also noticed Yun Wuji's group. The two men in blue glanced at them briefly before looking away dismissively, as if paying attention to them was beneath their dignity.

However, the man in green leading them didn't look away. His eyes remained fixed on Yan Yao as if drawn by a magnet.

Although Yan Yao's chest was flat, her waist was slightly plump, and her face was exquisitely beautiful. Her beauty surpassed both Dongfang Hanwei and Fairy Zixuan. Her cold, arrogant eyes reflected her haughty temperament as if nothing in the world was worthy of her attention.

'Another young master?' Seeing the look in the man's eyes, Yun Wuji immediately guessed his identity. After all, it was common knowledge that jade beauties were magnets for young masters.

The man suddenly stopped flying and positioned himself in front of Yun Wuji's group. When the men following him saw this, they exchanged knowing glances. It seemed they were all familiar with their master's "dedication", this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.

One of them stepped forward, arrogance written all over his face, just what you'd expect from a young master's lackey.

"Stop right there," he ordered, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the group to approach.

However, when Yun Wuji's group reached them, they didn't stop. Instead, they flew past them, completely ignoring their presence.

"Stop!" The second man's expression darkened as he turned around and shouted, "Do you know who we are? Do you want to d—"

Swoosh!

'Huh? Why do I feel strange? Where did this headless body come from? Wait... is this my body?' Before the man could finish his words, his vision suddenly shifted. The world seemed to move in slow motion, and in the next moment, he saw his own headless body. Then, his vision went dark as he died.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The other two men met the same fate. In an instant, they too lost their heads. With loud thuds, their bodies fell from the sky to the ground.

From beginning to end, Yun Wuji's group didn't exchange a single word with them.

"This group looks like important people; they may even be from the realm king's sect," Yun Wuji said casually, not bothering to look at the three dead bodies. Instead, he turned to Yan Yao with a smile. "You just killed them. Aren't you afraid?"

She was the one who beheaded the three ignorant men. Her attack was so quick that they didn't even realize how they died until it was too late.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Yan Yao scoffed disdainfully. Meeting his eyes, she added, "And even if the realm king's sect were to hunt me down, do you think they'd just leave you alone?"

"Heh, how cunning," Yun Wuji smiled casually and continued his flight. At the same time, he thought, 'It seems this woman already sensed that I saw through her disguise, and now she's taking the initiative to 'expose' her strength.'

'But just how much of her 'true' strength is she willing to reveal?'

This kind of acting was something Yun Wuji had been doing his whole life; he could see through it instantly. Based on his observations, he already suspected this woman's identity and had a general idea of her strength.

After flying for about a day, Yun Wuji's group arrived at the Center Ruins Realm.

They didn't enter immediately. Unlike the other four realms, the Center Ruins Realm didn't allow outsiders in. The only time they could enter was during the "Battle of the Center Ruins."

"Stay close to me," Yun Wuji said to the three women.

"Hmm," Dongfang Hanwei hummed softly, a faint blush on her cheeks as she moved to his side.

"Yes, my lord," Fairy Zixuan replied respectfully, positioning herself next to him.

"..." Yan Yao remained silent but followed his instructions, drifting to his side as well.

With the women by his side, Yun Wuji used a profound skill, causing a black circle to appear above him. It quickly expanded to cover them all, and from it, a dark curtain descended, forming a cylindrical shape around them. Once it fully took shape, the curtain faded.

When it faded, the four people vanished, their presence and aura completely erased. If someone were to pass by, they would never suspect that anyone had been there.

...

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