Chapter 85: Night Falls

"Bait?" Everyone looked at Lin Qian in surprise, not understanding what he meant.

"Didn't they say that the dead rise and move at night? But we don't know much about them. As night falls, we'll hide in the shadows and use this guy," Lin Qian pointed at Fu Heng, who was tied up with the Binding Rope, "as bait. We'll observe what happens between him and the undead."

Hearing Lin Qian's plan, Fu Heng's face turned pale with terror.

He knew about the undead activity in the death zone, and if Lin Qian's plan went through, he would have no chance of survival. The secret technique on his body would only affect the undead, rendering it useless in this situation.

"Lin Qian, you're vicious and despicable!" Fu Heng cursed as he struggled against the Binding Rope.

Lin Qian chuckled at Fu Heng's outburst. "Vicious and despicable? If you had succeeded earlier, what would our fate have been?"

Lin Qian still vividly remembered Fu Heng's earlier arrogance and ruthless demeanor. There was no way he would let him off easily. While Lin Qian wasn't one to kill indiscriminately, he wouldn't hesitate against someone like Fu Heng, who had tried to kill him.

At that moment, Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei suddenly dropped to their knees, pleading with Lin Qian, "Fu Heng has power and influence in the Divine Sword Sect. We had no choice but to obey his orders. Please, spare us."

Lin Qian turned to look at the two kneeling men and sneered. "Spare you? That's possible, but do you think just kneeling will save your lives?"

Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei exchanged glances, then quickly took out their storage bags and offered them up with both hands.

Lin Qian accepted the bags and inspected their contents. Inside, he found a variety of items, including soul crystals, essence cores, essence components, and some pills. There were also some Divine Sword Sect scrolls.

It was clear that these storage bags contained all of Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei's belongings.

"Not bad, you seem sincere." Lin Qian nodded approvingly. He took the scrolls and sent them to the Hua Xia Empire within the Sky Scar.

Then, he removed the essence cores and components and tossed them back to the two men. "I'll have someone escort you out. Once you pass through the cursed forest, you can continue with the ancient ruin trial."

"This…" Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei were surprised, not expecting Lin Qian to return their essence components and cores.

Without them, they would have been significantly weakened, even if they managed to survive. Continuing the trial without essence weaponry would have been nearly impossible.

"If I see you again in this death zone…" Lin Qian's expression turned cold as he stared at them. "I won't be so merciful next time."

The two men quickly nodded, grateful for their lives. After Lin Qian had taken everything else from their storage bags, he returned the empty bags to them.

They quickly secured their essence cores and components and followed a Swift Soldier toward the cursed forest, preparing to leave.

Lin Qian distributed the soul crystals and pills among the group.

"What now?" Ye Xin asked, her gaze lingering on Fu Heng with disdain.

Lin Qian signaled for one of the Swift Soldiers to carry the bound Fu Heng. He pointed to the various buildings in the ruins ahead. "With so many ruins here, we should explore them all."

In high spirits, the group followed Lin Qian as they continued their search through the ruins.

As they progressed, Lin Qian began to notice that the buildings weren't just for housing disciples. There were various other sect buildings scattered throughout the area, each serving different functions.

"It seems that when this ancient sect faced disaster, many of its buildings collapsed into this small world," Ye Xin remarked after observing for a while.

Lin Qian silently agreed as he gazed at the remnants of the sect. Judging by the surviving structures, this ancient sect must have been incredibly powerful.

But what kind of catastrophe could have befallen such a strong sect, leaving it in ruins like this?

Unable to find an answer, Lin Qian and the others continued their search through the death zone's ruins.

As time passed, their efforts paid off. They discovered a storage area filled with pills and even a library filled with ancient scrolls.

Lin Qian collected all the scrolls from the library, sending them to the Hua Xia Empire within the Sky Scar.

The others didn't mind, understanding that without Lin Qian, they would have fallen victim to Fu Heng's schemes.

Moreover, Lin Qian only took one pill from each batch they found, allowing the others to split the rest among themselves.

"We really hit the jackpot this time. I can't believe we found upper-grade Class B pills in this place!" Zhao Haiming exclaimed, patting his storage bag in satisfaction.

In the entire Linhai Prefecture, even middle-grade Class B pills were rare, let alone upper-grade ones.

The hundred upper-grade Class B pills they had discovered were a treasure trove.

"If we turn these pills over to the sect, the contribution points we could earn are unimaginable," Lei Qian agreed, nodding.

Lin Qian, however, wasn't particularly interested in the pills. The Hua Xia Empire had a vast array of potions and materials. Once the empire's Sky Workshop studied the pills' composition and effects, they could undoubtedly develop even more potent potions.

To Lin Qian, the real treasure was the scrolls. He believed that the knowledge from this world combined with the expertise of the Hua Xia Empire would yield remarkable results.

Meanwhile, Fu Heng, still bound and carried by a Swift Soldier, glared at Lin Qian and the others with hatred as they chatted and laughed.

"All of this… it should have been mine! Mine!" Fu Heng fumed, but there was nothing he could do. Bound and powerless, he could only seethe in frustration.

"The sun's setting. Let's get ready to hide," Lin Qian said, glancing at the darkening sky.

They had already chosen a hiding spot earlier: the library where they had found the scrolls.

The library was well-preserved, with seven intact floors. It didn't take long for Lin Qian and the others to reach the top floor, where they gathered near a window, looking down.

Below them, on the stone-paved road in front of the library, Fu Heng lay bound like a trussed-up animal, squirming and cursing at Lin Qian and the others above.

"Lin Qian, if you have any guts, kill me yourself! What kind of man are you to hide like this?"

"I'll haunt you even in death! You'll die a miserable death!" Fu Heng's curses echoed into the night as darkness gradually enveloped the ruins.

Fear crept into his heart as the night descended.