Both of them moved at lightning speed and entered the runes alongside other sect members. "I never thought I would visit a real rune in my life. Compared to my past life, my current life is very interesting," thought Ronin.
"Right?" Ronin heard the voice in his head.
"Right my ass. I'll definitely show you what it's like to live in a sword after I raise my power enough to transcend to your realm," Ronin muttered inwardly while moving forward.
"Why the hell are you walking forward so carefully?" asked Zhen Xia, her face speechless.
"Is there a problem with how I'm walking?" asked Ronin, turning back.
"Dumbass, dodge!" shouted Zhen Xia.
"What?" Suddenly, alarm bells started ringing in his head. He used all his strength to move aside at lightning speed.
"Swoosh..."
"Crack..."
An arrow stuck out of a hole in the ground. After he moved aside, the arrow collided with the ceiling and got lodged there.
"Huff…just missed. I nearly lost my manhood," Ronin muttered in a low voice while holding his groin.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zhen Xia asked, looking at Ronin's hand which was clutching his groin.
"Oh… nothing… nothing… Come on, let's go. There are traps. Watch where you step while you're walking," said Ronin. He hurriedly took his hand away from his groin and continued walking forward as if nothing happened.
Zhen Xia shook her head and followed behind him.
Both of them encountered numerous traps along the way. While the traps could cause serious injuries, they weren't deadly for either of them. With some effort, they successfully evaded all the traps on their path.
Both of them reached the center of the runes. Ronin turned to look in the direction he had come from and said with an annoyed expression, "What a pain in the ass."
"But wait, I'm a Demon Lord. Even though my cultivation base has been greatly damaged due to the forbidden formation used by Jin Zhao, I'm still as powerful as a normal elder in a top sect on the human continent. How the hell is she able to keep up with me, with just small injuries here and there on her body?" Ronin murmured inwardly while observing Zhen Xia, who was sitting on the ground and replenishing her depleted energy after escaping from the traps along their way.
"As expected of Zhen Xia, who is also called Jin Zhao's right hand in the novel," thought Ronin. He also sat on the ground and began replenishing his depleted energy.
Soon, they had restored their energy. Both of them continued searching the central area of the runes. No matter how hard they tried, they only found a few gold coins and expensive items used by wealthy individuals on the human continent.
However, suddenly, Ronin felt that someone was watching him with a gaze filled with greed and unexplainable maliciousness. Despite searching diligently, he couldn't find anyone, not even a small fly.
"Is it just my imagination?" thought Ronin. They both ventured deeper into the runes.
Initially excited to explore the runes, Ronin soon grew tired after a few hours of searching. Everywhere he looked, there were spiderwebs and debris, nothing more. He had hoped to find some valuable items that could aid him in his cultivation.
Suddenly, he heard commotion and sensed a familiar energy—"demon energy." Ronin's eyes widened. How could there be demon energy in the runes found on the human continent?
Ronin felt his mind short-circuit for a moment. He gestured at Zhen Xia to remain silent, and she nodded in response. Both of them stealthily entered the hall deep within the runes.
"This is a cultivation room," Zhen Xia whispered, taking a deep breath.
"A cultivation room?" Ronin inquired.
"Look, there's some kind of crystal hovering in the air. It appears that the previous owner of these runes used this crystal for cultivation. But I've never seen or heard of a crystal like this in my life," Zhen Xia explained in a hushed tone.
"Never seen or heard of such a crystal?" Ronin muttered under his breath, then he raised his head to observe the hovering crystal.
However, the moment he laid eyes on the crystal, Ronin was struck with amazement. "Boy, wake up. Isn't it embarrassing to stand there dumbstruck in front of a girl?"
"Yeah, how can I stay dazed in front of a girl? That was very embarrassing," Ronin muttered under his breath as he regained his senses, responding to the voice in his head.
"What?" Zhen Xia inquired upon hearing Ronin's voice.
"Nothing," Ronin replied, pondering, "I'm sure it was that light guy who said those words in my head. But did I really zone out after seeing that hovering crystal?"
"I felt some kind of connection between me and that crystal," Ronin thought.
Observing Ronin lost in his thoughts, Zhen Xia moved to pinch his waist. Feeling the pain, Ronin abruptly ceased his contemplation and returned to his senses, shuddering.
"Why the hell did you pinch my waist?" Ronin questioned angrily, moving his hand to retaliate by pinching her waist. However, instead of pain, Zhen Xia felt a peculiar pleasure from his touch, and a low-pitched moan escaped her mouth. Her cheeks turned red, and warmth spread throughout her body.
"We're in a dangerous place. How could you space out at a time like this?" Zhen Xia asked, her feigned anger masking her momentary loss of composure.
"Hmm, yeah," Ronin agreed. This time, instead of focusing on the crystal, he observed the various sect members who were searching the hall intently, each attempting their best to reach the crystal hovering in the middle of the room.
"Has anyone figured out how to reach that damn crystal?" questioned one of the cultivators, his face displaying frustration.
"Nope, I think only our sect elder would be able to reach that height effortlessly," replied another cultivator in response to their comrade's inquiry.
"There's a barrier blocking us. I can't break through it, so I can't reach the crystal," the elder explained, shaking his head after overhearing the conversation among his sect disciples.