The Grand Princess had arrived with the Demon Emperor of the Sky Wolf Clan during her previous visit. Even if she didn't know the situation in the Divine Ruins, the Demon Emperor should have some knowledge of it. Moreover, the Grand Princess had encountered ancient relics and was injured within them. Su Nan couldn't believe that the Grand Princess had no knowledge of these enigmatic ancient structures.
However, before taking any action, he decided to try one more time.
He had another method at his disposal.
Celestial Translocation!
In the previous predictions, he had been focused on avoiding the Earth God Temple and had not used Celestial Translocation. This time, he intended to give it a try.
"I've already used the Celestial Translocation twice today, and only one usage remains. I hope it works!"
The prediction began again.
[You know that there are unknown dangers ahead, and you decide to use Celestial Translocation to bypass them directly.]
[Celestial Translocation activated. The next moment, you have bypassed the small hill and arrived two thousand meters away.]
[Quickly surveying the surroundings, you are pleased to find no trace of any temples or ancient structures nearby.]
"Did it work?"
Su Nan's eyes lit up with anticipation.
However, the following prediction darkened his expression.
[You continue to control your avatar, and your main body follows a kilometer behind.]
[One minute later, through your avatar, you suddenly see a dilapidated ancient temple about a hundred meters ahead. It's an Earth God Temple.]
"It's appeared again!" Su Nan's face was grim.
The usually infallible Celestial Translocation had failed here, a situation he had never encountered before.
The following predictions were identical to the previous ones.
He attempted to change direction, but it proved futile.
"Was the distance I translocated too short? If I can translocate further, will it be effective?"
A thought occurred to him, and he took out the fragments of divine power given to him by the County Chief of Tianyun County.
He had three fragments, one short of the four needed to advance divine power again. Obtaining the missing fragment was relatively straightforward.
He switched to Lang Shisan and the Contribution Store appeared before him.
Last time, he had spent 6,000 points on Ancient Demon Blood, leaving him with just over 9,000 contribution points.
[Do you want to spend 1,499 contribution points to exchange for one divine power fragment?]
"Yes!"
[Congratulations, you have successfully exchanged for one divine power fragment. The item has been placed in your personal space.]
He opened his personal space and quickly retrieved the divine power fragment.
With four divine power fragments in hand, his gaze fell on his divine power.
[Do you want to spend four divine power fragments to advance Celestial Translocation to the third level?]
"Yes!"
[Congratulations, your Celestial Translocation has been upgraded to the third level. The daily usage limit has increased by one, and the maximum translocation distance has increased by one thousand meters.]
"Another one thousand meters! With this, I can translocate a total of six thousand meters in two attempts. This should be enough for now."
Su Nan smiled. His Celestial Translocation now allowed him to translocate three thousand meters with each use, and he had a daily limit of four uses, which was already quite impressive.
His life-saving abilities had been greatly enhanced.
He glanced at the divine power again, and a prompt appeared:
[Do you want to spend eight divine power fragments to advance Celestial Translocation to the fourth level?]
[You do not have enough divine power fragments to proceed.]
"It's doubling again?"
Su Nan nodded without surprise. The requirement for divine power fragments had doubled from two to four and now to eight.
"After this upgrade, there's no need to further enhance Celestial Translocation. Even if I have enough divine power fragments, it wouldn't be cost-effective to continue. If I can obtain more divine power fragments, I'd rather use them to advance a new divine power."
The prediction began again.
...
[Celestial Translocation activated. You arrive three thousand meters away, surveying the surroundings. You don't see any ancient structures, but you do spot a group of Soul-Eating Demons.]
[Ignoring the group of Soul-Eating Demons, you use Celestial Translocation once more.]
[The next moment, you arrive at a rocky beach, surrounded by an unusual silence with no apparent danger.]
"Did it work this time?"
Su Nan's heart was filled with hope.
After two uses of Celestial Translocation, he had translocated a total of six thousand meters.
If he was being pursued by a powerful creature, he could understand being unable to escape. However, being ensnared by a lifeless, dilapidated structure left him perplexed.
"There's no other option; I can only hope that the Grand Princess knows."
This time, Su Nan did not make another prediction. Instead, he directly projected his consciousness onto his avatar and used it to communicate with the Grand Princess within his Qiankun Ring.
He had only a few predictions left, and he wanted to save them if possible.
"Have you entered the Divine Ruins?" The Grand Princess's inquiry echoed within the Qiankun Ring as soon as his consciousness entered.
"Yes, I was being pursued by a peak-level Demon King and used a teleportation stone, accidentally ending up in the Divine Ruins," Su Nan explained the general situation.
"I'm in trouble now; my path ahead is blocked by an Earth God Temple. I want to know, what's the deal with this Earth God Temple?"
"An Earth God Temple? Those things should only be encountered deep within the Divine Ruins. You've already ventured that far?" The Grand Princess's expression darkened upon hearing this news. It was not good news to her at all. The Divine Ruins were extremely dangerous, and if you ventured too deep, you might never return.
"With your strength, how did you manage to avoid the Soul-Eating Demons?" The Grand Princess was curious.
She could roughly gauge Su Nan's strength based on his divine power.
In her opinion, given Su Nan's strength, it would be good enough for him to wander around the outermost periphery of the Divine Ruins; it was simply impossible for him to delve deep into the Divine Ruins.
Even in her current state, if she were to leave the Qiankun Ring and try to safely exit the Divine Ruins, it would all come down to luck.
"I just happen to have good luck," Su Nan naturally couldn't reveal his ability to foresee the future.
"Good luck?" The Grand Princess fell into silence, pondering something.
After a moment, she continued, "Release me, and I will tell you!"
As predicted, the Grand Princess's conditions remained the same; she still demanded Su Nan to set her free.
Su Nan, of course, couldn't agree to that. "I advise you to give up this unrealistic idea. If I release you, I am no different from committing suicide."
The Grand Princess sneered, "Then be prepared to die!"
Su Nan wasn't in a hurry either. He said, "You should be aware of the dangers in the Divine Ruins. From what I know, if I, as the practitioner, were to die, it wouldn't bode well for you as the recipient of the spell."
"If I were to die, not to mention whether you would be forever trapped in this Qiankun Ring, even in your current state, you would likely suffer greatly."
Since the Bloodline Symbiosis Art contained the word "symbiosis," it naturally imposed constraints on both the practitioner and the recipient. Whether it was the practitioner or the recipient's death, it had a significant impact on the other.
Back then, his ability to turn the tables and cause the backlash of the spell on the Grand Princess was closely related to his own suicide.
"Hmph! Although I don't know how you altered the Bloodline Symbiosis Art, if you think you can threaten me with it, you're mistaken," the Grand Princess said with a cold voice, showing no signs of relenting.
Su Nan fell silent and turned to the control panel, preparing to use his power of foresight.
However, at that moment, the Grand Princess seemed to think of something and said, "I need some life-recovering items. If you can find them for me, I might be willing to tell you what I know."
Life-recovering items?
Su Nan understood the Grand Princess's intentions. As a practitioner of the Secret Power, she could also convert life force into vital energy and then use that vital energy to quickly recover from injuries.
"Okay!" Su Nan didn't hesitate and handed a bottle of Lifespan-Extending Pill to the Grand Princess.
In this mysterious Divine Ruins, there was a good chance that he would need the Grand Princess's help. If he could improve their relationship a little now, it would be for the best.
The Grand Princess received the Lifespan-Extending Pill and sensed the rich life force within it. She showed a hint of joy in her eyes and then said, "I have only entered the Divine Ruins once, so my understanding of it is limited."
"In the Divine Ruins, there is a peculiar phenomenon known as 'Eccentric Relics.' Here, you often encounter ancient buildings and temples, remnants of the ancient 'Heavenly Kingdom.'"
"These temples and shrines do not exist in one place all the time; they appear randomly, with no discernible pattern."
"Such structures in the Divine Ruins are considered taboos and are absolutely forbidden to enter. Once inside, your soul may be devoured by an unknown entity, leaving you as a soulless walking corpse."
"Random appearances? How is that possible?" Su Nan was surprised, unable to comprehend how a building could randomly appear.
"This taboo is actually known to many who enter the Divine Ruins, but knowing it doesn't necessarily mean they will abide by it," the Grand Princess explained. "Some people enter the Divine Ruins with the intention of treasure hunting and naturally won't pass up these ancient temples and shrines. Others, however, are influenced by the power of the temples and shrines unknowingly and end up inside."
Su Nan nodded. Clearly, he belonged to the latter category.
"If it's the former, they're either confident or reckless. If it's the latter, it's a one-way road to death. If you're influenced by the power of these temples and shrines, it means you can't resist the residual power within them, and entering is undoubtedly a death sentence."
"You've only encountered a temple, and you haven't entered it yet. There's still a chance to turn back. Just avoid getting close to that temple and go in a different direction," the Grand Princess advised.
Going in a different direction could free him from the Earth God Temple?
Su Nan furrowed his brow. The method the Grand Princess described was obviously different from his current situation. If simply changing direction could free him, he wouldn't have asked the Grand Princess for advice.
"What if changing direction doesn't work?" Su Nan asked in a deep voice.
"Doesn't work?" The Grand Princess raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "You've already tried changing direction and still can't get away from that temple?"
"Yes," Su Nan nodded, briefly recounting what had
happened earlier.
The Grand Princess fell silent, and after a moment, she said with a hint of coldness, "You're in big trouble."
Upon hearing this, Su Nan's heart sank, and he immediately asked, "What do you mean?"
"The phenomenon you described is an extremely rare one, and only a very small number of people may encounter it in the Divine Ruins," the Grand Princess explained. "The Divine Ruins have existed since ancient times, and countless powerful beings have explored them, but there are recorded instances of only a few who encountered a situation like yours."
"And the outcomes for those few were not good. None of them were able to leave the Divine Ruins."
"They all died?" Su Nan's heart plummeted. This was the last thing he wanted to hear.
"No one knows why this happens," the Grand Princess shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, having a strong enough soul power should allow you to resist the influence of these temples and shrines."
"But based on your current situation, it seems that your problem isn't just having a weak soul power."
"Under normal circumstances, having strong soul power should be enough to avoid entering the temples and shrines affected by their power," Su Nan contemplated.
The Grand Princess continued, "However, in your current situation, it's clear that it's not just a matter of having weak soul power."
"Is it possible for you to avoid entering the temples and shrines by changing direction?" Su Nan asked, his voice heavy.
The Grand Princess appeared slightly surprised. "You've already attempted to change direction and still couldn't escape from the temple?"
"Yes," Su Nan nodded, briefly explaining the situation he had encountered.
The Grand Princess fell silent and, after a moment, said in a somewhat chilling tone, "You're doomed."
Upon hearing this, Su Nan's heart sank, and he immediately asked, "What do you mean?"
"The phenomenon you described is extremely rare, and only a very small number of people may encounter it in the Divine Ruins," the Grand Princess explained. "The Divine Ruins have existed since ancient times, and countless powerful beings have explored them, but there are recorded instances of only a few who encountered a situation like yours."
"And the outcomes for those few were not good. None of them were able to leave the Divine Ruins."
"They all died?" Su Nan's heart plummeted. This was the last thing he wanted to hear.
"No one knows why this happens," the Grand Princess shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, having a strong enough soul power should allow you to resist the influence of these temples and shrines."
"But based on your current situation, it seems that your problem isn't just having a weak soul power."
"Under normal circumstances, having strong soul power should be enough to avoid entering the temples and shrines affected by their power," Su Nan contemplated.
The Grand Princess continued, "However, in your current situation, it's clear that it's not just a matter of having weak soul power."
Su Nan appeared thoughtful as he looked at the control panel. He decided to use his power of foresight and attempt to combine his elemental and spiritual energy with his soul power in the prediction.
Unfortunately, due to the use of the Starlight Abyssal Body earlier to deal with the swift demons, his elemental and spiritual energy had been reduced by half within a day. This reduction affected both their upper limits and their power.
Even with the conversion of life force into vital energy, he couldn't replenish them.
"You know that once you cross the small hill in front of you, you will encounter a strange phenomenon in the Divine Ruins. Due to the influence of unknown luck, you will be entangled by the ancient temple left by the 'Heavenly Kingdom.'"
"After learning from the Grand Princess of the Sky Wolf Clan that powerful soul power might counter the temple's power, you decide to try combining your elemental energy and spiritual energy with your soul power."
"You and your avatar cross the small hill together, and sure enough, you see a ruined ancient building a hundred meters away."
"Your soul power has skyrocketed, equivalent to the mid-stage Xuan-level power of a Soul Master."
"Unfortunately, your soul power is still too weak. When you pass by the Earth God Temple, you can't help but walk towards it."
"You enter the Earth God Temple and bow to the Earth God statue."
"You die."
"Your soul is devoured by an unknown entity and becomes a soulless walking corpse."
(End of this chapter)