In the past life, there were various evaluations of the Thirteen Guardians, yet no one truly knew the extent of their power, for those who had witnessed it were mostly dead. However, one thing was certain: they followed Zhou Qingyun, and every single mission to conquer the dimensional rifts had been a success. It was for this reason that a well-known rhyme existed in Mo City, Z Country, describing them.
"Xiao Gangfu, the man who leads the charge;
Knife-wielding killer, Yu Xiaodao;
The ruthless coach, Wei Wuqing;
The dashing playboy, Zhang Bufan;
Wealthy tycoon, Tao Xinyong;
Student with loyalty, Lu Guanzhong;
Gambler, Luo Feiyu;
Coach with no hair, Xiong Wanli;
The flirtatious young master, Feng Yushu;
The intimidating old man, Pu Buhao;
The cunning fisherman, Chen Gang;
The sharp-sighted Yang Xiaoguang;
And the accountant, Wang Li—the one to fear."
As for the likes of Cheng Ye, Liu Daba, and Qian Kun from the Divine Hidden Company, they were merely second-tier figures.
In the past, such a Hunter Company was not to be trifled with. They were the very arbiters of order itself!
…
In the otherworldly space, for over three hours, Xu Que had encountered countless low-level demons amidst the ruins. However, none of them posed any real challenge, as he swiftly dispatched them all. At first, he had held back, conserving his strength. But the more he killed, the less he felt the need to hold back, for these demons were utterly weak. Even the powerful demons he had previously encountered in the Devouring Space had never even managed to land a single blow on him.
"I can't believe it... These low-level demons are so weak!" Xu Que mused, recalling the horrors of his previous life in the Buried City, where he and Duan Jiude had been relentlessly hunted by lowly demons. The memory had left a lasting scar on his heart, making him naturally fearful of demons. But now, that fear had been shattered, and once it was broken, it could never be contained again.
"Ha!" He swung his sword with ease, slashing down a low-level demon in one swift motion. As more demons fell, his pace quickened, his speed in collecting their materials growing even faster.
"Ah! Ah!"
The demons' screams echoed as Xu Que continued his slaughter. Within moments, he had eliminated over twenty low-level demons, and he gleefully began collecting the spoils. His mood was buoyant, not only because he had overcome the shadows of his past but also because he now harbored dark intentions toward even stronger demons.
As he gathered demon horns and other materials, a broad grin spread across his face.
"Minor Demon Slayer Potion, Demon Slayer Scroll, and the Book of Darkness... I'm going to make a fortune!" he thought, as in his previous life, demon horns were highly prized. Though they were rarely used, they were valuable for crafting essential items. A bottle of Minor Demon Slayer Potion could fetch ten spirit stones, while a Demon Slayer Scroll could go for fifty spirit stones. The Book of Darkness was said to be worth nearly three hundred spirit stones.
Just as Xu Que finished collecting the materials, a furious roar rang out from nearby in the ruins.
"Is the main boss here?" Xu Que glanced up, only to see a massive two-meter-tall demon with brown skin leading over twenty low-level demons charging toward him.
With a quick use of his [Eye of Investigation], Xu Que quickly assessed the situation.
"I thought it was a boss, but it's just an elite!" Xu Que spat, gripping his black sword tightly and locking his sights on the target.
"Whoosh!!"
With a thunderous ring, his sword struck out with a devastating force, the blade's energy racing through the air, tearing through the elite demon in an instant.
Xu Que had no intention of engaging in close combat with these demons, especially in such a vast ruin. Reaching the boss's location would take at least an hour, and he had no time for such a drawn-out battle.
The sword beam blasted through the air, and the elite demon and its minions were struck down in a storm of sword energy.
"Ah!"
A horrifying screech pierced the air.
As the energy dissipated, Xu Que quickly approached to collect the materials, but his attention was drawn to a small, black orb of light lying among the fallen demons.
"What's this?" Xu Que bent down and picked it up.
[You have obtained the Demon Tidal Stone.]
[Name: Demon Tidal Stone]
[Quality: Unknown (White)]
[Type: ???]
[Note: Can be used to activate certain mysterious altars.]
Xu Que was stunned. He had never seen such an item before. It resembled the Bloodstone in some ways, but it was different—this one seemed designed to activate an altar, unlike the Bloodstone, which was a sacrificial item. It reminded him more of something related to the Cultivation Altar.
He quickly used [Eye of Investigation] to analyze the stone.
Instantly, the information on the stone changed.
[Name: Demon Tidal Stone]
[Quality: Epic (Gold)]
[Key Item: Can activate the Demon Altar and challenge the creatures within.]
[Note: Key to activate the altar in the Longda Ruins.]
Xu Que was a little speechless. He had entered alone, so if he were to challenge the altar, who would absorb the spiritual energy? Yet if he didn't go, the key would be useless!
"Ugh… this is so frustrating!"
After collecting the rest of the materials, Xu Que looked around. He really didn't want to waste this key. Even if he didn't absorb the spiritual energy, the creatures in the altar could drop some valuable items.
Xu Que decided to make his way around the ruins' outskirts.
Despite the vastness of the ruins, altars like these weren't likely to be inside the city, so he planned to search the periphery for clues.
As Xu Que eliminated low-level demons and explored, he realized the scale of the ruins was no smaller than a city!
"Damn it! Are they really making me explore the entire area?" he muttered.
Just as he rounded a corner of the ruined city, a faint blue magic circle appeared in an abandoned courtyard.
"This..." Xu Que was momentarily stunned but quickly used [Eye of Investigation].
[Mysterious Ancient Altar of Daron City. It is filled with danger. A mutated demon once left its mark here, bringing darkness to the area. Evaluation: Above A-class.]
Seeing the results from his [Eye of Investigation], Xu Que shrugged his shoulders and continued toward the altar.
As long as it wasn't an S-class demon, he was ready to try his luck. After all, he was now on a quest to explore the magical factions! Though he didn't know which faction he was most attuned to, every faction was worth trying. Maybe he'd strike gold!
Xu Que raised the Demon Tidal Stone and focused his gaze on the pillar of light extending toward the sky. As the stone was absorbed by the magic circle, the light began to slowly dim.
Meanwhile, Xu Que realized that no matter which direction he had turned, he always encountered a similar magic circle.
It turned out that each of the four corners of the ruin held the same magic circle!
As the light from the pillar descended, a dark passageway appeared before Xu Que.
"That's it?" Xu Que thought, puzzled. He had expected a teleportation, but all that happened was the opening of a downward passage...
Muttering in frustration, he nevertheless stepped forward.
As he descended, the passageway above vanished from sight.
"Interesting. I thought it was some sort of mechanism, but it seems this is magic."
Xu Que expanded his perception. While he still didn't fully understand what kind of altar this was, caution was certainly warranted.
As he emerged from the dark passage, he arrived in the altar's grand hall at the bottom. Looking around, he saw three other passages, each of which seemed to be slowly disappearing.
He focused on the central altar.
Unlike traditional altars, this one faced downward. Surrounding it were no torches or mechanisms—nothing but an eerie silence.
The only thing present was a coffin-like altar at the center, with no other items in sight.
As Xu Que approached the altar, the space around him seemed to tremble, and suddenly, the entire underground altar was enveloped in an endless darkness.
"Ughhh!"
"Ahhh!"
Strange, chilling cries echoed through the darkness, and Xu Que furrowed his brows, his heart pounding wildly.
"What's going on?"