Chapter Fifty-Five: The Ruins - Element Nullification Zone (Part One)

When the Great Sage announced her intention to visit the ruins of the ancient magical civilization, Cang Lan Yue and Gu Feng both shook their heads in objection. Although the Great Sage could divine fortune and calamity by the power bestowed by the gods, she herself knew neither magic nor martial arts. It was one thing for her to reside safely within the heavily guarded Astral Tower, but venturing into the perilous ruins—where danger lurked at every turn, compounded by the possible arrival of powerful figures from various nations and the Five Great Masters—who could guarantee her safety?

Yet the Great Sage was resolute. “Do you know how to activate the Altar of Divine Ascension?” she asked. When the group fell silent, she continued calmly, “The method for activating the altar is a top secret, and it requires a special item. I believe there are no more than five people in this world who know the method. Our lineage of Great Sages has always inherited a secret item for this purpose.”

“A secret item? What is it?” Gu Feng asked curiously. “Are there such restrictions for using the altar?”

“Of course. The path to divinity is a path against fate itself. Without a special item as a catalyst, even the strongest cultivation is futile. This artifact has been handed down through generations of Great Sages, but whether it will work can only be revealed at the altar.”

Seeing her unwavering determination, the group knew further persuasion was useless. Moreover, her presence seemed to inspire greater confidence. They bid farewell to Cang Lan Yue and departed the imperial palace.

“Teacher, the ancient magical ruins are in the empire’s borderlands, a desolate area over three thousand kilometers away. We must use the teleportation array to get close, but even then, we’ll be ten days’ journey from the site. We should prepare.” Since Gu Feng had never visited the ruins, Gan Luo Fu dispatched a mage as their guide, one of Gu Feng’s own disciples.

“No need. You should return and assist Gan Luo Fu. I know the direction of the wasteland well enough.” Gu Feng said, then suddenly asked, “Why not set up a teleportation array near the ruins? Wouldn’t that make things much easier?”

His disciple hesitated. “Constructing a spatial teleportation array requires several mages and over twenty days. It probably hasn’t been finished yet.”

Gu Feng nodded, sent the disciple away, and was about to lead the group to the teleportation array when Wood stopped him, summoning the Fearless One and transforming it into a flying vehicle. “Three thousand kilometers—at its speed, it will take only a few minutes. We can get ahead of the others.”

Gu Feng was delighted. Zi Gui nodded, about to say, “Technology...” but caught himself, remembering the Great Sage was nearby and that revealing Gu Feng’s secret would be unwise, so he quickly fell silent.

They boarded the flying machine. Since the Fearless One was a combat-type Transformer, its interior was cramped for so many people, but the short trip made the discomfort bearable.

Zi Gui exclaimed, “Wait, Wood, your Fearless One is fast, but there’s no safety protection. The inertia alone could kill us!”

Wood realized the issue—there were no seat belts, and the Fearless One moved at extreme speeds; a sudden stop would send them crashing into steel. He quickly inquired of the Fearless One. But the silicon-based civilization’s technological mastery was extraordinary; the Fearless One replied calmly, “The interior space is unaffected by external velocity.”

Soon, they felt the craft take off, with no discomfort. After a while, the Fearless One announced, “Arrived at the designated location.”

Wood and Zi Gui were unfazed, but Gu Feng was astonished. “So fast—it rivals the teleportation array!”

Wood said, “We’ve only reached the wasteland. Do you know the exact location of the ruins?”

Gu Feng replied, “I heard the general direction from Xiao Gan.” He used the craft’s video system to observe the surrounding terrain, searching for the ruins.

The Fearless One made things easier. “Energy reaction detected two kilometers ahead.” The video quickly switched to a small hill two kilometers away.

“Ah! It’s them!” Gu Feng exclaimed, seeing the people on the screen. “How did they get here so quickly?”

On the hill, two groups confronted each other, both focused on a middle-aged man in a bright red mage robe woven with countless golden threads. On the other side was a middle-aged woman in a blue mage robe—plain in appearance but exuding an imposing arrogance. Each was accompanied by several swordmasters; it seemed they had just fought, but neither could best the other.

Seeing their attire, Wood asked, “Brother Gu, are these the national guardian mages from other countries you mentioned?”

“Indeed,” Gu Feng nodded. “The red robe is Xichuan’s guardian mage, a fire-type mage known as Flame Demon, hot-tempered. The blue robe is Shui Rou’er, the water-type mage saint from the Ice and Snow Kingdom.”

As Gu Feng explained, Wood had the Fearless One land, and the group emerged from the vehicle.

Watching the steel monster descend from the sky, both groups grew tense, instinctively drawing closer. When Gu Feng’s party emerged from the belly of the beast, their faces grew grave. Then the vehicle transformed into a humanoid, prompting exclamations, “A mechanical golem! So the Cang Lan Empire’s magitech has reached such heights. Looks like you’ll benefit the most from this excavation.”

Seeing their astonished looks, Gu Feng laughed. “Shui Rou’er, Flame Demon—you arrived quickly! Did you set up a teleportation array when you first excavated the ruins?”

Though all guardian mages were of the mage saint level, Gu Feng was widely acknowledged as the foremost among them, destined to become the youngest peer of the Five Great Masters. Naturally, both were somewhat tense at his appearance.

“May I ask the purpose of your visit, Master Gu?” Flame Demon inquired, glancing at a swordmaster beside him. Wood had noticed these swordmasters already, especially four whose collars bore three small golden swords—the mark of the Grand Sword Sect. These four seemed to defer to two ordinary-looking swordmasters, who were likely sword saints, equals to mage saints.

Indeed, Gu Feng smiled, “Flame Demon, why do you keep looking at your sword saints while speaking to me? Planning a sneak attack, perhaps?”

Flame Demon blushed—he had considered it, for national interests always bred competition among mage saints. “You jest, Master Gu. You are a spatial mage saint; who could ambush you?”

At the same time, his swordmaster signaled: their opponents were formidable.

Originally, Flame Demon thought these people were merely Gu Feng’s attendants or disciples, since they wore neither mage robes nor swords, and he paid them little mind. But upon his sword saint’s warning, he focused and was shocked. A mage saint’s spiritual probing was formidable, yet when he tried, he found each of them wrapped in a subtle shield—his spiritual power could not penetrate. It was, in fact, the protection of the dimensional system.

He quickly recovered, pointing at the Great Sage with uncertainty. “You… are you Cang Lan Empire’s Great Sage, Phil Julia?”

The Great Sage nodded. “Lord Flame Demon, Lady Shui Rou’er, what brings you here?”

Shui Rou’er, the mage saint of the Ice and Snow Kingdom, was taciturn; since Gu Feng’s arrival, only Flame Demon had spoken. Now, when questioned by the Great Sage, she remained silent. Flame Demon replied irritably, “Why are we here? This ancient magical civilization reeks of evil—guards who return from it become monsters, slaughtering indiscriminately. I came to investigate the cause.”

“Oh! Why did you fight, then?” Gu Feng asked mischievously. “A clash of interests?”

“Not with her.” Flame Demon snapped, “She went mad—attacked me with an ice storm without a word. I never had a grudge against her and was totally unprepared. If not for my robe’s daily ‘Shield of Protection,’ I’d have been finished.”

“So, it was Shui Rou’er’s fault!” Gu Feng laughed, looking at her.

Shui Rou’er snorted coldly, turned with her group, and left without a word. Gu Feng continued laughing, “Flame Demon, you’re lucky to have sword saints with you. Otherwise, by the time I arrived, I might have found only your corpse.”

“Bah, nothing but curses from you,” Flame Demon retorted, though his heart trembled.

Those who became mages were gifted and wise; though hot-tempered, Flame Demon was no fool. Even if Gu Feng hadn’t said so, he knew: without his nation’s sword saints, facing two equals alone would have been grave trouble. While sword saints weren’t as renowned as mage saints, their close-range ambushes could be deadly.

Mage saints were always protected by their nations; when entering dangerous places, sword saints and Grand Sword Sect experts accompanied them. Though sword saints and mage saints were equals, the mage saints’ power in war far surpassed sword saints—they could command mages to summon forbidden magic via arrays to devastate enemy armies, while even the strongest sword saint was but one man. He could fight a hundred, but could he fight a thousand?

Watching Shui Rou’er’s group depart, Flame Demon stamped his foot in frustration and said to Gu Feng, “Master Gu, you’re going to the ruins as well. Why not join forces for mutual support?”