Chapter 91: No Road Left Back

Within their view, there was no mountain left intact.

Every peak had come crashing down.

“Let’s go. We’ll head forward now and see what is really going on,” Long Ruxuan said, stepping out first.

The others followed. By now there was no chance of retreat; they could only press ahead.

“Brother Long! Look over there, what place is that?” Lu Ran said, staring in shock.

Long Ruxuan followed the direction of Lu Ran’s finger and saw, abruptly, a tiny village ahead.

That little mountain village stood out vividly amid the range.

After all, everything around it had collapsed and was nearly reduced to ruins...

The village remained serene and unchanged, like the last pure land between heaven and earth.

“What place is this... How can there be somewhere like this in the Southern Ridge Mountains?” Long Ruxuan asked in astonishment.

Everyone looked at the little village before them, feeling deeply surprised.

On its own, the village did not seem so different from any other mountain hamlet. But one had to consider the background behind it.

For it to survive the collapse of the Southern Ridge Mountains unscathed, it must surely be extraordinary.

“This village must be like this because something is inside it! Otherwise, how could it remain perfectly intact amid all that destruction?”

Suddenly, a spark of hope ignited in Long Ruxuan’s eyes.

Could this be the legendary path where heaven leaves no one without an opening?

Perhaps there really was an expert dwelling in that village!

At the thought, Long Ruxuan was about to head toward the village.

But Lu Ran grabbed him at once.

“Are you trying to die? You’re just going straight in?”

Long Ruxuan looked at him in confusion. “Why not?”

Lu Ran could barely bear to look at him.

“Look around you, then look at that village. We have no idea what is inside. If we rush in blindly and never make it back out, what then?”

“Besides, the Southern Ridge Mountains are a forbidden land! The fact that this place is still so perfectly preserved may mean it is even more dangerous!”

His voice was full of urgency.

How could this man seem so naive and inexperienced?

Anyone with eyes could see this was a place of special significance.

What if there was some hidden scheme here?

Long Ruxuan shook his head, his eyes filled with resolve, and even his face took on a hardened expression.

“Brother, what you say is entirely reasonable. Then Long shall take his leave.”

“We walk different roads and should not travel together. I have no other choice.”

“To be honest, though I am a prince of the Golden Dragon royal house, I am in truth nothing but a discarded waste. Now that there is even a sliver of hope before me, I must seize it.”

“Even if this is a terrifying place, I am not afraid in the least.”

With that, Long Ruxuan gave Lu Ran a bright smile.

“Brother, rest assured. If there is any great fortune within, I will certainly tell you.”

After speaking, he strode directly toward the village.

Seeing Long Ruxuan go, the four golden elixir guards behind him remained standing where they were, unmoving.

“Are we going in too?”

“No! Why should we go die with him?”

“That makes sense!”

As soon as they said this, the four of them immediately turned on their heels and left without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Ran had not yet departed. Seeing the four guards leave so abruptly, he was stunned.

What was this?

Was this the treatment a prince received?

In that instant, Lu Ran suddenly understood why Long Ruxuan had pressed forward without hesitation, no matter how many dangers awaited him inside.

If one was so unloved and unwanted, death might indeed seem preferable!

“Damn it! I don’t want to die either!”

“Long Ruxuan, wait for me. Damn it all, I suppose I owe you one!”

Clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes, Lu Ran ran straight toward the village.

Before long, he finally caught up to Long Ruxuan.

Breathless, he heard Long Ruxuan ask in surprise, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming? Why are you here again?”

Long Ruxuan was indeed rather astonished.

Lu Ran gave him no pleasant expression at all. “None of your business. Besides, why should you be the only one with no way back?”

If he returned to his sect today, chances were he would not survive either.

“Then let us walk this road together! To witness the sights of this village, even dying would be worth it!”

The two of them finished speaking and entered the village.

Along the way, everything was ordinary and unremarkable, with nothing unusual at all.

“This place seems perfectly normal to me. I can’t see anything strange here,” Lu Ran said, looking around with some confusion.

“No.”

As he walked, Long Ruxuan shook his head, his expression solemn.

“It is precisely because of this that it is more extraordinary. Otherwise, how could an ordinary little village have emerged unscathed when the Southern Ridge Mountains collapsed?”

Even if he said it aloud, would anyone believe him?

Lu Ran nodded along.

“That is true.”

“Look at that ditch over there!” Long Ruxuan suddenly said. He hurried forward and crouched beside it.

Within the ditch, water murmured softly, as though flowing.

Long Ruxuan looked at it with growing wonder.

“Oh, it’s just a little ditch. What’s so strange about that?” Lu Ran said from behind.

Though Long Ruxuan was a prince who had fallen out of favor, surely even an unwanted prince had seen a ditch before.

Tsk.

Long Ruxuan grabbed Lu Ran and pulled him down beside him.

“Come and take a look.”

Lu Ran instinctively drew a breath.

“Damn! No way!”

What was that scent? He had only inhaled once, yet it was as though a fresh, invigorating fragrance had surged straight into his mind, sweeping away all the foul airs within it.

“There seems to be spiritual essence in this water!” Lu Ran exclaimed in surprise.

“It does seem so!” Long Ruxuan crouched at once and drank a mouthful without hesitation.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

Long Ruxuan said with delight.

The water seemed to be filled with spiritual essence, though not exactly spiritual essence; rather, it carried a wonderfully soothing presence that left his whole body indescribably refreshed.

“Wait, let me try some too!” Lu Ran said happily.

He moved to the edge of the ditch and lowered his head straight into the water, taking a big gulp.

“If this water were used to irrigate spirit plants, it would surely increase their medicinal potency immensely!” Lu Ran said at once, his eyes blazing with excitement.

He was, after all, a cultivator of spirit plants. This water was simply perfect for them!