Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Fallen from the Heavens

All the Evil Demons dissipated into ashes in the air, and the state of the three had somewhat deteriorated, so they didn’t rush to find the path but instead stayed in place to replenish themselves and discuss their next action target.

"This place seems like it’s inside that dark area, right?"

"Yes."

Guan Gui was the guide, and he knew the position of the group better than anyone else.

Li Rui said, "From this perspective, that area where people lose their sense of direction is a ring, and we’ve passed through the middle of it."

"So what’s inside here? Is it also Ghost Cry Ridge?" Cheng Mingyue stood up, "I’ll go ahead and take a look."

The place where the three emerged from the darkness seemed to be a mountain depression, with slopes in front and behind. If they stayed in place, their visibility would be poor, so she chose to head to the high ground ahead for a better look.

"Wow! You guys come over here quickly!"

Cheng Mingyue had just reached the highest point when she immediately called out to the others.

Li Rui hurried up, stood beside her, and saw down below - another big pit.

However, what made Cheng Mingyue exclaim was not this pit, but the large amount of building debris scattered at the bottom of it, with broken eaves, half-buried pavilions, stone carvings, and bricks, as if a whole architectural group had been hit by a meteor.

Cheng Mingyue guessed, "Could it be that Earth Thunder descended and smashed these buildings?"

Guan Gui frowned and said, "How could there be buildings in Ghost Cry Ridge?"

The three didn’t understand and decided they had to get closer to find a conclusion.

So after they had fully recovered, they began to explore downward in combat formation.

Soon, the three discovered a problem. From a distance, it seemed like some kind of spatial distortion occurred between the buildings and people, thus they didn’t notice anything unusual.

It wasn’t until they got closer that they realized these ruins were enormous, with a single tile as big as a double bed, making them feel like they had stepped into the land of giants.

"Is this where the Barbaric Beasts live? It’s way too big."

Cheng Mingyue touched a nearby half brick, "But compared to the ones in Golden Scale Marsh, isn’t this a bit too delicate?"

By this time, Li Rui had understood, "No, this has nothing to do with the Barbaric Beasts, nor was it destroyed because of Earth Thunder descending."

The other two looked over.

"This place fell from the sky. It’s a part of the Upper Realm."

"Oh, oh." Cheng Mingyue nodded repeatedly.

After all, she had seen the scenes in the Secret Realm battlefield with Li Rui, and she had a strong heart, so it was okay for her.

But Guan Gui, having never seen the so-called Upper Realm in person, looked genuinely shocked, frozen in place.

"Fell from the sky?"

Li Rui squatted down, trying to find some explanatory text in the ruins, questioning aloud, "Which part of the Upper Realm do you think this place is?"

"Thunder Division, where else."

Cheng Mingyue nudged the still-dazed Guan Gui with her elbow, "What are you standing there for? Try to think of a solution."

Rumbling sound.

Several coffins rose, and Guan Gui summoned many resurrected beings to help excavate the site.

Because the things here were extraordinary, the three of them didn’t rush in but carefully searched for clues as if they were archaeologists.

"Come over here again!"

Soon after, Cheng Mingyue exclaimed again.

Li Rui and the others ran past a towering broken wall to see a skeleton lying by the wall’s base.

"This is... the outfit of Jingyang Academy."

"It’s someone who got lost here before."

Yuan Qing had previously said that ancestors from the academy had explored this dark area, but many similarly went missing.

"It seems that people have been here before, but they couldn’t get out alive."

Li Rui glanced at the path they came from, seeing that the darkness calmly cut off the outside world, creating an isolated space here.

Back then, when they couldn’t find this place, not even Guan Gui could locate the way using resurrected beings, let alone anyone else.

At this point, Guan Gui had already crouched down and uncovered the outer robe of the skeleton, revealing garments that though intact, had a completely shattered left chest.

"Is there an enemy here?"

"No."

Guan Gui said, "Suicide."

Li Rui shook his head slightly, "Trapped here, couldn’t find a way out, someone just couldn’t take it anymore."

Cheng Mingyue pouted, saying, "Ugh... if I were trapped here alone, I wouldn’t be able to stand it either."

For restless people, it was indeed very excruciating.

Li Rui said, "But looking at it the other way around, it just shows there’s no danger around."

Guan Gui found a resurrected being to bury the academy predecessor’s body in place, then the three continued searching for clues.

Not long after, a resurrected being finally found a wooden plaque that, after being buried for many years underground, never decayed.

"Is this writing?"

Cheng Mingyue pointed at the symbol and asked.

Li Rui said in surprise, "You can’t read it?"

"You can read it?" The two were just as puzzled.

"I can read it. It says, Heavenly Warrior General of Demon Slayer."

Li Rui not only could read it but also recognized it, resembling the kind of token for professional advancement, only that this one was made of wood.

He added, "From the literal meaning, this doesn’t seem like a position from Thunder Division or Thunder City."

"It’s Exorcism Institute!"

"Seems like it."

Li Rui said, "Now I understand, Exorcism Institute and Earth Thunder fell together."

"And then?"

"Then? Earth Thunder belongs to wood, it governs life, but was reversed by Exorcism Institute into Yin and Yang, turning it into deathly stillness, forming a forbidden area around."

Cheng Mingyue paused, then understood, "I was wondering, that dark mass doesn’t even let light through, it’s all deadly still, so that’s inverted Earth Thunder, pure death!"

Li Rui nodded, "When we got the Yin Yang Umbrella, and I first activated the skill, those two Divine Generals mentioned Exorcism Institute because that’s the corresponding ability."

Having unraveled the origins of this place, the three were much more at ease since fear and unease stemmed from the unknown.

And just at that moment, a rumbling sound came from not far away, as if something had collapsed.

"Found a cellar.... or something." Guan Gui said.

The three rushed over, only to see a resurrected being crawling out from the collapsed ruins, next to a pitch-black hole, filled with that same deathly stillness.

"We have to go in and take a look."

"What if we can’t get out?"

"How about this, Brother Gui links the resurrected beings front to back like before. I’ll be at the front, so if there’s any problem, just pull me back immediately."

Li Rui picked up his weapon and moved towards that patch of darkness.

This time, Guan Gui summoned his strongest resurrected being to ensure Li Rui’s safety. Tied together like a rope, the person at the front held onto Li Rui, sending him into the dark underground.