He had a pale complexion, dim eyes, and looked completely wilted. After sitting cross-legged for a long time, he finally regained some spirit.

Feeling ashamed, he said, “Not only was I unable to help, but I also fainted and became a burden. I truly apologize.”

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Yan Zhou, “Fortunately, you won. Otherwise, our lives would have been in danger. This person is ruthless; with one strike, he could take a life. He’s truly vicious. Now that he’s a captive, captured by you, he can still calmly negotiate terms. It seems he has a significant backing.”

“I don’t know what kind of background the Yan family has, but it’s better to be cautious.”

The two of them sat in the shadow of the rocky mountain to avoid the sunlight. As the sun rose higher, the temperature in the desert gradually increased. With the wind blowing, yellow sand filled the air, making it unbearably dry. Now that they knew the whereabouts of Jing Yan Hang and Xie Yan, they naturally had to plan carefully.

Jiang Bai Yu conveyed what Yan Zhou had said to Lou Yu Zhu and also mentioned the result of her divination, proving that the other party’s words were not false.

No matter how the two ended up in the hands of the Yan family, the urgent matter now was to rescue them.

Jiang Bai Yu handed over a healing pill, “Take this.”

Lou Yu Zhu shook his head, “You should keep such a good healing pill for yourself. I brought some elixirs; although their effects aren’t as good, they’re still quite decent. I’ll meditate a bit more, and it won’t be a problem. Your medicine is best saved for emergencies, don’t waste it on ordinary days.”

“Alright then.” Seeing his insistence, Jiang Bai Yu put the pill away.

Yan Zhou was seriously injured, and Jiang Bai Yu broke half a pill to feed him. Now his life force was stable, having passed the danger period, but it was impossible for him to fully recover.

Jiang Bai Yu said, “This place may have opportunities, but it also brings considerable trouble. The ancient god’s relic sounds impressive, but I wonder what kind of treasure it is. With the Yan family watching us closely, and with only the two of us, the other two junior brothers have also fallen into the hands of the Yan family. It seems we won’t be able to share in this feast.”

He paused, “If the dean and the others come, then we might have something to look forward to.”

Lou Yu Zhu shook his head, “The response from the academy shouldn’t be this quick. At least we need to wait for the teacher to arrive at Tian Quan Forest, investigate, and report to the elders before we can expect the dean to come.”

Hearing this, Jiang Bai Yu sighed, “Then we have to find a way to rescue the two of them ourselves. The longer we wait, who knows what might happen.”

Lou Yu Zhu agreed, “Indeed. I wonder why the Yan family captured them.”

Jiang Bai Yu asked, “This place has strange spiritual energy; have you ever heard of such a place?”

Lou Yu Zhu shook his head, “Never heard of it.”

His gaze fell back on Yan Zhou, “If this person is released, not only will he refuse to help us, but he might also bring the Yan family to capture us. The situation would be even worse for us.”

Jiang Bai Yu’s gaze also turned to him, “Yeah. It’s easy to say that now, but who knows if releasing him would make him turn against us immediately? At that point, we wouldn’t have any way to deal with him.”

The two of them fixed their eyes on him.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Yan Zhou, lying on the ground, coughed and slowly opened his eyes, “If you don’t believe me, I can swear that I will never bring my family to trouble you. As for your companions, I can find a way to release them.”

Jiang Bai Yu replied, “To save your life, betraying the Yan family without hesitation doesn’t seem very trustworthy.”

Yan Zhou coughed, struggling to get up. He felt that his internal injuries had eased a lot, knowing that he had received some healing.

He said coldly, “They are just two insignificant people. As long as they’re not coveting the ancient god’s relic, it doesn’t matter. I assume you just stumbled into the forbidden wasteland and were captured by my people. If they are truly a significant threat to the Yan family, it wouldn’t be up to me to make decisions.”

Yan Zhou’s gaze fixed on Jiang Bai Yu, completely ignoring Lou Yu Zhu beside him, and spoke word by word, “You may have some skills, but you’re still far from being comparable to the experts of the Yan family.”

Jiang Bai Yu replied nonchalantly, “You’re right.”

He stood up and stretched, “Since you’re awake, let’s set off.”

Lou Yu Zhu also got up. Although his complexion was pale, his eyes showed determination, “Are we going to check on the Yan family?”

Jiang Bai Yu nodded, “Let’s first see what the situation is and then make plans. I calculated a divination for them, and it’s a great misfortune.”

Lou Yu Zhu didn’t doubt him, “Let’s go!”

The three of them walked together. Yan Zhou, forcing himself despite his injuries, silently rushed toward the location of the Yan family. For him, getting closer to the Yan family was actually beneficial, so he naturally wouldn’t resist.

However, as they got closer, Yan Zhou’s expression grew increasingly grim, and by the end, he was completely drained of color, swaying under the scorching sun.

“Not here? Why isn’t it here?”

Yan Zhou muttered to himself, unable to believe it.

Then he suddenly dashed forward, disregarding his injuries, and finally arrived at the Yan family’s base, collapsing to the ground with the last of his strength.

What lay before him was a scene of devastation. It was clear that many people had been here before, but now all he could see were patches of blood and bodies lying in disarray.

Yan Zhou’s eyes widened in shock, “How could this be?!”

Jiang Bai Yu looked up and surveyed the area, his gaze sweeping over the blood-soaked ground, “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It seems your Yan family has become someone else’s prey without even realizing it.”

Yan Zhou’s expression was dazed, still muttering to himself, “How could it be like this… how could it be like this…”

After a moment, he trembled and stood up, entering the ruins of the camp to see if there were any survivors.

Clearly, not a single survivor remained; they had all become victims under someone else’s blade.

Jiang Bai Yu frowned. He thought that Jing Yan Hang and Xie Yan had fallen into the hands of the Yan family, which was why it was a great misfortune. If Yan Zhou could secretly release them, that would be the best outcome. However, he suspected that the great misfortune wouldn’t be so easily resolved, so he didn’t immediately agree to Yan Zhou, choosing to first assess the situation of the Yan family.

Now the situation was far from what he had expected, but according to the divination, it seemed there was no difference.

It was just that the Yan family was also facing great misfortune.

Jing Yan Hang and Xie Yan had fallen into the hands of the Yan family, which was a great misfortune, and coincidentally, the Yan family was also facing great misfortune, having been completely wiped out. So the question arose: was there a possibility that the two junior brothers could turn this misfortune into a blessing?

The Yan family’s great misfortune might not necessarily be a great misfortune for Jing Yan Hang and Xie Yan.

Jiang Bai Yu took the opportunity to calculate another divination, and the result was ominous.

Suddenly, a strong beam of light illuminated the wasteland, extremely dazzling, making even the sunlight appear dim under its radiance.

It tore through the sky, instantly lighting up the entire land, and in the blink of an eye, it was easy to injure one’s eyes.

Lou Yu Zhu and Yan Zhou’s first reaction was to close their eyes; their thin eyelids couldn’t block it, and they felt a sharp pain.

However, Jiang Bai Yu’s eyes transformed into starry orbs in an instant, deep and unaffected, clearly seeing this beam of light, as if a new world had opened up, soaring into the clouds, and the chaotic and violent spiritual energy around them trembled.

The space twisted in waves, and the rocky mountains and sands of the wasteland looked like paint on a canvas, gradually fading when it met water, revealing their true forms behind.

In just a few breaths, the world changed colors.

When the beam of light disappeared, it completely transformed the landscape.

The scorching sunlight was no longer intense; it became warm and gentle. The air was no longer dry and unbearable; it was filled with a gentle fragrance, refreshing and soothing. The sound of birds chirping filled the air, clear and pleasant, with countless chattering voices blending together, creating a lively noise.

Jiang Bai Yu was taken aback, recalling the biggest doubt about the oasis around the pool, which had been eerily quiet, without a single bird call. Not even the sound of insects could be heard; it was unusually silent.

Everything before him was even more astonishing. What kind of power could cause the world to change so dramatically in an instant?

From a barren life-restricted zone to a vibrant jungle.

Had the world changed, or had they moved?

Jiang Bai Yu opened his starry eyes, everything around him was real, not an illusion. The transformation he witnessed was genuine, and a miracle was happening within his line of sight.

Looking back, Lou Yu Zhu and Yan Zhou had become half-blind, tightly closing their eyes, unable to open them for the time being.

Although Lou Yu Zhu couldn’t see, he could sense that the source of this transformation had disappeared. He caught the scent of the jungle and listened to the countless birds gathering together, chuckling, “Looks like I’m going to be a burden again.”

Yan Zhou gritted his teeth, “It’s the ancient god’s relic! Someone has opened the ancient god’s relic!”

Jiang Bai Yu asked, “What exactly is this ancient god’s relic you’re talking about?”

At this moment, Yan Zhou didn’t hold back anymore. The Yan family’s forces had been completely wiped out. Even if there were survivors, they had become captives, suffering under the hands of the enemy. Now the three of them were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope; if they encountered enemies attacking the Yan family, they would have to support each other.

Yan Zhou quickly explained, “It is rumored that an ancient god fell in this place, and its unwillingness and anger turned into violent spiritual energy that ravaged the land, turning the surroundings into a wasteland where nothing could grow. Everything of the ancient god became relics, hidden deep within the forbidden wasteland.”

“Even if it has long since fallen, the traces of the ancient god are not easy to find. Even if its soul is completely extinguished, the remnants of the ancient god’s will still possess powerful strength, preventing its body from being discovered by others and inviting desecration.”

“The monsters you saw in the wasteland are the manifestations of the ancient god’s wrath before its death, rampaging through the entire wasteland, attacking those who come seeking opportunities.”

“To create such a commotion in this place must be closely related to the ancient god’s relic!”

Yan Zhou said bitterly, “The news of the ancient god’s relic was hard-won by our Yan family, and the family paid a huge price for it!”

Jiang Bai Yu remarked, “Is there a possibility that the other party thinks the same way?”

Yan Zhou: “…”

Jiang Bai Yu continued, “Is there also a possibility that the person who gave you the news is currently watching the fight from a distance, waiting for the right moment? Once the battle has progressed enough, and all the traps have been triggered, they can come in and take advantage of your experience?”

“Not only can they profit greatly from the information they obtained from you, making everyone feel like they’ve gained something and rush to explore the ancient god’s relic, but they can also use you to clear the way, figuring out the taboos of the ancient god’s relic. It’s simply delightful!”

“…”

“…”

Although Lou Yu Zhu and Yan Zhou both had their eyes closed, Jiang Bai Yu felt as if he was being scrutinized.