On the vast surface of the Cangjiang River, the surface remained as calm as ever, but within the hearts of tens of thousands of people on its banks, a turbulent and restless sea of emotions surged.
For tonight, they encountered an opportunity unlike any they had ever faced before—the opening of an ancient ruin.
They faced two possible outcomes: death within, or the attainment of the coveted martial arts techniques and divine weapons.
This journey to the ruins would likely be a turning point in their lives.
On the riverbank, people were densely packed together, but within this crowded expanse, several spots stood remarkably spacious.
Around the crowds at the center of these spots, several almost empty spaces appeared.
It wasn't that these spots were unsuitable for standing, but rather that no one dared to stand beside them.
The people in these spots held positions of unparalleled influence in the martial arts world; they were either representatives of powerful figures or possessed astonishing strength.
Among these people were several whose identities were known throughout the martial arts world. Among them were the lords of Huang Family Fortress and Liu Family Village, powerful figures possessing peak late-stage Innate Realm cultivation.
However, while their strength and influence were formidable, there were still those even stronger present.
The Nangong family had two elders at the late-stage Innate Realm, the Beiming family had three elders, and the Dongfang family had one elder and a group of elite disciples.
Several others were even more remarkable. Although they didn't possess powerful forces, they had astonishing strength.
These individuals all had profound cultivation, and two of them had already been recognized.
One was the renowned scholar-sword master Feng Chen, who had dominated the martial arts world four hundred years ago; the other was his wife, Miao Jingxian, one of the ten beauties of that era.
They both looked remarkably young. Feng Chen appeared to be in his thirties, and Miao Jingxian looked to be under thirty.
Just moments ago, a few fools, lusting after Miao Jingxian's beauty, attempted to harass her. Feng Jing released his peak-stage Innate Realm aura, and they immediately collapsed to the ground, unlikely to wake until tomorrow morning.
While everyone was still reeling from their astonishment at their cultivation, Leng Xinghun, one of the top ten young masters, respectfully approached the couple and asked, "Uncle-Master Feng, Aunt Miao, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing his address, the two elders of the Nangong family immediately recognized them by their swords and appearances.
When he called out the titles "Sword Immortal" and "Snow Fairy," people instantly remembered their identities.
Unexpectedly, after four hundred years of seclusion, they had reappeared because of the ruins.
There were also several others whose aura was no weaker than theirs. They seemed very familiar with Feng Chen and his wife, exchanging a silent greeting before saying nothing more.
These peak-stage Innate Realm cultivators did not belong to any major power, and even if they had allied forces, they had no affiliation with any of them.
A powerful force cannot grow strong relying on just one or two unique techniques; a complete system of cultivation methods is essential for effective inheritance.
They all came here with their own purposes: some to enrich their sect's foundation, some for their descendants' cultivation methods, and some for personal gain.
Among the members of the major forces present, almost none were at the peak of the Innate Realm, as their cultivation methods were already complete, and they lacked no divine weapons.
They had no urgent need to come; their mentality was that finding valuable items would be ideal, but not finding them was not a big deal.
The members of the World Alliance and the Righteous Alliance came with this mindset.
The eight major sects, except for Leng Xinghun, were all absent, and even Leng Xinghun's presence was for other purposes.
Among these forces and powerful individuals, one group was a complete exception.
They belonged to one of the two strongest families in the martial world and were also important officials in the imperial court, holding territorial authority. They possessed both noble status and immense power.
Of the three who came, all were at the peak of the Innate Realm.
They were the members of the Long family, known in the martial arts world as the Longyun Clan, and in the imperial court as the Longyun Royal Mansion.
Normally, people would give such individuals ample space, but surrounding them was a group of lowly individuals who showed them absolutely no respect.
These people even dared to joke with the women of the Long family. If it weren't for the upcoming opening of the ruins, they might even have dared to harass the two women in front of the men of the Long family!
But no one was surprised by this scene, because in the past ten days or so, the Long family had completely lost the envy and respect of the people. Even these petty people dared to disrespect them.
Because in these days, the promiscuity of the Long family's mistresses and the despicable nature of the future master had become thoroughly known, and in a short period of time, it had almost spread throughout the martial arts world.
Even now, in this scene under the public gaze, the two mistresses and the master were still dressed in a manner more shameless and degrading than prostitutes.
Both women were as beautiful as celestial goddesses, yet their attire was more vulgar than that of prostitutes.
The older woman possessed a mature, beautiful, and exceptionally sensual face.
Her nearly naked body was covered only by a thin, unidentified, translucent black fabric between her nipples and vulva.
Beneath this semi-transparent fabric, her erect nipples and golden nipple rings were clearly visible.
Her beautiful vulva and pubic hair were faintly visible between her legs, and the golden clitoral ring was clearly visible.
Her back, buttocks, and long, beautiful legs were completely uncovered, boldly exposed to the eye.
The other beautiful woman was equally alluring, wearing a fiery red short blouse and skirt.
The blouse was as short as it could possibly be, barely covering her nipples, with part of her areolas exposed, and not even reaching her navel.
The skirt had only a small front hem, no wider than a palm, barely covering her vulva when she was still. She wore no back hem and no underwear; beneath the front hem lay her beautiful vulva, her full buttocks, like those of older beauties, completely exposed.
Unlike older beauties who wore nipple rings, she wore six gold clitoral rings on her labia.
Each of these six gold clitoral rings was attached to a thread, which connected to the red stockings on her long, beautiful legs.
Whenever she walked, her labia would be pulled apart, and a gush of lustful fluid would flow from her sensitive vulva.
The other woman, dressed in a provocative manner, was not a woman, but a man.
He possessed the face of a peerless beauty and a sexy figure; if it weren't for the lack of breasts and the large penis between his legs, anyone would mistake him for a woman.
He wore a peculiar cheongsam.
His back was completely bare, his smooth back and full buttocks fully exposed.
This man was me—Long Tianxiang, the young master of the Long family.
The older of the two women was my biological mother, Lan Lingsu, and the other was my wife, Yun Yuxin.
Besides the three of us, we didn't bring anyone else. We didn't know what dangers lay inside, so despite our son's pleas and our disciple's entreaties, we left them at the other courtyard.
As we were leaving, my son looked at me with a pitiful expression, and I almost couldn't resist taking him with me.
However, thinking of the dangers inside, I hardened my heart and left.
Upon seeing us arrive, the Huang and Liu families, whom we knew well, immediately found us and started chatting.
When we saw the lovely Huang Ying, her body, no longer that of a naive young girl, immediately revealed that she was no longer a virgin.
Her ever-present cheerful smile, which made those around her happy, also carried a hint of seductive allure.
Seeing Huang Ying like this, my wife teasingly whispered, "Little Huang, who helped you lose your virginity?"
She then looked at her teasingly.
The wife suspected it was either Liu Wen or Liu Wu, but the naive Huang Ying glanced at her brother in a flustered state, then shyly lowered her head and said, "Sister, you're so naughty! I won't tell you."
After saying that, she ran to Liu Qian's side and started chatting with her.
From Huang Ying's flustered gaze, the wife deduced who her first man was. The wife, who genuinely liked this sweet girl, went to Huang Tianxiao, who was fawning over his mother, and angrily transmitted her voice, "You big jerk! I thought you were a good man, but you wouldn't even let such a cute little sister go. Do you think Xiaoying is like me? She's not some slut that just anyone can sleep with!"
As she spoke, the wife pinched his waist hard.
Huang Tianxiao, wincing in pain from his wife's pinch, replied with a wry smile, "Ouch~~ Yuxin, be gentle! Do you think I did it on purpose? We all drank that night, and Xiaoying, emboldened by the alcohol, insisted on going to a brothel. We couldn't resist in the brothel's private room, and... ugh~~~~ I regret it so much! I even thought about committing suicide. If Xiaoying hadn't comforted me, I would have castrated myself."