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Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine: They Should Thank Me

While exploring the abandoned ancient town, Miss Vilyric continuously noted the noteworthy clues and gradually arrived at some conclusions.

The battle that led to the overnight demise of Open Heaven Gate certainly didn’t end in a short time; they found numerous signs of large-scale destruction and fissures along the way.

The number of invaders likely wasn’t that many.

At that time, the enemy must have used some means to seal off the area before charging into the Open Heaven Gate’s stronghold, starting a massacre and destruction in no time flat, while the latter organized their forces repeatedly for defense, retreating while buying time for other actions.

The damage to the ancient town was primarily concentrated in the most severely affected areas, while other parts remained relatively intact. If there had been a huge flood of enemies clashing in full battle with the Open Heaven Gate disciples, the scene would undoubtedly look different.

After passing several battlegrounds, Vilyric suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Wait, something’s strange. How come we haven’t seen anyone else besides us? According to the commotion when it opened, there should be many explorers here, right?”

“Maybe they arrived earlier than us and ventured deeper?”

Miss Priestess shook her head.

“That can’t be it; there definitely shouldn’t be a single person around. By the number, there should be nearly a thousand entering the Ruins Sea this time. Even if widely dispersed…”

“Whoosh!”

Before she could finish, a sharp arrow suddenly shot out from the shadow of an ancient town building, straight at the girl!

“Buzz!”

A golden barrier instantly rose, blocking that heavy metal arrow—clearly not something an ordinary person could wield. It lost its momentum and fell with a “ding” on the ground.

“!”

While Vilyric defended herself, Miss Xiao Kong wasted no time and swung her claw, the silver arc that erupted instantly bisected the tall building in half, causing it to crash down!

That strike was nothing short of astonishing; under its pressure, even the curtain of rain in the sky was abruptly torn apart, only resuming once the silver arc disappeared.

“Wooah… Calm down, calm down, I’m fine.”

Surprised by the cat daughter’s seemingly frenzied reaction, Vilyric quickly grasped Miss Xiao Kong’s exposed, smooth wrist, stopping her urge to go for more.

Who would’ve thought… this little cat usually seems so quiet, but strikes so fiercely?

“Um, sorry. The environment here always makes me a bit uncomfortable, so I reacted instinctively…”

After being restrained by Miss Priestess, the cat girl seemed to realize her impulsiveness and stuck her tongue out, retracting her glinting claws as if to shift the embarrassing moment towards the now-ruined house.

“Come out, you pathetic sneak thieves! Are you just going to hide?!”

After a moment of silence, a few shadows gradually emerged from behind the crumbling building.

As Vilyric caught sight of them, the silver-haired girl who had silently picked up the arrow met her gaze. Vilyric casually drew her weapon, pointing it at them after the barrier dissipated.

“What do you mean by this? Planning to rob us?”

“Vilyric… Robbing isn’t done like this.”

“Okay, I get the meaning…”

Even while bickering with Miss Xiao Kong, Miss Priestess maintained her focus.

Without a doubt, these people were alive, and Vilyric had even seen them before outside that hill leading into the Endless Ruins Sea.

Their attire indicated they didn’t belong to any formal sect, more like a disorganized band of fringe practitioners or small martial groups, but whatever their identity, that recent clear act of aggression was undeniable.

“…”

The other party said nothing, seeming completely unfazed even by the terrifying strike just now. They merely held their weapons and stared at the three girls with their eerie, ghostly green eyes.

Their condition was far from whole; many bore injuries and bloodstains from battles. Although they had seen basic first aid, the effects were still quite evident, making it clear that this situation wasn’t suitable for a backdoor deal.

“What’s going on…”

“Vilyric, something feels off about these people.”

“Eh?”

Frowning, Miss Priestess temporarily dispelled the golden light at the tip of her staff and tilted her head towards the silver-haired girl beside her.

“What do you mean?”

Dropping the heavy metal arrow, Hen surveyed the surroundings as if observing something invisible.

“There are beings like vengeful spirits in this Ruins Sea… and quite a number of them too.”

After glancing back at the few baiting them for aggression—a clear death wish—Vilyric raised an eyebrow.

“Are they possessed by something like vengeful spirits? Are you sure?”

Miss Hen was concise.

“Weapons are extensions of the martial artist’s emotions; this specialized arrow carries the traces of their causality.”

“Eh… Is that really possible? You guys are being too abstract!”

“Whoosh!”

In the midst of her speech, another arrow was shot at them, but Miss Xiao Kong, all ready, casually caught that heavy arrow in her claws before using strength to snap the steel in half!

“Vilyric, I’m getting mad. Can I beat them half to death?”

“Why do you feel like you’re getting more violent lately… I know you’re anxious, but hold on—Whoa!”

“Bang bang bang bang bang!!!”

Before Vilyric could calm the restless cat girl, those possessed by vengeful spirits charged at them recklessly like they were on a death march. Immediately, Miss Priestess wielded her staff; the bursting wind of magic sent several flying back, crashing into the buildings on each side.

Miss Cat Daughter looked quite puzzled.

“Aren’t you more impatient than me… Are they going to die?!”

Feigning a cough, Miss Vilyric shook her head.

“You don’t understand; I’m a priestess, my specialty is killing and then reviving people. They won’t die, and when they wake up, they’ll probably thank me for healing them.”

As she spoke, she turned to look around, appearing suddenly enlightened.

“No wonder we haven’t seen anyone; they must’ve all gathered together.”

Back when they first tangled with that initial group, more armed foes of various outfits had already surged around them, encircling the three girls.

Clearly, they were also outsiders exploring the Ruins, and due to something that had happened before, they had fallen prey to the so-called vengeful spirits, which was easy to deduce from their eerily glowing eyes.

“So many of them…”

Upon witnessing this scene, Miss Xiao Kong finally grasped some of the oddities.

Vengeful spirits occasionally appeared in certain areas that had suffered severe tragedies, retaining heavy sentiments, but the conditions for their emergence were strict, so their numbers were typically limited, let alone every one of them possessing the capability to bind to the living, especially not well-practiced martial artists like those before them.

This Ruins Sea… is strange.

However, despite the genuinely eerie circumstances, Miss Priestess suddenly broke into laughter.

“I think I understand a bit now. Have you two ever heard of a game called “Battle Royale”?”