Chapter 5: The Desolate Continent (Part 2)

Flying above the city, they were surprised to find a very small number of ordinary people still living there. In the square, a few young people were grilling a wild boar. Guo Shier immediately folded up the altar and descended from the sky, with Luo Jie and the others following suit.
The ordinary people screamed and fled toward the ruins. Eagle Demon waved his hand and shouted, “Come back!” The few people immediately flew back and landed in front of everyone.
They were all ordinary people in their teens, their faces pale as they stared at Guo Shier and the others.
Guo Shier stepped forward and said, “Don’t be afraid. We’re not outsiders. We’re professionals from the North Talisman Sect.”
Their expressions improved slightly, but they still seemed skeptical. One of the older-looking young men said, “North Talisman Sect?” He had heard of it before but didn’t know it had been destroyed. He asked, “Professionals from the North Talisman Sect? Who… who are you looking for?”
Luo Jie shook his head. “It’s useless to ask them. Ordinary people know very little.” Indeed, these people knew almost nothing. They had managed to avoid capture because they were children—small in body and weak in spirit, thus overlooked by their captors and surviving the disaster.
Guo Shier didn’t give up and patiently asked about what had happened. After listening to their fragmented accounts, he gathered some information: many flying vehicles and hunters had arrived, along with countless professionals who looted everything and captured everyone.
After a while, Guo Shier stood up and shook his head. “We know too little. We can’t get any useful information.”
Eagle Demon asked a few more questions. He also sighed and said, “Back then, they were just children and couldn’t understand what was going on. Forget it. We’ll have to find the truth on our own.” He took out several talisman knives and shields, along with a talisman bow and arrows—weapons he had used before but which were now useless.
He said, “I’m giving you these weapons. Although you’re not professionals, they’ll help you hunt larger beasts and protect yourselves a bit.”
The others showed surprise. These weapons, infused with talismans, were like divine weapons to them. They quickly thanked him and happily put away the weapons.
Guo Shier handed them a talisman storage bag and said, “This is an ordinary talisman storage bag. It can hold quite a lot of things, making it convenient for you to carry items after hunting.”

Symbol storage bags are common among professionals, but it’s almost impossible for ordinary people to obtain them, so the few who got one were overjoyed. With a symbol storage bag, one could carry many things, acting like a mobile small warehouse. They thanked him again.

Guo Shier said, “Let’s go.” He flew into the air, briefly assessed the direction, and then vanished as a streak of light. The others followed closely behind, leaving swiftly.

The ordinary people stared in shock. One of them said, “Professionals from the North Symbol Gate… are they that powerful?”

…

Guo Shier and the others raced ahead. What they saw along the way filled everyone with sorrow. There were no people; all towns and family settlements had been emptied. Occasionally, a few ordinary people who had escaped could be seen, but asking them yielded little information. Ordinary people had too little knowledge and simply didn’t understand the world of professionals.

A few days later, Guo Shier hovered above a ruin—another one of countless such ruins they had seen. Eagle Demon asked, “Shier, have you found anything?”

Guo Shier sighed and said, “This is the Guo family…”

Eagle Demon looked stunned and asked, “Is this your hometown?”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Yes. It’s from here that I… went to the North Symbol Gate. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye. I never expected they too would be captured.”

Luo Jie gently patted Guo Shier’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll find them. As long as they’re captured, there’s no problem… I happen to need a large number of souls. Hmph, this family or sect that dares to reach out and capture others will surely regret their actions.”

Guo Shier let out a sigh of relief and said, “Yes. We won’t let them off. This is the first time I’ve felt such a strong desire to kill!”

Qi Nanshan said casually, “As long as we find them… I’ll have them exterminated!”

The vendettas in this world were far more brutal than those Guo Shier had seen in his past life—extinction was common. For example, the continent where the North Symbol Gate was located had been completely wiped out; all its population was taken away, and all its wealth was plundered. Guo Shier had never experienced such hatred before.

Not only was the continent of the North Symbol Gate plundered, but even a major sect like the Chenxiao Sect wasn’t spared. It was likely that no one remained on the continent where the Chenxiao Sect was located either.

Guo Shier said, “The places we’ve passed through have been almost completely emptied. Even if there are a few who escaped, they’re just ordinary people who can’t provide any useful information. I’m wondering… where did they come from? The Secret Realm of Tranquility? The Secret Realm of Yan Fire? The Secret Realm of Fierce Beasts? I think they must have come from those secret realms.”

Luo Jie pondered for a moment before saying, “That makes sense. Even if we find people, it’s unlikely we’ll get any useful information. Shier’s speculation is quite reasonable. I also think they must have come from the secret realms.”

Qi Nanshan said, “There’s no need to go to the Sealcraft Sect or the Insect Seal Sect. I guess it’s similar there too—no one could have escaped. Well, let’s check out the entrances to each secret realm; maybe we can find some clues.”

Guo Shier agreed, “Right, that’s what I think too. They might have entered through one of the secret realm entrances. Such a large-scale operation must have left some traces. Although a long time has passed, some traces aren’t easy to erase.”

Eagle Demon interjected, “They wouldn’t bother erasing the traces either. With their strength, they’re not afraid of any powerful professionals from this lower-tier continent. They did all this recklessly without worrying about any retaliation.”

Guo Shier sneered, “If it weren’t for us wandering outside and advancing quickly, they indeed wouldn’t have to worry at all. But now… hehe! As long as we find them…” His words sent Nan You shivering. Among those present, only he hadn’t felt the pain firsthand, as he had no connection to the Northern Seal Sect or the Chenxiao Sect.

Glancing back at his ruined homeland, Guo Shier said, “Let’s first go to the Secret Realm of Yan Fire, then the Secret Realm of Fierce Beasts, and finally the Secret Realm of Tranquility. If we still can’t find them, we’ll head south.”

Luo Jie nodded. “It seems there’s a problem with the secret realms. I wonder which ancient clan discovered them and rushed in, turning this continent into their prize.”

Guo Shier suddenly remembered the Secret Realm of Yan Fire. Back then, when he found the ground-seal flames, he encountered people from another continent. The same was true for the Secret Realm of Fierce Beasts, where he met Masterwithered tree -> withered tree. As for the Secret Realm of Tranquility, he encountered even more outsiders, but they were all professionals from the intermediate continent, definitely not those from ancient clans.

There’s a huge gap between professionals from the intermediate continent and those from ancient clans. An ancient clan can have many altar-level experts, while on the intermediate continent, it might be impossible to find even one altar-level expert across an entire continent. The ability to wipe out an entire continent’s population on such a large scale definitely isn’t something a faction from the intermediate continent could do.

Guo Shier said, “Let’s first go to the Yanhuo Secret Realm. If any ancient clan invaded from there, they would surely leave many traces.”
It’s impossible to erase traces from a migration involving hundreds of millions of people. The only way to completely remove them is time. If decades have passed, it would be difficult for Guo Shier and his group to find any remaining traces. But with just a few years, they are confident they can figure out who did it.
Not only does Guo Shier know the coordinates of the Yanhuo Secret Realm, but Luo Jie and the others do as well, so this time it’s Luo Jie who opens the talisman gate. He calls out, steps in first, and Guo Shier and the others follow. In the blink of an eye, they arrive at the entrance of the Yanhuo Secret Realm.
At the entrance and exit of the secret realm, they begin searching. After a while, Guo Shier says, “There seems nothing special here. Let’s go inside and take a look.”
Luo Jie replies, “Hmm, good idea. Let’s go in.”
Guo Shier adds, “The Yanhuo Secret Realm has a vast group of talisman flames. If discovered, those people might stay there—after all, it’s a treasure land.”
Luo Jie wasn’t aware of the existence of talisman flames in the Yanhuo Secret Realm. After he left the Northern Talisman Gate, Guo Shier took Master Kumu and his wife Monier inside the realm, where they discovered the land of talisman flames.
“The Yanhuo Secret Realm… uh, there are actually talisman flames…”
Luo Jie slaps his forehead and says, “Damn it, I’ve seen them before… I just didn’t recognize them back then.”
Qi Nanshan says, “We really need talisman flames… We’ve searched many places, hehe.”
Upon entering the Yanhuo Secret Realm, they’re met with fierce winds and snow. Guo Shier knows the initial stretch of the realm is extremely cold. He says, “Let’s fly over—it’s quite a distance.” He releases the altar, leaps onto it, and flies forward using it as a means of transport.
The group races through the storm. The winds and snow in the Yanhuo Secret Realm are notoriously fierce, but they pose no threat to this group. They cut through the stormy weather, crossing the frigid area in just a few hours and arriving at the land of talisman flames.
Looking at the land of talisman flames, Guo Shier lets out a long sigh and exclaims, “How ruthless!”
There are hardly any talisman flames left on the ground—only dense clusters of small holes, with only a few weakly glowing multicolored flames remaining. The slightly better ones have almost all been taken away.
Luo Jie asks in confusion, “Is this the land of talisman flames you mentioned?”

The Eagle Demon sighed, “It was taken away completely… Heh, how ruthless! Guo Shier was right. When we first came here, it was covered head to toe in符 fire -> fire fire. It’s a shame… in just a few decades, it was completely exhausted.”
Guo Shier thought to himself, “Draining the pond to catch fish, burning the forest to hunt—I wonder which damned family did this.”
The Eagle Demon said, “There were two sects competing for this land of符 fire -> fire fire back then…”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “I understand… No one would cultivate such a precious land; they’d rather exploit it wildly. That’s not strange. But the roots here still remain. Maybe in a hundred years, or maybe in a thousand, it will once again be a land of符 fire -> fire fire.”
The Eagle Demon smiled and said, “It endures forever!”
Guo Shier nodded, “As long as this secret realm exists and time keeps passing, sooner or later, it will return to its original state.”
Luo Jie said, “It seems this isn’t the entrance. Let’s head to the Savage Beasts Secret Realm!”