The flow of the great river slowed down, and the light mist hovering over it thickened as the shadowy figure emerged.

Looking ahead, everything Qin An saw was shrouded in mist, obscuring the figures in front of him.

Standing with his sword in hand, Qin An narrowed his eyes slightly, "Why the mysterious act?"

As soon as he spoke, the shadowy figure drew closer.

With its approach, a slightly eerie voice suddenly echoed.

"Ferry crossing—"

"Calm seas—"

"Get on the boat!"

Although it sounded like calling out, the tone was extremely somber.

Qin An felt a drowsiness cloud his mind as True Essence circulated, a golden aura surrounding him: "Interesting, a voice that directly reaches the soul, not simple."

The chanting touched the deep recesses of the soul, and although it did not harm it, such a voice appearing in this eerie place naturally made Qin An wary.

At this moment, the shadowy figure gradually approached the shore.

When Qin An saw its true form, he frowned slightly, "What is this?"

Only to see a small boat slowly docking, and standing on it was an old man in a straw raincoat.

The old man's face was somber, with lifeless eyes, and his face was etched with crisscrossing wrinkles.

Below the neck, where a normal human body should be, there was instead a body woven from straw.

No Evil Qi, not a demon nor Pseudo-God.

No flesh and blood, not a human cultivator.

Such strangeness was something Qin An had seen for the first time.

"Board the boat?" The old man swept his gaze over Qin An, his lifeless ash-colored pupils void of vitality.

Qin An raised Cold Star and slashed down, "I told you, cut the mysterious act."

An inexplicable old ferryman appeared, with a body woven from straw, now even asking Qin An to get on the boat.

Were Qin An to board now, who knows what would happen next?

The old man did not resist, allowing the Five-Colored True Essence to envelop him entirely.

When Qin An sheathed his sword, the old man had already turned into a cloud of straw.

The straw fell on the water surface, which should have floated above, yet at this moment, it sank rapidly and vanished.

At the same time, the boat quickly decayed, carried away by the river's flow, sinking into it.

Seeing this, Qin An furrowed his brows tightly.

The river remained calm, yet once again an eerie voice echoed over its surface.

"Ferry crossing—"

"Calm seas—"

"Get on the boat—"

A shadowy figure emerged on the distant river, approaching Qin An's location.

Qin An squinted, "Interesting, I had clearly dealt with that strange old man's body, yet he reappears. What is the identity of this person?"

He made no move, standing by the river with his sword, waiting patiently.

At this moment, the shadowy figure approached the shore.

The ferryman swept his lifeless ash-colored pupils over Qin An, "Board the boat?"

"Exactly the same." Qin An pondered, "Even the demeanor and aura are alike, this place is perilously unpredictable, perhaps it is best to temporarily withdraw."

No one could say for sure what lurked in the river.

Qin An was contemplating whether it was worth taking the risk for a supreme Heart Method.

Though sometimes he acted recklessly, he did so only when he was assured, to save time.

Most of the time, Qin An remained as steady as an old dog.

The supreme Heart Method was important, but without life, it was all empty talk.

Qin An was making his decision.

Time passed, but the ferryman never left the shore, like an emotionless scarecrow, seemingly waiting for Qin An to board before leaving.

Just as Qin An decided to temporarily retreat, footsteps suddenly resounded.

Turning around, Qin An saw more than a dozen Jianghu people approaching from all directions.

"As soon as the old man appeared, Jianghu people arrived. Could this secret have already been known to others?"

"The Zhao family's old ancestor has been trapped in Cangcui Forest for too long, even placing the true dragon's body into the river doesn't ensure absolute safety."

"These people are clearly here for the great river, I will quietly observe for now."

Thinking this, Qin An gave up the idea of leaving, silently stepping back two paces to distance himself from the old man.

This distance was ingenious, whether to deal with the old man or the suddenly appearing Jianghu people, it was the optimal distance.

The dozen or so Jianghu people dressed differently, each carrying a wary posture, clearly not of one group.

When they reached the riverbank, they immediately spotted Qin An.

Especially after seeing the mysterious clothing on Qin An, they all retreated a step.

Qin An lightly tapped the scabbard with his fingertips, staying silent.

The Jianghu people seemed to have a tacit understanding, though wary of Qin An, they still walked toward the ferryman in unison.

One of the men boarded the boat, finding a corner to sit quietly.

Jianghu people continued to board one by one until the boat was full, and the old man expressionlessly used the pole to steer the small boat into the misty fog.

The small boat wasn't large, so only half of the Jianghu people boarded.

The remaining half stayed on the shore, on guard against each other.

Qin An stroked his chin, thinking, "They don't seem to be here for the first time, everyone knows the rules, perhaps it's best to find someone to ask."

Guessing alone was of no use.

It might be better to use the identity as a Mountain Patrol Copper General of the Evil Extermination Bureau to inquire.

Thinking of this, Qin An stepped on the damp earth, walking toward the nearest Jianghu person.

The man, already middle-aged, had a short dagger at his waist. Seeing Qin An approach, he immediately took a wary step back, even placing his hand on his waist.

Qin An halted, speaking softly, "Taking action against a Mountain Patrol General?"

Only then did the middle-aged man realize, moving his hand off his waist, cupping his fist, "Greetings, my lord."

Qin An swept his gaze towards the river water, "What happened here?"

The middle-aged man's face showed hesitation.

Qin An toyed with Cold Star, his eyes flashing coldly, "Not talking?"

The middle-aged man felt the killing intent radiating from Qin An, collecting his hesitation, "Reporting to my lord, this place is a secret place, you just need to take a boat to the center of the river, enter the gap at the center, and you can search for treasures."

"What is this secret place?" Qin An frowned.

Prior to coming to the Ancient Battlefield ruins, he had consulted a lot of information, but knew nothing about such a secret place.

The middle-aged man hesitated, "In fact, the notion of the secret place is just a term among our group, it hasn't been shared outside."

Qin An suddenly realized that the secret was only circulating within this small circle.

The middle-aged man continued, "Because this place is safe, you only need to take a boat to the gap at the bottom of the river to obtain the treasure. We kept it hidden and never expected to encounter someone like you."

Qin An frowned and asked, "All these years, no one has ever come here?"

"Yes, they have," the middle-aged man said. "Everyone who arrives here keeps silent about it, never speaking of it to others."

The treasures here are so abundant and without danger that anyone would know to keep this place a secret.

Moreover, since the rule of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins is that only one treasure can be taken, no one wants to keep the treasures to themselves.

Qin An pondered for a moment and looked at the river surface.

Amidst the mist on the river, the old man's silhouette approached once more.

"Get on the boat... Get on the boat—"

The somber call echoed over the great river, like a death sentence.

Before long, the old man poled the boat to the riverbank.

But at this moment, no one boarded the boat; all the Jianghu people looked at Qin An in silence.

Earlier, Qin An didn't avoid being overheard while talking to the middle-aged man, so everyone understood they had to wait for Qin An to make a decision before they could board the boat.

After all, the man before them was the fearsome Mountain Patrol General.

Qin An hesitated slightly, turned, and prepared to leave.

The more peaceful the place, the more danger is likely lurking there.

Although the middle-aged man claimed there was no danger, the place was so eerie that who could be sure?

Previously, he explored the unknown Cangcui Forest with the Zhao siblings because there was a Wood Element Divine Sense he had to acquire.

But now, risking it all for a Heart Method didn't seem worth it to Qin An.

You have to know when to lay low.

The Jianghu people saw Qin An preparing to leave and collectively sighed in relief.

Yet before they could board the boat, the expressionless old man suddenly spoke.

"Did the young friend kill the boatman and now want to leave?"

As soon as he said this, the previously misty river surface became even more hazy.

The surrounding mist condensed into a water wall, enclosing the river area and blocking all of Qin An's escape routes.

All the Jianghu people present widened their eyes, feeling an eerie chill spread throughout their bodies.

Qin An turned with his blade, staring at the old man and asked, "Why not show your true form?"

The old man chuckled darkly, "The true form is inconvenient."

The Jianghu people's throats moved convulsively, their faces filled with horror.

They had never encountered such a situation; it was completely different from anything before.

Qin An asked casually, "What are you after?"

The old man removed his bamboo hat. "I've been waiting in the river. Why not come personally, young friend? I promise great treasures."

Soon after he finished speaking, the river surface jolted violently, as if an invisible blade had split it in two.

Qin An looked up, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Seen at the river's bottom was the outline of a crude structure.

In front of the crude structure stood a young man in plain clothes with a faint smile on his face.

Upon closer inspection, it became evident that aside from the young man's head, he was completely woven from straw.

Qin An raised an eyebrow and asked, "What if I refuse?"

The young man spoke slowly, "You're joking, young friend. The treasures here would tempt even a temple's Buddha. I see you're at the Outer Elixir Realm with three Divine Senses already. I wonder if this item can tempt you?"

Upon saying this, the young man raised his right hand.

On his right hand's palm, a light blue orb floated in midair.

Qin An's pupils contracted slightly, "Water Element Divine Sense?"

The young man put away the Water Element Divine Sense and nodded, "That's correct."

Qin An fell into silence.

After a long time, he approached the riverbank with his blade, leaping forward.

This was a crucial piece for building his unparalleled foundation.

If he missed this chance, who knew when he could find another one?

Qin An didn't want to lose this opportunity.

Previously, without sufficient rewards, Qin An wasn't willing to take risks.

But now, this item was important enough.

Danger often coexists with reward; Qin An felt it was worth the attempt.

The other Jianghu people watched Qin An, stunned.

Three Five-Colored Divine Senses?

Those words together made everyone feel a bit baffled.

One Five-Colored Divine Sense alone could cause upheaval in the Xunyang Prefecture, yet Qin An had absorbed three, which was terrifying.

Qin An wasn't concerned about what others thought; as he leaped from the bank, something unusual unfolded before him.

Those Jianghu people who ventured in earlier were suddenly flung out, landing steadily on the ground.

None of them were hurt, but they looked bewildered.

The young man said softly, "Today, I only wish to invite this friend here. Please, the rest of you might visit another time."

With those words, the surrounding river water quickly closed, returning to its original state within moments.

The Jianghu people exchanged puzzled looks, not knowing what to make of it.

Yet given the current situation, they couldn't obtain what they wanted and had no choice but to leave regretfully.

...

As the river water closed in, a celestial healer's presence surfaced around Qin An.

But then Qin An noticed that although the river water closed, it didn't completely cover the area. It left a gap in front of the structure.

Squinting his eyes and toying with Cold Star, Qin An didn't hide his interest. "How can I get the Water Element Divine Sense from you?"

Now that he's here, he doesn't want to waste time.

Earlier, the young man had released the group of Jianghu people before closing the water and had done no harm to them.

Plus, Qin An sensed no killing intent from the young man, making the atmosphere quite relaxed.

The young man slowly approached, stopping only three feet from Qin An. "Young friend, helping me with one task is all that's necessary. Afterward, I promise to give you the Water Element Divine Sense."

Qin An rubbed his chin, "What task?"

The young man said slowly, "It involves a story, a story about a pair of twin siblings. I wonder if you're willing to hear it?"

Qin An raised an eyebrow, "Of course I'm willing."

The young man sighed, "Although you have a cool demeanor, you've shown a warm heart. I didn't expect you'd actually be interested."

"You misunderstand," Qin An's eyes narrowed slightly. "When a true dragon stands before me, and wants to tell a story, naturally I must listen."

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