Su Zhenhua could tell from Jiang Chen's tone that he was being serious, so she dropped her playful manner and asked with a straight face, "What is it? Please speak, Young Master Jiang Chen."
"I'd like to ask you, Head Su, whether there are any suspicious ancient formations within the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy's territory—or any ancient ruins, for that matter?"
Jiang Chen's divine eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he gazed at Su Zhenhua, his stare intense and unwavering.
Su Zhenhua pondered for a moment. "Our Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy is situated in the southeastern corner of the continent. Even in the primordial age, this wasn't the heartland of the Divine Abyss Continent. That said, there are indeed a few ancient ruins in the area. However, throughout the generations, our academy has explored these ruins many times without finding any secret realms worth venturing into, let alone any heritage treasures to unearth."
"Could you take me to see them?"
Jiang Chen's gaze was earnest.
He had not come here to explore secret realms or dig for treasures. He was searching for a secret formation that could lead to Myriad Abyss Island.
Such a formation would certainly be an enigmatic ancient relic. Ordinary people probably wouldn't even be able to comprehend it.
According to Jiang Chen's intelligence, the landing points between Myriad Abyss Island and the human territories were few and far between. And the territory of the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy was one of the most critical nodes.
The information Huang'er had left behind, combined with what Jiang Chen had extracted through interrogation, was not entirely complete. But based on what they had provided, Jiang Chen believed that the junction between Myriad Abyss Island and the human mainland most likely lay somewhere within the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy's domain, hidden within an ancient ruin.
This kind of ancient ruin would likely house some sort of teleportation passage. The passage might not lead directly to Myriad Abyss Island, but through it, one could be transported to a specific location and from there, obtain the geographical coordinates needed to reach Myriad Abyss Island.
Myriad Abyss Island, while still part of the Divine Abyss Continent's plane of existence, was clearly self-contained and isolated from the continent's mainland. Without the correct coordinates, one would never be able to reach it.
Though Jiang Chen hadn't explained why he was looking for these ruins, Su Zhenhua trusted him deeply and didn't press the matter.
"Go right now?" Su Zhenhua asked.
"The sooner, the better." Jiang Chen didn't beat around the bush.
Su Zhenhua didn't waste any time either, nodding. "Very well. I know of three locations that are all fairly suspicious. We'll visit them one by one."
It was obvious that Su Zhenhua had picked up on how important this matter was to Jiang Chen.
Having received so many favors from him, she actually felt a bit guilty, which only made her more eager to help.
She also believed that Jiang Chen had come to the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy for anything but personal gain. Besides, the academy had explored those ruins countless times over the generations without ever finding anything significant.
So Su Zhenhua harbored no reluctance whatsoever—she didn't feel territorial about it at all.
If it were some other sect, Su Zhenhua might have hesitated. But with Jiang Chen, there was nothing to think about. There were only two men in the world whom Su Zhenhua would trust without a second thought.
One was Kongque, the man she loved. The other was Jiang Chen, who had helped the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy time and time again.
As it happened, both of them were the Lord of Glazed King City.
The first ruin wasn't particularly far from the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy's sacred grounds. Su Zhenhua led Jiang Chen there in short order.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, this is the first site. I've studied it many times myself, but on the surface, there doesn't appear to be anything special about it."
Su Zhenhua guided Jiang Chen to the location.
Jiang Chen circled the area for a while, then shook his head in disappointment. "This was an ancient battlefield. The scars of slaughter are obvious. There was a formation here once, and a brutal battle took place. But there's nothing useful left."
After a thorough circuit of the ruins, Jiang Chen had already formed his judgment.
Su Zhenhua wasn't surprised to hear his assessment. "Our academy has reached the same conclusion about this site across many generations. As expected, your keen eye matches what we've always suspected."
The two of them flew onward to the next ruin.
This second site was somewhat more remote, nestled within a valley.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, this ruin is rather mysterious. We at the academy come to study it periodically, but we've never been able to figure it out."
Su Zhenhua clearly placed greater importance on this particular site.
Jiang Chen nodded and began examining the ruins. There were fewer traces here, and the atmosphere was considerably more tranquil.
He paced back and forth, his divine sense fully extended, sensing every detail of the surroundings.
To his disappointment, this location had no connection to Myriad Abyss Island either.
"Head Su, this place was likely the secluded retreat of an ancient powerhouse. There should be much worth uncovering here—though from the surface, nothing stands out. That's because this location conceals a relatively hidden formation circuit—a spatial formation. Without prior experience, one would never realize it holds a hidden realm within."
Su Zhenhua's eyes lit up. "You're saying this is an ancient secret realm?"
Jiang Chen nodded. "There's a very strong possibility."
The news left Su Zhenhua momentarily speechless.