The direction indicated led straight into the depths.
Initially, the two had thought the Star Compass would be located somewhere deeper within the Demon Sect ruins.
Now, it seemed their expectations had been too optimistic.
"Damn it!"
"Is there no end to this? Can't things just be straightforward for once?"
Standing at the boundary of the Demon Sect's restricted zone, when the direction of the incense smoke still pointed further in, Cui Fu couldn't help but curse.
He simply couldn't understand how the Star Compass could have ended up within this area, a place even the original Demon Sect members wouldn't venture.
Chu Fan had mentioned that there were living things in the depths, and judging by his earlier expression, even with his immense strength, he wasn't confident of emerging unscathed.
Entering would carry immense risks.
"Xiao Fan, what should we do?"
The unexpected turn of events left Cui Fu at a loss, forcing him to seek Chu Fan's advice.
His life was naturally more important than the Star Compass.
Chu Fan gazed into the darkness of the depths, remaining silent for about ten seconds before speaking, "You wait here, I'll go in!"
His intuition had already warned him that entering meant facing peril.
For Cui Fu, a mere Grandmaster, facing something that even gave him a sense of danger was no different from jumping into a fiery pit.
Moreover, going in alone would mean unrestricted movement, without the need to look after Cui Fu, making things more convenient.
Cui Fu's brow furrowed, and he said unhappily, "What, you look down on this old man?"
Before Chu Fan could explain, he continued, "I know you think I'll be a burden if I go in. Then let me ask you, let's consider the worst-case scenario: if you don't come out after going in, do you think I'll be able to get out?"
If this place wasn't occupied by the Underworld King's Hall, waiting here would be fine, and Cui Fu wouldn't have any other thoughts.
In fact, the exit was already blocked by the other party. If Chu Fan couldn't come out after entering, he wouldn't be able to leave this place alive either.
The outcome was the same. Given the choice again, Cui Fu naturally chose to follow Chu Fan into the depths.
Chu Fan didn't respond, as Cui Fu's words were indeed factual.
"Don't worry, if we encounter danger inside, you don't need to look after me. Just do as you see fit."
"Since it's all going to end the same, we might as well venture in!"
"Do you know what the Star Compass looks like specifically?"
With the matter reaching this point, Chu Fan knew it would be improper to prevent Cui Fu from accompanying him. He lifted his chin and said, "Since that's the case, then we'll go in together."
With that, he took a step forward.
Cui Fu quickly followed. However, as soon as he stepped into the restricted zone, he couldn't help but shudder.
"Why is it so cold?"
The environment inside the restricted zone was completely different from the outside. It was bone-chillingly cold, as if a normal person had suddenly fallen into ice water.
Chu Fan remained composed, walking slowly, while Cui Fu rubbed his hands together to follow.
Moreover, the deeper they went, the darker the light became, reducing the visibility to a range of about three meters.
Knowing his own lack of strength, Cui Fu could only obediently stay by Chu Fan's side.
"Hmm?"
"Could it be that the battles back then extended to these places?"
As they proceeded, Cui Fu found decaying skeletons scattered on the ground, leaving him puzzled. According to his understanding, the joint operation by the major powers to eliminate the Demon Sect had taken place outside, which was why the area outside was referred to as an ancient battlefield.
However, walking through the restricted zone, they encountered quite a few skeletons, indicating that some people had fled into this area during the conflict.
"Old man, you mentioned earlier that the major sects joined forces to eliminate the Demon Sect?"
Although he didn't understand why Chu Fan was asking again after having already explained, Cui Fu grunted in affirmation, "That's what was said."
"Then, do you think there's another possibility?"
"Perhaps the main objective of the allied forces coming here back then wasn't to eliminate the so-called Demon Sect. Eliminating the Demon Sect was merely the justification for the alliance, or what was announced to the outside world."
Cui Fu sensed a deeper meaning and asked, his eyebrows twitching, "What exactly do you mean?"
Chu Fan suddenly stopped and picked up a saber from beneath a skeleton, its handle long since decayed. As he brushed away the rotten wood, he said, "Could their purpose for coming here back then have been to search for something in this place?"
"The elimination of the Demon Sect was mainly because the Demon Sect had occupied this place first, claiming it as their territory and forbidding other forces from interfering."
"After being obstructed, the allied forces then attacked the Demon Sect first?"
Chu Fan's reasoning stemmed from the fact that from the moment they entered the so-called ancient battlefield, he had begun to sense something was amiss.
According to Cui Fu's description, the conflict that had occurred here was incredibly fierce, with a total of over ten thousand participants on both sides, and only one to two thousand returned.
This implied that eight to nine thousand people had perished in this place.
Yet, standing on the scene, Chu Fan didn't see many skeletons in the outer areas.
Judging by the residual aura of the skeletons, their strength before death wasn't very high. In contrast, the skeletons encountered after entering the restricted zone were numerous, and each belonged to someone above the Grandmaster level.
During the battle, it was possible for some to flee here after being defeated, but such individuals were clearly in the minority.
In Chu Fan's opinion, the number of skeletons on the ground was greater than expected.
Coupled with the search for the Star Compass, which had directly gone into the depths of the restricted zone, he suddenly thought that the information provided by Cui Fu might be incorrect.
The joint expedition by the various forces back then was a secondary objective. Their primary goal was to find something within this restricted zone.
However, the various forces had underestimated the dangers of the depths. Those who entered did not come out. The survivors were mostly those who had not ventured into the restricted zone.
Chu Fan's analysis made Cui Fu also ponder with a smack of his lips.
After handing the processed saber to Cui Fu, Chu Fan walked a few more steps forward and retrieved a spear made entirely of fine iron from beneath a skeleton.
"Take another look, was this person killed in battle or bitten to death?"
Following the direction of the spearhead in Chu Fan's hand, Cui Fu leaned closer to a skeleton, and as he looked, his expression began to change.
As someone whose half his body was already in the grave and who had been involved in the antique trade, his eyesight was naturally not bad.
Cui Fu realized that the person lying dead before him had half his body bitten off by some ferocious beast in a single bite.
"Take a look at the other skeletons!"
Hearing the reminder, Cui Fu hurried to examine the other skeletons, and the more he looked, the more his expression changed.
Earlier, while walking in this restricted zone, due to mental tension and the fact that they were all skeletons, he hadn't paid much attention to any peculiarities of the decayed remains on the ground.
Now, he realized that Chu Fan's eyesight was remarkably sharp. He had already observed that the people who had died in the restricted zone hadn't perished in combat but had fallen victim to ferocious beasts.
Recalling Chu Fan's earlier statement that there were still living things inside, Cui Fu understood that the beasts that had slaughtered the people who entered this place were still alive.
"It's coming..."
Just then, Chu Fan suddenly spoke.