Although Luo Chao was talking to Yan Ruyu, his steps continuously moved backward. By the time he finished speaking, he had already pulled Yan Ruyu back more than three meters, all the while keeping a focused gaze on the old man, as if trying to discern something from him.

"Young man, you're clever! I didn't expect someone from the mortal world could figure out a bit about me. But you don't seem to be a cultivator, do you?" Seeing Luo Chao's actions, the old man approached him with a sullen expression, a cold smile on his face, speaking with an eerie tone.

"Thump thump thump..." Yan Ruyu retreated three steps, leaning against the door.

"Old man, what do you mean? I'm actually quite stupid. In our village, everyone calls me Big Dumb Ox, even my wife calls me a blockhead. You're the first to call me smart, and I'm very honored. How about this, old man, you rest here while my wife and I go away for a bit!" Luo Chao laughed heartily at the old man while his right hand unconsciously moved to his waist, whispering softly in Yan Ruyu's ear, "Careful!"

"Whoosh!" Luo Chao's left hand flung out, sending two black objects flying towards the old man.

"You seek death, boy!" The old man caught the black objects Luo Chao threw, the same crescent-shaped keys he had previously given Luo Chao. But whether these objects were indeed keys might need reassessment at this moment.

"The door won't open!" Yan Ruyu's anxious voice echoed.

"Hehe, boy, stop wasting your efforts. If I let you escape so easily, I'd have no place here anymore. Besides, if you escape, my dinner would disappear, wouldn't it? It's been a long time since I've had such good quality as you two. I can't let you escape." Upon hearing Yan Ruyu's voice, the old man laughed sinisterly and said.

"Old ghost, why force us? While I don't know what you are, I know things like you can't be exposed. If others find out, you'd end up dead with no burial, wouldn't you? Hmph, I'm not a cultivator, but I've read more books than you've eaten salt." Luo Chao's face turned icy as he fiercely spoke to the old man.

"You do know quite a lot for a young one, but I see that there isn't a trace of Spiritual Qi wave on you, so you probably only know of our existence and not much else! Don't worry, while I can't go out, I can still keep you here." The old man remained unhurried, looking at Luo Chao as if he were meat on a chopping board.

"Whoosh!" Luo Chao's right hand swiftly sliced forward, a flash of purple and cyan light striking towards the old man. At this moment, the old man stood slightly more than a meter in front of Luo Chao, perfectly within the range of the Purple and Cyan Sword. Without any hindrance, the Purple and Cyan Sword sliced diagonally through the old man's body, cutting it in two.

"Ah!" Yan Ruyu screamed, her nerves already frayed tonight. Having earlier witnessed Luo Chao's bloody killing, her heart was still jittery. Then arriving in this eerie place like a haunted house and encountering the strange old man was frightening enough. Now with Luo Chao's intervention, it made Yan Ruyu wonder if Luo Chao was a bloodthirsty killer. However, the next moment, Yan Ruyu's eyes widened like copper bells, staring at the two halves of the old man on the ground.

Not the expected scene of blood splattering everywhere, the old man's body split open on the ground, instead releasing black liquid. The black liquid immediately evaporated into black mist, gathering around the person-high trees in the yard before transforming into strands of black lines absorbed by the trees. In an instant, the old man was reduced to just the clothes torn by Luo Chao, leaving Yan Ruyu stunned by such an unbelievable sight.

"Hmph!" Just as Luo Chao struck down the old man, a grunt emanated from beneath the courtyard, causing the entire courtyard to tremble briefly. Luo Chao and Yan Ruyu felt their hearts smashed with a sledgehammer, intensely uncomfortable.

"It's indeed effective, I love you all!" Luo Chao was incredibly pleased, staring at the Purple and Cyan Sword.

He swung the sword towards the door, and with a bang, the sword's seemingly thin blade cut through the door like tofu, revealing a wide opening.

"Quick, let's go!" Luo Chao grabbed Yan Ruyu's hand, swiftly heading out the door.

"Ah!" Caught off guard by Luo Chao's sudden grip, Yan Ruyu stumbled against the doorframe, falling towards the ground.

As Yan Ruyu's body was about to hit the ground, her waist was embraced, feeling her whole body lifted, then placed onto a broad back. Luo Chao had slung her onto his back.

With Yan Ruyu on his back, Luo Chao held the Purple and Cyan Sword in one hand, wrapping the other around Yan Ruyu as he ran swiftly through the alleys. At this moment, his only thought was to escape this haunted place.

"Hold on tight!" Luo Chao shouted to Yan Ruyu while running forward.

After a moment of bewilderment, Yan Ruyu realized the urgency of the situation, quickly wrapping her arms around Luo Chao's neck, letting him carry her as he ran ahead.

As Luo Chao rapidly fled, back in the eerie courtyard, in the overgrown yard, wisps of black gas emerged from underground, eventually condensing into a pitch-black silhouette. The silhouette glanced at the garments slashed by Luo Chao on the ground.

"Waste!" A voice roared from underground. A black line was drawn from the hand of the shadow towards the clothes, and upon contact with the black line, the clothes instantly dissolved, leaving no trace. Then, the shadow turned its gaze towards the direction Luo Chao had escaped, speaking sinisterly cold: "You were quick to run! But that sword is peculiar?"

After speaking, the shadow dissolved into a cloud of black mist, merging with the underground, leaving only the door split by Luo Chao's Purple and Cyan Sword intact, quickly restoring to its original state after a black line swept through it, everything as it was.

"Put me down!" Seeing Luo Chao drenched in sweat while carrying her, Yan Ruyu whispered softly.

To be honest, she was extremely impressed with Luo Chao. After escaping from the eerie courtyard, Luo Chao ran several streets, a distance of about one or two kilometers, without stopping even for a moment. This stamina is rare in today's pampered world.

Actually, this was developed from Luo Chao's previous training in the military. Wherever he went, Luo Chao would run there and back, never taking a car, not because he didn't have a car or money to ride, but to train himself.

Partly for fitness, and partly for perseverance; running twelve kilometers in under an hour is not something the average person can accomplish, but Luo Chao persisted, demonstrating his strong will. Otherwise, Luo Chao wouldn't always be at the top of the military's physical tests.

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