Useless Fools

According to Xiao Yuan's prediction, the Fire Passage at the entrance alone would probably eliminate quite a few people.

Riding the Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yuan and the others also traveled a distance at breakneck speed. Along the way, they occasionally saw some lone travelers whose faces did not look good, but Xiao Yuan did not intend to help them. Smart people would leave when they couldn't hold on, and stupid people deserved to die if they stubbornly held on.

As for his group, Xiao Yuan finally stopped when he was sure there was no one around.

"Why have you stopped?"

Zi Yan blinked in confusion, still eating the candy made from Medicinal Herbs.

"Hehe, this Fire Passage should be a trap. The path in front of us is not the real way to enter the ruins. If we keep following the Fire Passage, we will eventually exhaust our Dou Qi."

Xiao Yuan explained with a smile.

"If this Fire Passage isn't the way in, then where is the real path?"

Cai Lin frowned slightly as she spoke, her gaze sweeping over the crimson walls on either side. These walls were constructed from extremely hard crimson rock. Even the knowledgeable Heavenly Flame Venerable couldn't discern the nature of this rock. However, it was clear that something extraordinary could be chosen by Dou Sheng Expert to build ruins. Clearly, brute force was not the way to go.

Xiao Yuan smiled calmly, pointed to the crimson, viscous lava beneath his feet, and slowly said:

"Inside this passage, the ceiling and both sides are filled with this kind of crimson rock; only this..."

"You mean the passage isn't up ahead, but down below?"

Cai Lin realized what was happening and said in surprise.

"The owner of these ruins is indeed cunning. Who in their right mind would think of jumping into lava for no reason?"

Heavenly Flame Venerable was equally astonished.

The people from Burning Flame Valley standing nearby also looked enlightened upon hearing this.

"Hehe, let's go!"

Xiao Yuan chuckled, reminded everyone, and with a wave of his sleeve, golden flames enveloped them. With a splash, they plunged directly into the scorching crimson magma.

Submerged into the magma, Xiao Yuan and the others quickly descended. Although the magma was scorching hot, it posed no obstacle to them, who were protected by Heavenly Flames. After about a minute of this descent, they heard a faint thud, their feet slipped, and they slid a short distance before finally landing on the cold floor again.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, they looked up and were immediately filled with shock. Dozens of feet above their heads, crimson lava hung in a twisting, ring-like pattern like giant pythons. They could vaguely see figures occasionally flitting across the Fire Passage. Clearly, this lava was the Fire Passage that Xiao Yuan and the others had previously traversed. Such a long Fire Passage, if they were to follow it, would take who knows how long.

"Tsk tsk, as expected of Ancient Ruins, it has completely fooled everyone. If those people had gone through so many difficulties to reach the end of the Fire Passage, only to find that it was just a stone wall, wouldn't they be so angry that they would die on the spot?"

Looking at the winding Fire Passage, Zi Yan couldn't help but say with a hint of schadenfreude.

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin and the others couldn't help but smile.

Xiao Yuan glanced around and saw that they were in a rather spacious stone passage that extended into the distance, where a plaza could be vaguely seen, and there seemed to be figures on the plaza.

"Let's go. This should be the place where we can truly enter the ruins. However, our goal is the remains of Dou Sheng. As for the Heaven Rank Battle Skill, let them fight over them first. In the end, they'll all be mine anyway."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen taken aback. He hadn't expected that Xiao Yuan had come here for the remains of Dou Sheng.

"Xiao Yuan, after we go inside, I will take them to see other places first. If we encounter any trouble, we can use this jade tablet to send a message."

Immediately afterwards, Tang Zhen spoke.

Although Xiao Yuan is now considered his son-in-law, and even has been given the title of Young Master of Burning Flame Valley by Tang Huo'er, having so many people gathered together would not maximize the benefits and would make the distribution inconvenient. It would be better to separate them first.

"Okay, Uncle, please be careful and let me know if anything happens."

Xiao Yuan took the jade piece and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen patted Xiao Yuan on the shoulder, then waved his arm and led everyone towards the distant square.

Xiao Yuan and his group followed closely behind.

The passage wasn't too long. At Xiao Yuan's speed, it took about a few minutes for them to arrive at the plaza. At the same time, he noticed that quite a few people had already arrived at the plaza. Most of these people were among the fastest to rush there, including forces such as the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan and the Tianming Sect.

The sudden appearance of Xiao Yuan and his group also attracted the attention of everyone in the square. Feng Qing'er frowned, clearly not expecting that Xiao Yuan and the others would discover the mystery of the Fire Passage so quickly.

Xiao Yuan ignored these gazes. His gaze stopped at the end of the square as soon as he stepped into it. There was an extremely heavy Stone Gate. In front of the Stone Gate, ten bodies as straight as spears stood there unchanged for thousands of years. Their skin was a bright silver color, their eyes were empty, and their faces were expressionless, like ancient corpses.

"Di Yao Kui?"

A glint flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes as he gazed at these beings that resembled mummies.

Xiao Yuan was probably the most familiar with this silver puppet among those present, because he had crafted several himself and evolved them all to the level of Tian Yao Kui.

The puppets outside the Stone Gate were entirely silver, clearly still at the level of Di Yao Kui. According to Xiao Yuan's estimation, these ten Di Yao Kui should be at the Peak Dou Zong level, which is quite strong. However, they were not enough to stop so many powerful figures from the Central State.

"It seems that the real ruins are behind this Stone Gate."

Cai Lin gazed at the heavy Stone Gate and said softly.

"Yes, but the Stone Gate is tightly closed, and there are faint spatial fluctuations on it, so it obviously cannot be opened by brute force. In that case, the way to open it is most likely to be these ten puppets." Xiao Yuan nodded slightly, glanced around, and found that most people were focusing their attention on the puppets, so he obviously understood as well.

"Let's not get involved for now. Someone else will take care of this."

Heavenly Flame Venerable laughed.

Hearing the cunning laughter of Heavenly Flame Venerable, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but smile and nod. He casually stood in a secluded corner of the square with the others, watching the actions of everyone in the square.

As Xiao Yuan and the others finished speaking, after a period of whispers and hesitation, an Gray-Clothed Old Man slowly stepped out. Judging from his vast aura, he was obviously a Dou Zun expert. However, Xiao Yuan and the others glanced at him and realized that this old man was only a One-Star Dou Zun.

Xiao Yuan had never seen the sect to which this Gray-Clothed Old Man belonged, but he didn't take it to heart. The Central State was so vast that there were countless hidden talents there. Some low-profile forces were actually no weaker than these well-known forces.

Under the watchful eyes of many, the old man slowly stepped out, his vast Dou Qi swirling around him, and walked directly into the encirclement of the ten Di Yao Kui. His appearance showed exceptional skill and daring.

"Click!"

Just as the old man stepped ten feet into the Stone Gate, the ten figures that stood motionless like statues emitted a low, grinding sound from their bones. Then, ten cold and empty gazes were fixed on the Gray-Clothed Old Man. With a clench of their hands, silver light surged, and ten dazzling silver spears appeared in their hands.

"Laugh!"

A dazzling silver light flashed, and ten figures, as swift as lightning, instantly attacked the Gray-Clothed Old Man, bringing with them a fierce gust of wind.

"Haha, a few broken puppets, you think you can stop this old man!"

Seeing this, the Gray-Clothed Old Man laughed loudly and rushed into the group of puppets with his bare hands. With his vast Dou Qi qi surging, each punch sent a puppet staggering backward.

Looking at the Gray-Clothed Old Man who was fighting ten opponents and still holding his own, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but shake his head. The gap between Dou Zong and Dou Zun was indeed too great. Although the ten puppets successfully blocked the Gray-Clothed Old Man, it was clear that they couldn't hold out for long.

"Clang!"

In the arena, silver light danced, and the Gray-Clothed Old Man knocked back three puppets in succession with a single palm strike. His deep yellow palm left a palm print nearly half a finger deep on the puppets.

"Roar!"

After a series of defeats, the ten Di Yao Kui suddenly stopped, their eyes flashing with silver light. A low roar came from their throats. Then, they moved in unison, forming a strange formation. Silver light flashed, and streams of energy, like silver snakes, surged out from their bodies, connecting them all together to form a circular loop.

"Roar!"

The moment the cycle took shape, the leading Di Yao Kui puppet roared again. Then, to Xiao Yuan's astonishment, the silver light weakened, and little by little, golden light gradually appeared. A moment later, the golden light completely replaced the silver light.

"Wow, it can evolve!"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yuan also became excited. He wasn't excited about the Di Yao Kui Di Yao Kui, but rather that he might be able to comprehend the energy transfer formation within it.

If he could truly comprehend it thoroughly, with his current group of puppets and the support of a formation, he would probably be able to beat up Eight Star Dou Zun level expert.

"However, these ten Di Yao Kui, along with that strange formation, are enough to contend with a Two Star Dou Zun. This old man is in trouble!"

Realizing this, Xiao Yuan also flexed his wrists.

Now that he understood what was going on, it was his turn to make a move! "Swoosh!"

In the arena, the golden Tian Yao Kui stomped its foot on the ground, and as cracks spread, its figure appeared in front of the old man whose expression had changed drastically with a "whoosh," and its golden fist slammed out fiercely.

"Bang!"

Faced with that extremely destructive punch, the old man hurriedly met it with all his might. His previous nonchalant demeanor had long since vanished. The evolved Tian Yao Kui was far more powerful than him. At that moment, a deep voice rang out, a muffled groan came from his throat, a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he staggered backward.

After the old man retreated ten zhang away, the Tian Yao Kui withdrew its fist again, and with a flash, appeared outside the Stone Gate. The golden light dissipated, and it transformed back into the Di Yao Kui to guard the place.

This sudden turn of events caused many people's expressions to change slightly. They might not fear the ten Di Yao Kui at the Peak Dou Zong, but they had to be wary of the Tian Yao Kui, which had reached the level of Two Star Dou Zun. This thing had no sense of pain and was no different from a killing machine. There were indeed strong people present who could deal with it, but even if they defeated it, they would inevitably suffer great losses in the end. But who would be willing to suffer such losses without even seeing the ruins? The people here did not have that kind of magnanimity.

For a moment, an awkward atmosphere fell over the square. Everyone wanted to go in, but no one wanted to fight to the death with the puppet.

"It's so difficult to even open a door."

Shaking his head, Xiao Yuan flashed and appeared ten feet away from the Stone Gate. His terrifying soul power spread out, but he did not alert anyone.

With Xiao Yuan's current soul realm, none of the people present could withstand a single blow from him. Detecting his movements was as difficult as advancing to the Dou Di.

Everyone was taken aback when they saw Xiao Yuan suddenly stepping forward. Their expressions became more serious. They had naturally heard of Xiao Yuan's formidable reputation for easily defeating three opponents at once. However, they wondered if there was any exaggeration in his story. Now was the perfect opportunity to see Xiao Yuan's true abilities.

"This kid must have some purpose in showing himself!"

Feng Qing'er frowned slightly and said softly.

The white-haired man beside him glanced at Xiao Yuan's back, then smiled and walked out slowly, saying, "Hehe, I happen to be quite interested in these puppets. If we take them back as gatekeepers, that would be quite imposing."

This person had a sharp eye; he immediately realized that Xiao Yuan seemed to have designs on these puppets.

Upon hearing the white-haired man's sudden intervention, Xiao Yuan immediately shook his head and said, "You? I've already finished my meal, and you'd be eating shit before it's even hot."

Upon hearing this, the white-haired man's face suddenly darkened. Xiao Yuan's words were like rubbing his face in the ground.

Before he could even get angry, Xiao Yuan casually raised his hand, and the ten puppets were obediently put into his storage Storage Ring.

Seeing this scene, everyone had only one word in their minds:

"Ah?"

"Tsk, a bunch of good-for-nothings."

In the ensuing silence, Zi Yan, seeing how easily Xiao Yuan had subdued the puppet, munched on some Medicinal Herbs candy and muttered a sarcastic remark. Her unclear voice, though not particularly harmful, was undeniably sarcastic.