Ruins Open

"Rumble..."

The roar emanating from the depths of the Ancient Ruins grew increasingly deafening, as if a slumbering Ancient Fierce Beast was awakening, and the entire Bone Mountain Range trembled slightly under this force.

The distorted spatial ripples in the sky spread more and more rapidly, and the illusory outline of the palace solidified at a visible speed, exuding a heavy, mountain-like pressure.

This earth-shattering commotion lasted for about half an incense stick's time, just as everyone's hearts were about to leap into their throats—

"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar, far louder than any previous sound, suddenly erupted from the core of the ruins!

Immediately, under the gaze of countless almost frenzied eyes, a massive, suffocatingly large crimson Stone Door, seemingly integrated with the mountain, slowly and inch by inch rose from the front of the huge hall that had been tightly closed, carrying a crushing weight and accompanied by a deafening grinding sound!

Beyond the Stone Door lay not the magnificent gold and splendor of imagination, but a deep, dark passage that seemed to devour all light.

From within that darkness, a faint, fiery aura flowed out, carrying an ancient and dangerous scent.

"The gates have opened!"

Someone let out a desperate roar, a shout that was like ice water thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the already oppressive atmosphere!

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the crowd erupted into a tremendous uproar. Countless eyes instantly became bloodshot, completely consumed by greed and fanaticism.

Some impatient individuals, or those blinded by desire, could no longer restrain themselves. Their Dou Qi surged, and their figures transformed into blurry shadows. With a few rapid flashes, they had already traversed hundreds of feet and appeared outside the newly opened dark passage.

"Hahaha, the Heaven Tier Dou Technique is mine!"

"Get out of the way!"

Laughter and roars mingled together as the first batch of dozens of figures, almost without distinction, plunged headlong into the bottomless dark passage like moths to a flame, their figures instantly swallowed up.

With someone taking the lead, the sea of people behind them, like a surging tide, completely erupted in excitement!

Hundreds and thousands of figures surged forward like an out-of-control torrent, vying to use their movement techniques and transforming into multicolored streaks of light as they desperately rushed towards the passage. The scene was extremely chaotic, as if delaying even a step would mean that all the treasures inside would be looted by others.

Compared to these reckless individuals driven by greed and devoid of reason, the Five Elements Sect members led by Lin Ming, along with the teams from the top forces and the overlords of Magical Beasts in the Middle Continent, stood as still as rocks, showing no sign of taking any action.

Lin Ming stood with his hands behind his back on the hilltop, his gaze calmly fixed on the dark passage that resembled the maw of a giant beast, a faint hint of mockery playing on his lips.

Zi Yan curiously tiptoed to look inside, while Qing Lin frowned slightly, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils able to vaguely sense the destructive energy contained deep within the passage. Xiong Zhan rubbed his hands together, but seeing Lin Ming remain still, he could only suppress his urge to rush in.

"If the ruins left by an ancient Dou Sheng Expert are so easy for anyone to break into, then that would be far too frivolous," Lin Ming muttered to himself, as if explaining to someone beside him, or stating a fact.

And the reality was just as Lin Ming and the others had predicted, even faster and more cruelly than they had anticipated!

Shortly after the first and second batches, totaling several hundred people, rushed into the passage, the once silent and dark passage suddenly underwent a strange change!

"Buzz--!"

Inside the passage, a blinding crimson light suddenly shone! The seemingly impenetrable black floor, now like a red-hot iron, crackled and slowly split open with huge fissures!

"Boom!!!"

In the next instant, the crimson, bubbling, molten lava, like a volcano suppressed for millennia, erupted wildly! The intense heat instantly engulfed the entire entrance to the passage, causing a burning sensation on the skin of those outside.

That's not all!

Almost simultaneously with the eruption of lava, countless dazzling blue pillars of fire shot out from the walls of the spacious passage without warning! These blue flames were extremely strange; they did not leak any heat, yet wherever they passed, the space itself was scorched and slightly distorted!

"Ah--!"

"No!!"

A shrill scream, almost inhuman, erupted from inside the passage almost the instant the blue pillar of fire appeared!

Those who rushed to the front had no time to react. Once their bodies were touched by the bewitching blue pillar of fire, they were unable to struggle even for a moment. Under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, they were like ice and snow thrown into the blazing sun, instantly vaporizing without leaving a trace of ash!

Not only the blue pillars of fire, but also the gushing crimson magma was terrifying. The Dou Qi Dou Qi Armor erected by Dou Emperor Expert was like paper in front of it, instantly melted, and the person was swallowed up and turned into part of the magma.

The sudden death caused almost half of the densely packed figures in the passage to disappear in an instant! The pungent smell of burning mixed with the odor of sulfur, accompanied by chilling screams, permeated the passage.

Outside the passage, those who were about to rush in due to the crowd witnessed this hellish scene firsthand, and were so terrified that they desperately tried to stop themselves from moving forward.

"Stop! Stop Quickly!"

"Don't Push! It's a dead end ahead!"

However, the crowd behind them, unaware of what was happening and still surging forward wildly, pushed them in like a giant wave.

Then, more screams rang out, and outside the grand hall, a desperate chaos ensued. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare in the face of death: pushing, trampling, and even turning against one's own companion in a fight for survival...

This bloody and chaotic scene lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before gradually subsiding due to the "human wall" piled up at the entrance of the passage ahead and the continuously erupting flames of death.

The survivors, pale-faced and still shaken, stared at the passage that resembled the gaping maw of a demon. The greed and fanaticism in their eyes had finally faded under the stark threat of death, replaced by deep fear and lingering dread.

Some who were less capable or less determined even began to consider retreating and quietly backed away.

"Hmph, you think a mere Fire Passage can stop us?"

As the crowd calmed down slightly from their fear, the truly powerful forces finally began to take action.

Although this Fire Passage is dangerous, enough to instantly kill Dou Emperor or even a low-level Dou Zong, it does not pose a fatal threat to forces like theirs, which have Dou Zun expert in charge and deep foundations.

Shortly after the words were spoken, powerful beams of Dou Qi aura suddenly surged out from the camps of various forces. They were of different colors and attributes, but without exception, they all emitted powerful energy fluctuations.

These Dou Qi quickly swirled around the members of their respective teams, transforming into solid energy shields.

"Walk!"

A series of low shouts rang out, and the forces of Burning Blazing Flame Valley, Starfall Pavilion, Wind Thunder Pavilion, Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, and Nether Python Clan almost simultaneously transformed into streaks of light, hissing as they cut through the air and rushed towards the Fire Passage that was still spewing magma and blue fire pillars!

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"

This time, when those terrifying blue pillars of fire shot onto the protective shields formed by the immense Dou Qi, they failed to incinerate people instantly as before. Instead, they rubbed and eroded the shields Dou Qi, producing a teeth-grinding sound and scattering light everywhere.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when their Dou Qi was resisting the flames, these powerful individuals also increased their speed to the extreme, like a school of fish swimming upstream, rushing towards the unseen end of the Fire Passage.

Of course, there were also some unlucky individuals who, due to bad luck or insufficient Dou Qi reserves, caused their protective shields to shatter and were ultimately consumed by flames in despair. However, compared to the previous tactic of overwhelming numbers, the success rate was much higher.

"Hehe, Lin Ming, you possess Heavenly Flames, so this kind of Fire Passage probably can't stop you either. Let's set off too."

Seeing the various forces rushing into the giant hall, Tang Zhen laughed loudly. With a wave of his sleeve, brilliant silver flames surged out from his body. As the flames churned, nine dragon-shaped Fire Spirit could be seen swimming within them, emitting deep dragon roars. It was none other than the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire, ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!

The silver flames swept through, transforming into a massive fiery shield that enveloped everyone from Burning Blazing Flame Valley. The intense heat, combined with the domineering aura of thunder, repelled the surrounding air.

Seeing this, Lin Ming smiled slightly and nodded.

Thus, with a slight thought from Lin Ming, a dark purple flame swept out from his body.

The flame was a deep color, as if it could absorb light. As the flame flickered, it did not have the heat and violence of ordinary flames, but instead exuded an extreme sense of destruction and annihilation. It was the new Heavenly Flames formed by Lin Ming through the fusion of five Heavenly Flames - the New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame!

The Dark Purple Flame, as if possessing a life of their own, gently enveloped Lin Ming, Zi Yan, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan Qing Lin, Di Kong, and their entourage, forming a stable flame shield.

However, the moment the New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame appeared, Tang Zhen, who was about to set off, suddenly changed his expression!

"Buzz!"

The dazzling Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire on his body seemed to be stimulated by some invisible force, trembling violently. The nine fire dragon phantoms on the surface of the flames became incredibly clear, their speed of circling and moving suddenly increased, emitting low dragon roars filled with fear and unease! It felt as if they had encountered Flame King of a far higher rank!

"What's wrong with this kid's Heavenly Flames?! It's completely different from the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame I used to have! This destructive aura... it actually makes even my Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire feel fear?"

Looking at the quiet yet chilling Dark Purple Flame burning on Lin Ming's body, Tang Zhen's heart was filled with shock. This was the first time in his many years of roaming the Middle Continent that he had seen Heavenly Flames that could make the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire show such a submissive emotion simply by its aura!

Lin Ming naturally sensed Tang Zhen's shock and the unusual movement of the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire. Lin Ming smiled at Tang Zhen but didn't explain, simply saying, "Hehe, Uncle Tang, we'll take our leave now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ming waved his sleeve, and the dark purple New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame carried everyone away, transforming into a streak of light that flashed out and plunged into the still scorching and perilous Fire Passage under the watchful eyes of countless people.

When the terrifying blue pillar of fire came into contact with the New Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, it was as if it had encountered its nemesis. It twisted slightly and was then silently annihilated and devoured by the Purple Flame. It could not pose the slightest threat to Lin Ming and the others inside the protective shield. Its ease far exceeded that of other forces that relied on their Dou Qi.

"This guy... he gets even more terrifying every time we meet..."

Beside Tang Zhen, Tang Huo'er, dressed in red, watched Lin Ming's disappearing figure, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration, and couldn't help but sigh.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen snapped out of his shock, nodded silently, took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go too!"

Immediately, the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire blazed with brilliant silver light, enveloping the people of Blazing Flame Valley. They too transformed into silver meteors and rushed into the Fire Passage.