Bloodline Attraction

Hearing Zi Yan's words, which were filled with confusion and excitement, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan, Di Kong and the others in Lin Ming's group were all stunned, and their eyes subconsciously followed the direction Zi Yan pointed to in the depths of the forest.

However, all that came into view was the endless, lush ancient forest and the even denser Spirit Qi mist that permeated it, without any other unusual phenomena, let alone any obvious source of the call.

However, Lin Ming was secretly delighted, and even a sense of anticipation welled up inside him.

He knew better than anyone that his primary and core objective in coming to this Ancient Ruins was not the Soul Infant Fruit or any Heaven Tier Dou Technique, but rather Zi Yan! For that heaven-defying object that could change her destiny and completely transform her— the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!

As for the Soul Infant Fruit, the vast amount of medicinal herbs, and even the ten Earth Demon Puppet that were harvested earlier, they were merely incidental prizes.

The fact that Zi Yan is now sensing something means they are very close to their ultimate goal!

"What should we do? The roars of beasts in this Ancient Forest are getting more and more frequent, and the energy collisions are getting closer and closer. It seems that our earlier commotion, as well as the people who broke in later, have attracted quite a few powerful individuals in this direction..."

Qing Lin looked at Lin Ming with a hint of worry in his voice. Possessing a treasure is a crime; their previous gains were already astonishing enough. If an even greater opportunity were discovered, they would likely become the target of everyone's wrath.

Without hesitation, Lin Ming replied decisively, "Go! We must go and see! Now that we've entered this treasure trove, how can we leave empty-handed? Besides, this might be Zi Yan's greatest opportunity."

Lin Ming's gaze swept across the depths of the forest as he calmly analyzed, "The other treasure hunters don't have Zi Yan's Dragon Might might to intimidate them. The aura of the Magical Beasts deep in this forest is far more ferocious than outside. If they want to get in smoothly, they will inevitably have to go through a series of bloody battles, and their speed will definitely not be fast. We still have plenty of time."

Hearing Lin Ming's decisive decision, Zi Yan, who had been staring blankly into the depths of the forest, also showed a relieved and expectant smile on her little face.

Without further hesitation, she lightly touched the ground covered with fallen leaves with her toes, and her petite body, like a purple elf, transformed into a streak of light, flashing towards the deepest part of the forest from which the call seemed to come from the darkness.

"Keep up, stay alert!" Seeing this, Lin Ming shouted in a low voice, and quickly followed.

Following closely behind, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan, Di Kong, and the others dared not slack off. They circulated their Dou Qi and increased their speed to the extreme, closely following the two. Like a sharp arrow, they pierced through the dense forest mist and sped towards the unknown core area.

Just as Lin Ming had predicted, after crossing the lake, the aura of the Magical Beasts in the forest was undoubtedly more ferocious and ancient than that outside.

There were even several hidden auras within, like dormant volcanoes. When Lin Ming and the others' auras passed by, they would stir slightly. The pressure was so great that even Lin Ming and the others couldn't help but show solemn expressions.

Fortunately, the bloodline pressure of the Ancient Void Dragon Imperial Clan emanating from Zi Yan played a crucial role at this moment.

Those powerful beings hidden deep in the dense forest and shrouded in mist clearly sensed Lin Ming and his group of uninvited guests. However, after hesitating and probing for a moment, they felt the pure Dragon Might that made their souls tremble and ultimately chose to remain silent. Their restless aura gradually receded and returned to silence.

In their hazy memories, passed down for countless years, the masters who possessed this supreme Dragon Might might were all the most powerful and terrifying beings in the world, the ones who were most unapproachable.

It would be extremely unwise to anger such a being for the sake of a few passing humans. It's best to avoid provoking it if possible.

Of course, having spent countless long years in this isolated Ancient Forest, they were unaware that the master of this Dragon Might's might was merely a Juvenile Stage, far from reaching its peak, Ancient Void Dragon...

This reverence stemming from blood ties inadvertently cleared away many potential and enormous troubles for Lin Ming and his companions.

However, in the deepest part of this perilous forest, where Fierce Beasts lurk, Lin Ming and his companions, thanks to Zi Yan's Dragon Might, fortunately did not encounter too many substantial obstacles.

Therefore, after traveling at high speed through the dense forest for nearly half a cup of tea's time, Zi Yan, who was leading the way, suddenly slowed down without warning and finally stopped under a towering ancient tree that required ten people to encircle.

"Have we arrived?" Lin Ming immediately gestured for everyone to stop and then asked Zi Yan.

Something's not right...

Before Zi Yan could reply to Lin Ming's words, Qing Lin closed his eyes slightly, his Soul Perception spreading out like ripples on water. He then suddenly opened his emerald green eyes, which held a hint of surprise and doubt, and whispered, "The aura of all the Magical Beasts around here has completely disappeared!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ming's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected it. However, Xiong Zhan, Di Kong, and the others felt a chill in their hearts and quickly focused their attention to sense the situation.

Sure enough! The oppressive, dark aura that had been faintly perceptible before, lurking all around like dark clouds, had vanished completely as if wiped away by an invisible hand!

Within a radius of several miles, there was a deathly silence, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind, an eerie stillness.

"What happened?"

Xiong Zhan immediately frowned, a deep sense of vigilance appearing on his rugged face. In this unknown and dangerous place, a sudden change in atmosphere often meant greater danger. If he wasn't careful, he might really be stuck here forever, becoming fertilizer for these medicinal herbs.

"Don't worry,"

Just as everyone became wary, Zi Yan, who was standing at the front, spoke softly. Her gaze was fixed on the area not far ahead, which seemed no different from the rest of the place, and she said softly.

"This... is already the center of this Ancient Forest. Those Magical Beasts dare not approach here, or rather... are kept out by some kind of force."

Upon hearing this, everyone followed Zi Yan's gaze.

It was a relatively flat open space, with lush green grass spreading out like a carpet, dotted with a few unidentified wildflowers. Apart from that, there was nothing unusual about it; there were no magnificent buildings or soaring lights.

This... is the place that called Zi Yan from the depths of the universe? The rest of the Five Elements Sect looked at each other, puzzled and confused. This place seemed far too ordinary.

Ignoring the doubts of the crowd, Zi Yan swung down from the thick tree trunk she was perched on, taking about ten slow but firm steps on the ground, as if measuring some kind of invisible scale.

Then, her face became extremely solemn, and she stretched out her delicate white hand, slowly reaching into the void ahead.

Just as its small hand touched the Void Space half a foot in front of it—

"Buzz!"

A sudden change has occurred!

A soft yet incredibly resilient golden light appeared out of thin air without warning!

The golden light was not dazzling, but it carried an ancient and timeless charm. It was shaped like an inverted bowl, round at the top and square at the bottom, with an area of about ten feet, completely covering the flat grassland in front of it.

Although the golden light was dazzling, strangely, it seemed to blend into the surrounding environment. Moreover, it was concealed by the towering ancient trees and thick fog on the outer perimeter. Unless they were extremely close, it would be difficult to detect the abnormality of this place!

"What's this?"

Lin Ming and his group quickly flashed to Zi Yan's side. Looking at the golden light shield that suddenly appeared in front of them, radiating a faint pressure, Di Kong's eyes were filled with solemnity, and he couldn't help but ask.

He felt a sense of oppression emanating from the depths of his soul from this mysterious golden light shield. This feeling made him realize that even if everyone here joined forces and exerted all their strength, they probably wouldn't be able to shake this seemingly thin and strange golden light shield in the slightest!

Zi Yan's small hands gently caressed the smooth and warm golden light shield, a faint sadness and solemnity, incongruous with her age, appearing on her face. She explained softly.

"This is the 'Beast Spirit Barrier'... It's not man-made, but a special barrier that only extremely powerful and noble Magical Beasts can condense at the moment of their death, by exhausting all their bloodline and Soul Power. It... is the final resting place of the strong, and also the guidance and legacy they leave to their descendants."

Lin Ming remained silent. Having the memories of the "original work," he naturally knew the origin of this Beast Spirit Barrier.

This is an Ancient Void Dragon strength reached the Dou Sheng level. In ancient times, it fought an earth-shattering battle with an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix of the same level in this place, and in the end, both of them perished from exhaustion.

This Beast Spirit Barrier was formed by the Ancient Void Dragon before its death, using its remaining Dragon Soul and Essence Blood to protect their final battlefield, as well as the extraordinary treasure born from the fusion of their Essence Blood under extreme coincidence— the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!

Just as Lin Ming was thinking this, Zi Yan, who was carefully stroking the light shield, suddenly changed her expression, as if she had discovered something incredible, and asked in surprise.

"No! The energy of this Beast Spirit Barrier... is so strange! It not only has the pure bloodline of our Ancient Void Dragon, but it also seems to have a hint of... the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's aura? Moreover, this Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's bloodline aura is far more ancient, purer, and nobler than that of those guys now!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan, Di Kong, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with shock.

Could it be that within this Beast Spirit Barrier, not only did an Ancient Void Dragon perish, but also a top-tier powerhouse of the Ancient Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan? Why would two supreme overlords of the Magical Beast World fall here simultaneously?

"Who cares what's inside? Let's just open it and see." Xiong Zhan scratched his head and said in a muffled voice. He was straightforward and felt that seeing was believing, rather than guessing.

Zi Yan nodded slightly, the surprise and doubt on her face gradually replaced by determination. Now that she had come here and felt the call of her bloodline, she had to go in and see for herself.

Without hesitation, she brought her slender, jade-like finger to her lips, gently biting it with her pearly teeth. A drop of golden blood seeped from her fingertip. That blood contained the purest and most potent Ancient Void Dragon Royal Bloodline!

As Zi Yan raised her finger, which was dripping with golden blood, and gently pressed it onto the golden Beast Spirit Barrier, she slowly drew a golden bloodstain along a mysterious path.

"This kind of Beast Spirit Barrier, formed from the Magical Beast Bloodline, can only be activated by descendants with the same bloodline, using their own Essence Blood as a catalyst..." Zi Yan explained softly as she moved the brush.

As the golden bloodstains containing the royal dragon's blood gradually took shape on the light shield, the calm golden light shield suddenly began to fluctuate rapidly, as if a stone had been thrown into a calm lake!

Immediately, the entire golden light shield rippled violently, and a golden crack, just wide enough for one person to pass through, slowly tore open at the end of the bloodstain, accompanied by a low humming sound!

Beyond the crack was a hazy golden halo, obscuring the specific details.

Let's go...

Seeing this, Zi Yan took a deep breath, a resolute glint in her eyes, and without any hesitation, stepped directly into the golden crack. Her petite figure was instantly swallowed up by the hazy gold.

"Keep up!"

Seeing this, Lin Ming didn't hesitate. He gave a low shout to the people behind him, and with a flash, he followed Zi Yan into the crevice. He trusted Zi Yan's judgment and his own memories.

Seeing this, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan, Di Kong and the others were still shocked and a little uneasy, but out of absolute trust in Lin Ming and Zi Yan, they no longer hesitated and quickly disappeared into the golden crack.

As the last person entered the Beast Spirit Barrier, the golden crack seemed to come alive, rippled slightly, then quickly contracted, closed, and finally disappeared.

The golden Beast Spirit Barrier returned to its previous calm and integrity, as if it had never been activated, isolating the inside from the outside into two completely different worlds. Only the excessively silent heart of the forest remained outside, along with the even greater turmoil that was about to be stirred up by the arrival of more intruders.