Tang Zhen's Doubts

Boom!

The once quiet and oppressive hall, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, suddenly exploded as if a heavy bomb had been dropped into it, the fuse burning out!

Almost instantly, the fragile balance that had been maintained for so long was completely shattered, causing the atmosphere inside the vast main hall to boil and explode like a pot of boiling oil!

Sizzle!

After emitting their final, blinding bursts of light, the ten dazzling orbs vanished like shattered bubbles. In their place, ten streams of light, each a different color and seemingly alive, burst forth from the center of the collapsing orbs!

Crimson, azure, emerald green, ochre, silver, dark purple...

Streaks of light pierced the dimly lit space of the main hall, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, like ten awakened serpents eager to escape their restraints.

Through the dense energy glow surrounding the scroll, one could vaguely make out the scroll itself.

A sense of vastness and antiquity emanated from these scrolls, as if carrying the whispers and imprints of power from ancient warriors.

This aura possessed an irresistible magic for all the Dou Zhe present, causing the eyes of many powerful individuals to turn blood red almost instantly, their breathing to become heavy, their chests to heave violently, and their reason to be rapidly devoured by greed.

"Heaven Tier Dou Technique has been born!"

Someone let out a scream, distorted by intense longing, and this sound was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting a fire in everyone's hearts!

Immediately, a series of muffled thuds, like the beating of drums, resounded. Streams of powerful Dou Qi, each a different color but none weak, burst forth from every corner of the hall, their dazzling colors illuminating the entire hall in a bizarre and surreal way!

The next moment, figures swarmed like locusts that had lost their minds, their pupils fixed only on the streaks of light flying around them. They no longer cared whether they were allies or enemies, and recklessly took to the air, pushing their Dou Qi to its limit. They transformed into blurry afterimages, frantically rushing towards the scattered streaks of light! The scene instantly descended into utter chaos!

However, facing the overwhelming, inescapable, and greedy hands that were closing in like a net, the ten streaks of light seemed to possess their own intelligence. Their flight trajectories were incredibly cunning, twisting and turning nimbly in the Dou Qi, sometimes accelerating and sometimes stopping abruptly, easily dodging all the powerful suction or grabbing hands.

Some streaks of light even deliberately emit more alluring energy fluctuations as they pass through crowds, drawing more people towards them and causing even more intense collisions.

"Pfft!"

"Ah!"

"Get out of my way! This is mine!"

In mid-air, countless figures crisscrossed and moved about, with dozens or even hundreds of battles occurring almost every instant.

The dull thuds of fists clashing, the explosions of colliding Dou Qi, the screeching of weapons scraping against each other, and the screams of the wounded rose and fell, weaving together a bloody and cruel symphony of treasure hunting.

Immediately afterwards, figures began to fall from the sky as if struck by a heavy blow, spitting out blood, and plummeting helplessly like kites with broken strings. Finally, with a shrill scream, they crashed heavily onto the hard floor of the hall, producing a low, thud that sent chills down one's spine.

These guys were clearly blinded by greed for that possible Heaven Tier Dou Technique, showing no mercy whatsoever and attacking with all their might! Blood began to splatter, staining the ancient ground with glaring crimson spots.

"Don't make a move yet!"

Looking at the chaotic situation that had almost completely spiraled out of control in an instant, like a living hell, Lin Ming's expression was also extremely solemn. He stretched out his arm to stop Zi Yan, who was already rubbing her hands together, her golden eyes flashing with excitement and fighting spirit, and shouted in a deep voice.

Lin Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, clearly reaching the ears of everyone on his side.

Tang Zhen, standing to the side, nodded slightly with a solemn expression, while waving his hand to stop the Blazing Flame Valley experts behind him who were also somewhat unable to contain themselves.

His eyes were fixed on the ten streaks of light in mid-air that, despite the frantic attempts of countless powerful figures to intercept them, still darted about like fish, causing collisions and bloodshed among the crowd. His brow furrowed slightly, and he softly asked Lin Ming:

"Lin Ming, although the situation is chaotic now, perhaps we can see some clues. Could you use your Soul Perception to determine which scroll is the real Heaven Tier Dou Technique?"

Lin Ming's sharp gaze swept over the ten dazzling streaks of light, and he slowly shook his head, saying:

"I can't tell. These ten scrolls are clearly not ordinary items; they could even be considered the highest-level Dou Technique or Cultivation Method I've seen in recent years. The layer of energy surrounding them is not just for protection, but also an extremely sophisticated means of disguise and concealment, perfectly hiding the scrolls' aura and making it impossible to detect their specific grade from the outside. Moreover, breaking through this layer of energy and firmly grasping them will not be an easy task."

In his soul perception, these ten streams of light all contained an extremely strong, unusual energy fluctuation that was different from ordinary Dou Technique. This fluctuation was profound and restrained, something he had never seen before.

These Dou Technique or Cultivation Method must be of a high level.

As Lin Ming predicted, among the Dou Technique he had learned and mastered, the only one comparable in rank and unique meaning was the "Five Rounds Leaving Fire Method Control Technique" taught to him by Heavenly Flame Venerate Elder Yao.

Of course, this refers to the Five Rounds Leaving Fire Method, which is performed by an ordinary person and whose power is stable at the Earth Tier Peak-grade. It does not include Lin Ming's version, which possesses five Heavenly Flames and can unleash their power to the extreme, making it comparable to Heaven Tier Mid-grade Dou Technique.

Aside from the Five Rounds Leaving Fire Method, the "Eight Desolations Saber Technique," which he last learned in the Jia Nan Academy's Skill Pavilion and had just stepped into the Earth Tier High-grade Rank, could probably only be considered to barely reach the lower limit of its energy fluctuations compared to these scrolls in the flowing light.

Clearly, the Dou Technique and Cultivation Method collected here by the Dou Sheng are at least no weaker than the Earth Tier High-grade "Eight Desolations Saber Technique," and most of them are likely at the Earth Tier Peak-grade. As for the only Heaven Tier Dou Technique, it is definitely not among them.

"As expected of the Dou Sheng Ruins, such powerful and precious Dou Technique and Cultivation Method are something that even some extremely powerful first-class forces cannot possess, and may not even have seen. Yet here, ten volumes appear on such a large scale. It is truly a grand gesture." Lin Ming couldn't help but feel a little impressed.

With a sigh, Lin Ming took advantage of the chaos, his gaze sweeping around like that of the most composed hunter.

Upon scanning the area, Lin Ming noticed that some truly powerful figures, such as the Old Ghost Xing of the Soul Hall, the captain of the Nether Python Clan, and several other old monsters with obscure and profound auras, were standing still like rocks, not immediately joining the frenzied scramble.

Their eyes were cold and sharp, like vultures circling in the sky. They were clearly planning to sit back and watch the tigers fight, waiting for these greed-blinded people to fight each other to the death and exhaust their strength before striking with swift and decisive action to clean up the mess and seize their real target.

"Lin Ming, have you noticed something?"

At this moment, Tang Zhen looked at the crowd in mid-air, fighting bloodied and dying over the scroll, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and said:

"The main hall is now open, and Heaven Tier Dou Technique have all been revealed. The competition has reached a fever pitch, yet there is still one extremely powerful team that has not yet appeared."

"Oh?" Lin Ming raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity, and asked, "Are there still strong teams yet to appear? Uncle Tang, which side are you referring to?"

Without further ado, Tang Zhen stated his observation. "The Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, one of the three overlords of the Magical Beast World, whose strength and foundation are subtly even stronger than the Nether Python!"

"They were among the first to rush in when the ruins first opened and the Spatial Fluctuations stabilized. Given their arrogant nature and obsession with treasures, there's no reason they would have missed out on the battle for the main hall. It's really strange that we haven't seen a single person yet."

Upon hearing Tang Zhen's words, the members of the Five Elements Sect, who knew the inside story, remained outwardly calm, but inwardly they were all secretly cursing and thinking:

"It would be a miracle, a ghost story, if they actually came!"

"Those bird-men from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan were all wiped out by the Sect Master in the Beast Spirit Barrier Plain, formed by the mutual destruction of the Ancient Void Dragon and the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, in the heart of that Ancient Forest within the ruins!"

"Their corpses, hair and bones intact, are still safely stored on the Sect Master's body. They were able to come? Heh, in a sense, they came with the Sect Master..."

Of course, these earth-shattering secrets that everyone was thinking about could never be revealed to outsiders.

Therefore, Lin Ming immediately showed just the right amount of doubt and surprise on his face, and replied in response to Tang Zhen's words:

"Now that you mention it, Uncle Tang, it's true! The fact that the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan is really unusual for them. It's quite strange."

"Hehe, but who cares what their reason was for not coming?"

Tang Zhen had no doubt about Lin Ming's flawless reaction of surprise; on the contrary, he thought it was a normal reaction. He stroked his beard and smiled, his tone becoming more relaxed as he comforted him:

"It's better that they didn't come; it means one less troublesome competitor. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan is not only powerful, but also domineering and difficult to deal with. Their absence is perhaps a good thing for us."

Lin Ming nodded in agreement, a smile of "that's certainly true" on his face, and said:

"Haha, Uncle Tang is right. Thinking about it that way, it's actually a good thing. Without them, the pressure on us in the competition will be much less."

Then, this group of the Alliance who had temporarily held back turned their attention back to the chaotic, blood-soaked sky, like the most patient spectators, waiting for the perfect moment to enter.

Around the stone seat, a dozen awakened Dou Venerate Puppet, their gray-white eyes locked onto any intruders who dared to approach within ten feet of the stone seat, exuding a chilling killing intent like the arrival of winter.