For the sake of those last two scrolls representing that elusive yet maddening opportunity to master a Heaven Tier Dou Technique, almost all the remaining powerhouses in the hall unleashed their most precious strength and last shred of reason.
The explosions of clashing Dou Qi, the screams of the dying, the clang of clashing weapons, and the furious roars of madness intertwined to form a bloody and chaotic symphony of death.
Figures fell like wheat being harvested, their blood staining the ancient ground. Every moment, people paid the ultimate price for that opportunity that seemed both so close and so far away.
Just as the battle for the last two scrolls reached its most fierce and intense moment, Lin Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, focusing his Soul Power on penetrating the core of the second Ancient Human Puppet, suddenly opened his eyes!
As his eyes opened and closed, a glint of light flashed by as if it were a tangible object.
As he opened his eyes, the second Ancient Human Puppet, which had been fiercely battling the Puppet One with punches, sending stone chips flying, suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed.
Then, it completely stopped attacking, standing stiffly in place. The frenzied killing intent in its gray eyes receded like the tide, leaving only the same emptiness and obedience as Puppet One.
"Lin Ming, you did it!" Zi Yan, who had been anxiously watching over him, exclaimed with delight as her golden eyes lit up.
Lin Ming slowly stood up, stretched his head which was slightly tired from the large consumption of Soul Power, and nodded to Zi Yan and the concerned gazes around him.
As he stood up, the two Ancient Human Puppet that had just stopped fighting in mid-air seemed to receive an invisible command and moved at the same time. One to the left and one to the right, like two loyal gray lightning bolts, they flew over and finally landed steadily beside Lin Ming and the others, like two silent and powerful stone guards, exuding a chilling aura.
"Two Ancient Human Puppet..."
Elder Di Kong, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but take a deep breath, his eyes filled with shock and pride.
The Sect Master's methods are truly unfathomable!
As Lin Ming successfully subdued another powerful Ancient Human Puppet, the crowd vying for the last two scrolls, though filled with apprehension, fought even more fiercely and desperately!
Time waits for no one. Lin Ming's strength is snowballing and growing stronger. If they don't seize this last opportunity, they might not even get a sip of soup!
However, just as everyone's attention was drawn to the scroll battle and Lin Ming's acquisition of the Puppet, some perceptive individuals suddenly noticed something unusual.
The Soul Hall group, who had remained motionless since arriving at the main hall, hovering in mid-air like cold, venomous snakes, suddenly began to move.
Led by the Old Ghost Xing, they silently dispersed, forming a faint encirclement. They were slowly approaching the very center of the hall—the jade-white Dou Sheng Skeleton sitting cross-legged on a stone throne—with an indescribable greed and fanaticism!
Their movements were not fast, but they carried a resolute determination, as if the skeleton was their ultimate goal!
"Their target... is that Dou Sheng Skeleton?!" Qing Lin's emerald eyes suddenly narrowed, and he lowered his voice, his tone heavy with disbelief, as he said in a deep voice.
"These persistent bastards are definitely up to no good! Should we stop these scoundrels?"
Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's small face immediately lit up with a fighting spirit, and she rubbed her hands together eagerly. She had no good feelings towards these cowardly members of the Soul Hall.
However, Lin Ming, who knew the original plot, suddenly narrowed his eyes when his gaze fell on the jade-white skeleton sitting Cross-legged on the stone seat as if asleep!
He saw it!
At the seemingly motionless knuckles of the skeletal remains, there was an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible twitch!
It was as if Fierce Beasts had been sleeping for countless ages had unconsciously twitched its claw tip!
In that instant, an indescribable sense of horror and crisis, like ice water poured over his head, suddenly surged from Lin Ming's heart, instantly sweeping through his entire body, making every hair on his body stand on end!
He knew all too well what was going to happen next!
That wasn't a stroke of luck, but a death warrant! It was the final killing move left behind by this ancient Dou Sheng, aimed at all those who dared to desecrate his remains!
"Not good!"
As Lin Ming watched the group, including Old Ghost Xing, getting closer and closer to the stone seat, their faces filled with fanaticism and greed, about to step into the death zone, his ominous premonition instantly reached its peak!
Without hesitation, Lin Ming immediately reached out with both hands, grabbing the wrists of Zi Yan, who was still eager to try, and Qing Lin, who looked puzzled, on either side. With all his might, he shouted in a hoarse and urgent voice:
"Forget about them! Retreat! Immediately! Right now!! Get away from that skeleton!!"
Lin Ming's sudden change in expression and his horrified shout immediately caught the attention of the other members of the Five Elements Sect beside him. Everyone was stunned, completely bewildered.
"Sect Master, what's wrong? What happened?" Xiong Zhan scratched his head and asked cautiously in a muffled voice.
Even though the Soul Hall was about to succeed, why did the Sect Master seem to have encountered something extremely terrifying?
Lin Ming's strange behavior left the Five Elements Sect members completely bewildered and utterly unable to understand. While the Dou Sheng Skeleton were precious, they seemed to have shown no unusual activity; why was their Sect Master so panicked?
However, the absolute trust they had built up over a long period of time meant they had no doubt about Lin Ming's judgment.
Therefore, although they were filled with great doubt and did not understand Lin Ming's purpose, Di Kong, Xiong Zhan and the other members of the Five Elements Sect did not hesitate at all. They immediately used their speed to the maximum and followed Lin Ming, who had grabbed the two women and started to retreat wildly. Like a flock of startled birds, they fled in a direction away from the stone seat and the center of the hall!
"What happened to Lin Ming and the others?"
Watching Lin Ming lead the Five Elements Sect group away as if avoiding a plague, fleeing frantically towards the edge of the main hall and the passage they had come from, Tang Zhen and the others from Blazing Flame Valley were stunned and completely baffled.
However, Tang Zhen was a seasoned veteran with a meticulous mind.
He glanced at the stone seat that the Soul Hall was approaching, and then at Lin Ming, whose face was more solemn than ever before and who was fleeing for his life with a hint of fear. Many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Our Blazing Flame Valley has already obtained a scroll. Even if we leave immediately, this trip will not be a loss; we've gained a great deal!" He quickly weighed the pros and cons. "Lin Ming is no ordinary person; his hasty retreat must have a deeper meaning! Let's trust him this once!"
Thinking this through, Tang Zhen no longer hesitated. He made a decisive move and shouted, "All members of Blazing Flame Valley, follow Sect Master Lin and retreat!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a streak of fiery red light, chasing after the Five Elements Sect members. Although the other experts from Blazing Flame Valley were equally puzzled, they obeyed their Valley Master's orders without question and immediately followed.
The unusual actions of the Five Elements Sect and the Blazing Flame Valley were like pouring cold water into a boiling pot of oil, causing many powerful figures who were still observing or participating in the final competition to frown and feel uncertain.
Among them, the Starfall Pavilion reacted the fastest and most decisively!
Xiao Yan's brows furrowed into a knot as he stared intently at Lin Ming's retreating figure, which showed no sign of lingering and was moving with all its might. His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
He knows Lin Ming too well!
This guy is definitely not one to suffer a loss, nor is he someone who will be easily scared away!
But now that he has two Ancient Human Puppet under his control and has subdued them, and with such a powerful lineup, they are fleeing for their lives in such a sorry state and with such Deadly Land, then there must be a terrifying existence ahead that even he feels is a deadly threat!
"Elder Feng! Trust me this once! Follow Lin Ming and retreat quickly!" Xiao Yan didn't have time to explain further and could only hurriedly say to Venerable Feng beside him.
Seeing Xiao Yan's equally solemn Gu Ling, and then glancing at Lin Ming and the others who were almost back in the main hall's area, Venerable Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. A decisive man indeed, he immediately waved his sleeve and shouted, "Starfall Pavilion, retreat!"
Thus, the Starfall Pavilion group also joined this sudden "great retreat".
Lin Ming, leading the Five Elements Sect, Blazing Flame Valley, Starfall Pavilion, and other powerful forces, made such unusual moves one after another, immediately causing a considerable commotion and panic within the main hall.
Although most people still didn't understand what was happening or where the danger came from, the herd mentality and fear of the unknown began to take effect.
Why are they running?
"Could this be a trap?"
"Something's wrong! Quick, let's back up too!"
Some quick-witted individuals, or those who were already on the edge of the battle and valued their lives more, also began to subconsciously and quietly retreat, distancing themselves from the stone throne in the center of the hall and the struggle for the last two scrolls.
It was this subconscious caution that, in those impending moments, saved them from a life-threatening crisis!
Just as Lin Ming and the others had retreated a considerable distance, almost reaching the entrance passage to the main hall—
On the other side, Old Ghost Xing, leading the group from the Soul Hall, finally stepped into the area within ten feet of the stone seat, completely entering that area considered forbidden.
At this moment, all of their eyes were fixed with intense passion on the jade-white skeleton sitting Cross-legged.
The Dou Sheng! Even for Soul Hall Venerable Elder, this level held an irresistible and fatal allure!
Dou Zun expert might already be considered one of the strongest on this continent, capable of establishing a powerful force and commanding respect.
However, it is still far, far away from that true pinnacle level, where one looks down upon the world and controls the rules...
The difference between Dou Venerate and Dou Sheng is almost a qualitative Qualitative Change in the essence of life. The gap between the two is like the difference between clouds and mud, and almost no ordinary external thing can bridge it...
"So... these are the remains of Dou Sheng Expert...?"
The Old Ghost Xing stared with fanaticism at the skeleton, which was warm and white, as if it contained divine brilliance. He couldn't help but stick out his scarlet tongue and lick his dry lips, and his breathing became heavy.