Entering the Ancient Ruins

Deep within the Soul Burial Mountain Range Soul-Severing Ravine.

The terrain here is as if it had been cleaved open by a giant axe, with steep, barren, gray-black cliffs on both sides. The cliffs are covered with jagged rocks, casting twisted and menacing shadows under the pale moonlight.

The bottom of the ravine was perpetually shrouded in a grayish-white miasma, carrying an aura of decay and chilling death. Even Dou Wang expert would die instantly if he inhaled too much of it.

The wind howled through the narrow valley, adding to the eerie and ghostly atmosphere, sending chills down one's spine.

Space distorted slightly, and a crack opened silently. Xiao Yan embraced Queen Medusa and Zi Yan on his left and right, respectively, with Si Yuan and two composed Five-Star Dou Zong elders from the Heavenly Snake Mansion — Teng She and Ku Rong —behind him. The group walked out of the Space Channel one after another.

"Hiss... Such heavy miasma!" Si Yuan frowned, his powerful Dou Qi circulating spontaneously within him to resist the bone-chilling cold. He looked around; the gray-black cliffs, like the fangs of a giant beast, cut the sky into a narrow line. "This place is indeed dangerous; no wonder it serves as a barrier for the Soul Hall Branch."

"Hmph! The miasma in this place is not naturally formed. Based on my experience, it is man-made miasma."

Queen Medusa snorted coldly, her eerie purple eyes sweeping over the churning miasma at the bottom of the ravine. Her seven-colored Dou Qi flickered on her body, completely dispelling the chilling aura that approached Xiao Yan and his companions.

She stood beside Xiao Yan, her posture elegant yet vigilant, like Medusa guarding her territory—the body of the Prince Consort was also considered part of her domain.

Still perched on Xiao Yan's shoulder, using him as a mount, she wrinkled her small nose, her face full of disdain.

"This place stinks! It reeks of rotting corpses. I can sense it. There is indeed a hidden space there, but it's not one that requires breaking a seal. The seal has already been broken."

Although Zi Yan complained, her deep purple-gold eyes flashed with a keen sense of spatial anomalies, and she quickly turned her gaze to the depths of the Soul-Severing Ravine.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and his soul power spread out quietly like an invisible tide, carefully exploring the surrounding environment.

"The coordinates given by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion are not far ahead, and they match the direction Zi Yan pointed out." Xiao Yan pointed in a direction deep within the miasma, then changed the subject, "However, something seems amiss."

"Oh? What discovery did Yan Alliance?"

Si Yuan immediately asked, his expression grave, and did not call him brother-in-law again.

When at work, always use your job title!

The two elders of the Heavenly Snake Mansion were also on high alert.

"It's too quiet here," Xiao Yan said in a deep voice. "According to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, we're supposed to meet at 5 AM three days from now. Although it's not yet time, this place isn't far from the meeting point, so it shouldn't be this deserted. There's not a trace of human presence, no signs of any prior arrangements, not even a single person to guide us."

Queen Medusa nodded slightly upon hearing this; she too had realized that this place was a complete trap.

"Moreover," Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as his soul perception detected an extremely subtle fluctuation, like a spider web covering the entire area, "The space here is secretly sealed off by a great formation. Although the method is very clever, attempting to simulate natural spatial disorder, it cannot escape my perception. The strength of this seal... once activated, it is enough to trap an ordinary Peak Dou Zong expert. To achieve this level, the opponent has probably deployed Dou Zun expert!"

"Space-Sealing Grand Array?" Si Yuan's face darkened. "What a grand scheme! It seems the Soul Hall is determined to wipe out everyone who entered the cave, even blocking their escape route! Brother-in-law, we..."

Now they're resorting to appealing to his brother-in-law's emotions again.

Before he could finish speaking, Zi Yan curled her lip in disdain:

"Tch, you think this lousy net can stop me?"

The next moment, a rich purple light with a faint golden luster emerged from Zi Yan's body.

Soon, Zi Yan, enveloped in purple light, grew rapidly, as if she were growing taller. In just a few breaths, the girl sitting on Xiao Yan's shoulder transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman with a voluptuous yet slender figure, dressed in a purple-gold battle dress. Her height was even taller than Queen Medusa, and her proportions were in no way Queen Medusa's.

Her once youthful face had become beautiful and charming, with arched eyebrows, delicate features, long and narrow phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and luscious red lips.

Beneath the skirt were a pair of over-the-knee boots. As the skirt fluttered, a glimpse of the fair skin of the girl's shapely, straight thighs could be seen, making one want to get closer to see the scenery beneath the skirt more clearly.

The golden crown on her head, used to hold her hair up, resembled an emperor's crown, adding to her noble air.

Since Zi Yan had grown from a little girl into a mature woman, Xiao Yan's shoulders were no longer enough to support her. Her buttocks alone occupied his shoulder, softly pressing against his cheek and even squeezing his head to the side, which made Xiao Yan a little irritated.

"Not bad, she does have some of your Medusa sister's air about her."

Xiao Yan pulled Zi Yan down and hugged her tightly without any hesitation, praising her with a smile.

The beautiful Zi Yan in his arms had a slender and supple waist, yet it possessed a certain resilience. The perfect feel of her made Xiao Yan sigh silently in his heart.

"Truly worthy of being the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan! Even his physique is so perfect!"

Zi Yan felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever at Xiao Yan's large hand, which was making no attempt to conceal its caress on her waist; on the contrary, she felt a sense of pride.

Sure enough, this guy usually has no interest in me when I'm small, but once I grow bigger, I can easily hook him!

Little Xiao Yan is easy to handle.

But as a strange, hot, tingling sensation came from her waist, the tips of Zi Yan's ears turned slightly red.

Damn it, I clearly didn't want to do that kind of thing at all, so why did a desire rise up in my heart after just a little while of this guy's "caresses"?

So Zi Yan had to do something else to distract herself.

She pursed her lips, and then a pale golden light flowed around Zi Yan. Then, as if she were a deaf-mute arguing, she quickly formed a hand seal with one hand, while at the same time she stretched out her other fair and delicate hand and gently swiped it towards the void in front of her.

Although there was no earth-shattering display, both Xiao Yan Queen Medusa clearly felt that the invisible Space Lock, where Zi Yan's fingertips touched, silently tore open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through, like cloth being cut by a sharp blade.

A faint purple-gold luster shimmered at the edge of the crevice, which was the Spatial Strength of the Ancient Void Dragon possessed by Zi Yan at work.

And on the other side of the spatial rift lay their destination: the Ancient Ruins!

The instant they appeared from the spatial rift, a surge of energy so dense it was almost liquid erupted violently. The group had never experienced such intense energy before, and they were all nearly knocked unconscious by its impact.

"Done!" Zi Yan proudly raised her chin. "This level of blockade is nothing to me. But we can't make too much noise when we go in, so as not to alert the magical beasts inside."

Si Yuan and the two elders were dumbfounded.

They knew Zi Yan was exceptionally capable, but when they actually witnessed her incredible spatial manipulation skills firsthand, they were still utterly shocked.

This little girl's methods completely overturned their understanding of Spatial Strength!

It's truly outrageous that someone at the Dou Emperor level can manipulate Spatial Strength so easily!

"Well done, Zi Yan."

Xiao Yan approvingly rubbed Zi Yan's head, and the latter comfortably squinted her eyes, but quickly realized that she was now in her mature and elegant form, so she immediately straightened her face and pulled Xiao Yan's wicked hand away.

Does this guy still treat her like a child?

"Hmph, I'll make my move, no surprises!"

Zi Yan stood with her hands on her hips with a touch of arrogance, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world. With the abilities of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, if she were to reach adulthood, she could easily lead people into the ruins, loot them clean, and then come out to wander around elsewhere. That would be an easy thing to do.

Xiao Yan simply smiled gently at Zi Yan's slightly arrogant behavior, then turned to look at everyone and said softly, "Brother-in-law, elders, why don't we venture into this 'Ancient Dou Zun Cave Abode Ruins' and see what kind of dragon's den and tiger's lair the Soul Hall has prepared!"

In response to Xiao Yan's question, Si Yuan and the other two didn't hesitate at all and immediately chose to fight Xiao Yan!

The ruins of the ancient Dou Zun may contain some valuable items that even Dou Zun expert would not let go of. If one can obtain the resources within, it will naturally be of great benefit to everyone.

Xiao Yan didn't ask Queen Medusa or Zi Yan about it. These two women were trustworthy to him; wherever he was, they would be there too!

Seeing that no one objected, Xiao Yan simply embraced the three of them on his left and right, covering them with his Dou Qi and soul power. Then, he passed through the spatial rift opened by Zi Yan and disappeared into the dense miasma.

Passing through the spatial gap torn open by Zi Yan, the dense energy of heaven and earth rushed towards us as if it were a tangible substance, like a soaked, wet towel being thrown on our face, almost suffocating us.

This energy was incredibly pure, far surpassing anything outside, carrying an indescribable ancient and primal aura, as if it had been dormant for millennia and was finally slowly reviving.

The scene before them suddenly opened up, a stark contrast to the eerie and desolate atmosphere of the Soul-Severing Ravine.

They found themselves in a vast space inside a mountain, composed of some strange, dark golden rock.

Everywhere you look, there are domes and walls made of strange rocks that are dark, heavy, and have a cold, metallic sheen.

These rocks are not naturally formed; they are covered with regular yet ancient engravings, like some kind of long-lost giant runes, or the scales of some ancient beast, layer upon layer, exuding an indestructible and heavy feeling.

The dome was extremely high, inlaid with countless luminous crystals the size of human heads. These were not the Moonlight Stone commonly seen today, but a more ancient and strange mineral that seemed to flow with liquid luster inside. They emitted a stable and soft milky white light, illuminating the entire underground world like stars and dispelling the darkness, but they could not dispel the ancient aura that permeated the air.

The light refracted through the diffused, light mist formed from liquefied pure energy, creating hazy bands of light that added to the mystery.

Inside Xiao Yan's Storage Ring, two knowledgeable elders were also secretly observing.

They were also very curious about what kind of treasures might be preserved in these so-called Ancient Ruins.

Xiao Yan released his arms from the two beautiful women and flew forward.

Unlike the others' curiosity, Xiao Yan's internal Heavenly Flames began to stir restlessly as soon as he entered this space.

"Xiao Yan, does your Heavenly Flames also have that feeling?"

The Old Yao's voice quietly echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.

"Hmm, there seems to be something in this place that the Heavenly Flames finds repulsive."

Xiao Yan carefully sensed it for a moment and then responded.

"Let's fly straight ahead. I can vaguely sense that there's something in that direction."

The Old Yao's tone carried a rare hint of uncertainty.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately called to the others, and they Dou Qi Transformation Wings and fly towards the passage ahead.

Compared to the mountainside space that resembled a giant platform, this passage was extremely long and narrow. It took a full quarter of an hour before everyone's view finally opened up.

However, outside the passage was not a magnificent palace or pavilion, but a huge, broken plaza suspended in the void.

The plaza is made of the same dark golden rocks, but it is covered with shocking cracks, as if it had survived a devastating battle.

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then slammed his fist into the ground with all his might, but didn't even leave a fist mark!

"What a hard rock!"

Everyone was astonished; they all knew, or could see, the power of Xiao Yan's punch just now.

Even ordinary Dou Huang expert wouldn't dare to take it head-on, yet the ground showed no signs of being hit!

Everyone couldn't resist trying it themselves, and in the end, they all frowned in unison.

This dark golden rock does not belong to any known minerals or meteorites on the Dou Qi Continent. Even Si Yuan, Peak Dou Zong, could only leave a few traces of his attack on the rock.

The destruction of this place could not possibly have been accomplished by just an ordinary Dou Zun expert.

It must be at least Peak Dou Zun, or even a Dou Sheng, level expert, to have managed to make this place so chaotic!

Realizing this, Xiao Yan felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Teacher, the hardness of this stone is probably comparable to that of the Heavy Profound Ruler."

Xiao Yan muttered to himself.

"Hmm, more or less. This doesn't look like the ruins left behind by Dou Zun expert. Based on my experience, this should be the ruins of some sect from ancient times."

After pondering for a moment, the Old Yao said thoughtfully.

The ruins of a personal cave dwelling and the ruins of a sect are completely different things. The Soul Hall obviously has some kind of arrangement here, which is why it deliberately released the information about the ruins of Dou Zun to mislead everyone!

This looks bad!