"How could this be...? It's actually here..."
Among the crowd, Xiao Yan, his face hidden by a black robe, frowned deeply. He never expected that the entrance to this Ancient Ruins would be right here.
While Xiao Yan didn't have much affection for the One-Horned Whale Serpent, he wasn't exactly averse to it either. Seeing the blood in the lake below, he had no doubt it was the Xiao Yan One-Horned Whale Serpent's blood. Judging by its appearance, the One-Horned Whale Serpent had likely died at the hands of some powerful human. After all, in the Xilin Mountain Range, no other magical beast would dare provoke a super magical beast at the Nine-Star Half-Emperor level. Even among Nine-Star Half-Emperor level magical beasts, those of the same level rarely invaded each other's territory. And now, the One-Horned Whale Serpent was dead; perhaps only humans could have done that.
Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. After all, it was very likely that the One-Horned Whale Serpent had become the last One-Horned Whale Serpent in the world, and to let it die at the hands of a powerful human was something that even Xiao Yan would find hard to bear.
The One-Horned Whale Serpent is exceptionally gifted, and its bloodline is extremely noble even among all snake-type magical beasts. If it can grow up properly, its strength in the One-Horned Whale Serpent will probably not be bad at all; at least, Yuan Zong level should not be a problem.
However, now that the One-Horned Whale Serpent is dead, there's no use in Xiao Yan feeling regret. After letting out a low sigh, Xiao Yan had no choice but to helplessly withdraw his gaze. Right now, what he should focus on most is this Ancient Ruins.
But before that, ever since he arrived here, Xiao Yan had a question that remained unanswered: why was it that when he first came here, the Gu You within him had no knowledge of this Ancient Ruins?
" Elder Gu, why...?"
"You don't need to ask that. Last time I came here, I couldn't detect anything different. It seems the owner of this ruin is quite capable."
Just as Xiao Yan had a question in his mind, Gu You flatly rejected it, causing Xiao Yan to swallow back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.
Just then, before Xiao Yan's doubts could be resolved, the blood-red lake below suddenly surged. Countless gazes from the sky fell upon the blood-red lake below, and at this moment, everyone's eyes were filled with a fiery passion.
The Ancient Ruins are finally about to open!
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
The blood-red lake churned violently; the once calm surface now surged and churned like boiling water.
In the sky above, countless figures unleashed their Dou Qi, their powerful auras instantly coalescing into a terrifying pressure. At the same time, colorful Dou Qi qi soared into the sky, transforming into beams of Dou Qi that shot straight into the heavens with unstoppable momentum.
Everyone's eyes burned with excitement, and their hearts were filled with fervor. The Ancient Ruins were about to open, and everyone would file in one after another at the moment of their final opening. At that time, all the treasures within the ruins would depend on the abilities of those present!
The principle of "first come, first served" applies to everyone, but none of the people present wanted to miss this opportunity to act quickly!
One after another, figures rapidly descended, eventually stopping just ten feet above the lake. Upon reaching this point, the stench of blood in the air intensified, causing everyone's breathing to become slightly rapid.
And the more this happened, the stronger the stench of blood that everyone inhaled became...
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
As the lake water churned, an even stronger stench of blood emanated from it, transforming into a crimson wisp of smoke that slowly drifted into the sky. Upon smelling this bloody odor, the expressions of everyone above changed drastically.
The moment they smelled the blood, everyone felt their fighting Dou Qi surging uncontrollably, a situation that terrified everyone present.
The violent outburst of Dou Qi would ultimately result in the cultivator self-destructing and dying, and none of those present were willing to die so unwillingly.
Instantly, the crowd near the lake below erupted in excitement. Figures quickly turned, preparing to soar into the sky, but just then...
"Puff puff puff!"
One after another, towering pillars of blood shot into the sky from the lake below. Before the figures in the sky could respond, in the blink of an eye, these pillars of blood, as thick as a human thigh, pierced through the chests of those people like giant spears!
Instantly, blood splattered across the sky. Those who had been so eager just moments before were now a pile of corpses. As the blood pillar fell, the out-of-control bodies plunged into the violently churning lake below and vanished in an instant.
The sight of this scene caused the expressions of everyone in the sky to change drastically. Who could have imagined that this crimson lake, which appeared to be only stained with blood, could actually kill several Half-Emperor in a single blow? This was truly terrifying!
In the blink of an eye, the fervor in the eyes of the people in the sky vanished, replaced by deep fear.
Among the thousands of people, apart from the Dou Di powerhouses, most of the Half-Emperor powerhouses were having thoughts of retreating. Of course, at the same time, many more were driven by greed for profit.
Everyone was hoping that what had just happened was merely the result of their own impatience and self-destructive behavior. They believed they had no one to blame but themselves for their illness. They believed that as long as they waited patiently until the entrance to the Ancient Ruins was fully opened, they would be able to enter easily!
At this moment, the Four Great Clans and many more Dou Di experts held a disdainful attitude towards this. Although the blood pillar that had just appeared was powerful, it could only deal with Half-Emperor level experts and posed no threat to them.
As for Xiao Yan, he believed that with the Heavenly Flames empowering him, dealing with those blood pillars would be no problem for him.
After what had just happened, everyone became much more subdued. They watched as the blood-red lake below churned more violently until finally, the crimson water slowly receded, revealing a huge crimson hole in the center. At that moment, an even more intense stench of blood slowly wafted out from it.
Seeing this, the people in the sky were not surprised but delighted. Their greedy gazes shot towards the cave entrance. Even the leaders of the Four Great Clans showed a look of joy on their faces. At this moment, the Ancient Ruins have finally been fully opened!