"Charge! The Ancient Ruins have opened!"
The moment the crimson lake receded, revealing the entrance to the ruins, countless figures in the sky turned bloodshot, their throats emitting low, greedy roars. Like locusts swarming across the land, they surged toward the deep, dark opening in the center of the blood-red lake below.
Compared to those who charged headlong into the air, Xiao Yan and the members of the Four Great Clans stood firmly in the void, not rushing forward despite the unusual movements of the people in the world.
Just as everyone was scanning the people from the Four Great Clans with suspicious looks, the next moment, those who were about to enter the entrance of the ruins suddenly and uncontrollably began to swell rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the bodies of the dozen or Half-Emperor in the arena had swelled to an unimaginable extent. At this moment, those who were rushing downwards seemed to be startled and hurriedly stopped their rapid descent, quickly turning around and heading back into the sky.
However, just when these people thought they could escape their doom, the Half-Emperor below, whose bodies had swelled to their limit, could no longer suppress the rampant Dou Qi within them. Amidst screams of pain, the swollen bodies of the Half-Emperor below exploded with a deafening roar. The pungent smell of blood swept across the heavens and earth like a storm, accompanied by an even more terrifying energy storm!
The moment they saw the energy storm, the expressions of the group of Half-Emperor in the sky changed drastically, and they all retreated. As for the Dou Di experts, they waved their sleeves and blasted away the oncoming energy. Xiao Yan, who was in the middle of the energy storm, did not change his expression under his black robe. He let the storm sweep over him, and the power contained in it was completely swallowed up by the Great Dao of the Void on his black robe.
As for the others, although they each had their own means of survival, many were still swallowed up by the violent storm.
Of course, while Xiao Yan and the others, who were farther away, had a chance to respond in time, for those Half-Emperor who were close at hand, they didn't even have time to mobilize their Dou Qi. In the blink of an eye, dozens of Half-Emperor were swallowed up by the terrifying energy storm, and all of their auras disappeared completely in an instant.
When the storm subsided, the people in the sky looked down and saw that the entrance to the ruins below was still unusually calm. However, the corpses of those Half-Emperor who had been swallowed up by the energy storm were nowhere to be seen.
"Gurgle..."
Although the Half-Emperor- emperors were nowhere to be seen, those present clearly saw that the receding crimson lake water below was now churning again, with huge bubbles surging out and bursting with a bang upon contact with the air, turning into a pool of crimson blood that merged into the lake water.
Instantly, the already scarlet lake water became even more glaring. At the same time, as the bubbles burst, a thick, bloody stench rose up and gradually spread across the lake like a wisp of smoke.
This bizarre scene immediately threw everyone present into chaos, and the atmosphere on the field suddenly became extremely tense. The strange scene that had just occurred left all the Half-Emperor present speechless with fear, and a deep chill surged wildly from the bottom of their hearts.
Those were nearly a hundred Half-Emperor! It's unbelievable that they all perished in the blink of an eye without any explanation!
The leaders of the Four Great Clans also turned their gazes to the crimson lake below, a solemn look appearing in their deep eyes. Compared to the eerie blood mist, this lake was what truly made them wary.
"As expected, this ruin is not so easy to enter. Judging from this, it must be some kind of high-level formation. It can even influence the Dou Qi within a person by relying on blood qi. That's truly terrifying!"
"Indeed, judging by the sheer power of this formation, it's capable of rendering even High-Level Half-Emperor powerless to resist. This shows that the formation is of a high grade, probably at least Third-Tier Formation!"
"Tsk tsk, Third-Tier Formation! That's a super formation powerful enough to shake even Dou Di expert! I never expected it to appear here!"
High above, several High-Level Half-Emperor looked down at the churning lake with resentful eyes, feeling somewhat fortunate. The reason they hadn't set off was to follow the Four Great Clans into the ruins, and it was precisely because of this that they had escaped disaster.
"Haha, this ruin is truly extraordinary! I've long heard that its owner was once a powerful expert at the Origin King Great Realm, and seeing it now, it's indeed remarkable!"
Standing before the crowd, Huo Ba grinned as he looked down at the entrance to the ruins. The crimson lake water, combined with the bottomless entrance, gave off an eerie feeling. The deep, dark ruins seemed to be filled with mystery, yet at the same time, they also seemed to harbor endless killing intent.
As his laughter subsided, Huo Ba glanced around and, seeing that no one else had made a move, couldn't help but grin. He then looked at the other three families around him and chuckled:
"Hehe, don't you three want to go in and take a look?"
Upon hearing this, the other three families exchanged glances, none of them making a move. The Bai Clan and Sun Clan remained silent, while Zhuo Bentang, representing the Zhuo Clan, the head of the Four Great Clans, chuckled, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Huo Ba, and said:
"Hehe, the Zhuo Clan has always been methodical and orderly, and we are not in a hurry. If Elder Huo wishes to go in and take a look as soon as possible, then please do so!"
Upon hearing Zhuo Bentang's words, Huo Ba narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded, and then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhuo Bentang, saying with a forced smile:
"Haha, very well. Since the Zhuo Clan intends for the Huo Clan to enter first, then the Huo Clan will not stand on ceremony. We'll take our leave first, and meet again in the ruins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Ba led the Huo Clan members and swiftly descended towards the entrance of the ruins below.
Following him, many Half-Emperor in the sky followed suit, hoping to use Huo Ba's power to successfully enter the ruins. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan remained standing among the remaining crowd, waiting for the right moment.