"This... they actually came too..."
Beneath the black robe, Xiao Yan's Elder Zhang twitched slightly. He never expected that these three guys would also be attracted to this Ancient Ruins.
If he had seen them under normal circumstances, Xiao Yan might have felt happy, but the current situation made it impossible for Xiao Yan to smile.
Despite the previous two disastrous experiences, there were still quite a few Half-Emperor experts flying down with the Sun Clan family. The dense crowd resembled a locust swarm. In addition to the Sun Clan, there were more than a dozen other Dou Di experts among this group, and the number of Half-Emperor level experts following closely behind was countless. Tian Ying and his two companions were three of these countless Half-Emperor level experts.
Although the atmosphere on the field was quite awe-inspiring, Xiao Yan did not think that these people could successfully enter the ruins. On the contrary, the more Half-Emperor there were, the more Half-Emperor would be affected by the blood mist. If something went wrong, even with the strength of Tian Ying and the other two, they would have little chance of surviving.
"These three guys are really..."
Cursing inwardly, Xiao Yan watched as Tian Ying and the other two rushed down with the crowd. He gritted his teeth in resentment, and with a thought, his Dou Qi began to circulate quietly within him. His body, hidden beneath his black robe, trembled slightly, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan vanished from the crowd into the sky.
As Xiao Yan vanished in an instant, Bai Ying and Zhuo Bentang frowned in the direction of the Bai Clan and Zhuo Clan. Their gazes turned to the spot where Xiao Yan had stood. They saw that the spot was empty, and judging from the distribution of the people around him, there should have been someone there before they looked.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the crowd, a figure also shrouded in a black robe stared intently at the spot where Xiao Yan had just disappeared, lost in thought.
"Who was that person who could suddenly disappear without my noticing? Just who is this person?"
Zhuo Bentang's gaze remained fixed on the empty void, a rare solemnity appearing deep in his old eyes.
At this moment, Bai Ying was also staring at that void, seemingly lost in thought. Then, his gaze shifted, scanning the crowd as if searching for someone.
At this moment, below where everyone was standing high in the sky, a large crowd was rushing towards the entrance of the ruins below, and at the same time, the blood-red lake below was also churning up again.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
Suddenly, towering pillars of blood, emitting a strong, pungent stench, shot out again, hurtling haphazardly upwards towards the surging crowd.
Instantly, chaos erupted among the crowd. Everyone wore a solemn expression as they unleashed their Dou Qi, their palms forming hand seals. In the blink of an eye, the entire sky was filled with all sorts of powerful Dou Technique.
Having learned from past mistakes, everyone was well-prepared this time, having made all the necessary preparations to deal with the pillars of blood.
However, they clearly underestimated the terrifying power of that pillar of blood.
"Bang bang bang!"
Even though there were many Half-Emperor- emperors present, with everyone working together, they could only break through a small portion of the blood pillars. The remaining blood pillars, in the most domineering way, shattered all the incoming Dou Technique in one blow. Although they were formations, in front of them, a mere Half-Emperor was far from enough to defeat them!
"Pfft pfft pfft..."
Immediately following, as streaks of crimson blood sprayed into the sky, countless Half-Emperor level experts were pierced through the body by the blood pillar. What was even more bizarre about the blood pillar was that even if it did not hit vital organs, it would still emit a strange suction force that directly sucked up people's blood. Therefore, the final cause of death for most of the Half-Emperor level experts in the arena was that they died from having their blood devoured by the blood pillar.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, Tian Ying and his two companions, as Nine-Star Half-Emperor, possessed considerable strength. Coupled with their tacit cooperation, they were not harmed by the pillar of blood for a short period of time.
However, this does not mean that they have the opportunity to enter the Ancient Ruins.
Above the Blood Lake, towering pillars of blood surged through the void like giant pythons. Each time a pillar pierced through the void, one or more Half-Emperor experts would have their chests pierced. In the blink of an eye, of the hundreds of Half-Emperor level experts, only less than a hundred remained.
As one of the Four Great Clans, the Sun Clan, with Sun Shuo personally leading the team, naturally found it easy to avoid those pillars of blood. As for the dozen or so Dou Di experts, they were also unharmed thanks to their own strength.
As for those Half-Emperor- emperors, apart from a very few teams, any team consisting of a lone individual was inevitably targeted by that pillar of blood.
"Bang!"
With their Dou Technique broken, Tian Ying retreated. Immediately afterward, Yan Shi and Xiong Gang launched another attack, their powerful Dou Technique relentlessly bombarding the oncoming pillar of blood. Finally, when the pillar of blood was only a few feet away from the three of them, it was shattered by the combined strength of the three brothers in one blow.
However, before the three could catch their breath, the blood lake below churned once more, and several more blood pillars shot into the sky. This time, they seemed to have a target and charged straight at the three of Tian Ying.
"Damn it! This strange thing is immortal! No matter how much we destroy, it will still rush out of this blood lake again!"
As the Dou Technique flew out of his hand again, Yan Shi couldn't help but curse. He exchanged a glance with Tian Ying and the other two beside him, then quickly turned around, twisting his waist in a strange arc to narrowly avoid the three pillars of blood rushing towards him.
"No, we have to be quick! We have to get into the ruins before the pillar of blood attacks us!"
Tian Ying's expression was extremely solemn. The power of this pillar of blood made him feel an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. Now that a direct attack was not an option, he could only rely on speed to win!
"I'll hold them off, you all go down first!"
Xiong Gang roared, his body suddenly trembled, and earth-yellow Dou Qi surged out, rapidly condensing on his body surface. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a heavy suit of rock armor.
"Can..."
Yan Shi was about to speak, but before he could utter a word, Xiong Gang, who had just condensed his armor, was suddenly sent flying by a pillar of scarlet blood!
" Xiong Gang!"
The sight caused Tian Ying and Yan Shi's expressions to change drastically. They both exclaimed in surprise. Their eyes turned to the others, only to find that, in addition to the three pillars of blood from before, another pillar of blood had suddenly appeared and was rushing towards them. Xiong Gang was caught off guard and was blasted away by it.
The two followed their gaze and saw that at the end of the blood pillar, there were a total of four blood pillars, all surrounding Xiong Gang, who was surrounded by them. Upon closer inspection, they could see that his armor had been completely destroyed in the previous attack, and perhaps it was because of this armor that Xiong Gang had survived!
However, with his armor now broken and four pillars of blood surrounding Xiong Gang, even if he fights to the death, he probably won't survive.
Instantly, the eyes of Tian Ying and Yan Shi turned blood red. They had lived with Xiong Gang for countless years, and their strength had not yet reached the Emperor level. How could they bear to see one of them die? Tian Ying roared inwardly and charged towards Xiong Gang at his fastest speed, while Yan Shi used all his strength to bombard the pillar of blood with his strongest Dou Technique. However, it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, achieving no result whatsoever.
"Damn it! Get out of the way! Turn around! If you've got the guts, turn around and kill me!"
Enraged, the Yan Shi roared, but the four pillars of blood remained unmoved. Xiong Gang, surrounded by the pillars, had his armor shattered and was also seriously injured after the previous attack. Now, surrounded by the four pillars of blood, he had nowhere to retreat.
At the same time, Tian Ying's face was also flushed red, and his internal Dou Qi had been pushed to its limit. However, he was still a short distance away from Xiong Gang. But the pillar of blood seemed to be unable to wait any longer. Its scarlet body suddenly twisted and then, with lightning speed, it slammed into Xiong Gang.
Seeing the pillar of blood rushing towards him, Xiong Gang felt a sense of powerlessness. He knew that at this distance, even if he wanted to self-destruct, it was absolutely impossible. At this moment, it seemed that he could not do anything to resist except wait for death.
"No!!!"
Yan Shi and Tian Ying were in a frenzy, their faces twisted with grief and anger. But no matter how hard they tried, it was all in vain. Xiong Gang's death was a foregone conclusion, and given the distance between them, there was no way they could take any remedial action.
"Well..."
Xiong Gang slowly closed his eyes; perhaps this would lessen the boundless pain he was about to endure.
"If Xiao Yan were here, that guy, it seems like nothing can stump him..."
The moment Xiong Gang closed his eyes, he inexplicably thought of Xiao Yan, but he also knew that Xiao Yan had already left the Xilin Mountain Range, and now they were the only ones left here.
However, the very next moment...
"Whoosh--"
A thunderous roar suddenly resounded through the sky, and then the fierce attack of the blood pillar missed its target entirely.
"Hehe, buddy, it's not time to despair yet. How do you know it definitely won't work if you don't try?"
A familiar soft laugh reached his ears, and suddenly, Xiong Gang's spirits jolted. His tightly closed eyes snapped open, and before him stood a handsome face. Then, Xiong Gang's pupils constricted sharply, and his emotions reached their peak in an instant. He stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief. After a long while, Xiong Gang finally spoke slowly, his voice hoarse:
"You... you... Xiao... Xiao Yan!"