"Shh!"
In the void, Xiong Gang had barely uttered his words when Xiao Yan, clad in black robes, immediately changed his expression and quickly gestured for him to be quiet. Xiong Gang then reacted swiftly, nodding slightly, his somewhat simple-minded face now filled with a joyful smile. He knew that now that Xiao Yan had appeared, it would no longer be a problem for the three brothers to enter the Ancient Ruins.
Although they hadn't spent much time with Xiao Yan, they had unknowingly become friends. Xiao Yan's strength filled them with confidence in him, especially after the Xilin East Wall Incident and his entry into the heart of Xiao Yan. The three of them had unwavering faith in Xiao Yan Xiao Yan, as if any trouble they faced would be easily resolved by him. This confidence, though its origin was unknown, left them with no doubt whatsoever.
"Haha, I really didn't expect to see you here, brother! Haha, thank you so much for saving my life! If it weren't for you, I'd probably be lying under that pillar of blood right now!"
Standing up, Xiong Gang's slightly pale face was beaming with a smile. He took a couple of deep breaths, quickly recovering from the events of the previous incident. Then, he patted Xiao Yan's shoulder firmly with his large hand. His gaze shifted, and in the distant void, Tian Ying and Yan Shi had also noticed the commotion. Seeing that Xiong Gang was unharmed, their eyes lit up with joy, and they quickly flew towards them.
Upon approaching and seeing that Xiong Gang was indeed unharmed, the two breathed a long sigh of relief, their tense emotions instantly relaxing.
"Haha, look how nervous you two are! I'm fine, haha."
Upon seeing the two people before him, Xiong Gang chuckled, but as he spoke, a look of lingering fear crept onto his face.
"You stubborn mule, if it weren't for this gentleman's timely intervention, you'd probably be another soul beneath that pillar of blood by now. And you still dare to laugh here? That pillar of blood should have taken you down!"
Upon hearing this, although he understood that Xiong Gang's actions were merely to reassure them, Tian Ying couldn't help but curse. He then turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, who was standing with his back to them, his body hidden beneath a black robe. He glared fiercely at Xiong Gang, then exchanged a glance with Yan Shi beside him. The two nodded in unison, and then bowed deeply to the mysterious black-robed figure before them, expressing their gratitude in a respectful voice:
"We two juniors are deeply grateful to you, senior, for saving my brother's life!"
Upon hearing this, Xiong Gang, standing beside the two, froze. Even Xiao Yan, standing in front of the three, couldn't help but reveal a playful smile on his face beneath his black robe. Then, under the respectful gazes of the two behind him, he slowly turned around, and a familiar, handsome face appeared in the eyes of Tian Ying and Yan Shi.
"Hehe, my two brothers, I really can't accept such a generous gift!"
The moment they saw that familiar face, the expressions on Tian Ying and Xiao Yan's faces froze instantly. They were about to cry out in surprise, but Xiao Yan was prepared. The instant they spoke, an invisible force sealed off the void where the three of them were, naturally silencing any sound within.
" Xiao Yan!"
Words of surprise and delight escaped their lips, and their faces instantly lit up with ecstasy. They never expected that they would encounter Xiao Yan on their trip to the Ancient Ruins.
" Xiao Yan, it really is you!"
Tian Ying stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief. He never expected that Xiao Yan would appear in the Xilin Mountain Range.
"Didn't you already cross the Xilin Mountain Range? How come you're here again?"
Yan Shi, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward with a look of surprise on his face. However, he then frowned slightly and asked in a slightly doubtful tone.
Upon hearing this, not only Tian Ying, but also Xiong Gang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but frown. Could it be that Xiao Yan hadn't crossed the Xilin Mountain Range?
As if guessing what the three people in front of him were thinking, Xiao Yan smiled slightly, and then explained to them with a smile:
"Hehe, you three are overthinking it. Although I did cross the Xilin Mountain Range, once I left, I can naturally come back."
Upon hearing this, Tian Ying and the other two suddenly realized what was happening. However, as their gazes shifted, Tian Ying's expression changed slightly. Just as the three of them were engrossed in their conversation, the four pillars of blood in the void seemed to be enraged. They suddenly spun around in the sky and charged towards Xiao Yan and his companions. Judging from their stance, it seemed they would not rest until they killed Xiao Yan and his group.
"Damn it! I almost forgot, now is not the time to talk. Everyone be careful, that monstrous thing is coming again!"
With a solemn tone, Tian Ying's body trembled, and his Dou Qi surged forth once more. At the same time, Yan Shi and Xiong Gang beside him also mobilized their Dou Qi to prepare to meet the four pillars of blood that were about to arrive.
However, just as the three were about to make their move, Xiao Yan, who was standing behind them, patted Tian Ying's shoulder lightly. Tianying's eyes narrowed, and then Xiao Yan stopped the three people in front of him.
"Hehe, you three brothers, leave this to me."
With a faint laugh, Xiao Yan's gaze swept calmly across the three faces before landing instantly on the four pillars of blood.
His hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, slowly clenched. The anger that had been suppressed within his chest since the beginning finally began to surface.
He considered Tian Ying and the other two as friends and naturally wouldn't want any of them to get hurt. However, just now, Xiong Gang almost lost his life under these strange pillars of blood. Just as Xiong Gang said, if Xiao Yan hadn't happened to be there today, he really would have had no way to survive. And who knows, Tian Ying other two would have risked their lives for Xiong Gang, which is something Xiao Yan would never want to see.
However, Tian Ying and the other two couldn't help but frown at Xiao Yan's actions. Although they had some understanding of Xiao Yan's true strength, the power of this blood pillar was far more terrifying than the cold wind beneath the East Wall. If Xiao Yan were to be careless, wouldn't that...
" Xiao Yan, we..."
"Hehe, Brother Tian Ying, do you perhaps not believe in my abilities?"
"Well..."
But just as Tian Ying was about to speak, Xiao Yan chuckled softly, forcibly silencing the words that were already on the tip of his tongue. Then, Tian Ying glanced at Yan Shi and Xiong Gang beside him, gave a helpless bitter smile, and the three of them moved slightly to leave the space in front of them for Xiao Yan.
Meanwhile, apart from the group of Half-Emperor experts near the lake, the other Half-Emperor experts high in the sky were all looking at the three Tian Ying below with suspicion. Seeing the pillar of blood rushing towards them, these three were just standing there dumbfounded. Were they courting death?
Of course, apart from these Half-Emperor level experts, the Dou Di experts on the field, including Zhuo Bentang and Bai Ying, all had their eyes on Xiao Yan, who was wearing a black robe below. They couldn't tell from others, but they knew that the reason why Tian Ying and the other two had to step aside was probably because this mysterious black-robed man was going to take action himself.
"Who exactly is this person? Even I, an old man, cannot detect his presence!"
Zhuo Bentang stared intently at Xiao Yan below, inwardly thinking to himself, while Bai Ying was also staring at Xiao Yan with suspicion in his heart, his doubts no less than Zhuo Bentang's.
Meanwhile, in the void below, facing the four pillars of blood that were about to arrive, Xiao Yan's face, hidden by his black robe, remained calm. In contrast, the three people behind him, including Tian Ying, although they were all aware of Xiao Yan's powerful strength, still couldn't help but feel a sense of worry when faced with these awe-inspiring pillars of blood.
With a thought, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body quietly began to circulate. Under Xiao Yan's control, tiny strands of Power of the Great Dao gradually appeared in the invisible void, and were then absorbed into Xiao Yan's body.
The next moment, the four towering blood pillars arrived in front of Xiao Yan Xiao Yan his companions in the blink of an eye. Seeing that they had no reaction, the blood pillars suddenly became enraged, and their power became even more terrifying.
However, in the very next moment...
As the four pillars of blood pierced through Xiao Yan and his companions, Xiao Yan, beneath his black robe, suddenly waved his hand. Instantly, as his palm swept across the void, a vast expanse of dark Power of the Great Dao rapidly condensed in the void, transforming into four pitch-black curtains.
Immediately afterwards, the four towering blood pillars slammed into the four suddenly appearing tents.
However, the expected shattering didn't happen. Instead, the four pillars of blood vanished the moment they touched the tent...
Instantly, everyone's gaze froze, their eyes filled with disbelief as they stared intently at the four towering blood pillars. However, when the four blood pillars finally disappeared into the tent, everyone looked back and saw that the four tents stood flat, while the four blood pillars had completely vanished.