Chapter 955: The Burial Ground

"Everyone, as you can see, this altar is the treasure site we have been arduously seeking." E Kuai took a deep breath and said slowly.

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.

"Cough... City Lord E, is this the legendary treasure site of the Great Ruin?" Qin Yuan coughed lightly and asked doubtfully.

"You should all have sensed how powerful the flesh and blood aura here is. Isn't that a great treasure for us cultivators? Moreover, the skeleton I mentioned earlier is also in the blood pool." E Kuai nodded and said.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise and couldn't help but look down into the sacrificial blood pool again.

Although Chen Yang's gaze followed the others, his eyes remained vigilant.

Han Li tried to look, but even with his eyesight, he could only see layers of thick white bones beneath the rolling blood, unable to discern whether the skeleton E Kuai mentioned was among them.

"City Lord E, since the skeleton is in the blood pool, should we dive in and retrieve it?" Fu Jian hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Don't act rashly. The flesh and blood power in this blood pool is beyond our imagination. If we enter recklessly, not only might we fail to find the skeleton, but we could be devoured by the power and become part of these countless bones." E Kuai waved his hand and said slowly.

"Then what should we do?" Sun Tu raised an eyebrow and asked.

"This blood pool is built on a blood sacrifice grand formation. The five statues around it are the five formation nodes. I need you city lords to join me in activating the formation to extract the skeleton from the blood pool." E Kuai said.

"This... City Lord E, cough... I have a doubt. Could you clarify it?" Qin Yuan frowned slightly and asked.

"Brother Qin, feel free to speak." E Kuai said calmly.

"Cough... Forgive my impertinence. No one has ever truly entered the Great Ruin before. How is it that City Lord E seems so familiar with this place? What's going on?" Qin Yuan glanced at the others and asked.

At his question, most eyes in the hall focused on E Kuai. Clearly, he was not the only one with this doubt.

"To be honest, when I once explored the Scale Void Realm alone, I obtained an ancient stele of unknown origin. It recorded the conditions of a secret realm. Although it didn't explicitly mention the 'Great Ruin,' I always felt a connection. After truly entering the Great Ruin, I encountered many things that matched the stele's inscriptions, confirming its authenticity. As for whether you all believe me... since we're here, why not give it a try?" E Kuai said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Han Li was inwardly disdainful. E Kuai's words were full of holes, and everyone knew he had likely fabricated them on the spot, but no one could refute him because everything here was unknown to them.

However, E Kuai's last words were correct: having endured countless hardships to get here, who could resist the temptation and not give it a try?

"Haha... Since City Lord E says so, how could we not believe? I, Sun Tu, certainly believe it. But since none of us have been to this secret realm before, why not pool our wisdom and carefully inspect everything to ensure there are no hidden mechanisms or traps before attempting? What do you all think?" Seeing the silence, Sun Tu suddenly laughed loudly.

The others glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.

"That's only natural. Even if Brother Sun hadn't mentioned it, I was about to suggest it." E Kuai also smiled.

Thus, everyone dispersed to inspect the area around the pentagonal blood pool and the entire altar.

Han Li did not seek out Chen Yang but instead went with Shi Chuankong to the edge of the altar, examining the stone railings along the perimeter.

Chen Yang only glanced at Han Li's back before turning toward a black stone statue, with Xuan Yuan Xing silently following behind him.

The other city lords, for the most part, also led their subordinates to inspect the statues serving as formation hubs.

Sun Tu, with his hands in his sleeves, arrived at the base of a statue. He looked up at its protruding neck for a moment, then reached out and touched the stone body, secretly channeling a strand of star power into it.

The statue stood motionless, showing no change.

Sun Tu frowned slightly. Suddenly, he opened his sleeve and swept it over the blood pool. With a rustling sound, a wisp of blood mist condensed into a blood-colored vortex, spinning into his sleeve.

After a faint noise, the sleeve returned to normal.

A moment later, Sun Tu's furrowed brow gradually relaxed. He turned to look at Fang Chan beside him.

The pig-faced boy was lying on the stone railing, like a lecher gazing at a beauty or a starving man seeing a feast, his mouth wide open, drooling, with a look of utter greed.

"Chan'er, you must not jump into this blood pool under any circumstances." Sun Tu's expression turned serious as he warned.

The pig-faced boy turned his head, looking disappointed.

"Alright, once the formation is activated, you must protect me well. After we retrieve the skeleton, I'll find a way to get you a piece." Sun Tu's expression softened as he smiled.

Hearing this, the latter grinned again.

On the other side, Fu Jian was repeatedly patting the black stone statue, with Duan Tong following behind him, hesitating to speak.

"Speak if you have something to say." Fu Jian stopped his movements and said.

"City Lord, for some reason, I feel this place is strange. Perhaps I should activate the formation in your stead. If something goes wrong, it would be easier for you to rescue me than for me to rescue you." Duan Tong lowered his voice and said.

"Rarely do you have such thoughts..." Fu Jian seemed somewhat surprised, hesitated for a moment, then said.

Just as Duan Tong was about to speak, Fu Jian's voice sounded in his sea of consciousness:

"E Kuai specifically named five city lords to enter the formation; he must have considered it carefully. How could he agree to let you replace me? Besides, this formation is certainly extraordinary, and your cultivation level is likely insufficient."

Duan Tong lowered his head and fell silent.

"Alright, don't worry too much. I didn't come unprepared. You don't need to be overly concerned." Fu Jian patted Duan Tong's shoulder and transmitted his voice.

Duan Tong's gaze sharpened, and he nodded.

Qin Yuan had been observing everyone's actions. He exchanged a distant glance with Fu Jian and nodded to each other.

He had also used his methods to inspect the statues and the blood pool, finding nothing unusual. So he walked around the five statues again, carefully examining the ground, but still found nothing.

Han Li walked inward along the edge of the altar, pausing briefly before each stone pillar, gently stroking its surface with his palm, feeling the patterns and designs.

Suddenly, he frowned and stopped. Turning around, he saw Zhu Ziqing approaching him for some reason.

"You're Li Feiyu, right? My brother says you're no ordinary human, but I can't see it..." Zhu Ziqing bypassed Shi Chuankong, who was behind Han Li, and stepped forward.

"Your brother misjudged me. I'm just an ordinary human, not worthy of your attention." Han Li said expressionlessly.

"Regardless of what my brother says, I'm quite interested in you. It's not easy for a human to cultivate to this level. In that regard, you're very... special." Zhu Ziqing propped her chin on her hand and nodded to herself.

"What are you up to again? Come back here!" Zhu Ziyuan had been focused on the sacrificial blood pool, but when he noticed Zhu Ziqing was no longer beside him, he hurried over.

Although he scolded her, his tone was not harsh, clearly showing his indulgence toward his sister.

Zhu Ziqing smiled sheepishly, made a funny face at him, tugged his sleeve, and walked away.

Seeing this, a hint of amusement appeared in Han Li's eyes.

Back in that small mountain village, among his five siblings, he had been closest to his youngest sister. But the long and merciless path of immortality had blurred his memories of her.

Zhu Ziyuan nodded apologetically at him and left with his sister.

On the other side, Chen Yang's expression remained calm, but his eyes darted back and forth, seeming preoccupied.

He walked around the statue beside him and stopped.

"City Lord..." Xuan Yuan Xing frowned and couldn't help calling out.

Chen Yang snapped out of it, steadied himself, glanced at Xuan Yuan Xing, but said nothing.

He walked to the stone railing, looked down at the blood pool for a moment, then withdrew his hand into his sleeve. When he extended it again, a土黄色 short spear with lightning patterns engraved on it appeared in his palm.

With a wave of his hand, a white light flashed on the short spear, and it shot through the gap in the railing into the blood pool.

A loud bang was heard!

The土黄色 short spear exploded in the blood pool, turning into a white thunderball about ten feet in size, crackling with electricity.

Snow-white electric light scattered in all directions, dispersing large patches of blood mist that rose as thin smoke but never left the blood pool.

Startled by the noise, everyone looked over and saw that the blood in the pool was churning much faster, and the surrounding stone walls seemed to be struck by blood waves, splashing up foam.

"Chen Yang, what are you doing?" Qin Yuan scolded.

"Nothing, just testing if there's anything unusual in the blood pool..." Chen Yang said calmly.

E Kuai only glanced over before withdrawing his gaze and focusing on the statue before him.

Shao Ying and his two companions stood behind him, silent.

After a moment, the blood waves in the pool gradually calmed, and nothing unusual occurred.