Chapter 280: Opportunity? Trap!
Xun Er felt the powerful presence approaching them and looked at Xiao Ze. "Brother Xiao Ze, is it an enemy?"
"Yes, we'd better leave here first, I'll explain on the way," Xiao Ze replied.
Upon hearing Xiao Ze's words, everyone quickly left the large dark blue hall. On the way, Xiao Ze briefly introduced everyone and quickly recounted to Xun Er and the other three what he had discovered in the ruins.
Xun Er, after listening, showed a surprised expression, "It seems these ancient ruins are not an opportunity, but a trap! Indeed, we discovered something too."
"As we arrived later, following the great underwater whirlpool, we saw the dark energy from the Sea of Spirits converging towards this place."
"Worried that the dark energy would completely seal the ancient ruins, we stayed for a while at the entrance of the ruins and made some preparations."
After hearing Xun Er's explanation, Xiao Ze recalled what he had seen in the tower and felt that there was an invisible hand manipulating everything behind the scenes. Using the temptation of the ancient ruins' benefits, it attracted numerous cultivators and then used the spectral slaves in the ruins to kill them all. But what was the reason behind this hidden hand's actions?
Xiao Ze felt he couldn't grasp the crucial point of this incident, perhaps because he hadn't reached the core of the area. The presence approaching them grew stronger. Although the five of them moved quickly and initially maintained some distance from the presence, the power of those skeletal remains came from a powerful ancient Dou Sheng.
Xun Er, sensing the nearing presence, didn't seem afraid due to her confidence in her backing. "What if we stop and try to face those skeletal remains? After all, the strength in them is just a residue of a Dou Sheng, not their own strength, and it won't last long."
Xun Er suddenly said, "The most important thing is that the current situation in the ruins is very dangerous. We don't know what other dangers are hidden in the great hall. It's better to resolve this quickly and get out of the ancient ruins!"
"Alright." Xiao Ze nodded, a determined expression on his face. Running away like this wasn't a solution. The strength of their group wasn't weak. The two Dou Zun guardians next to Xun Er were quite strong.
With everyone's agreement, the five quickly stopped, each preparing their combat techniques. Shortly after, they all could see the figure of those skeletal remains, whose bones were full of cracks, with a black, viscous substance seeping from the cracks. Feeling the terrifying presence approaching, the five showed serious expressions.
The skeletal remains, upon seeing Xiao Ze, roared in his direction. The sound wave, charged with terrifying energy, made the ground and stones tremble, as if an earth dragon was moving. Xiao Ze's expression changed slightly; he didn't expect a simple energy-filled roar to have such destructive power.
The Illusory Sea Domain spread out, covering a hundred-meter radius around Xiao Ze with dark blue energy. The sound wave that penetrated the Illusory Sea Domain lifted waves of blue energy, as if a vast ocean was being attacked. However, as it approached Xiao Ze, the waves softened.
Seeing this, Xun Er was surprised. It seemed that Brother Xiao Ze's improvement in recent years exceeded her expectations. This ability didn't seem like a combat technique, it was much more advanced.
"Attack!"
After neutralizing the sound wave, Xiao Ze extended the range of the Illusory Sea Domain to cover the skeletal remains. The Illusory Sea Domain suppressed that figure to the maximum, but it only managed to cause minor interference. The black energy emanating from the skeletal remains was neutralized by the Illusory Sea Domain, as Xiao Ze had an overwhelming amount of Dou Qi. In terms of endurance, he wasn't afraid to compete with the skeletal remains possessing the residual energy of a Dou Sheng.
Aware of the opponent's strength, no one held back. The two elders directly used the ancient clan's inherited technique, the Emperor's Seal. Xun Er concentrated a golden flame in her hands, whose heat was so intense that even the space distorted. The Great Elder generated a green light that pierced through the void, heading towards the skeletal remains.
Facing the green light, the skeletal remains showed no fear. They clenched their fists, covered in the black substance, forming a dark fist. The fist impacted the green light, which pushed the skeletal remains back several steps, dissipating some of the black substance on their hands. More black energy emanated from the skeletal remains, but it was completely neutralized by Xiao Ze's Illusory Sea Domain.
Next, two crystal clear seals, filled with overwhelming power, were met by the fists of the skeletal remains, which withstood the force of the two Emperor's Seal techniques. Seeing this, everyone's expressions changed. They didn't expect the residual energy of a Dou Sheng to be so terrifying. This was just the energy of the skeletal remains, without using combat techniques. If it used combat techniques, it would be even easier for it to counter them.
"Golden Emperor Burning Slash!"
Xun Er softly exclaimed, and the golden flame in her hands finally unleashed a terrifying power, forming a beam of light that quickly reached the skeletal remains. Although the energy wasn't as powerful as the previous three attacks, the special Golden Emperor flame damaged the black substance of the skeletal remains more.
"It can't use combat techniques. The black energy attacks are suppressed in my Illusory Sea Domain, it can't attack from a distance. Let's keep our distance and wear down its energy with combat techniques," Xiao Ze hurriedly said upon noticing the skeletal remains not using combat techniques.
Everyone started preparing their combat techniques, while Xiao Ze maintained pressure on the skeletal remains. The area, after the battle, was in ruins. Under the pressure of the Illusory Sea Domain, the skeletal remains moved quickly, still problematic, but for Xiao Ze and his group, it was enough. The combat techniques continued hitting the skeletal remains, which persisted in following Xiao Ze. Xiao Ze wondered what it was about him that attracted the skeletal remains so much.
After withstanding two Emperor's Seal techniques, the skeletal remains couldn't maintain their intact state, their fists disintegrating, and the next golden beam of light struck their chest. The skeletal remains were thrown far, their energy drastically diminishing.
"We did it!"
Everyone showed expressions of joy. Although the battle wasn't as exciting, the wear was real. After all, so many high-level combat techniques consumed a lot of Dou Qi, and everyone was visibly exhausted. Xiao Ze, despite consuming more Dou Qi, still seemed full of energy. Xiao Ze felt the skeletal remains' strength fading, and with the Illusory Sea Domain, he could completely suppress them.
Although the skeletal remains only lost their hands, the real reason their energy diminished was because the residual Dou Sheng energy in them had been exhausted too much.
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