Chapter 073: Opening the Core Area

The pale red hall was vast and boundless. On the stone steps at the front of the hall, a dense crowd of people surged, most in groups, while the few solitary travelers were all top-tier experts, sitting cross-legged.

In front of the dense crowd was a massive formation, with a cyan light barrier completely sealing off the inner hall. Beside the light barrier lay several bloody corpses, their bodies covered in dense knife wounds, and one was even cut in half at the waist.

The corpses of several fairly strong individuals served as a warning to many.

Soft footsteps came, faint but carrying an invisible pressure that spread forward.

"Who are these people? Such formidable strength." The invisible pressure weighed on their minds, making many tense up, feeling as if sitting on pins and needles.

"Here come the main players." Some recognized them and murmured, a fervent gleam in their eyes. The key to opening the core area was in their hands.

Yang Tian sneered at these greedy gazes, then swept his eyes around. When his gaze fell on Li Hongtao's group, a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Hu, Bari, Wu Fengchen, Fan Lin." Xing Hao's gaze settled on Li Hongtao's side. Seeing the people beside him, he sneered, "Unexpected, in just two days you've colluded with so many. Looks like you're still not giving up."

"These family people are getting bolder. We'll need to teach them a lesson sometime." Xing Hao looked at the group. Though their family backgrounds fell short of the Barren Ancient Clan's, their strength was not weak.

"Numbers don't matter. When it comes to the inheritance, things will be different..." Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian shook his head slightly. These people were bound by interests, and their combat strength wasn't strong.

Near the formation, most people stood up. The main players had arrived; it was time to activate the killing formation.

"How could that little beast's injuries heal so quickly?" Sensing Yang Tian approaching, Li Hongtao's face turned icy cold. Though he didn't know where Yang Tian's fighting spirit came from, he was well aware of the damage caused by the Heavenly Thunder Pearl.

The killing intent radiating from Li Hongtao alarmed the people beside him, and they all followed his gaze.

"Brother Xing Hao, what a coincidence to meet you here." Suddenly, a refined young man led a few people toward Yang Tian's direction, smiling as he walked.

"Heh, Brother Yuan, I didn't expect you to come either." Xing Hao turned his head. Seeing the newcomer, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded with a laugh.

"Heh, I'm just here to join the fun." Nodding, Yuan Ling shifted his gaze to Yang Tian and said with a slight smile, "This must be Brother Yang, right?"

"I am Yang Tian." Nodding, Yang Tian replied with a faint smile. This man was a minor saint-level figure from the Yuan Clan of the Barren Ancient Clan, with strength not inferior to Li Hongtao's, and he had poor relations with the Li family. Yang Tian had too many enemies; he would try to make a friend whenever possible.

"I heard you've been making quite a stir in the ruins these past few days, even beating Li Hongtao. I sincerely admire you." Yuan Ling felt a surge of delight; he had a very bad relationship with Li Hongtao.

"Brother Yuan flatters me. I owe it all to my brothers' help; otherwise, I wouldn't have that ability." Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian chuckled lightly.

"Heh, Brother Yang is too modest." After a few more pleasantries, Yuan Ling took his leave.

"Who is that? Such strong strength." When Yang Tian's gaze swept over a black-clothed youth, a flicker of shock appeared in his eyes. The black-clothed youth's strength was extremely formidable; the energy within him made Yang Tian's heart palpitate, and even he might not be able to defeat him.

As if sensing it, the black-clothed youth sat alone in an area ten zhang around him. He shifted his gaze, and when he saw Yang Tian, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Then he smiled and closed his eyes to rest.

"Does he know me?" Scratching his head, Yang Tian muttered softly as he saw the black-clothed youth close his eyes, then quickly shifted his gaze through the crowd.

"Seems I can't underestimate the world's talents. Whether I can get the Array Sect's inheritance is still uncertain." Yang Tian's gaze swept over the people ahead, spotting five or six with formidable strength, no weaker than Murong Jie, and this didn't include those who hadn't arrived yet.

"Yang Tian, since you're here, why not open the formation? Are you making us all wait for you?" Li Hongtao took a deep breath, strode forward, and looked down at Yang Tian with a condescending air.

As he called out, the gazes of those nearby shifted, burning with intensity as they fixed on Yang Tian and his group. Many were already itching to make a move.

"So he's Yang Tian, the one who drove Wang Long out a few days ago."

"Yeah, that guy's vicious. They say he's condensed two visions. Who knows if it's true?"

"Bullshit. How could that be? Yang Tian isn't from the Holy Land." Most people murmured, finding it hard to believe that Yang Tian had comprehended two visions.

The black-robed youth opened his eyes again, looked at Yang Tian, showed a look of "just as I thought," then closed his eyes once more.

"What an idiot..." Glancing at Li Hongtao, Yang Tian rolled his eyes, then curled his lips and spat out a few words.

Though his voice was soft, it reached everyone's ears. Those around them cast strange looks at Li Hongtao, and many struggled to suppress their laughter.

Many who were out of the loop looked at Yang Tian with puzzled expressions. The power of an ancient aristocratic family was unimaginable, especially with a figure like a minor holy son—though not yet fully grown, his future achievements would naturally be extraordinary.

"Li Hongtao, who was it that got knocked out by Yang Tian two days ago? Still spouting nonsense here. Watch your neck." Xing Hao sneered coldly, looking at Li Hongtao as if he were an idiot.

"Heh, so that's how it is. Brother Xing, you'll have to tell me all about it later." Before Li Hongtao could speak, Yuan Ling pursed his lips and said with a faint smile.

"Of course. I'll definitely tell you about his heroic deeds." Xing Hao laughed heartily, completely ignoring Li Hongtao's livid expression.

"Li Hongtao was knocked unconscious?" Many of those present were stunned, their incredulous gazes sweeping over Yang Tian. They couldn't understand how a youth with no reputation could possess such strength. Yet they couldn't help but marvel at Yang Tian's audacity.

The ancient aristocratic families were unlike other clans. These families had been passed down through countless ages, placing great emphasis on face, and were overseen by ancient monsters who had lived for ten thousand years, wielding immense power.

"Stop wasting words. Open the formation quickly. Do we need to invite you?" Behind Li Hongtao, Murong Jie stepped forward, glanced at Yang Tian and the others, and his cold, sharp voice slowly exploded.

"Idiot..." Yang Tian curled his lips, then signaled to Yun'er with a glance.

"Chi chi." Yun'er nodded. A rune was cast from her palm, hurtling toward the formation. As the rune surged into the killing array, a faint ripple of energy spread.

"It's about to open." Countless eyes fixed on the formation. This killing array was extremely vast, and after so many years, its internal energy had not diminished in the slightest.

Rumble! As the ripples grew larger, the space trembled, and the ancient qi around frantically converged into it. This fluctuation caught the attention of everyone in the outer hall, and countless figures rushed over wildly.

"Be careful once we're inside. If Li Hongtao and his group manage to recruit more people, things will get tricky." Noticing the influx of people, Yang Tian smacked his lips and said.

"Heh, don't forget it's full of formations in there. That'll give them a run for their money." Nodding, Xing Hao said with a hint of slyness.

On the cyan light barrier, a light gate slowly opened, and an ancient aura rushed forth instantly. At the same time, the thick, almost viscous ancient qi surged out overwhelmingly.

"Wow, no wonder it's the Array Sect." Bathed in this ancient qi, every pore on his body rejoiced. Xing Hao couldn't help smacking his lips. This ancient qi was over ten times denser than outside.

As the light gate opened, the people outside the formation rushed in frantically. Just then, an imperceptible energy body surged out from Yun'er's forehead.

"Shall we go in too?" Seeing that most people had already entered, Yang Tian and his group of four walked inside.