Although the scene was exceptionally bizarre, the Senluo Ruins, which appeared once every twenty years, still held an immense allure for Martial Artists. The four red-haired men exchanged a glance before leaping into the air. With a flip of their wrists, they each produced a small, crimson wooden Snake Carving—the very token required to enter the Senluo Ruins.

Without waiting for the others to enter with them, the four plunged headfirst into the distorted Spatial Rift. With a flash of black light, their figures vanished from everyone’s sight.

GULP...

Sounds of swallowing could be heard from the surrounding crowd. After the four entered, not a single one of the twenty-six chosen individuals dared to be the first to follow. Mu Chen glanced at Feng Shanshan beside him, his expression a little grim. He sent a Spiritual Transmission, ’This Blood Python Family is truly bizarre.’

Feng Shanshan nodded. ’The Blood Python Family has always been known for being eerie. Since we arrived, we haven’t seen any of their members other than that old man and those four men. But I can feel countless pairs of eyes staring at us, as if... we’re being watched by countless hidden Blood Pythons.’

Mu Chen’s closed eyes twitched a few times. He then said, ’Then let’s hurry and get inside. Compared to the Senluo Ruins, I have a feeling this Blood Python Family is far more dangerous.’

Feng Shanshan nodded. Just as she was about to take a step, the air around her suddenly grew scorching hot. The red-faced man Mu Chen had noticed earlier snorted coldly, ’A bunch of cowards.’

With that, the man unfurled a pair of crimson Elemental Wings, produced his entry token, and charged into the entrance of the Senluo Ruins. Just like before, after a flash of black light, the red-faced man vanished from the Outer Realm.

With someone having taken the lead, the others calmed down a bit. One by one, they took out their entry tokens and flew toward the entrance. Not to be left behind, Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan also produced their crimson wooden Snake Carvings and quickly vanished into the entrance of the Senluo Ruins.

With that, the fifty-one people in the Outer Realm were sharply reduced to twenty-five. Among those who remained, only Wan Xian’Er was calm. In fact, it could be said that in her innocence, she paid no mind to the Blood Python Family’s eerie atmosphere at all, her every thought focused on Mu Chen.

’You have to come back safe and sound...’

...

VMMM...

After stepping into the Senluo Ruins, Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan appeared in an unknown space amid a low hum. This space was vastly different from any they had ever seen before. Once Mu Chen steadied himself and looked up at the surroundings, he was utterly shocked.

The surrounding space was as dark as a vast, starry sky, yet it was dotted with faint light, allowing one’s vision to see every detail of the surroundings without obstruction. Within this enormous, dark space floated countless fragmented pieces of rock. At a glance, these fragments looked as if a continent had once been shattered, its pieces sucked into an Independent Space by a terrifying black hole to drift about aimlessly. No, perhaps it would be better to say that this space had no distinction between sky and ground.

Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan were currently standing on a massive chunk of rock floating in this space, while the others were either hovering or standing in other areas. However, after scanning his surroundings, Mu Chen was startled to find that the so-called four prodigies of the Blood Python Family were nowhere to be seen.

Mu Chen wasn’t the only one who noticed this. Although most of the twenty-six people who entered later were also first-timers in the Senluo Ruins, everyone shared the same goal: to obtain as many treasures as possible and survive the next ten days. The ruins could only be accessed for ten days. After that, the space here would erupt into turbulent spacetime currents, forming small-scale spatial collapses. If one were sucked into the turbulent currents of a spatial collapse, the worst-case scenario was being torn to shreds by the terrifying forces within. At best, they would drift endlessly through the currents until a Spatial Rift opened at some unknown time and place, allowing them to escape. However, whether one emerged into a subterranean world of magma, the terrifying and unknown Endless Sea, or the mysterious and baffling Cosmic Space, all depended on their luck.

The other twenty-five people glanced around, and almost instantly, each took action. They chose different directions and streaked away, vanishing from Mu Chen’s sight in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Mu Chen’s unhurried demeanor, Feng Shanshan asked curiously, "You don’t seem to be in a hurry at all."

Hearing this, Mu Chen smiled. "A hurry? Being in a hurry won’t get me anything good. Besides, many things that others consider priceless aren’t all that important to me."

Feng Shanshan asked, puzzled, "In that case, what’s your purpose for entering the Senluo Ruins?"

Mu Chen chuckled. "To be honest, I’m just very interested in Ancient Ruins and like to explore them. If I’m lucky, I might find something good. If not, I’ll just treat it as a tour to broaden my horizons, which isn’t bad either."

"Eh?" Feng Shanshan was a bit surprised, but Mu Chen’s relaxed words washed away the sense of urgency in her heart. "I can see you have a great mindset. Ordinary things truly wouldn’t be enough to move someone like you. In that case, let me guess... could it be that you came for the Forest of Myriad Manifestations?"

"Hm?" Mu Chen froze for a moment and looked at Feng Shanshan in surprise. He saw that she was watching him with a charming smile. He rubbed his nose helplessly and said, "I guess you could say that. But it’s hard to say if something so illusory even exists. And taking a step back, even if it does exist, how could it be found by juniors like us?"

Feng Shanshan covered her mouth and chuckled. "You’re right. Even if it exists, you certainly couldn’t obtain it by yourselves. But!"

"But?" Mu Chen started, looking in astonishment at the mysterious-acting Feng Shanshan, his heart filled with questions.

Feng Shanshan didn’t speak. With a thought, she deployed a powerful Spiritual Barrier around herself and Mu Chen before continuing, "But you have to prove your abilities to me. Then I’ll consider whether to cooperate with you and tell you what I know."

"Cooperate? Are you saying you know the location of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations?!" Mu Chen exclaimed. This news undoubtedly came as a huge shock to him.

Feng Shanshan nodded. "That’s right. I do know the location of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations, but I can’t tell you right now. It’s impossible to get there without a certain level of strength. That’s why you have to prove your abilities to me."

Mu Chen frowned. Frankly, he didn’t like this method of negotiation. But on second thought, by daring to offer this information to a stranger she had only known for a few days, Feng Shanshan was also taking a considerable risk. ’If not for a degree of trust, she probably wouldn’t share this information with just anyone.’

Having seemingly figured it out, Mu Chen nodded. "Alright. Since you’re willing to cooperate with me, then I should indeed show you a bit of my power. Watch closely."

With that, Mu Chen slowly raised his left hand, turning it palm-up. With a single thought, a diamond-shaped, ice-blue mark suddenly appeared between his brows, and a terrifying fluctuation of Primordial Power spread out in all directions. SWISH! SWISH! Seven green Martial Rings materialized at his feet, shimmering with a dazzling light. At the same time, four Ice Crystal Petals formed by his Red Lotus Ice Technique quietly appeared behind his back, slowly rotating around the center of his back.

Feng Shanshan raised an eyebrow and thought to herself, ’Such pure Ice Attribute Elemental Power... and this bone-chilling cold feels like it could freeze my very marrow! But... if this is all, it’s not enough.’

Mu Chen understood what she was thinking with just a glance at her expression. He smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. Now, hya!"

Following Mu Chen’s low shout, a hint of warmth suddenly spread through the extremely cold space. Immediately after, the frigid aura swirling around him instantly became orderly. Then, wisps of scorching blue energy emerged from beneath his feet and rapidly merged with the ice-blue energy, quickly becoming one. WHOOSH! A ball of eerie blue flame erupted from his palm, and right after, an ice crystal, blue to its very core, condensed in his palm as well.

Ice and fire were naturally repulsive, but in Mu Chen’s hand, the condensed Ice Attribute Elemental Power and Fire Attribute Elemental Power were actually rotating in a well-behaved and quiet manner. Although they maintained a slight distance from each other, they weren’t chaotic and violent like natural enemies, as dictated by the laws of nature.

At that moment, the expression on Feng Shanshan’s face froze. As the condensed forms of the Ice and Fire Attribute began to erupt with an even more terrifying fluctuation of Primordial Power, her expression gradually shifted from disbelief to shock, and then to utter horror. With her worldly experience, she naturally knew what Mu Chen was doing. It was the Ice and Fire Burst, known on the Extreme Martial Continent as the Destructive Power!

"Quick! Stop!!"

Feng Shanshan’s panicked cry made Mu Chen smile faintly. With a clench of his palm, both the Ice Crystal and the blue flame vanished without a trace. Even the Primordial Power fluctuations around him completely dissipated, as if he hadn’t done anything at all. Who would have thought that this move would shock Feng Shanshan even more? She finally understood why Wan Xian’Er, a Martial Emperor, showed no airs in front of Mu Chen, and why she had described him as a "special" Martial Artist.

’An Ice and Fire Dual Attribute! And a Dual Attribute Martial Artist who can completely control both powers! His control over Primordial Power is so precise that even a Martial Emperor would feel inadequate! How could this be generalized with just the word ’special’? He’s one of a kind! At least, in all her experience, no one on the Extreme Martial Continent had ever been able to do this! No wonder. No wonder he could remain so calm and composed in a team full of Martial Sects with only the strength of a Seven-Ring Martial Spirit. No wonder he could say something like, "many things that others consider priceless aren’t all that important to me." A monster! A true monster!’

Seeing Feng Shanshan staring at him with immense excitement, Mu Chen rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Um... Miss Shanshan, do you think I have the ability to cooperate with you now?"