684: Chapter 685 Exposure

Dong Li's consciousness, which was on the verge of fading completely, suddenly jolted!

"？？？？？？？"

It forced itself to stay conscious, struggling to focus its vision as it looked past Wang Xiaopang's shoulder—

In the distance, Xiao Ruobai was "pulling" himself out of a crater in the rock wall, dusting off the rubble and grime from his body.

Apart from a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth and his torn chest robes revealing pale golden flesh that was slowly healing, his breathing was steady and his eyes were clear.

He was frowning as he looked up at the large purple hand in the sky, which had dimmed significantly and was fluctuating violently due to Dong Li's desperate strike.

On the other side, Fang Hanyu stood up from the ground and flexed his slightly "sore and numb" wrists. Although his Chaos Sword Qi was not as condensed as before, it was still flowing slowly.

Aside from his slightly pale complexion and the dust and blood stains on his body, where was the sight of someone with twisted, broken arms who had fallen to the ground coughing up blood?

Ling Xi gently wiped away the bloodstains from the corners of her mouth and eyes. Her previously deathly pale complexion was regaining its rosy hue at a visible rate, and the chaotic aura around her was rapidly calming down.

Everyone, apart from being disheveled, covered in blood and dust, and looking somewhat ragged...

Their breathing was steady, their blood and Qi were abundant, and they were moving freely. Where was the slightest sign of being "critically injured and dying, with bones shattered and breath fading"?!

Dong Li looked at Wang Xiaopang in its arms, who was anxious but full of vitality, and then at the four of them—Xiao Ruobai and the others—who had returned to normal just by "dusting off," "flexing wrists," "wiping blood," and "stretching necks"...

Then, feeling the fire of life within its own body that was about to extinguish, along with the excruciating pain and weakness originating from the depths of its Divine Soul...

A question mark, so massive it could fill its entire fox life, and so absurd it made it doubt its entire existence, exploded from the deepest recesses of its fractured consciousness!

Wait... wait, wait, wait!!!

What happened?!

Is something wrong somewhere?!

"I... I went through all that trouble, burning my Origin, blocking a strike from an Immortal King... I was almost moved to tears by myself..."

"How are you guys... completely fine???"

"I'm numb, totally ripped off. What kind of monsters are these bastards? Is their Physical Body... made of Chaos Immortal Gold... or have I been under an illusion from the very beginning..."

"Pfft——!!!"

Dong Li tasted blood in its throat, and another large mouthful of scalding, golden-speckled lifeblood, mixed with endless confusion and question marks, sprayed out wildly! It sprayed all over Wang Xiaopang's face!

However, at that very moment, a new anomaly occurred!

Inside Dong Li, its internal space had developed cracks due to the violent collision just now.

The Bloodline Power that had completely run wild due to burning its Origin, along with its life force that was on the verge of collapse, caused the power it had previously used to seal its own aura and internal grotto-heaven to instantly disintegrate.

"Crack, crackle..."

A sound like shattering glass, which only Dong Li itself could perceive, echoed in the depths of its Divine Soul.

"Hum..."

A pure, rich fluctuation carrying the thick, life-giving aura of the earth leaked out from Dong Li first—it was the unique aura of the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Core Spirit Milk!

Immediately following was a wisp of sharp, scorching energy that seemed capable of piercing the firmament—the aura of the Red Essence Immortal Mine core!

Then, a scorching, domineering fragrance carrying the Dao Rhyme of the Molten Golden Blazing Sun permeated the air—the aura of the Seven-Orifice Fire Lotus seed pod!

Any one of these four auras, if it appeared in the outside world, would be enough to attract the attention of an Immortal Lord, or even an Immortal King.

But this was not the most fatal part.

The most fatal part was that a wisp of a more essential, deeper Dao Rhyme—one capable of making even an Immortal King realm powerhouse's Divine Soul palpitate and Dao Heart tremble—leaked out from the fleeting spatial crack on Dong Li's body!

This wisp of Dao Rhyme was so unique, so one-of-a-kind, and so familiar!

Immortal King Zhenyue, who had just recovered from Dong Li's self-detonation and was preparing to strike again, saw his pupils suddenly shrink to pinpricks!

The dao-embodying mysterious crystal!!!

It was the aura of the dao-embodying mysterious crystal! Although it had flashed by in an instant, for these giants standing at the Immortal King realm, this wisp of Dao Rhyme was like a lighthouse in the dark night or a clear spring in the desert—they could never mistake it!

Time seemed to freeze once again.

On the stone platform, the scene, which had been noisy and chaotic due to Dong Li's self-detonation and the impending opening of the Secret Realm, suddenly fell into an eerie, suffocating silence.

All the Cultivators who sensed that aura, regardless of their cultivation level, stopped their movements. Their expressions froze on their faces, and their eyes were filled only with incomparable shock and horror, followed by the most primitive greed that grew wildly and could no longer be suppressed!

"Dong Li! Dong Li, what's wrong with you?! Don't scare me! Medicine! Quickly, take the medicine!"

Wang Xiaopang was sprayed with blood, frightened even more, and hurriedly took out a Medicinal Pill to stuff into its mouth.

"I... I'll eat your grandpa... cough, cough, we've been exposed, hurry and run..."

After a brief silence, a volcanic eruption of uproar soared into the sky! Countless gazes suddenly became scorching, greedy, and furious!

"Earth Core Spirit Milk! Red Essence Immortal Mine core!!"

"The dao-embodying mysterious crystal is on them!!"

"They are the thieves who entered the Secret Realm early and looted it clean!!"

The situation instantly spiraled out of control, with all sorts of reactions erupting in waves.

The greedy and aggressive ones had long since turned red-eyed and began clamoring regardless of anything else: "Capture them! The treasures should be shared by those who see them!"

"Kill these thieves and act on behalf of heaven!"

Many people even began to press forward, Immortal Power surging, Magic Treasures summoned, waiting only for an opportunity to strike.

Immortal King Tianluo, who had been watching and weighing the situation, suddenly had ragged breathing, and his eyes instantly turned blood-red!

Jian Chenzi, Immortal King Guiwu, Immortal King Yunyao, and all the powerful figures who had been searching bitterly in the Secret Realm and were determined to obtain that supreme treasure, all shook violently and looked at Dong Li and Xiao Ruobai's group in disbelief!

Other weaker onlookers turned pale with horror; while staring fixedly at the pile of dazzling treasures, their feet were imperceptibly retreating backward.

Those attempting to fish in troubled waters had flickering eyes, their figures quietly moving through the crowd. Seemingly shouting along with the masses, they were actually quietly blocking several possible escape routes.

Or they were moving closer to some drop points of loot that seemed to be of slightly lower value, intending to snatch one or two items in the Chaos.

At this moment, Xiao Ruobai and the others nearby looked up at the terrifying gazes surrounding them—gazes that looked at them as if they were lambs waiting to be slaughtered or mortal enemies.

Their faces finally darkened completely.

The trouble was big.

The moment Immortal King Zhenyue first sensed the aura of the dao-embodying mysterious crystal, his pupils had also shrunk violently, and purple light flashed rapidly in his eyes!

Worry about the prince's whereabouts instinctively surged into his heart, but the next instant, he was attracted by the majestic Dao Rhyme that was faintly radiating, causing even his Immortal King realm cultivation to feel palpitations!

The opportunity of an Immortal Sovereign! The path to achieving the Dao!

Compared to this, even the fury and hatred over the prince's disappearance had to give way in the face of absolute benefit and the path of the Dao!

Moreover, capturing these few people would allow him to both interrogate them about the prince's whereabouts and seize the supreme treasure—killing two birds with one stone!

In a flash, the furious expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a complex expression mixed with extreme greed, cold calculation, and chilling murderous intent.

His voice was no longer a mere roar, but carried an oppressive sense of controlling the entire situation:

"Good! Very good!"

He stepped forward, releasing the terrifying pressure of a Peak Middle Stage Immortal King without reservation, like an invisible mountain, not only pressing down on Xiao Ruobai and the others.

It also faintly enveloped the entire scene, especially the few others who were eager to make a move, full of warning.

"With the suspects and stolen goods caught, the evidence is as solid as a mountain! Stealing the supreme treasure of the Secret Realm, plotting against the Immortal Dynasty's prince—with multiple crimes punished together, ten thousand deaths would not be enough to redeem you!"

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the entire scene, pausing slightly on Tianluo, Jian Chenzi, and the others, his voice firm and unquestionable:

"This case is the top priority of my Ziji Immortal Dynasty! These people, along with all the stolen goods, must be interrogated and disposed of by my Immortal Dynasty personally! Whoever dares to interfere is an enemy of my Ziji Immortal Dynasty!"

Before the words had even faded, he had already struck! This time, it was no longer a single-target capture, but an area suppression!

A more condensed, wider-covering large purple hand, carrying the Law power to seal space, covered down from above, intending to encompass Xiao Ruobai and the others along with all the treasures on the ground, taking complete control!

He wanted not only the people but also all the treasures!