692: Chapter 693 Shocking Changes Underground

Xiao Ruobai's gaze rapidly swept over the terrifying figures confronting each other in the sky, then glanced at the dense blockade below that was rapidly shrinking inward.

There was not a shred of hesitation in his eyes. He took a deep breath and spat out two words with ironclad resolve: "Go back!"

"Back... back where?" Wang Xiaopang was stunned.

"Back into the depths of Purple Miasma Mountain!" Xiao Ruobai turned around and looked at the purple miasma behind him.

"The outside is already an impenetrable fortress; going out is walking straight into a trap. While it is dangerous inside, at least there is room to maneuver, and a sliver of a chance for change!"

Without any wasted words, the five of them transformed into streams of light once more and turned back without hesitation.

They plunged back into the daunting depths of Purple Miasma Mountain, their figures quickly swallowed by the roiling poisonous mist.

Shortly after they retreated, Immortal King Zhenyue, Jian Chenzi, Xuangu, and Qingming also rushed out of the edge of Purple Miasma Mountain in a disheveled state, reuniting with the coalition forces on the perimeter.

"Immortal King Zichen! Senior Sword Venerable! Fellow Daoists!" Immortal King Zhenyue's expression was ugly as he quickly recounted how Xian Wang Yun Yao had been instantly killed, and how the five opponents had mysteriously joined forces and seemingly refined the dao-embodying mysterious crystal to advance to Immortal Lord.

"What? Fairy Yun Yao has fallen?" The expression of Immortal King Yuqing from Yunmiao Immortal Mountain instantly turned icy, and killing intent soared to the heavens.

"In such a short time, from Heavenly Immortal to Immortal Lord? And they completely refined the dao-embodying mysterious crystal?!"

The expressions of Immortal King Zichen, the Sword Venerable Immortal King, and the others also changed. There was shock, but even more so, an irritation at being beaten to the punch and a deeper, darker greed.

"Damn those little beasts! What a waste of a heavenly treasure!"

Immortal King Yinggu's voice was hoarse. Such a wondrous treasure of heaven and earth had actually been swallowed whole by a few ants!

"Where are they?" Immortal King Luotian asked in a deep voice.

"They retreated back into the mountain!" Immortal King Zhenyue said.

"Hmph, a deathbed struggle!" Purple light flickered in the eyes of Immortal King Zichen.

"Pass the order: compress the blockade inward. Advance step by step, interweave your Divine Thought, and dig three feet into the ground if you must to drag them out!"

"The secrets they carry are definitely not as simple as just the dao-embodying mysterious crystal!"

"That combined attack technique, capable of killing an Immortal King across ranks, is of immeasurable value!"

"Indeed!" the Sword Venerable Immortal King added coldly.

"Capture them and search their souls and refine their spirits. Perhaps we can obtain the lost ancient combined attack technique, or even the secret to their rapid advancement!"

Greed, like a wildfire, burned fiercely in the hearts of every powerhouse.

The anger of losing an Immortal King was replaced by a more intense desire for possession.

The blocking army began to steadily advance toward the depths of Purple Miasma Mountain, like a giant net tightening.

Deep within Purple Miasma Mountain, the five of them—Xiao Ruobai and the others—concealed their auras and traveled rapidly through the complex terrain.

"They've entered. The speed is slow, but steady. It's like they're combing through the area," Dong Li said, reporting the situation behind them as phantom light flickered in its red eyes.

"If this continues, it's only a matter of time before we're found," Fang Hanyu said in a cold voice.

Wang Xiaopang scratched his head: "Then what do we do? We can't really fight head-on against those thousands of people, right?"

"Now, our only option is to go deeper! Relying on the maze formations in the depths, perhaps there is a chance to counter-kill, but it will become increasingly dangerous inside!"

"Alright, let's go to the depths," Xiao Ruobai understood instantly, cold light like stars in his eyes.

"Then let's brave this dragon's den and tiger's lair!" Sword Intent faintly swirled around Fang Hanyu, exuding a cold sharpness.

"Let's fight it out! It's better than being caught by that bunch outside and having our souls searched!" Wang Xiaopang gritted his teeth.

Without any hesitation, the five of them suddenly changed direction again, preparing to rush toward the core region.

Suddenly! "ROAR—!!!"

A roar, seemingly from the ancient primordial era and filled with endless violence, madness, and a will of destruction, erupted without warning from the deepest part of Purple Miasma Mountain—the core Forbidden Ground where even the Divine Thought of an Immortal King could barely penetrate!

This roar did not travel through the air; it exploded directly within the depths of every living being's Divine Soul!

In an instant, whether it was Peak existences like Immortal King Zichen and the Sword Venerable Immortal King, or ordinary Immortal Lords and heavenly soldiers, their Divine Souls shook violently, their Qi and blood churned, and those with weaker cultivation couldn't help but groan as blood seeped from their seven orifices!

"What is that?!" The Sword Venerable Immortal King's expression changed slightly as he rested his hand on his sword and looked around.

Immortal King Zichen also jerked his head around to look toward the depths of Purple Miasma Mountain. Purple-gold light surged in his eyes as he tried to see through the heavy mist, but he only felt a heart-palpitating Chaos and darkness roiling and awakening.

"RUMBLE—!" The entire Purple Miasma Mountain began to shake violently! It wasn't an earthquake, but some dormant behemoth turning over!

The purple poisonous miasma, which had been thick for eons, roiled crazily like boiling water, its color instantly deepening from light purple to dark purple and then pitch black!

The protective spiritual light of some nearby Cultivators was actually rapidly corroded, emitting sizzling sounds!

"Not good! This miasma has changed! Retreat!" an Immortal King exclaimed.

The blocking formations hurriedly set up by the various major forces were struck by this sudden upheaval of heaven and earth and the surge in the miasma's toxicity, causing them to shake violently, their light flickering, and more disorder and gaps appeared!

"It's that drop of essence blood!" Dong Li suddenly covered its head with its claws, its red eyes filled with pain and horror.

It felt that the drop of essence blood containing the Origin Soul Power of the Heart Moon Fox that it had buried underground was like a spark thrown into a boiling oil depot, detonating some indescribable, terrifying existence beneath Purple Miasma Mountain!

Xiao Ruobai and the other four were also shaken by the sudden turn of events and the roar that struck directly at their Divine Souls, causing their Qi and blood to churn.

"Over there!" Just at this moment of extreme Chaos, a sharp shout containing vast immortal power and cold killing intent drowned out some of the roaring, exploding like thunder near the five of them!

It was Immortal King Zichen!

With purple-gold Dragon Qi coiling around him and eyes like lightning, he took advantage of the crowd's panic to precisely lock onto the five of them—Xiao Ruobai and his group—who were staggering and leaking aura due to the impact of the roar!

Immediately following, several incomparably powerful Divine Thoughts instantly pinned them down! The Sword Venerable Immortal King, Immortal King Yuqing, Immortal King Yinggu...

The attention of all the Peak Immortal Kings was attracted at this moment!

"Trying to run? Stop them!" Although Immortal King Zhenyue was also shocked by the roar, he had been staring fixedly at the direction of Xiao Ruobai and the others. Seeing them move, he immediately disregarded the backlash, forcibly urged his immortal power, and a giant purple palm slammed down with a boom!

However, this move of his seemed to trigger some kind of chain reaction.

"ROAR—!" A second roar followed, even more furious and clearer than the first!

It was as if that dormant behemoth had been completely enraged, locking onto the ants who dared to unleash power within its territory!

A thick, incomparably condensed stream of pitch-black miasma, like a demon dragon from the Nine Netherworlds, soared into the sky from the core of Purple Miasma Mountain. Ignoring spatial distance, it instantly slammed in front of Immortal King Zhenyue!

"What?!" Immortal King Zhenyue's expression changed in horror. From that pitch-black miasma, he felt a fatal threat!

Unable to care about attacking Xiao Ruobai and the others, he hastily turned his giant palm to collide fiercely with the pitch-black miasma!

"BOOM—!!!" Purple light and black Qi intertwined and exploded. The violent energy completely tore that space apart. Immortal King Zhenyue groaned as he was actually shaken back hundreds of feet, his palm charred black, and his aura in disarray.

And the eruption of this pitch-black miasma was like a signal.

"RUMBLE RUMBLE—!" Deep within Purple Miasma Mountain, streaks of weird light, some thick and some thin, and of various colors, shot up into the sky. Some contained deadly poison, some exuded decay, and some were filled with chaotic mental shocks...

High in the sky, the blocking formations of the several major forces bore the brunt of it, battered by these sudden attacks, causing them to sway unsteadily as their light flashed chaotically.