The Blood kin paid them no mind. Vikkin, Rene, and Figg, the three great elders of the Blood kin, exchanged a greeting with the leading Fiend, then urged Zou Tao and the others of different races to hurry through.

The contingent of several dozen Fiends possessed human appearances, yet their bodies were entirely constructed of glowing-hot stones, and molten magma flowed through them instead of human blood.

They, too, radiated powerful life fluctuations. Especially the leading Fiends—the sheer strength of their life magnetic fields rivaled that of Vikks, Rene, and Figg, the three Blood kin elders who had reached the Ruyi Realm. It was precisely because they possessed the power to fear no Blood kin that they showed them no deference whatsoever.

Those Fiends lingered within the molten lava, half their bodies submerged in the fiery magma. Not far from these Fiends lay the life magnetic pool, dense with somber mist. Far in the distance, several crystalline figures could vaguely be seen suspended, seemingly awaiting something as well.

Those icy bodies were entirely formed of hard ice, the exact opposite of the Fiend race; they radiated intense cold, with wisps of white fog swirling around them. Even from a great distance, they imparted a chilling sensation.

Clearly, those figures were the Ice kin mentioned by the Blood kin. Like solid ice, they possessed distant auras and undeniably vast life fluctuations that could not be underestimated.

Compared to the Fiends and the Ice kin, the members of the Blood kin contingent were remarkably disorganized, with a few representatives from various disparate races mingling together. Prompted by the Blood kin, they quickly flew over the molten lava and soon arrived at the gathering place of the Fiends.

In front of the Fiends’ assembly point was the location of the Life Magnetic Pool, shrouded above by thick, gray mist, obscuring any view of what lay beneath.

Dozens of Ice kin stood above that dense fog. The leader, a stunningly beautiful figure of ice, looked thoroughly impatient. As her brows furrowed, her ice-crystal-like eyelashes trembled slightly, betraying no hint of hardness, making her seem surprisingly dynamic.

She appeared to have waited for some time. Seeing the three elders of the Blood kin—Vikkin and the others—approach, she urged, "Let's begin."

The Fiends instinctively felt aversion toward the Ice kin and had long since separated from them. One side was wreathed in flame, the other encased in chilling ice; the two elements were inherently incompatible. Even drawing near made each side uncomfortable. If not for their shared desire to enter the Life Magnetic Pool, cooperation between them would likely be impossible.

"Stand aside. The Blood kin, the Ice kin, and the Fiends will break the barrier below together. You don't need to act now," Rene approached, gesturing for Zou Tao and the other alien races to move back.

Zou Tao nodded toward Huo Feng and Xiao Han and obediently ascended into the sky, positioning himself a hundred zhang above the gray mist.

This area was a nexus where clusters of multicolored clouds gathered. Ji Changkong, Huo Feng, Xiao Han, and Zou Tao were enveloped in radiant, five-colored haze. Looking up within the glowing clouds, Ji Changkong saw a thick rock ceiling above, covered in moss. Focusing his gaze, he realized the moss itself shimmered brilliantly.

Observing the ceiling, Ji Changkong finally registered that he was still deep within the earth’s core. That rock ceiling must have been tens of thousands of zhang thick, separating the inner world from the surface world. "Be careful. The moment the barrier tears, sharp streams of energy will shoot out randomly. Don't get caught in that power," Xiao Han reminded him softly. Ji Changkong nodded, immediately condensing the essence within his body, ready to react.

"This isn't your first time here, is it?" Zou Tao, who had been about to speak, paused when he heard Xiao Han's warning, then asked with sudden curiosity. Xiao Han nodded, her face cold. "When I came here, you lot probably weren't even living in the earth's core yet."

"Oh!" Zou Tao exclaimed, his gaze brightening intensely as he looked at Xiao Han. "You mean you've been here hundreds of years ago? That can't be right. At that time, the Blood kin hadn't arrived, and no masters came to break the barrier. How did you get down?"

Xiao Han seemed slightly annoyed and snorted. "Although the Blood kin weren't here back then, other masters still visited. Don't ask. I came here with the Shang family back then."

"The Shang family? The Shang family from Tiannan Star!" Zou Tao’s face was filled with surprise. He nodded lightly. "No wonder. The Shang family must have the strength to tear through that barrier..." He sensed Xiao Han did not wish to elaborate, so he did not press further. "Chh-chh-chh! Chss-chss-chss!"

Just then, a strange sound emanated from below. Ji Changkong immediately focused his attention downward.

He saw the Fiend and Ice kin unleashing their flames and frost energy, forming two thick columns of red and white light, which shot down fiercely toward the Life Magnetic Pool below.

Vikks, Rene, and Figg, the three Blood kin elders, followed those thick red and white pillars downward, vanishing into the dense gray mist without a trace. Only after the two massive columns of red and white light plunged into the gray mist did that peculiar sound carry upward, as if a membrane was indeed being torn.

Suddenly, an intensely strong scent of blood billowed up from the mist below, accompanied by a visible wisp of bloody energy.

"It's open!" Vikks's delighted shout echoed from within the gray mist. "Hurry down! Everyone only has fifteen minutes. If we exceed that time, the barrier will reseal!" "Go!" Xiao Han's expression hardened, and she rushed toward the gray mist below first. "Remember what the Blood kin said!" Zou Tao hastily reminded her.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Han let out a cold snort. As she reached the edge of the gray mist, she forcefully halted her momentum in mid-air, waiting reluctantly for the Ice kin to enter first.

It seemed a tacit agreement had been reached. At this critical juncture, aside from the Ice kin filing in one after another, everyone else waited anxiously, not daring to rush ahead—even the Blood kin and Fiend kin held back, waiting for the Ice kin to take the lead. The contingent of several dozen Ice kin, with everyone making way, finally entered as the first wave.

Next came the Blood kin and the Fiend kin. As they proceeded deeper below, Zou Tao began his preparations and murmured to Huo Feng and Xiao Han, "Once the Blood kin and Fiends are inside, we won't need to hold back. We should enter as quickly as possible." "Mm," Xiao Han nodded, her gaze growing colder.

When the last member of the Blood kin disappeared into the gray mist below, streaks of brilliant light suddenly appeared among another group.

They were the dozen or so members of the Three-Eyed race. They opened their third eyes simultaneously. When the Three-Eyed race opened their third eye, it signified the full deployment of their innate divine abilities, meaning their strength had reached its peak state—a precursor to combat engagement!

The Wood kin contingent began exhibiting signs of lignification, their combined defensive power seemingly boosted to its maximum limit.

However, the fastest were the Feathered race members. As they spread the wings on their backs, the speed of the Feathered race clearly surpassed every other alien race, and they were the first to charge toward the gray mist. Following the Feathered race, the Wood kin and the Three-Eyed race hastily flew toward the dense gray smoke. "Go!" Zou Tao roared, the smile that had been on his face vanishing, replaced by an aura of deadly intent!

Zou Tao's group of five were all in the Nirvana Realm, and with Huo Feng and Xiao Han added, this force was by no means weak. With these seven leading the way, even the Wood kin and the Three-Eyed race dared not provoke a conflict rashly. Ji Changkong, positioned between Huo Feng and Xiao Han, descended for a moment before immediately spotting a strange fissure opening.

As the Feathered race continuously disappeared into it, the fissure sealed slightly. By the time the Wood kin and Three-Eyed race members entered, the opening was only the size of a door. As he, Huo Feng, and Xiao Han rushed through, he sensed the sounds of battle erupting behind them.

Without looking back, he plunged into the fissure and suddenly found his divine sense incapacitated, thrust into a pitch-black, unfamiliar place, still continuously falling downward.

The sound of bubbling water—"gurgle, gurgle"—reached his ears. He could see no one and touch no one, nor could he even sense the presence of the water. He released his divine sense, but it was affected by some magnetic force, rendering him unable to perceive anything.

Under these anomalous conditions, he descended rapidly until he saw a faint glimmer of light appear. Instinctively, he shot toward the source of that light.

The brilliant light suddenly closed up. The next moment, he felt a wave of powerful offensive energy surging toward him from the opposite direction. Unable to sense anything else, he finally detected the presence of water, though this water was decidedly hostile.

Having already drawn the Dragon Glory Long Saber, he swung it without hesitation. A thick, bloody radiance burst forth from the saber, parting the surging wave. Immediately afterward, he saw the brilliant light flash again.

It was an eye—the eye of a member of the Three-Eyed race.

"Who are you?" a Three-Eyed clansman asked coldly from the location of the bright light, brimming with vigilance.

"None of your business!" Ji Changkong grunted. Just as he prepared to approach, he was suddenly caught by an irresistible sucking force from below. Before he could react, his body was seized by that suction and violently dragged downward.

He instantly became dizzy and felt terribly sick. Even his soul seemed affected by the magnetic forces here, causing his reaction speed to decline.

After an unknown period, he gradually regained consciousness and sat up, only to find himself in a warm valley. The valley was filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, and the ground was carpeted with glittering ores. These ores were multicolored and crystalline in shape, seemingly harboring some profound, mysterious power within them.