Gazing at the cave behind the stone wall, Xiao Yan reached out and pulled the excited Zi Yan behind him. Then, his gaze intertwined with Little Healer Immortal and the other two, and they discreetly began to circulate their Dou Qi. Then, they cautiously descended into the crack that Zi Yan had forcefully opened, walking slowly. After passing through the short tunnel, Xiao Yan and the others stopped outside the cave entrance. Standing there, they could faintly see a soft light emanating from inside the cave. On the walls around the cave, there were some ferocious-looking drawings of Magical Beasts. Although they looked intimidating, such useless intimidation was, of course, of no effect to Xiao Yan and the others.
Su Qian took the lead, for among the group, his strength was most fully preserved. In the skirmish with Eagle Mountain Elder, he hadn’t expended much energy. No one knew what mechanism might be lurking in the cave, so it was safest to have him go first.
Inside the cave, there was a long stone staircase, the steps descending into a subtle darkness below, making it difficult to see the end. Around the walls, luminous moonlight stones embedded gave off a faint glow, gradually dispelling the darkness within the cave.
The group proceeded slowly along the staircase. After about ten minutes or so, they finally reached the end, and before them, there appeared a heavy, tightly shut stone door.
The stone door was entirely black, covered with green moss, exuding a thick, ancient aura.
“I’ll do it.” Seeing another stone door, Zi Yan immediately volunteered, her small face filled with excitement. She seemed to have a particularly strong inclination towards destruction.
“You stay put quietly.” Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and grabbed Zi Yan, then nodded toward Su Qian. No one knew what exactly lay ahead, so it was best to be cautious.
Seeing this, Su Qian smiled and placed his withered palm on the stone door. His eyes suddenly turned fierce, and an overwhelming amount of Dou Qi surged through his arm like lightning, smashing into the stone door with a deafening roar.
“Bang!”
As stones flew, the stone door instantly became covered with cracks. Then, with a loud thud, it collapsed, and a blinding light shot out from within.
As the intense light flashed, everyone instinctively squinted their eyes. Xiao Yan’s expression changed slightly as he shouted, “Great Elder, be careful!”
Just as Xiao Yan’s shout fell, a putrid wind surged out from behind the stone door, and a fierce gust rushed directly at Su Qian, who was at the front.
“Hmph!”
The sudden change didn’t cause any panic in Su Qian. He coldly huffed, and his palm curled up, turning his soft sleeve as hard as iron. Then, he fiercely fanned out with a sharp slicing sound echoing in the cave.
“Thump!”
The sleeve swept out, and the powerful wind surged out like a wave, hitting the incoming object. Then, Xiao Yan and the others heard a miserable screech. The huge figure retreated, collapsing heavily onto the ground.
After repelling the ambushing creature, Su Qian’s sleeve flickered again, and with a howling wind, he cleared all the dust, revealing the space behind the stone door.
Before Xiao Yan and the others stood a spacious storeroom, illuminated by extremely bright lights. The walls were built entirely of tough, ink-black steel, almost as if they were carved out of a vein of ore. The storeroom was filled with many shelves, with scrolls neatly arranged on them. On another side, there were numerous crystal cabinets containing carefully placed rare medicinal herbs.
Xiao Yan’s gaze slowly swept over the storeroom, and then it stopped on the large, snake-like Magical Beast on the ground. Obviously, it was the ambusher.
“A Dou Wang-class Magical Beast daring to ambush me,” Su Qian walked into the storeroom, glancing at the coiling beast, which was hissing menacingly at them, and said with a faint smile.
“It must be the guardian of this place,” Xiao Yan also smiled, only a brief glance at the beast before he turned his attention back to the storeroom. Looking at the numerous scrolls, his eyes showed a hint of surprise. He marveled, “It truly is a powerful, old faction. These collections are quite formidable.”
“These have all been categorized and graded,” Xiao Li, walking near a shelf, looked at the words “Lower Level Xuan Rank” written on it, and chuckled.
Xiao Yan nodded, his gaze sweeping over, then he moved directly deeper into the storeroom. Ordinary Xuan Rank techniques and methods did not interest him. He was somewhat curious if the Magic Flame Valley had any high-level techniques or skills that would even amaze him.
“Hissss!”
Seeing Xiao Yan and the others rummage through the storeroom, the giant snake, covered in green scales, immediately coiled up, its tail whipping with a force that lashed out fiercely at Xiao Yan and the others.
Just as its tail was about to strike, it was caught by a disproportionately small hand. The owner of the hand glanced at the great serpent, smirked, and then dragged its tail, forcibly pulling it out of the storeroom. No matter how the snake struggled, that small but terrifyingly strong hand remained unmoved.
“This girl’s brute strength is really terrifying. I wonder what kind of existence her true form is,” Xiao Yan sighed, shaking his head, looking at the snake-like Magical Beast being dragged out of the storeroom by Zi Yan, then thrown who-knows-where, amid wails.
“I’m not too sure. When I met her, she had already accidentally eaten an immature transformative grass. But to possess such terrible power at such a young age, her true form must be extraordinary,” Su Qian frowned, then continued, “However, it is said that in the southern part of the Central Continent, there are many strange Magical Beast families. Most of these families are extremely powerful. Perhaps you can get some information about her true form from there.”
“Magical Beast families?” Hearing this unfamiliar term, Xiao Yan paused briefly.
“In those regions, Magical Beasts mostly gather in clans. When their levels reach a certain point, some, especially those with ancient bloodlines, have intellect not inferior to humans. They can transform into human form, and with their long lifespans, their foundation and strength are quite formidable. Even ordinary human forces dare not provoke them, of course—” Su Qian’s gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, adding, “—except for some human races that share that ancient heritage.”
Xiao Yan’s footsteps suddenly froze, and after a moment, he nodded silently. He knew that Su Qian was referring to something like the mystical race behind Xun Er.
“The Central Continent is the most exciting place on the Dou Qi continent. Its vastness is endless, and it is filled with countless strong individuals. Standing at the peak there is equivalent to standing at the peak of the entire Dou Qi continent,” Su Qian smiled lightly, saying, “There, you might gradually come into contact with the forces behind your little girlfriend. But fortunately, you are no longer the small Dou Shi who first entered the academy. You have already begun to gain the strength to vie for things, but that is just the qualification to compete. To reach the step you desire, you need even greater strength…”
Xiao Yan nodded gently, his hand slowly sliding over the row of scrolls before him, taking a deep breath to suppress the turbulent waves in his heart. However, the delicate, elegant face that blossomed in the mundane world like a lotus flower, whether angry or joyful, quietly surfaced in his mind, impossible to erase.
“Xun Er.”
Xiao Yan clenched his hand within his sleeve, and a barely concealable ardor rose in his eyes. He vividly remembered Xun Er’s parting words: not to contact her until he reached the Battle Sect level. Presumably, she was worried about the resistance from her clan when they met.
“Battle Sect, huh.” The young face, under the glow of the lamp, hardened with determination. At the time, Battle Sect seemed like an unattainable goal, but now, it was within his grasp.
“Wait for me. I will let everyone in your clan know that your choice was the best!”
Xiao Yan whispered softly to himself, a never-before-seen fiery light bursting in his eyes—a mix of ambition and anticipation. The so-called wastrel of the Xiao family would eventually stun the world!
As Xiao Yan reined in his thoughts, his feet also stopped. Unconsciously, he had reached the end of the storeroom. Unlike the earlier shelves, there were not many scrolls piled here, but rather four simple wooden boxes.
Unlike the other bookshelves, this one was protected by a faint light barrier, and the dense energy emanating from it surprised even Xiao Yan. Good things indeed stand out.
Thinking this, Xiao Yan did not rush to break the light barrier. His gaze slowly swept the area around the bookshelf, then halted on the two simple characters written above the shelf.
“Earth Rank!”
Seeing these two characters, a smile appeared on Xiao Yan’s face. It seemed their trip was not in vain. Earth Rank techniques and methods were exceedingly rare, and given that the Earth Demon Old Ghost treasured them so much, they were likely not ordinary.
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