“With about five days left, three years will have passed. This journey to the Heavenly Tomb is finally coming to an end.” Xuner smiled as she saw the pensive expression on Xiao Yan’s face.
At these words, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He hadn’t expected that in the blink of an eye, three years would pass. Although only half a year had gone by in the outside world, they had indeed spent three full years in rigorous cultivation… Fortunately, although the training was monotonous, the results were unexpectedly good. When Xiao Yan first entered the Heavenly Tomb, he was just a newly promoted six-star Dou Zun, but now he had reached the peak of eight-star Dou Zun. Combined with his many skills and clan markings, he could even challenge a nine-star Dou Zun. These three years had brought about a complete transformation for Xiao Yan.
“Haha, it’s also time for us to leave. Time does fly by so quickly…” The elder Xiao Xuan also chuckled at this moment, his voice tinged with a faint trace of desolation. The Heavenly Tomb had allowed him to live on in another way, but it had also bestowed upon him boundless loneliness. In this world devoid of human life, they were like prisoners, imprisoned within it.
“Will you continue to exist in this way, Ancestor?” Xiao Yan asked after a moment of silence.
Xiao Xuan let out a soft sigh and nodded. “This should be the price of living in another form. We can’t leave the Heavenly Tomb. If we step out, we would instantly vanish into thin air. Therefore, we can only continue to exist in this world, enduring solitude…”
Hearing the faint melancholy in Xiao Xuan’s words, Xiao Yan felt a great unease in his heart. They had only been here for three years, and yet it was already unbearable. But Xiao Xuan had been here for a hundred or even a thousand times longer…
“Is there any other way to completely revive you?” Xiao Yan asked slowly.
“Haha, I know you are an alchemist. Some high-grade pills can indeed restore the vitality of those on the brink of death. But I am a soul that has been dead for countless years, and this soul is even incomplete.” Xiao Xuan smiled, displaying a rather open-minded attitude, and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder. “Little guy, if you feel bad, try your best to break through to the Emperor Realm. If you reach that level, you might come up with a way to release me. But for now, thinking too much is futile…”
“I endure loneliness and remain here, not for the sake of resurrection, but to pass down the bloodline power of the Xiao Clan. I don’t want the bloodline power to be permanently buried in this dark and gloomy Heavenly Tomb.”
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the tumultuous emotions in his heart. He knew that what Xiao Xuan said was true. Even if there were a way to free Xiao Xuan, he currently lacked the ability to do so…
“Ancestor, rest assured. I will return to the Heavenly Tomb, and when I come back, I will have surely broken through to the Dou Saint realm.” Xiao Yan said solemnly, knowing that reaching the Dou Saint realm would be extremely difficult, but he would do his best!
Seeing Xiao Yan’s serious expression, Xiao Xuan smiled reassuringly. He suddenly waved his hand, and the storage ring on Xiao Yan vibrated. A palm-sized ball of light flew out and hovered in front of Xiao Xuan.
“What is this?” Xiao Yan was slightly startled. Inside the light ball, a fist-sized jade cocoon floated, emanating a peculiar aura.
“This is the queen of the ancient devouring insects. She is equivalent to a half-saint in human terms. However, she is currently in hibernation; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to pass through the energy barrier so easily…”
“A half-saint level insect queen?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face twitched. His hands went numb. Truly, ignorance is bliss. If he had known how terrifying this thing was, he never would have grabbed it in the first place.
“No wonder the ancient devouring insects went crazy after we came out of the crystal wall,” Xuner laughed, glancing curiously at the jade cocoon.
“If you had taken this with you, once the insect queen woke up, she would silently burrow into your body and devour your Dou Qi. Only a Dou Saint could find and remove her from your body…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt cold sweat bead on his forehead. He had experienced the loss of Dou Qi once before, and even though he was stronger now, he still didn’t want to tangle with such things.
“Luckily, Ancestor’s keen eye saved us from being killed by this damned insect queen,” Xiao Yan said with a shudder.
“Haha, the insect queen is indeed troublesome, but it is excellent material for forging an Ancient Insect Monarch Suit…”
“The Ancient Insect Monarch Suit is actually a special defensive skill. Once forged, it can transform into a shell-like form and cover the body. In ancient times, it was highly sought after. If we use this insect queen to forge it, it should be able to withstand attacks from a half-saint…”
“Really?” Hearing that such a small object could withstand a half-saint’s attack, Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up. He already had the Dragon-Phoenix Ancient Armor, and adding this suit would make him virtually invincible against Dou Saint attacks.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle the forging. Before you leave, I’ll give you the Ancient Insect Monarch Suit. For now, you should focus on something else…”
“What is that?”
“Of course, it’s dealing with those two from the Soul Clan. After such a big loss, you can’t just forget it. The Xiao Clan isn’t known for their forgiveness.”
“Soul Ya and Soul Li…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed. “How could I forget them? I just don’t know where they are hiding.”
Now that Xiao Yan’s strength had increased, he could easily defeat them even without summoning the Heavenly Demon Puppet. Moreover, the Heavenly Tomb was the perfect place for a clandestine killing, with no one to discover the bodies.
“As long as they are still in the Heavenly Tomb, I can sense their presence.” Xiao Xuan smiled and waved his hand. The space in front of him rippled, and a crack opened. “Go through this and you’ll be within a hundred miles of them. The rest is up to you. I won’t interfere… Any problem?”
Xiao Yan shook his head, a chilly smile spreading across his lips. Without saying more, he stepped into the spatial rift, followed closely by Xuner.
Seeing the two disappear, Xiao Xuan smiled. This was the final trial before Xiao Yan left the tomb.
On the endless expanse of earth, a faint mist of energy swirled around the air. Occasionally, energy bodies drifted by, silent and ghostly.
Amidst the scattered rocks, a figure clad in silver armor sat in mid-air, radiating a formidable energy indicating at least a nine-star level. At this moment, the figure’s gaze was alertly scanning the area below, sensing danger despite the emptiness.
After a long observation, finding nothing, the nine-star energy body relaxed slightly. Suddenly, the surrounding space froze, and two black chains pierced through the void, slicing through the energy body with a clinking sound. Black fog enveloped the area, tearing the body apart. Then, a dark shadow flashed out, grabbing the nine-star energy core.
“These energy bodies have immense power but no combat ability.” The shadow casually put the energy core into a storage ring, revealing a pale and sinister young face—the very same Soul Ya!
“Many powerful energy bodies lurk in the depths, but that one is too terrifying. We should stay away…”
A second figure appeared, his face marred by fearsome scars—Soul Li.
“Hmph, I didn’t expect to find a strong Xiao Clan member in the Heavenly Tomb. That damned Xiao Yan has some good luck.” Soul Ya’s gaze turned icy. “We’re about to leave the tomb. Remember to teleport out with the Spatial Jade Tablet immediately. If the news gets out, the Gu Clan will come after us. As for Xiao Yan, hmph, I will eventually bring people to cleanse both him and the Starfall Pavilion with blood…”
Soul Li nodded slowly, his eyes filled with cold intent. Since entering the tomb, they had been thwarted by Xiao Yan, an unacceptable situation for their pride.
“I don’t think we need to wait. Let’s handle it now. Wouldn’t it be easier?”
As Soul Li nodded, the space around them rippled strangely. A soft laugh echoed, and two figures stepped out of the void, appearing in the air with a smile, their eyes fixed on Soul Ya and Soul Li…
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