Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

"Just assume that's how it is..." Feeling the gossipy gazes of the people around him, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly, then his gaze fell on the huge stone tablet—

The surface of the monument has turned yellowish due to the passage of time, and there are many pits and small cracks that spread out like crawling insects. However, for the monument as a whole, it does not seem to be a particularly big problem.

Apart from a few tiny black dots that are difficult to see with the naked eye...

Chapter 296 The Spirit of the Monument

The moment Xiao Yan saw those tiny black dots, his expression froze—

He had seen this thing before, on the desolate plains of the Great Wilderness County, on the body of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele that had been "corroded" over the years.

Then, to the astonishment of Lin Dong and the others, Xiao Yan, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bluestone platform, suddenly stood up, took a few steps forward, approached the Great Desolate Stele, and finally extended a finger to lightly touch the Great Desolate Stele.

Before Xiao Yan arrived, Jiang Hao and the others had also touched the Great Desolate Stele, so they didn't pay too much attention to Xiao Yan's actions. The only thing they found strange was why Xiao Yan sat down first and then got up to touch the Great Desolate Stele.

Near the Great Desolate Monument, the only one who knew what Xiao Yan had seen was Lin Dong. When he saw those black dots earlier, his mood suddenly became heavy. After the Great Desolate Sect incident, he also knew what those black dots represented...

And so, under the watchful eyes of Lin Dong, Jiang Hao, and the others, who were either understanding or puzzled, Xiao Yan's finger gently landed on a black dot on the surface of the monument.

The moment they touched, a cold, lifeless aura entered Xiao Yan's body.

Sensing once again the malevolent energy that contradicted the laws of nature, Xiao Yan's inner fire surged instantly, devouring the malevolent energy before it could penetrate deeply. Then, Xiao Yan's spiritual power, carrying a wisp of the malevolent fire, flowed from his fingertips into the Great Desolate Stele—

The Great Desolate Stele is a spiritual treasure, and one that can even be listed on the ancient divine artifact list. Upon seeing the Great Desolate Stele, Xiao Yan, having integrated Zhu Yun's experience as a weapon refiner, confirmed this fact.

Normally, as an ancient divine artifact, it would be subjected to the full force of the spiritual treasure the moment the spiritual power of a "stranger" like Xiao Yan seeped in. Just like when Xiao Yan absorbed the Nirvana Golden Qi at the bottom of the Dan River, and when Lin Dong's spiritual power entered the desolate stone, it would be subjected to the siege of all the energy that the spiritual treasure could mobilize.

but……

Despite being an ancient divine artifact, the resistance it encountered after Xiao Yan's spiritual power seeped in was pitifully weak, as if it were just a low-level artifact.

'Is there another demon sealed down here too?' The little fox, who was sharing Xiao Yan's senses at this moment, spoke with a somewhat hoarse voice.

'Moreover, it's already almost out of control of that...or several... otherworldly demons,' after confirming that even the Great Desolation Stele couldn't resist the intrusion of his spiritual power, Xiao Yan withdrew the wisp of spiritual power that enveloped the strange fire, and also withdrew his fingers. 'No wonder no one has been able to comprehend the Great Desolation Scripture in the past hundred years...'

If the Great Desolation Scripture truly exists within the Great Desolation Stele, then it must be held by the stele's spirit. Currently, the Great Desolation Stele is nearly unable to control the sealed demon. Under these circumstances, to awaken the stele's spirit and retrieve the Great Desolation Scripture from it…

"It's as difficult as climbing to heaven!"

Before returning to their positions, Xiao Yan gazed at the majestic Great Desolate Monument, and his sighs reached the ears of Lin Dong and the others.

Despite Xiao Yan's discouraging words, Jiang Hao and the others' eyes brightened, staring intently at him. Xiao Yan's talent needed no further explanation. Although they hadn't sensed anything from the Great Desolate Stele's appearance, who knew if Xiao Yan was truly like them?

With this in mind, Pang Tong asked softly, "Have you discovered anything?"

Wu Dao, who was about to urge him on, swallowed back the words of encouragement he was about to utter after hearing Xiao Yan's disheartening words and Pang Tong's question.

He had tried to comprehend the Great Desolate Stele back then, but to no avail. Therefore, he also wanted to know if Xiao Yan had truly understood anything.

"Perhaps, no one will be able to comprehend the Great Desolation Scripture until this Great Desolation Monument is destroyed." Xiao Yan smiled helplessly and said a sentence that instantly chilled the hearts of Jiang Hao and the others.

"Alright, alright, I thought you really understood something," Wu Dao said, patting Xiao Yan's head in exasperation after hearing his alarmist words. "Alright, don't listen to his scaremongering. Just focus on comprehending it. Back then, Senior Brother Zhou Tong also said that as long as you focus on comprehending it and perceive the problems in the Great Desolation Stele's test, anyone can obtain the Great Desolation Scripture!"

Yes, but that was a hundred years ago...

With a faint sense of melancholy, Xiao Yan returned to his seat.

"Besides the Otherworldly Demons, have you discovered anything else?" Lin Dong's voice entered my ears as soon as I sat down.

"Because of the sealed demon, the spirit of the stele has fallen into a deep sleep. To obtain the Great Desolation Scripture, the spirit must be awakened," Xiao Yan said quickly, glancing at Chen Zhen beside him. "The Devouring Ancestral Symbol within you should be the best bridge for communication..."

Before he could finish speaking, the dark yellow light emanating from the Great Desolate Stele enveloped all six people, including Xiao Yan, standing before the giant stele.

The moment the light enveloped him, Xiao Yan's body trembled violently. He then felt an irresistible suction force surging from the surface of the monument. The next moment, his consciousness began to blur, and the scene before him quickly vanished into darkness...

All eyes were focused on the figure enveloped by the six pillars of light. It seemed that the comprehension of the Great Desolation Scripture had officially begun.

……

"It's that damn place again..."

Beneath the utterly gloomy sky stretched an endless expanse of desolate land, its surface a grayish-yellow hue, with occasional patches of withered grass. Cracks spread across the earth, eventually reaching the horizon.

On this boundless, desolate land, Lin Dong looked helplessly at everything around him and sighed to the heavens.

He had seen a similar scene back in the Great Wilderness County, except that back then he faced the test of devouring the Ancestral Symbol, while now he faced the test of the Great Wilderness Stele.

However, unlike the Devouring Ancestral Symbol of yesteryear, this Great Desolate Stele has exhausted its power to seal the alien demon. Even if it walks on this desolate land for ten, a hundred, or even a thousand years as it did back then, it will have no effect.

“Using the Devouring Ancestral Symbol as a bridge for communication…” Feeling the Devouring Ancestral Symbol within his body, Lin Dong’s expression was somewhat helpless. He clearly felt that if he summoned the Devouring Ancestral Symbol here, his body outside would undoubtedly also summon it.

Outside, countless people are watching him. If he were to summon the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, the news of his possession of it would probably spread throughout the Eastern Xuan Region in less than a day. At that point, let alone comprehending the Great Desolation Scripture, even the existence of the Dao Sect would be in question.

"Let's walk around first," Lin Dong sighed, somewhat helplessly. "Since the Great Desolation Stele's seal on the Otherworldly Demon is already on the verge of spiraling out of control, those Otherworldly Demons won't let go of the slightest chance to escape. We might even see the methods they left behind..."

For a moment, Lin Dong didn't even know whether he wanted to see the methods the Otherworldly Demons had left behind in the trials of the Great Desolate Monument, or whether he didn't want to see them at all—

If they see it and resolve it, it might bring the spirit of the stele to his senses for a moment, and he might be able to obtain the Great Desolation Scripture. However, seeing the methods used to test the invasion of the alien demons proves that the Great Desolation Stele's time, and even the Dao Sect's time, is running out. It would be ridiculous if obtaining the Great Desolation Scripture coincided with the time to escape the Dao Sect.

However, if he doesn't see it, he won't be able to obtain the Great Desolation Scripture, which happens to be his only purpose in entering the Dao Sect.

"Sigh, what a dilemma!" After a long sigh, Lin Dong strode forward. Neither outcome could be achieved by sitting idly and waiting!

……

On the cracked, dark yellow ground, a footstep landed weakly, and a few wisps of dust rose up, but the dust itself seemed lifeless, as if there was no vitality in it.

Xiao Yan raised his head, looking somewhat bewildered at the endless wasteland around him.

“This kind of test… seems familiar,” he murmured, but his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t drunk water for days. “The last time… I remember now, it was underwater at the Star Luo Imperial Palace.”

When Xiao Yan first encountered this kind of "test", he was just a novice who had just started out in the world, and beneath the Yin-Yang Pool was the remains of a demon beast that was at least at the ninth level... or rather, the Reincarnation Realm.

However, that trial wasn't designed to be passed, so Xiao Yan gave up after descending ten thousand feet. But the trial of the Great Desolate Monument was different from the trial of the Dark Sacred Tiger, and more importantly...

“Some fragments of the demonic creature in the Yin-Yang Pool escaped,” Xiao Yan pursed his dry, pale lips. “To save its original form, it left behind the Netherworld Pool. So, the demonic creature in this Great Desolate Stele… the demonic creature that is about to go out of control, does it really have no means of countermeasures?”

Having walked through this wasteland for over a month, Xiao Yan's gaze fell upon his feet, or rather, the ground beneath his feet. During this time, he could sense the dissipation of power within his body, and also feel that the dissipated power was flowing into this land.

"Hey, anyway, I don't need the Great Desolation Scripture..." After staring blankly for a while, Xiao Yan chuckled and mobilized the remaining power in his body, gathering it in his arm. Then, he slowly raised his arm.

"Let me see... if those dirty things are hiding down there!"

With a roar, Xiao Yan swung his raised arm down, and a crescent-shaped fire beam several meters in size shot out and slammed into the parched earth.

……

What is a month inside the Great Desolate Monument is also a month to the outside world.

In the past month or so, Jiang Hao, Pang Tong, and other senior disciples of the Desolate Hall have successively passed the test of the Great Desolate Stele, collapsing after their strength has been completely dissipated. Now, only two figures sitting cross-legged remain in front of the Great Desolate Stele.

However, the situation for these two figures was also somewhat dire—

The pillar of light enveloping them was gradually weakening, and the failure of Jiang Hao and his group told everyone that this was a sign of impending defeat.

Is it going to fail?

As the beam of light continued to weaken, the disciples watching were filled with sorrow. In the past hundred years, the Dao Sect had not been able to find anyone whose talent could compare with Xiao Yan and Lin Dong. If they all failed, would the Great Desolation Scripture ever be reborn?

Just as everyone was filled with sorrow, a powerful force suddenly erupted from where Xiao Yan was, but before the surrounding disciples could react, that force completely disappeared.

However, as that power disappeared, the pillar of light enveloping Xiao Yan and Lin Dong suddenly stopped weakening.

"That's... the Flame Ancestral Symbol?" In a pavilion somewhere in the Dao Sect, Ying Xuanzi turned his head in surprise and looked at the blue-robed old man beside him.

"...No, it's just somewhat similar," the old man in blue hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "It's probably his natal talisman. There are many condensation methods in this world created by referring to the Eight Ancestral Talismans."

"But can the fluctuations generated by that condensation technique really be so close to the Flame Ancestral Symbol?" Ying Xuanzi asked.

“No one has ever seen it, so no one can make an accurate judgment,” the old man smiled helplessly. “Besides, the current owner of the Flame Ancestral Symbol is still alive!”

“Indeed,” Ying Xuanzi, somewhat disoriented by the sudden fluctuations, thought of the overlord in the Chaotic Demon Sea, “However, it seems they are about to succeed…”

In Ying Xuanzi's vision, the Great Desolate Stele trembled violently. Then, beams of light condensed on the surface of the stele. In the end, the surface of the stele became like a mirror, and in that mirror, a blurry shadow appeared and disappeared.

"The spirit of the monument... it's been so long since I've seen it." The old man sighed as he looked at the faintly visible shadow.

……

As the crescent-shaped flames struck the ground, blasting several deep ravines into the earth, Xiao Yan's vision went black again. When the light re-condensed, a desolate, rocky wasteland appeared before him.

In that rocky land, what first caught his attention was an ancient yellow stone tablet about ten feet long. The tablet was exactly the same as the Great Desolate Tablet, except for its size. The only difference was the ancient runes that appeared on the surface of the tablet.

"Xiao Yan?"

Before Xiao Yan could take a closer look, a familiar voice came from the side.

"Lin Dong?" Turning his head, he saw Lin Dong looking at him with a surprised expression.

"So, this is where the spirit of the monument is located?"

After a brief moment of surprise, the two of them came to their senses.

buzz-

Before the two could speak again, the surface of the stone tablet rippled slightly. Then, a blurry figure emerged from the tablet, and its gaze turned to the two of them... mainly looking at Lin Dong.

A moment later, a hoarse voice slowly rang out—

"There are so many familiar things inside you."

In the silent space, both of their eyes twitched. Before entering the trial of the Great Desolate Monument, they thought the spirit of the monument had fallen into a deep sleep and didn't have much power left, but now it seemed... that wasn't the case?

If it weren't for the faint black lines climbing on the base of the stone tablet, like the tentacles of a demon, the two would have almost suspected that the test of the Great Desolate Tablet was a trap.

Chapter 297 The Great Wilderness Scripture

"The Devouring Ancestral Symbol has also found another master? It seems that guy has also perished..." The spirit of the monument ignored the two's reactions and its ancient and hoarse voice rang out on its own.

Lin Dong blinked, unsure whether the spirit of the stele was referring to the old man with black eyes he had met at the Great Wilderness Sect, or the earlier owner of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.

"Then, on your body... the Flame Ancestral Symbol? No, that's not right... it's the origin of the Flame Ancestral Symbol, given to you by the current owner of the Flame Ancestral Symbol?" Then, the spirit of the monument focused its gaze on Xiao Yan, and after a brief hesitation, it revealed the fact that Xiao Yan possessed the origin of the Flame Ancestral Symbol, as if it were extremely familiar with the eight Ancestral Symbols in the world.

“No, I have never seen the Flame Ancestral Symbol in person,” Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. “It was left to Senior Zhu Yun by the owner of the Flame Ancestral Symbol ten thousand years ago.” After a slight hesitation, Xiao Yan still said the name Zhu Yun.

“Zhu Yun…that’s a familiar name,” the spirit of the monument sighed after Xiao Yan uttered the name Zhu Yun, then continued, “Judging from your reactions earlier…it seems you’ve already seen something like the Otherworldly Demon?”

“Yes,” Lin Dong nodded, glancing at the black patterns on the base of the monument. These black patterns were still quietly wriggling. As traces left by the alien demons, they were too active. Because of this, Lin Dong was very certain that the spirit of the Great Desolate Monument would not last much longer.

Buzz!

Just as Lin Dong was watching the black patterns, the stone tablet suddenly trembled violently. The black patterns below seemed to come back to life at this moment. Amidst the dense black energy, the black patterns frantically climbed up the stone tablet.

While eroding the stone tablet, the black energy also spread outwards, rushing towards Xiao Yan and Lin Dong.