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

Chapter 448 Xiao Xuan

Before stepping into the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan learned from the ancient clan's yellowed and heavy ancient books that once he crossed that ancient giant gate, he would be randomly teleported to a corner of the first level of the Heavenly Tomb. Unless they touched each other's bodies when they entered, the only way for the lost companions to reunite was to reach the entrance of the tunnel leading to the second level.

What's even more chilling is that a heavy and eerie energy pressure permeates the Heavenly Tomb, making it difficult even for a Dou Zun expert to fly for extended periods. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it's virtually impossible for two people who didn't enter at the same time to meet in this vast and dangerous region.

Unless someone, like the Soul Emperor and the Void Devouring Flame, unleashes an overwhelming soul pressure the moment they step into the Heavenly Tomb, as if to crush the entire space, these two soul pressures are incredibly domineering. Anyone with slightly weaker strength will kneel down under this pressure, or even prostrate themselves and not be able to get up.

"The person next to him also possesses Emperor-level soul power? And that aura... Void Devouring Flame?"

While distracted by the soul pressure coming from all directions, Xiao Yan stared at the sky in astonishment—

Above the sky, two towering, mountain-like phantom souls stood proudly, as if they had existed since ancient times. Their shadows covered a vast expanse of barren land, and all life forms on the first level of the Heavenly Tomb, no matter how remote the corner they hid in, could clearly feel their overwhelming power.

Protected by Xiao Yan's soul power, Xun'er did not bear the full pressure, but a paleness still appeared on her pretty face. She frowned slightly, concentrated on sensing for a moment, and said softly, "A thousand years ago, my father severely injured the Void Devouring Flame, who had the strength of an eight-star Dou Sheng..."

“As expected…” A look of understanding flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes.

The Ranking of Strange Flames contains twenty-three different flames, each possessing world-destroying power. Although somewhat confused, Xiao Yan's meridians and dantian do indeed harbor twenty mature different flames from the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame to the Profound Yellow Flame. However, the intense heat emanating from the soul projection beside the Soul Emperor is both eerie and profound, like darkness capable of devouring light...

The third-ranked Pure Lotus Demon Flame is still firmly sealed in the void space. If that's the case, the being beside the Soul Emperor who exudes the soul pressure of the Emperor Realm must be the Void Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Strange Flame Ranking, which is said to have the power to devour heaven and earth!

“Two nine-star Dou Sheng, two Emperor-level souls…” Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his voice slightly low, “This is even part of the Soul Clan’s strength that the Soul Emperor has shown to all races without any scruples. No wonder they have already begun to collect the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.”

Although this storm initially started in the Xiao family.

A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Yan's lips. He understood better than anyone the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime. If he had a choice, he would have already used that ancient jade that had brought disaster to exchange for his father Xiao Zhan's freedom and peace.

Unfortunately, the absolute difference in strength stood like an unfathomable chasm, keeping the Soul Clan in control of this inevitable transaction.

"Brother Xiao Yan..."

Xun'er called softly. She looked into Xiao Yan's eyes, which usually shone with a determined flame, but now a rare trace of confusion and heaviness flashed across them. Her heart tightened, and she didn't know how to comfort him.

Just then, Xiao Yan suddenly turned his head. The bitterness and helplessness he had felt just moments before seemed to have vanished without a trace, like a phantom blown away by the wind. A familiar, slightly unruly smile appeared on his lips as he said loudly, "Let's go, let's go to the second floor first!"

Xiao Yan's voice regained its usual vitality, as if the previous solemnity had never existed: "Our goal is the deepest part of the Heavenly Tomb, now is not the time to stop!"

"……Um!"

Xun'er was slightly taken aback, then said nothing more. Instead, she transformed her worries into firmer support, nodded vigorously, and her eyes regained their sparkle.

The next moment, the two moved simultaneously, transforming into two streaks of light, and sped towards the direction of the two towering, earth-shattering soul projections that exuded a heart-palpitating pressure.

Indeed, the location where the Soul Emperor and the Void Devouring Flame were situated was right at the entrance to the second level. It was unclear whether this was due to good luck or someone's deliberate arrangement.

*

During the time in the Ancient Holy City and the Ancient Realm, in order to avoid being exposed too early, the Void Devouring Flame only used its soul power once when it was intimidating Xiao Yan. Even then, it only used its own soul power to wrap itself up and isolate itself from Xiao Yan's soul power detection, without revealing its sharpness.

However, upon entering the Heavenly Tomb this time, in order to summon the legendary Heavenly Tomb Soul, Void Devouring Flame and Soul Emperor held nothing back. The two Emperor-level soul powers swept out like a flood, enveloping the entire first level of the Heavenly Tomb.

It was precisely because of this undisguised release that, the moment Xiao Yan and Xun'er stepped into the Heavenly Tomb, the Void Devouring Flame clearly sensed the strange fire pulsating within their bodies—

'Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame... It seems that all the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flames born on the continent over the past few thousand years have been collected by the ancient clans.' Void Devouring Flame murmured to itself.

After all, it is the fourth-ranked Strange Flame on the Strange Flame Ranking. The Void Devouring Flame had paid some attention to it, but that was all. There is no essential difference between a Strange Flame that is not unique being ranked fourth or fourteenth in front of it.

As for the other side…

After discovering that the aura of the strange fire within Xiao Yan's body was concealed by his soul power, the Void Devouring Flame sighed inwardly and calmly recalled the aura it had sensed at the beginning.

Six types... Ha, everyone's been fooled!

There were twenty different kinds of strange fires that Void Devouring Flame could recognize, not to mention that in addition to these twenty, there was another completely unfamiliar strange fire that was no weaker than the mature Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame.

'A newly born strange flame? And... it seems... there won't be a second one.'

Although its perception was somewhat vague, the Void Devouring Flame vaguely sensed that the unfamiliar flame emanated a unique primal aura possessed only by itself and the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. This was a sign that the flame possessed a unique quality, but…

'Why did a third one appear?' Void Devouring Flame pondered. Normally, it's impossible for a third unique different flame to appear on the Dou Qi Continent, unless…

"What are you thinking about?" The Soul Emperor's voice suddenly rang out.

"The Devouring Spirit Clan," Void Devouring Flame said softly, withdrawing its gaze from the distance, its voice slightly ethereal, "They are not a race born on the Dou Qi Continent, are they?"

Although Xiao Yan could sense the aura of a supreme magical beast like the Dragon and Phoenix on the strange flame within his body, Void Devouring Flame could determine that the Dragon and Phoenix were definitely not the core components of that strange flame!

"The Devouring Spirit Clan? It seems that the aura within you originates from the last patriarch of the Devouring Spirit Clan."

Before the Soul Emperor could answer, a clear voice suddenly pierced through the space and rang in their ears. Immediately, ripples appeared in the void in front of them, and a figure dressed in light blue clothes silently emerged.

"Tsk, Soul Clan... what a disgusting bloodline," the figure in green glanced at the Soul Emperor, a hint of undisguised disgust flashing in his eyes. "However, you got lucky, Devouring Spirit Clan... if my Xiao Clan had pursued them to the very end back then, perhaps it would be my Xiao Clan that is still alive today."

"...Xiao Xuan!"

Void Devouring Flame stared intently at the figure in green robes. Although he had long stood at the pinnacle of the continent, in front of this person, he seemed to still be that weak, flickering black flame from a thousand years ago, which could be extinguished at any moment.

"Continued to this day?" Soul Emperor did not seem as alarmed as Void Devouring Flame. Instead, he looked at Xiao Xuan's current state with great interest. "It sounds like you did indeed touch that realm back then. How about it, considering we've known each other, can you tell me about that realm?"

The Soul Emperor showed no sign of tension in his words, as if the person before him was not a great enemy of the Soul Clan from a thousand years ago, but an ally he had always been with.

Chapter 449 One in Three Hundred

"That realm?"

Xiao Xuan's lips curled into an enigmatic smile, a smile that seemed to mock the Soul Emperor's delusions, and also to ridicule his own past ambitions that were born at the wrong time.

“You are now only one step away from the Dou Di realm, aren’t you?” Xiao Xuan’s voice was calm but carried a power that penetrated the soul. “What, haven’t you realized the key to the breakthrough yet? If that’s the case, then it’s truly… disappointing.”

The Soul Emperor remained silent for a moment, the surrounding air seemingly frozen in his thoughts. His scarlet eyes flashed with complex light before he finally spoke slowly: "...Is there any possibility of breaking through to the Dou Di realm in the current Dou Qi Continent?"

"Yes."

Xiao Xuan nodded, not at all surprised that Soul Emperor could guess this. After all, in their era, he, Soul Emperor, Gu Yuan, Ancestor Burning Flame, and Ancestor Pill Tower were the strongest people standing at the peak. If Soul Emperor could not sense the missing key, it would undoubtedly be a denial of everyone in their era.

"...What do you mean?" After a tense standoff, Void Devouring Flame frowned, his black flames churning around him, revealing his anxiety as he realized that Xiao Xuan and Soul Emperor showed no intention of fighting. He asked, "What do you mean by 'there is no possibility of breaking through to Dou Di in the current Dou Qi Continent'?"

“Nine-star Dou Sheng in the early stage naturally wouldn’t be able to perceive these things,” Xiao Xuan glanced casually at the Void Devouring Flame, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt. After a cold laugh, he continued, “Moreover, with your strength, hah.”

Xiao Xuan simply looked down on Void Devouring Flame. The fact that Void Devouring Flame had remained at the early stage of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm for a thousand years was enough to show that Void Devouring Flame dared not defy Soul Emperor. Although it must have been making some underhanded moves, it didn't matter to Soul Emperor how many underhanded moves a Nine-Star Dou Sheng could make, since he could only manipulate ants anyway.

Xiao Xuan's disdainful expression made the Void Devouring Flame's veins bulge. If it weren't for his lack of strength, and the fact that the Soul Emperor wouldn't allow him to make a move, he would have already risked self-destructing this wisp of his soul clone to destroy Xiao Xuan's soul clone...

A soul clone?!

The Void Devouring Flame suddenly realized something and exclaimed in horror, "This is your soul clone? Impossible! When you perished back then, you clearly..."

"Clearly, you're already a remnant soul, unable to restore your soul power to its peak?" Xiao Xuan interrupted Void Devouring Flame without any politeness, his tone even more sarcastic. "Not to mention that your strength is almost the same as it was a thousand years ago, your perception has deteriorated significantly..."

"There's no need to be too harsh on my ally," the Soul Emperor said slowly. "Even I was shocked after confirming that you here are a soul clone... Are you the Soul of the Heavenly Tomb?"

Xiao Xuan wasn't surprised at all that the Soul Emperor could utter the name "Soul of the Heavenly Tomb." In fact, the fact that the Soul Emperor, whose strength was already at the pinnacle of the world, was still willing to appear within the Heavenly Tomb indicated that he had a certain understanding of this "Five-Layer Heavenly Tomb." As for the method of understanding—

“Gu Yuan doesn’t seem like the type to leave the Xiao Clan’s records to you, which means…” A knowing glint flashed in Xiao Xuan’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, revealing a hint of pleasure, “There are people from your clan within the Gu Clan?”

"I suppose you wouldn't assign personnel to the Five-Layered Heavenly Tomb, which you didn't know about before, so... the most important thing for that person is to be able to take the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, right? At the same time, they need to be able to take the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, learn the secrets of the Five-Layered Heavenly Tomb, and not be suspected by Gu Yuan... which guardian of the ancient clan's ancestral hall is it?"

Xiao Xuan's gaze turned to Void Devouring Flame like a sharp blade. The latter's expression changed drastically, and fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He hurriedly avoided eye contact—without needing to say a word, Xiao Xuan had already gotten a definite answer from Void Devouring Flame's reaction.

"Compared to a thousand years ago, you seem to have gained a bit more humanity now," the Soul Emperor said with a touch of melancholy, without responding.

"For you, it's a thousand years gone by; for me, it's six thousand years of lonely oblivion," Xiao Xuan said, unwilling to emphasize the difference in time. "And Gu Yuan? Is he still too afraid to come in?"

Although the question was about Gu Yuan's whereabouts, the "dare not" in the words was extremely intriguing.

"He came in here before?"

The Soul Emperor asked without any hesitation. He did not specify when he entered, but everyone present knew perfectly well that he was asking about the time after Xiao Xuan's death and his remnant soul was buried in the Heavenly Tomb.

Instantly understanding the unspoken meaning of the Soul Emperor, and also knowing that Gu Yuan had still not appeared, Xiao Xuan sighed almost inaudibly, a sigh mixed with a faint sense of helplessness and understanding.

"No," Xiao Xuan stated calmly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the Heavenly Tomb, seeing Gu Yuan sitting quietly atop a solitary peak of the ancient clan.

“Unlike you, after realizing that this world was missing a certain key energy, he chose to wait for the right opportunity,” Xiao Xuan paused slightly, his gaze as sharp as ever when he looked at the Soul Emperor again, “while you… did not hesitate to turn your gaze to the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.”

"You think I'm wrong?" The Soul Emperor asked in a half-smile, a smirk playing on his lips.

"No!"

Xiao Xuan answered crisply and decisively, his illusory figure appearing even more profound amidst the flowing energy, "If I hadn't failed to break through to the Dou Di realm back then, and hadn't been besieged by you and the Soul Clan's experts while I was seriously injured... once I recovered from my injuries, I would have conquered the seven clans one by one until I obtained all the ancient jades."

He spoke calmly, as if stating something unrelated to himself, "So, at this moment, why not go and see for yourself—"

"The secret of this Heavenly Tomb!"

The moment the words fell, countless dazzling streams of light burst forth from the void, like a reversed galaxy, instantly engulfing the vision of Soul Emperor and Void Devouring Flame. When the intense light gradually dissipated, the two were shocked to find themselves standing on a vast and boundless continent—a desolate continent with a gray sky, cracked earth, and nothing but deathly silence and desolation as far as the eye could see!

"here it is……"

Void Devouring Flame frowned, warily surveying his surroundings. The pure battle qi permeating the air clearly indicated that this was still the Battle Qi Continent, but this desolate wasteland stretching for thousands of miles, devoid of any life, did not match any of the regions he knew.

"The fourth level of the Heavenly Tomb...?" The Soul Emperor showed great interest, his sharp gaze sweeping across the boundary between heaven and earth.

The next moment, without warning, he leaped up, his boundless battle aura erupting and transforming into a blood-red rainbow that sped towards the distance, instantly reaching the boundary between heaven and earth in his field of vision.

"You stay here for now, and allow me to explore just how vast this world truly is!"

The Soul Emperor's unquestionable voice came from afar, causing the Void Devouring Flame, which was about to leap to follow him, to pause in its battle qi. Despite its resentment, the Void Devouring Flame did not disobey the Soul Emperor's order. It hovered in mid-air, its face slightly gloomy as it looked at the blood-red rainbow that had already disappeared.

However, just over four minutes later, the dazzling light once again overwhelmed their vision. When the light faded, they found themselves back in the Heavenly Tomb, standing beside Xiao Xuan's main body—not the previous soul clone.

"Soul Emperor? Void Devouring Flame?"

Before they could react, a surprised voice rang in the ears of Soul Emperor and Void Devouring Flame.

"Xiao Yan and... Gu Xun'er?" Looking at the two people accompanying Xiao Xuan, Soul Emperor's eyes flashed with surprise. "You two arrived so quickly?"

The first level of the Heavenly Tomb is an area that would take a high-level Dou Zun about a month to fly across, not to mention that the second and third levels are even larger than the first level. And he flew over that lifeless continent for less than five minutes.

"You brought them here?" Ignoring Xiao Yan's wary expression, Soul Emperor looked at Xiao Xuan.

“No, no one helped them,” Xiao Xuan smiled and shook his head. “With the soul power of a Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm, taking twelve hours to get from the first level to the third level is barely a passing grade.”

"Twelve hours?" The Soul Emperor instantly realized, "The time in the fourth level of the Heavenly Tomb is one three-hundredth of the time in the first three levels?! And its area? How many times larger is it than the outside world?!"

Chapter 450 Meeting Xiao Xuan

Twelve hours ago—

Xiao Yan, who was rushing towards the entrance to the second floor, suddenly stopped, as if an invisible hand had pressed down on his shoulder. Almost at the same time, Xun'er beside him also stopped.

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.