bookbashuk 822. Enter the second floor
822. Enter the second floor
Xiao Yan's figure passed through the light curtain. The space on the second level of the Heavenly Tomb was more solid, and the ancient aura in the air was more somber and heavy. The concentration of Dou Qi far exceeded that of the first level.
However, before Xiao Yan could even examine the second level of the Heavenly Tomb, he heard that incredibly annoying sound again.
The terrifying, dense flapping sound of wings followed him like a persistent leech. The light barrier behind Xiao Yan, separating the two spaces, began to fluctuate violently, and then countless ancient devouring insects surged out from it!
Now Xiao Yan knew without even guessing that these insects were definitely after the leader's corpse. This further strengthened Xiao Yan's confidence. In any case, this strange insect corpse that could withstand the strange fire and the Emperor's Seal Technique was of extraordinary value, and he was unwilling to give it up easily.
However, if he were to fight head-on now, his already depleted fighting spirit would certainly not be able to sustain him.
As for these insects, Xiao Yan came up with a solution based on his experience fighting the ancient Devouring Insect leader.
Although the leader's carapace was indestructible and capable of devouring combat techniques, even the strange fire was powerless against it. However, its soul defense was relatively weak; a single Shadow Needle could severely injure it. As for the ordinary ancient devouring insects, their intelligence was even lower, relying almost entirely on the leader's commands or some kind of instinct to act. Their soul strength was vastly different from the leader's, so using soul power to deal with them should be more effective than the strange fire.
"Hopefully it will work..."
Xiao Yan stopped running and instead unleashed his soul power, causing his entire aura to change. Now, Xiao Yan's soul power was no longer merely for detection; it precisely enveloped the heads of the swarm of insects rushing towards him.
"Soul Skill: Soul Control Puppet Technique!"
In that instant, Xiao Yan noticed that the insects that had been relentlessly pursuing him had suddenly lost all hostility, their frenzied attack abruptly halted. They circled around Xiao Yan, but instead of continuing their attack, they seemed to be buzzing around him like headless flies.
Immediate results!
"It's done!"
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's heart stirred; it was indeed effective!
Just as he guessed, things that weren't very bright were easy to deal with. Xiao Yan then managed to send out a command to make them return to the light screen.
Xiao Yan's command was transmitted to the swarm of insects in front of him through his soul. The insects reacted somewhat sluggishly. Some insects continued to circle around in confusion, while others seemed to have received the vague command and began to turn around but remained hesitant.
Xiao Yan knew this was because his commands were different from the insect's, but he had no other choice. Nobody knew how the insect commanded its kind.
Xiao Yan could only repeatedly convey his meaning, which wasn't as effective as the insect leader's commands, but it was still somewhat effective. Wave after wave of insects left, more and more abandoning Xiao Yan and joining the returning tide.
The white swarm of insects began to recede, and as they flew past the light barrier, the energy barrier rippled violently once again.
After witnessing the last wave of insects leave, the Heavenly Tomb returned to its original tranquility.
"call--"
Only now did Xiao Yan truly breathe a sigh of relief. His nerves, stretched to the limit, suddenly relaxed, followed by physical exhaustion and a wave of weakness in his soul. Xiao Yan carefully looked around, confirming there were no more insects, and then, disregarding his appearance, sat down abruptly.
"This Heavenly Tomb is truly dangerous," Xiao Yan remarked.
Everyone wants to get in, but without exceptional strength, there is considerable danger in this Heavenly Tomb. Only the most powerful and talented members of the eight clans can survive here.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan felt a pang of worry. Although he felt that Xun'er, Huo Zhi, and Lei Jingxiao should all have ways to deal with the insect swarm, he had no way of knowing their current situation. The Heavenly Tomb was extremely vast; even one level would take several months to traverse, not to mention that Xiao Yan didn't even know which level they were on. Currently, there was no other option but to pray for good luck.
He then took out the insect head corpse he had finally obtained. Its white-green carapace was still as smooth and lustrous as jade, cool and hard to the touch. Upon closer inspection, the natural luster on the surface of the carapace was even more noticeable; it was indeed very beautiful. The scene of the carapace ignoring the strange fire and withstanding the ancient emperor's seal had left a deep impression on Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan applied slight pressure with his fingertips, but the carapace did not budge, its toughness far exceeding his expectations.
"I almost lost my life for this thing." Xiao Yan chuckled as he played with the insect's body, then carefully put this precious trophy into his storage ring.
After confirming that the insect's corpse was safely stored, Xiao Yan began to examine the second level of the Heavenly Tomb. Compared to the first level, the environment of the second level was not much different, but the content of Dou Qi was astonishingly higher.
After confirming that there was no danger in the surrounding area, Xiao Yan found a fairly large mound of earth and sat cross-legged on the edge of the mound to replenish his energy.
The battle just now had almost completely depleted his fighting spirit, and he had also wasted two Shadow Needles, so he desperately needed to replenish it. Although all the geniuses who had entered the Heavenly Tomb had been completely scattered due to the ancient Devouring Insect swarm, they might suddenly encounter each other at any time.
Among the eight clans' prodigies, there are quite a few who have conflicts with him and would fight him on sight. Xiao Yan must ensure his condition.
As his cultivation progressed, Xiao Yan made a new discovery: the amount of Dou Qi within the Heavenly Tomb was far more abundant than in the outside world. Here, it could be said that as long as Xiao Yan activated the Burning Blade Technique, the Dou Qi energy of heaven and earth would enter his body at an extremely rapid speed, resulting in significant progress in his cultivation speed within the Heavenly Tomb.
Finding such an excellent place for cultivation was naturally a great joy for Xiao Yan. He even felt it was a pity that he could only stay in the Heavenly Tomb for three years. If he could stay longer, Xiao Yan was confident that he could quickly close the gap in strength between himself and the higher-ups of the eight clans.
If he were strong enough, he wouldn't need to be so wary of the ancient and soul races. Time, for someone of his generation, is the most precious resource.
This is only the second level of the Heavenly Tomb. His ancestor was on the fourth level, and the benefits of cultivation there would be more than double that of the first level. Xiao Yan made up his mind that he must reach the fourth level of the Heavenly Tomb as soon as possible. Whether it was to see his ancestor Xiao Xuan or to make good use of the three years he had in the Heavenly Tomb, he had to go to the fourth level!
(Thanks to Ye Xiwen)