In the dim space, Xiao Yan stood quietly on the enormous square, gazing at the ancient stone gate ahead, his expression solemn.
He had tried various methods, but none allowed him to enter.
"As expected, I still need to use the ancient jade to open it, huh?" He was slightly disappointed and began to return.
In the void, a pair of eyes quietly watched him, starlight swirling within them.
Xiao Yan deliberately delayed for a few days, first to further familiarize himself with his enhanced power, and second to allow time for the people of Jia Nan Academy and the Xiao Men to evacuate.
When he felt the time was right, Xiao Yan contacted Xiao Zhan, instructing him to inform Hun Tiandi that the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave was located beneath Jia Nan Academy.
A day later, Xiao Yan stood quietly above the Heavenly Burning Training Qi Tower, with Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Yao Chen beside him. Behind him followed Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning, Xiao Mei, Xiao Ke, Xiao Qing, and further back, the rest of the Xiao Clan members.
Their numbers were not large; even counting those who were affiliated with them, like Payne, there were only a few hundred. However, their auras were impressive, with dozens of Dou Saint level powerhouses, and the rest were all high-ranking Dou Venerates.
"Little Scoundrel, why do I feel like you're even stronger than when we last met?" Xiao Yu asked with a smile.
"I refined so many more abnormal flames, and there's also the Nine-Rank Mysterious Pill that Teacher refined for me. There had to be some gains," Xiao Yan replied with a smile.
Xiao Li seemed very happy: "Haha, Third Brother, it's all up to you."
"I will not fail the trust."
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Oh, by the way, have all the non-combatant clan members and Starfall Pavilion disciples entered the Heavenly Tomb?"
Xiao Zhan nodded: "Everything has been arranged properly. Even the Yao Clan people, I've arranged for all of them to enter the Heavenly Tomb. Anyway, the space is huge."
"Your teacher and I discussed it and decided to have Mu Qingluan manage them, with Xiao Huo, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yi assisting. We also instructed them not to harm the original soul bodies within the Heavenly Tomb."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
Just then, the clouds suddenly churned, and a massive Dragon Phoenix emerged from within, transforming into a young girl who landed near the Xiao Clan members.
Xiao Zhan was momentarily stunned, not recognizing which of his granddaughters this was.
Xiao Yan sensed her aura, discovering that she had reached Four-Star Dou Saint, and said with a hint of excitement, "Xiao Xiao, is that you?"
"Xiao Xiao? My granddaughter I've never met?" A look of delight appeared on Xiao Zhan's face.
Xiao Xiao looked at Xiao Yan coldly, a hint of distance on her face.
"Xiao Xiao, what's wrong? Come, this is your grandfather, I…" Xiao Yan called out.
"You're so annoying. I didn't come to recognize relatives, Dad said to come over and fight. Don't bother me, I'll fight my own battles, you just take care of yourselves…" Xiao Xiao snorted.
"I'm your father, don't be willful. Besides, it's very dangerous here, you shouldn't have come," Xiao Yan's mood was complex, but his face remained gentle.
"You mind your own business." Xiao Xiao didn't want to bother with him and didn't acknowledge him as her biological father.
"It's Dad's fault for not being able to protect your mother, but Dad swears he will definitely find her. Please forgive Dad," Xiao Yan persuaded again.
"Then we'll talk about it when you find her."
"Did Amon send you here?"
"Hmm, Dad said… Ugh, anyway, don't bother me. I'm not here to help you. Even if there's someone very important to Mom here, I won't come to help," Xiao Xiao's gaze drifted, her words not matching her true feelings.
Xiao Yan sighed and said to Xiao Yu, "Cousin, please keep an eye on that child later."
Xiao Yu nodded: "I'll try my best."
Xiao Zhan contacted the white Amon in his mind: "Is the other Amon here too? Can he come to help?"
The white Amon responded: "He is. In this kind of situation, he will definitely observe, but he won't act. He has his own stance, and his target is probably me."
"You? What do you mean?"
"Currently, both of us control half of the Amon Clan. If we don't have the advantage later and ask him for help, he can take the opportunity to demand more power. Then he will be the Amon Clan Leader," the white Amon said softly.
"We will win," Xiao Zhan said firmly in his mind.
The white Amon still showed no emotional fluctuations, speaking softly:
"Don't worry about it. Just ask for help when needed. The fact that he has reached this point already proves his capability. Handing over the Amon Clan to him might not be a bad thing."
"They're here…" Xiao Yan suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
A dark cloud rapidly swept from afar, blackening the entire sky. A chilling aura permeated the air, and the black mist emanating from the Soul Clan's army seemed capable of engulfing the entire World.
Compared to the few hundred people of the Xiao Clan, the Soul Clan was numerous and powerful, occupying half of the sky.
A stir arose among the Xiao Clan members; clearly, the Soul Clan's formation brought considerable pressure.
Hun Tiandi, dressed in white with bright eyes, stood at the very front, scanning the Xiao Clan's lineup. When he saw Xiao Yan, his gaze sharpened.
He hadn't expected that the ant-like existence from that day would, in just a little over ten years, grow into a powerhouse even he dared not underestimate.
The Xiao Clan… truly extraordinary. If we dragged this out for a few more years, our clan's chances of winning would probably get lower and lower.
Hun Tiandi couldn't help but feel a bit fortunate, fortunate for his decisiveness, for not delaying just because a variable appeared.
At this moment, both sides openly radiated their auras, and two terrifying pressures collided in mid-air. An oppressive feeling, like an abyss and a sea, swirled over the entire Black-Corner Region.
All living beings in the entire Black-Corner Region trembled.
Even the few Dou Venerate powerhouses who had secluded themselves here dared not show their faces at this moment, only able to minimize their presence and observe from a great distance.
"Where did these people come from? Why are two such terrifying forces confronting each other above Jia Nan Academy?"
Some people suddenly remembered that everyone in Jia Nan Academy had evacuated a few days ago, and they suddenly understood.
"So they had received the news early on…"
"And the people from the Xiao Men too."
"Damn it, I hope they fight with some restraint and don't affect too wide an area," someone prayed silently.
Hun Tiandi took a step forward, looked at Xiao Yan, and said, "I didn't expect the person cultivated by the Xiao Clan to be you… and to be placed right under our noses."
He had long known that many of the Xiao Clan's powerhouses were somewhat artificial, likely created using secret methods to force their growth.
Only Xiao Yan had a solid foundation and powerful strength, cultivated step by step on his own.
Xiao Yan responded with a smile, "I was also very surprised, only finding out recently. But as the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, it's not too surprising for the clan to cultivate me, is it?"
Hun Tiandi nodded slightly: "Indeed, in any clan, you would be worth cultivating with all their might. You are even more outstanding than Xiao Xuan."
The space between the two clans suddenly twisted, and six figures stood within it.
Void Swallowing Flame, Hun Qiu, Hun Zhang, and three Elders of the Xiao Clan.
"The keys have also been brought. If there are no other objections, shall we begin, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan?" Hun Tiandi glanced at Xiao Zhan.
The latter did not object: "Then let's begin. I'm already a bit impatient."
Void Swallowing Flame surveyed the surrounding terrain, and after confirming there were no issues, he pressed his palm downwards. The massive academy instantly turned into a deep abyss under this single palm, revealing the fiery red Magma below.
Scorching lava rapidly gushed from beneath the ground, and occasionally, red Flame Lizardmen could be seen swimming in the Magma.
Void Swallowing Flame pushed the Tuoshe ancient emperor jade forward, and the ancient jade emitted a bright, scorching light.
Everyone waited patiently, feeling the tremor of the Magma ocean below.
"Whoosh…"
Thousand-feet high waves surged and crashed down. A massive vortex formed below, and as the Magma rotated, an ancient stone gate, ten thousand feet tall, emerged from the Magma under everyone's gaze.
The Magma on the stone gate quickly flowed down, and an ancient, wild, and supreme aura, transcending heaven and earth, permeated the air.
Everyone's gaze simultaneously fell upon the four ancient characters above the stone gate.
"Ancient Emperor Cave!"
"I finally found you," Hun Tiandi murmured softly, his eyes filled with excitement.
A millennium of planning had not been in vain; a millennium of effort had paid off.
Even with his temperament, he couldn't help but laugh uproariously, his laughter echoing like thunder between heaven and earth.
Xiao Yan also had a hint of anticipation in his eyes. For him, this was the ticket to the Great Thousand World, the first hurdle to rescuing Xiao Meng.
Some powerhouses from the Black-Corner Region, peeking from afar, also saw the nearly heaven-reaching stone gate, their eyes burning with desire.
But no matter how much they yearned, reason kept them from stepping forward.
Those two factions were clearly not ordinary forces. Among them were powerhouses who, with a single palm, could erase the entire Jia Nan Academy. Such power was enough to make them hesitate.
The ancient gate slowly opened, and the moment it fully opened, the pressure emanating from it surged dramatically, directly forcing back some of the weaker individuals from both sides.
The Xiao Clan side was fine; they were few but elite. The Soul Clan, though numerous, varied in quality, and some weaker individuals couldn't even steady themselves, falling into the Magma below, appearing exceptionally disheveled.
Of course, even the weakest were at the Dou Ancestor level, so falling into the Magma did not result in casualties.
"Let's go." Hun Tiandi waved his hand, letting some people go ahead to scout, while he followed behind.
The two sides hadn't yet fully engaged in battle, unlike the urgency when the Ancient Emperor Cave opened in the original work, so Hun Tiandi naturally wouldn't rush to the front himself.
On the Xiao Clan side, Payne led some people to scout ahead.
Both factions were wary of each other, entering in an orderly fashion, clearly divided.
The space on the gate twisted, and light and shadows surged.
Void Swallowing Flame secretly sent a voice transmission to Hun Tiandi and the other top powerhouses of the Soul Clan:
"Once we enter, we immediately separate from the main group and follow me."
Hun Tiandi's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded.
"Meng…" Qing Meng sat on Xiao Yan's shoulder, his eyes calm and profound.
"What? Qing Meng, you know the direction?" Xiao Yan looked at Qing Meng in surprise.
"Meng!" Qing Meng nodded.
Xiao Yan sent a voice transmission to Xiao Zhan: "Dad, later, take the top powerhouses of the Xiao Clan and follow me."
"Yan'er?"
"Qing Meng says he knows the location."
Xiao Zhan nodded without hesitation.
Entering the Ancient Emperor space, a hazy mist permeated the entire area. The two factions were not far apart, flying straight forward.
However, the top powerhouses of both sides simultaneously detached from their respective groups, using the gray mist as cover, and rapidly flew in another direction.