People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 326 Ancient Devouring Insects
As all sixteen people entered the Heavenly Tomb, the number of people in the forest instantly decreased by more than half.

"Everyone, the younger generation will stay in the Heavenly Tomb for three years. We should also go back. Of course, you can also wait here. As long as there is no trouble, our clan does not care about such trivial matters."

Elder Tongxuan smiled, performed a simple bow, and then disappeared from the spot.

Elders from the Medicine Clan and the Flame Clan followed closely behind.

Hun Lin remained silent, then vanished in a wisp of black mist.

"Haha, it's just us left. Chen Xiao, would you like to come and sit with me?" Mang Tianchi strode over.

Chen Xiao smiled and shook his head. It was better to spend more time with Qing Lin than to sit with Mang Tianchi.

"Maybe next time, Dean. I'm planning to go into seclusion during this relatively free period."

On the surface, Chen Xiao seemed to have nothing to do for the next few months.

However, once Xun'er enters the Heavenly Tomb, Chen Xiao can also experience something through the Ice Soul Talisman.

Furthermore, Dragon Island has been keeping a close eye on the Stone Clan, and the Soul Clan may make any moves at any time, so Chen Xiao also needs to be prepared.

"Alright, I won't force you then. Let's talk again next time."

Mang Tianchi nodded with some regret, waved his hand, and left first.

Chen Xiao did not linger there. He and Qing Lin immediately rode Xun'er's snow-white unicorn back the way they came.

"Qinglin, if anyone contacts me during this time, just say I'm in seclusion."

"Good~"

...

In this strange, misty land, eerie flames occasionally flicker in the distance before vanishing into the chaos, leaving the unfamiliar world shrouded in an impenetrable stillness.

"Shoot-"

The deathly silence was suddenly shattered, the void abruptly twisted, and amidst the surging ripples, a graceful figure slowly stepped out along the spatial rift.

The moment she landed, her fighting spirit taut like a bowstring, instantly flowing throughout her body. Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with vigilance as she scanned this unfamiliar world inch by inch.

"Just as the elders described, it was truly a place of utter darkness."

After discovering that nothing had changed, Xun'er breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned her gaze away from her surroundings.

Despite Xun'er's eloquent explanation of the Heavenly Tomb, all her knowledge actually comes from her clan; she has never personally entered the place.

"The energy is indeed abundant, even stronger than that of the ancient realm."

Xun'er reached out her jade hand and casually grabbed a handful of the misty gas in front of her. She could easily sense that the gas contained extremely rich energy of heaven and earth, and its purity far exceeded that of the outside world.

"However, there's no need to waste time here. Let's go to the second level entrance first!"

Xun'er took out a talisman and held it in her palm. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and put it away, abandoning her plan to crush it immediately.

With her strength as a nine-star Dou Zun, she was virtually unstoppable in the first level of this Heavenly Tomb; no energy entity could threaten her.

Therefore, she was in no hurry to summon Chen Xiao and planned to have him appear at the entrance to the second level!
At this moment, traveling can be a tedious process.

Having made up her mind, Xun'er smiled sweetly and, without hesitation, spent a little time figuring out the direction before heading towards the entrance to the second floor.

Along the way, Xun'er also encountered many attacks from energy beings without intelligence, but what awaited them was only overwhelming crushing.

It couldn't even slow down Xun'er's progress.

Unfortunately, no one got to witness his overwhelming power.

The world of the Heavenly Tomb is deathly silent and monotonous.

Fortunately, those who are able to enter this strange land are not mediocre. They stand out from races that produce geniuses, possessing not only formidable strength but also a certain level of composure. Although this monotony is somewhat unpleasant for these geniuses, it is still within their tolerance range.

In the arid Heavenly Tomb, the changes between day and night are very small, making the concept of time much weaker.

Therefore, when Xun'er, after two months of trekking through the vast Heavenly Tomb, saw the wall of energy light appearing at the end of her sight, she couldn't help but be somewhat lost in thought.

"The second entrance, we've finally arrived..."

With a soft murmur, a smile bloomed again on Xun'er's pretty face.

She was certain that she was the first of the sixteen to arrive here.

After all, they started from the same point, but she was ahead in terms of strength and did not slack off at all along the way.

Taking a deep breath, Xun'er calmed her breathing before taking out an Ice Soul Talisman and crushing it without hesitation.

"Chi Chi..."

As a chilling aura, seemingly capable of freezing time and space, surged forth, Chen Xiao's figure slowly emerged.

"Brother Chen Xiao~"

Seeing Chen Xiao appear, Xun'er smiled sweetly, but did not lean on him as intimately as she did in private.

Although this external avatar is connected to Chen Xiao's mind, its essence is very similar to the energy body in the Heavenly Tomb. Both are condensed from energy, except that they have an extra wisp of will, and are fundamentally different from the real Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao understood this even better. He had originally thought he might need to explain, but upon noticing Xun'er's actions, he immediately smiled knowingly.

"Xun'er, could this be the entrance to the second level of the Heavenly Tomb?"

Six days inside the Heavenly Tomb are equivalent to one day in the outside world.

Now, exactly ten days have passed in the outside world, and Chen Xiao quickly calculated that Xun'er has been in the Heavenly Tomb for two months.

It's impossible for Xun'er to do nothing for such a long time. Seeing the energy light wall at the end of her line of sight, Chen Xiao could roughly guess where they were.

Xun'er nodded slightly and smiled, "The first level of the Heavenly Tomb consists of low-level energy bodies. The energy cores within them have little effect on Xun'er, so I came straight here. Only the high-level energy cores in the second level and beyond can help Xun'er improve her cultivation. Brother Chen Xiao, you'll have to protect Xun'er then."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao shook his head: "I remember Xun'er saying that the energy bodies on the second level are mostly between two-star Dou Zun and eight-star Dou Zun, with only a very few exceptions. Let's go directly to the third level."

For Xun'er, the three years in the Heavenly Tomb were a great opportunity to catch up.

Chen Xiao letting Xun'er bring in the Ice Soul Talisman was like giving Xun'er an invincible cheat code.

In the time that followed, Xun'er didn't need to do anything but focus on refining the energy core, and Chen Xiao could supply her with an unlimited supply.

Since Chen Xiao is taking action, it's not worth wasting energy on energy entities that are too low-grade.

Xun'er did not refuse when she heard Chen Xiao's decision.

"Then I'll listen to Brother Chen Xiao."

Having finalized their plan, the two immediately exchanged a glance and headed straight for the energy light wall.

As they approached the enormous energy barrier, a powerful energy pressure emanated from it.

This wall of light is like a threshold; without the strength of a five-star Dou Zun or above, it is impossible to cross it.

Of course, for Chen Xiao and Xun'er, it was completely ineffective and did not serve as a hindrance in the slightest.

Upon entering the second level, the mist between heaven and earth was slightly thinner than that of the first level. In the distance, jagged black stone peaks could be vaguely seen in the chaos. The energy of heaven and earth in the air was not only more refined, but also mixed with a faint trace of fierce energy.

"laugh!"

Suddenly, Chen Xiao casually pointed into the hazy depths, and with a wave of his hand, a diamond-shaped crystal the size of an egg appeared in his palm, emanating a faint glow and a dense mist of energy.

"We're pretty lucky. We found an energy body comparable to an eight-star Dou Zun as soon as we entered the second level. Xun'er, just absorb it. Leave everything else to me."

After examining the energy core in his hand, Chen Xiao lost interest and handed it to Xun'er. Xun'er didn't stand on ceremony, nodded, took it, held it in her palm, closed her eyes, and began to absorb it using her cultivation technique.

As Xun'er's internal energy cultivation method circulated, streams of pure, warm energy surged forth from the energy core like a tidal wave, then flowed into her body through her meridians.

Chen Xiao carefully sensed it and discovered that the energy that entered Xun'er's body did not require much refining. It simply circulated through her meridians once and gradually spread throughout her limbs and bones, becoming part of Xun'er's power.

"Even easier to absorb than elixirs, in three years, let's at least get Xun'er to the peak of the Ninth Rank Dou Zun..."

Chen Xiao smiled slightly and set a small goal.

For others entering the Heavenly Tomb, improving one or two stars in three years is already a huge achievement.

But Xun'er is different. With Chen Xiao around, not to mention energy cores at the Dou Zun level, even those at the Dou Sheng level can be found for her.

Therefore, reaching the peak of the Nine Revolutions Dou Zun realm is not impossible.

"Brother Chen Xiao, that was too fast!"

"This energy core is absorbed without any resistance. It's really true that it's a natural elixir."

While Chen Xiao was pondering, Xun'er had finished absorbing the nutrients, opened her beautiful eyes, and let out a melodious and clear laugh.

"Then let's keep going."

...

Above the misty earth, fluorescent lights floated, and as far as the eye could see, the entire world seemed to be shrouded in a deathly silence, devoid of any life.

"Oh!"

This deathly silence lasted for an unknown period of time, until suddenly a faint, low sound of wind breaking through the air began, carrying far away through the mist.

Looking towards the distance from where the sound came from, two blurry figures could be seen rushing towards them at great speed.

"Hey!" "Hey!"

Suddenly, a series of whooshing sounds rang out, and more than ten energy entities appeared simultaneously, surrounding and attacking the two from all directions.

Even the weakest of these energies possesses strength comparable to a six-star Dou Zun!
Even a nine-star Dou Zun would not dare to underestimate such an attack.

However, upon closer inspection, it was horrifying to discover that there seemed to be an invisible vortex around the two people, causing the dozen or so energy bodies to fall into a strange stillness when they reached a distance of three zhang, as if time had frozen at that moment, allowing the two people to wipe them out at will.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten energy bodies transformed into crystals the size of pigeon eggs, their exceptionally dense energy swirling around the energy core like a mist imbued with spirituality.

"Xun'er, let's continue."

Xun'er accepted the energy core from Chen Xiao, nodded with a smile, and immediately began to absorb it by circulating her cultivation technique.

Before long, Xun'er's delicate body trembled slightly, and a powerful aura was released without reservation.

"Brother Chen Xiao, I've reached the second job advancement!"

Opening her beautiful eyes, Xun'er's joy was like the shattering of countless stars, with tiny glimmers of light flowing in her clear eyes.

It's only been four months since I entered the first level of the Heavenly Tomb.

The other fifteen people may have just arrived at the entrance to the second level, while Xun'er has already broken through twice in a row!
"It will get faster and faster from now on," Chen Xiao nodded with a smile.

If there weren't so few high-level energy bodies in the second layer, Xun'er could have improved even faster!
Upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, Xun'er carefully sensed the surroundings and indeed detected a familiar energy pressure emanating from afar.

She had also felt this kind of oppressive aura at the entrance to the second floor.

Clearly, they have arrived at the entrance to the third level!
"Thanks entirely to Brother Chen Xiao's efforts, Xun'er is probably the most relaxed person to have entered the Heavenly Tomb in countless years." Xun'er smiled sweetly, her eyebrows curving like a new moon.

Chen Xiao smiled and didn't seem to care.

Back when he was still struggling in the Gama Empire, Xun'er's help to him was also immense.

Even the Qi Gathering Powder he took when condensing the Qi vortex came from Xun'er, not to mention the later "Emperor's Seal Technique" and so on.

Xun'er's sacrifices are evident, and now that Chen Xiao's cultivation is temporarily ahead, he naturally has to take good care of her.

Besides, given his relationship with Xun'er, there's no need to scrutinize who gave more; everything was done according to their own wishes.

As the two chatted and laughed, their figures, like meteorites streaking across the sky, disappeared into the heavens in a few flashes.

Soon, the two stopped under a huge energy light screen.

This energy curtain poured down from the sky, finally perpendicular to the ground, like a heavenly wall, separating the second and third layers of the Heavenly Tomb.

"Huh, the light barrier in this passage has materialized again, making it impossible to pass through normally. We have to forcefully break through it to enter the third level..."

Looking at the incredibly thick, solidified light screen, Xun'er was somewhat surprised.

This was a minor unexpected situation. Without sufficient strength, this materialized light barrier would likely become a major obstacle to entering the third level.

According to Xun'er's initial estimate, at least a high-level Dou Zun level strength would be needed to shake this materialized light barrier.

After sorting through his memories, Chen Xiao quickly understood the situation.

"Xun'er, let me do it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xiao stepped forward, his body surging with immense energy, which finally condensed at his fingertips, and he gently pressed down.

Rumble!
In an instant, a deafening roar resounded, and the ground beneath our feet seemed to tremble.

Once the aftershocks of the energy dissipated, a deep passage, several meters in diameter and extending for an unknown number of meters, appeared on the materialized light screen.

"Brother Chen Xiao, there seems to be something good inside this crystal wall!"

Upon entering the passage, Xun'er quickly discovered that within the crystalline walls of the passage, there were countless tiny, snow-white dots that were constantly wriggling. Some liquid-like substances seeped out like mist, then covered the surface of the crystalline walls of the passage, and instantly solidified, causing the passage to shrink by an almost imperceptible ring.

Immediately, the liquid substance was secreted again, continuously solidifying into tangible energy, and the cycle repeated itself.

Without a doubt, if it is not stopped, it will probably not be long before this passage is blocked again by this strange thing!

"They are ancient devouring insects. They are the culprits behind the materialization of this passage. This passage is now their lair."

Upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, Xun'er recognized him.

Ancient Devouring Insects are small magical beasts that lived in ancient times. They are extremely small in size, but their numbers are endless.

Ancient Devouring Insects, as the name suggests, are capable of devouring everything and then constantly secreting pure energy.

"Brother Chen Xiao, it looks like we're in luck," Xun'er suddenly said with a smile.

Following Xun'er's gaze, Chen Xiao immediately saw a fist-sized, pale red object at the center of the crystal wall, which vaguely resembled a strange cocoon.

“This should be the queen of the ancient Devouring Insects.” Chen Xiao nodded slightly.

"It seems that Brother Chen Xiao also knows about this item," Xun'er said with a smile.

The Queen of the Ancient Devouring Insects is extremely dangerous, especially for those below the level of Dou Sheng.

However, this insect queen is also an excellent material for refining the ancient insect emperor's armor!
The so-called Ancient Insect Emperor's Robe is actually a special defensive combat technique, but after being refined, it can be transformed into an armor-like form to cover a person's body.

This item was extremely popular in ancient times, but it is now almost lost to history.

In the original timeline, Xiao Xuan personally crafted the Insect Emperor Robe for Xiao Yan, which was said to be able to withstand the attacks of a half-saint powerhouse without being destroyed!
"This is a good item; we can take it back and nurture it."

"However, let's leave it here for now and come back for it when we leave."

(End of this chapter)