Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Gu Qingyang's brows furrowed into a tight knot. As the leader of the ancient clan's expedition to the Heavenly Tomb, he understood the severity of the situation better than anyone else.

"If this continues indefinitely, we will die from exhaustion without the swarm even having to lift a finger."

Yao Xingji of the Yao Clan also abandoned his usual composure and said in a deep voice, "We can't run anymore! We're fairly well-organized now, so let's fight to the death and carve a bloody path out of here!"

The proposal was approved by everyone.

Almost simultaneously, the nine people stopped in their tracks, their fighting spirit erupting and various colored lights weaving into a net as they fearlessly faced the overwhelming ancient devouring insects.

However, a terrifying scene unfolded—the tsunami-like swarm of insects deftly split into nine in mid-air, precisely attacking each person as if it had anticipated their actions.

The battle instantly intensified.

"Damn it! These bugs are impossible to kill!" Xiao Yu, the weakest of the nine, quickly couldn't hold on any longer, panting heavily, her clothes soaked with sweat.

Just as she was about to have her defenses breached by several exceptionally large devouring insects, she gritted her teeth, pulled out a warm jade pendant from her bosom, and unhesitatingly injected a stream of pure battle energy into it.

hum!

The jade pendant suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, and a solid energy shield instantly protected Xiao Yu within it.

The gnawed insects that tried to bite crashed into the light shield, immediately sizzling and burning, and scattered.

Seeing this, Xun'er's beautiful eyes flashed with determination. She gently raised her hand, and an exquisite jade hairpin quietly appeared between her fingers—this was the gift that Su Baichen had personally given her on the day she awakened her bloodline.

Just like Xiao Yu, as Xun'er's fighting spirit surged in, the jade hairpin also emitted a soft yet indestructible light shield.

With these two layers of absolute defense, Xiao Yu and Xun'er were immediately relieved of pressure and switched from passive defense to active attack, launching a fierce offensive.

Having lost their target, the ancient devouring insects immediately changed direction. Seventy percent of the swarm, like a black torrent, rushed towards the other seven people, especially Soul Cliff, who was in the worst condition and was almost completely submerged in an instant.

"Holy crap! These two actually have such an incredible trump card to save their lives!" Yao Xingji exclaimed in surprise as he struggled to fend off the swarming Devouring Insects.

The young Yao Ling, a genius from the Medicine Clan standing beside him, was even more shocked: "This kind of protective magic weapon was lost long ago after the lineage of weapon refiners on the continent declined!"

"They're so broken they can't be repaired. Each one is a true one-of-a-kind! Even our Medicine Clan doesn't have many of them in our collection!"

"Miss Xun'er, was this bestowed by the clan leader?"

As Gu Qingyang smashed the ancient devouring insect with his fist, he couldn't help but ask.

As Xun'er nimbly weaved through the swarm of insects, she hurriedly replied, "No, this was given to me by Brother Bai Chen!"

“Su Baichen…” A figure flashed through Gu Zhen’s mind and he blurted out.

"Could he be a high-level weapon refiner?"

Just then, Soul Cliff, who was being besieged and overwhelmed by the swarm of insects, was on the verge of collapse: "Can you guys stop talking for now!"

"Those treasures also have a time limit; when the time is up, they'll both die!"

"Let's figure out how to get rid of these horde insects right away! You can gossip all you want after we're out of this mess!"

He was on the verge of tears. He had originally planned to scheme against the ancient clan, but instead, he was targeted by these damned insects and had become the target of everyone's anger.

However, before Hunya could finish speaking, a ghostly black shadow suddenly appeared from the thick fog, and an extremely terrifying colorful flame swept through like a divine punishment from heaven!

"Pfft—!"

Hunya didn't even have time to let out a scream before his entire body was reduced to ashes by the burning of the colorful strange fire, and his soul was wiped out on the spot.

Immediately afterwards, the black-robed man rolled up his sleeves, and an even more magnificent burst of colorful flames surged forth.

Wherever the colorful flames passed, large swarms of ancient insect-devouring insects vanished as if melted by the blazing sun. The originally hopeless insect horde was actually torn open with a huge gap.

The entire battlefield instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Chapter 341 The Identity of the Man in Black Robes!

The sudden change caused this space, which was already filled with the aura of death, to plummet to freezing point.

A figure suddenly appeared, and then the colorful flames burned Soul Cliff to ashes. The soul was annihilated by the colorful flames, without even a scream.

One move! With just one move, Hunya, a late-stage Eight-Star Dou Zun, was annihilated, body and soul!

This terrifying difference in strength shocked Gu Qingyang and the others, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The oppressive aura emanating from the black-robed man was already approaching that of a half-saint.

However, what is even more unsettling are the endless, surging ancient insectoids all around.

Their scarlet compound eyes were filled with greed, and they made a sickening chewing sound as they surrounded the group.

The man in black robes seemed to find the overwhelming swarm of devouring insects somewhat troublesome, and frowned slightly.

Immediately, a terrifying energy, incredibly hot and seemingly capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, erupted from his body.

A dazzling burst of light shot into the sky, the colorful flames spreading rapidly and transforming into a thin yet resilient fire shield, completely isolating everyone from the insect-devouring hell outside.

Inside the fire enclosure, the air was still scorching hot, yet it carried a strange sense of security.

Still shaken, the group instinctively huddled together, their eyes fixed on the mysterious, unpredictable man in black robes as if facing a formidable enemy.

Vigilance, apprehension, and confusion—a mix of emotions clung to everyone's faces.

"Huo Zhi, what do you want to do!" Gu Qingyang suppressed his churning blood and shouted in a deep voice, trying to intimidate the other party.

He was filled with doubt and apprehension. Besides his young lady, only the Medicine Clan and the Flame Clan could use such a powerful strange fire in the Heavenly Tomb.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, subconsciously acknowledging the assessment.

After all, in the team's understanding, apart from Gu Xun'er of the Ancient Clan, the Medicine Clan, and the Flame Clan, they couldn't think of anyone else who had entered the Heavenly Tomb and possessed a high-level strange fire.

However, among these widespread misjudgments, two individuals stand out as particularly different.

Xiao Yu's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, and a hint of understanding and amusement flashed in her eyes. She had already recognized the unique fluctuations of this strange fire.

Xun'er, on the other hand, frowned slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the figure under the black robe, a strange sense of familiarity lingering in her heart.

She turned her head to look at her cousin Xiao Yu, who had a half-smile on her face, and asked in a low voice, "Cousin Xiao Yu, do we know this person? Why do I... have a strange feeling of familiarity with him?"

Xiao Yu didn't answer Xun'er directly. Instead, she took a step forward and smiled, "Cao Ying, long time no see! This kind of hiding isn't your style."

These words were like a thunderbolt, instantly freezing the already tense atmosphere.

Cao Ying?

This name was completely unfamiliar to everyone present, but in Xun'er and Xiao Yu's hearts, it represented a happy past.

A light, cheerful laugh came from beneath the black robe.

As the man in black robes raised his hand to brush his face, the black cloth covering his features slowly fell away, revealing a stunningly beautiful face with a touch of heroic spirit between his brows.

It was neither Huo Zhi nor anyone from any other imperial clan; it was a woman she did not recognize.

Her purple outfit, illuminated by the glow of the strange fire, appeared even more sleek and dashing.

"Hehe, Xiao Yu, you really are the first to recognize me!"

Cao Ying put away her black robe, her gaze sweeping over the astonished expressions of the crowd before finally settling on Xun'er, who was rushing towards her.

"Ah! It really is Sister Cao Ying!" Xun'er was overjoyed, all her previous wariness and tension vanished, and she rushed over like a little bird, giving Cao Ying a tight hug.

I miss you so much!

"You missed me? Then how come you didn't recognize me just now!"

Cao Ying pretended to be annoyed, reached out and gently pinched Xun'er's now mature cheek, her eyes full of doting and nostalgia.

Sigh, she's grown up after all; her cheeks aren't as soft and squishy as they used to be.

Looks like I'll have to wait until I get back to find that little Ling'er; pinching her cheeks feels so good!

She silently added a sentence in her mind.

This scene left Gu Qingyang and other powerful members of the ancient clans completely frozen in place, their expressions incredibly varied.

They never imagined that this mysterious powerhouse who could instantly kill Soul Cliff and wield a terrifying strange fire would be someone outside the imperial clan system, let alone that their young lady was so familiar with her.

"Miss, do you... know this girl?" Gu Qingyang came back to his senses and looked at Xun'er immediately, his eyes filled with unprecedented caution.

Based solely on Cao Ying's display of a strange fire and her ability to instantly kill Soul Cliff, he understood that the woman in purple before him was someone they could not afford to provoke.

"Ah."

Xun'er smiled and nodded, taking Cao Ying's hand as she introduced her to the still somewhat bewildered Gu Qingyang and the others: "This is Sister Cao Ying, my best playmate from the Xiao family when I was little! She's also Brother Bai Chen's personal disciple!"

"What?! Su Baichen's personal disciple?!"

These words were like throwing a boulder into a calm lake.

Gu Qingyang and the others' pupils shrank sharply, and their gazes toward Cao Ying underwent another dramatic change.

Xiao Yu stepped forward, her face showing concern.

"By the way, Cao Ying, where are Young Master and Little Fairy Doctor? Now that you're in, they should be here too..."

She remembered that there were four of them when they arrived!

"Junior sister went to kill the ancient Devouring Insect Queen, as for Master..." Cao Ying shrugged, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"He said that the third level of the Heavenly Tomb might contain what he needed, and he has probably already gone there alone."

"When we first entered, he just left my junior sister and me near the entrance to the second level and ran away faster than anyone else."

These frank words once again shocked everyone inside the light barrier.

[An outsider actually entered the Heavenly Tomb!]

The Heavenly Tomb has unique spatial rules and is a self-contained entity. Entering it is as difficult as ascending to heaven. However, this Su Baichen not only entered, but also seemed to be strolling through his own backyard, casually leaving his disciple behind to go explore.

Such methods are beyond comprehension!

"Brother Bai Chen has come in too..."

Xun'er seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, the image of "Su Baichen," who had been cold and distant towards her, flashed through her mind. In a flash, she understood.

"So, that one outside is a puppet?"

"Yes, that was just something Master made using the bones of a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) to deceive people." Cao Ying nodded, confirming Xun'er's guess.

"I knew it! No wonder Brother Bai Chen seemed so strange back then, so cold..." Xun'er suddenly realized, patted her chest, and looked relieved.

Meanwhile, the others around them were already in a state of utter turmoil.

[A puppet at the level of a Dou Sheng!]