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

Although they hadn't personally witnessed "Su Baichen" make a move, the pressure he exuded was undeniable!

It was just a puppet?! And it was made so realistically, even mimicking the aura perfectly, that the ancient clan experts didn't even notice!

In an instant, within the light barrier, everyone's gaze towards Cao Ying and Su Baichen behind her was filled with extreme awe and disbelief.

How exactly did these three, master and disciples, manage to sneak into the Heavenly Tomb so quietly, and accomplish something that even the ancient clans themselves could hardly achieve under their heavy surveillance?

Cao Ying noticed the changing gazes of the crowd, but simply smiled nonchalantly, as if none of this was surprising.

She looked at the swarm of insects gradually dispersing outside the light barrier.

Chapter 342 The Third Level of the Heavenly Tomb!

Before long, the chilling buzzing sound gradually faded away, and the ancient swarm of insects that had surrounded everyone retreated like a tide, flying into the depths of the second level as if they had never existed.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a black figure swept across the sky, its wide black robes fluttering in the gale. It was none other than Little Fairy Doctor, who had just dealt with the threat of the Insect Queen.

"Little Fairy Doctor!" Xun'er, with her sharp eyes, recognized the familiar figure at a glance, and a look of joy immediately appeared on her originally tense little face.

Little Fairy Doctor slowly landed, casually removing the black robe that covered her face, revealing a beautiful and ethereal face.

She exhaled a soft breath, her brows showing a hint of fatigue, but mostly a sense of relief.

"How was it?" Cao Ying asked eagerly as she stepped forward, clearly very concerned about Little Fairy Doctor's gains.

The Little Fairy Doctor's lips curled slightly, and a cluster of flames with a ghostly green glow flickered quietly at her fingertips, emitting a corrosive aura that sent chills down one's spine.

"Although that queen insect was a bit troublesome, fortunately I have mastered the primordial poison fire, which has an absolute restraining effect on such creatures."

Her tone was flat, as if she had simply swatted a few flies.

"It took some effort, but we finally got it sorted out."

"That's great!"

Cao Ying was overjoyed, then turned her gaze to Xiao Yu and Xun'er and asked, "Now that the crisis is over, will you come with us to the third level, or will you stay on this level and hunt energy beings to cultivate?"

Xun'er and Xiao Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.

Xun'er clenched her fists and nodded emphatically: "Let's go to the third floor! It'll be a good opportunity to test our strength."

"Let's go then." Cao Ying didn't hesitate and led everyone deeper into the second level.

However, not long after the group embarked on their journey, Xun'er suddenly stopped, turned around, and glared at the four people following closely behind her with a frosty expression—Yao Xingji and Yao Ling of the Medicine Clan, and Ling Tian and Ling Xi of the Spirit Clan.

"Hey! The ancient insect-devouring tide has already dissipated, why are you still haunting us like ghosts? Are you trying to trick us again?"

Xun'er's voice was filled with undisguised annoyance.

After the previous misfortune, Xun'er's opinion of these four people plummeted.

Faced with Xun'er's angry retort, Yao Ling remained calm and composed, smiling slightly and saying with grace, "Miss Xun'er has misunderstood. We did not intend to follow you."

"I have only heard that Senior Su's alchemy skills are unparalleled, and I have always admired him. I would like to ask him for some advice, and I have no ill intentions."

Lingxi, standing beside her, softly chimed in, "Yes, we would like to take this opportunity to get to know Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor, who have both been such outstanding individuals."

"You...you guys!" Xun'er felt a tightness in her chest from the two women's back-and-forth. Their faces, which were clearly there to cause trouble but pretended to be seeking enlightenment, almost made her mental state collapse.

"Xun'er, ignore them." Cao Ying glanced coldly at Yao Xingji and the others, her voice carrying an undeniable authority.

"Let them follow if they want. As long as they dare to play any tricks, I have ways to deal with them."

Seeing that Cao Ying had said so, Xun'er could only snort indignantly, forcibly suppressing her displeasure, and quickly walked to the front of the line.

Before long, the group arrived at the enormous energy crystal wall that stood in front of them.

On the once indestructible crystal wall, a huge man-made tunnel had appeared, leading straight to the upper level.

"Sister Cao Ying, did you guys make this tunnel?" Xun'er looked at the deep tunnel with some surprise.

"Well, we were planning to continue digging, but we sensed the aura of Master's magic weapon, so we went to check it out first. We didn't expect it to be you," Little Fairy Doctor explained, her tone tinged with relief.

The group filed in, and soon after entering the tunnel, Yao Xingji, who had been silent all along, suddenly pointed at the inner wall of the crystal and exclaimed, "Wait! Look, inside this crystal wall... it seems like something is moving!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked closely and saw that inside the shimmering crystal wall, countless ancient, grotesque insects were sealed away.

In an instant, their heartbeats, which had just calmed down, started racing again, and their faces turned deathly pale.

The overwhelming swarm of insects had left a deep psychological scar on everyone.

"Ugh... these can't all be alive, can they? This is terrifying!"

Xiao Yu clutched her chest, still shaken, and said, "Could this crystal wall be formed from the solidified energy secreted by these insects?"

"What if they attack us, or continue to secrete fluids to seal the entrance? Wouldn't we be trapped here and die?"

Upon hearing this, even Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor's expressions turned serious, and everyone subconsciously took a step back.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Seeing this, Little Fairy Doctor waved her hand, her expression indifferent.

“I’ve already scouted the area. I’ve already killed the queen insect here. Without a new queen insect being born, these low-level devouring insects without a leader are nothing but walking corpses. They’re incapable of coming out to repair the crystal wall, let alone attack us.”

Hearing the assurance from Little Fairy Doctor, the person involved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally put at ease.

After walking for a while longer, the group arrived at the end of the tunnel.

However, what came into view was a perfectly smooth, seamless crystal wall.

"A dead end?" Xiao Yu blinked and asked in confusion.

"It's not a dead end. When we dug here last time, we sensed the aura of a magical artifact, so we turned back to rescue you," Cao Ying explained with a helpless shrug.

Little Fairy Doctor then looked at Yao Xingji, who had been silent, and said, "Since we're here, you over there, don't just stand there. You have a strange fire, so you can help us burn through this last section of the crystal wall."

“Um… alright.” Yao Xingji didn’t refuse, knowing that this was not the time to hold back. With a flick of his hand, the azure-green Nine Nether Wind Flame rose up and rushed towards the crystal wall with a sharp whistling sound.

"Me too!" Xun'er was not to be outdone. With a shout, the dazzling Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame erupted instantly, the golden flames shining like the sun, and then bombarded the crystal wall.

Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor exchanged a smile and no longer held back.

Colorful flames bloomed in Cao Ying's palm, while the primordial poisonous flames at Little Fairy Doctor's fingertips were even darker and deeper.

The four different flames were unleashed simultaneously, and the terrifying high temperature instantly melted the hard crystal wall.

With the four working in perfect harmony, the originally incredibly thick energy barrier thinned and became perforated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Snap—"

With a crisp sound, the crystal wall shattered completely, and an even more concentrated and pure energy storm rushed towards us.

Through the newly opened opening, one could vaguely see the desolate and vast world of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.

The group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement, and stepped into the new territory.

Chapter 343 The Ultimate Secret of Physical Techniques!

"The energy here is so concentrated!"

Feeling the immense energy around her, which was almost solidified, even Xun'er, who was used to seeing the world, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, and an undisguised shock appeared on her face.

"Yes, that's true. Even if we don't consciously circulate our cultivation techniques to absorb energy, the energy in this world is spontaneously drilling into our bodies."

Little Fairy Doctor closed her eyes slightly, and the poisonous gas that had been surrounding her was now washed away by this pure energy, making it less noticeable. Her beautiful eyes were full of surprise.

Others shared this sentiment, and even Cao Ying, who was usually the most composed, was breathing slightly rapidly at this moment.

She looked up, her gaze seemingly piercing through layers of space, looking into the depths of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb, and said decisively, "Let's go, I feel that Master should be waiting for us at the deepest part of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded and transformed into several black shadows, rushing towards the depths of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.

…………

Meanwhile, at the deepest part of the third level of the Heavenly Tomb, the space was as smooth as a mirror, with countless ancient stone tablets suspended in the air.

Xiao Xuan, who was completely focused on the chessboard, suddenly found the black piece he was holding suspended in mid-air.

His brows twitched suddenly, and a look of disbelief and astonishment flashed across his aged face, which then turned into ecstatic joy.

"What's wrong?" Su Baichen, sitting opposite him, yawned lazily without even lifting his eyelids, seemingly uninterested in the changes outside the game.

"I sensed it! My Xiao clan's bloodline!" Xiao Xuan suddenly stood up, his excitement overflowing.

"I never imagined that a thousand years later, a descendant of the Xiao clan would actually enter the third level of this Heavenly Tomb!"

"Oh?" Su Baichen slowly raised her head, glanced at him, and a playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Heh, that's true, and this person is considered one of the more talented ones in the Xiao clan these days. However..."

Halfway through his sentence, Su Baichen deliberately dragged out his words. Taking advantage of Xiao Xuan's heightened emotions and momentary lapse in guard, he flicked his index finger and silently moved a key white piece on the chessboard.

"But what?" Xiao Xuan was still immersed in joy and subconsciously asked.

"Your strength is a bit too low?" Su Baichen smiled slightly, toying with another chess piece with his fingertips, his eyes full of mockery.

Xiao Xuan's smile froze instantly, replaced by a deep sadness and bitterness.

"Sigh, it seems that Gu Yuan has ultimately failed my trust."

He slumped back onto the stone bench, looking as if he had aged many years.

"We were sworn brothers back then, why... why did he betray me?"

"Tch—!"

Su Baichen let out a sneer, looking at Xiao Xuan as if he were a fool.

"Senior, you were quite something back then, actually handing over your family's rear and the lives of the remaining clansmen to an outsider!"

"And what happened? With your death, they conveniently and legitimately 'protected' your inheritance, while also suppressing your Xiao clan to the point of suffocation!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's really pitiful!"

Su Baichen shook his head with a look of pity, casually placing the white piece he had just moved, instantly turning the tide of the battle.

"You! How could you, a junior, understand my situation back then!" Xiao Xuan was so choked by these words that his blood surged. He clutched his chest, pointed tremblingly at Su Baichen, and his beard trembled with anger.

"Yes, yes, yes! I don't understand, I don't comprehend your noble character back then!"

Su Baichen spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

"I misspoke, why are you angry?"