Battle Throught The Heavens: Reborn Yan Emperor Ts

After Yuan Qing departed, Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the shattered giant mountain. His eyes burned with determination, and his heart pounded as if blood boiled within his chest. Once he confirmed that no one else was nearby, he flew toward a massive crack in the mountain.

Inside the crack, he discovered a spacious cave where dozens of figures stood in a neat row. As soon as Xiao Yan entered, an invisible heat wave struck his face. Ignoring the searing sensation, he waved his hand in surprise—and instantly, a curtain of flames sprang up around him, enveloping him completely.

The heat wave rolled over the flame curtain, colliding with it in a loud bang that sent ripples like water waves before dissipating into the void. Xiao Yan frowned; he had not expected that the heat wave here would not only rebound attacks as the outer restrictions did, but would also counterattack on its own. Fortunately, the force of these counterattacks was weak—insufficient to break his Dou Qi shield.

As he advanced deeper into the cave, the heat waves grew increasingly intense, causing his Dou Qi shield to vibrate continuously. Yet Xiao Yan pressed on, though his tightly furrowed brows betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

With every impact against his flame curtain, he noticed that a wisp of flame—barely visible—merged into the barrier he had formed. At first, Xiao Yan believed these traces were a lucky sign—a remnant of the strange fire's origin that he could absorb into his own strange fire. However, after collecting a small amount, he was shocked to realize that these traces were not random; the spirit of the strange fire was deliberately trying to seize the strange fire within his body.

Xiao Yan attempted to isolate himself from these invasive flames, but to his surprise, he found that he could not separate them. Instead, the bone-chilling cold fire within him was gradually being devoured. In just a few moments, most of that internal cold fire was consumed, and returning became impossible because the cave passage behind him was filled with raging flames.

If he wanted to retreat, he would have to fight his way through this sea of fire—a task he doubted his strength could overcome. With no choice but to press forward, his face grew solemn. Eventually, Xiao Yan reached the end of the flame heat wave, yet he found no useful clues—there was not even a trace of the strange fire.

At the end of the passage lay an endless abyss, its bottom unseen—a void that exuded only death. Clearly, this no-fly zone was inhospitable; even Xiao Yan could not linger there for a minute. The only sign of life was a stone platform suspended in the void, winding upward like a beacon of survival.

Xiao Yan looked upward and saw a platform at the highest point, illuminated by a faint glow of fire. Although the light was dim, it bathed the entire cave in a warm radiance. Surrounding the stone platform were six ice pillars, linked together and emitting blazing flames. Although the flames obscured the details, Xiao Yan was certain these pillars were no ordinary formations.

On the stone platforms—each about ten feet wide—lines of fire restrictions were intricately engraved. Waves of scorching aura emanated from these engravings, making Xiao Yan's scalp tingle.

Then his eyes fell on a figure on the opposite stone wall—a huge stone sculpture. The sculpture, cast in silver-white stone, emitted a bright, precious light. It depicted an old man who, despite having an ordinary face, stood proudly. Although his eyes were carved from stone, they conveyed an air of superiority. Clad in a plain robe and forming a mysterious hand seal with his carved hands, the sculpture exuded an enigmatic aura that made Xiao Yan frown. Notably, only one feature of the sculpture was colored: its hair—a cascade of bright silver-white, icy-blue strands, each clearly defined despite being chiseled in stone.

Xiao Yan stood there in a daze, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the sculpture. After a long while, he uttered in shock, "Tathagata Gudi!"

At that moment, in an ice-blue hall far away, an old man in a white robe with icy-blue hair suddenly opened his eyes. His appearance was an exact match to the stone sculpture. Narrowing his eyes, he looked toward the hall's dome—the very direction where Xiao Yan stood. A hint of joy and reluctance mingled in his gaze, and a slight smile of relief touched his lips. Then, his heroic voice echoed through the hall:

"Haha, after more than ten years, you're finally here. Now, let's see who among us old ones can compare to me this time, haha."

After glancing toward Xiao Yan a few more times, the old man closed his cloudy eyes, resumed his practice, and waited quietly for Xiao Yan's arrival. The hall instantly quieted, save for the sound of his steady breathing echoing in every corner.

Xiao Yan frowned as he stared at the massive stone sculpture, especially the face of the old man and his head of icy-blue, silver hair. A look of surprise flashed across Xiao Yan's handsome features—he hadn't expected that the ancient Emperor Tuoshe had once been here. Perhaps this was the place of inheritance left behind by Tuoshe.

"Speaking of which, I am also half a disciple of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. Hehe, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, I won't be too polite when accepting your inheritance."

The thought of inheriting from the ancient emperor filled Xiao Yan with excitement. He rubbed his palms together like a professional thief. But the next moment, seriousness returned; if this was truly Tuoshe's legacy, it must be extraordinary. No wonder he had sensed that terrifying aura of strange fire earlier—it seems the inheritance here is not easily obtained.

Xiao Yan glanced at the endless abyss and then at the stone platforms suspended in the air. After a slight hesitation, he moved toward the first stone platform. Only as he drew near did he see it clearly: a thin black iron chain was connected in the southeast, northwest, and northeast directions of the platform, hanging down into the unseen depths of the abyss. Additionally, a pitch-black iron chain connected every two platforms, leading upward to the highest platform from which bursts of flames emanated. Mysterious runes were engraved on each chain, emitting faint energy light intermittently, making the entire space feel shrouded in mystery.

Xiao Yan's face grew somber as he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect such a vast formation. This level will be difficult to pass—this first level is extremely challenging. I wonder how hard the subsequent levels will be. Tsk, tsk, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, you're clearly making things difficult for me."

He shook his head and sighed. As he walked toward the endless abyss, a twitch of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and his heart beat with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Calming himself, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the first stone platform. He bent his legs slightly, leaned forward, stomped hard on the ground, and immediately soared toward the platform suspended only three to four feet away. The perfect jumping arc he envisioned did not materialize; halfway through, his body began to drop. Shocked, he stepped heavily again and landed on the black iron chain. His body then soared upward and finally, narrowly landed on the edge of the stone platform.

Upon landing, his body sank involuntarily. Yet Xiao Yan barely cared; he glanced back with a look of relief. On closer inspection, he saw that the once pitch-black iron chain now emitted a faint light. At that moment, the chains on several sides of the platform also glowed at their points of contact, gradually extending outward at a visible pace. He believed that soon the chains throughout the cave would shine brightly.

Xiao Yan's face instantly turned grave. Once these chains all lit up, it would signal that the mysterious formation in the cave was about to activate—making it extremely difficult to handle. He turned his head, frowned, and pondered carefully, then attempted to stand. His expression shifted slightly, and then a smile crept onto his face.

Though his body trembled violently as he rose, he ignored the strong suction at his feet and the immense pressure on his body, striding directly toward the opposite stone platform as if nothing could stop him. Xiao Yan was a powerful man who had cultivated both Dou Qi and [unspecified energy]—his ** power so formidable that such minor pressure was negligible.

With his first experience on the platform, Xiao Yan gradually acclimated to its conditions. Although the pressure increased with each step, it still posed little difficulty for him. However, he also noticed that every time he stepped onto a platform, the surrounding iron chains would activate, glowing and extending further—an observation that filled him with unease.

Continuing to leap from platform to platform, he finally reached a point where he was only one step away from the last platform. A satisfied smile appeared on his sweat-soaked face, but when he looked at the once pitch-black chains now aglow, his expression turned sour again.

Taking heavy, measured steps, Xiao Yan advanced slowly. At that moment, even he appeared somewhat overwhelmed.

"Bang!"

Xiao Yan fell to one knee, breathing heavily, as beads of sweat dripped to the ground like blooming chrysanthemums. His face was solemn as he stared at the platform merely nine feet away, his teeth chattering.

Raising his head, he looked at the reachable platform, then at the formation beginning to form around him. With resolute determination, he pressed his hands forcefully into the ground, forcing himself up from his half-kneeling position, and fixed a steely gaze on the platform before him.

Though the platform was high and its top obscured, Xiao Yan believed that once he reached it, he would be near the Strange Fire. With hope lighting his eyes, he advanced step by step toward the platform's edge, and the glow on the surrounding chains continued to extend.

Only then did Xiao Yan discover that the ends of those chains were actually connected to the six ice pillars. At that moment, the ice pillars began to emit bursts of crystal light that complemented the glittering chains.

Xiao Yan's expression changed once more as he quickened his pace and approached the edge of the platform. Gazing upward at the higher platform, he took a deep breath, bent forward, spread his legs in a bow-like stance, and after a moment, launched himself toward the platform.