BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 508: Energy Core

Chapter 508: Chapter 508: Energy Core
Word Count: 3,773 Words
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Xiao Yan gazed at the immense gate before him, his eyes burning with fervent anticipation.
He really was a poor kid. Geniuses from great clans like Xun Er, Zi Yan, and Feng Qing Er spent their days vying for spots in their clan’s secret realms. How could they possibly understand his pain! From start to finish, he had only ever received a single Xiao Clan inheritance, and even that had been just one-third complete.
Excluding the good fortune his ancestor had left behind with Burning Flame Valley, the only true Xiao Clan legacy he possessed was the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change. He had obtained it from a black fragment purchased at the Jia Ma Empire’s Alchemist Grand Meeting after his Xiao Clan bloodline reacted to it. That, in turn, had led him into the Gate of Life and Death. All of this together was the full extent of the Xiao Clan inheritance he had received.
The Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame was still just one-third of the complete transmission. He still had to find the remaining parts. His situation was truly miserable.
For all these reasons, Xiao Yan was filled with boundless anticipation for this trip to the Heavenly Tomb.
’I hope my Heavenly State soul can hide the Hun Clan’s Dou God Bloodline.’ He prayed silently.
He had buried the Hun Clan’s Dou God Bloodline deep within the Three-Faced Asura, wrapping it tightly with his Heavenly State Spiritual Strength. He had not even brought items like the Soul Robe or Soul Command Token, leaving them all outside the Gu Realm.
To Xiao Yan, a reincarnator, the thousand-year-old grudge between the Xiao Clan and the Hun Clan did not stir much feeling. A millennium had already passed, and the Xiao Clan had not even preserved this part of its own history.
Even his own father, Xiao Zhan, the Clan Head himself, was unaware of this past. Only Xiao Yan’s two older brothers, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, knew a little about it.
If a clan had lost both its legacy and its history, Xiao Yan found it hard to judge whether the current Xiao Clan could even be considered the same one from a thousand years ago. In the end, he decided not to concern himself with that question. He just wanted to make the Xiao Clan great again. As for everything else, he would let fate decide.
"Everyone, you should be aware of the rules for entering the Heavenly Tomb. Each clan has two spots. Absolutely no more are allowed to enter." Elder Tong Xuan’s aged figure appeared in the sky, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding people as he spoke calmly.
The prodigies from the various clans nodded slightly. The rules for entering the Heavenly Tomb had always been this way. Although many clans had brought several people, they had already assigned the official spots beforehand. The others were, at best, backups in case of emergency.
Due to their arrangement with the Xiao Clan, the Gu Clan had always possessed four spots, corresponding perfectly to their Four Great Generals.
Even with the addition of Xiao Yan and Xun Er this year, the Gu Clan still retained four spots because the Ling Clan had not attended. Besides, although Xun Er had not officially married into the Xiao Clan, she was already considered a Xiao Clan daughter-in-law, so it was not unreasonable to count her spot as belonging to them.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, if we enter separately, we’ll be randomly teleported apart. Let’s go in together." Xun Er’s soft, jade-like hand gently took Xiao Yan’s as she turned her head and smiled at him.
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded. Having Xun Er lead the way was naturally for the best.
Although Xun Er had never entered the Heavenly Tomb, she had lived in the Gu Clan and definitely knew far more about it than he did. In the Xiao Clan, there was no one who could tell him what precautions to take!
Rumble!
As the loving couple shared a lighthearted moment, a deep rumbling suddenly echoed from the sky. The ancient gate suspended within the spatial rift shuddered, then slowly cracked open with a thunderous roar. A sliver of blinding light shot out from within, illuminating the surrounding space.
The gate to the Heavenly Tomb had completely opened!
"For the Dou God Clans that have already allocated their spots, you may now enter the Heavenly Tomb. Remember, you can only stay inside for three years. After that, the Heavenly Tomb will automatically eject you." Elder Tong Xuan’s deep voice rolled out as he watched the ancient gate slowly part.
’Three years... which is half a year in the outside world.’ Xiao Yan naturally knew this Heavenly Tomb was very mystical. Three years inside was equivalent to only half a year outside. For a cultivator, that meant a six-fold increase in cultivation speed!
The moment the gate opened, Hun Ya and Hun Li of the Hun Clan took the lead. They executed their agility techniques and rushed inside as if afraid someone would beat them to it.
The Lei, Shi, and Yao Clans followed suit, vanishing into the Heavenly Tomb one after another.
"Brother Xiao Yan, we’ll go on ahead." Huo Xuan cupped his hands toward Xiao Yan before leading Huo Zhi into the tomb.
Xiao Yan returned the gesture. A moment later, the sharp whistle of rushing wind cut through the sky as four figures streaked past like lightning. They landed beside Xun Er and Xiao Yan under countless watching eyes. It was the contingent from the Gu Clan.
"Huh? Gu Yao didn’t enter? And you, Gu Zhen, are going into the Heavenly Tomb instead?" Xiao Yan studied the four figures with mild surprise. With the Gu Clan’s methods, even a severe injury from a Heavenly Flame should have been seventy to eighty percent healed after two days.
The leading figure was Gu Qing Yang. Beside him stood the Second General, Gu Hua, and the Third General, Gu Xing. The last person was surprisingly Gu Zhen, with whom Xiao Yan had spoken before.
Gu Zhen smiled slightly at his words and replied politely, "I have you to thank for this opportunity. Gu Yao’s injuries haven’t fully healed, and I heard he also voluntarily gave up his spot to go into seclusion and temper his heart."
Xiao Yan shrugged. That Gu Yao’s Dao heart was clearly too unstable!
’If he can’t even withstand this kind of failure, then this is as far as he’ll go.’ Xiao Yan shook his head. Gu Qing Yang had also lost to him, yet he hadn’t become despondent because of it.
Instead, the loss had stirred Gu Qing Yang’s competitive spirit. With a mindset like Gu Yao’s, wanting to truly break through Dou Venerate and reach Dou Saint would be difficult. His future would likely mirror Elder Tong Xuan’s, stopping at the Half-Saint realm.
Xun Er nodded, then smiled charmingly. "Shall we get going as well?"
Xiao Yan took Xun Er’s jade-like hand, and the two transformed into streaks of light, rushing into the Heavenly Tomb. Gu Qing Yang immediately followed, leading the other three inside.
Generally speaking, teams of two worked best on the first and second layers of the Heavenly Tomb. For one thing, partners could look out for each other. For another, the resources within were not infinite; too many people together would only lead to needless competition.
After everyone had entered, the great gate slowly closed and vanished into the void.
A wave of dizziness washed over them. Xiao Yan tightened his grip on Xun Er’s hand, and soon the two were randomly teleported to the first layer of the Heavenly Tomb.
It was a strange, misty land. Eerie glimmers of fire occasionally flickered in the distant fog before vanishing in an instant. A deathly silence enveloped this unfamiliar ground.
Space suddenly distorted on the silent earth, and two figures stepped out from the void hand-in-hand. The moment they appeared, the Dou Qi within their bodies began to circulate almost simultaneously. They cautiously scanned their surroundings while Xiao Yan’s Heavenly State Spiritual Strength swept outward.
After confirming there were no immediate threats, Xiao Yan finally exhaled in relief. He looked around curiously and asked, "Is this the Heavenly Tomb?"
"Mm." Xun Er nodded with a smile. "The Heavenly Tomb is extremely vast. The formation randomly separates everyone to prevent them from fighting over resources."
After all, the tomb was meant for the various clans’ prodigies to cultivate and improve their strength, not to brawl. Whether anyone would even encounter each other here was anyone’s guess.
"Such dense energy. It’s even stronger than the Gu Realm." Xiao Yan grabbed a handful of the misty gas before him. It was all natural energy, and extremely pure at that. Even if he did nothing here, simply cultivating would be three to four times more effective than outside.
With such a secret realm available, even if the Gu Clan’s generals had been pigs, they would have slowly become exceptional!
Xun Er smiled charmingly at his amazement and tilted her head slightly. "Is Xiao Yan ge-ge planning to go to the third layer?"
"There’s no rush. We have three years, after all. Let’s see whether this Heavenly Tomb has any surprises for me first." Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before smiling.
Xun Er laughed lightly, then turned her head. A strange glint flashed in her beautiful eyes as she gazed at the hazy mist to her right. She slowly raised her jade-like hand, gathered Dou Qi, and then abruptly clenched it.
The energy in that area rapidly condensed. In the blink of an eye, the mist completely dissipated, revealing a phantom-like figure that flickered in and out of Xiao Yan’s vision.
"Is this... one of the special energy bodies of the Heavenly Tomb you mentioned?" Xiao Yan asked, slightly stunned as he looked at the illusory figure.
"Mm. They use the energy mist to conceal themselves, allowing them to approach silently and attack." Xun Er nodded with a smile. She flicked her slender finger, and the illusory figure suddenly distorted before exploding with a soft pfft. A thumb-sized stream of light shot swiftly toward her, and she caught it easily.
"This is an energy core. It stores extremely pure energy." Xun Er opened her hand to reveal a diamond-shaped crystal about the size of a thumb resting in her palm. Faint fluorescent light and a dense energy mist emanated from it.
"Generally speaking, energy cores in the Heavenly Tomb are divided into nine levels. This one in my hand only reaches the second level at best. It’s not considered very good. Here, Xiao Yan ge-ge, try it first. Hold it in your palm and circulate your Qi Method to absorb it." She flicked her finger, sending the energy core toward him.
Xiao Yan caught the core and played with it curiously. Feeling the pure energy contained within, he followed Xun Er’s instructions, clutching it in his palm and circulating his Qi Method.
As the Flame Mantra circulated within his body, his palm suddenly felt cool. He was astonished to feel torrents of pure, gentle energy surge from the core like a tide and pour into his body. Moreover, this energy required hardly any refining. Circulating it through his meridians once was enough for it to gradually disperse into his limbs and bones, transforming into Dou Qi.
’Hm? What’s this...?’ Xiao Yan’s heart jolted. He had felt a reaction from the Three-Faced Asura of his Asura Soul Reaping Technique. A greedy desire pulsed from within it.
’This thing can rapidly temper the Asura statues?!’ Realization dawned, and Xiao Yan’s eyes burned with passion.
His Asura Soul Reaping Technique had been progressing far too slowly. Even with the Emperor Soul Technique in hand, cultivating a High Tian Class Soul Technique was extraordinarily difficult.
If he had cultivated it to the major level and reached the true state of three-in-one, dealing with Gu Qing Yang would never have been so troublesome!
This was a High Tian Class Soul Skill!
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. He had never expected that the Heavenly Tomb’s unique nature would produce energy cores capable of accelerating his cultivation of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique.
This was a discovery he had never even imagined.
"Jie... ahem, hehe. Xun Er, we haven’t had a competition in a long time." Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow with a roguish smile.
Xun Er paused, a memory surfacing of their time back at Jia Nan Academy, when he had whisked her off to the Black-Corner Region to go robbing. He really had led her astray!
She covered her mouth with a delicate laugh, her own eyes sparkling with mischief. "Then, Xiao Yan ge-ge, shall we see who can gather more energy cores during these three years?"
...
In that lifeless, deathly silent world, two figures shuttled back and forth like streaks of light. The blurry silhouettes moved with extreme agility, their hands shooting out to grab energy bodies hidden in the mist before purifying them with Dou Qi to obtain their cores.
Both Xun Er and Xiao Yan possessed exceptional strength. Although Xun Er’s cultivation was only at the peak of the 9-star Dou Venerate stage, her actual combat strength was extremely formidable.
On this first layer, the two swept through like tigers descending a mountain. Wherever they went, no energy body could escape their grasp.
Moments later, all the energy bodies in that region of space had been captured by the pair.
"I have twelve." Xiao Yan opened his palm with a smile.
"Fifteen." Xun Er spread her jade-like hand, revealing fifteen beautiful, prism-like crystal cores resting on her palm.
"You’re still a little better, Xun Er." Xiao Yan spread his hands helplessly.
Xun Er laughed softly. "You’re the better one, Xiao Yan ge-ge. Your energy cores are clearly of a higher grade. In terms of total energy, you have much more than Xun Er does."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose without denying it. He had indeed specifically targeted the larger ones.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, you should absorb these first. I’ll stand guard for you." She gently poured all her energy cores into his hands.
Xiao Yan didn’t refuse her kindness. He slowly sat cross-legged and began using the Emperor Soul Technique to absorb the energy cores. As he activated the technique, a special power within each core transformed into wisps of energy that drilled into the Three-Faced Asura statue.
Buzz buzz!!
The sacred face of the Three-Faced Asura hidden within his soul became increasingly brilliant. What had originally emitted only a faint golden fluorescence now glowed with the real and dazzling radiance of solid gold.
Although there was still a long way to go before it was completely solidified and the technique truly mastered, only a little over two months had passed, yet Xiao Yan had already achieved progress equivalent to several years of cultivation outside!
Without any fortuitous encounters, cultivating a High Tian Class Dou Technique was like a fool’s dream. The time required was simply too immense!
Xun Er’s beautiful eyes filled with tenderness as she watched him cultivate. She settled down quietly beside him, brushing a stray lock of black hair from her forehead. Hugging her knees, she silently watched the man before her.
More accurately, she watched her husband.
Over two months had passed since they entered the Heavenly Tomb. During this time, they had traveled together across the vast, silent land. Any energy body they encountered became another core in their hands.
This dead world was indeed greatly beneficial for cultivation, but one had to endure a boredom several times more intense than that of the outside world. Fortunately, they had each other for company. For Xiao Yan and Xun Er, these days were like a pre-wedding honeymoon.
They cultivated together and chatted endlessly, as free and happy as any couple could dream. It was as if they were trying to make up for all the time they had spent apart since their days at Jia Nan Academy. They had endless topics to discuss, never grew bored, and their feelings for each other deepened with each passing day.
"Hoo."
Xiao Yan let out a long breath and looked at Xun Er with a grin. "You little elf, why do you keep staring at me?"
"I... wasn’t..." Xun Er’s voice grew smaller and smaller as Xiao Yan drew nearer. His roguish smile made her heart flutter. Before she could think, she found herself leaning in, meeting him halfway.
Their lips met, and the world around them seemed to fade as they lost themselves in a passionate kiss. Her hands came to rest on his chest while his arms wrapped securely around her waist and pulled her closer.
If not for the matter of her bloodline, this big bad man would probably have eaten her clean long ago.
When they finally parted, both were breathless. Xiao Yan rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed, savoring the simple intimacy of the moment. The only sound was their gentle breathing. After a long, comfortable silence, he finally asked, "How much longer until we reach the entrance to the second layer?"
A flush colored Xun Er’s cheeks. She stretched languidly, her beautiful curves on full display, a sight that left Xiao Yan mesmerized. Her voice carried an alluring laziness as she replied, "It should be a little over a month more. It usually takes four months to reach the entrance."
Xiao Yan nodded. The energy cores on the second layer would be of a higher grade, and his cultivation speed would naturally increase. With his current strength, facing energy bodies of 8-star or even 9-star Dou Venerates posed no problem at all.
Time flew by. Another month passed, bringing Xiao Yan’s time in the Heavenly Tomb to nearly four months.
After trekking across the vast landscape for so long, the sight of an energy wall appearing at the edge of their vision filled both of them with joy.
Xiao Yan surveyed the area. To his disappointment, he had not encountered anyone from either the Yao Clan or the Hun Clan.
Xun Er smiled at his disappointed expression. "Those people from the Hun Clan probably fled to the second layer long ago."
Xiao Yan sighed, but he was not surprised. Hun Ya and Hun Li were both peak 8-star Dou Venerates. They might have believed themselves stronger than Gu Yao, but if they thought they were stronger than him, they must have been high on pills.
If he had run into those two, Xiao Yan would not have minded showing a little loyalty to his ancestor by shouting, "My surname is Xiao!"
He shook his head helplessly, then stood up. Gazing at the distant wall of light, he smiled. "Let’s go. It’s time to see just how dangerous this second layer of the Heavenly Tomb really is."
His words still echoing, Xiao Yan stomped on a nearby boulder and shot directly toward the barrier of light. Behind him, Xun Er smiled faintly and quickly followed.
The first layer had already yielded tremendous gains, considerably solidifying the second face of the Three-Faced Asura and allowing him to barely reach the minor level of mastery. With good luck, his time in the Heavenly Tomb might allow him to cultivate the second face to the major level or even perfection!
Even Xiao Yan himself did not know how formidable this second face would be. He only hoped it would not disappoint him.
As they approached the massive energy barrier, an exceptionally powerful pressure emanated from within. It was hard to imagine just who had created this Heavenly Tomb.
"Such intense energy pressure. Anyone without sufficient strength trying to pass through this would probably be crushed into powder." Xiao Yan shook his head. Although the pressure meant nothing to him, he was still somewhat surprised by its intensity.
No wonder it was best to have the strength of an 8-star Dou Venerate to enter the Heavenly Tomb. If his guess was correct, the suppression on the third layer would likely prove difficult even for an 8-star Dou Venerate to withstand.
"For Xiao Yan ge-ge, none of this is a problem, right?" Xun Er smiled faintly.
"That’s true, but my goal is the deepest part of the third layer. That won’t be so easy to reach." Xiao Yan frowned slightly.
"I know Xiao Yan ge-ge can definitely do it."
"Let’s go. Overthinking won’t help. We’ll deal with the third layer’s entrance when we get there." Xiao Yan shook his head and gazed at the barrier before them. He extended his hand toward Xun Er with a smile. "Together."
"Mm." Xun Er nodded gently, a soft blush warming her cheeks as she placed her jade-like hand in his, allowing him to lead her slowly into the massive wall of light.
As they stepped into the barrier hand in hand, flames blossomed from their bodies. A brilliant, golden-yellow fire surrounded Xun Er, while a powerful flame born from the merger of six Heavenly Flames enveloped Xiao Yan. Together, their fires completely resisted the immense pressure from the barrier.
This energy barrier stretched for several hundred meters. Xiao Yan and Xun Er walked within it for nearly ten minutes before the intense pressure finally began to weaken.
"We’re about to exit."
Xiao Yan squinted at the thinning edge of the light barrier ahead and exhaled in relief. His pace suddenly quickened as he pulled Xun Er through the extremely thick wall of energy.
The instant they passed through, the enveloping pressure vanished. Just as quickly, Xun Er’s urgent voice rang out beside him. "Be careful!"
Xiao Yan had already detected the ambush. Lightning crackled beneath his feet as his body flickered, leaving an afterimage in his place.
Boom!
The afterimage had barely formed when several exceptionally fierce energy strikes shot over like lightning. The violent power shredded it in an instant.
More than ten meters away, Xiao Yan’s figure reappeared. He frowned as he surveyed their surroundings. Over a dozen energy bodies hung suspended in mid-air, their hollow, cold gazes locked onto him.
’Energy bodies... and these ones can actually maintain their appearance from when they were alive!’
On the first layer, Xiao Yan had also encountered such beings. All energy bodies above the 5-star Dou Venerate stage could maintain their former appearance and execute some simple Dou Techniques.
But on the first layer, he would only occasionally meet one or two in the very depths. Here, he had just arrived on the second layer and was already facing more than a dozen of them at once!