"Xun'er..."
At this moment, Xiao Yan felt as if he had lost something incredibly important. The surrounding air seemed to stand still, and he could clearly hear the pounding of his own heartbeat.
"Sigh..."
"Xiao Yan, let's go," Ling Ying said after a long silence, patting Xiao Yan on the shoulder, signaling him to leave.
Xiao Yan, in a daze, walked down the mountain where Xun'er lived and returned to his residence.
---
On the third day, as the first rays of morning light spilled over the horizon, a strange atmosphere began to permeate the Gu Sacred Mountains.
"Today is the day the Heavenly Tomb opens. It's a pity that only those from ancient clans are qualified to enter..."
Standing in front of the bamboo house, Xiao Yi Xian gently helped Gu Fei adjust his clothes, while Cai Lin, along with Wushuang and Xian Yue, affectionately watched him.
Once Xiao Yi Xian finished tidying Gu Fei's clothes, the group mounted the Lion King.
"Brother Gu Fei, when you come out of the Heavenly Tomb, you must accompany me to Dragon Island..."
On the Lion King's back, Zi Yan suddenly leaned close to Gu Fei. Their faces were less than a foot apart, and they could feel each other's breath.
"Alright, I promise you! When I come out of the Heavenly Tomb, I'll take you to the Ancient Dragon Island and help you become the Empress as soon as possible!"
Gu Fei smiled, realizing he had delayed this matter for many years. Now that Zi Yan was showing signs of breaking through to a five-star Dou Saint, returning to Dragon Island would be much safer.
"No more lying!" Zi Yan said, only moving her face away from Gu Fei's after receiving his assurance.
Next, the Lion King flapped its wings and flew towards the eastern part of the Gu Sacred Mountain Range.
The Heavenly Tomb's opening was in the depths of the Gu Sacred Mountain Range, typically considered a forbidden area for the Gu clan. Normally, entry was not allowed. However, today, the forbidden land welcomed many visitors, including people from various ancient clans and some major forces from Central Plains.
On one of the mountain peaks, a veiled woman in red focused her gaze on Gu Fei as soon as he arrived.
---
"Brother Gu Fei, if the Heavenly Tomb separates us upon entry, we might be randomly teleported. How about we enter together later?"
When Xun'er saw Gu Fei, she immediately walked over to him, smiling brightly.
However, Gu Fei completely ignored her invitation.
"Brother Gu Fei, the Heavenly Tomb is dangerous. If I enter alone, I might encounter unexpected situations. If we enter together, you could protect a fellow clan member, couldn't you?"
Seeing that Gu Fei didn't respond, Xun'er adopted a coquettish tone, her delicate appearance enough to melt most hearts.
This scene left Cai Lin and Xiao Yi Xian speechless, silently marveling at Xun'er's strong psychological endurance.
"Haha, you're really shameless!" Zi Yan, unreservedly, burst out laughing at Xun'er's behavior.
Xun'er's act of playing the coy woman made Gu Fei frown. Without any regard for her feelings, he said indifferently, "If you're so afraid of danger, you might as well give this opportunity to someone else. I think Gu Zhen could really use it!"
"Brother Gu Fei..."
Xun'er was left speechless, not expecting Gu Fei to suggest she skip the Heavenly Tomb trial.
At that moment, Gu Fei noticed the ground trembling violently. A vast, ancient aura slowly spread from the void.
Under this ancient aura, everyone present felt a sense of reverence deep within their souls.
"The Heavenly Tomb is about to open..." Gu Fei murmured as he looked at the suddenly darkening sky.
As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous explosion erupted from the void, and a massive space rift, thousands of feet long, spread across the sky.
At the center of the rift, a silver light gradually appeared, eventually transforming into a gigantic gate, hundreds of feet tall. The vast, ancient aura emanated from this gate.
"Everyone, you should be aware of the rules for entering the Heavenly Tomb. Each clan has two spots, and no more than that can enter!"
Gu Nanhai's figure appeared in the sky. He glanced around at the figures from various clans and said calmly.
Everyone nodded slightly. The rules for entering the Heavenly Tomb had always been the same, with each clan having two spots, a tradition maintained to this day.
"If that's the case, then my Xiao clan should have a spot to enter the Heavenly Tomb, right?"
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out, surprising everyone present. The speaker was Xiao Yan.
"This brat is bold!"
"The Xiao clan has fallen. How can they still have a spot for the Heavenly Tomb?"
"Sigh, not so fast. If the Xiao clan no longer has a spot, why does the Gu clan take up the Xiao clan's spots, allowing them to send two extra people?"
The crowd began to murmur among themselves, with one youth from the Hun clan adding fuel to the fire. He was always eager to tarnish the Gu clan's reputation.
"Senior, you once promised to fulfill any request I made. Now, I only ask for a spot for my Xiao clan to enter the Heavenly Tomb!"
Under everyone's gaze, Xiao Yan ascended into the air to speak directly to Gu Nanhai.
"Are you sure you want to make this request?"
In the sky, Gu Nanhai's face darkened, and his voice carried the pressure of a powerful being.
"Xiao Yan, how dare he? Does he not know the situation? Is he courting death?"
Nearby, Xun'er was furious as she watched Xiao Yan's actions. The Xiao clan had fallen so far- how could they still deserve such an opportunity?
"I'm sure! Or do the elders of the Gu clan go back on their word?"
Despite the immense pressure from Gu Nanhai, Xiao Yan stood firm, believing that the Gu clan elder wouldn't strike him down in front of everyone.
"Xiao Yan, how dare you insult the elders of the Gu clan! You're asking for death!"
Suddenly, a cold killing intent enveloped Xiao Yan, causing his face to turn pale. In front of everyone, a man with black and white hair shot into the sky.
This man was Gu Yao!
Gu Yao's fury was ignited because the Gu clan's four spots were supposed to go to Gu Fei, Xun'er, Gu Qing Yang, and himself. Gu Yao couldn't surpass the first three, but if Xiao Yan reclaimed the Xiao clan's spot, Gu Yao would lose his chance to enter the Heavenly Tomb.
How could an ant like Xiao Yan dare to compete with him, a top talent of the Gu clan, for such an opportunity?