"Trouble... We've run into him!"
The voices from ahead made Hun Ya and Hun Li feel a deep sense of dread. They remembered that the owner of that voice once made them feel immense pressure with just a single glance.
"We should split up. Let's try to reach the third level of the Heavenly Tomb. There, we might find the remains of our ancestors from the Hun Clan who fell here..."
"Yes, once we're there, even if all four members of the Gu Clan gather, we can wipe them out."
Exchanging a glance, Hun Ya and Hun Li split up, one heading left and the other right, each fleeing in a different direction.
"Struggling till the end!"
A cold laugh echoed as two massive palms suddenly materialized out of thin air, each pursuing Hun Ya and Hun Li. The force behind those palms was so great that even a Half-Saint would be crushed into dust. For Hun Ya and Hun Li, who were only at the Dou Venerate level, there was no escape.
"Ahh!"
"Gu Fei, if you dare kill us, our clan's elders won't let you get away with it!"
"Killing two clowns like you- what can the Hun Clan do to me? Even if I killed Hun Feng, the Hun Clan could only grit their teeth and swallow their pride!"
Moments later, two agonizing screams filled the air, marking the end of the two Hun Clan members who had come to the Heavenly Tomb for their trial.
"Gu Fei?"
A delicate figure in blue swiftly approached from behind. She had sensed the presence of those two massive palms earlier, and now, hearing Hun Ya and Hun Li call out Gu Fei's name, her heart filled with joy. She quickened her pace and finally caught sight of the figure she had longed to see.
"Gu Fei, I knew you wouldn't leave me alone..."
Xun'er arrived beside Gu Fei, her face bright with a joyful smile.
"You've always been like this. Whenever someone made me angry or upset, you'd always stand up for me. And even now, it's still the same!"
As she spoke, Xun'er began reminiscing about all the times Gu Fei had protected her in the past.
"Gu Fei, you still care about me, don't you?" Xun'er tried to move closer to Gu Fei, hoping to embrace him, a scene she had imagined countless times.
"Don't overthink it!"
*Smack!*
Gu Fei frowned and ruthlessly swatted Xun'er's hand away.
Hearing the crisp sound, Xun'er was stunned for a moment, staring at her reddened hand.
"If you don't care about me, then why did you show up here so coincidentally and help me kill Hun Ya and Hun Li?" Xun'er asked, feeling wronged.
"Those two already harbored killing intent toward me. Killing them was simply the right thing to do!" Gu Fei replied indifferently, then turned to leave, not wanting to stay with this woman any longer.
"Gu Fei, wait for me!"
Seeing this, Xun'er quickly tried to follow him, but her speed was far inferior to Gu Fei's, and she was soon left behind.
"Gu Fei, you're just saying one thing and meaning another. You're clearly worried about me, but you won't admit it!" Xun'er said, exhausted and pausing to rest.
Despite everything, she still believed that what had just happened wasn't just a coincidence but rather a sign that Gu Fei was secretly watching over her, worried that she might get hurt.
"This time, I won't let the opportunity slip away!" Xun'er thought with determination as she continued to follow in Gu Fei's footsteps.
---
Meanwhile, in a grand hall within the Gu Clan.
Two figures dressed in black robes activated a seal, blocking any external perception, and burst into laughter.
"Haha, after this, the Gu Clan will lose two of their divine bloodline members in the Heavenly Tomb!"
"All the prodigies of the Gu Clan will perish in the Heavenly Tomb, and in a hundred years, our Hun Clan's power will surpass the Gu Clan's by far!"
These two were the elders who had accompanied Hun Ya and Hun Li to the Gu Realm. At this moment, only a few hours had passed since the Heavenly Tomb had been opened. But, they were already celebrating the supposed success.
This was because twenty years ago, two Hun Clan prodigies who had entered the Heavenly Tomb had encountered the energy bodies of two Hun Clan ancestors on the third level of the tomb.
These energy bodies still possessed the strength of Dou Saints. The Hun Clan prodigies had clearly remembered the location of their ancestors' domains. As long as Hun Ya and Hun Li could reach that place, dealing with the Gu Clan members would be easy.
Unfortunately, as these two celebrated, they were unaware that just hours into the trial, their promising juniors had already become cold corpses.
---
As time passed, a month had gone by within the Heavenly Tomb.
In that time, most of the ancient clan prodigies participating in the trial had only reached the middle of the first level. This was because they had been cultivating while advancing, and dealing with the energy bodies that blocked their path had consumed much of their time.
At this moment, Gu Fei had already arrived at the entrance to the second level. Ahead of him was a massive curtain of light cascading down from the sky. The light curtain exuded a tremendous pressure, and those with a cultivation below the five-star Dou Venerate couldn't even enter.
This explained why most of the energy bodies on the first level were below the five-star level.
Gu Fei didn't hesitate and calmly stepped into the light curtain.
The few hundred meters of the light curtain felt unusually long, taking Gu Fei a full minute to pass through.
As he emerged from the light curtain, the immense pressure finally lifted.
"According to the clan's records, the second level of the Heavenly Tomb is much smaller than the first. If all goes well, I should be able to reach the entrance to the third level within a week..."
Upon entering the second level, Gu Fei immediately noticed that the energy concentration here was much higher than on the first level. However, he didn't stop to rest and instead continued deeper into the tomb.
In the desolate world of the Heavenly Tomb, cultivation could indeed bring great benefits, but one also had to endure a solitude many times stronger than in the outside world.
Gu Fei traveled alone for four days. During this time, the energy bodies he encountered grew increasingly stronger, with some even reaching the eight-star level.
On this day, Gu Fei arrived at an area filled with an oppressive energy. There seemed to be quite a few energy bodies in this region.
Here, many of the energy bodies were at the seven or even eight-star level, and their positions suggested they were guarding something.
"After a month, I finally found something with some intelligence!"
A smile appeared on Gu Fei's face. He understood that the energy bodies ahead were likely guarding a nine-star Dou Venerate energy body.
A nine-star Dou Venerate energy body already possessed some degree of intelligence and was an elite among energy bodies, capable of easily commanding others. This entire region was likely its domain.
"A nine-star Dou Venerate energy core could save me half a month of cultivation! I can't let this opportunity go to waste!"
With that, Gu Fei stepped into the area. As he moved, the energy bodies around him shattered automatically upon approaching him.
Before long, he found himself in a place filled with strange, towering rocks.
Atop one of the giant rocks, a figure clad in black armor sat cross-legged. Beneath the black armor, its eyes were hollow and indifferent, but if one looked closely, they could see a hint of life that made it different from the energy bodies Gu Fei had encountered before.