A dark, luminous ring, resembling a mysterious black hole, rapidly expanded from within Xiao Yan's palm, colliding fiercely with Houn Li almost within a blink of an eye. "This youngster is incredibly impressive!" Observing the black hole ring rapidly expanding within his field of vision, Houn Li's eyes flickered with astonishment. Though Xiao Yan's strength was sufficient to withstand Houn Li's assault even upon awakening at this moment, he hadn't anticipated that the boy would immediately unleash such a powerful technique the instant he opened his eyes. When the dark ring made contact with Houn Li's body, the latter's surface erupted with dense waves of black mist aura, yet instead of being gradually eroded and dissolved—as had happened when confronting Zhaixing the Elder—Houn Li clearly demonstrated a strength far exceeding that of Zhaixing the Elder. "Hmph!" Noticing the light circle being obstructed, Xiao Yan's eyes grew cold as the qi within him surged forth in overwhelming waves, pouring entirely into the dark circle. "Shhh!" With the infusion of qi, the sleeves of Hun Li tore apart with a sharp crack, and blood droplets began seeping through his arms—dense and steady—sliding down his arms like rain, forming a continuous line that steadily fell toward the ground. Sensing the terrifying pulling force radiating from within the circle, Hun Li's expression subtly changed. He could feel the turbulent energy inside the circle growing stronger and stronger; if this continued, even he would be unable to withstand it, inevitably sustaining severe injuries. "Hun Burst!" A thought flashed through his mind, and a streak of resentment passed across Houn Li's eyes. Thick, dense black mist surged continuously from his palms, eventually exploding in a series of piercing, agonized cries—powerful soul-bodied forms bursting open mid-air. The resulting wave of energy surged forth, effectively halting the expansion of the black aura, and leveraging the reverse thrust from the soul explosions, Houn Li swiftly retreated. "Indeed a master of the Soul Clan," Xiang Yan remarked, his eyes growing serious as he saw the man truly withstand the Great Heavenly Transformation Palm. With a sudden motion, Xiang Yan slammed his right palm into the void. "Crack!" The black aura, previously stalled by the soul explosions, hissed and expanded once more, then surged forward with lightning speed, catching up to Houn Li who was retreating. It struck him with tremendous force. "Pfft!" With the forceful impact, the qi and blood within Huan Li surged violently, as if his five organs and six viscera had been displaced—spewing out a gush of crimson blood. His body then fell like a kite with its string severed, arcing backward toward the distance. However, as the golden spear was about to strike Huo Li's head, a sudden gust of wind burst forth, heavily impacting Huo Li's body. Thanks to this force pushing him aside, Huo Li's body shifted slightly off course, and the part originally meant to absorb the blow—his head—was now his shoulder... "Pfft!" The golden spear struck hard against Houn Li's shoulder, its immense force instantly piercing through his shoulder. Houn Li's body was then propelled forward by the spear's momentum, finally slamming into the ground with such force that a half-meter deep depression formed within a hundred paces of the impact. A terrifying gust of wind radiated outward from the crater. At that moment, a dark figure materialized like a ghost, swiftly approaching. Gazing upon Houn Li, who was now covered in blood and bore a deep, nearly bowl-sized wound in his shoulder that reached all the way to the bone, Houn Cliffs' face darkened. With a hand transformed into a blade, he swiftly and without hesitation swung it down, cutting off Houn Li's left arm. The arm had already been completely consumed by golden flames—should it have remained, it would have gradually turned to ash. Yet Houn Li proved remarkably resilient. Despite having his arm severed by Houn Cliffs, he clutched his teeth tightly, silent through the entire ordeal. "Xiao Yan, you two have certainly been ruthless. This account won't be settled so easily!" With a firm grasp on the barely breathing Hun Li, Hun Chai stared coldly at Xiao Yan and Xun'er, his voice sharp and menacing. "Do you intend to flee?" As Xun'er scoffed, preparing to move and intervene, a thick wave of dark mist surged forth from within Hun Chai's body. Instantly, countless soul-bodied figures, their faces contorted with fury, surged forth in all directions, charging toward Xun'er with fierce movements. Just as they reached a distance of ten or so zhang from her, they exploded with a loud 'thud'—one after another. The resulting shockwave sent Xun'er's brows furrowed, and she stepped back slightly. With a graceful wave of her jade hand, golden flames erupted, sweeping through and completely consuming the dark mist. Yet, by the time the mist had dissipated, neither Hun Chai nor Hun Li remained visible. "You've really been quick to escape." Xun tilted her brows slightly, turned her head, and gazed toward the distant energy barrier leading to the second floor—there, two figures were clearly passing through, then vanishing into the barrier. Clearly, they were the two from the Hún Cliffs. Returning her gaze to the barrier, Xun quickly turned to Xiao Yan, only to find the latter slightly pale. She immediately flashed over to him, asking, "Brother Xiao Yan, are you all right?" "Nothing serious," Xiao Yan shook his head. "I've just broken through. My internal qi is still unstable, and the application of a Heaven-Class technique has caused some backlash. A bit of recovery time should be sufficient." "Those two jerks nearly got me! Next time I see them, I'll make sure to take their lives!" Xun said, her voice tinged with mild annoyance. Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his eyes also blazing with determination. If it weren't for his early awakening and the immediate use of a Heaven-Class technique upon waking, he truly might have been caught off guard by the other one. "From now on, we'll have to be more careful—these guys aren't exactly easy to handle." Xiao Yan murmured to himself. During this period of cultivation, lacking any other human presence, his vigilance had gradually diminished. Only now did he realize that the Heavenly Tomb wasn't as peaceful as he had imagined. "Xiao Yan brother, please rest for a while. Once you've recovered, we'll proceed to the second level. The spirit warrior we've severely wounded will be weakened, and with the other two, their strength will surely diminish. If we encounter them again, I'm confident I can defeat the spirit cliff." Xun'er said with a cold expression on her face, clearly furious this time. "Hm." Xiao Yan nodded. He certainly wouldn't let go of the chance to defeat a fallen opponent—especially one who had been a mere subordinate of the Spirit Palace. With that, he closed his eyes again, and as his breathing stabilized, the paleness on his face quickly faded. Seeing Xiao Yan once again immersed in cultivation, Xun'er slowly rose to her feet. Having learned from the previous experience, she this time did not leave the one-meter radius around Xiao Yan. Her cheeks grew cold, and her vast aura surged like a tidal wave—anyone entering her perceptual range would immediately face a fierce, thunderous assault. Xiao Yan's cultivation session lasted approximately one hour. Gradually, he opened his eyes, and within his dark gaze, the surging power of his cultivation flowed like tangible waves. As his hands moved, subtle traces appeared in the very space around him. Compared to before, Xiao Yan's presence now radiated a noticeably stronger and more potent energy. "Six-Star Cultivator," he murmured, smiling softly as he felt the boundless aura within him—clearly sensing the surge of strength and the profound sense of ease that came with his elevated rank. "Four months of cultivation have indeed proven highly effective, but I'm still uncertain about how long it will take to break through once more to the Seven-Star level..." Xiao Yan understood that while the energy core of this Tianmu was a powerful tonic, among the Dou Zun ranks, the higher the level, the more difficult it became to advance—because the energy required was so immense, reaching a point that was truly staggering and hard to attain. "Brother Xiao Yan, congratulations!" Xun'er breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Xiao Yan open his eyes, then smiled warmly. With her keen perception, she could clearly sense that Xiao Yan's strength had significantly improved. "Only at the Six-Star level now—still somewhat behind the ancient beasts and the Houn崖..." Xiao Yan straightened his posture, listening to the crisp cracking sounds of his bones within, and smiled. "They've been practicing for much longer than you. When you were their age, they couldn't even compare to you. Moreover, both clans boast an exceptionally deep foundation, and the training they've received is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine." Xun'er smiled lightly, covering her mouth. "If Xiao Yan brother had been trained like this since childhood, he might have already reached the level of Battle Saint by now." "Reaching the level of Battle Saint isn't something that can be achieved simply through all this..." Xiao Yan shook his head with a sigh, then stood up, his gaze fixed on the distant energy light screen, and smiled. "Let's go. It's time we saw just how dangerous the second level of this Heavenly Tomb truly is." As he spoke, Xiao Yan stamped his foot on the massive stone, and instantly drifted toward the screen, while behind him, Xun'er smiled gently and quickly followed.