Upon the vast, gray-brown land, a faint aura of energy drifts gently with the breeze, creating a hazy world that exudes an unusually mysterious atmosphere. In this quiet realm, time itself seems to have lost its meaning. At one spot on this land, several figures sit cross-legged around a fire, their faces illuminated by the warm glow. Clearly, it is Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and their companions. Yet now, they appear deeper, more introspective than they did before. "If my judgment is correct, we have now reached the deeper reaches of the third layer. Should we need to continue our journey tomorrow, we must be especially cautious—the deepest part of the third layer is where the Heavenly Tomb becomes most perilous," said Gu Qingyang, lifting his gaze toward the dim, distant depths, and smiling. "For these three months, we've encountered no one else. It seems they have all chosen to remain in quiet places, diligently refining their cultivation." Xun'er murmured softly. Xiao Yan nodded slowly. Since that day they entered the third layer, nearly three months had passed. During this period, their group had steadily advanced toward the heart of the celestial tomb, though their progress had been hampered by powerful energy entities encountered along the way. Fortunately, through their combined efforts, they had ultimately succeeded in penetrating the tomb. "Ah, this celestial tomb is far more complex than I had imagined—last time, I nearly lost my life..." Gu Hu casually tossed the branches beside him into the fire, speaking with a touch of resignation. A scar adorned his face, a remnant from when Xiao Yan and his companions were surrounded by a group of energy entities of average eight-star strength. That battle had been unexpectedly fierce, and though they had sustained injuries, no casualties had occurred. "The interior will be even more challenging than before. Therefore, everyone must prepare mentally." "Gu Zhen smiled lightly. "Then, why don't I go on ahead?" Xiao Yan hesitated, saying that even with all six of them working together, the journey so far had been quite difficult—impossible to imagine what challenges they might face if they ventured deeper. Having spent this time getting to know the four members of Gu Qingyang's group, Xiao Yan now felt a genuine sense of goodwill toward them, and didn't want their efforts to be disrupted by his own concerns. "You'll have to tell Xun'er this." Gu Qingyang smiled. "We've come this far—there's no need to speak such discouraging words. As long as we stay cautious, everything should be fine." Xun'er gazed at Xiao Yan with soft, gentle eyes. "Hope so..." Seeing this, Xiao Yan could only nod with a wry smile, then lift his gaze toward the distant, gray horizon—there, at the far end, lay his destination. For a moment, he faintly sensed his bloodline energy flowing more swiftly within him. Now, they have truly penetrated deep into the Heaven Tomb. Here, even with their collective strength of six, they must proceed with extreme caution—every step is taken carefully. Even when encountering energy beings capable of posing a threat, they hesitate to engage, for these beings are exceptionally powerful. No one knows what might happen once a battle begins—perhaps more formidable energy beings will be drawn in, surrounding them once again. Then the cost would far exceed mere injuries. "Gu Hu and Gu Zhen have already gone out to explore—they should be returning soon," Ancient Qingyang nodded. "Shh!" As soon as Qingyang finished speaking, two silhouettes swiftly materialized beside Xiao Yan and the others, gliding along the ground and using the shadows of massive stones and trees for cover—Gu Hu and Gu Zhen, precisely the ones who had gone out to investigate. "There are numerous signs of energetic activity in the south and west, and we're also feeling an intense pressure—definitely not something we can afford to face on either of these paths." Gu Zhen and Gu Hua slowly exhaled, then added. "Then we'll have to head northwest." Xiao Yan frowned. "The northwest also bears a powerful pressure—stronger than a typical nine-star domain master, though still falling short of the level of a Domain Saint." Xun'er suddenly spoke softly. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others fell silent. Stronger than a nine-star domain master, yet not quite reaching the level of a Domain Saint—so, clearly, they were at the halfway stage, a half-Saint level. That was indeed a formidable presence. Still, they all knew that such energy bodies at the half-Saint level would typically be surrounded by numerous other energy bodies for protection. The fact that the one they encountered had only four such guardians around her was already quite rare. "What should we do now?" Currently, all three directions present difficulties, but the northwest appears relatively more manageable—the energy bodies here are the sparsest. Even if a confrontation occurs, it's unlikely to draw in additional energy bodies. In contrast, should a battle erupt in either of the other two directions, we might find ourselves surrounded. "That's what I'm saying," Ancient Hua remarked. Xiao Yan nodded thoughtfully, exchanged a glance with Ancient Qingyang, then turned his gaze toward the northwest. With no other option, this path must be taken. "Let's move. Proceed with caution—don't disturb the semi-divine energy bodies. Though they're highly attractive, we shouldn't risk our lives for them." Ancient Qingyang sighed lightly. "Understood." Xiao Yan slowly nodded, then exchanged a glance with Xun'er. With a subtle motion, he became a blurred figure, carefully making his way toward the heart of the Heavenly Tomb. Behind him, Ancient Qingyang and the others followed in a quiet, discreet manner, their cautious demeanor appearing rather comical. A group of them quietly and smoothly traversed a hundred paces through the energy mist, then gradually halted. Nearby, four energy forms sat cross-legged upon a large stone. At the center, one figure stood out in strength—the nine-star energy form. Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, scanning the four energy forms before shifting his gaze to Gu Qingyang and the others, and subtly gestured. After several months of working together, their coordination had developed a certain level of默契. Upon seeing Xiao Yan's gestures, each of them nodded slightly and then slowly dispersed. "Let's go!" "Seeing everyone in standby position, Xiao Yan suddenly swept his hand forward. At the same time, his body surged forward with astonishing speed, flashing into place before one of the eight-star energy beings. The fist, blazing with dense purple-brown flames, drove straight through the latter's form, instantly reducing it to nothing. "Boom!" As Xiao Yan swiftly eliminated this eight-star energy being with lightning speed, the other two energy beings burst apart in succession. Though these beings were hailed as eight-star, their actual strength fell short of that designation—otherwise, they wouldn't have been so easily defeated. "Roar!" As the three energy forms were instantly eliminated, the nine-star energy form also sensed the sudden change, sharply opening its eyes. However, just as a roar of fury burst from its throat, four figures materialized around it in a triangular formation, their vast qi rapidly surging and transforming into lightning that struck the nine-star energy form with tremendous force. "Crack!" Facing the combined assault from Gu Qingyang and the others, the nine-star energy form's roar barely escaped its throat before it was suddenly silenced—its form dissolving into nothingness, leaving behind a brilliant energy core that was swiftly caught in Xu'er's graceful hands. With the surprise attack successfully executed, the group exchanged a smile, then quickly lowered their voices and moved swiftly toward the distance under Xiao Yan's gesture. After eliminating four energy manifestations, the journey ahead became somewhat smoother. However, this smoothness did not last long. The faces of Xiao Yan and his companions gradually grew serious, as they began to sense a growing pressure seeping out slowly from a distance ahead. "Half-Saint..." Feeling this pressure, Xiao Yan and his companions furrowed their brows, gradually slowing their pace. They knew that if they couldn't overcome this barrier, then the idea of Xiao Xuan's tomb estate was truly out of the question. "Everyone stay alert," Xiao Yan said softly, stepping forward a little further and taking shelter beneath the shadow of a massive rock, his eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed ahead. Within the range of Xiao Yan's vision, a layer of energy mist obscured the view. This mist was not thick; even a gentle breeze caused it to gradually dissipate. As the mist dispersed, a colossal stone mountain peak, towering over a hundred zhang, suddenly emerged into the sight of Xiao Yan and his companions. When the mountain peak appeared, everyone's gaze immediately settled on its summit, where a large stone throne stood. Upon it, a figure sat with regal composure, a dark-red ghost-headed great sword resting before them, emitting a rich, pervasive scent of blood that swirled like mist around the mountain peak. "Such a powerful aura..." Feeling the commanding energy radiating from the figure, Xiao Yan and his companions' expressions gradually grew serious. This, then, was a being of semi-Saint level? Indeed, remarkably strong. As the expressions of Xiao Yan and the others grew serious, the figure on the massive stone peak also suddenly rose, and the scent of blood surged dramatically. "They've spotted us—there's no need to hide anymore. Stay alert," Xiao Yan murmured, exhaling gently. Though not at all afraid, a surge of warmth and excitement surged within him—this was his first encounter against a half-Saint-level powerhouse.