The martial power warriors they encountered were ultimately devoured by the red energy, which manifested with the dense killing intent summoned by Yan Xiaobao. Initially, everyone thought Yan Xiaobao had only managed to consu the first martial power warrior because it was injured. However, they now understood that whether injured or not, it would still be consud. For a warrior, the red energy was overwhelmingly destructive.
As they pressed forward slowly, Yan Xiaobao took up the rear, occupying the space behind them. Although the other experts were fully engrossed in what was happening within the tunnel, Hui Yu was struggling against the conscious energy that Yan Xiaobao was continuously absorbing. Refining it was no easy task.
The energy fought against Yan Xiaobao, struggling incessantly with each passing second, but as it resided within Yan Xiaobao’s body, he used his martial power to subdue it. He drowned the conscious energy within his own ridians, forcing it to refine itself. It twisted and churned within him over and over until, little by little, the dominant energy stabilized and gradually beca a part of his own power, as he rged the two streams of martial power together.
"What benefit is there to conscious martial power?" Yan Xiaobao suddenly asked Lan Feng as he concentrated on refining the last remnants of the martial power core extracted from the final martial power warrior. He could feel a qualitative leap in the strength of the martial power core. Where he once needed to expend significant amounts of martial power to launch attacks, he now required only about half the energy. This allowed him to prolong his endurance in battle. Not only that, the energy seed inexplicably stronger, though he couldn’t quite determine why. That’s why he always turned to Lan Feng when he sought answers.
"Conscious martial power is formidable because it has developed the ability to think for itself. You can see how this warrior resisted attacks; now, while your martial power may not be as strong as those warriors, it has gained the capacity to counterattack, evolve, adapt, and change on its own without requiring your constant command. It can almost fight independently," Lan Feng replied with satisfaction. For the other Saints, martial power warriors represented a critical concern—they worried about the impending traps surrounding Lan Feng and Yan Xiaobao, who regarded such warriors as priceless treasures, far more valuable than all the armor and weapons collected from the second chamber of this tunnel.
In the past, martial power warriors had cost one of the Saints their life. But now, with Xiao Ning’s protective barrier and Yan Xiaobao’s red energy, the traps posed less of a challenge, and they soon spotted light at the end of the tunnel. A brilliant beam of light illuminated their path, drawing them closer. The light was so dazzling that it resembled a colossal star shining directly in front of them.
Seeing the light, everyone felt a surge of excitent. Was this the place where they could claim even greater treasures? Was this the innermost sanctum of the tomb, where the exalted expert’s remains lay?
Erging from the tunnel’s darkness, they found themselves in a vast room with nineteen other tunnels converging into it. Before them lood an enormous sun suspended on the wall, its rays casting a luminous glow. The soft, warm light bathed the magnificent architecture before them.
They entered a massive corridor, its pathway carved from pristine marble. Statues of humans, beasts, and hybrid creatures lined the corridor, though their appearances were unlike any beings residing in this world. It was clear they originated from the realm of the tomb’s owner.
Staring at the statues, Yan Xiaobao felt an unease creeping into his heart. Though they were sculpted from marble, a glimr in their eyes made them appear unnervingly alive. The statues of beasts and creatures were spaced a ter apart, forming a pathway that stretched along the corridor whose end remained shrouded in uncertainty.
The room itself showed no signs of prior exploration—no evidence that anyone else had reached this point. Fortunately, there was no ominous presence like Heaven Gate looming above them. Shaking his head, Yan Xiaobao mocked himself inwardly. While there were no visible indications of other Saints having been here, it was impossible to say whether so exceptionally skilled specialists had passed through without leaving a trace.
"Should... should we proceed?" one of the three surviving Saints asked cautiously. He saw no imdiate threats within the room, yet the shadow cast upon Yan Xiaobao’s face deepened, filling them with apprehension.
"I believe we have no other choice but to move forward," Yan Xiaobao replied stiffly, nodding before taking a resolute step forward. Each step he took was light and deliberate, as though his feet scarcely touched the ground. He neither exerted effort nor made a sound. The other Saints, observing his movents, understood his concern about potential traps within the room. They followed his lead, moving as silently as possible.
They passed the first beast statue without incident, finding no indication that the marble sculptures would suddenly co to life. The relief of this realization allowed Yan Xiaobao to briefly exhale, though the deep-seated worry within him refused to abate. Even Lan Feng maintained absolute stillness now. Neither cultivating, speaking, nor moving a single muscle, he seed as wary as Yan Xiaobao of the room’s latent dangers.
One-quarter of their journey through the corridor passed uneventfully. Even at the halfway point, the statues remained motionless, and their glimring eyes appeared unchanged. But as they neared the far side of the hall, a deafening crash shattered the silence. A group of Saints had been blasted into the corridor from the tunnel entrance. Their voices brimd with laughter and excitent as they anticipated uncovering priceless treasures in the room ahead, much like Yan Xiaobao and his party.
Unbeknownst to this new group, the word "quiet" eluded their vocabulary. Their boisterous clamoring disrupted the stillness, triggering the sound of stone grinding against stone. Yan Xiaobao’s head turned sharply as he noticed the statues beginning to co to life. One after the other, the marble figures animated, their nacing gazes locking onto Yan Xiaobao and his group, who had ventured furthest along the corridor.
Yan Xiaobao had the sudden urge to tear his hair out in frustration. He was furious—truly furious. All his caution and ticulousness had been thrown into jeopardy by this careless, arrogant group of Saints, whose recklessness might very well cost his party their lives.
Clenching his teeth, Yan Xiaobao centered himself, steadying his mind and regaining a calm, serene composure. To survive, he would need to demonstrate his abilities. "Don’t transform today," Lan Feng advised hesitantly. "See if you can use the blue cloud to overco this obstacle. If you transform, you’ll undoubtedly defeat these foolish stone creatures, but then everyone will know about your transformation," Lan Feng continued. "If you can avoid revealing it, use the blue cloud. Break the stone. Within these statues lie cores—destroy their marble shells and take their cores. Each of these cores originates from the tomb owner’s holand. If you absorb them, your wolf core will undoubtedly grow stronger."
Yan Xiaobao was startled to hear this. It seed this tomb, despite its traps, had been designed to strengthen him. The martial power warriors had enhanced his martial power; now, these beasts would beco a source of power as well.
He surveyed his surroundings, exhaling deeply before closing his eyes. The marble beasts, though slow, were imnsely strong. Releasing the blue cloud, he enveloped a beast with it. The instant the blue cloud encased the creature, it froze in place, as the energy from within was extracted into the cloud. Monts later, the stone shattered into fragnts. Sure enough, buried within was a black core emanating intense energy fluctuations. Yan Xiaobao seized the core before moving on to the next beast.
Xiao Ning, together with the three surviving Saints, took care of the others. He maintained the Radiant Aegis around them, ensuring not a single beast could slip through. He felt confident in his performance but was left astounded each ti he glanced at Yan Xiaobao. Moving from one beast to the next, leaving nothing but rubble in his wake, Yan Xiaobao’s efficiency was staggering.
Xiao Ning wasn’t alone in his astonishnt. The recently arrived group was beginning to grasp the gravity of their mistake. Each of them struggled to fend off a single beast, often forced to flee just to avoid sustaining injuries. Only by running could they ensure their survival.
Watching Yan Xiaobao effortlessly eliminate the beasts one after another, they were rendered utterly speechless. Though he was an Emperor, in this room, he completely dominated the battlefield, slaying the creatures one by one. As he harvested the cores from each statue, there was no sign of modesty or intent to share the treasure with others. Witnessing the growing number of black cores in his possession, many of the Saints were consud with envy, their greed practically dripping from their mouths. Yet they knew the cores were unequivocally his—as he had claid them without any assistance. Trying to steal from him would be unthinkable.
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