Outside the Cave Mansion.

Ao Donglou, the Five Great Academy Elders, the Eighteen Mansions Elders, and the elders of all major forces were all probing and sensing the conditions of their own Heavenly Talents.

Those who could come to participate in the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb were all the hopes of their own forces—either Young Masters, Young Sect Masters, or Chiefs, all of them the next generation’s successors.

To their respective forces, these people were ones who could not be lost.

After a while, the elders of the various forces withdrew their senses and all let out a sigh of relief.

"Truly the most monstrous generation." Ao Donglou swept his gaze across the gathered Heavenly Talents, lightly chuckling as he nodded.

The Eighteen Mansions Elders also nodded and laughed. "Not bad."

"Inside the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, how dangerous it is."

"According to past experience, casualties are at least in the double digits."

"Even those who can make it out alive are usually heavily injured."

"This time is good though. Fifteen teams, though some are heavily injured, at least every last one came out alive."

"Indeed." Ao Donglou smiled.

"Although within the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, a life-saving Prohibition was left for these Heavenly Talents."

"Once one enters the main formation, however, that Prohibition’s effect is greatly reduced and is slow to activate."

"Most of the monstrous Heavenly Talents cannot resist the temptation of the main formation, or are proud by nature and attempt to rush in."

"Once they enter the main formation, when the true danger erupts, there will be no retreat and death is certain."

As for the situation inside the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, whether it was Ao Donglou, Palace Master of Dongli Sword Palace, one of the Three Great Sword Palaces, or the Five Great Academy Elders, the Eighteen Mansions Elders, and so on, they all knew very well.

When they were young, they had inevitably entered the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb just like the young Heavenly Talents of today.

They must also have told their own Heavenly Talents about the situation inside the Cave Mansion, but not in detail.

Because they knew that saying more was useless.

Faced with the temptation of the main formation and the fortunes of the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, no young Heavenly Talent could resist.

They too had been young, and knew that every young Heavenly Talent was proud and arrogant at heart and would definitely choose to enter the main formation to test themselves.

Thus there was no need to speak in detail; even if they did it would be useless. Just roughly explaining the circumstances and dangers inside to their own Heavenly Talents was enough.

And the current situation, with all fifteen teams safe and sound and alive, naturally made the gathered experts feel gratified.

"Hm? No, something’s wrong." Ao Donglou suddenly furrowed his brows.

"That Xiao Yixiao has not come out yet."

"Xiao Yi?" When the Eighteen Mansions Elders heard this, their expressions became somewhat complicated—some frowned, some were pleased, some showed disgust.

"That Xiao Yi?" The Five Great Academy Elders all uniformly frowned.

"Yinfeng, what’s going on?" Ao Donglou looked at Ao Yinfeng and asked.

Ao Yinfeng cupped his fists. "Reporting to Palace Master, Vice Master Xiao Yi is still inside the main formation."

"Moreover, the reason we Heavenly Talents were able to come out safely is entirely thanks to Vice Master Xiao Yi’s protection."

"Before this—" As Ao Yinfeng spoke, his expression turned unpleasant as he looked toward the Five Great Academy’s team.

Ao Yinfeng roughly explained the events once through.

At the same time, the last batch of first-class Heavenly Talents who had just come out also explained the situation to their own elders.

In an instant, hostile gazes all converged upon the Five Great Academy’s team.

"Outrageous." Ao Donglou snorted coldly. "Taking Heavenly Talents hostage and forcing a joint effort to break the formation?"

"Five Great Academy, how impressive your might is."

Voices filled with displeasure and coldness rang out among the various major forces.

"Five Great Academy, and Black Cloud Academy, we will remember this."

The Five Great Academy Elders’ expressions flickered for a moment, then they let out a cold laugh.

"Hostage-taking? What counts as hostage-taking?"

"Those fools who clearly don’t have the ability yet insisted on overestimating themselves and entering the main formation—are they qualified to spout nonsense?"

"Since they lack the strength, what are they doing entering the main formation? Just to drag down the leaders?"

"And since they’ve gone in and cannot even protect themselves, are the leaders supposed to specially look after them and even affect the overall situation for their sake?"

"Our Five Great Academy team went in to jointly break the formation. If there are external factors influencing things, being forced to use a last resort is only natural."

"Exactly." Golden Dawn let out a cold laugh. "Inside the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, danger lurks everywhere and things change in an instant."

"Are we still supposed to accommodate those pieces of trash?"

"Once you enter the main formation, you are no longer in control of yourself. The strong decide—such a simple truth, and you Martial Arts experts present don’t understand? Truly laughable."

"You..." The experts of the various first-class forces immediately looked extremely unsightly.

On the other side.

Ye Liu ignored the disputes between the various forces and instead frowned as he looked at Guu Lianxing and the other girl.

"Lianxing, you were the one who had Huowu insist on staying by Brother Xiao Yi’s side? Completely messing around."

"Inside the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, the danger is extreme. If she drags Brother Xiao Yi down and something happens to him, what then?"

"Furthermore, with Huowu’s strength, staying in the main formation is no different from going to her death. If anything happens to her, can you live with it?"

Ye Liu’s tone was very serious, even carrying some reproach.

Guu Lianxing pulled a bitter face. "I’m not worried about Young Master Xiao Yi. Brother Ye, you said it yourself—inside the main formation, even if everyone else dies, he probably still won’t."

"Your intuition has always been extremely accurate."

"Besides, I also want Huowu to become companions with Young Master Xiao Yi."

"You know Huowu’s feelings; and Young Master Xiao Yi is clearly a man worthy of entrusting one’s life to."

"Where am I in the wrong?"

"You... sigh." Ye Liu’s words choked for a moment. He shook his head and let out a sigh.

Guu Lianxing also sighed.

"That girl Huowu—her looks and her background are all top-tier. Throwing herself at him like this, if it were any other man, it would have been the stuff of dreams long ago."

"But Young Master Xiao Yi is good; oil and salt just don’t get in."

"I originally thought that Huowu being willing to live and die together with him would definitely move him."

"Unfortunately, sigh, on this point, I was wrong."

Guu Lianxing let out a heavy sigh.

"A hundred soft touches of jade fingers still can’t soften that ice-cold heart of his."

"Even sharing life and death can’t stir him in the slightest."

"Young Master Xiao Yi is probably a man of utmost devotion and feeling. Between him and that woman in his heart, no external thing can shake them."

"As long as you understand." Ye Liu shook his head.

"The one Brother Xiao Yi is waiting for probably has it even harder than you and I."

"In the future, don’t do this again."

"Otherwise, if Brother Xiao Yi one day finds that person, both he and I will have an awkward time facing each other."

Ye Liu’s tone now carried clear seriousness.

"Got it." Guu Lianxing curled her lips, but still nodded.

... 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Within the Ancient Emperor’s Mansion, inside the main formation.

The earlier situation had been demon beasts rampaging. Anyone surrounded by such tides of demon beasts could only struggle bitterly to survive and hurriedly give up and retreat.

The situation now, however, was completely different—so different that if anyone saw it, they would certainly be shocked beyond measure.

Billowing flames surged and roamed in all directions.

That pair of beast hands covered in ferocious Scale Armor seemed born to be the Divine emperors of these flames.

A simple wave and manipulation was enough to make all the powerful flames in the world obey like limbs at his command, even erupting with astonishing might.

Under the flames, the tide-like demon beasts retreated again and again, unable even to come within several feet.

This pair of beast hands belonged to a young man.

And the young man was strolling leisurely through this main formation that made outsiders’ faces change at the mere mention of it, incomparably perilous yet unable to block him at all.

The young man was, of course, Xiao Yi!

...

First update.