Chapter 16 Breakthrough

After Yuan Qing left, Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the shattered giant mountain. His eyes burned with intensity, and blood seemed to boil in his chest. Once he was sure no one else was around, he flew toward a massive crack in the mountain.

Inside the crack, he discovered a spacious cave where dozens of people stood in a neat row. As soon as Xiao Yan entered, an invisible heat wave struck him in the face. Ignoring it, he waved his hand in surprise—and a curtain of flames sprang up around him, completely enveloping him.

The heat wave roiled against the flame curtain, colliding with it in a loud bang that sent ripples through the air like water waves before dissipating into the void. Xiao Yan frowned. He hadn't expected that the heat wave here would not only rebound attacks like the outer restrictions but also counterattack on its own. Fortunately, the force of these attacks was weak—insufficient to break his Dou Qi shield.

As he moved further into the cave, the heat waves grew stronger, and his Dou Qi shield began to vibrate continuously. Yet Xiao Yan pressed on, though his furrowed brows betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

Each time the flame wave struck his flame curtain, Xiao Yan noticed a wisp of flame—barely visible—merging into the curtain he had arranged. At first, he thought this was a trace of the strange fire's origin, a great boon that he eagerly absorbed into his own strange fire. But after collecting a small amount, he was shocked to realize that these traces were not random; the spirit of the strange fire was deliberately trying to seize the strange fire within his body.

Xiao Yan attempted to separate himself from these unwelcome flames, but he soon discovered that he could not. Instead, the bone-chilling cold fire within him was steadily being devoured. In mere moments, most of it was consumed, and returning became impossible because the cave passage behind him was filled with raging flames. If he wished to retreat, he would have to fight his way back through this sea of fire—a prospect he doubted his strength could overcome. With no other option, he resolved to press forward.

His face turned solemn as he reached the end of the flame heat wave, yet he found no useful clues there—no shadow, not even a trace, of the strange fire. He stood at the passage's end facing an endless abyss with no bottom in sight—a place that exuded only death. Clearly, this void was a no-fly zone where even Xiao Yan couldn't linger for a minute. The only sign of life was a stone platform suspended in the void, winding upward like a beacon of hope.

Looking upward, Xiao Yan saw a platform at the apex of the stone structure. A faint glow of fire illuminated the cave, and around the platform stood six ice pillars linked together, each emitting blazing flames. Though the flames obscured much of the interior, Xiao Yan was certain these ice pillars were no ordinary formations. On the roughly ten-foot-wide stone platforms, fire restrictions were etched into the surface, releasing waves of scorching aura that made his scalp tingle.

Then, his eyes fell upon a figure on the opposite stone wall—a massive stone sculpture. The sculpture, cast in silver-white stone, shone with a bright, precious light. It depicted an old man, whose carved features, though ordinary, radiated a proud, commanding presence. Despite being sculpted from stone, the eyes conveyed a sense of superiority. Clad in a plain robe, the sculpture's hands formed a mysterious hand seal that made Xiao Yan frown. Only one part of the sculpture bore color—its hair, a cascade of bright silver-white, icy-blue strands, rendered vividly despite being chiseled in stone.

Xiao Yan stood there in a daze, eyes wide, staring in disbelief at the stone sculpture. After a long moment, he uttered in shock, "Tathagata Gudi!"

At that very moment, in an ice-blue hall far away, an old man in a white robe with icy-blue hair suddenly opened his eyes. His appearance exactly matched that of the stone sculpture. Narrowing his eyes, he looked toward the dome of the hall—the same direction where Xiao Yan was. A hint of joy mixed with reluctance and relief softened his features, and soon his heroic voice echoed through the hall:

"Haha, after more than ten years, you're finally here. Now, let's see who among us old folks can compare to me this time, haha."

After a few more glances in Xiao Yan's direction, the old man closed his cloudy eyes, resumed his practice, and quietly awaited Xiao Yan's arrival. The hall grew silent, save for the sound of his steady breathing.

Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the massive stone sculpture, particularly the old man's face and his crown of icy-blue, silver hair. A look of surprise flashed across Xiao Yan's handsome features—he hadn't expected that the ancient Emperor Tuoshe had once been here. Perhaps this was the very inheritance Tuoshe left behind.

"By the way," Xiao Yan mused aloud, "I am also half a disciple of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. Hehe, Tuoshe, I won't be too polite in accepting your inheritance."

The thought of claiming an inheritance from the ancient emperor filled Xiao Yan with excitement; he rubbed his palms together like a seasoned thief. But in the next moment, seriousness returned. If this were truly Tuoshe's legacy, it must be extraordinary. No wonder he'd felt that terrifying aura of strange fire earlier—it seems the inheritance here is not easily obtained.

Xiao Yan then surveyed the endless abyss and the suspended stone platforms. After a moment's hesitation, he moved toward the first stone platform. Only upon nearing did he see it clearly: a thin black iron chain connected at its southeast, northwest, and northeast, hanging down into the unseen depths of the abyss. Additionally, pitch-black iron chains connected each pair of stone platforms, leading upward to the highest platform where flames burst forth. Mysterious runes were engraved on each chain, emitting faint energy light at intervals, lending the entire area an otherworldly aura.

Xiao Yan's face grew somber as he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect such a grand formation here. This level will be hard to pass—this first level is extremely difficult. I can't imagine what the subsequent levels will demand. Tsk tsk, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, you're clearly making things difficult for me."

He shook his head and sighed. As he approached the endless abyss, a twitch of a smile crept onto his face, and his heart beat with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

After calming himself, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the first stone platform. He bent his legs slightly, leaned forward, stomped forcefully on the ground, and immediately soared toward a stone platform suspended only three to four feet away. The perfect jumping arc he had envisioned never materialized—instead, halfway through, his body began to drop. Shocked, he stepped heavily again and landed on a black iron chain. His body then soared upward and finally landed narrowly on the platform's edge.

Upon landing, his body sank involuntarily. But Xiao Yan paid little mind to this; he looked back with a look of relief. Yet, upon closer inspection, he saw that the once pitch-black iron chain now emitted a faint light. At that moment, the chains in several directions on the stone platform also glowed where they touched the surface, gradually extending outward at a visible pace. He believed that it wouldn't be long before the chains throughout the cave shone brightly.

Xiao Yan's expression turned grave—once all these chains lit up, the mysterious formation in the cave would activate, making it extremely difficult to handle. He turned his head, frowned, thought carefully, and then attempted to rise. His expression changed slightly, but in the next moment, a smile played at the corner of his mouth.

Though his body trembled violently as he stood up, he forced himself to move toward the opposite stone platform, ignoring the strong suction at his feet and the immense pressure on his body. Xiao Yan was a strong man who had cultivated both Dou Qi and [unspecified energy]; his ** power was so formidable that such minor pressure could not suppress him.

With his first experience on the platform, Xiao Yan grew accustomed to its conditions. Although the pressure increased with each step, it posed little difficulty for him. However, he also noticed that every time he stepped onto a platform, the surrounding iron chains would activate, glowing and extending further—a fact that filled him with unease.

Continuing to jump from platform to platform, he finally reached the last platform; with one final step, he would be just one step away from it. A satisfied smile spread across his sweat-drenched face—but when he looked at the now-illuminated iron chains, his expression soured again.

Xiao Yan advanced slowly, step by heavy step, until even he appeared overwhelmed by the task.

"Bang!"

He fell to one knee, breathing heavily, as beads of sweat dripped onto the ground like blooming chrysanthemums. His face was solemn; he frowned at the platform only nine feet away, his teeth chattering. He raised his head, peered at the reachable platform, then at the formation forming around him. With resolute determination, he pushed his hands forcefully against the ground, willed himself upright from his half-kneeling position, and fixed his steely gaze on the platform opposite him.

Though the platform was high and its top obscured, Xiao Yan believed that reaching it would bring him closer to the Strange Fire. With this hope lighting his eyes, he advanced step by step toward the edge, as the surrounding iron chains continued to extend their light. Only then did he realize that the ends of those chains were connected to six ice pillars, which now shone with bursts of crystal light, complementing the glittering chains.

Xiao Yan's expression changed once more. He quickened his pace and reached the edge of the stone platform. Gazing upward at the platform above, he took a deep breath, bent forward, spread his legs in a bow, and then, after a moment, shot toward the platform.