A brilliant blaze of light illuminated the space, which had seemed dark for ten thousand years. Yet compared to the glow, Xiao Yan could not help but feel a pervasive chill throughout his body—the source of this chill being the colossal creature nestled deep within the darkness below. It was a being of immense scale, coiled motionless in the void, its form unchanging. As Xiao Yan's gaze followed its body, his line of sight was obstructed by the distant darkness, and even then, he could not catch sight of its far end. This enigmatic creature was of a deep purple-gold hue, its body clad in cold, steel-like scales, evoking a sense of strength and resilience. Suspended in the void, Xiao Yan's vision could not fully grasp its entirety—imagine the staggering size of this being. Such a scale, he realized, was the first time he had witnessed it in all the years he had known. Even after decades of experience that had solidified Xiao Yan's profound composure, he might still have been struck with a moment of astonishment when he suddenly realized that the dark space beneath him was inhabited by a colossal creature capable of devouring heaven and earth. Who could have imagined such a terrifying being existing within this seemingly lifeless, silent realm! "It would not be wise to stay here for long..." Since he now knew that the very core of this molten world indeed concealed the ancient emperor's sanctuary, Xiao Yan had begun to feel a sense of hesitation. Though the massive creature below remained utterly still, like a lifeless statue, the presence of the Emperor's soul stirred within him a subtle yet profound sense of danger—one no less potent than that of Huan Tian and Gu Yuan! This place was certainly not suited for prolonged stay. It would be wiser to gather reinforcements later, with Gu Yuan accompanying them, before venturing deeper into the ancient emperor's sanctuary. As this thought formed in his mind, Xiao Yan slowly stepped back. Yet, just as he had retreated a few dozen paces, he suddenly sensed a faint tremor ripple through the body of the colossal creature beneath. Though the tremor was extremely subtle, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed tightly. He knew, with absolute certainty, that it was no mere illusion—his own strength and perception guaranteed that. Thus, only one conclusion remained: this enigmatic being was very much alive. At this thought, Xiao Yan's retreat speed suddenly surged! "Shhh!" As Xiao Yan was retreating, a pair of enormous eyes, closed for a long time within the dark void, suddenly opened! These eyes were a soft shade of red, with overlapping pupils—merely this pair of eyes was hundreds of times larger than Xiao Yan himself. The moment they opened, they locked onto Xiao Yan, and at the same time, an overwhelmingly terrifying pressure enveloped him, instantly slowing down his rapid retreat. Under the weight of this crushing pressure, Xiao Yan's face paled. Drawing upon his full Imperial Realm soul power, he managed to ease the sensation of being submerged in thick mud. "Entrants to the tomb—may you carry the ancient jade?" Suddenly, as Xiao Yan's soul energy surged, the space trembled, and a voice resonant enough to make the very space shiver echoed forth. Xiao Yan tightened his fists. He glanced at the pair of immense eyes embedded in the darkness—now cold and impassive, fixed upon him with no flicker of emotion. "I have merely stumbled upon this place," he said, bowing slightly to the eyes before speaking firmly, "should I have caused any disturbance, I beg your pardon. I shall retreat immediately!" "As soon as the mysterious creature launched its attack, Xiao Yan's eyes grew cold. He altered his hand seal, and a vast spiritual form emerged from his body. With a single opening of his mouth, a terrifying wave of spiritual force surged out, sweeping across the entire area. Moments later, it collided head-on with the purple-gold light column. 'Pop!' A tremendous explosion erupted in the space, sending a storm into motion. 'Moo! Moo!' The storm swept through, yet the purple light remained intact. Xiao Yan's imperial-level spiritual attack, the Yellow Springs Heavenly Fury, still failed to shatter it. His expression grew increasingly serious. He changed his hand seal once more, unleashing two more powerful spiritual sound waves. 'Thud! Thud!' These two waves struck the purple light with great force, finally dispersing it. However, the residual force pushed Xiao Yan back, forcing him to retreat a thousand paces. 'This creature possesses an astonishing level of power!' "Upon their first encounter, Xiao Yan felt a surge of astonishment—merely a casual strike required him to summon every ounce of strength to counter it. This enigmatic creature's prowess was undoubtedly on par with, if not surpassing, that of the Soul Emperor, Gu Yuan, and others!" A note of amazement tinged the creature's voice within the dark void. Yet Xiao Yan had no time to attend to it. Seizing the momentum, he surged once more toward the space from which he had come. "Whoosh!" As Xiao Yan was rushing forward, a sharp gust of wind suddenly surged behind him. Turning his gaze, he saw a shimmering purple-gold imprint coalesce, then crash directly toward him with fierce force. "Damn it!" Feeling the immense power contained within the imprint, Xiao Yan grew pale once more. Spinning his palms, two blossoms of six-colored destruction fire formed and were hurled straight at the imprint without a backward glance. "Boom! Boom!" The fire lotus atop the luminous seal exploded in a burst of flame, waves of fire surging forth, yet the seal remained undisturbed. Suddenly, a beam of light surged from within the seal, rushing toward Xiao Yan with the speed of lightning. As the beam emerged, Xiao Yan remained alert and swiftly turned, swiftly maneuvering his hands to gather the pure lotus fire into a rapid, rose-hued crystalline layer before him. "Crack! Crack!" The beam arrived in an instant, striking directly upon the successive layers of crystalline flame. The layers shattered instantly, the beam effortlessly dismantling the previously impossibly resilient crystalline structure, then crashing down with tremendous force upon Xiao Yan's body. "Pfft!" Hit hard, Xiao Yan's face flushed red, and a gush of blood erupted from his mouth. His body then recoiled again, retreating with force. "Ssshhhh!" Xiao Yan's blood splashed upon the luminous seal nearby, instantly triggering a series of hissing sounds. "Stay with me..." The mysterious creature, though it had just delivered a decisive blow that had defeated Xiao Yan, did not intend to let him go. Its light imprint roared forward, charging once again toward him. Feeling the gusts of wind that locked him in place, Xiao Yan groaned quietly. This creature was simply too tenacious. He raised his head, gazing at the shimmering space beyond, knowing that once he passed through it, he would be able to escape the creature's relentless pursuit. However, as the luminous imprint was about to descend, the blood that had previously adhered to it suddenly evaporated significantly, leaving behind thin strands of golden blood flowing along the imprint. "Hum-hum!" At the moment these golden streaks of blood emerged, the mysterious creature coiled within the darkness suddenly trembled, a familiar sensation breaking free from the bonds of its slumber and spreading throughout its vast body. "Hum!" The luminous imprint halted abruptly at several dozen feet above Xiao Yan's head, yet the intense wind pressure still shattered the space around Xiao Yan. Suddenly, a scene unfolded that caused Xiao Yan, who had been preparing to fight fiercely, to pause in astonishment. His eyes flashed, and in an instant, his figure surged forward like a streak of light, swiftly reaching the far end of the space. With a single movement, he darted through and vanished into the depths. Suddenly, within the hushed space, a thunderous, resounding roar erupted—like a colossal form that had slumbered for a millennium, now suddenly agitated and surging, then crashing violently against the very fabric of space. Yet, despite its relentless thrusts, the space itself shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow, proving as solid and unyielding as a fortress.