Chapter 047: Ancient Qi!

Beside her, a slick-faced youth kept sizing up Yun'er, his fiery gaze deeply hidden, his lips somewhat parched.

“What are you looking at, you brat? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Xing Hao's brows immediately shot up, he shot him a fierce glare, his tiger-like eyes extremely intimidating.

The slick-faced youth seemed very afraid of Xing Hao, suddenly shrinking his head, not daring to breathe loudly.

“Eh? This guy's status isn't simple.” Watching Xing Hao's ferocious appearance, Yang Tian couldn't help but chuckle, then glanced at Yun'er. Compared to the stubborn girl back then, she now had an added touch of sanctity, making even Yang Tian turn his head.

“This girl will grow up to be a great beauty too.” Smiling, Yang Tian withdrew his gaze and stepped onto the stone steps.

“Tap… tap…”

Footsteps came, and the few beside him stared in astonishment as a black-robed man directly overtook them, his steps never pausing as he climbed ahead.

“Damn, where did this freak come from?” The slick-faced youth was momentarily stunned, then smacked his lips, exclaiming inwardly. The pressure above grew stronger, and his martial will was being crushed painfully.

Watching the black-robed man step forward step by step, Yun'er was slightly dazed. Suddenly, a figure deeply imprinted in her mind closely resembled this black-robed man, almost identical.

“Brother Yang.” Without any hesitation, Yun'er called out the name directly.

The sudden voice startled Yang Tian, but his steps did not change; he continued stepping toward the peak.

“Eh? It really does look like him.” Xing Hao was momentarily stunned, then looked at the black-robed man's figure and murmured softly.

“Could I have been mistaken? But it really does look like him.” Her gaze fixed on the black-robed man's figure, whose steps showed no pause, Yun'er intertwined her hands, pouted slightly, and muttered.

At that moment, Yun'er felt a strange gaze on her. She turned her head slightly and saw Xing Hao's half-smiling expression; a flush suddenly rose on her face, a hint of shyness creeping onto her cheeks.

“So beautiful…” Staring dazedly at Yun'er's flushed face, the slick-faced youth couldn't help but utter those words, a look of infatuation appearing on his face.

“Kid, do you believe I'll gouge your eyes out?” Xing Hao instantly turned his head, a cold, sharp gaze sweeping over him, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

“Big brother, misunderstanding, misunderstanding.” He quickly raised his hands, cried out in alarm, and hurriedly stepped back a few paces.

“Little sister, let's speed up.” Xing Hao shot him a glare, then smiled. At the same time, their pace increased several times over before, leaving the slick-faced youth stunned.

Xing Hao looked up at the steadily advancing black-robed man; this speed made him gasp. He murmured in a voice only he could hear: “You must be Yang Tian, brother knows your identity is inconvenient to reveal…”

As time passed, still several hundred zhang from the peak, Yang Tian's pace slowed. The ancient blood energy contained in this martial will grew denser, constantly shaking even his own martial will.

“Almost there.” Staring at the hundred youths sitting cross-legged at the peak, when he noticed one in a purple robe, a cold smile surged on his face, and he lowered his head to walk forward.

“This little one sure can sleep, still hasn't woken up.” Stroking the furry belly in his arms, Yang Tian smiled.

“Tap… tap…”

Just as the black-robed man was about to reach the peak, those sitting cross-legged above were instantly startled awake. Most glanced at him and then closed their eyes to rest, waiting for the Martial Dao Gate to open.

“Hehe, let's see how you die this time.” Li Hongtao glanced at the black-robed man, cackling inwardly, a hint of killing intent deeply hidden.

One after another, many people climbed up. Xing Hao and Yun'er also followed, showing no signs of fatigue.

“Heh, Miss Yun'er is here today too.” A youth as smooth as jade, upon seeing Yun'er, his eyes were full of fervor. He quickly went up to her and said with a faint smile.

Glancing at that youth, Yun'er's eyes showed a trace of disgust. She paid him no attention, her beautiful eyes continuously scanning the crowd coming and going.

“Wang Long, what business is it of yours whether my little sister comes or not? Go stand aside.” Stepping forward to block him, like an iron tower, Xing Hao's face showed a cold smile as he barked.

“Heh, Brother Xing Hao is here too, what a pleasant surprise.” Wang Long immediately cupped his hands and replied with a fake smile, a hint of sharpness deeply hidden.

“The population of the entire Eastern Continent is countless billions, yet only a few tens of thousands can enter Martial Dao Mountain.” Yang Tian's gaze fell on the mountainside, taking in the scene below.

Suddenly, Martial Dao Mountain burst forth with rosy light. The radiant gate at the peak trembled violently, and the surrounding essence of heaven and earth surged wildly. The crowd nearby all stood up, their gazes converging on the radiant gate, their eyes burning with fervor.

“It's about to open.” Watching the increasingly active radiant gate, Yang Tian knew from Meng Yunxi's map that inside was a broken space, vast and immense.

At the foot of the mountain, the void suddenly trembled, cracks like a spiderweb splitting open. Several white-robed disciples were greatly alarmed, their fearful eyes scanning the void. A strong enough to tear the void had surpassed the War King realm.

Many big shots in the city were awakened and in an instant arrived at the spot where the void was splitting.

Suddenly, a hand directly tore through the void, and dozens of purple dragons roared out, their vast pressure causing many big shots to change color.

“The Qingyang Empire has also sent people. This time, with the opening of Martial Dao Mountain and the Artifact Sect also opening, it seems many forces have been attracted.” An old antique murmured softly.

“Ah——” Suddenly, a figure was thrown out from within.

“Boom.” The ground was smashed into a gully. As the group of white-robed disciples stood stunned, a scolding voice exploded.

"Damn it, why did Martial Mountain open so soon? It hasn't been active for years, and I was hoping to make a name for myself." As he spoke, a figure dashed toward the mountain peak.

His speed was so fast that they couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.

Having gathered a certain amount of heaven and earth essence, the eternally motionless light gate slowly opened, the pressure it emitted rising step by step, the ancient aura growing thicker.

Rumble! The ancient gate fully opened, and a dense ancient aura roared out, startling those nearby into a momentary daze.

Inside the light gate was a white passage, its walls inscribed with pitch-black runes, upon which were carved extremely profound symbols. Just a glance left everyone present dizzy and lightheaded.

"Let's go!" A disciple from a major sect stepped forward first, leaped, and dashed madly into the passage.

Countless young talents surged in after him, with an endless stream of people still arriving from behind. This light gate would only exist for five hours; if it closed, they would have to wait another thirty years.

Seeing that most people had left, Yang Tian also stepped into the light gate and raced toward the end of the passage.

"He didn't come?" Yun'er cast one last glance at the mountain peak, a trace of loneliness flickering in her eyes, then, urged by Xin Hao, she stepped inside.

Martial Mountain had existed longer than even some ancient aristocratic families. Legend had it that this was a space jointly constructed by several ancient great cultivators, a resting place for humanity, larger than the entire Qingyang Empire.

Great battles had once occurred here, with a hundred tribes invading, peerless experts falling one after another, blood staining the earth, even the heavens and earth shattered, flames engulfing cities—a sorrowful era in human history, too painful to recall.

Though their physical bodies died, their souls did not perish. The ancient experts, though fallen, left behind endless legacies, awaiting the arrival of fated individuals to guard the human realm against foreign invasion.

In a vast expanse of land, traces of war still remained on the ground. Ten-thousand-foot ravines could be seen everywhere, and mountain peaks that pierced the clouds were cleaved in two, testament to the ferocity of the battle.

Suddenly, ripples appeared in a patch of space, eerie and strange. As the fluctuations grew larger, a figure fell out of the space.

"Slap... slap..." The scene shifted rapidly. Without any panic, Yang Tian stepped down repeatedly, bursts of energy surging forth, and under this impact, he landed on the ground.

"Is this the space?" He looked around, and when he noticed the ravines of various sizes, he couldn't help but click his tongue—the destructive power was terrifying.

Just as Yang Tian was stunned, a dense stream of heaven and earth essence surged into his body, penetrating every pore. This essence was exceptionally pure and contained a trace of strange energy. Yang Tian sensed his physical body strengthening!

"Wow, what kind of energy is this?" Yang Tian closed his eyes, his mind wandering over his body. Amid the milky-white essence, a faint red energy body was mixed in. This energy caused his flesh to grow and the blood and qi within him to rejoice.

"Could this be ancient aura?" Yang Tian murmured. Legend had it that when heaven and earth first opened, humanity created cultivation techniques and absorbed energy. Back then, experts were almost everywhere, and cultivation was extremely easy.

Although the cultivation world grew more prosperous, when humanity reached its peak, the energy in heaven and earth suddenly dwindled day by day, heavenly materials and earthly treasures became increasingly scarce, and the speed of human cultivation dropped significantly, making it extremely difficult to become an expert.

Now, cultivators call that energy body 'ancient aura.' This energy is almost impossible to find. What Yang Tian didn't expect was that Martial Mountain possessed this energy, and in no small amount.

"No wonder ancient aristocratic families flock here, suppressing their cultivation levels to wait for today. So it's because of the ancient aura inside." Yang Tian smacked his lips. Ancient aura not only strengthens the physical body but also tempers blood and qi. Refining blood is the first and most important step on the martial path.

The more condensed the blood and qi, the larger the acupoints sensed upon entering the martial path compared to ordinary people—several times larger. Of course, the number of acupoints also depends on the strength of the technique.

"Ao wu!" Little White suddenly woke up, leaped directly onto Yang Tian's shoulder, its big black eyes flashing with excitement. It suddenly opened its mouth and sucked, drawing the surrounding ancient aura like a spring, which Little White inhaled into its body.

Little White was like a black hole, frantically devouring the surrounding ancient aura, making Yang Tian click his tongue in amazement. This speed was comparable to his own when fully operating the War Heaven Art.

"Wow, how can it refine so fast?" His eyes widened. Little White directly absorbed the ancient aura into its body without any refinement—something Yang Tian couldn't do.

"Let's stop first. Find a place to go into seclusion and break through." Yang Tian patted Little White's head and scolded with a laugh.

Whoosh! Yang Tian's body flickered as he dashed forward. His cultivation had been suppressed and not yet broken through, leaving him somewhat behind the saint-level figures. He might as well take this opportunity to break through.

In a mountain stream, Yang Tian took out the broken sword and, as if cutting tofu, sliced through the surrounding rocks, quickly carving out a cave. What Yang Tian didn't notice was that a trace of ancient aura was absorbed by the broken sword, but it seemed to shrink back.

Sitting cross-legged inside the cave, Yang Tian sank his mind into the Ancestral Dragon Ring.

"No wonder it's called the Ancestral Dragon Ring—it can even gather ancient aura." Smacking his lips, Yang Tian's face flushed with excitement. The internal energy here was several times denser than outside. In the future, his cultivation speed would be several times faster than others, and that's not even counting the ring's ability to adjust time ratios.

"Eh?" Just as he was about to cultivate, Yang Tian stared at the spirit herbs ahead, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. Compared to their original growth rate, with the help of ancient aura, the herbs were growing several times faster.

"What a pity—the spirit herbs planted here are all junk. I forgot to buy some seeds in Martial City." Annoyed, he slapped his forehead. Yang Tian was about to step into the martial realm and had already made preliminary plans for alchemy.

"Forget it, never mind." Muttering, Yang Tian activated the War Heaven Art, his mind sinking into his qi sea.

Ancient aura gathered around him, frantically drilling into his body, constantly tempering his skin and muscles. Each time the faint red energy decreased by a trace, he could feel his physical body strengthening, and the river of blood and qi kept rumbling.

The potential of the human body is limitless, and ancient aura is precisely the key. What Yang Tian lacked now was time. Though tempering the body with the broken sword was effective, it was far inferior to ancient aura.

The ancient aura seemed to turn into a blazing fire, forging Yang Tian's bones. Every so often, a trace of impurity was expelled from his body. His bones became more crystalline, emitting a precious light.

Yang Tian was like a burning furnace, with rumbling sounds inside his body. The surrounding temperature rose sharply, rocks kept cracking, and when stone chips shot toward him, they were directly shattered by the leaked energy.

In his qi sea, the blood and qi floating in the sky churned. The faint red energy surged into it, and the blood and qi became increasingly condensed. Compared to the usual slow squeezing of blood and qi, this condensation speed was dozens of times faster.

Beside Yang Tian's body, Little White floated in the air, frantically devouring ancient aura. The faint red energy all drilled into its body, refining it extremely quickly.

The terrifying absorption speed created a large vortex at the cave entrance, gathering ancient aura that would make anyone click their tongue in amazement.