Chapter 048: Ancient Cultivator's Cave Dwelling

Time flew by. Yang Tian had been in seclusion inside the cave for two and a half months without any pause. The energy vortex at the cave entrance was twice as powerful as it had been two and a half months ago, showing no signs of weakening and continuing to intensify.

Within the Ancestral Dragon Ring, Yang Tian had been absorbing energy continuously for half a year. The strength of his physique compressed the surrounding space, producing whistling sounds. The vitality within his body was twice as strong as before.

The river of qi and blood swayed unceasingly, with faint thunderclaps exploding. The whistling grew louder, and the aura was terrifyingly fierce—a sign that it was about to condense into a phenomenon!

"No, I can't suppress it anymore. It seems I'm about to break through." In his qi sea, the river of qi and blood roared like a tsunami. Its size had not changed much but had actually shrunk slightly, yet the energy rolling within was three times stronger than before.

"Break!" With a low roar, the river of qi and blood trembled violently, rising to the top of his head, dyeing the cave space blood-red. As Yang Tian's explosive shout ended, the river suddenly shook, and surging qi and blood spread out overwhelmingly. The river expanded rapidly, frantically devouring the ancient qi.

Countless drops of light red energy fell into it. The river of qi and blood grew larger and larger. When it had doubled in size, a hint of joy flashed in Yang Tian's eyes, but the absorption speed did not stop; it was even faster than before.

"Stop." Startled, Yang Tian hastily suppressed the raging river of qi and blood, forcibly drawing it back into his body. Although he could now break through two realms in one go and directly advance to the half-step martial artist realm,

Yang Tian believed there was still room to improve quality. Only by waiting a while longer to break through to the half-step martial artist realm and fully condense the phenomenon could he contend with saint-level figures and broaden his future path.

Not far from where Yang Tian was in seclusion, a man and a woman suddenly rushed over from a distance. Sensing the energy fluctuations ahead, they were startled and quickened their pace.

"Such strong energy fluctuations! Could there be a treasure emerging?" Greed surged onto their faces as they gazed at the fluctuations where the ancient qi converged.

"Brother Jiang, could this be some saint-level figure cultivating?" The seductive woman stared at the vortex above the cave, then turned her enticing peach-blossom eyes to the young man in floral robes and asked.

"Hmph, a saint-level figure?" The man surnamed Jiang sneered: "Saint-level figures all have cave dwellings in this ancient battlefield, built by their ancestors. Usually, major families have them. The person inside must be a newcomer."

"A newcomer." The seductive woman's eyes lit up. She licked her sensual lips and said coquettishly, "Brother Jiang, judging by the absorption fluctuations, the cultivation technique must be of no low grade. Should we...?"

Looking at the woman's greedy expression, the man surnamed Jiang laughed heartily, then kneaded her full breasts, saying arrogantly, "A great opportunity is about to fall into our hands. Once we get the cultivation technique, our strength will skyrocket, and our status in the family will surely increase, surpassing Jiang Ling in one fell swoop. Don't you think so?"

"Mm..." She let out a soft moan, a flush spreading across her face, and a faint mist rose from her exposed skin, making her even more alluring under the man's caresses.

"Let's go." A fiery look flashed in the man surnamed Jiang's eyes, but when he noticed the cave, he suppressed his lust, slapped the woman's buttocks, and walked forward.

Inside the cave, the two were frantically devouring the surrounding ancient qi. Little White radiated a holy light, its belly heaving like drumbeats, causing the void to ripple slightly.

Just then, both opened their eyes simultaneously. Yang Tian stretched, and his crystalline bones crackled. The vitality surging from his heart was absorbed back into his body.

"Heh, the visitors are not well-intentioned. It seems I can't fully use the technique in crowded places from now on." Patting Little White's head, Yang Tian cast a cold gaze toward the cave entrance and murmured softly.

"The person inside has noticed us." The two were cautiously moving forward when they suddenly sensed the ancient qi at the cave entrance dissipate completely. Their minds tensed, and the beautiful woman said nervously.

"So what if they noticed? This area is vast. There are two of us, and even against a martial artist, we can put up a fight. There can't be two people inside." The man surnamed Jiang clenched his fist and grinned sinisterly.

"What if there are?"

Suddenly, the large stone beside the cave entrance was slowly pushed aside. A black-robed man walked out from inside, and a light laugh followed.

"Not impressive? I don't like talking to dead men. Even if you were the Holy Son, I'd kill you today." Staring at the black-robed man, the man surnamed Jiang's face grew slightly solemn. Anyone who dared swagger out like that must have some backing.

"You talk big. Just the two of you want to kill the Holy Son? That's nothing but a pipe dream." Shaking his head slightly, Yang Tian's slightly contemptuous voice slowly rang out. These two were half-step martial artists, but their strength was not formidable.

"Kill him!" A flush of shame and anger surged across his face. The man surnamed Jiang roared, and a three-inch iron blade appeared in his palm. His qi and blood surged, pouring into the three-inch iron blade. Azure qi and blood filled the air, and the vacuum rippled violently.

"Heh, as expected of a great clan—any weapon they carry is at the Profound rank. Looks like I'll be getting rich today." Staring at the three-inch iron blade for a moment, Yang Tian's gaze shifted to the beautiful woman.

A pink silk handkerchief floated in the air, suddenly expanding to ten zhang in size. Gale winds howled, sonic booms exploded continuously, like a heavenly scroll, it descended to smash down on Yang Tian's head.

Facing the treasure hurtling toward him, Yang Tian's expression was calm. Just as the treasure was about to crash down on his head, Yang Tian stepped forward. His body was like a drawn bow, his spine like a crouching dragon—he intended to clash head-on with the Profound artifact.

"Haha, Brother Jiang, this guy is an idiot." Seeing Yang Tian's move, the beautiful woman sneered. But before their faces could show joy,

Clang! Clang!

A punch shot out, like an indestructible iron spear. As his muscles rippled, the thunder within his body grew even more deafening. Carrying layers of force, it directly sent the three-inch iron blade flying!

"How is this possible?" The man surnamed Jiang's face changed drastically, staring at the three-inch iron blade in disbelief. A half-step martial artist, with strength to shake a low-grade Profound weapon—his physical body was terrifyingly powerful.

Boom! Without any hesitation, Yang Tian threw another punch. Fierce fist force burst forth, a matching aura howled out, and the silk handkerchief was instantly sent flying.

"Not bad. My physical strength has increased greatly. The Ancient Qi is indeed formidable." Taking a deep breath, Yang Tian's gaze swept over the two fleeing figures ahead. He shook his head slightly. Just entering the Ancient Battlefield, instead of absorbing Ancient Qi to strengthen themselves, they ran out to kill people. If they died, who could they blame?

"Since you're here, stay." Yang Tian's figure flickered as he took several quick steps, appearing before the two of them. A fierce palm wind struck out.

Chi chi! Blood sprayed as the man surnamed Jiang fell dead, leaving behind a terrified, stunning woman. She knelt directly on the ground, trembling with fear: "Spare me, sir. It was all his idea. I can give you a map of an ancient cultivator's cave. I only beg you to spare my life."

"Heh, I'll find the things myself. No need to trouble you." Shaking his head slightly, Yang Tian struck down with his palm, and the beautiful face instantly split apart.

Not long after the two died, two extremely faint black gleams emerged from their bodies and silently slipped into Yang Tian's robe.

Clapping his hands, Yang Tian removed two void rings, and a large pile of items appeared on the ground.

"Not bad, the wealth of disciples from major families is indeed substantial." Nodding, Yang Tian saw three light artifacts alone, tens of thousands of mid-grade blood stones, and dozens of jade bottles filled with top-grade healing pills.

"Eh? Could these be beast inner cores?" Picking up two fleshy balls from the ground, they were completely different from ordinary inner cores, and the energy flowing within them resembled ancient qi.

"Ao wu." Xiao Bai suddenly leaped out and directly swallowed the two inner cores into its belly.

"Glutton, you didn't come out to help during the fight, only knowing how to eat." Patting Xiao Bai's head and seeing its unsatisfied look, Yang Tian said helplessly, then his gaze fell on an ancient map marked with dense red circles.

"So some super forces have caves here too." Scanning the ancient map, which clearly marked the locations of several super forces, Yang Tian murmured softly, his eyes now fixed on one red circle.

"The cave of an ancient powerhouse should have good stuff, right?" Smiling, Yang Tian gathered all the treasures on the ground and dashed toward the marked location on the map.

Just a few hours after Yang Tian left, several extremely fast figures suddenly swept over, their released blood energy several times stronger than the previous two.