Word Count: 2,842 Words
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"Listen well, Medusa! Hand over the one with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and surrender. We may show you mercy. Otherwise, we will trample your Yan Alliance into dust!"
A border city of the Yan Alliance lay under siege. Giant pythons formed a living wall before its gates, coiled and poised like an army of soldiers. The shouted threat rolled across the city walls, and panic rippled through the streets below.
One after another, colossal serpents rose into the sky, bodies straightening as they stood upon the void itself. They were sea-serpent magical beasts that normally dwelled in the ocean depths.
These were members of the Flood Serpent Tribe. They claimed to possess the blood of ancient flood dragons and the Ancient Heaven Serpent, boasting that two super magical beast lineages flowed through their veins.
In the past, these sea-dwelling serpents had never fallen under the rule of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. The two sides had always kept to their own territories, river water not intruding on well water. After all, when the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe proclaimed sovereignty over every serpent on the Dou Qi Continent, they meant serpents of the land. Their authority simply couldn't reach into the ocean.
Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had shattered that delicate balance. To those pupils, it made no difference whether serpents flew through the skies, swam in the seas, or crawled across the earth. As long as serpent blood flowed in their veins, they all fell under its dominion and could be enslaved.
Of course, all that talk of 'flood dragon and Ancient Heaven Serpent descent' was mostly the Flood Serpent Tribe slapping gold leaf onto their own faces. They were no different from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe or the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe: separated from their ancient ancestors by an unimaginable gulf. Their bloodlines had long since grown chaotic and thin, yet they still unblushingly called themselves descendants.
More reliable accounts held that the Flood Serpent Tribe had indeed once carried traces of both super magical beast bloodlines, but the concentration had grown even thinner than the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's Ancient Heaven Serpent heritage. It was no exaggeration to say that connection had already withered to the point of irrelevance.
So Flood Serpent youngsters were, for the most part, indistinguishable from common sea pythons. Only when a tribe member grew powerful enough would they have a chance to evolve and awaken their ancestral blood, much like Medusa had done. If they were willing to risk their lives, a return to their ancestral state was not entirely impossible.
Now, massive sea pythons arced through cloud and mist like dragons. Wherever they appeared, torrential rain followed, the downpour drenching the land and transforming the shallow plains outside the city into broad lakes. Their momentum was ferocious, as if tens of thousands of dragons were casting a grand spell in unison. The sight struck awe and terror into the hearts of all who watched.
And in that vast serpent host, one could faintly pick out not only the Flood Serpent Tribe, but also the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.
"The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe clearly means to wash away their previous humiliation. I heard that after Queen Medusa emerged from seclusion with greatly increased strength, she slaughtered several of their elders. Absolutely ruthless," a distant onlooker muttered as he watched the combined forces press in around the city.
"Ha, you don't know the half of it. She didn't just kill a few Dou Venerate elders. In that battle, she even cut down Yao Xiaotian's offspring without the slightest mercy."
"Queen Medusa truly is vicious. To dare kill the child of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe leader... that's a blood feud to the death. There's no longer any possibility of reconciliation." A powerful magical beast observer shook his head quietly. "But this time, the Yan Alliance is likely to pay dearly for their recklessness. Word is the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe has reached an agreement with the Flood Serpent Tribe, promising to cede some of their own territory. I've also heard the Flood Serpent Tribe hasn't just sent a token force; they've mobilized their entire tribe. Even their Patriarch has come personally."
"The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate is here?!" Humans might not recognize the name, but among magical beasts, it made countless hearts involuntarily shudder.
"The legendary super magical beast expert who has almost stepped into the Saint rank! They say his bloodline has already undergone evolution."
"Saint my ass! You actually believe magical beasts' bragging? At most, he's just stronger than an average peak Rank 8 beast, nowhere near Rank 9."
"Why doesn't the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe simply send a Dou Saint? Yao Xiaotian himself is a Dou Saint, isn't he?" one member of the younger generation couldn't help asking.
An elder shot him a meaningful look and sighed. "The title 'Pill Gathering Champion' isn't just for show. Don't forget, the Flower Sect's current Sect Master is Yun Yun, who has a very close relationship with Xiao Yan, and the Flower Sect has Dou Saints as well. Even the Pill Tower wouldn't allow a Dou Saint to casually strike down Xiao Yan."
"If it's just Dou Venerate-level fighting on equal footing, the Pill Tower won't intervene. Even if the Yan Alliance loses and is wiped out, that's Xiao Yan's own faction. But if a Dou Saint takes action, that's another matter entirely."
The old man smiled faintly. "Besides, do you really think the Yan Alliance has no Dou Saint behind it? Rumor has it Xiao Yan once found a mysterious Dou Saint to act on his behalf and counter-killed She Ba Shou of the Strange Serpent Tribe. But that's only hearsay; who knows whether it's true or not?"
Gulp.
Many of the younger warriors swallowed hard. So the water here runs this deep...
"But this time the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe seems to be going all-out. They've gathered quite a number of elite Dou Venerates, and even the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate has appeared. Things look grim for Queen Medusa and the Sky Serpent Mansion Saintess with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."
No matter how quickly the Yan Alliance had developed, it remained a newborn among the great factions. It had only entered the Central Plains a few short years ago. Many people felt its growth should halt here. To have expanded its influence into the Central Plains so swiftly already seemed unbelievable to many.
A hundred thousand demon troops ringed the city. Alarm bells tolled throughout the streets as everyone rushed into battle stations.
"Sister Cai Lin..." Within the city, Qing Lin stood in an emerald-green dress, fists clenched tight, worry written across her face.
The disparity in strength was overwhelming. The enemy's Dou Venerate experts alone outnumbered the Yan Alliance's total high-level fighters, and that was without counting the ordinary soldiers. Here in the city, she and Cai Lin were the only two Dou Venerates holding the line.
If it weren't for Cai Lin breaking through to 8-star Dou Venerate using Xiao Yan's pills and Ancient Heaven Serpent essence blood to refine her bloodline strength, and if the enemy weren't wary of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, they would have stormed the city long ago.
Cai Lin's expression remained solemn as she stared through the defensive shield at the world of torrential rain outside. Countless sea pythons twisted through that downpour, forming a monstrous army that chilled the blood.
Her gaze lingered on the very back of the Flood Serpent forces, where an unimaginably powerful aura lurked. That strength was at least equivalent to a five-change Dou Venerate.
Magical beasts didn't refer to the 'nine changes to reach Saint' the way humans did. That nine-change system was part of a special human cultivation method designed to methodically break through the barrier to Dou Saint.
For magical beasts, the key to breaking through from Rank 8 to Rank 9 was bloodline. As long as a beast's opportunities were sufficient and its bloodline could break through its shackles, it could become a Saint without undergoing nine changes. Zi Yan was one such example. After successfully evolving her bloodline to that of a Dragon Phoenix, she only needed enough energy to advance; no bottleneck stood in her way.
Cai Lin was different. Her bloodline was that of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, with peak Rank 8 as its limit. To break through to Rank 9, her bloodline would need to evolve again, into an Eight-Colored, or even the legendary Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
The enemy, by contrast, had clearly been stuck at peak Rank 8 for a very long time. Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary peak Rank 8 magical beasts. In terms of sheer power, they were comparable to a five-change Dou Venerate.
"Sister Cai Lin, they only want me—" Qing Lin hadn't even finished speaking when Cai Lin's fierce glare sliced over, cutting her words short.
Cai Lin pinched Qing Lin's snowy cheek between her slender fingers and said coldly, "If I handed you over, what face would I have left to see Xiao Yan?"
Warmth bloomed in Qing Lin's heart. She had once believed herself utterly alone, with only Xiao Yan truly caring for her. Now, she had gained a queen who treated her like a younger sister.
"Besides, by my calculations, the spatial trade fair begins in half a month." Cai Lin's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the countless sea pythons outside. A cold smile curved her lips. These fools had chosen their timing poorly.
…
BOOM!
Half a day later, a sharp screech rang out from behind the sea python army. The earth heaved as if a dragon were rolling over beneath the surface. After half a day of torrential rain, the land outside the city had already turned into a vast swamp.
Countless sea pythons writhed forward, their colossal bodies smashing violently against the city's protective shield.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Even the first wave of impacts left the fragile barrier dimming and flickering. It clearly wouldn't last much longer before shattering completely.
"Haha! Queen Medusa, your reputation precedes you! I've long heard you possess a returned Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, and I can't help but feel curious. I wonder whether your so-called Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline is genuine or fake. I've come especially to seek your instruction!" A young man in blue robes laughed loudly from midair, his presence domineering.
This was Hai Yuanlong, Young Patriarch of the Flood Serpent Tribe, at the peak of Rank 8. His open 'challenge' made many of the Yan Alliance warriors' faces turn ugly. Her Majesty was no longer just Queen of the Snake-People Tribe; on the Yan Alliance's frontlines, her strength and ruthlessness had completely won their submission.
Such brazen arrogance, such naked contempt—he was treating the Yan Alliance as air.
The elite observers from various factions exchanged glances. Hai Yuanlong spoke of 'seeking guidance,' but his true goal was clearly Cai Lin's Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline.
For races whose own bloodlines had already withered, a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python like Cai Lin was the most alluring prize in the world.
Cai Lin's gaze burned like twin torches. She naturally understood the meaning behind that hint of wickedness in Hai Yuanlong's eyes.
Her own eyes hardened. With a thunderous boom, her blood qi surged like a boundless sea, and arcs of terrifying lightning coiled around her body. She took a single step into the sky. Above her, the illusory figure of a massive python adorned in seven rainbow colors materialized, as if it meant to swallow the heavens themselves.
The immense Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python projection looked down on all directions, gazing coldly upon every living being below. Its unparalleled aura washed across the battlefield, crushing all opposition. The ferocious sea pythons that had been charging so wildly a moment before suddenly froze, their bodies trembling as they instinctively prostrated themselves in worship.
The Heaven Swallowing Python was one of the ancient super magical beast races, the natural sovereign of all serpent-type magical beasts. And Cai Lin, a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bearing the Serpent Mother's power, stood among the strongest existences in the world. A mere trace of her aura was enough to make the heavens tremble and compel ten thousand snakes to kneel.
Qing Lin enslaved myriad serpents through the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Cai Lin, however, made them bow with nothing but her own strength!
Hai Yuanlong's expression darkened the instant Cai Lin appeared. He had never imagined her bloodline strength would be so terrifying. Even he felt a faint urge to shudder. This was no empty boasting. This was a true, pure Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline!
Facing such a powerful foe, Cai Lin held nothing back and openly revealed her 8-star Dou Venerate cultivation.
Lightning gathered in her palm. Without wasting a single word, her first strike aimed straight for the kill. Thunder boomed as a seven-colored bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, slamming down toward Hai Yuanlong like a furious celestial serpent!
Hai Yuanlong's face changed drastically the moment he sensed the terror within that seven-colored lightning. He hurriedly unleashed all of his bloodline strength. Countless raindrops around him instantly condensed into a water barrier that wrapped tightly around his body.
The seven-colored lightning crashed down like a divine python. With a deafening roar, it shattered the water shield as easily as dry twigs, blasting the previously arrogant Flood Serpent Young Patriarch into a disheveled tumble from the sky.
With a single move, Cai Lin at 8-star Dou Venerate had knocked down Hai Yuanlong, whose combat strength rivaled a peak 9-star Dou Venerate.
The sight left the surrounding spectators completely dumbfounded.
"It really is the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline... The purest form!"
Everyone had tacitly assumed that when magical beasts boasted about their amazing bloodlines, it was all empty bragging. Just like the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe and Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, the gap between them and the Ancient Heaven Phoenix or Ancient Heaven Serpent wasn't small at all.
So many had assumed the rumors about Cai Lin's Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline were exaggerated, that they were false. They had taken it for granted that she merely possessed a faint trace of the bloodline, like the other self-proclaimed descendant tribes.
Now they realized this was far more than a mere 'trace'!
"Kill!!" Hai Yuanlong's expression twisted hideously after being struck down. With a furious roar, he charged back into the sky and transformed into his full beast form, a massive sea python covered in dragon scales!
Eighteen massive sweeps followed one after another, each leaving heavy afterimages as the colossal python howled and thrashed. Its roars shook the world, tearing through the sky!
"Part of his bloodline has already undergone evolution!" When the giant python burst forth, even the void shuddered and fractured. Many onlookers' faces changed. Was Hai Yuanlong already going all out?
"Hmph." Cai Lin showed no fear whatsoever in the face of that enormous body. Like a peerless empress, she formed another series of hand seals, and heaven's thunder answered her call. Seven-colored lightning even more terrifying than before crashed down from the sky, each bolt as thick as a mountain range.
Hiss hiss hiss!!!
The seven-colored heavenly lightning and the sea-blue giant python collided again and again. Waves of blue ripples surged from the dragon scales covering the giant serpent's body, straining to block the lightning's invasion.
But Cai Lin was no pushover. Although her cultivation hadn't reached the peak of 9-star, her superior bloodline granted her the power to fight above her level.
"That seven-colored heavenly lightning is so strong!"
"Of course it is! It's said the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe can wield a portion of the Ancestral Dragon's power. Queen Medusa simply hasn't inherited a complete legacy. If she could fully unleash the Serpent Mother's Heaven Devouring power, Hai Yuanlong would have lost already."
Just as both sides locked into a dead heat, a strange black shadow suddenly appeared behind Cai Lin. A vicious grin twisted across the shadow's face as it lashed out without warning, palm striking directly at her back in a treacherous sneak attack!
Cai Lin's eyes narrowed the instant she sensed the ambusher's presence. Three-colored Heavenly Flame surged from within her, automatically rising to protect her body. The flame compressed in a flash into a small three-colored fire lotus that met the shadowy palm head-on.
The man in black clearly hadn't expected Cai Lin to possess such a trump card. Palm and lotus collided with a thunderous crash. Flames erupted as the three-colored lotus exploded into a violent firestorm. The terrifying shockwave blasted both combatants apart.
The force of the blast was so great that even the rain curtain overhead was partially vaporized, leaving the sky above the city briefly clear before the downpour resumed in earnest.