Word Count: 2,887 Words
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"Sister Cai Lin!"
Qing Lin shot up from the battlefield where she had been directing the serpent forces and caught Cai Lin's falling body.
"Sister Cai Lin, are you alright?" Her voice trembled with worry.
Cai Lin's eyes never left the black silhouette hanging in the sky. She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and nodded. "I'm fine."
That fire lotus just now was clearly a defensive measure Xiao Yan had left behind, specifically to guard against a sneak attack like this.
As the wall of fire faded, the figure in the air came fully into view. His human appearance was almost identical to Hai Yuanlong's, making his identity easy to guess. This was the Flood Serpent Tribe's Patriarch, the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate. He had long since reached peak Rank 8, with battle strength equivalent to a five-change Dou Venerate!
"Despicable. A dignified peak Dou Venerate resorting to a sneak attack!"
Many of the onlookers frowned, faces twisting with contempt. If a weaker person relied on ambushes, that was one thing. But they were already two-on-one, and still he chose to stab her in the back?!
Even among the older generation, several experts shook their heads. They said nothing, but their eyes held unmistakable disdain.
Standing atop the giant python's head, the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate studied the scorched marks on his palm with a frown. As sea serpents who lived in the ocean, the power they feared most was that of Heavenly Flames.
The fire lotus that had exploded just now had not been overwhelmingly strong, but the fact it could still wound him spoke volumes.
"Father, that's the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils," Hai Yuanlong transmitted.
At that name, even the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's expression tightened. He cast a wary look at the tearful young woman below.
The uncanny abilities of those pupils were such that even a five-change Dou Venerate like him didn't dare take her lightly. "Ignore the one with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Let the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's elders keep her busy. She's only a 4-star Dou Venerate, far weaker than us, but don't get careless."
"If those Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were truly weak, Yao Xiaotian wouldn't have made such generous promises to get us involved. Deal with Queen Medusa first."
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were most effective on serpent races with lower-grade, diluted bloodlines. Qing Lin's cultivation fell far short of the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate and his son, but to say she was completely ineffective would have been foolish.
"Sister Cai Lin, let me help you!" Killing intent flashed across Qing Lin's eyes as she fixed a razor-sharp gaze on the two despicable figures. The irises of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils began to spin.
"No. If you leave, everyone in the city and all of our Yan Alliance warriors will be slaughtered."
This was the Yan Alliance's greatest weakness. It was powerful, but its combat strength had obvious gaps. If not for Qing Lin's unique ability to enslave Dou Venerate-level serpent slaves from the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, the Yan Alliance would have almost no Dou Venerates at all.
The fact that Hai Bodong ranked within the alliance's top ten said enough.
"But…"
"Don't worry. We just need to hold out until Xiao Yan arrives. We've already exceeded the timeframe we agreed upon. He must be on his way."
Qing Lin bit down hard on her lip, then finally nodded. Serpent slaves were just that—slaves. Without her control, they were even less useful than puppets.
She dropped back down toward the raging battlefield. Emerald light flared around her as gigantic pythons emerged from spatial rifts one after another. Relying on her own strength alone, she could contend with tens of thousands of serpents. No wonder the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe could hardly sleep at night for fear of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils!
Cai Lin wove hand seals. Wisps of Heavenly Flame rose slowly from her body, knitting themselves into a suit of fiery armor. The Heavenly Flame itself was no longer in her possession, but she had preserved a portion of its power within her body.
A sword of Heavenly Flame materialized in her hand with a sharp hiss. Thunder rumbled overhead as she gripped the blazing blade. Already breathtakingly beautiful, her bearing now radiated an even more dangerous, mesmerizing allure.
The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's eyes burned with undisguised hunger at the sight of her. For serpent races, Cai Lin was the most coveted prize in the world.
"Don't worry, beauty. I have no intention of killing you. I just need you to make a small contribution to our tribe's future bloodline. Heh heh heh…" His forked tongue flicked across his lips as lurid fantasies of victory and spoils played out in his mind.
He was not alone in his lecherous thoughts. Even Hai Yuanlong in his true form gazed upon her with wicked intent. Serpent races possessed no human concepts of morality, only the distinction between male and female.
Cai Lin could feel those vile, crawling gazes on her body. Her eyes turned glacial. With a sweep of her arm, Heavenly Flame and lightning merged, forming a sword beam infused with both sky thunder and flame that swept out in a horizontal arc.
Heat surged through the air. The surrounding temperature climbed sharply, and falling rain turned to steam midair. Hai Yuanlong opened his massive jaws and spewed out a torrent of water. Water and fire collided with a deafening crash. White steam billowed outward, blanketing the sky in a thick shroud.
"You're still not strong enough!" The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's aura burst forth, domineering and boundless. He tore out of the rolling vapor and charged straight at Queen Medusa.
His Dou Qi surged and spread, transforming into a vast, churning ocean that swept across all directions.
A cataclysmic battle erupted in the sky. Hai Yuanlong, in the form of a colossal sea python, and the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate lashed out again and again. Each strike carried the power to shatter mountains and rend the earth, yet Cai Lin refused to yield. Relying on the traces of Heavenly Flame that remained in her body and the seven-colored thunder she now commanded, she forcibly held both of them at bay.
"Queen Medusa is incredible! She's really holding her own two-on-one?!"
"She's truly powerful. She's already grasped a trace of Heaven Swallowing power. That Heavenly Flame must have been fused into her body through her bloodline."
"But in the end, her cultivation is still too low."
Down below, Qing Lin was likewise being pressed back. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had limits. Controlling them demanded huge amounts of both Dou Qi and Spiritual Strength; she could not keep up that level of intense manipulation forever.
At that moment, a strange poisonous vapor suddenly surged up across the battlefield. Wherever the toxic mist drifted, massive sea pythons' bodies swelled and burst apart, blood turning the earth crimson.
"What's happening?!"
"Poison?!"
A strange light flickered through Cai Lin's beautiful eyes, while Qing Lin's heart leapt with joy.
A tendril of black flame silently appeared behind the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate. Within the dark flames, a black-robed man slowly stepped forth. A cold smile tugged at his lips, his gaze icy. "Sneak attacks? I'm quite good at those myself."
A twelve-colored fire lotus slowly bloomed in his open palm.
The instant it appeared, even the raging downpour seemed to pause. Time itself appeared to hold its breath. Raindrops stopped in midair, then instantly vaporized into nothing!
The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate and Hai Yuanlong both felt their expressions freeze. They spun around. All they saw was a man smiling faintly, hands cupping the lotus as it began to radiate a terrifying light.
Under countless horrified gazes, the lotus exploded!
"Xiao Yan!"
Cai Lin's heart lurched. She shot forward, ready to rush into the heart of the blast, when a powerful hand caught her slender wrist. A warm chuckle brushed her ear. "Relax. That was only a clone."
Black flames wrapped around Cai Lin's body and, in the instant the first wall of fire rolled out, pulled her into the void.
The Angry Buddha Lotus Flame did not distinguish between friend and foe!
An unimaginably massive fire lotus bloomed across the sky, its petals stretching to devour the heavens. This was an Intermediate Tian Class Dou Technique of monstrous power, one of the strongest Xiao Yan could currently wield!
The Asura Soul Reaping Technique's grade was higher, but he had yet to fully cultivate its third level. The Flame God Seal also required more time and effort to polish.
Flames swallowed the sky. When the lotus bloomed, the outcome of the battle was decided. Storm clouds were devoured, the rain evaporated, and the all-consuming fire tide swept outward, heralding absolute annihilation!
Xiao Yan had opened with his strongest twelve-colored fire lotus! Though the highest-ranked Heavenly Flame he used for it was only the ninth-ranked Three Thousand Burning Flame, the lotus's power had already reached the peak of Intermediate Tian Class techniques!
The sea of fire gradually subsided. Black fire reappeared as Xiao Yan stepped out of the void, still holding Cai Lin's jade-smooth hand. She stared at the apocalyptic flames raging in the distance, astonishment filling her beautiful eyes.
Such power…
"Your cultivation…" Cai Lin looked back at the smiling Xiao Yan. She could no longer see through his strength.
Before they had entered the Heavenly Tomb, the two of them had been roughly on par. But three years in the Heavenly Tomb equaled only half a year in the outside world, and Xiao Yan had obtained the Xiao Clan's inheritance there. His cultivation had now far surpassed even hers, despite her absorbing the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's essence blood.
For Cai Lin, however, all of this had taken place in just half a year!
Her own progress had been astonishing. She had thought that when Xiao Yan arrived, he would merely help hold the line. She had never imagined that with a single technique, he would unleash such world-shattering might!
"Two-change Dou Venerate," Xiao Yan said softly, fingers tightening gently around her hand. He understood Cai Lin's temperament all too well.
Her nature leaned toward a kind of fierce, almost 'big‑manly' pride. She preferred to be the one shielding Xiao Yan from the winds and rain, not the one being sheltered by him.
Xiao Yan looked at her slightly pursed red lips and could only let out a bitter smile in his heart. He took two steps forward, slipped an arm around that supple, snake-like waist, and simply pulled her into his embrace, ignoring her token struggles.
"We're practically an old married couple already. Does it really matter who's stronger or weaker?"
Cai Lin's eyes flashed with helplessness at his cheesy line. Her slender jade fingers closed around his waist and gave a savage twist. The pain made him hiss in a sharp breath.
A streak of blue-tinted blood light suddenly shot through the void, tearing free of the fire tide. It was, of course, the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate.
'He actually got away…' Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. At his current cultivation, even a five-change Dou Venerate like Gu Qing Yang would have been laid flat by a direct hit from the twelve-colored lotus.
'He must have had some life-preserving treasure on him.' Xiao Yan had glimpsed an eerie light flash across the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's body. That was likely what had blocked most of the lotus's power. These Demon Venerate-level old monsters truly did have tough lives; their blood bars were thick enough to survive even this.
"Not going to chase him?"
"There's no point. He used a blood-escape technique, and he has a treasure guarding his life. The twelve-colored lotus also drained a great deal of my Dou Qi and Spiritual Strength." Xiao Yan shook his head. "But don't worry, I left a mark on him."
Against a five-change Dou Venerate determined to flee, he lacked reliable methods to give chase, especially after using such a costly technique.
That didn't mean he planned to let the man off. When he had appeared behind him, he had already planted the Soul Chasing Mark from the Asura Soul Reaping Technique. Even if the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate fled to the very ends of the earth, there would be nowhere to hide.
Once the spatial trade fair was over, some debts could be settled slowly!
Xiao Yan and Cai Lin descended at an unhurried pace. The terrifying remnant might of the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame still burned high above, but the battle was clearly over. On the ground, Little Fairy Doctor's poison mist had already claimed an untold number of giant pythons.
In terms of battlefield killing power, no one could compare to the Woeful Poison Body!
"Young Master Xiao Yan!" Qing Lin's nose stung as tears threatened. Her eyes shone, red-rimmed and wet.
Xiao Yan reached out and ruffled her hair with a gentle smile. "It's over now. After the trade fair, I'll settle the score with them properly."
"Mm." Qing Lin nodded lightly. She lifted her gaze to his face, then suddenly remembered something. Her cheeks burned crimson, and she shuffled back two tiny steps, head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes.
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow at her retreat. You're seriously taking a half-step back?
It's over; Qing Lin doesn't love her Young Master anymore!
"Ahem. Well, Qing Lin, take a look at that big fellow over there. See if you can control him. If you can, use pills to save him. If not, just finish him off." Xiao Yan quickly smoothed over the awkwardness, pointing at Hai Yuanlong, who was barely clinging to life after the lotus blast.
That was a peak Rank 8 sea serpent magical beast. If the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils could control him, he would be a tremendous asset. With a serpent of that level, they would feel much more confident going to rob— ahem, trade at the spatial fair.
Qing Lin snapped back to herself and nodded. "I'll try."
She walked to the massive sea python and activated the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Even gravely injured, Hai Yuanlong's partially evolved bloodline resisted their control with ferocious strength.
Just as Xiao Yan shook his head, preparing to put him down, a familiar soul aura suddenly erupted from within Qing Lin.
"The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's soul?!"
With a low hum, the illusory Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent shot into Hai Yuanlong's true body. Moments later, every last trace of Ancient Heaven Serpent bloodline within him was devoured.
Stripped of his ancestral blood, Hai Yuanlong's resistance collapsed. Qing Lin's control flooded in, smoothly enslaving him, and the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's soul returned to her body.
"Does that serpent soul appear often?" Xiao Yan asked Cai Lin quietly.
"It emerges whenever we encounter a powerful expert with concentrated Ancient Heaven Serpent bloodline. Including today, this makes three times." Cai Lin nodded.
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, thoughts turning, but kept his musings to himself.
Space rippled. Little Fairy Doctor stepped out of a spatial crack, white robes untainted despite the bloody field. "What do we do with the Dou Venerate-level ones?"
"First paralyze them and hand them over to Qing Lin. If she can control them, all the better. If not… I'll take care of it."
Xiao Yan had long dreamed of helping Qing Lin build an invincible serpent army, with every member at the Dou Venerate realm! Then Qing Lin alone would be enough to sweep the field!
At Little Fairy Doctor's appearance, Cai Lin's brows drew together almost reflexively. She could sense that even Little Fairy Doctor now surpassed her in strength.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and retrieved a Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill from his storage ring. "Little Fairy Doctor used one of these to bolster her cultivation. If you take it, you should be able to reach 9-star Dou Venerate, perhaps even peak 9-star."
Cai Lin's slim brows pinched together as she weighed it over. After a brief silence, she accepted the pill. She knew very well that the journey to the spatial trade fair would be full of danger. Whether Xiao Yan managed to buy the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's map fragment or not, battle was inevitable.
If he failed to purchase it, he would try to steal it. If he succeeded in buying it, others might well try to steal it from him. One way or another, there would be fighting.
Thankfully, there was still time before the spatial fair began, enough for her to refine the medicinal pill.
…
While Cai Lin entered seclusion to refine the pill, Xiao Yan withdrew to a quiet chamber. With a flick of his wrist, two corpses tumbled out of the Nihility Space.
Naturally, they were Hun Ya and Hun Li.
They were long dead, and their soul bodies had not been sealed into a Soul Command Token. Xiao Yan wasn't even sure whether the Hall of Souls dared take in the soul bodies of Hun Ya and Hun Li.
'Two Grade 8 Dou God Bloodlines… I wonder how much bloodline strength the Tunling Clan's power can extract from them.'