Word Count: 2,870 Words
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Xiao Yan's goal wasn't merely to resurrect the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent. He needed a Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent strong enough to shelter Qing Lin, one capable of reaching the Dou Saint realm to stand alongside them against the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe!
Qing Lin's cultivation could not be allowed to exceed Dou Saint level. Once she crossed that threshold, the negative emotions of all the snake slaves absorbed by the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils would erupt, sending her completely out of control.
The negative energy within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils differed fundamentally from the Dou God's negative energy lingering in the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. This corruption dug deep into the soul itself and was bound to the magical pupils. Xiao Yan couldn't simply use the Nihility Devouring Flame to devour it; attempting that would burn Qing Lin's soul to ash along with it.
In this world, the only thing that could perfectly purify such negative energy was the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. That special Heavenly Flame only cleansed harmful things. It was extraordinarily unique.
But obtaining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was far from guaranteed.
When Xiao Yan had first discovered that the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's remnant soul could actually resist the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' control and even secretly influence Qing Lin in turn, he had realized something crucial. The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent might possess a special ability allowing it to merge with the snake slaves' negative emotions trapped within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
That explained why the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent was so irritable and unhinged. It was essentially the embodied manifestation of the Ancient Heaven Serpent Tribe's evil aspect, a mutated ferocious beast born from absorbing the entire tribe's accumulated malice.
After perceiving this, Xiao Yan had deliberately preserved the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's tattoo precisely to provide Qing Lin with a layer of insurance. This was a matter of life and death; he had to prepare contingencies.
Therefore, the stronger the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent became, the safer Qing Lin would be. As her Young Master, he could be considered diligently fulfilling his duties.
Universal-love Yan Tianzun, protecting every young maiden's heart with utmost dedication!
"Xiao Yan! If you leave now, I can offer suitable compensation!" The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate transformed into his true body, his face twisted with rage as he roared. Though he looked ready to fight to the death at any moment, anyone could see it was nothing but a thin veneer of bravado masking a coward's heart.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and slowly shook his head. "I already gave you a choice. I'm not a bloodthirsty person. I only need your head to console the fallen members of the Yan Alliance. It's unfortunate you didn't make the right choice."
As for the other members of the Flood Serpent Tribe, Xiao Yan held no particular grudge. Every debt had its debtor, every crime its perpetrator. He only needed the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate who had initiated this war to pay with his life to comfort the spirits of the fallen Yan Alliance members.
Unfortunately, the tribesmen remained stubbornly loyal to their leader.
A vicious light flashed through the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's eyes when he heard that Xiao Yan had no intention of letting him off. Self-sacrifice was out of the question. He would sacrifice every last tribesman to protect his own life!
"All tribesmen, hear my command! Blood sacrifice your essence blood! Xiao Yan, you forced my hand! Don't think you're invincible just because you possess the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Our tribe's Ancestral Soul isn't of the snake race; it doesn't fear your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils!"
The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate instantly flew into a frenzy, emitting a string of strange calls. Throughout Dragon Palace City, many tribesmen exchanged uneasy glances, but eventually, they all spat mouthfuls of essence blood onto the formation.
The colossal Ancestral Soul, now empowered by additional essence blood, seemed to truly awaken with a resonant hum. It grew incomparably solid, its aura climbing steadily until it reached the level of a high-level Half-Saint.
"Your fire lotus may be powerful, but this is the deep sea!"
Feeling the Ancestral Soul's might, the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's eyes betrayed a trace of pain, yet he completely ignored his tribesmen who had collapsed to the ground, hovering at death's edge after losing their precious essence blood.Xiao Yan's goal wasn't merely to resurrect the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent. He needed one strong enough to shelter Qing Lin, one capable of reaching the Dou Saint realm so it could stand alongside them against the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe!
Qing Lin's cultivation could never be allowed to exceed the Dou Saint level. The moment she crossed that threshold, the negative emotions of every snake slave absorbed by the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils would erupt and send her spiraling out of control.
The negative energy stored within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils differed fundamentally from the Dou God's residual negativity lingering in the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. This corruption dug deep into the soul itself and was inextricably bound to the magical pupils. Xiao Yan couldn't simply use the Nihility Devouring Flame to devour it; the attempt would burn Qing Lin's soul to ash along with it.
In all the world, only one thing could perfectly purify such negative energy: the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. That extraordinary Heavenly Flame cleansed only what was harmful, leaving everything else untouched. It was unique in that regard.
But obtaining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was far from guaranteed.
When Xiao Yan had first discovered that the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's remnant soul could resist the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' control and even secretly influence Qing Lin in turn, a crucial realization had struck him. The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent might possess a special ability that allowed it to merge with the negative emotions of the snake slaves trapped within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
That explained why this Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent was so irritable and unhinged. It was, in essence, the embodied manifestation of the Ancient Heaven Serpent Tribe's dark side, a mutated ferocious beast born from absorbing an entire tribe's accumulated malice.
After perceiving this, Xiao Yan had deliberately preserved the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's tattoo to provide Qing Lin with a layer of insurance. This was a matter of her life and death. He had to prepare contingencies.
The stronger the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent became, the safer Qing Lin would be. As her Young Master, he could be considered diligently fulfilling his duties.
Universal-love Yan Tianzun, protecting every young maiden's heart with utmost dedication!
"Xiao Yan! If you leave now, I can offer suitable compensation!" The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate reverted to his true body and roared, his face twisted into a mask of ferocity that suggested he might fight to the death at any moment. Anyone with eyes, however, could see it was nothing but a thin veneer of bravado masking a coward's heart.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and shook his head. "I already gave you a choice. I'm not a bloodthirsty person. All I need is your head to console the fallen members of the Yan Alliance. It's unfortunate you didn't make the right one."
As for the other members of the Flood Serpent Tribe, he held no particular grudge. Every debt had its debtor, every crime its perpetrator. He only needed the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate, the one who had initiated this war, to pay with his life and comfort the spirits of the fallen.
Unfortunately, the tribesmen remained stubbornly loyal to their leader.
A vicious light flashed through the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's eyes when he heard that Xiao Yan had no intention of sparing him. Self-sacrifice was out of the question. He would sacrifice every last tribesman to save his own skin!
"All tribesmen, hear my command! Blood sacrifice your essence blood! Xiao Yan, you forced my hand! Don't think you're invincible just because you possess the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Our tribe's Ancestral Soul isn't of the snake race. It doesn't fear your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils!"
The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate flew into an instant frenzy, emitting a string of strange, guttural calls. Throughout Dragon Palace City, many tribesmen exchanged uneasy glances, but one by one, they all spat mouthfuls of essence blood onto the formation.
A resonant hum filled the water. Empowered by the additional essence blood, the colossal Ancestral Soul seemed to truly come alive. It grew incomparably solid, its aura climbing steadily until it reached the level of a high-level Half-Saint.
"Your fire lotus may be powerful, but this is the deep sea!" The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's eyes betrayed a flash of pain as he sensed the Ancestral Soul's surging might, yet he spared not a single glance for his tribesmen who had collapsed to the seabed, hovering at death's edge after surrendering their precious essence blood.
Qing Lin felt no pity watching those Flood Serpents lying in pools of their own blood. If she were to pity these people, who would mourn the Yan Alliance members who had perished in that battle?
Originally, neither Xiao Yan nor his companions had intended to make enemies of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, much less this Flood Serpent Tribe. But out of fear of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and greed for Cai Lin's Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, they had unhesitatingly started a war to capture both Cai Lin and Qing Lin.
That had unquestionably struck Xiao Yan's reverse scale!
"If you have any other methods, bring them all out." Xiao Yan's smile was faint, almost lazy. "That way you can die with a peaceful mind."
His casual, unconcerned manner made the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate grind his teeth in fury. He sank his fangs savagely into his own body, and blood gushed from the wound. The blue pendant floating before him simultaneously burst forth with blinding red light.
He wasn't the only one. Every Rank 8 elite of the Flood Serpent Tribe also bit into their own flesh, releasing torrents of fresh blood.
All that blood condensed into a single crimson sphere and flew into the Ancestral Soul. A vicious blood-red light exploded outward from within in the next instant. The Ancestral Soul seemed to have awakened some latent bloodline strength, and its aura surged once more!
It had broken through to the Dou Saint realm!
By relying on precisely this method, the Flood Serpent Tribe had avoided being swallowed by the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. Even if this Ancestral Soul wasn't truly alive, it still possessed Dou Saint strength. The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had no desire to fight to the death against a Dou Saint-level Ancestral Soul.
"Xiao Yan, you've lost! You'll never break through our Dragon Palace City!" The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate regained his composure and shouted, buoyed by the Ancestral Soul's power. "If you know what's good for you, leave at once and stop making enemies of our Flood Serpent Tribe!"
"I haven't even made my move yet, and you're already declaring my defeat?" Xiao Yan laughed, his tone almost amused.
"With our Ancestral Soul standing guard, you will never breach Dragon Palace City!" another Flood Serpent expert declared coldly. "Leave now while there's still time. Otherwise, once our Ancestral Soul strikes, you won't even have a burial place!"
Their shouting for Xiao Yan to leave was hardly surprising. The Ancestral Soul looked formidable, but it could not actually leave Dragon Palace City. Its very existence depended entirely on the unique terrain and the special arrangements built into the palace itself.
"I truly feel sorry for your ancestors." Xiao Yan shook his head with a quiet laugh. "Just this meager Ancestral Soul, and you're already boasting like frogs at the bottom of a well."
"You—!" Countless Flood Serpent Dou Venerates flushed scarlet with rage, jabbing accusatory fingers at Xiao Yan, yet not one of them could find the words for a retort.
"You're nothing more than a Two-Change Dou Venerate! The gap between you and a Dou Saint is still enormous! No matter how heaven-defying your methods, breaching Dragon Palace City remains impossible!"
"Two-Change Dou Venerate?" Xiao Yan laughed and shook his head. "Do you really think you still dictate how this ends? Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look. Your so-called Ancestral Soul is nothing but a tonic."
"And besides... I'm not a Dou Venerate."
The corners of his lips curved upward. A heartbeat later, an aura so overwhelming it made every living creature tremble erupted from his body!
The power flowing from him surpassed even the Ancestral Soul they had just summoned. Terror surged from the depths of every Flood Serpent's heart. A single thought consumed their minds:
Not a Dou Venerate!!!
"I am a Dou Saint. A true Dou Saint."
Xiao Yan formed a hand seal. Black-gold light surged outward with a low hum, drowning the entire seabed. Golden radiance and darkness swallowed Dragon Palace City whole with a thunderous crash.
Two colossal hands, each as vast as the city itself, stretched forth from the light!
One resembled a demon's claw, seething with strange, pitch-black power. The other shone with brilliant golden light, pure and sacred. The Asura Giant's hands closed around the sea dragon patrolling Dragon Palace City in a single, inescapable grasp!
To capture this kind of Ancestral Soul, the best method was naturally to drag it into the Asura Abyss. For the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent, this thing would serve as an excellent tonic!
The Ancestral Soul erupted with heaven-shaking dragon might the instant it was seized. Xiao Yan merely sneered and activated the Hun Clan's Dou God Bloodline. A pitch-black pattern surfaced across the Asura hand.
Xiao Yan was a Dou Saint, a true Dou Saint. He had elevated the Hun Clan's Dou God Bloodline to Divine Grade and cultivated a Tian Class Soul Training Method on top of that!
An Ancestral Soul that had barely clawed its way to Dou Saint through blood sacrifices and Secret Methods couldn't possibly compare.
Had he possessed only Heavenly State Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan might genuinely have struggled against a Dou Saint-level Ancestral Soul. But now that he himself stood in the Dou Saint realm, the Divine Grade Bloodline's enhancement multiplied the power of his Soul Techniques countless times over.
The giant dragon bellowed. Dou Saint might exploded outward in waves, yet it accomplished nothing. Those two vast hands gripped it like claws seizing a slippery loach, ripped Dragon Palace City's formation to shreds, and swiftly dragged the Ancestral Soul down into the endless abyss.
All protections, all power, all formations... before Xiao Yan's terrifying Spiritual Strength, every last one of them was pitifully insignificant.
The Flood Serpent Demon Venerate's face had gone utterly blank, his expression frozen in a daze.
Dou Saint? A man who had been only a Two-Change Dou Venerate a single year ago... how could he possibly be a Dou Saint now???
Moreover, their tribe's Ancestral Soul was also Dou Saint-level. How could it crumble without withstanding even a single move?!
Impossible! This was impossible!!
Xiao Yan pressed one hand downward. Irresistible Saint Might descended with a deafening boom, crushing every sea python flat against the seabed, the previously high-and-mighty Flood Serpent Demon Venerate included. None of them could so much as twitch. The sapphire-blue pendant naturally flew into Xiao Yan's grasp as well.
Rumble after rumble thundered through the depths as countless buildings collapsed. The Dragon Palace City that had once been so magnificent was reduced in an instant to a heap of broken ruins, its walls completely pulverized.
"Grandmaster Xiao Yan, no, Saint Yan... no, no, no, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please spare the old, weak, women, and children of my tribe! We are willing to submit!" A 9-star Dou Venerate elder pinned beneath Xiao Yan's Saint Might roared hoarsely.
"Your Majesty, please withdraw your Saint Might!"
Every Flood Serpent tribesman had been frightened witless by now, addressing Xiao Yan directly as 'Your Majesty.' Had they not been crushed into the ground, they would probably have been kowtowing until their foreheads bled.
They had never feared Yao Xiaotian, that intermediate 1-star Dou Saint, because they had possessed their Ancestral Soul. But judging from what they had just witnessed... the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe would soon vanish from the Dou Qi Continent entirely, replaced by the Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe!
Xiao Yan swept his gaze across the surroundings. Only after confirming no other hidden threats existed did he finally relax. He had held back at the start precisely to stay vigilant and keep an escape route open. If the Flood Serpent Tribe had possessed power that exceeded his own, he would have grabbed Qing Lin and used the Heaven Seed Flame to flee on the spot.
From what he saw now, their only real backing had been that single Ancestral Soul. When it came to dealing with soul bodies, this Tenth Tianzun had far too many methods at his disposal!
His terrifying Spiritual Strength swept across the entire sea region. After confirming several times over that no other Dou Saints lurked nearby, he gave Qing Lin a small nod.
Qing Lin formed a hand seal and activated her magical pupils. A smear of emerald-green light enveloped the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate. He tried to resist using his cultivation, but the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent knew this was the time to contribute. It bolstered Qing Lin's power, and under their combined pressure, the Flood Serpent Tribe Leader was completely transformed into a snake slave.
Only after the Flood Serpent Demon Venerate fell under the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' control did Xiao Yan wave his hand and lift the suppression.
Even then, every last Flood Serpent tribesman remained kneeling, none daring to rise. This battle had truly shattered their courage beyond repair. Xiao Yan's strength surpassed that of an ordinary 1-star Dou Saint by an unfathomable margin!
The Ancestral Soul they had summoned with the power of their entire tribe hadn't even withstood a single move!
"I won't make things difficult for your tribe," Xiao Yan said calmly. "Open your treasury. Surrender all secret realms and mineral veins to my Yan Alliance. In return, my Yan Alliance will guarantee your safety, and you may continue living in this sea region."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After spending so much time at Cai Lin's side, Xiao Yan had absorbed much through osmosis and learned a thing or two about the art of rulership. After defeating a faction, the way to extract maximum benefit wasn't to exterminate them completely but to offer a measure of sweetness and have them work for you instead.
Only then would the returns be greatest.
The Flood Serpent Tribe's treasury was vast, but few items there could catch Xiao Yan's eye anymore. He barely spared a glance for ordinary Rank 8 Monster Cores. After selecting a handful of peak Rank 8 Monster Cores and some precious medicinal ingredients unique to the ocean depths, he left the rest behind.
Eventually, Xiao Yan and Qing Lin followed the Flood Serpent Tribe's First Elder, Hai Yan, to an undersea volcano.
"Your Majesty, this is our tribe's most precious secret realm. It is extremely suitable for body tempering." Knowing that Xiao Yan sought a body-tempering secret realm, Hai Yan had rushed to bring him here without a moment's delay, terrified that even the slightest hesitation might displease him.
Had Qing Lin not been standing right beside Xiao Yan, Hai Yan might well have sent over the most beautiful tribeswomen as offerings too.
"Mm. You may withdraw." Xiao Yan gave a small wave of his hand.
Once the Flood Serpent experts had departed, the Sea Heart Flame emerged from his Acceptance Soul. The seawater itself seemed to transform into oil, ignited by the Sea Heart Flame in an instant. Sea-blue fire roared to life, burning through an entire stretch of the sea. Flame and ocean merged into one, completely enveloping the secret realm.
Qing Lin released her suppression with a soft hum. The shrunken soul body of the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent floated slowly free and came to hover before the undersea volcano. Nine heads, eighteen pupils, all turned toward Xiao Yan in unison. He could read the question in its gaze without needing a single word.
"I, Xiao Yan, always keep my word."
Mao Wu appeared and opened his enormous mouth wide, disgorging a skeleton so ridiculously vast it defied belief.
That was the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's own skeleton, and its sheer size was unlike anything Xiao Yan had ever laid eyes on. Beside the bones lay not only the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's Monster Core but also a sphere of sealed light containing the Flood Serpent Tribe's Ancestral Soul, freshly captured.
That Ancestral Soul still harbored a considerable amount of precious essence blood, barely enough to complete the bloodline needed for a resurrected physical body.
Joy flashed through the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's eyes at the sight of its well-preserved skeleton and Monster Core. With these components and Xiao Yan's alchemy, it truly had a chance to return to life!
The super-mutated ferocious beast that had once thrown the entire Dou Qi Continent into terror during the savage era was about to reappear in the world!
"It's time for you to show your sincerity." Xiao Yan's gaze settled on the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's soul body. He wasn't about to work for free.