Word Count: 2,777 Words
******
The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's eyes narrowed slightly at Xiao Yan's words. A flicker of ferocity and hesitation passed through those eighteen inverted triangular pupils.
As a Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent, its nature was savage to the core. It was not born to submit to anyone; not in life, not in death, not even when refined. Even the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils couldn't force its complete submission.
Yet now it had no choice but to lower its proud heads in exchange for the second life Xiao Yan offered. Though brutal by nature, greed ran just as deep.
Magical beasts possessed lifespans many times longer than those of humans. Trading some years of guardianship for an even longer life? This was a bargain the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent knew how to calculate.
During the Hundred Reincarnations beneath the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan had revisited his alchemy foundations under Venerable Yao's guidance, patching flaws and filling gaps. His skills had solidified, returning to a state of pure simplicity that smoothed the path ahead.
Xiao Yan's greatest weapon was not his Dou Saint cultivation alone. His mastery of alchemy was an equally invincible asset. On the Dou Qi Continent, the people one could least afford to offend were alchemists!
This was especially true for those at the peak. Top-tier alchemists possessed unfathomable methods. Once pills reached tier 9, refining them became tantamount to creating life itself.
The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent slowly lowered its heads at last. The central head moved before Qing Lin, closed its eyes, and bared its forehead. The gesture was unmistakable: it was willing to sign a soul contract, to become her guardian spirit beast, acknowledge her as master, submit, and protect her for life.
Qing Lin didn't move immediately. She turned to Xiao Yan first. Only when she saw him nod did she gently bite her jade-like fingertip. Forming a hand seal, she guided out a crimson blood droplet tinged with jade-green and lightly tapped it onto the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's brow.
Her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils activated with a low hum. The blood droplet on the serpent's soul body slowly spread, finally tracing out the shape of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
This was Qing Lin's second soul contract. The first had naturally been with Shuang Er, the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Though Shuang Er's strength was unremarkable, it remained her loyal companion even now.
With the soul contract complete, the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent drifted before Xiao Yan. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' hold was not absolute against a creature of its caliber; he needed to add another layer of insurance.
Golden light surged forth. A luminous ring appeared around the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils imprint on the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's forehead. This was a failsafe Xiao Yan left behind to prevent any future rebellion.
With everything in place, Xiao Yan began fulfilling his promise. He turned to the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent and said, "Enter the Monster Core. I'll first help you fuse your soul, skeleton, and Monster Core together. Then I'll refine the Supreme Unity Precious Pill so you can be reborn."
The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's nine heads nodded simultaneously. Its soul transformed into a streak of light and drilled into the Monster Core. The moment it slipped inside, Xiao Yan sent the captured Ancestral Soul surging in after it.
Two colossal soul forces crashed together the instant the Ancestral Soul merged into the core. Their struggle lasted about a day before the soul fluctuations finally subsided. If it couldn't even defeat a suppressed Flood Serpent Ancestral Soul, Xiao Yan wouldn't have bothered with this Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent.
Only after confirming that the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's soul had devoured the Flood Serpent Ancestral Soul, replenishing both its Spiritual Strength and bloodline strength, did Xiao Yan toss the enormous skeleton and Monster Core into the undersea volcano. The volcano's natural heat would accelerate the fusion between skeleton and core.
He brought his hands together. The Green Lotus Core Flame and Ten Thousand Beast Flame merged into a red-green Heavenly Flame called the 'Ten Thousand Beast Core Flame.'
Within earth veins, the Green Lotus Core Flame was the undisputed king among Heavenly Flames. Xiao Yan channeled his fire control power, using the Green Lotus Core Flame to manipulate the core fire vein while the Ten Thousand Beast Flame activated the magical beast bloodline.
Under the Ten Thousand Beast Core Flame's terrifying heat, the titanic skeleton began to slowly shrink. It was a lengthy fusion process, but Xiao Yan felt no rush. He still had a Supreme Unity Precious Pill to refine.
"Qing Lin, use your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils from the side to deepen your connection with the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent. Don't let it have any chance to forcefully break free from your restraint," Xiao Yan instructed.
"I understand, Young Master."
"Wait." A thought suddenly occurred to Xiao Yan, and he called her back.
Qing Lin turned, confusion glimmering in her beautiful jade-green eyes. "Does Young Master Xiao Yan have further orders?"
"No, this is for you." Xiao Yan retrieved the Flood Serpent Tribe's blue pendant from his Nihility Space. "Infusing Dou Qi into this creates a special protective barrier. It can shield you in critical moments."
Qing Lin hurriedly shook her head when she saw such a precious item. "Qing Lin can't accept something this valuable! Young Master Xiao Yan's life is far more important than Qing Lin's. This should be for Young Master Xiao Yan."
A warm current flowed through her heart, but she still refused. Compared to Xiao Yan, her own life was just a worthless little thing.
"When has your Young Master ever taken back something he's given away? Come here." Xiao Yan undid the pendant's clasp with mild exasperation.
"But—"
"That's an order."
Tears instantly welled in those emerald eyes. Fighting back the urge to cry, Qing Lin nodded vigorously and stepped closer.
Xiao Yan gently looped the pendant around her neck and fastened the clasp, then nodded in satisfaction. "It suits you."
Staring at the pendant resting against her neck, Qing Lin could hold back no longer. Bean-sized tears spilled down her cheeks and splashed onto the cool blue gem. She flung her arms around Xiao Yan and burst into sobs.
Xiao Yan embraced this girl who had always been so self-deprecating and starved for affection, his arms firm and steady as he gently stroked her soft hair.
"Alright, that's enough crying. You still need to cultivate the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils," he said warmly.
Qing Lin said nothing. She only buried her face in his chest and nodded, quietly savoring this broad, warm embrace.
…
Once everything was arranged, Xiao Yan began refining the Tier 9 Supreme Unity Precious Pill.
Though it was a tier 9 pill, the Supreme Unity Precious Pill was a healing-type medicinal pill. Compared to breakthrough pills like the Bodhisattva Great Restoration Pill, there remained a gap. Among Tier 9 Treasure Pills, it belonged to the relatively easier category.
Of course, what counted as 'easier' depended entirely on the alchemist. For most, refining one might take anywhere from six months to a year. For Xiao Yan, who had experienced the Hundred Reincarnations, it would take less than two months.
He lifted his gaze skyward. Above this patch of sea, Black Demon Lightning clouds had already gathered into a roiling mass. After condensing for some time, they burst with a thunderous crack. The Black Demon Lightning twisted into a giant python and plunged downward, its terrifying power tearing a massive rift not only through the ocean but through the void itself.
The enormous lightning serpent smashed through the sea, intent on destroying the newly formed pill. Its might was fearsome, though still somewhat inferior to the Black Demon Lightning that had descended for the Bodhisattva Great Restoration Pill.
Xiao Yan formed a hand seal as the Black Demon Lightning, comparable to a Dou Saint's strike, came crashing down. His Dou Saint might erupted in full. For the first time since creating the Flame God Seal, its creator unleashed it in battle. Five kinds of Heavenly Flames fused in an instant as the God Seal Technique's five seals merged. The flames transformed into five beast-headed, human-bodied beast gods.
All five beast gods formed their own distinct palm seals simultaneously. The five seals converged into one in an instant.
"Flame God Seal!"
A palm imprint of five interwoven colors materialized in his hand. The massive consumption of Dou Qi and Spiritual Strength left his face somewhat pale, yet excitement he couldn't conceal blazed in his eyes.
This was the High Tian Class Dou Technique he had created!
He thrust his palm outward.
BOOM!!!
The palm imprint soared skyward as a pillar of Heavenly Flame light. Terrifying five-colored fire roared into the heavens, swallowing the Black Demon Lightning in an instant. Though it was Heavenly Lightning, even it melted beneath this blow. Even Heavenly Punishment would have been burned to nothing.
The Flame God Seal finally dissipated. The ocean below remained torn apart, unable to knit itself back together. The Black Demon Lightning clouds had vanished entirely, leaving only a gaping hole in the sky that exposed a patch of empty void.
The pill that had attempted escape barely had time to move before Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength came crashing down, pinning it in place.
A successfully refined tier 9 pill didn't immediately possess Dou Saint strength. It only had the potential to reach that level with proper cultivation. Fresh from the cauldron, a Tier 9 Treasure Pill barely reached Half-Saint strength; Xiao Yan suppressed it with ease.
He examined the Supreme Unity Precious Pill resting in his palm and nodded in satisfaction. A pill that had reached tier 9 released a medicinal fragrance detectable even across the void, a scent that seemed to set the soul at ease.
Hiss hiss!!
Down in the undersea volcano, the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent let out an impatient soul hiss. Its immense skeleton had shrunk somewhat. Threads of essence blood now flowed within the marrow of its bones.
Though still just stark white bone on the outside, its soul had already fused within. A blood-red Monster Core hovered at the center of the skeleton like a heart, providing energy.
"I know you're eager, but have patience." Xiao Yan smiled and wrapped the pill in Heavenly Flame before flicking it toward the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent. The Supreme Unity Precious Pill streaked through the void and slowly sank into the Monster Core.
Buzz!!!!
A strange fragrance surged outward. The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's bones began to sprout muscle, blood vessels, and nerves at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Bringing the dead back to life, putting flesh on bare white bones!
The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's body was enormous, but the Supreme Unity Precious Pill's efficacy was not slow. By Xiao Yan's estimate, in half a month to a month, the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent would fully refine the Supreme Unity Precious Pill and then... be reborn!
When it came to resurrecting soul bodies, Xiao Yan was entirely in his element.
He swept his Spiritual Strength over Qing Lin and sensed that the soul connection between her and the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent was steadily deepening. Thanks to the feedback from the serpent's ongoing resurrection, Qing Lin's cultivation had already risen to One-Change Dou Venerate.
If the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent truly completed its revival, who knew how far Qing Lin's cultivation might soar?
Xiao Yan took out a brocade box containing a medicinal pill refined from the final recipe left by the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint. It was meant for Qing Lin to use when she neared the Dou Saint threshold, to suppress the resentment of the snake slaves within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and prevent her mind from being overwhelmed by negative emotions, the way the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's had been.
"Qing Lin, if your cultivation reaches a point where you can no longer hold it back, take this pill." He placed the brocade box before her and spoke softly.
"Qing Lin understands." She nodded earnestly.
After checking the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent's progress once more, Xiao Yan prepared to leave. He needed to return and prepare for the counterattack against the Profound Sky Sect and the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe!
He left a puppet behind, then sealed the entire secret realm with the Sea Heart Flame, hiding it deep within the ocean.
Surprisingly, Xiao Yan didn't head straight back to the Yan Alliance. Instead, he traveled to a different destination: Burning Flame Valley!
Originally, he hadn't planned to seek outside help, but those two Pill Beasts had proven utterly unreliable. He and Little Fairy Doctor had believed that Tuan Tuan was nearly ready to evolve into a tier 9 pill beast, and that a single Bodhisattva Seed would be enough to trigger the transformation.
Unexpectedly, after swallowing the Bodhisattva Seed, that fellow had simply fallen into a deep sleep. Though signs of evolution had indeed appeared, who knew when it would wake? With no other choice, Xiao Yan had to seek reinforcements. The Profound Sky Sect had a high-level Half-Saint; he needed a contingency plan.
…
Within Burning Flame Valley, in a quiet bamboo grove, an old man with fiery-red hair sat on a stone chair while Tang Zhen, the Valley Master, busied himself brewing tea.
Today, this tranquil bamboo forest had welcomed an 'uninvited guest.'
"Hey, hey, Xiao Yan, what's your cultivation level now?" Tang Huo Er had naturally tagged along to eavesdrop on the gossip the moment she heard Xiao Yan had come seeking Old Ancestor Huo Yun.
Xiao Yan took a sip of bamboo leaf tea and smiled. "A bit stronger than you, I suppose."
Tang Huo Er accepted that answer without question and nodded. She was currently a 1-star Dou Venerate; she assumed 'a bit stronger' meant a few more stars than her.
She had no idea that by 'a bit stronger,' Xiao Yan meant a 1-star Dou Saint!
Just a mere ten cultivation levels' difference.
Tang Zhen and Old Ancestor Huo Yun, however, weren't so easily fooled. Even Huo Yun, a 1-star Dou Saint himself, could no longer see through Xiao Yan's cultivation.
"Cough, cough." Old Ancestor Huo Yun suddenly broke into a violent fit of coughing, his face flushing an even deeper shade of red. Tang Huo Er immediately abandoned her chatter and hurried to his side, gently patting his back.
"Huo Er is still the most considerate." After her jade-like hands had patted his back for a while, the red-haired old man's complexion eased somewhat. He cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, you didn't come here wanting my Burning Flame Valley to join your Yan Alliance, did you?"
He paused, then added with a smirk, "It's not impossible for us to join. Marry Huo Er, and this old man will agree."
Tang Huo Er, who had been dutifully patting his back, froze. Her pretty face flushed crimson, and she smacked her jade-like hand hard against his back in shy anger. "Old fellow, say one more word of nonsense and see if anyone comes to send you off when you die!"
Unfortunately for her, Xiao Yan harbored no romantic feelings whatsoever, and his purpose today had nothing to do with recruiting Burning Flame Valley into the Yan Alliance.
Tang Huo Er saw that he slowly shook his head. She pursed her lips into a pout and mumbled, "Am I really that bad?"
Xiao Yan smiled calmly and continued, "Senior, I didn't come to have Burning Flame Valley join the Yan Alliance. I'm here to make a deal with you."
Old Ancestor Huo Yun's and Tang Zhen's gazes both sharpened at those words. A terrifying guess rose in their hearts simultaneously.
This guy... a 9th-tier alchemist?!
"What kind of deal?" Huo Yun asked carefully.
"I can help Senior resolve the injuries inside your body."
Hiss hiss!!!
A sharp hiss of breath escaped Tang Zhen's and Old Ancestor Huo Yun's teeth almost in unison, their eyes going wide.
Damn, this Xiao Yan looks barely thirty... tier 9 already?!!!
Old Ancestor Huo Yun's true strength had been at the early stage of 2-star Dou Saint, but lingering internal injuries had dragged his cultivation down to 1-star. To heal wounds at the Dou Saint level required nothing less than a 9th-tier alchemist!
Huo Yun was a seasoned old fox; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. He took a sip of hot tea, his gaze turning sharp. "What do you want?"
"I'd like Senior to kill someone for me."
"Who?"
"The Profound Sky Sect's high-level Half-Saint, Old Demon Tian Ming."