Chapter 303: And You Say You're Not Xiao Yan?!
As Lu Bu spoke, Yun Yun, Qing Lin, and Nalan Yanran were momentarily stunned. Their expressions shifted slightly; both Qing Lin and Nalan Yanran, being close to Yun Yun, naturally understood the significance of the Spirit Bestowal Method.
"Master, are you saying that this Nine Headed Heavenly Snake is still alive?" Qing Lin asked in shock, instinctively hiding behind Lu Bu and clinging tightly to his arm.
If Nalan Yanran weren't present, Qing Lin would have jumped straight into Lu Bu's embrace.
Yun Yun's eyes narrowed, and an invisible flame quietly enveloped her and Nalan Yanran as a precaution.
"Alive? Of course not, but its soul is still intact," Lu Bu said, stroking his chin. "Qing Lin, how about we tame it?"
Since this creature had appeared, there was no way Lu Bu was letting it go to waste.
"This…" Qing Lin froze for a moment. The soul of an Ancient Heavenly Snake was indeed a treasure, but… was taming it even possible?
"Alright! Let's tame it!" Qing Lin bit her lip, her silver teeth clenched. With her master around, she feared nothing!
"Yun Yun, step back with Nalan Yanran and support us from a distance. Qing Lin, use your Three Flower Pupils to summon it," Lu Bu commanded, tapping the ground lightly as a surge of his soul energy erupted outward.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
A massive formation of pale green light slowly took shape, with over ten waist thick streams of luminous energy swirling and undulating like giant kelp swaying under the ocean.
Seeing this, Yun Yun pulled Nalan Yanran back, simultaneously raising her hand to form an invisible flame barrier behind Lu Bu and Qing Lin for protection.
Meanwhile, Qing Lin activated her Green Snake Three Flower Pupils, emitting a beam of green light from her pupils that illuminated the massive corpse of the Ancient Heavenly Snake.
Hiss, hiss, hiss…
The moment the Three Flower Pupils appeared, the energy in the air surrounding the skeleton seemed to boil. A violent and terrifying aura of malevolence surged forth, and a trace of bloodlust involuntarily surfaced in all four of their eyes.
The horrifying aura still managed to affect Lu Bu's group, but they had prepared themselves after their previous experience. They did not completely lose their sanity this time.
At the same time, a semi transparent, nine headed giant serpent gradually emerged above the skeleton. Its nine menacing heads flicked their tongues, and eighteen blood red, demonic eyes radiated boundless killing intent, making it utterly terrifying to behold.
The next moment, the serpent turned its gaze directly toward the faint green light emitted by the Three Flower Pupils. A flash of human like surprise appeared in its eighteen blood red eyes before it whipped its massive tail and shot toward Qing Lin.
"Hmph!"
Lu Bu let out a cold snort and stomped his foot. The luminous energy streams, already primed for action, erupted like wild weeds, instantly binding the serpent tightly.
Boom!
A vast storm of soul energy burst forth, crushing down with overwhelming force.
Hiss, hiss!
The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake hissed in fury, thrashing violently against its restraints, but it was like a fish on the chopping block, helplessly watching as the luminous bindings tightened around it, securing it firmly at the center of the formation.
"Restrain!"
Lu Bu's hand seals shifted, and he shouted. Four luminous energy streams shot out like swords, piercing upward through four of the serpent's heads.
Pfft!
A dull sound echoed as the four heads let out a mournful wail, their struggles intensifying momentarily. But the luminous bindings transformed into countless threads, coiling tightly around the massive serpent's heads.
As the bindings constricted further, the eight blood red eyes of the restrained heads slowly closed, their lifeless forms drooping. However, the remaining five heads continued to thrash violently in defiance.
"Qing Lin, now! Use the Green Snake Three Flower Pupils to tame it!" Lu Bu shouted.
"Yes!" Qing Lin nodded firmly. The three delicate flowers in her pupils began spinning wildly, emitting a brilliant green light that enveloped the nine headed serpent.
Immediately, the serpent's nine heads trembled, and atop each one appeared a small green flower.
Qing Lin's delicate face froze for a moment, a trace of confusion flashing across her features. Was it really… this easy?
On the other side, Lu Bu began dismantling the formation. The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake let out a final hiss before lunging toward Qing Lin. Its enormous body gradually shrank until it disappeared entirely into her bewitching green pupils.
"…" Qing Lin blinked a few times, feeling as if she had been burdened with an overly attached companion.
"How is it? Can you control it?" Lu Bu asked urgently. If she couldn't, they would have to seal one or two of the serpent's heads again.
"Um… yes, I can," Qing Lin replied. The green pupils in her eyes were faintly tinged with blood, and the serpent's violent aura once again surfaced. However, this time, it was emanating from Qing Lin herself.
"Good. Put it away now," Lu Bu said with a smile. As soon as he finished speaking, the bloodlust in Qing Lin's eyes dissipated, and the overwhelming aura vanished entirely.
It seemed she could control it perfectly. Lu Bu nodded in satisfaction. Unlike in the original story, there was no risk of the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake acting out on its own. Once Qing Lin's strength or soul realm improved further, they could gradually unseal its other heads.
Qing Lin giggled. Her Green Snake Three Flower Pupils would gradually devour the souls and essence of any controlled beasts, feeding their power back to her. With the soul of this Nine Headed Heavenly Snake, she was confident she could defeat Feng Qing'er in under ten rounds the next time they met.
On the other side, Yun Yun pursed her lips, hesitation flickering across her face. But her hesitation soon transformed into resolve. Lu Bu's goal was to become a Dou Emperor, and his enemies were the ancient, powerful imperial clans. More than anyone else, he needed allies!
"Lu Bu, if I wanted to undergo the bloodline exchange, how should I do it?" Yun Yun asked solemnly.
"Hmm?" Lu Bu was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered. "Well… Qing Lin, take Yanran and guard the cave entrance. Make sure no one enters. The bloodline exchange is different from taming the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake."
With that, Lu Bu flicked his finger, sending the Heavenly Flame Elder's snow white storage ring flying into Qing Lin's hand.
Seeing this, Qing Lin's expression turned serious. She nodded lightly and led Nalan Yanran out of the cave.
Nalan Yanran glanced at her teacher, a mix of envy and melancholy flashing in her eyes. She needed to train even harder!
As Qing Lin and Nalan Yanran departed, a trace of nervousness crept into Yun Yun's heart. She clenched her jade like hands, her unease evident.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine," Lu Bu said gently, holding Yun Yun's hand to reassure her.
"Mm… So, what do I need to do?" Yun Yun asked, biting her lip as she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Take off your clothes and step into the blood pool… Come, don't move. Let me help you…" Lu Bu chuckled mischievously, rubbing his hands together instinctively.
"Ah…" Yun Yun's body stiffened, the tension she had just managed to ease flaring up again. Her face flushed bright red.
"L Lu Bu! What are you saying?" Yun Yun stammered, her voice flustered, her body feeling as though it were on fire. She darted her eyes around, unable to meet Lu Bu's gaze.
"Haha…" Lu Bu couldn't help but laugh. As he thought, Yun Yun might appear to be a mature older sister, but deep down, she was still just a shy young woman.
At the cave entrance, Qing Lin and Nalan Yanran sat side by side, blocking most of the narrow passage. The cave opening wasn't large small enough for their petite frames to cover almost completely.
Looking out at the vast, primeval forest of the Jade Serpent Ravine, Qing Lin scratched her head, feeling a little bored.
"Qing Lin, do you think… huh? What's that?" Nalan Yanran asked, her voice trailing off as she noticed Qing Lin moving her finger, causing a silver storage ring to appear in her palm.
"Oh, it's that Heavenly Demon Phoenix's storage ring," Qing Lin replied, grinning as she waved the silver ring in her hand. "Let's see what treasures are inside!"
As Lu Bu unleashed a flick of his finger, a surge of powerful soul energy transformed into sharp blades that pierced into the silver storage ring. Although she wasn't an alchemist like Lu Bu, Qing Lin's Green Snake Three Flower Pupils granted her considerable soul strength. It was more than enough to deal with a storage ring marked by a soul imprint.
Crack!
A faint cracking sound echoed from within the ring.
Nalan Yanran raised an eyebrow, her attention instinctively drawn to Qing Lin. She found herself surprisingly intrigued by the process of prying into someone else's storage ring.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver light erupted from Qing Lin's hand, and a silver scroll appeared in her palm.
"Three Thousand Lightning Movement… Oh, this thing," Qing Lin muttered, glancing at it before losing interest. Her master had already mastered this Dou Technique, so it was of no use to her.
"Yanran, do you want it?" Qing Lin casually held the scroll out to Nalan Yanran.
"A ground tier Dou Technique? You're just giving it to me like that?" Nalan Yanran was speechless.
"My master is an eighth tier alchemist. What kind of ground tier Dou Technique can't he get his hands on?" Qing Lin replied smugly, stuffing the Three Thousand Lightning Movement scroll into Nalan Yanran's arms.
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran froze for a moment before nodding silently. Qing Lin wasn't wrong an eighth tier alchemist had access to techniques far beyond ground tier. Even heaven tier techniques weren't entirely out of reach.
"And this, Heavenly Feather Finger another technique from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. You can have it too," Qing Lin said as she rummaged through the ring again and pulled out another scroll, which she handed to Nalan Yanran.
Nalan Yanran sighed softly and accepted it without further protest.
Qing Lin continued to sift through Feng Qing'er's storage ring, pulling out various pills, rare medicinal herbs, and numerous tier seven magical beast cores. Each item was priceless, yet Qing Lin seemed uninterested and handed most of it to Nalan Yanran.
"Huh?" Qing Lin suddenly exclaimed, her hand tightening around two scrolls one gold and one black that had appeared in her palm.
The golden scroll bore three large characters: Demon Phoenix Step. The black scroll, on the other hand, displayed five characters: True Art of the Northern Dark.
"Demon Phoenix Step…" Qing Lin murmured, rubbing her chin. During her fight with Feng Qing'er, the latter had used Three Thousand Lightning Movement. However, after summoning her wings, she had switched to another movement technique in an instant. Could it have been this Demon Phoenix Step?
With that thought, Qing Lin put the Demon Phoenix Step scroll away and unrolled the True Art of the Northern Dark to examine it.
"True Art of the Northern Dark: Derived from the breath control technique of the Profound Dark Tortoise, it conceals one's aura and masks true strength. Undetectable by those below the Heaven Realm in soul power…"
"So that's how those two damn birds evaded my master's soul detection!" Qing Lin exclaimed angrily, her frustration evident.
"Haha… ha…" Nalan Yanran let out an awkward laugh, unsure of how to respond.
Time passed, and before they knew it, an entire day had gone by.
In the cave, Yun Yun let out a soft moan as her eyes fluttered open. Her body felt incredibly comfortable, brimming with power. And then… she noticed Lu Bu's burning gaze.
Yun Yun blinked in confusion. It wasn't like she hadn't been looked at before, so why did he seem so intense now? A gentle breeze swept past, and the chill against her chest reminded her she wasn't wearing anything.
"Ah… Y you, stop looking!" Yun Yun whispered in shame and anger, too embarrassed to raise her voice for fear that Qing Lin and Nalan Yanran might hear her from the cave entrance.
"We've already been through so much together. What haven't I seen?" Lu Bu coughed lightly and helped Yun Yun to her feet, carefully assisting her in putting on her clothes.
In truth, he hadn't seen everything, but he certainly didn't let that slip.
"Hmph…" Yun Yun blushed furiously, letting out a soft scoff as she hastily dressed herself. After a few moments, she finally composed herself.
"How do you feel?" Lu Bu asked, holding Yun Yun's hand as he studied her closely.
Her aura had changed. Previously, Yun Yun exuded a dignified and elegant charm a serene and mature allure akin to that of an older sister, with a warmth that made it easy to get lost in her gentle presence. But now, there was a newfound vibrancy to her, a youthful, ethereal quality that enhanced her already striking beauty. She now seemed like a perfect mix between a queenly presence and a playful charm perhaps a mix of a noblewoman and a spirited young lady.
"I feel… pretty good. I'm now a six star Dou Ancestor," Yun Yun said softly. "But the power of the bloodline is flowing continuously. With some time, reaching seven star Dou Ancestor shouldn't be a problem."
"We've done well here," Lu Bu said with a smile. While they hadn't found the Seven Colored Origin Stone, taming the soul of the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake and helping Yun Yun acquire this rare opportunity were already significant gains.
"Let's go. It's time we paid the Hall of Souls a visit," Lu Bu said with a grin.
"Huh?"
"Don't you remember? We're going for the source of the soul essence," Lu Bu reminded her, taking Yun Yun's hand as they headed for the cave entrance. It was time to move on.
"Oh…" Yun Yun nodded lightly, but her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her clear eyes flashed with a hint of coldness and resistance. However, she remained silent, the fleeting expression going unnoticed by Lu Bu.
Northwestern Region of Central Plains
Unlike the warm central regions of the continent, the north was bitterly cold. Howling winds carried thick snowflakes, and blizzards erupted from time to time, creating harsh conditions.
Even Dou Kings or Dou Ancestors wouldn't emerge unscathed from these snowstorms.
Amidst the blinding snowfall, a grand palace loomed atop a towering snow capped mountain, its silhouette barely visible through the icy mist.
The Hall of Souls.
This desolate, frigid location was difficult to access. Even among the Hall of Souls' members, few were willing to stay in such a barren place. But its remoteness also served as a sanctuary prison for the ambitious, paradise for the indifferent.
Inside the grand hall, yellow flames roared within a black cauldron. A rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, intoxicating all who inhaled it.
Mu Gu sat quietly, his calm eyes fixed on the cauldron. Exhaling slowly, he reminded himself of the approaching Alchemist Gathering at the Pill Tower. He needed to ensure his absolute dominance over all other contestants, secure the championship, and claim the Three Thousand Burning Flame!
Those young geniuses from the Pill Tower wouldn't be easy to deal with. Even someone as renowned as him didn't dare take them lightly.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Mu Gu's eyes narrowed, and he turned toward the entrance. For some reason, the frigid air seemed to have grown… warm?
"Something's wrong!"
"We're under attack!" Mu Gu shouted, slamming his palm against the cauldron. Flames erupted violently, surging out like a volcanic explosion.
Boom!
A pillar of purple black flames shot into the sky like a meteor, crashing down and engulfing the hall in a storm of fire. In mere moments, half the grand structure lay in ruins.
"Who dares attack the Hall of Souls? Are you courting death?!" Mu Gu roared, summoning a massive hand of yellow crystalline flames to strike at the intruder.
"Mountain Crushing Seal!" Lu Bu's voice thundered as he raised his palm and unleashed a counterattack.
Boom!
The two forces collided like meteors, creating a fiery shockwave that melted the surrounding snow in an instant.
"Huh?" Beneath his black robes, Lu Bu's expression shifted slightly. "Xuan Huang Flame? Ranked 23rd on the Heavenly Flames list?"
"Y you… the Emperor Seal Technique! Are you Xiao Yan?!" Mu Gu stammered, pointing at Lu Bu in disbelief. "You've already reached Dou Venerate?!"
"How is this possible?"
Purple black flames and the Emperor Seal Technique it had to be Xiao Yan! Other than the Gu Clan, only Xiao Yan could wield such a technique.
"Shut up! I'm not Xiao Yan!" Lu Bu growled angrily. But as his gaze sharpened and recognition dawned, he grinned wickedly. "Well, well, Mu Gu… so you're here!"
What a generous man bringing himself straight to me!
Mu Gu's face darkened as he roared, "And you still claim you're not Xiao Yan?!"
(End of chapter)
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