Chapter 302: The Ancient Heavenly Snake!
"Bloodline connection...?" Lu Bu stroked his chin, his gaze flickering thoughtfully. Yun Yun was an ordinary human, wasn't she? Well, not entirely there was a faint trace of something more. Spirit Clan bloodline!
The fact that she could cultivate the Spirit Bestowal Method something neither Lu Bu nor Medusa could comprehend already explained a lot. Lu Bu hadn't delved too deeply into this before. Back when he was on the Northwestern Continent, his time was limited, and later he had to flee to the Southwestern Region of Central Plains due to being hunted by the Hall of Souls. As a result, he never investigated this matter further.
Medusa, on the other hand, had been more curious about it. During one of their breaks in dual cultivation, she had mentioned her findings to Lu Bu.
According to Medusa, she discovered that Yun Potian Yun Yun's ancestor and Mang Tianchi, the principal of Jia Nan Academy, had an unusually good relationship, as though they were old friends who had known each other for years.
Moreover, the Spirit Bestowal Method that Lu Bu and Medusa had obtained from the ruins of the Black Corner Region battlefield had been read by Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Zi Yan as well, yet none of them could make sense of it. Only Yun Yun had mastered it effortlessly.
However, according to Yun Yun, Yun Potian had never displayed any strange characteristics, such as a glowing sigil on his forehead that amplified his strength during battle. Even the records of the Yun Lan Sect's numerous battles made no mention of such phenomena.
The Dou Techniques and cultivation methods Yun Potian left behind were mostly lost, but not in large quantities. Among the remaining ones, there were no secret techniques to boost strength either.
Additionally, Yun Yun was only the ninth sect leader, with Yun Shan being the eighth. This meant Yun Potian's era wasn't so far removed as to be impossible to trace.
In other words, if Yun Potian was part of the Spirit Clan, he must have been one of the low bloodline members without a sigil, with a minimal connection to his clan.
"Stop overthinking, Lu Bu," the voice of the Heavenly Flame Elder rang out in Lu Bu's mind. "Remember what I told you about Spirit Clan members wandering across the continent, seeking Spirit Servants?"
"Among the Seven Imperial Clans, the Spirit Clan has suffered the worst bloodline decline precisely because of this. Their need to find Spirit Servants has greatly increased the likelihood of them interbreeding with ordinary humans. So, your little girlfriend having a hint of Spirit Clan bloodline is perfectly normal. There are plenty of people on this continent with denser Spirit Clan blood than hers!"
Little girlfriend? Wait… Yun Yun counted as a little girlfriend too?
Lu Bu shrugged. Fine, little girlfriend it was. Although Yun Yun appeared to be a mature older sister on the outside, she was still a bit of a girl at heart.
"Ahem… Oh, I see!" Lu Bu said, feigning realization. It was starting to make sense like how Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan. In Liu Bei's hometown of Zhuo County, you could throw a brick and hit several "descendants of King Jing of Zhongshan." Heck, in the neighboring counties, you'd hit even more of them with that same brick!
The Spirit Clan might not be quite as bad, but it was likely a similar situation. If there really was a Spirit Clan member below, this would be Lu Bu's second time encountering one.
Among the ancient clans, apart from the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan, the Spirit Clan was the one he had come across most frequently. They were more commonly seen than the Pill Clan, the Lei Clan, or the Yan Clan.
"Oh, and one more thing," the Heavenly Flame Elder added, "Spirit Clan members have exceptionally strong and resilient souls. Last time, the one you encountered might have completely dissipated due to the passage of time, but this time, the fact that your little girlfriend can sense it means there's a good chance this Spirit Clan member isn't entirely dead."
"Be very careful. Their expertise in soul development surpasses even that of the Soul Clan and the Pill Clan. I've heard of many Spirit Clan members who've used soul possession to return to life and reclaim their place in the clan."
"Tch… A centipede dies but never stiffens," Lu Bu muttered, narrowing his eyes as a chill crept into his heart.
"Master, what do we do with this Heavenly Demon Phoenix trash bird?" At that moment, Qing Lin gracefully landed beside him, dragging along the captured Feng Qing'er.
Feng Qing'er was in a dire state, her body poisoned with cold energy. Her limbs were stiff, her Dou Qi sluggish she was practically a living corpse.
"Huh… You actually captured her alive?" Lu Bu said with mild surprise. In the original story, this woman had tangled with Xiao Yan, the protagonist, several times. Although she lost every time, she had still fared far better than those who showed up just once, like Hun Yu, only to be immediately defeated.
"Of course! She's not even that strong," Qing Lin said, puffing out her small chest proudly.
"Hmm. Well, let her go," Lu Bu said after a moment's thought.
If they had managed to capture the white haired man as well, Lu Bu would have killed both him and Feng Qing'er two Heavenly Demon Phoenixes at once. But with one of them already having escaped, killing Feng Qing'er now served no real purpose. It would only provoke the entire Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan into hunting them down.
This was different from holding the Ancient Phoenix blood. The clan wouldn't stand idly by while the corpse of a recently deceased Heavenly Demon Phoenix remained in someone else's possession. Even the reputation of the Black Flame Army might not be enough to keep them in check.
Rather than stir up unnecessary trouble, it was better to let her go and find another opportunity to deal with her later.
"Let her go?" Qing Lin was stunned.
"Of course, not for free!" Lu Bu said with a smirk as he yanked the silver storage ring from Feng Qing'er's finger. Consider it his war trophy.
Seeing this, Qing Lin nodded and flicked her fingers, shooting a pill into Feng Qing'er's mouth. The eerie blue veins on her body faded slightly, though not completely.
"Scram. If you dare come back, I'll pluck all your feathers and turn you into roasted chicken wings!" Lu Bu said coldly, tossing the silver storage ring in his hand.
Feng Qing'er's face turned pale, but she clenched her teeth and said nothing. Turning around, she disappeared into the horizon without a word.
"Lu Bu… So, what's our next move?" Yun Yun asked instinctively, then realized her disciple was still present. She quickly corrected herself, calling him by his full name instead of a more intimate nickname.
"Of course, we're going in." Lu Bu grinned. "Qing Lin, take a look and see if you can spot anything unusual."
He addressed the last part to Qing Lin, who smiled faintly. Her eyes glowed with green light as she scanned the collapsed mountainside below.
Behind them, Nalan Yanran's expression grew complicated. Her teacher… had some kind of special bloodline?
"Maybe… I should just head to Starfall Pavilion and meet up with Xiao Yan instead of staying here…" Nalan Yanran muttered, feeling like an outsider among the trio. Even with the teacher who had raised her standing nearby, she felt no sense of belonging.
"Ah… I found it!" Qing Lin suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a pile of rubble.
Hearing this, Lu Bu waved his sleeve, and the Earth Demon Puppet emerged, using its hands to clear away the debris. Soon, a pitch black cave hidden within the mountainside was revealed.
"Huh…" The moment the cave appeared, Lu Bu couldn't help but let out a soft sound of surprise. His soul felt a faint tremor whatever was inside the cave was clearly no weaker than himself.
"Let's go. Time to see what's inside," Lu Bu said, his soul power surging. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he took Qing Lin's hand and led the way. Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran followed close behind, curiosity evident in their expressions.
The cave was narrow at first, barely wide enough for one person. After walking a few dozen steps, it opened into a wide chamber.
But what greeted them wasn't some idyllic paradise. Instead, it was a chaotic mess of jagged, oddly shaped rocks scattered across the cavern.
A stench of decay filled the air, thick and nauseating, like a pair of socks left unwashed for an entire summer, only to assault the first unlucky person to return to the dormitory. The pungent odor was overwhelming.
Fortunately, with their cultivation, even the weakest among them a peak Dou King wasn't too affected by the smell.
Gurgle…
At that moment, a series of strange sounds echoed through the cave, causing Lu Bu and the three women to turn abruptly toward the source. Their gazes fell upon a half meter wide blood pool, bubbling with energy as faint wisps of pure power emanated from it.
Next to the blood pool lay a white skeleton. The skeleton's clothes were tattered, and its body riddled with pits and cracks, but scattered around it were white tassels, jade hairpins, and various ornate and exquisite accessories.
It was clear this skeleton had once belonged to a woman. Yet, beauty had long turned to bones, and all was reduced to emptiness.
"This is…" Yun Yun's pupils contracted sharply as she felt the summoning sensation intensify to its peak at this very moment.
"What is that?" Qing Lin's face paled, and she clung tightly to Lu Bu's arm. A skeleton and a pool of blood suddenly appearing in an enclosed cave? That was terrifying!
"Yun Yun, should we take a closer look?" Lu Bu asked softly, stroking his chin as his soul energy emanated from the center of his brows, probing the strange energy within the blood pool. Yet… he detected nothing unusual.
"Alright… Yanran, stay here," Yun Yun instructed, pulling Lu Bu's hand as they cautiously approached the edge of the pool.
Qing Lin, seeing this, tactfully released Lu Bu's arm.
As Yun Yun and Lu Bu approached the blood pool, a soft humming sound rang out. Suddenly, a translucent projection of a pale skinned woman appeared above the blood pool. The figure seemed illusory and shrouded in faint blood red light, giving her a hazy and surreal appearance.
"Greetings, traveler. I am Ling Yu of the Spirit Clan. If you possess the Spirit Clan bloodline, you may exchange my bloodline to enhance your strength. If you are not of the Spirit Clan, please take my bloodline and return it to the Spirit Clan. You will be greatly rewarded by my clan…"
The woman's voice was ethereal and devoid of emotion. After finishing her statement, she repeated it mechanically, like a recording stuck in a loop.
"This… isn't a soul?" Nalan Yanran murmured. Compared to a soul, this felt more like a projection left behind by someone.
Lu Bu frowned deeply, his soul energy sweeping out once again. Yet, as before, he couldn't sense anything unusual.
Either this person's soul realm was far beyond his own, or she truly wasn't a soul.
"Senior, greetings. I am Lu Bu, Commander of the Gu Clan's Black Flame Army!" Lu Bu narrowed his eyes, raised his hand, and displayed a black jade token in his palm for the pale woman to see.
The pale skinned woman continued to repeat the same mechanical phrase, her eyes lifeless and unmoving, showing no reaction to Lu Bu's words.
Seeing this, Lu Bu stroked his chin thoughtfully before turning his attention to the blood pool. With a light tap of his foot, his soul power surged outward.
Buzz!
A blood red rune array suddenly appeared above the pool, glowing ominously.
"What kind of formation is this?" Yun Yun asked, staring at the blood red runic array with confusion.
"Hmm… It's a bloodline exchange formation," Lu Bu mused after a moment's thought. In the original story, Xiao Xuan had used a similar method to replace Xiao Yan's bloodline.
The process involved draining the ordinary bloodline that lacked Dou Emperor lineage from one's body and replacing it with a new bloodline. However, since Xiao Yan's body contained both dragon and phoenix bloodlines, Xiao Xuan had to use the Gu Clan bloodline to balance them, resulting in a unique fusion of the three.
Fortunately, Yun Yun's case wasn't as complicated. All she would need to do was lie in the pool, drain her original bloodline, and replace it with the new one.
But still…
"Yun Yun, do you want to undergo the bloodline exchange now?" Lu Bu asked gently, crouching beside the pool and stirring its surface slightly.
"This… maybe later…" Yun Yun bit her lip, her hesitation evident. The thought of a bloodline exchange made her feel uneasy. Moreover, her opinion of the Spirit Clan and other ancient clans, like the Soul Clan, wasn't particularly favorable due to Lu Bu's past experiences.
"Alright. We'll come back to it later it's not like this thing can run away," Lu Bu said with a nod. He wasn't in a rush. Even without a Spirit Clan bloodline, he was confident in helping Yun Yun grow stronger. After all, as an eighth tier alchemist, he had every reason to believe in his own abilities.
With that, Lu Bu held Yun Yun's hand and continued leading her deeper into the cave. Up ahead, the Earth Demon Puppet was clearing the path with brute force, smashing massive boulders into powder with each step.
Seeing this, Qing Lin and Nalan Yanran hurried to follow. The eerie atmosphere of the cave was unsettling, and staying close to Lu Bu seemed far safer.
As the four figures slowly disappeared into the depths, the projection above the blood pool flickered like a dying lightbulb before eventually fading back into the pool.
However, far away, neither Qing Lin nor Nalan Yanran noticed that the pale woman's eyes moved ever so slightly, focusing on Yun Yun's retreating figure.
"…"
Buzz!
The light vanished, and the cave returned to silence.
Lu Bu's ears twitched slightly, but he was distracted as Yun Yun suddenly tightened her grip on his hand, her expression changing drastically. "Lu Bu, there's an incredibly fierce and malevolent aura up ahead!"
"Hm?" Lu Bu snapped back to attention, noticing that the Earth Demon Puppet, which had been clearing the path ahead, had just smashed through a massive boulder. The force of the blow sent fragments scattering, revealing a giant skeleton before them.
It was an enormous snake skeleton, even larger than the seven colored Heaven Swallowing Python they had seen outside. But unlike that serpent, this skeleton had nine heads!
The moment it appeared, an overwhelming aura of malevolence surged toward them, flooding the minds of all four. In an instant, their eyes turned blood red.
Rage. Bloodlust. Battle. Destruction.
A storm of negative emotions struck directly at their souls, and their Dou Qi began surging uncontrollably as violent killing intent erupted within the cave.
In that moment, everyone lost themselves to madness!
Lu Bu's eyes flashed with clarity as his powerful soul energy swept out, breaking free from the oppressive aura.
"Humph!"
A cold snort echoed like a hammer striking their minds, jolting the three women out of their trance. Their bodies stiffened, and the deafening soul tremor snapped them back to their senses.
The next second, Lu Bu grabbed all three women and swiftly retreated, pulling them out of the range of the malevolent aura's influence.
"What… what is that thing?" Nalan Yanran asked, her voice trembling as cold sweat poured down her back. The experience had been far too dangerous.
Yun Yun and Qing Lin were equally shaken, clutching their chests as they tried to calm their pounding hearts. Their wide eyes remained fixed on the nine headed skeleton in the distance.
"That is… an Ancient Heavenly Snake," Lu Bu said, his expression dark. If his guess was correct, this was likely the nine headed Ancient Heavenly Snake that Qing Lin had encountered in the original story.
"Ancient Heavenly Snake?" Qing Lin's face paled. "How could an Ancient Heavenly Snake look like that?"
As the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, she naturally knew what an Ancient Heavenly Snake was.
"This is an Ancient Heavenly Snake?" Yun Yun's expression also changed. Through Medusa and Zi Yan, she had heard of many terrifying ancient beasts, and the Ancient Heavenly Snake was among them.
But she had never heard of one with nine heads.
"I think I know why that Spirit Clan woman perished here…" Lu Bu muttered, his gaze flickering. Clearly, she had set her sights on this nine headed Ancient Heavenly Snake.
But evidently, she had failed. (End of chapter)
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