Zi Yan had now truly ascended to the position of Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan. For Hun Miesheng this meant that the entirety of this ancient and proud race had effectively fallen into the palm of his hand. The balance of power in this vast beast domain had shifted completely and permanently.
He sat casually upon the magnificent dragon throne the carved armrests curling into lifelike dragon heads that seemed ready to bite. His gaze lowered to the figure standing silently below a young girl in a light blue dress her face concealed behind a fox-shaped mask of pale green. When he spoke it was not a request but an order that allowed no refusal.
"Remove the mask"
The girl hesitated for a heartbeat before obeying. She could be no older than eleven or twelve in appearance yet her body had developed in a way that betrayed the promise of her bloodline her curves and frame already following the shape of a grown woman. This was the so-called saintess the North King had spoken of.
Hun Miesheng had already formed suspicions about her identity.
"Yes" she replied softly. Her hands reached up and unfastened the mask. Slowly it came away revealing a face that seemed both timid and delicate a beauty that stirred a faint impulse in those who saw her to shield and protect her from the cruelties of the world.
"Something about her is not right" Queen Medusa spoke from where she stood nearby her voice carrying a thread of coldness. Within her body the soul of the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python stirred with a ripple of instinctive hostility. "There is a force in her that I find deeply repulsive"
"Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes" Hun Miesheng said as if stating an undeniable fact. His voice was calm almost amused.
Before another word could be spoken he extended a single finger and touched it lightly to the center of the girl's brow.
Queen Medusa's pupils contracted. "Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes" she murmured. Surprise had replaced the earlier indifference in her eyes.
Legends told that the Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes appeared only with the rarest chance among those of mixed blood between the Serpentfolk and humans. The gift allowed its bearer to command nearly all serpentine magical beasts save for the highest bloodlines such as the Heaven Swallowing Python or the Ancient Heaven Serpent. Among the serpent races it was regarded as the foremost divine ocular gift.
That explained the reaction of the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's soul within her.
A faint sound escaped the girl's lips as discomfort tightened her features. Before their eyes her pupils shifted turning into a deep emerald green and within that verdant field three delicate petal shapes emerged spinning slowly like a strange and hypnotic bloom.
From those eyes a light began to shimmer strange and alluring a radiance that promised the stealing of the soul to any who dared to meet it for more than a moment.
Then came the roar.
From above the crown of her head burst a vast serpent-shaped soul its body wreathed in an aura so oppressive it seemed to weigh upon the chest.
"An Ancient Heaven Serpent" Queen Medusa's voice held genuine shock.
As the spectral serpent appeared a shadow fell across the girl's face her earlier shyness replaced by a colder and more sinister cast. The glow of the Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes flared brighter as she turned them upon Hun Miesheng and the others.
Soul Seizure Soul Control — the feared technique that made her bloodline gift the most renowned in the world. Within those eyes was a hidden space into which souls could be drawn and bound.
Queen Medusa's answer was swift and absolute. She snorted coldly and her eyes gleamed with lethal beauty. The towering shadow of the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python erupted from her body its hiss slicing through the air. With a single resonant cry it shattered the oppressive power of the Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes.
The Heaven Swallowing Python's bloodline was already brushing the limits of divine beast status. It would not bow to the phantom of even an Ancient Heaven Serpent. The phantom recoiled in sudden fear and turned to flee.
A chuckle like the closing of a trap came from Hun Miesheng. His hand closed upon the air and the serpent soul was caught crushed between his fingers until it burst apart in a spray of spiritual light.
The girl stumbled back several steps and collapsed to the ground her eyes clearing to a look of utter confusion. She had no idea what had just taken place.
Hun Miesheng's smile was edged with a knowing amusement. Now he understood the North King's hidden card. The South King had allied with the Sky Demon Phoenix clan. The North King had placed this Ancient Heaven Serpent soul within the girl's body to turn her into a weapon under his control. Combined with the Jade Snake Three-Flower Eyes such a weapon could overwhelm any ordinary Dou Zun in moments.
But all of these schemes meant nothing before an eight-star Dou Sheng.
"You are called Qing Lin" Hun Miesheng asked studying her more closely.
In the days long past in the desert he had once searched for this very girl. If she could refine the soul of the Nine-Headed Serpent she could stand as an equal to Queen Medusa herself.
The girl hesitated then shook her head. "I have no name. The North King brought me to Dragon Island a little over a month ago. They only called me Saintess"
Hun Miesheng frowned briefly then the answer fell into place. Among the Serpentfolk and humans a child of mixed blood was often scorned and cast aside. In the original flow of fate it had been two brothers of the Xiao family who had given her the name Qing Lin. But he had ended that family years earlier and so the path had shifted.
"From now on you will be called Qing Lin" he said.
The girl blinked then a faint brightness touched her eyes at the gift of a name.
A smirk curved Hun Miesheng's lips as he turned to Queen Medusa. "You seemed concerned for her just now"
"Hmph. Do not flatter yourself. My Heaven Swallowing Python legacy still depends on you so we are merely using each other" she replied her voice like silk wrapped around steel.
"Mutual use. I like that phrase" Hun Miesheng said with a light touch to her flawless cheek. Then he straightened.
"Now it is time I fulfill my promise. Zi Yan gather our people. We will visit the territory of the Nine Nether Earth Python"
Zi Yan gave a simple nod. Queen Medusa kept her gaze turned aside though the warmth upon her cheek lingered.
In the depths of a dark stone palace another scene was unfolding.
Upon a throne of black rock lounged Yao Tianxiao his arms draped around two serpent women of striking curves and beauty. His hands roamed without restraint drawing soft gasps from their lips.
A subordinate stepped forward and bowed. "My lord we have received news. The Taixu Ancient Dragon clan has chosen a new Dragon Emperor"
"Oh" Yao Tianxiao's interest stirred lazily. "The new emperor. Was it the North King the West King or the South King"
"It was… none of them my lord. It seems the position has gone to a woman from East Dragon Island"
"A woman" His laugh was sharp with mockery. "So the West King was truly useless after all. He even asked for our aid and I could see at once he would accomplish nothing" His grip tightened upon the women at his sides drawing pained sighs from them.
"But is not East Dragon Island the weakest of the four" he asked with faint curiosity.
The messenger's body trembled. "They say East Dragon Island found an eight… eight-star…"
"An eight-star Dou Zun" Yao Tianxiao guessed his brows rising.
"No my lord" the voice was almost a whisper "An eight-star Dou Sheng"
Yao Tianxiao surged to his feet shock stripping away his earlier amusement. "An eight-star Dou Sheng"
Before the echo of his exclamation had faded a slow measured clapping filled the hall.
"You are speaking of me are you not"
(End of Chapter)
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