The colossal remains of the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python stretched across the upper edge of the abyss its length spanning hundreds of zhang like the coiling body of a fallen divine beast. Even after death it still radiated a faint shifting glow of nine colors each hue blending into the next as though the rainbow itself had been woven into bone. The light was dim yet its presence carried the weight of an ancient and noble bloodline.
Medusa's gaze locked upon the serpent's remains. Her usual calm and alluring expression softened and trembled slightly as a warmth spread across her cheeks. Her blood was calling her the way the sea calls the tide. From her body a spectral image emerged shimmering with the same nine-colored light the spirit form of the Heaven Swallowing Python within her bloodline answering the call.
Soul Miesheng stood beside her his eyes holding both approval and calculation. "Go" he said gently his tone almost indulgent "Go and claim what belongs to you." He reached out to run his fingers through the long flowing strands of her dark green hair the gesture light yet steady.
Medusa nodded without hesitation this time. There was no resistance in her eyes only resolve. Her slender figure moved forward her steps slow but deliberate. Each motion of her hips and shoulders carried a natural grace that belonged to her alone yet beneath that beauty there was strength and authority. She was walking toward destiny.
As she approached the skeletal remains the surrounding abyss seemed to grow quieter. Soul Miesheng watched her for a moment then turned his gaze downward to the depths below. A layer of shimmering blue light flared over his body forming a protective shield. Without further hesitation he dove straight into the black Huangquan waters beneath.
The moment he entered the liquid it was as if a thousand icy needles pressed against his skin. The deeper he went the more oppressive the chill became until the water grew so dense with cold that thin sheets of ice began to form around him. He forced his way downward each movement carrying the weight of both curiosity and caution.
Bodies. They were everywhere. At first scattered sparsely like stray debris then growing more and more numerous until the very floor of the abyss was layered with them. Beasts of every size humans in armor or robes all frozen in the moment of death. This was no ordinary resting place. This was a graveyard carved by fear.
The black ice beneath him was hard as tempered steel. Even with his strength breaking through would not be easy. Yet what unsettled him more was the sense of being watched. Something unseen deep below the frozen depths had fixed its attention upon him. It was not a look of hostility nor of welcome but something older and colder that judged without mercy.
After a long moment he exhaled slowly shaking his head. There was no sense in forcing his way through not without more preparation. He turned and surged upward breaking the surface of the lake with a quiet splash before stepping onto the air above it. The unseen gaze faded as he left but its weight lingered in his mind.
Two shadowed eyes opened somewhere far below in the dark then vanished without a trace.
Soul Miesheng returned to the surface world bringing Zi Yan with him. Medusa was left in the abyss to complete her inheritance from the Heaven Swallowing Python's remains. By his estimation it would take at least one or two months before she emerged from that trial and when she did she would be far stronger.
On the surface the Nine Nether Earth Python clan remained in chaos. In the void above their territory Yao Ming appeared wielding the Nine Nether Dark Staff. His presence alone rolled out like a storm cloud covering the entire clan. Dou Qi surged through his body freely for the first time in years. He could almost feel the shackles of the past falling away.
His voice carried across the clan grounds "All members of the Nine Nether Earth Python clan hear me. Yao Tianxiao betrayed his own blood seized the position of patriarch through treachery. I have captured him alive. From this moment I Yao Ming reclaim the throne of patriarch."
Figures rose into the air across the clan their faces filled with disbelief. Murmurs spread quickly. Some swore they had heard Yao Ming had died. Others recalled rumors that perhaps he had been betrayed. But for every voice of curiosity there was another that held doubt.
The great elder of the clan stepped forward a cold smirk on his face. "Do not be deceived. The strength of Patriarch Yao Tianxiao is known to all. His ascension was supported by the will of the clan."
The gathered clansmen glanced between the two sides. In truth who was right mattered little to them. What mattered was strength and the side with greater power would command their loyalty.
Yao Ming read their hesitation clearly. Without a word he let a limp body fall heavily to the ground. The form was battered almost beyond recognition yet the face was still enough to stir the crowd.
Yao Tianxiao groaned raising his head to meet Yao Ming's eyes. "Brother do not kill me. We are family." His voice cracked under the weight of desperation.
Yao Ming's gaze was cold. "Family. When you chained me in the depths of the Huangquan did you remember I was your elder brother. Such family I cannot afford." With one decisive motion his palm struck downward crushing Yao Tianxiao's skull. From the remains he pulled a black magic core and ground it into dust for all to see. The scream that echoed from the shattered core chilled the hearts of every onlooker.
From his mouth Yao Ming drew forth the Nine Nether Dark Staff the symbol of the patriarch. "From this moment I am once more patriarch of the Nine Nether Earth Python clan." His Dou Sheng second star aura poured outward pressing heavily on all who floated before him.
The great elder's expression shifted. With a flicker of movement he turned to flee but Yao Ming's voice boomed out. "Trying to run. Huangquan Palm." His strike descended like the judgment of the underworld itself.
The great elder gritted his teeth and let his body swell rapidly. "Demon Serpent Heaven Burst." In an instant his form detonated releasing a devastating shockwave that flattened the nearby mountains. From the explosion countless black serpents burst forth scattering in all directions.
Yao Ming's eyes narrowed. It was a life-saving technique hiding the magic core among hundreds of energy bodies. To catch the true body in such chaos was near impossible.
A cold voice cut through the air. "Petty tricks." The space around them froze solid and every serpent mid-flight was yanked back into the open. A black-robed figure stepped from the void and lifted his palm. The serpents and the hidden core were drawn together struggling uselessly before Soul Miesheng crushed them to powder.
The hum of air being torn open filled the sky and new figures appeared. It was the Taixu Ancient Dragon clan led by Zhu Li.
Yao Ming immediately dropped to one knee. "I Yao Ming patriarch of the Nine Nether Earth Python clan swear loyalty to my lord. From this day the three great beast clans acknowledge the Taixu Ancient Dragons as sovereign."
The other elders faltered but when Soul Miesheng's aura surged out fully the eight-star Dou Sheng pressure left them breathless. One after another they voiced their submission.
With the clan's loyalty secured Soul Miesheng turned to Yao Ming. "Take me to the Huangquan Stele."
Though surprised Yao Ming did not hesitate. Leading Soul Miesheng to the rear mountain they arrived before a series of ancient stone altars. At the center stood a tall weathered stele its surface etched with patterns older than memory. Soul Miesheng placed a hand upon it feeling the strange and subtle power that flowed within.
"This is the Huangquan Stele. Place your soul force within and you may enter it. Our clan's Huangquan Palm is a legacy of the Huangquan Saint. It is said that within lies an even greater art Huangquan Heavenly Wrath a high-level Heaven tier technique. But our clan's soul force is too weak to claim it."
Soul Miesheng's eyes sharpened. An attack that could shatter the soul with a single sound would be invaluable. Touching his brow he released his soul force at the perfection stage of the Heavenly Realm forming a second soul body. It stepped forward and sank into the stele vanishing from sight.
(End of Chapter)
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