The man in black narrowed his eyes and turned. He recognized the voice, and sure enough a familiar figure emerged from the water column.
"Tsk tsk, my good big brother. Who would've thought you still breathe? In your current state you couldn't even withstand a single strike from me. Don't expect any chance to struggle this time," the man in front of Mign Cheng sneered wickedly at Yao Ming's roar.
His gaze then landed on the young man who had appeared quietly beside Yao Ming, serene and unmoved. A cold light sharpened in his eyes, murderous intent flooding his expression as he bellowed in a deep, chilling voice:
"Brat—however you slipped into my Underground Serene Snake Network, this domain belongs to the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python. You've nearly ruined my plans. This king will throw you and that cripple into the Ten Thousand Snake Cave!"
Xiao Hua merely shrugged off the killing intent radiating from Yao Xiaotian, not even sparing him a glance. To one who had once endured the oppressive gaze of Hun Tiandi and others of that caliber, Yao Xiaotian's so-called might was nothing more than child's play.
This was a man who had subjected his own brother to ruthless torment simply to indulge in twisted pleasure, unwilling even to grant him a swift death. Such cruelty was beneath contempt.
Even in Xiao Hua's previous life, though betrayed by his own siblings, he would never have stooped to such vile methods.
Yao Xiaotian's murderous intent only deepened in response to Xiao Hua's indifference and quiet scorn. Since becoming the chief of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, he had never been humiliated in this way.
Fortunately, he still felt some relief—if not for the spiritual imprint he had secretly left within the seal, Xiao Hua might truly have rescued Yao Ming in secret. Once Yao Ming regained his strength, the chieftain's seat would no doubt be wrested away, and endless trouble would follow.
"You should recover your Dou Qi as quickly as you can. Leave this fellow to my brother."
Xiao Hua turned to Yao Ming and spoke, then shot Ming Cheng a small, knowing wink.
Ming Cheng exhaled softly. He understood: Xiao Hua didn't want him to kill Yao Xiaotian now—he wanted Yao Ming to take the vengeance. From Ming Cheng's perspective, Xiao Hua hadn't heard the vicious words Yao Xiaotian had aimed at Xiao Hua's future wives.
If he had, Ming Cheng thought, he would have cut Yao Xiaotian down himself rather than leave it to Yao Ming or him. He stretched, joints making soft cracking sounds as he readied himself.
Yao Ming only nodded and focused on recovery. He knew that Xiao Hua and his companions would not interfere with his judgment of Yao Xiaotian; the killing blow would be his to deliver.
"Ha ha. Do you truly believe one-star Dou Sheng can stop me from killing you, my dearest older brother? If so, you truly are naïve!" Yao Xiaotian laughed in a wicked manner.
He turned to Ming Cheng and said, "It is likely that you are quite talented to reach the Dou Sheng class at such young age. I don't care which force you belongs to, you should never have gotten involved with this cripple. Since you have done so, no one will be able to rescue you today!"
"Relax, this Nine Serene Spring can be considered a good place. Consider yourself fortunate to die here..." He added with a strange laugh.
Ming Cheng only tilted his head left and right; the soft cracks of his neck echoed in the hall. His face wore nothing but bored indifference.
"This king has no interest to know your names. Today, you will all die here without exception! As for those four beau—"
Thunder tore through the air before his lecherous words could be finished. A deafening roar, like the bellow of ten thousand beasts, shook the underground world. A fist wreathed in black-gold lightning crashed straight into Yao Xiaotian's face, interrupting his sentence and obliterating the arrogant smile twisting his lips.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering rang out as his body was sent hurtling across the cavern, smashing into the thick stone wall of the Serene Snake network.
Boom!
The walls trembled, rubble cascading down as dust filled the air. Yao Xiaotian staggered up from the debris, his nose caved in, the bloody imprint of a fist seared into his face. His features contorted in pain and fury, his eyes blazing with venom as he glared at the thunder-wreathed figure standing calmly before him.
Ming Cheng's body crackled with arcs of black-gold lightning, the aura of the Thunder Emperor surging like an ancient storm. His expression was calm, detached, yet his presence exuded a pressure that shook heaven and earth. He looked down on Yao Xiaotian as if staring at an insect struggling in the mud.
"Bastard! I will kill you today!" Yao Xiaotian's enraged roar echoed like a beast driven mad. His Dou Qi erupted wildly, a terrifying aura of a one-star Dou Sheng sweeping out like a raging tide. The underground lake quivered, waves surging under the suppression of his might.
Both of his hands blurred, forming countless hand seals at lightning speed. Each seal reverberated with an ominous resonance, drawing the energy of the underworld lake. The cavern darkened, an oppressive force pressing down upon everything.
"Yellow Spring Finger!"
A roar accompanied the completion of his seals. Above the lake, energy converged into a colossal finger thousands of feet long. Its surface was jagged and rough, like stone carved by countless eons, yet it radiated a destructive aura that tore at space itself. The finger loomed over the underground world like a sky-pillar, as though it alone upheld heaven and earth.
The sheer pressure made the ground crack and the waters surge violently. Serpents dwelling within the depths wailed in terror, their cries echoing as though mourning their imminent doom.
Yao Xiaotian's eyes glowed with madness, his killing intent sharp enough to pierce bone. He thrust his arm forward, directing the sky-splitting finger straight toward Ming Cheng. The cavern trembled, the void quivered, and the Yellow Spring Finger descended with a force that threatened to annihilate everything in its path.
"A Yellow Spring Finger to judge life and death!"
Yao Xiaotian laughed, a wild, cracking sound that echoed like breaking stone. He stared up at the descending pillar with manic triumph, as if the very earth were about to answer his command. The Yellow Spring Finger bore down like an earthquake given shape, its weight pressing on the cavern until the rocks themselves seemed to cringe.
"Hmph… such arrogance belongs only to fools."
Ming Cheng only snorted, cold and small against that roar. His tone held a single, dismissive syllable—contempt sharpened into a blade.
Yet even in his disdain he took note: the underground network held firm, its dark pillars trembling but not collapsing. That stubborn endurance only made the confrontation feel more absolute.
His hands moved, not in a flurry but with brutal precision. Seals folded into seals, each one struck like a chisel on the world. The Dou Qi in his limbs condensed into faint, living sigils—on one hand a fish-shaped swirl, on the other a bird-shaped plume. Blackness seeped into the palm with the fish; light gathered into the other with the bird. Where ink met sky, the patterns hardened into form.
With every completed formation those shapes deepened. The fish widened into a vast Kun, its body a rolling sea that swallowed the black hand; the bird sharpened into a Peng, wings spanning the white palm like a blade of wind. The two spirits breathed—Kun's surf hissed, Peng's feathers sang. For a heartbeat the palms ceased to be flesh and became realm: sea and sky answering the call of their master.
When the final seal locked, Ming Cheng's voice fell low and steady, carrying a force that did not need to shout to be heard across the cavern. The name itself struck like thunder wrapped in silk.
"Divine Beast Seal — Kunpeng Yin–Yang Reversal."
At the utterance, the Kun surged outward in a rolling tide of black water, while the Peng ascended in a piercing gale of white wind. Both forces erupted from Ming Cheng's palms, swelling rapidly until their forms matched the vastness of the descending Yellow Spring Finger.
In the next instant, the Kun and Peng intertwined, their movements fusing into a seamless whole. In a flash, a vast Yin–Yang Diagram manifested in the air, rotating with a slow, steady rhythm, its balance of black and white resembling a celestial Taijitu suspended above the cavern.
From the diagram erupted a terrifying suction force, twisting the surrounding void as though space itself was being wrung apart. The cavern groaned under the strain, cracks spreading through the air like shattered glass. Then, without delay, the Yellow Spring Finger collided with the Yin–Yang Diagram. It pressed down with immense might, yet there was no thunderous explosion, no violent waves of destruction.
Instead, the finger began to disintegrate. Its colossal body fragmented into countless motes of golden-yellow light, each particle flowing calmly into the rotating diagram. One after another, they were drawn into the Yin–Yang Diagram and refined, their power quietly converted into pure energy before flowing back into Ming Cheng's body, restoring his strength with each breath.
Xiao Hua watched this scene with a faint smile. He knew well that this was the second technique of the Divine Beast Seal, a creation Ming Cheng had forged from the combined insights of Lady Azure and Xue Yue. Yet, the true key to its birth lay in Yu Ru Meng. Though she wielded thunder of terrifying destructive might, her essence was calm, serene, and unwavering—an insight that became the foundation of this technique.
If Kyrin embodied the raw force of destruction, trampling enemies beneath its hooves, then Kunpeng was the force of resolution—dissolving any attack into pure essence, scattering destruction and turning it into pure energy. The absorbed energy did not go to waste; it became Ming Cheng's strength, a reservoir of Dou Qi to fuel his battle further.
This second technique had already stepped into the realm of a high-level Tian-Class Dou Qi Skill. Unlike Kyrin's devastating power, Kunpeng's Yin–Yang Reversal leaned toward defense and support, a shield that not only endured but returned strength in kind.
"Truly astonishing…" Xiao Hua murmured, his voice low yet laced with genuine admiration, a flicker of awe flashing in his eyes. He could clearly sense that this technique possessed the ability to resolves even the first and second strikes of his Nine Supreme Chaos Strike—the Heaven Breaking Sphere and Fury of the World.
As his thoughts rippled through him, the colossal Yellow Spring Finger was finally scattered by the Yin–Yang Diagram, dissolving into motes of light that absorbed into Ming Cheng's body.
The scene unfolded before Yao Xiaotian's disbelieving eyes, his expression twisting with fury and shock.
"Bastard! This king has underestimated you!"
His roar shook the cavern as a grave, sinister aura surged from his body. Dou Qi, icy cold and overflowing with malice, erupted in all directions like a flood. His figure suddenly began to expand, bones cracking and muscles twisting in grotesque transformation.
In the blink of an eye, his human form vanished, replaced by a titanic black serpent, ten-thousand feet long. Its scales shimmered with a poisonous luster, its baleful eyes glowing with scarlet light. Monstrous ferocity rolled off its body, so overwhelming it was as though an evil god had descended into the mortal world.
"Sealing Skill—Yellow Spring Great Seal!"
Yao Xiaotian's thunderous roar reverberated through the underground world, echoing like the wail of a god of death. The Nine Serene Spring below trembled violently, its depths boiling as a dark, frigid force erupted forth in unison with his Dou Qi.
Together, they condensed above him, coalescing into a towering black seal the size of a mountain. Strange, ancient symbols covered its surface, each one writhing like serpents, radiating a pressure that seemed capable of suppressing heaven and earth alike.
The monstrous seal descended with the weight of inevitability, as though it sought to bury the entire world beneath its shadow.
"Friend, be cautious. That seal is one of the core Dou Skills of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe—a Tian-class middle-level Dou Skill. Once suppressed by it, you'll be sealed within the Nine Serene Spring. Back then, I too was struck by this technique and suffered in torment for hundreds of years!"
Yao Ming's urgent warning rang out beside Ming Cheng's ear the moment the colossal seal appeared, his voice trembling with lingering dread.
"Bastard, go and die!"
Yao Xiaotian's thunderous laughter shook the underground world. His massive tail whipped through the air, and the mountain-like black seal turned sharply before plunging downward. Its dark and cold might distorted space itself, filling the surroundings with vicious pressure that could crush both body and soul.
"Suppress!"
With that single command, the giant seal trembled, radiating a sinister brilliance. In the next instant, it pierced through space, descending above Ming Cheng's head like a judgment from the heavens. Without pause, it came crashing down.
Bang!
The impact was deafening. Dust and shattered stones exploded outward, instantly engulfing Xiao Hua's group in a storm of smoke and debris. A terrifying shockwave swept through the cavern, spreading like a tidal wave.
Cracks split open across the walls and ground of the Nine Serene Spring, jagged and deep, as though the entire underground world was being torn apart. Even the spring itself turned violent, waves surging wildly, sending torrents of cold yellow water splashing in all directions.
"Hahaha!"
The giant serpent form of Yao Xiaotian erupted in savage laughter, his voice echoing like thunder through the collapsing cavern. With the aid of the Nine Serene Spring's frigid and corrosive force, his Yellow Spring Great Seal would suppress all Dou Qi within its target. Even if Ming Cheng were also a one-star Dou Sheng, once caught, he would be rendered helpless—reduced to nothing but prey beneath his claws.
"This is bad!"
Yao Ming's face paled as he watched the colossal black seal descend. His Dou Qi was still far from recovered, and despair began to gnaw at his heart. Instinctively, his gaze shifted toward Xiao Hua, expecting him to intervene—but to his shock, Xiao Hua remained calm and indifferent, not the slightest hint of concern flickering in his expression.
Sensing something amiss, Yao Ming turned his attention back to the battlefield. His eyes widened in disbelief—the Yellow Spring Great Seal, which should have crushed Ming Cheng instantly, was frozen in place. Though it had landed squarely on him, the seal refused to move an inch further, no matter how violently it erupted with destructive force.
Even Yao Xiaotian, who had transformed into his massive serpent form, had his laughter abruptly cut short. His cold eyes narrowed in confusion. Just as he wondered what was happening, the giant seal suddenly quaked violently. Space itself shuddered, and from within Ming Cheng's body, a thunderous aura erupted.
Black-gold lightning tore out in a frenzy, shaking the massive seal until, with a thunderous explosion, it was hurled backward like a broken toy!
"What?" Yao Xiaotian roared in disbelief, his monstrous pupils contracting sharply.
"He's using this fight to test the new techniques he has been creating…" Xiao Hua's faint smile carried a trace of helplessness, as though the outcome had long been within his expectations.
A deafening boom thundered through the underground world. Black-gold lightning surged forth, expanding like a blazing sun. In an instant, the light condensed into the towering figure of an armored giant, its body wreathed in crackling black-gold thunder. Gripped tightly in its colossal hands was an enormous spear forged of lightning itself.
Without the slightest hesitation, the thunder giant raised its spear and brought it crashing down upon Yao Xiaotian's massive serpent body.
Boom!
The strike was merciless, brimming with terrifying force. Yao Xiaotian's enormous form convulsed violently as the blow smashed him into the ground. The earth split apart as a massive crater, several meters deep, was gouged into the cavern floor. Dust and thunderous light erupted skyward, as the serpent's howl of rage and pain reverberated through the Nine Serene Spring.
The cloud of dust scattered, unveiling a colossal, dharma-like figure that towered over the battlefield. Its form was entirely enshrouded in Emperor Thunder—black-gold bolts weaving together into a titanic suit of war-armor, vast and oppressive, as if capable of blotting out the heavens themselves.
"Bastard! You dare act wantonly within the territory of my Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe! Serene Snake Guards, seize him at once!"
A furious roar shook the sky even as the thunder giant's spear pinned Yao Xiaotian beneath it. From across the mountain range came the ceaseless rush of wind, countless figures streaking through the air as wave after wave of powerful auras erupted. The battle between Ming Cheng and Yao Xiaotian had roused the entire tribe.
Upon the giant's face, twin eyes of thunder slowly opened—no mere eyes of flesh, but storm-forged orbs of endless lightning, gazing down upon the world with unshakable sovereign majesty.
The pressure from that gaze was suffocating. Even the seasoned experts of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe trembled in their hearts. Yet, swallowing their fear, they forced their spines straight, glaring back at the thunder giant with defiant, furious eyes.
No matter the terror, this was their pride. The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe stood among the three great beast tribes of the Magical Beast World. Now, an outsider had invaded their domain and pressed their chieftain into the dirt. How could such disgrace be tolerated?
"Bastard! Who are you, to dare rampage in the territory of my Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe?"
An elder's sharp cry rang out. He hovered in the sky, a scarlet poisonous serpent coiled around his shoulder, its tongue flickering menacingly. His ruthless eyes locked upon the thunder giant, yet as his gaze swept downward to the massive black serpent pinned beneath the spear, his heart involuntarily quivered.
That this unknown figure could suppress Yao Xiaotian—a powerhouse whose strength none in their tribe doubted—was beyond his expectations.
Another elder, hair ashen-gray and expression grim, stepped forward with fury burning in his voice. "Regardless of who this man is, we must restrain him today! If even a whisper of this matter spreads, how will our Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe preserve its standing in the Magical Beast World?"
"Serene Snake Guards, heed my command—capture him!"
"Understood!"
A thunderous response erupted in unison. The sound of blades cutting through the wind filled the air as countless figures clad in serpent-shaped armor shot forth from every peak and gorge. Within mere flashes, they encircled the black-gold giant. Their auras surged together, weaving into an oppressive net that locked tightly onto Ming Cheng's towering form.
"The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe's foundation is indeed formidable…Each of these Serene Snake Guards bears frightening strength, and their movements flow as one. Truly, they are the tribe's fangs and scales."
Just as the formation closed in, a melodious voice drifted across the battlefield, gentle yet carrying an overbearing majesty. In that instant, the temperature surged violently, spiking to a terrifying extreme.
A blazing brilliance erupted beside them, flames roaring like a tide. From within the inferno emerged another colossal giant.
This was no beast nor spirit, but a divine goddess. Equal in stature to the thunder giant, she stood draped in flowing robes of living flame, each ripple like celestial fire-silk. Her long hair cascaded in molten strands, her eyes burned as twin suns that could reduce the heavens to ash. Behind her, wings of pure fire unfurled, vast enough to blot out the firmament itself.
The experts of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe froze in horror. The presence radiating from this figure was unmistakable—it was the elegance of the phoenix, not of a mere beast, but the manifestation of a goddess in human form.
"Mei Ling… you wish to involve yourself in this?" Ming Cheng's deep voice rolled from the thunder giant, carrying faint surprise. He knew full well these Serene Snake Guards could never restrain him.
Naturally, Mei Ling understood this as well. Yet she had chosen to reveal herself. How could Ming Cheng not realize? She had grown restless—bored of watching from the side. She had come to end this battle once and for all.
Bang!
A terrifying surge of power suddenly erupted from Yao Xiaotian's body, shaking loose the dark-gold spear that had been pinning him down. Taking advantage of Ming Cheng's momentary distraction by Mei Ling's sudden appearance, Yao Xiaotian broke free of the suppression with violent force.
His massive serpent body shot into the sky, scales cracked and blood staining his hide, his appearance somewhat wretched. Yet his eyes burned blood-red, madness and fury entwined as he glared venomously at Ming Cheng.
"All Elders, hear my command!" Yao Xiaotian's roar thundered across the Nine Serene Spring. "Form the Ten Thousand Snake Grand Formation! Kill this intruder!"
The many Elders floating in the sky were briefly stunned by the command, but the shock quickly gave way to solemn resolve. One after another, they voiced their acknowledgment with respectful cries. In the next instant, the heavens trembled with the rush of countless winds.
The Elders, each exuding an overwhelming aura, streaked outward in different directions. In mere breaths, they wove themselves into a vast and mysterious pattern, layers of dark and cold energy interlinking to form a net that sealed the skies. Ming Cheng's towering figure and Mei Ling's goddess figure was locked at its center.
Yet within the formation's oppressive might, Ming Cheng and Mei Ling stood unmoved. Their colossal visages showed not even the slightest concern—only a bored indifference, as if they were merely watching children play at war. Against the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe alone, either one of them would scarcely break a sweat. Now that both stood side by side, the threat of this so-called grand formation was laughable.
Yao Xiaotian's gaze flickered coldly as the formation took shape. His serpentine pupils turned toward the distant leaders of the other magical beast tribes who had gathered to watch. His voice lowered, rumbling like thunder laced with command.
"Leaders of the tribes, withdraw. This matter shall be resolved by my hands alone!"
The tribal leaders exchanged uncertain looks, their expressions tight. To intervene here would mean opposing the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python tribe directly—a price none were willing to pay.
Though hesitant, they slowly nodded one by one, withdrawing their auras as they retreated into the distance, unwilling to disobey the command of the python tribe's chief.
"Heh… Yao Xiaotian," a cold laugh suddenly echoed through the skies, sharp and mocking, cutting into the tension like a blade of frost. "So that is your plan? You send the leaders away so you can silence me without witnesses?"
As the sneer resounded, space rippled violently. A figure shot forth like lightning, emerging high above the battlefield. His presence was domineering, his aura pressing down like a mountain. In an instant, all eyes turned toward this new arrival, the very air trembling under the force of his cold intent.
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