The three-headed snake's rapid advancement to late second rank was thanks to an undiscovered spiritual vein buried deep underground. But now, the treasure that fueled its cultivation had vanished. Its gaze turned, venomous and vengeful, toward the humans attacking it. No doubt they were the ones who had used some trick to steal what belonged to it.
"Detestable human cultivators!"
All three heads shrieked in unison as it whipped its tail in a frenzy, determined to bury them all within the collapsing tunnels.
At the same time, Mu Ningzhu and Du Yuling's team had rejoined Sheng Yuhong's group without issue. Sensing something was wrong, Sheng Yuhong raised his voice.
"Everyone, evacuate the tunnels. This place is coming down!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Sheng!"
Some channeled spells, while others activated teleportation talismans. In moments, streaks of light shot upward as everyone fled the collapsing underground lair.
But the three-headed snake would not let its prey escape so easily. It tore through the rock and burst onto the surface in pursuit.
Just as Sheng Yuhong and the others emerged aboveground, the serpent surged up behind them. Before anyone could react, its tail lashed out, flinging two early Foundation Establishment disciples into the air. Sheng Yuhong narrowly avoided the strike by shifting his position with a flash of movement.
"Disciples of Haoran Sect, form ranks!"
His command rang out. He poured spiritual power into his sword, blocking the serpent's next strike.
The beast hissed, spraying venom while its tail slammed down again with brutal force.
Mu Ningzhu wiped the blood from her lips and swiftly joined the formation. Du Yuling nimbly dodged the attack and released her first arc of sword light, which linked with another disciple's strike, slashing along the serpent's scales.
Blade after blade of sword qi connected, forming a brilliant web of light. The sword formation activated with Sheng Yuhong at the core, gradually tightening its grip to limit the serpent's movements.
Meanwhile, Wei Yunxi had arrived in a stone chamber. Unlike the natural caverns, this room had clearly been carved by hand. Its smooth walls enclosed a space no larger than thirty square meters. In the center sat a man in white robes with white hair, eyes closed in meditation, his posture serene and motionless.
Alarm bells rang in Wei Yunxi's mind. She immediately bowed respectfully.
"Senior, please forgive me. I was forced into this place by a powerful enemy and meant no disrespect to your cultivation."
Even as she spoke, her eyes kept a careful watch for any reaction. But after finishing her words, the man showed no response at all. His eyes remained shut.
Images of body-snatching and possession flashed through her mind. She didn't dare approach. Instead, she activated every defensive layer she could and respectfully repeated her explanation twice more. The only answer was silence.
Finally, she raised her head slightly and cautiously extended a thread of divine sense toward the meditating man.
The moment it touched him, a soft white light flared from his body. A spectral figure emerged before her, identical in appearance to the man in white robes.
"At last. Someone finally came. Any longer, and I would have faded entirely."
Wei Yunxi immediately guessed this was a fragment of his soul. She didn't dare act carelessly and once again bowed with respect.
"I apologize, Senior. I was driven here by a second-rank three-headed snake. I meant no offense."
The white-haired man looked at her and sighed, disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"It was you who activated the trace of divine sense I left in this body. Will you do me a favor? If you agree, the storage ring I left behind will be your reward."
Wei Yunxi glanced at his form but didn't see any storage ring. Still, she answered politely.
"Senior, I am limited in cultivation. I do not know what task you need help with, but I will do my best."
"I wish to pass on my legacy. Help me bring my cultivation method into the world. Find someone worthy to inherit it."
Wei Yunxi's heart lightened. That sounded manageable. She bowed again.
"Senior, I am a disciple of Haoran Sect. I can bring your technique back to the sect. I'm sure they can find someone suitable to carry on your legacy."
The white-robed man gave a weary sigh. The girl before him was too young, with a triple spiritual root—unsuitable for possession, let alone reaching the Dao. Still, he waved his sleeve, sending a jade slip floating toward her.
Wei Yunxi channeled spiritual power into her hands and received it with great care. On the surface, five words were carved: Wushuang Sword Lightning Art. Her heart leapt with joy, though she kept her expression calm and asked softly:
"Senior, is this cultivation method only suitable for those with the lightning spiritual root?"
"Yes. I've waited here for a thousand years, yet not a single lightning-rooted disciple ever appeared. So I must entrust this method to you. My storage ring contains another technique suitable for the water root, though it only goes up to the Nascent Soul stage."
Wei Yunxi pretended to light up with delight.
"Thank you, Senior. A method that reaches Nascent Soul is already an incredible gift. I wouldn't dare to be greedy."
"Very well. If you make a solemn vow now, you may leave."
The soul fragment looked at her with expectation.
Wei Yunxi spoke solemnly.
"I, Wei Yunxi, swear to seek out a disciple with the lightning spiritual root to inherit this legacy. If I break this vow, my cultivation shall never progress again and my immortal path will end."
The white-haired man was clearly satisfied. With a wave of his sleeve, a white jade storage ring flew into Wei Yunxi's palm.
"A token of gratitude."
Wei Yunxi beamed, turning the ring in her fingers like an inexperienced cultivator seeing such a treasure for the first time. In front of the soul fragment, she pricked her finger and claimed the ring, slipping it onto her index finger. It vanished instantly. She bowed once more.
"Thank you, Senior. I will not disappoint you."
The soul fragment gave one final sigh before slowly fading. His final words echoed in the air:
"There is a teleportation array beneath the mat I was seated on. Good luck."
Even after he vanished completely, Wei Yunxi remained on guard. She stepped forward slowly, offered a respectful bow to the white-robed man's body, then whispered an apology and placed the corpse into her storage pouch, intending to bury it properly later.
The meditation mat was clearly a valuable artifact. Following the principle of taking everything useful, she stored it away too. Only then did she see the small teleportation array carved into the stone beneath it.
She was familiar with this formation. It resembled the one she had used to leave Haoran City. Efficiently, she inserted nine lower-grade spirit stones into the grooves. As the array lit up, she stepped onto it.
Light engulfed her. In the next instant, she vanished from the chamber.
The formation completed its task, then cracked apart. The entire room collapsed, erasing all traces of its existence.
Wei Yunxi's figure reappeared in mid-air, and the next moment she plummeted straight down, crashing with a dull thud into something soft.
"Pff! Is this formation broken? Why did it throw me into the sky?"
Grumbling, she pulled herself up. Thankfully, it hadn't been a high drop. Otherwise, she might have broken a few bones.
Then something pecked her lower back.
Her hairs stood on end. Spiritual sense burst out in all directions.
She nearly screamed.
She had fallen into a massive nest, and the creature that pecked her... was a red-beaked bird chick whose feathers hadn't even grown in yet.