Word Count: 2,820 Words
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Little Fairy Doctor stood off to the side, watching the pair kiss. She rubbed her forehead, a look of helplessness spreading across her face.
These two... couldn't they at least find somewhere without an audience?
Of course, beneath that exasperation lurked a faint trace of jealousy.
Around them, countless eyes took in the scene. Hearts shattered across the battlefield at the sight, though far more observers felt only envy and admiration. After all, only Xiao Yan could capture the heart of this imperious ruler of the Snake Tribes.
When the pair finally parted, Yao Ming cleared his throat with a wry smile. "Queen Medusa, I have a transaction to propose."
"Oh?" Cai Lin's expression shifted in an instant. The softness of a lover vanished, replaced by the cool, imperious bearing of a Queen. "Let's hear it."
"I wonder if the esteemed members of the Yan Alliance have heard of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint?" Solemnity settled over Yao Ming's features as he spoke, though a faint, proud curve lingered on his lips.
"Yellow Spring Demon Saint?"
Both Xiao Yan and Cai Lin showed genuine surprise at the name. They exchanged a glance; naturally, they were familiar with the legend.
The Yellow Springs Mountain Range and the Nine Serene Yellow Spring both carried 'Yellow Spring' in their names. Before coming here, they had instructed the Miteer Auction House to investigate the region thoroughly. The name Yellow Spring Demon Saint had surfaced repeatedly in their reports.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded, visibly moved. "Naturally, we've heard of him. Legend speaks of a supreme powerhouse who emerged from nowhere thousands of years ago and dominated an entire era. Rumors claim the Yellow Spring Demon Saint reached Half-God strength, making him invincible across the Dou Qi Continent."
A wary glint flashed through his gaze. "Could the Yellow Spring Demon Saint be related to the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe?"
Although he didn't believe such an ancient existence could still be alive, he wouldn't lower his guard against unexpected developments.
Yao Ming understood their wariness and smiled wryly. "Please be at ease. My Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's current predicament is entirely the fault of my foolish younger brother. Moreover, my freedom from the seal is thanks to all of you. I, Yao Ming, and the remaining members of my tribe have no intention of becoming enemies of the Yan Alliance."
He paused, then continued, "Although the Yellow Spring Demon Saint was not a member of my tribe, he shared a deep connection with us. That peerless powerhouse fell long ago, and most of his inheritance has eroded with time. However..." Yao Ming smiled and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Within my Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, there exists a Yellow Spring Stone Tablet passed down from ancient times. Recorded within that tablet is the lifelong learning of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint. It's even said that deep inside the tablet, a trace of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood remains."
Xiao Yan regarded Yao Ming steadily. He did not allow talk of Essence Blood or ancient inheritances to cloud his judgment. Instead, he smiled faintly. "For Tribe Leader Yao Ming to suddenly bring this up, I wonder... what is it you seek in return?"
Xiao Yan's calm, unclouded gaze showed not a trace of greed. Yao Ming couldn't help but regard him more highly for it. When he himself had first learned of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood, he hadn't shown even half this composure.
"This Yellow Spring Stone Tablet can only be opened by a method unique to the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, known only to successive Tribe Leaders," Yao Ming revealed. "Three Dou Techniques are recorded on the tablet: the Low Tian Class Yellow Spring Finger, the Intermediate Tian Class Yellow Spring Palm, and the High Tian Class Yellow Spring Divine Anger. All three were personally created by the Yellow Spring Demon Saint and are extraordinarily powerful."
This revelation might have been a bombshell, yet Xiao Yan and his companions merely nodded faintly.
A High Tian Class Dou Technique, is it? The Yan Alliance possessed such an inheritance as well, though it was basically impossible to cultivate.
"Alas..." Yao Ming sighed at their measured reaction. "Brother Xiao Yan truly deserves his reputation as a peerless genius. When I first heard of this inheritance..." He waved a hand dismissively. "Nevermind. My Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's demands are modest. We only hope you will leave a small sanctuary within the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, along with some secret realm inheritances and resources, so my tribe may continue living in the Beast Region."
He had originally planned to open with a high price, but their measured response told him the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant inheritance alone wasn't enough to stir the Yan Alliance into eagerness.
Xiao Yan glanced at Cai Lin. She considered for a moment, then nodded. "Agreed. The Underground Serene Snake Network will remain the territory of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. My Snake-People Tribe claims no interest in the resources or inheritances within that underground vein. Beyond that, all other territory in the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, including the Nine Serene Yellow Spring and the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet, will belong to the Yan Alliance."
The Underground Serene Snake Network was merely a single subterranean vein beneath the vast Yellow Springs Mountain Range. The range itself was unimaginably large. Moreover, Cai Lin's Snake-People Tribe preferred forests and mountainsides; they had no fondness for living underground.
Relief washed over Yao Ming's face. Things hadn't developed toward the worst outcome after all.
"Hehe, then on behalf of all members of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, I thank Queen Medusa for her mercy."
…
Roughly ten minutes later, Xiao Yan and his companions followed Yao Ming to stand before a massive stone tablet.
Xiao Yan lifted his head, taking in the towering Yellow Spring Stone Tablet. Strange runes densely covered its surface, and faint glimmers of peculiar light flickered between their strokes. Carved into the face of the tablet were a gigantic finger and a palm print five feet deep. A stream of mysterious information seemed to radiate outward from within.
Xiao Yan nodded silently, his gaze growing solemn as he studied the ancient slab. From it, he could sense an extremely tyrannical spiritual pressure.
Just a wisp of remnant soul, yet it possesses such overwhelming pressure. What kind of peerless existence must the Yellow Spring Demon Saint have been in life?
Only after Yao Ming's detailed explanation did Xiao Yan and the others fully grasp the tablet's significance.
The Yellow Spring Stone Tablet contained three Dou Techniques: the Low Tian Class Yellow Spring Finger, the Intermediate Tian Class Yellow Spring Palm, and the High Tian Class Yellow Spring Divine Anger.
The Yellow Spring Divine Anger, in particular, was certainly no ordinary High Tian Class Dou Technique. It was a special sonic Dou Technique!
Yellow Spring Anger, Shattering Human Souls!
The Yellow Spring Divine Anger was extraordinarily unique. It was a fusion of sonic Dou Technique and Soul Technique. Once unleashed, it would obliterate one's very soul. Even high-level Dou Saints would struggle to withstand its power.
However, the Dou Techniques inscribed on the tablet couldn't simply be cultivated at will. The reason the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had never managed to learn the Yellow Spring Divine Anger was that the tablet itself served as a special trial ground.
The first two Dou Techniques were relatively accessible. As long as one's bloodline strength and cultivation reached a certain threshold, they could be learned. But the Yellow Spring Divine Anger demanded a Heavenly State soul as its foundation, and even within that realm, one's Spiritual Strength had to be exceptionally powerful.
Because of this, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had never unlocked the final technique. The Demon Saint's Essence Blood that Yao Ming had mentioned lay behind the final trial. Only by passing it could one obtain both the cultivation method for the Yellow Spring Divine Anger and the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood.
After Yao Ming departed, Xiao Yan and the others turned their attention to the stone tablet before them. Xiao Yan chuckled. "No wonder that fellow handed over the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet so easily. He's already cultivated the Yellow Spring Finger and the Yellow Spring Palm, but with the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's strength, the third trial is completely beyond their reach."
Qing Lin clenched her small fists, eyes shining with confidence. "Young Master will definitely succeed!"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly without denying it. An ordinary Heavenly State soul might indeed fail to clear this trial, but since when had he been ordinary?
His Spiritual Strength sat at the peak of the Intermediate Heavenly State. On top of that, he had cultivated the Emperor Soul Technique and wielded the power of the Hun Clan's Divine Grade Clan Mark. He had surpassed the cultivation threshold for the Yellow Spring Divine Anger by who knew how many times over.
"The Yellow Spring Divine Anger might not match the sheer destructive force of your fire lotus Dou Techniques, but it's an exceptionally unique sonic Dou Technique. It should suit you very well," Little Fairy Doctor observed from the side.
"Be careful." Cai Lin's beautiful eyes settled on Xiao Yan, her gaze carrying quiet concern.
"Don't worry."
With Xiao Yan's spiritual perception, he naturally sensed the extremely powerful soul force dwelling within the stone tablet. To obtain the cultivation method for the Yellow Spring Divine Anger, one would need to face and withstand that technique head-on.
'The Yellow Spring Demon Saint's attainments in soul cultivation must have reached a truly terrifying level,' Xiao Yan assessed silently.
'But if this is all that stands in my way... I'm afraid it won't be enough.'
He stepped forward until he stood directly before the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet. Slowly extending his hand, he pressed his palm against its cold surface and let a wisp of Spiritual Strength seep into the stone.
The moment his Spiritual Strength permeated the tablet, the runes floating across its massive surface flared with a faint glow. An instant later, an overwhelmingly powerful soul pressure surged upward from within!
His consciousness lurched. Xiao Yan's spiritual perception was yanked into the inheritance space hidden within the stone. A barren wasteland unfolded around him. Above stretched a sky steeped in ancient aura, where thunder roared like enraged dragons, ear-splitting crashes shaking this entire realm violently.
Xiao Yan had long grown accustomed to these inheritance spaces. Suspended in midair, he surveyed the strange domain. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes before his gaze swept toward the far reaches of the space, toward its very end.
His Spiritual Strength could sense a tremendously powerful presence waiting at the end of the path.
He had not walked far when a colossal finger shot down from the heavens. Xiao Yan spared it a glance and immediately understood this was the first trial. Without giving the Yellow Spring Finger a second thought, he flicked his finger and sent a wisp of Heavenly Flame streaking outward.
BOOM!
The terrifying explosion obliterated the Yellow Spring Finger, and a stream of spiritual information regarding its cultivation method poured into his mind.
He continued along the path. Before long came the second trial: a massive yellow palm descended from the sky, slamming downward as a howling storm swept outward. Xiao Yan glanced up at the enormous palm and flicked his finger once more. A thread of Heavenly Flame shot out, transforming into a flaming dragon that crashed into the descending strike.
With his current cultivation, these first two trials posed no challenge whatsoever. Another stream of spiritual information quickly flooded into his mind.
But neither Dou Technique was his goal. With a single step he crossed the void. In an instant, he stood at the deepest reaches of the inheritance space.
Atop a towering mountain peak loomed a massive throne. Upon it sat a figure clad in yellow fur robes, back straight as a spear. An aura so mighty that even heaven and earth trembled spread slowly outward from his form.
"Young one, this is not a place you should have come. Withdraw."
The faint voice carried a soul pressure that seeped straight into Xiao Yan's ears. Under its weight, even his physical form rippled with faint distortions.
Xiao Yan spread his hands with a carefree shrug. "Senior, whatever trial you have in store, bring it. Surely you don't want your inheritance to end here, do you?"
The remnant soul of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint stared blankly for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha! In all these hundreds and thousands of years, you're the first amusing little brat I've encountered! Very well, let me see whether you are qualified to receive my inheritance!"
His expression shifted in an instant, becoming incomparably grave. His hands moved like lightning, forming a strange seal that he lifted to his lips. A terrifying fluctuation swept outward. Under its force, the sky and earth of this space collapsed and shattered as if the end of days had arrived.
'So this is the Yellow Spring Divine Anger…'
Even Xiao Yan felt a jolt of alarm at that fluctuation. His expression grew extraordinarily grave.
The Yellow Spring Divine Anger was no ordinary Soul Technique. It was a sonic Soul Technique.
Soul Techniques could penetrate the physical body and strike directly at the soul. Sonic Dou Techniques could bypass Dou Qi defenses and armor entirely. The true power of the Yellow Spring Divine Anger lay in this fusion: it could ignore any defense!
Unleashed by the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul, the technique exuded a danger even Xiao Yan could not dismiss. A technique able to bypass all defenses... it was no wonder so many Dou Saint experts turned pale at the mere mention of the Yellow Spring Divine Anger. That reputation was far from hollow!
Between heaven and earth, violent agitation surged. Space itself buckled and warped. Around the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul, strange ripples suddenly arose, interweaving into an invisible figure nearly ten thousand feet tall. Examined closely, this figure appeared identical to the Demon Saint himself. Yet facing it, Xiao Yan felt the terrifying sensation of standing before the entire world.
'This is... the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's true body?!'
Xiao Yan drew in a sharp breath. He hadn't expected a single wisp of remnant soul to condense the Demon Saint's true form from sound waves alone.
That true body is enormous... could the Yellow Spring Demon Saint have been one of the Snake People?!
The invisible Demon Saint true body, formed entirely from sound waves, slowly lowered its head. Indifferent eyes locked onto Xiao Yan in the distance. Its mouth opened. A syllable steeped in ancient aura rolled forth like a thunder dragon bursting through layers upon layers of storm clouds, its terrifying visage revealed in an instant.
The moment that single word left its lips, the invisible true body collapsed. The entire space shattered alongside it. Xiao Yan could see with his naked eyes as the fabric of space fractured inch by inch under the expanding sound wave. A near-apocalyptic sonic shock, faster even than light, roared toward him.
Xiao Yan exhaled slowly. Facing the Yellow Spring Divine Anger, he knew he could neither dodge nor defend. Against this special sonic attack, the only answer was to attack head-on!
Attack is the best defense!
Asura Soul Reaping Technique!
He, too, possessed a High Tian Class Soul Technique!
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!!
His Spiritual Strength erupted with a thunderous boom, condensing into a colossal three-faced Asura statue, just as the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul had done!
After absorbing the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's power, the third face had already half solidified. Once he refined the Bodhisattva Heart, it would be complete.
A deafening bellow shook the air as the titanic Asura statue surged up from the earth. Three faces opened their eyes. All six arms gripped weapons and hacked ferociously toward the heavens.
Xiao Yan's hands shifted into new seals. The Hun Clan's Clan Mark manifested between his brows, and dark, mysterious lines spread across the Asura's entire body. His Spiritual Strength, already at the peak of the Intermediate Heavenly State, surged wildly upward, soaring all the way to the perfected Heavenly State!
Attack against attack!
"Slash!"
The Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul watched in astonishment as the enormous Asura statue, wreathed in eerie dark soul force, rocketed skyward!
It crashed head-on into the Yellow Spring Divine Anger, and booming impacts rang out in rapid succession. The Asura statue's body was instantly blasted apart, massive chunks torn away by the sonic onslaught.
But even as it crumbled, it held.
It had stubbornly blocked the Yellow Spring Divine Anger!