Chapter 200: Qing Lin
Unintentional teasing always makes one's heart waver.
Hua She'er, a snake-woman who had never interacted with the opposite sex before, could hardly resist Yao Yan's teasing. Her normally composed appearance faltered, and a seductive blush appeared on her cheeks. Flustered, she lowered her head, unsure whether to agree or not.
Yao Yan didn't continue to tease this usually dignified snake-woman. His eyes gazed into the distance, and compared to the vast desert that once surrounded the Serpent Clan, he could now see plenty of green forests around the Serpent Clan's new base. The vibrant life felt like something that had never existed before.
This could be seen from Ling'er's vitality as well. The little one hadn't been this lively in the Tagore Desert.
After a small test earlier, Yao Yan also realized the allure of the heavenly flame origin to Ling'er, especially this one that he had completely devoured. Compared to its once violent state, it was now much gentler.
Facing these harmless heavenly flame origins, how could Ling'er not be tempted?
Just like how humans feel hunger, the mutual devouring of heavenly flames is almost instinctive. For Ling'er, who had low intelligence, how could she resist such temptation?
"I'm really bad~"
Yao Yan murmured to himself. Actually, it wasn't just Ling'er who found this temptation hard to resist. Facing a heavenly flame origin of such a high ranking, he himself couldn't endure the desire to devour it. If he consumed it, his power would undoubtedly skyrocket, and his Burn Decision would immediately reach the Heavenly Stage.
But rationality and humanity kept Yao Yan in check. He didn't want to become someone who would sacrifice everything for power.
If he became that way, he wouldn't be himself anymore.
Although people change, he could still decide what kind of person he would become.
While lost in his thoughts, Yao Yan smiled faintly and turned to look at Hua She'er. The redness on her face had dissipated, and her eyes were much clearer. However, she was still staring at him, prompting him to ask, "Why are you staring at me?"
"Young master, you seem to have changed a lot since your return," Hua She'er's gaze flickered, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly said.
"Changed? My appearance?"
Yao Yan was taken aback, then took out a mirror from his spatial ring and examined his face. He had to admit, his face now looked so stunning it could be considered almost perfect, with no flaws at all.
This change was undoubtedly the "side effect" of the Spirit Race's Dou Emperor bloodline.
According to Hun Xu Zi, the people of that race were born with exceptional beauty, like a perfect creation by the creator, their appearance almost universal, attractive to both genders. Additionally, their long lifespan was envied by other races, with the only drawback being their reproductive abilities.
The more powerful a living being, the lower its fertility, which was common knowledge. And for beings as long-lived as the Spirit Race, giving birth was undoubtedly more difficult than for other imperial families.
He wondered if Cai Lin, who had such good luck, could break this rule.
Hua She'er slightly shook her head, a faint smile on her lips. She softly said, "It's not just your appearance. Other things have changed a lot too. The young master seemed to have many concerns before, but now you seem much more relaxed."
"..." Yao Yan froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Maybe it's because my power was too low before. I was always suppressed by your queen. Now, I can finally suppress her."
"?!" Hua She'er was shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Young master, what is your power now?"
"Peak Nine-Star Dou Huang. I should be only one step away from Dou Zong now~"
Yao Yan casually said as he clenched his fist, feeling the overwhelming Dou Qi within his body. With just a slight effort, he could crush everything around him. His current mindset was completely different from before.
After all, in the world of fantasy, strength is everything!
Hua She'er fell silent, even a little dazed. Yao Yan's strength had grown so drastically that it was beyond imagination. She remembered that when he left, his strength was still at the Four-Star Dou Wang level, but now he had leapt to the peak of Nine-Star Dou Huang, just one step away from Dou Zong.
His cultivation speed was simply too exaggerated, far beyond what Hua She'er had imagined.
"Don't be surprised. The outside world is vast. There are people who cultivate faster than me, so you'll need to work hard to advance to Dou Zong as soon as possible... Don't worry about pills or cultivation resources, I'll leave them behind before I leave," Yao Yan said, looking at her eyes, speaking gently.
With his current strength, getting some cultivation resources was easy. Establishing a force in the Black Corner Domain was precisely for this reason.
"There are people who cultivate faster than the young master?" Hua She'er asked, surprised.
"Many~"
Yao Yan said confidently. Not to mention strength, in terms of cultivation speed, there were definitely people in the major imperial families whose cultivation speed surpassed his, and there were even likely people who broke through to Dou Zong at the age of ten.
He had never doubted this.
The foundation of an imperial family was something outsiders couldn't imagine.
Not to mention other things, even the resources he enjoyed at the family academy were enough to make many Dou Wang envious. At that time, he was just a peripheral figure in a city, but the young talents who were specially trained received unimaginable resources.
Perhaps since childhood, those talents had Dou Saint-level ancestors who purified their bodies, laid their foundations, and removed all obstacles to reaching Dou Saint.
To put it bluntly, if the imperial families wanted, they could cultivate a pig to become a Dou Saint. It was just a matter of whether they were willing to pay the massive price.
This was why imperial families had lasted for tens of thousands of years without collapsing.
Dou Saint was the core foundation of a faction.
Hua She'er paused for a moment, her steady gaze now tinged with some determination. She looked at Yao Yan and slowly said, "Then the young master is the most powerful one. After all, you've always made your way on your own!"
Made my way on my own… Yao Yan froze for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, not lingering on the topic.
Those who know their own affairs best.
If Hun Xu Zi hadn't helped him with blood purification and body tempering, he wouldn't have reached this point. Not everyone had such good luck to devour heavenly flames at the Dou Shi level. He had come this far thanks to Hun Xu Zi, his "good teacher."
Yao Yan's eyes flickered with a faint light as he then patted Hua She'er on the bottom and laughed, "Let's stop talking about this. Come with me and stroll around the city... Zi Yan, Ling'er, let's go out and take a look."
At that moment, the two little ones in the room had already become greedy for the pills. After Yao Yan entered, he found that they had already consumed over ten bottles of pills.
Although they were all refined pills without rank, the medicinal power contained in them was real.
Only they could eat that much.
Yao Yan was both amused and helpless. He walked over, placed the now bloated Ling'er on his shoulder, and then picked up Zi Yan as they walked toward the outside, intending to clear his mind and see how the Serpent Clan had changed.
Hua She'er swayed her slender waist and shook her tail, following closely behind.
...
The royal city built by the Serpent Clan was very similar to the original royal city in terms of layout, full of exotic charm. The only difference was that there were many more humans now. Compared to the past when the Serpent Clan strongly rejected humans, the Serpent Clan had improved a lot. They could now tolerate humans stepping into their territory without immediately killing them.
It was worth noting that, a few years ago, humans and the Serpent Clan were in a bitter, life-and-death struggle. Only powerful Dou Huang experts could go to the Serpent Clan's territory safely. Anyone else, even a Dou Wang, would fall into danger.
If the Serpent Clan found any powerful beings entering their territory, they would immediately summon their strong fighters to kill or drive them out.
"The changes are quite big." Yao Yan held Zi Yan's small hand, observing the changes in the streets as he said softly.
"Thanks to the young master," Hua She'er said respectfully, walking beside him with her hands clasped around her small waist.
Yao Yan smiled and led Zi Yan to a nearby shop. Zi Yan had never walked through such streets before, so she was very curious, acting like an excited puppy. She pulled him through the streets, and along the way, they ran into many familiar faces, most of whom regarded Yao Yan with awe.
After a while, Yao Yan suddenly stopped. His attention was drawn to a cage, where a small child was being held. The child's tiny figure, no older than two years old, was clearly imprisoned like a slave.
This scene directly pierced Yao Yan's heart. His expression immediately darkened. Noticing Yao Yan's change in mood, Hua She'er followed his gaze and froze, quickly understanding what was happening. She then explained in a low voice, "Young master, that's a member of the Mobas tribe. The infant... must have just been born into their tribe. Because of your actions, many Serpent Clan slaves have been freed, but some of them were pregnant..."
The situation was simple: the Serpent Clan slaves had been freed, but a few of the Serpent women had given birth to human children. The humans naturally wouldn't take responsibility, making the situation complicated.
Such offspring, a product of the Serpent Clan and humans, were not welcomed by anyone. The Serpent Clan rejected them, and even the Serpent women who gave birth to these children were ostracized. This child's fate was sealed.
Yet the fact that the child was still alive was likely thanks to their incredible vitality.
"Neither side accepts them?" Yao Yan's gaze darkened. He suddenly thought of himself. After a while, he calmly said, "Take this child with us. I can't stand to see a child treated like this."
Hua She'er understood that Yao Yan's heart had been moved. She nodded slightly and swayed her waist, going to handle the situation.
Some things can be understood, but not accepted.
Yao Yan sighed inwardly, knowing the Serpent Clan wasn't wrong. But seeing a child under two years old locked in a cage, the feeling was quite frustrating, especially after learning that this child was the result of a human-Serpent Clan union. It made him think about his own situation.
Would he become an outcast like the so-called Evil Spirit Clan in the future, rejected by both sides?
Would anyone sympathize with him then?
Yao Yan suddenly understood what it felt like to be an Evil Spirit. In the vast world, battling with different races, stuck in the middle without freedom, controlled by others as mere pawns, charging toward the powerful of the vast world—seeking revenge, or perhaps self-destruction.
Ultimately, no one could help them, and they had no choice.
"Mobas, do you know what you're doing?!"
At this moment, a soft shout from afar pulled Yao Yan's thoughts back. He saw Hua She'er facing off with a tall Serpent man, whose gaze occasionally shifted toward him, filled with hostility.
This Serpent Clan man was extremely tall and muscular, with a fierce appearance. On his arms were tattoos of two black giant pythons, looking brutal and violent.
"This is an internal matter of my tribe. I have the right to handle it myself!" Mobas coldly declared.
As he spoke, he tore open the cage. The so-called cage couldn't stop him at all. Under everyone's watch, he pulled out the human-Serpent hybrid child, then attempted to crush it to death.
"Whoosh~"
An invisible pressure instantly enveloped him. The terrifying force made him freeze, and he collapsed to the ground. If he had legs, he would have knelt, but now he was almost lying flat on the ground.
"If you have hatred in your heart, why not go after the one who caused it? Bullying a newborn child—don't you think it's shameful?" Yao Yan walked over and softly said, then took the child from Mobas's hands.
As soon as he took the child, Yao Yan's eyes flashed with surprise because the baby had green scales, and his eyes occasionally showed patterns, looking extraordinarily mysterious.
"?!"
Yao Yan was momentarily stunned. He didn't expect to encounter a character from the original story.
Qing Lin.
A child born from a human and Serpent Clan union, possessing the rare "Green Snake Triple Eyes" that could control most snake-like magical beasts. This child had their own space that could absorb the energy of various snake-like magical beasts for their use. Their talent was so high, it was considered heaven-defying.
What an unexpected joy... Yao Yan looked at the baby's eerie green eyes, his heart filled with excitement.
"!!"
Mobas struggled to get up, but the more he struggled, the stronger the pressure became, almost forcing his head to the ground. His once-proud strength and Dou Qi seemed useless against this force, and all he had left was anger.
How could this human alchemist's strength be this powerful!
Wasn't he just a Dou Wang?!
This was a Dou Wang? He couldn't even withstand a single gaze! This was outrageous!
(END CHAPTER)
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