Qing Lin stepped forward, gazing at the gaunt man before her. His face was sunken, his eyes hollow, and his withered body radiated a terrifying oppression that pressed upon the heart. Even in such a frail state, the tyrannical aura of a Dou Saint still lingered around him, suffocating in its weight. Though Qing Lin possessed the Jade Snake Three-Flowered Pupils, her current strength was only that of a Half Saint. Facing the pressure of a true Dou Saint made her chest tighten uncomfortably.
"Understood, Young Master."
A soft light flickered as a brilliant jade-green glow burst from her eyes. Within that emerald brilliance, three delicate flower buds slowly rotated — the mark of her bloodline's supreme might, and a gift Liu Xi had personally helped her awaken. Today, she would put it to use.
The skeletal figure before her — Yao Ming — stared at her blankly, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked from the girl to the man who stood behind her, calm and composed, as though he had seen through every secret of his soul.
Centuries of imprisonment beneath the Nine Serene Spring had driven Yao Ming half mad. To finally see living faces again, only to realize they had come not to save him but to enslave him — the irony made his mind reel.
"Who are you? Did Yao Xiaotian send you? You think you can control me? Dream on!"
Yao Ming roared, his skeletal frame surging with violent energy. The four massive chains binding him shuddered and clanged loudly, stirring the entire spring. Even the heavy waters trembled as waves of frigid air spiraled outward.
He had once been a Half Saint, and after centuries trapped in this frigid abyss, he had broken through to a 2-Star Dou Saint. Though only a fragment of his strength remained, his familiarity with the yin energy here made his resistance formidable. Yet the four chains glowed coldly, drawing upon the deepest chill of the spring to suppress his Dou Qi and drain his strength away.
"Obey me!"
Qing Lin's soft voice quivered as her pupils glowed brighter. Her body trembled from the strain, threads of blood-tinged Dou Qi rising from her skin as she forced her power to its limit. The faraway bloodline of the Ancient Heaven Serpent within her body surged in resonance, giving her aura a fierce and commanding edge.
The jade glow radiated outward, enveloping Yao Ming's body. His eyes flickered in confusion — reason and madness warring within — but the darkness of his gaze still burned with violent malice.
Then, a warm breath brushed Qing Lin's ear. Liu Xi had stepped close behind her, his palms pressing gently onto her shoulders, his voice calm and low.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Boom!
An overwhelming might erupted from him — vast, immovable, divine. The entire abyss seemed to shudder beneath the pressure. Yao Ming froze mid-roar, disbelief twisting across his skeletal face.
'Such power… too strong.' It made his very soul tremble. His anger faltered, replaced by primal fear. He had yet to avenge his fallen kin or slay Yao Xiaotian; he could not die here.
"I'll surrender!" His voice weakened, trembling. "Spare me, and I'll swear loyalty! The Nine Serene Ground Python Tribe will follow you — just save me! I mean it!"
Liu Xi smiled faintly, his breath brushing against Qing Lin's hair. His tone was casual, but his eyes were cold. "Believe you? Not a chance. Qing Lin, more strength. He's only a low-level Dou Saint — you can handle it."
"Yes!"
Her voice trembled, not from fear but from excitement. Liu Xi's presence at her back was like a towering deity shielding her from all harm, his power wrapping around her like warmth in midwinter. Her heart steadied, her will sharpened.
The jade light from her eyes flared brighter, bathing Yao Ming's body completely. Under the force of the Jade Snake Three-Flowered Pupils, his roars turned to shrieks, his dried flesh cracking open in web-like fissures. No blood flowed — his body was too far gone — but his will, once unyielding, began to crumble.
The struggle faded. His resistance weakened. At last, his body fell limp, and a three-petaled flower mark glowed faintly on his forehead — the symbol of complete subjugation.
A soft cry escaped Qing Lin's lips. "Ah…" Her knees buckled as her strength drained, and she collapsed backward into Liu Xi's arms, her breath quick and uneven. Even with her bloodline's aid, forcing a Dou Saint's will into submission had pushed her body to its absolute limit.
"Young Master… I did it."
Her delicate face flushed crimson, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. She smiled weakly, her jade eyes filled with pride and relief as she rested against him.
Liu Xi looked down, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek and smiled. "Well done. This is the first step to controlling the Nine Serene Ground Python Tribe. Rest for now — I'll need your help soon enough."
"Mm." She nodded softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Liu Xi then turned toward Yao Ming. The once-arrogant tribe leader now stood motionless, head bowed, eyes dull and lifeless — his will erased, his mind rewritten.
"Let's free him. It'd be a shame to lose a 2-Star Dou Saint after all that effort."
Supporting Qing Lin with one arm, Liu Xi followed the length of the massive chains with his gaze. They were fixed deep into the cliff walls, their ends embedded in a black mountain of solid stone. The icy aura emanating from it made even Liu Xi shiver despite his Heavenly Flame's protection.
"So this is the source of the cold…"
He stepped forward and raised his fist. Dou Qi surged like a roaring tide, and he struck.
Boom!
The blow sent a shockwave of water rippling outward, yet the black mountain merely trembled — untouched, unmarred. Even a strike powerful enough to annihilate a Half Saint left not a single mark.
"Stubborn rock," Liu Xi muttered with a smirk. "Let's see how you fare against true fire."
Curling his fingers together, he summoned a strand of Heavenly Flame — pure, blinding, compressed to a razor's edge. The fiery blade slid effortlessly into the mountain's core. Within moments, it met resistance — a dense, spherical object buried deep inside.
Liu Xi's eyes gleamed. He drove the blade forward.
Crack!
A strange pulse erupted from within the mountain, and in the next instant, the massive chains snapped one after another, breaking free from their anchors.
Using the same method, Liu Xi severed the remaining chains. Without the cold aura sustaining them, the seals lost all strength. Chains clattered and fell away, powerless to restrain a Dou Saint any longer.
Yao Ming slowly rose, his frail body trembling, but even in weakness, his strength was terrifying. The chains shattered at a mere tug. He stepped forward shakily, kneeling before Qing Lin, his head bowed in reverence.
The former lord of the Nine Serene Ground Python Tribe had fallen — his will conquered, his power now theirs.
(End of Chapter)
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