Defeating the Twin Emperors, Qing Lin Enters the Manor!

Crimson flames danced at Xiao Yan's fingertips.

They sizzled against the single horn of the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor.

Lü Man staggered, landing on the scorched earth.

She called out to Xiao Yan, her voice urgent:

"Please, hold!"

Cyan Dou Qi, laced with wood-element vitality, poured into Bai Ya's body.

Yet within those charred wounds, strands of crimson-gold fire still slithered.

She jerked her head up, a serpent-shaped jade token slipping from her sleeve.

Dim light rippled across its intricate surface.

"Sir!"

"I am from the Heavenly Snake Mansion!"

Lü Man pressed her finger against the jade token, its emerald serpent eyes gleaming with radiant light.

They coalesced into a small phantom of a heavenly serpent:

"This little girl—she has the Azure-Eyed Three-Flower Pupil I've sought for years!"

"Her constitution is perfectly suited for our Heavenly Snake Mansion's legacy."

"I acted for her future's sake, though I was somewhat rash."

"I hope you can forgive me."

With that, she gently laid the unconscious Qing Lin on the ground.

Xiao Yan set down his heavy ruler and extinguished the flames.

He stepped forward and slowly lifted Qing Lin into his arms.

The Heavenly Snake Mansion—he knew of it, though his memory was hazy.

Beside him:

Yao Lao's phantom suddenly materialized at Xiao Yan's side.

The old man's weathered fingers stroked his chin:

"Boy, I finally know what that familiar feeling was."

"The Heavenly Snake Mansion—a top-tier force in the Northwest Continent."

"Rumor has it the mansion lord keeps a guardian sacred beast with the bloodline of the Netherworld Serpent."

"They're indeed skilled at nurturing special constitutions."

"Teacher, can they be trusted?"

Xiao Yan wore a look of feigned doubt.

Yet the pressure from his molten-gold armor quietly receded by a third.

Bai Ya, lying nearby, was no longer a lethal threat.

But he still dared not move!

Seeing the youth waver, Lü Man quickly tossed out a jade slip:

"This is a fragment of the Heavenly Snake Secret Manual."

"If this girl enters our mansion, she'll receive the finest resources!"

"That's far better than staying in a backwater like the Jia Ma Empire."

The jade slip unfurled a phantom in midair, countless serpentine runes coiling around an azure snake totem.

Xiao Yan didn't respond. With a flick of his finger, he fed a Rejuvenation Pill into Qing Lin's mouth.

The pill's markings melted into a warm current as they touched her lips.

The girl's lashes fluttered. As her blindfold slipped away, three azure lotuses slowly bloomed within her emerald pupils.

Not yet fully awake, she instinctively grabbed Xiao Yan's robe, her knuckles white from the grip.

"The Azure-Eyed Three-Flower Pupil must be awakened with the Heavenly Snake Mansion's secret arts."

Lü Man condensed an emerald phantom at her fingertip, the technique's energy pulsing.

It made those already beautiful eyes shimmer with jade light:

"Staying in the Jia Ma Empire, this child will never break through the Dou Huang bottleneck."

"Moreover, the Azure-Eyed Three-Flower Pupil isn't entirely harmless."

"Without our Heavenly Snake Mansion's secret arts to guide it, it will eventually backfire."

The girl in his arms fully awoke.

He knelt on one knee, steadying the girl's thin shoulders, his voice soft:

"Qing Lin, you heard most of that conversation just now."

"If you want to go, I won't stop you."

The cyan scales silently buried her head in Xiao Yan's chest, both hands clutching his robes tightly.

No answer came—she only wanted to cling to this gentle embrace for a fleeting moment.

"I want to get stronger!"

From his arms, Qing Lin suddenly lifted her head.

In her jade-green pupils reflected the lingering Gilded Flame in the night sky:

"This time, it was because of me that Young Master Xiao Yan fell into danger."

"Next time something like the Mo Family happens, Qing Lin will stand in front of Young Master!"

Xiao Yan wasn't surprised; he nodded lightly.

He had already intended for Qing Lin to join the Heavenly Snake Mansion.

But definitely not by being snatched away.

This innocent, carefree girl had helped him a great deal.

So he needed the Angel Mansion to understand.

This girl was no rootless duckweed to be bullied at will!

Behind her stood him.

A mere Dou King's cultivation was far from enough to make the Heavenly Snake Mansion take notice!

But a monstrous talent, a peerless genius who crushed a Dou Emperor at the Dou King level—

That could absolutely make the Heavenly Snake Mansion wary!

"Chi."

Xiao Yan suddenly pressed two fingers together like a sword, and a Gilded Flame branded a lotus mark on Qing Lin's wrist.

The moment the Karmic Fire Pattern seeped into her bloodline, the Jade Pupil Power within the girl's body, as if meeting its sovereign, docilely retreated deep into her pupils.

"In a few years, I'll come visit the Heavenly Snake Mansion."

Xiao Yan turned to face Green Barbarian, the Crimson Flame behind him condensing into a Kirin Phantom that roared skyward:

"If I sense even the slightest restriction on her."

"Or any oppression from power or authority!"

"Then the Heavenly Snake Mansion had better prepare for my retaliation!"

Cold sweat beaded on Green Barbarian's brow.

If an ordinary Dou King dared before her, with such a weak cultivation, to threaten the Heavenly Snake Mansion, Green Barbarian would have thought him mad, and might even have slapped him twice on the spot!

But this young man before her was different—though she couldn't see his face.

A genius who crushed a Dou Emperor at the Dou King level, bearing two or even more Strange Fires—

he was absolutely the first of his kind she had ever seen!

Would she believe that such a genius was a commoner with no background or backing?

Not in a million years!

Who knew what terrifying family might stand behind him, or what heaven-defying master he had!

Until she figured out Xiao Yan's true origins, this girl Qing Lin would suffer no grievance whatsoever in the Heavenly Snake Mansion.

The Jade Token flew out on its own, landing in Qing Lin's hand.

The flowing emerald light on the token slowly faded:

"Sir, this token was passed down from the mansion to seek out the Jade-eyed Three-flower Pupils."

"Wearing this token, this girl will immediately become a key cultivation target of the Heavenly Snake Mansion."

"She will have direct access to the core inheritance—I promise you won't be disappointed."

White Fang struggled to rise, his black-scaled giant serpent turning and flying away:

"Kid, I admit it."

"This time, I've been bested. You're ruthless enough."

"Just wait until we meet again—I'll settle the score with you then!"

Watching White Fang fly off into the distance, Green Barbarian couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth:

A magical beast is a magical beast, stubborn to the core.

Even in defeat and retreat, he had to toss out a few harsh words.

By the time they actually meet again, the other party might be able to crush him with a single finger.

The surrounding flames gradually dissipated, and a faint light had already begun to glow on the horizon.

Qing Lin lingered in Xiao Yan's arms for a moment longer, savoring the warmth.

As the morning light pierced through the clouds, Green Barbarian took Qing Lin and vanished into the sky.

Xiao Yan let out a light breath and was about to turn around.

A flash of purple caught the corner of his vision as a figure rushed toward him.

The familiar scent of a young girl invaded his nostrils.

A warm, soft touch pressed against his back.

Purple hair brushed across Xiao Yan's neck, sending faint, tingling sensations.

Carrying a light, delicate fragrance.

The girl's voice was soft, laced with worry:

"Think you're tough, huh? Playing the hero?"

"Your clothes are all scorched!"

Her slender fingers lifted the torn fabric of his robe.

But beneath the charred collar, pale, unblemished skin was revealed.

Ever since Xiao Yan had absorbed the essence of water and fire, and then:

undergone the tempering of two Strange Fires, his physique had been strengthening nonstop!

At this moment, his body was comparable to a Sixth Tier Magical Beast.

Or even surpassed it!

Xiao Yan turned and wrapped his arm around Xiao Yi Xian's slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

The Seven-Colored Snake slithered out from the girl's sleeve, its cool scales brushing against Xiao Yan's cheek.

Its tail suddenly coiled around his earlobe, gently tickling him.

Xiao Yan laughed, just about to catch the mischievous little snake.

Then, a soft, warm touch climbed up his face.

Xiao Yi Xian cupped his cheeks.

Her fingertips traced over the boy's skin, her lips nearly brushing the tip of his nose:

"Don't move."

"Let me see if you're hurt."

Her words came to an abrupt halt as Xiao Yan suddenly leaned forward half an inch.

A warm, moist sensation transmitted through his nerves.

Sealing the unfinished words between their touching breaths.

The morning sun tangled their overlapping shadows together.

The Seven-Colored Snake coiled atop both their heads, casting a puzzled, human-like glance:

What are these two doing?

"Ahem, ahem!"

In the distance, Hai Bodong coughed and turned his back...

In a secluded inn in Yan City.

Threads of mist-laden Pill Fragrance slowly seeped out...