Ancient Heavenly Serpent
In the misty mountains, ancient trees reach for the sky, blocking out the sun.
Sasha sound arose as Xiao Ming and his companions strolled through the woods, enveloped in a thin mist that floated softly in the air like a white veil.
The unassuming sunlight, like strands of golden sand, pierced through the layers of branches and leaves, dappling the grass with its shimmering dewdrops and releasing the fragrance of grass, flowers, and damp earth.
Xiao Ming twitched his nose slightly and said softly, "The sweetness in the air has diminished considerably, and many of the lower-level snakes nearby have also disappeared. We must have reached the central area."
"Be careful later. By the way, Qing Lin, your Green Snake Three Flower Eyes should have some attraction to the Ancient Heavenly Serpent. Remember to tell us if you find anything unusual."
"Hmm!" Qing Lin nodded her little head gently upon hearing this, indicating that she understood.
"Old Yao, we'll leave our safety to you from now on."
"Don't worry," Venerable Tian Huo said with a smile.
Seeing this, Xiao Ming said nothing more, took a step and disappeared from the spot, heading deeper into the mountains.
Venerable Tian Huo and the others quickly followed.
The deeper you go, the fewer lower-level snakes you find.
Half an hour later, Qing Lin sensed something and reached out to tug at Xiao Ming's sleeve, saying, "Young Master, I sense something calling to me from the mountains over there!"
Xiao Ming, Xiao Yi Xian, and Venerable Tian Huo all immediately looked at Qing Lin. Just as Xiao Ming had expected, before they could even search thoroughly, Qing Lin had already sensed the summons.
"Qing Lin, is there anything special about this summoning?"
"No, it just felt like it was calling me, urging me to come quickly." Qing Lin blinked, then looked at Xiao Ming and asked, "Young Master, what should we do now?"
Although the purpose of this trip was indeed to find the Heavenly Serpent Tomb, the decision on when to go was ultimately made by Xiao Ming.
"Of course we'll go straight there." Without any hesitation, Xiao Ming said directly.
"Alright." Venerable Tian Huo and Xiao Yi Xian naturally had no other objections.
With Qing Lin leading the way, the four of them vanished like afterimages, leaving only a silent forest behind.
After passing through another dense forest and treacherous peaks, Xiao Ming discovered that the Aura of the snakes nearby was becoming increasingly powerful. He encountered quite a few Fifth Tier and Sixth Tier snakes, which meant that he had now truly entered the Myriad Snake Mountain Range.
"The presence of so many Snake Magical Beasts in the Myriad Snake Mountain Range, and their considerable strength, is perhaps related to the fall of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent in this area. We wonder what the reason might be."
Although the Myriad Snake Mountain Range are vast, they are nothing to Xiao Ming and his companions who have already ventured deep into the Myriad Snake Mountain Range. If it weren't for the need to avoid attracting attention, Xiao Ming and his group could have had Venerable Tian Huo open a spatial passage to reach the center of the mountains directly.
A dozen minutes later, Xiao Ming and his three companions arrived at a mountain range that seemed to reach into the clouds.
This mountain range is filled with caves of all sizes.
Upon arriving at this place, Qing Lin, who was leading the way, did not stop and strode directly towards a certain cave.
Xiao Ming and his companions followed closely behind. Half an hour after the four left, a group of snake- Snake Magical Beasts of various shapes slithered past where they had been standing. Among them were several elderly people who looked like humans and strong, Half-Beastman with snake-like bodies. These snakes did not enter the cave that Xiao Ming and his companions had just entered, but instead went a few miles further in and burrowed into another cave.
The cave was extremely dark, and Qing Lin walked ahead, holding the Moonlight Stone aloft.
The clattering of footsteps was particularly jarring in the passageway, which grew increasingly narrow as they went deeper.
In addition, there is not just one road in the passage. The further you go in, the more branching paths appear, intertwining like tree roots. Without someone to guide you, it is extremely easy to get lost in it.
Correspondingly, the Aura of living beings became increasingly scarce. Eventually, even Xiao Ming could sense a faint pressure emanating from the depths of the passage.
After walking several dozen feet, everything suddenly opened up before them. In a secluded valley, a chilling skeleton of a snake stood out starkly.
Judging from the length of the skeleton, the Magical Beast's body was hundreds of feet long, and judging from the shape of the bones, Magical Beast had nine heads.
The skeleton was covered in cracks, and only four heads remained, leaving one to wonder what kind of brutal battles it had endured before its death.
The place where Xiao Ming and the others were located was a cliff cave on the cliff face of Xiaogu. At this moment, they stood at the entrance of the cave, staring blankly at the skeletons below.
At that moment, Qing Lin spoke in a clear, crisp voice. "It was it that called me!"
"This oppressive aura is definitely from the Ancient Heavenly Serpent!"
Venerable Tian Huo lowered his right hand, which was stroking his beard, his eyes somewhat solemn. The cultivation level of this Ancient Heavenly Serpent seemed to be even higher than his own.
Xiao Ming spoke cautiously, and as if to confirm his words, a terrifying pressure erupted from the skeleton before him.
Blood-Colored Mist gradually dissipated from the skeleton, and as the mist dissipated, the originally dull bones gradually became lustrous.
Upon noticing this change, Xiao Ming examined the area carefully and discovered that there was Blood Pool half a meter wide beneath the Ancient Heavenly Serpent's bones. The Blood-Colored Mist appeared to be emanating from the skeleton, but it was actually just an illusion created by the Blood Pool being located right beneath the bones.
The sudden turn of events prevented Xiao Ming and his companions from making any rash moves; instead, they observed the situation closely.
Rewind a few minutes. Not far from the canyon where Xiao Ming and his companions were, or more precisely, in a cave not far away, there was Blood Pool identical to the Ancient Heavenly Serpent's Bone Pool.
However, this Blood Pool was much larger, a full hundred feet wide. In the center of the Blood Pool, a burly man floated cross-legged in the void, wisps of blood energy swirling around his body and slowly disappearing.
Outside the Blood Pool, countless snakes coiled, led by several thin old men, one of whom was the Third Elder. However, he was not standing at the head of the group at this moment. Instead, the one standing at the head of the group was a sinister old man dressed in a dark green long coat.
In addition, Xia Ran also appeared among the thousands of snakes, but at this moment he was much smaller, and a man with the body of a snake-beast was with him.
"Is it time for the Blood Sacrifice again?"
Suddenly, the burly man in the center of the Blood Pool slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of bloodshot, demonic eyes that sent chills down one's spine.
Is everything ready?
"Snake Venerable, we're ready, but do we really have to do this? After all, this sacrifice is our chance to replenish our blood..." The Green Robed Old Man stepped forward and replied, his tone hesitant.
"I have been stuck at the Five-star Dou Zun for many years, and this is the only way to break through." The Snake Venerable glanced indifferently at the Green Robed Old Man, his tone very firm.