Ambushed Again
In a depression in the center of Black Bone Mountain, the soul of the Nine-Headed Ancient Heavenly Snake entered her body along with the Qing Lin Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Instead of settling down in the space of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, it was under the clothes on the back of the Qing Lin Serpent. At this moment, a complex and mysterious tattoo was rapidly emerging and solidifying on the surface of the skin on the back of the Azure Qing Lin Serpent at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The tattoo was a lifelike, ferocious, and majestic Nine-headed Serpent! The nine heads were in different poses, some roaring to the sky, some looking down indifferently, and some looking eerie and sinister, surrounding and guarding her, full of ancient and powerful power, as if they were alive and branded on her skin.
After the tattoo was completed, the icy soul energy completely calmed down, forming a subtle connection with Qing Lin's own soul and the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
Qing Lin could clearly sense that there was something on his back, a sleeping but infinitely potential "partner".
"It... it seems to have entered my body... right in my back..." Qing Lin looked at Lin Ming, somewhat at a loss.
In response, Lin Ming stepped forward and carefully examined Qing Lin's condition with his Soul Power. Then, a look of surprise and understanding appeared on his face.
"Qing Lin, don't worry for the time being. This Remnant Soul of the Nine-headed Heavenly Serpent has endured countless years and is already extremely weak, about to completely dissipate. Your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils is its only hope, the vessel and opportunity for it to continue 'existing'. It has willingly recognized you as its master, imprinting its last primordial soul onto you, using your pupil power to nourish itself. However, just to be on the safe side, after this matter is over, we will go to Dragon Island again. There, we can use the Dragon Qi of Dragon Island to suppress it and completely refine it, then we can rest easy."
After finishing speaking, Lin Ming paused and said with a hint of emotion in his tone, "It seems that this nine-headed ancient heavenly snake does not want his mutated bloodline and power of the heavenly snake to be completely annihilated in the world. This guy is actually smart and knows to find the best home for himself."
Upon hearing this, Qing Lin immediately nodded, also letting out a sigh of relief. She gently stroked her back, feeling the Nine-Headed Serpent Tattoo that was connected to her bloodline, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She had gained an immense opportunity, but she had also shouldered a heavy responsibility.
"Alright, this matter is settled. With the Remnant Soul of the Nine-headed Heavenly Serpent attached to you, your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils has limitless potential. However, it is currently too weak and needs time to be nurtured. Do not use its power lightly unless absolutely necessary," Lin Ming instructed.
Qing Lin nodded solemnly.
The four took one last look at the skeleton of the Nine-headed Heavenly Serpent, which had lost its last trace of soul connection and become a truly lifeless object, and then turned and continued their journey toward the summit of Black Bone Mountain.
Once you cross this mountain, you'll reach your final destination— the Fallen Phoenix Abyss.
On Qing Lin's back, the newly formed Nine-Headed Serpent Tattoo seemed to flicker slightly beneath his clothes, before falling silent again, like a lurking Ancient Fierce Beast awaiting its awakening.
The journey across Black Bone Mountain went more smoothly than expected. Perhaps it was the lingering pressure emanating from the remains of the Nine-Headed Ancient Heavenly Snake that deterred other powerful Magical Beasts from approaching this area.
As the group stood atop Black Bone Mountain, an even more intense and violent aura, carrying an indescribable sense of sorrow and desolation, rushed towards them as if it were a tangible force.
Before me lay a completely different scene.
Here, the mountain range seems to have been torn apart and hollowed out by an invisible giant hand, forming a vast abyss with no end in sight.
Above the abyss, a dark red mist lingers year-round, like Congealed Blood, slowly swirling, with occasional flashes of twisted lightning within it.
At the edge of the abyss, the rocks appear as if they have been scorched by extreme heat, barren of all vegetation. Looking down, there is only endless depth and darkness, as if leading to the Nine Nether. The chilling pressure emanates from the bottom of this abyss.
This is the core of the Meteor Beast Mountain Range, the legendary and ominous place— Fallen Phoenix Abyss!
Even from a great distance, Lin Ming could sense that the Space Power permeating the abyss was extremely chaotic, even forming countless tiny Spatial Rift that were imperceptible to the naked eye, like invisible blades scattered around the mouth of the abyss.
"What a terrifying place..."
Qing Lin's face paled slightly, and she subconsciously moved closer to Lin Ming. A faint tremor emanated from the Nine-Headed Serpent Tattoo on her back, as if she both repelled and instinctively craved some kind of power contained in this place.
Zi Yan licked her lips excitedly, her purple eyes gleaming with a warlike light. "Is this the place? I feel like there's something good inside!"
Xiong Zhan's expression was more solemn than ever before. He said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, the oppressive force and Spatial Turbulence here are even stronger than described in the intelligence. If we go down rashly, I'm afraid..."
Lin Ming nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping across the edge of the Fallen Phoenix Abyss.
According to ancient records provided by the Xu Family and information from the man in black robes, the entrance to the Beast Taming Sect's ruins is not directly located at the bottom of the Fallen Phoenix Abyss, but rather hovers in certain specific areas of the abyss wall, accompanied by Spatial Rift. To find the entrance, one must first explore along the abyss wall.
"We won't go to the bottom of the abyss. We'll first look for clues about the entrance to the ruins on the outer edge of the abyss walls. Everyone be careful. The space here is extremely unstable. Don't use large-scale Dou Technique lightly, lest it cause a spatial collapse," Lin Ming solemnly warned.
After saying that, Lin Ming took the lead in activating his Space Power, forming a layer of subtle spatial ripples around his body to sense and avoid those hidden Spatial Rift.
Then, the four of them began to carefully explore horizontally along the steep, smooth rock walls of the Fallen Phoenix Abyss, which looked as if they had been cleaved by a knife and axe.
The desolation outside the Fallen Phoenix Abyss was even greater than that of the Corrosive Poison Mire. There were almost no signs of life here, only the howling hot wind carrying the smell of sulfur and burnt sulfur, and the unknown mineral crystals shimmering with an eerie light on the rock walls.
After traveling for about half an hour, apart from the increasingly intense pressure and several close calls with avoiding hidden Spatial Rift, no clues related to the ruins were found.
"Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack." Zi Yan kicked a pebble at her feet with some impatience. The pebble fell into the abyss and didn't even make an echo.
Lin Ming also frowned slightly. His Soul Power was greatly suppressed and interfered with here, and his perception range was compressed to the limit. Moreover, the pervasive sorrowful pressure constantly impacted his soul. Maintaining high-intensity probing for a long time was also a considerable burden for him.
Just then, Qing Lin suddenly let out a soft "Eh" and stopped in her tracks.
"Young Master, look over there!" She pointed to a huge protruding rock not far to the side.
The rock was entirely black, indistinguishable from the surrounding rock walls, but at its base, there appeared to be some extremely blurry patterns that were almost blending into the rock's texture.
The four approached, and Lin Ming waved his hand to brush away the dust and moss from the surface of the rock (the moss that could grow here was no ordinary thing), and the patterns gradually became clearer.
It wasn't text, but rather a series of simple line drawings: depicting various Magical Beasts and humans dressed in ancient clothing, seemingly performing some kind of ritual or riding the Magical Beasts. The style of the drawings was ancient and rustic, carrying a wild and untamed feel.
"Is this... the mark of the Beast Taming Sect?" Xiong Zhan guessed.
"Very likely."
Lin Ming carefully examined the patterns, his fingers gently tracing the engravings.
"These marks are extremely ancient and contain extremely faint energy fluctuations; they would be almost imperceptible if Qing Lin hadn't been so perceptive. Perhaps they are markers indicating the way."
The group then looked in the direction the pattern indicated, and saw an even steeper area of abyss walls covered with huge cracks.
"Let's go take a look."
Following the faint direction indicated by the pattern, the four continued on their way.
Sure enough, on their subsequent journey, they discovered several more similar, more hidden ancient carvings, which seemed to form a discontinuous path.
However, just as they thought they had found the right direction and were starting to relax, Lin Ming suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop, his expression instantly turning cold.
"There's an ambush!"
As soon as Lin Ming finished speaking, several powerful auras suddenly erupted from the huge rock crevices in front and to the sides! Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen figures flashed out like ghosts, blocking all their escape routes in all directions!
These people were dressed in different clothes, not in uniform, but each of them had a fierce aura, sharp eyes like hawks, and Sectarian Qi from years of licking blood from the edge of a knife.
Their strength was at least at the Peak Dou Emperor, and three of them even had the aura of Dou Venerate. The one -One-Eyed Strongman in the lead had the aura of Peak Three-Star Dou Venerate, which was no weaker than the Old Man Black Snake from before!
Clearly, this was a group of desperados who had long roamed the inner perimeter of the Meteor Beast Mountain Range, specializing in murder and robbery, or rather, a group of adventurers who had temporarily come together and were now joining forces for a common "prey".
"Hehe, after waiting so long, we've finally caught some fat sheep!"
The One-Eyed Strongman licked his lips, his single eye flashing with greed and cruelty. His gaze swept over Lin Ming and the other three, lingering especially on the beautiful Qing Lin and the seemingly young Zi Yan.
"Since you were brought here, you must have quite a few good things on you, right? Hand them over obediently, and maybe we'll leave you with a whole corpse!"
Another skinny Dou Venerate, wielding a poisoned dagger, chuckled sinisterly, "Boss, why waste time talking to them? That little girl has delicate skin, perfect for grabbing and having some fun! The other one's a bit cold, but she's still a gem!"
The foul language immediately drew a burst of laughter.
Lin Ming's eyes turned completely cold, filled with Killing Intent.
Zi Yan's face was filled with murderous intent, her fists clenched tightly. Xiong Zhan roared, his violent aura sweeping out like a storm! Qing Lin's pretty face was also icy cold, her eyes flashing with blue light, Nine-Headed Serpent Tattoo on her back trembled with agitation.
"It seems that the outer perimeter of the Fallen Phoenix Abyss is even more turbulent than we imagined." Lin Ming's voice was devoid of any emotion, as cold as ice.
"Since you've chosen to die, don't blame me."
"Arrogant! Attack!"
The One-Eyed Strongman roared, knowing that delay would only lead to trouble. A giant axe, as big as a door panel, appeared in his hand, and with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, he swung it down at Lin Ming first! The axe blade cut through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.