At the center of the crater in Spirit Gathering Pavilion's plaza, a deathly silence hung like a pool of congealed ink, heavy and oppressive, swallowing every sound around it. The dust that filled the air settled slowly, like restless spirits left behind by the battle, gradually revealing the figure kneeling on one knee within—Xiao Zhan.
Blood seeped through the gaps between his fingers as he pressed them to his brow, flowing like a stream bursting its banks, mixed with faint golden flecks. It wound down his bloodied cheek and dripped onto the charred ground, hissing softly before the lingering heat instantly evaporated it into wisps of blue smoke, as though his life were fading away in silence.
The tiny, charred hole between his brows looked like a wicked mark left by a demon's claw. Strands of Nirvana's black aura clung stubbornly to its edges like maggots to bone, refusing to leave. A tenacious, crimson-gold Dragon-Phoenix Power was burning them away, forcing them back. Each collision was a fierce clash between light and darkness, sparking tiny but blinding flashes.
Every burn brought the unbearable pain of a soul being torn apart. It was as if billions of icy poison needles were churning wildly inside his skull, making Xiao Zhan's body tremble involuntarily. His teeth clenched with a grinding sound, as though he meant to crush all his pain between them. His face was so pale it was nearly translucent, drained of every trace of color like a sheet of paper stripped of all life. Only his eyes, glimpsed through the gaps between his fingers, still blazed with an unyielding fire. Like the brightest stars in the night sky, they stared fixedly at the distant heavens to the northwest, as though trying to see through the darkness to the enemy hidden within.
"Father!"
"Elder Xiao!"
Xiao Yan and Yue Mei's cries of terror ripped through the brief silence like sharp arrows, echoing through the air. The two rushed to the edge of the crater without a thought, their steps frantic and hurried, as though one moment's delay might mean losing the most important person in their lives forever. When they saw the horrifying wound between Xiao Zhan's brows and the violently wavering, feeble aura around him, their hearts sank to the depths of an abyss. A chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.
"Don't come any closer!" Xiao Zhan's voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper rasping against itself, rough and grating, yet it held an unquestionable authority, immovable as a mountain. Summoning all his strength, he laboriously raised his unbloodied left hand. His arm trembled, but he firmly stopped the two from leaping into the crater. "That power... is strange... If you come near... it'll erode you..." Each word seemed forced through gritted teeth, laden with exhaustion and pain.
Before his voice had even faded, a thread of Nirvana's black aura escaped from the wound between his brows. Like a living venomous snake, it writhed through the air and drifted soundlessly toward the rubble at the edge of the crater. The instant it touched the hard rock, there was no earth-shattering explosion, no shrill sound of corrosion. The stone simply vanished in an eerie silence, turning into a small pile of fine gray powder with not the slightest trace of energy. It was as though an invisible hand had erased the very basis of its existence, leaving behind only this lifeless residue. The sight sent a chill through the onlookers.
Yue Mei and Xiao Yan's pupils shrank abruptly, like two stars suddenly dragged into the depths of darkness. They sucked in a breath, and the chill shot straight into their lungs, racing up their spines until the hairs all over their bodies stood on end. This was no ordinary wound inflicted by Dou Qi! This was the power to erase the very origin of existence, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, capable of severing every trace of life!
"Yan'er... pills..." Xiao Zhan's voice trembled with weakness and pain, as though the slightest breeze might scatter it. His newly formed Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi surged through his body like a raging tide, locked in a desperate tug-of-war with the invading power of Nirvana. Each collision was like two stars smashing into each other in outer space, churning his blood and shaking his soul. He was like a small boat tossed in a raging storm, in constant danger of being swallowed whole. The abundant life force brought by the Nirvana Holy Blood Pill was doing its best to repair his body, like the warm spring sun nourishing parched earth, but it was far less effective against the Nirvana laws originating from a Dou Sheng. It was like throwing an egg against a rock, powerless before that overwhelming force of destruction.
Xiao Yan's thoughts flashed like lightning, and he understood at once. Flustered as a small boat caught in a storm, he frantically searched his Storage Ring and finally managed to pull out the last few high-grade healing pills Xiao Zhan had given him earlier. The pills glowed softly with a precious light, like the last hope in the darkness. Desperate with worry, he hurled them all into the crater and shouted himself hoarse: "Father! Catch!"
Xiao Zhan beckoned lightly with his left hand, as if an invisible thread were drawing the pills toward him. His Dou Qi, like a nimble dragon, held them steady in midair before him. He did not even glance at them, as though he had absolute faith in their efficacy. He opened his mouth and sucked in sharply. The pills flew into it together like birds returning to their nests. In an instant, they dissolved into several streams of gentle warmth, like spring rain trickling through his limbs and bones. The warmth temporarily calmed the churning blood in his body, buying his stubborn Dragon-Phoenix Power a precious moment to catch its breath.
"Yue Mei..." Xiao Zhan slowly turned his gaze toward the Snake-People elder. His eyes were as heavy as iron, as though they bore a burden of a thousand catties. Though his voice was weak, it carried an unquestionable authority. "Activate... the highest alert! All tribespeople... retreat to the heart of the oasis... activate... every remaining defensive formation... seal off the inside from the outside! No one... may come within a hundred meters of this place..." Each word seemed forced through gritted teeth, filled with exhaustion and resolve.
"Yes, Elder Xiao!" Yue Mei fought to contain the turmoil raging in her chest like a storm-tossed sea. She nodded firmly, her emerald eyes filled with determination, like a burning flame ready to brave anything for the safety of her people. She took one last look at the blood-soaked figure in the crater, standing firm like a towering mountain amid the storm. Then she turned and transformed into a streak of light. The piercing alarm whistle of the Snake-People rang out across the entire oasis!
Wooo—wooo! The whistle sounded like the Grim Reaper's call, or the horn of battle, echoing through the air and filling all who heard it with awe and vigilance.
The shrill alarm rang out like a dirge for the dead, like the Grim Reaper's scythe swinging through the air. It roused the Snake-People, who had only just escaped the terror of Gu You's attack and were still shaken to their cores. No words were needed. The terrifying aura spilling from the crater was like a freezing wind from the depths of the underworld, cold enough to freeze the soul. Combined with Elder Yue Mei's unprecedentedly urgent orders, it struck every Snake-Person like a hammer, making them realize—a far greater catastrophe had arrived!
Under the calm, firm direction of the elders, the surviving tribespeople led the wounded in a swift, orderly retreat toward several sturdy stone halls at the very heart of the oasis, like the sea flowing back with the tide. Those halls stood like ancient fortresses, still unshaken by the erosion of time. Layer upon layer of ancient defensive formations, their surfaces gleaming with multicolored light, slowly rose like solid shields, sealing the heart of the oasis tight as a barrel and providing the tribespeople with their last shelter.
The oasis's outer reaches fell deathly silent. Only the lonely, steadfast figure of Xiao Zhan remained in the crater, struggling against the terrifying power of Nirvana, each act of resistance a battle against fate. A hundred meters away, Xiao Yan paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan. He dared not approach the dangerous area, and could only bury his worry and fear deep in his heart.
Just then, space rippled faintly, as though an invisible hand had gently stirred it. Yun Yun's figure landed soundlessly at the edge of a vast crater whose surface had been completely crystallized by the heat into glass. This was where the Gu You Clone had ultimately disintegrated. Violent fire energy still lingered in the air like blazing wrath, wild and unrestrained. Cold fragments of soul drifted like ghosts, giving off a bone-chilling aura. And there was also a trace of the lingering Nirvana aftershock, enough to make even a Dou Huang expert like her shudder, as though it were a curse from another world.
Her delicate brows knitted tightly, like a crescent moon veiled by clouds. Her pale moon-colored gown snapped in the chaotic currents of energy, as though her unyielding will were fluttering in the wind. She lifted her slender hand. A wisp of green wind coiled around her fingertip like a precision probe, light and nimble as it carefully caught and analyzed every lingering trace of aura in the air, as though solving a mysterious riddle.
"What overbearing flames... and the intent of a dragon's roar... It's undoubtedly Xiao Zhan." Yun Yun murmured. Her cool, lovely face was covered in solemnity, as though coated in frost. Though her voice was soft, it held unshakable certainty. "This remnant is cold enough to freeze the soul... Such pure soul power... It's far beyond Protector Wu's level! This is a true core powerhouse of Soul Hall! At least... a Venerable Elder!"
Her gaze slowly shifted to another, much larger crater not far away, reeking of destruction and scorched earth and brimming with Nirvana's aura—the place where Xiao Zhan had been blasted away. Then she looked toward the oasis, where layers of unusually thick defensive light screens had risen. Those screens shone like brilliant stars, their light carrying both hope and danger. Her heart roiled like a storm-tossed sea, as though she could see a world on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.
"Looking at these two craters... In one, the soul power left behind by the Soul Hall Venerable Elder is intertwined with Xiao Zhan's flames, as though two powerful forces had clashed fiercely. The other... contains only pure, ultimate destruction and that terrifying power of Nirvana." Yun Yun's fingertip brushed lightly over the scorched, lifeless earth, as though speaking with this land, weathered by time. She could truly feel the terrifying fragments of laws that remained, hidden demons in the darkness carrying the power to erase every trace of existence. For the first time, a look of undisguised horror appeared on her beautiful face, as though she had witnessed the most terrible sight in the world.
"Any power capable of leaving these traces is beyond the reach of a Dou Zong! Could it be... a Dou Sheng?!" The thought exploded in her mind like a thunderclap, making her slender body tremble. A Dou Sheng! A supreme realm that even the founder of Misty Cloud Sect had never reached, a distant peak at the end of the cultivation path. Xiao Zhan... had actually provoked such an existence? And he had... somehow survived that terrifying attack?! It was beyond her comprehension, leaving her shocked and bewildered.
Just then!
Sss!
A seemingly insignificant black fragment, half buried beneath the glassy ground by Yun Yun's feet—the remnant of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, flung out when the Gu You Clone disintegrated—suddenly flashed with a faint ember of sickly green soul flame. Like a ghostly glimmer in the darkness, strange and mysterious, it instantly caught Yun Yun's attention.
Buzz!
An almost imperceptible yet extremely pure ripple of space spread out from the fragment like a pebble tossed into a still pond. Though faint, the ripple held endless mysteries, as though it were the key to opening a door into another world. Then a vague, broken fragment of spatial coordinates burst into Yun Yun's perception, accompanied by the last trace of Gu You's resentment. The resentment blew across her heart like an icy wind, making her shudder.
"Coordinates... locked... Snake Abyss... blood soul... not extinguished... Saint... true body... descending..." The information was jumbled and incomplete, like pages torn apart by a gale, yet it seized Yun Yun's heart like an icy serpent, stealing her breath. Each broken word weighed on her like a heavy stone, pressing down with an overwhelming force.
"This is bad!" Yun Yun's face changed instantly, as dark as the sky before a storm. She realized at once that the fragment was a lingering beacon Soul Hall had carefully planted for tracking. Its aura was as faint as a candle in the wind, but if the terrifying powerhouses of higher rank in Soul Hall sensed it, it would be like lighting a lamp in the darkness. The oasis's location would be exposed, leaving nowhere to hide. And the words "blood soul not extinguished" and "Saint's true body descending" chilled her to the bone like icy frost, as though she were witnessing the approach of an utter catastrophe.
Without the slightest hesitation, time itself seemed to freeze. Yun Yun's jade-like hands fluttered like nimble butterflies, and her powerful green Dou Qi erupted like a volcano. It transformed into countless razor-sharp wind blades, pouring down like a torrential rain as they tore toward the black fragment with the force to destroy the heavens and earth. Each blade gleamed coldly, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, ready to cut down every threat.
"Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill!" Yun Yun cried, her voice clear yet commanding.
Puff, puff, puff! The wind blades struck the fragment with unerring accuracy, slicing and pulverizing it like sharp knives through silk until it was completely annihilated. The faint spatial ripple vanished along with it, as though it had never existed, leaving only the dead air as a witness to that heart-stopping battle.
Only after doing all this did Yun Yun let out a slight breath. The tension in her body eased a little, but her shock surged on like a raging tide, not diminished in the slightest. She turned her gaze toward the oasis once more. Her expression was as tangled as knotted threads: worry weighed on her like dense storm clouds, wariness gleamed like an icy edge, and there was also a trace of curiosity she had not even noticed in herself, flickering like a spark in the dark. Xiao Zhan... How many secrets are you hiding? What terrifying karma are you carrying, enough to overturn everything?
This place was beset by danger on every side. It was no place to linger! Yun Yun gazed deeply at the oasis, as though trying to engrave its image in her heart. Then her figure transformed into a pale green streak of light and vanished soundlessly into the vast sea of sand. Her heart was racing. She had to return to Misty Cloud Mountain at once and report to her master the shocking news that a Soul Hall Saint might be descending upon the Northwest Region!
Time crawled by amid the deathly silence and the torment of pain. To Xiao Zhan, each breath was like enduring the fires of hell, each second stretching into an eternity.
The wound between his brows was like a poisoned spring, endlessly pouring forth Nirvana's black aura. Like a horde of greedy demons, it frantically eroded his flesh and meridians, even trying to corrupt his newly formed Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi and Soul Origin, as though it meant to swallow everything he was. The abundant life force from the Nirvana Holy Blood Pill and the Dragon-Phoenix Power held firm together like two unyielding torrents, staunchly resisting the evil erosion as they fought a ferocious battle in the wound.
Each time the crimson-gold Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi collided with the black aura of Nirvana, it was like a red-hot iron plunged into ice water, producing a piercing hiss. The sound seemed like a lament from hell, bringing pain that cut to the bone and violently shaking his soul. Xiao Zhan's body was drenched in sweat. Blood and sweat mingled into a small patch of sticky mud beneath him, a testament to his agony and struggle. His consciousness rose and fell on waves of pain, coming close to unconsciousness several times, only to be dragged back by a will as hard as steel. He stubbornly held on through the endless torment.
I can't fall... If I do, what will happen to Yan'er? What will happen to the oasis? What about Ya Fei and Medusa...? His determination to protect them was the only lighthouse shining in the darkness, holding up a patch of hopeful sky over the abyss of despair and letting him endure against all odds.
Just as he was locked in a desperate struggle against the brink of death, another change suddenly occurred!
Deep in his soul, the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Imprint, which had grown purer and more resilient through the transformation of Nirvana, was like a rough gem buried underground. Under the ultimate pressure of Nirvana's power, that merciless chisel, it did not dim. Instead, like refined gold forged again and again to burn away its impurities, it burst into a brilliance greater than ever before. The light was like a blazing sun, piercing layer after layer of darkness and illuminating every corner of his soul. The imprint's shape grew more intricate and profound, as though it contained the universe's deepest mysteries. A majestic will, more ancient and exalted, rose from the depths of his bloodline like a slumbering dragon roused from its sleep and erupted with a roar!
[Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art compatibility increased...58%...60%! Realm stabilized: Initiated (60%)! Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline initially awakened (5%)! Passive trait acquired: Dragon-Phoenix Will (Beginner)—greatly increases resistance to mental attacks, soul erosion, and negative laws, as well as the ability to purify them!]
The system's notification rang in Xiao Zhan's collapsing consciousness like a song of hope from heaven. A new, purer and more powerful Dragon-Phoenix Power surged out of the imprint like a raging river and instantly poured into the brutal battlefield between his brows.
Ssss—!!! The sound was like a blade cleaving through the sky, resolute and powerful, the Dragon-Phoenix Power's declaration of war against Nirvana's force.
This time, the crimson-gold light carried a majestic, heavenly authority that would suffer no blasphemy. Like a wildfire capable of burning all things, it instantly bore down on the Nirvana black aura coiled in the wound with the force of an avalanche, driving it back step by step! The new Dragon-Phoenix Power was like a supreme king, endowed with astonishing powers of purification and assimilation. Wherever it reached, the remaining laws of Nirvana shattered like fragile ice sculptures, forcibly broken apart and burned away until they became the most primitive nothingness and vanished without a trace.
Pale golden buds of flesh sprouted from the edges of the charred hole between his brows like spring shoots breaking through the soil, growing wildly at a startling speed visible to the naked eye. Like diligent craftsmen, they began repairing the terrible wound, racing against time as life gradually returned to a place that had been riddled with holes.
"Grr..." A low growl escaped Xiao Zhan's throat, like a wounded beast finally freed from its shackles, filled with relief after suffering and gratitude at surviving the ordeal. His taut body suddenly relaxed like a bowstring released. The hand covering his brow fell limply, revealing a still gruesome hole, but the black aura had vanished from its edges, and pale golden flesh buds were rapidly repairing it. He gasped for breath, each one like a gulp of life itself. He was still so weak a gust of wind might topple him, but the fatal feeling of erosion had receded like the tide. He had finally gritted his teeth and survived the most dangerous moment!
"Father!" A hundred meters away, Xiao Yan saw his father's lowered hand and his visibly improved aura. He was so excited he almost leaped into the air, joy and relief gleaming in his eyes.
Xiao Zhan managed to lift his head. Through the dust and chaotic aura, he looked toward his son and gave the faintest nod, the tiny movement seeming to drain all his strength. Then he slowly turned his gaze toward the center of the oasis. There, Yue Mei stood on a hastily erected stone platform, as resilient as a flower bending in the wind, with several Snake-People elders whose auras were as steady as mountains. In her hands, she held the scroll of blueprints for the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda, emanating an ancient aura. Her expression was solemn, as though she were guarding the hope of her entire people.
"The time... has come..." Xiao Zhan's voice rasped like two rusted iron plates scraping together, yet it held an unquestionable decisiveness, like a battle-hardened general delivering his firm command at a crucial moment. Forcing himself to endure his swaying body, he slowly sat cross-legged, placing his hands steadily on his knees. His remaining Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi flowed through him like a trickling stream as he tried to connect with the Earth Vein Power buried beneath the ground.
Yue Mei drew a deep breath, as though drawing in the courage and hope of her entire people. She raised high the scroll of blueprints carrying the fate of the Snake-People Tribe and made a solemn, impassioned declaration in the ancient, mysterious tongue of her people:
"By the bloodline of Her Majesty the Queen as the key! A noble and glorious bloodline, a bridge joining the past and future! By the Dragon-Phoenix majesty of Elder Xiao as our proof! He carries the might and power of the Dragon Phoenix; he is our steadfast support as we withstand catastrophe and stride toward glory! Awaken the slumbering Earth Vein Dragon Soul! Let the ancient power sleeping deep beneath the earth awaken and raise a sky of hope over us! Forge the foundation of my Snake-People Tribe, unshakable for ten thousand generations! Let our people stand forever upon this land, flourishing and thriving! Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda—activate the formation!"
As her final syllable fell, it was as though she had unlocked the door to a mysterious world!
Buzz—!!!
The profound patterns on the blueprints suddenly blazed with dazzling light like ignited stars! The light seemed alive, flowing joyfully downward and merging into the stone platform beneath them. The platform was like a massive vessel, greedily absorbing this mysterious power. In the next instant, the light raced along the channels carved across the ground with ancient Snake-People totems, surging like a river of radiance toward the heart of the oasis, spreading with the force of an avalanche and enveloping everything it touched.
Rumble—!!!
The entire Snake Abyss Oasis shook violently, more fiercely than ever before! It was as though a dragon that had slumbered for countless ages deep within the earth was slowly awakening. It rolled over, shook the dust from its body, and prepared to show the world its majesty and might once more. The trees swayed, as though saluting this immense power; dust filled the air like a golden curtain raised for this great moment.
The ground at the center of the oasis suddenly swelled upward, as though invisible yet impossibly powerful hands had exerted force from deep underground. Under this mysterious power, even solid rock was as helpless as soft mud, easily torn apart and thrust upward with a heavy, thunderous rumble. A massive pillar of Earth Vein Dragon Qi, radiating a rich, earthy-yellow light, burst from the depths like an enraged dragon breaking free of countless chains, roaring toward the sky with the weight of ten thousand jun.
The pillar of Dragon Qi shot into the heavens like a sword. Wherever it passed, the poison miasma above the oasis and the sturdy defensive screens were blasted open, leaving a vast hole. The miasma scattered like clouds of gloom, fleeing in every direction; the defensive screens shattered like glass, breaking into pieces. Vast, pure Earth Vein Dragon Qi spread through the air like life-giving rain, bathing every inch of the oasis in boundless vitality and power. Every Snake-Person caught in the Dragon Qi felt new strength surge through them. Their spirits lifted, and even their wounds began to heal faster, as though they could see the hope of their people rising to glory.
But this was only the beginning. The grand spectacle that would shake the world was just beginning to unfold!
As the main pillar of Dragon Qi erupted, eight somewhat thinner but equally pure pillars of Earth Vein Dragon Qi burst from the ground at eight designated points around the oasis. Like eight loyal flood dragons, they converged from all directions, guarding the central dragon. The eight pillars answered the main pillar across the distance, their light weaving together to form a vast, three-dimensional network of Dragon Qi that covered the oasis's entire central region. The network was an invisible fortress, protecting the future of the Snake-People Tribe and radiating a mysterious, powerful aura.
"Guide the Dragon Qi! Forge the pagoda's foundation!" Yue Mei's voice trembled with reverent excitement, carrying her deepest hopes for the fate of her people as though it had crossed through time itself.
At her command, the Snake-People craftsmen and Dou Qi experts who had been prepared in advance sprang into action. Like devout believers, they cast large quantities of exceptionally precious Star Steel and Earth Vein Stone, each carved with defensive patterns, into the eight branching pillars of Dragon Qi. Every piece of material was like a new soul being poured into the mysterious Dragon Qi network, shaking the entire oasis as though heralding the rise of an imperishable monument on this land.
In an instant, a breathtaking wonder unfolded, shaking the very soul!
The materials, usually as hard as bedrock, softened and melted like wax beneath the warmth of spring the moment they touched the pure Earth Vein Dragon Qi, turning into pools of flowing liquid. Under the precise guidance of the mysterious formation and the violent surge of Dragon Qi, they seemed to come alive, shaping, piling up, and building themselves. Each piece was carefully sculpted by an invisible hand, fitting tightly with the others without a single flaw. A massive, octagonal tower foundation as large as a small mountain, gleaming with the bright luster of earthy-yellow metal and traced with profound, mysterious patterns that glowed faintly, rose from the ground at a startling speed, surrounded by the eight pillars of Dragon Qi and thrusting straight into the clouds!
The tower foundation stood ten zhang tall, as imposing as an immovable mountain, delivering a powerful visual impact. Natural patterns like dragon scales flowed across its surface, each one seeming to contain the mysteries of heaven and earth and radiating a vast, indestructible power capable of bearing all things. The sight filled everyone with awe. Even more stirring, at the tower foundation's center, where it connected to the main pillar of Dragon Qi, a hazy vortex of Dragon Qi took shape, spinning without end. It pulsed rhythmically like a heart, greedily absorbing Earth Vein Dragon Qi, a bottomless pit endlessly drawing in the earth's power.
At last, the foundation of the Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda had been forged!
"Success!" "May the Dragon God protect us!" The Snake-People warriors who witnessed this miraculous sight erupted into thunderous cheers, their voices echoing over the oasis like rolling thunder. Their faces, which had been filled with the terror of near-death, now shone with wild joy and hope, tears glimmering in their eyes. To them, this pagoda was more than just a structure. It was their new Holy Temple, the light of hope for their people's survival, the salvation they had desperately sought in the darkness.
A new wielder of power and a stirring fragment beyond Poison Barrier Valley
Xiao Yi Xian stood quietly at the entrance to the valley, like a pure snow lotus standing alone in the wind. Her deep violet eyes, bright as the most dazzling stars in the night sky, reflected the Earth Vein Dragon Qi pillar soaring into the sky in the distance and the magnificent tower foundation rising from the ground. The Earth Vein Dragon Qi that spread out the instant the foundation took shape brushed over her like an invisible wave, causing the Woe Poison Pill that had just coalesced within her to stir faintly, as though awakened by this mighty force. But the central point of dark golden light soon steadied it like the needle that calmed the sea, and it returned to stillness. She silently sensed this vast vitality, her cool face betraying no ripple, as though nothing in the world could disturb her tranquil heart. Only a faint glimmer, difficult to notice, flickered deep in her eyes like a shooting star before vanishing.
She slowly raised her hand, palm facing upward, her movement gentle and graceful, as though welcoming a mysterious ritual. The Woe Poison Pill, the size of a dragon's eye and flawless as a purple crystal, silently floated above her palm, radiating a faint violet light like a mysterious star from another realm.
With a slight movement of her thoughts, light shimmered across the pill's surface, as though a veil of mystery had been gently lifted. A wisp of pure grayish-white poison mist emerged like a nimble snake, dancing and shifting lightly around her slender fingertips. At one moment it became a needle as thin as a hair, gleaming with cold light; at the next, a blade as thin as a cicada's wing, edged with icy menace. It moved with pinpoint precision and perfect obedience, like a peerless weapon in her hands, responding to her every thought.
She curled her finger slightly and flicked it. The motion was crisp and clean.
Sss!
The gray-white poison needle flashed into a hard black rock the size of a human head beyond the valley. There was no earth-shattering corrosion or pungent stench; everything happened in silence. It was as though an invisible hand had pulled out every "foundation" supporting the rock's existence. It silently collapsed and disintegrated from within, crumbling into a pile of fine, even gray powder that drifted away on the breeze, as though it had never existed in this world.
Destruction, in her hands, had reached a level of mastery so absolute it seemed to touch perfection—a testament to her complete control over her power.
"Power..." Xiao Yi Xian murmured, her voice soft and ethereal, as though drifting from the distant horizon. Her deep violet eyes reflected the poison mist swirling around her fingertips, shining with an absolute sense of control, as if the entire world were hers to command. She slowly raised her head, her gaze piercing through space and crossing thousands of mountains and rivers before settling on the figure seated in the crater in Spirit Gathering Pavilion's plaza. Without him, she might already have turned into a withered skeleton amid the agony of poison backlash or been captured by Soul Hall's evil forces and refined into a mindless poison puppet. A faint warmth, so slight that even she herself failed to notice it, quietly crossed her icy heart and sent ripples through it.
She turned lightly, her graceful figure gradually blending into the docile poison miasma within the valley. The oasis had just suffered a great calamity, and there were many wounded. Ordinary Snake-People apothecaries were often helpless against certain insidious injuries that had penetrated to the bone, able only to sigh and stand by. But she had new abilities now, and she had... something she needed to do. It was a responsibility, a duty, and the path pointed out by that faint warmth deep in her heart.
Xiao Yan sat quietly in a corner, cross-legged, his posture as straight as a pine. A simple black ring pressed snugly against the skin of his left index finger, imparting a warm, gentle sensation. It seemed as though a current of warmth flowed quietly between the fingertip and the ring. He slowly closed his eyes and calmed his mind, his consciousness sinking like a wisp of smoke into the mysterious soul space within.
In that space, Yao Lao's sleeping soul orb was like a dim star still brimming with life. Sustained by the pure energy radiating from the Bronze Fragments, it glowed a little more brightly than before. Though the light remained faint, it seemed steadier in the darkness, with a more tenacious vitality. Xiao Yan focused completely, carefully guiding more energy toward the soul orb like a trickling stream. Every movement was gentle and precise, as though carefully tending a flame wavering in the wind, afraid that one careless breath might extinguish it.
Just then!
Buzz—!!!
A sharp, ringing vibration suddenly sounded, like a summons from ancient times. The second Bronze Fragment before him, which he had obtained after countless hardships from the ruins of the Ancient Altar, began to shake violently without warning, like a beast long imprisoned and suddenly freed. At the broken edge of the fragment, the faint glow that had appeared when it briefly joined with the first fragment now flared with a dazzling dark-gold light, as if violently stimulated. Like a blazing sun, it illuminated the entire space, too bright to look at directly.
At the same time, a far clearer and more immense flood of information, accompanied by countless chaotic yet vast fragments of images, surged into Xiao Yan's mind like a raging tide. The image fragments flashed like strange runes, rolling and interweaving through his consciousness as if telling an ancient, mysterious story.
"Urgh!" Xiao Yan groaned. It felt as though tens of millions of steel needles had pierced his head at once, the pain threatening to split it open. But he gritted his teeth until his lips turned deathly pale, swallowing his scream and focusing all his attention on seizing the key details in the chaotic torrent of information.
This time, what appeared in his consciousness was no longer the full view of the enormous Bronze Great Hall, suspended in the chaotic void like a colossal beast. The image seemed to be brought into focus by an invisible hand, becoming ever clearer and more distinct, as though he were peering through a mysterious window into a hidden corner of another world.
The image flashed through shattered stars and distorted storms of laws, then finally stopped on a deathly forbidden land whose vastness defied description. It seemed to be a heap of ruins left behind after heaven and earth collapsed, formed from countless shattered continents and distorted spaces piled together in chaotic layers. The sky was eternally dark red, like silk soaked in blood, and burned with undying Chaos Demon Flame. The flames danced and tumbled like crazed performers, recklessly releasing an aura that could destroy all things. On the ground, filthy rivers of poisonous blood wound like evil dragons, giving off a pungent stench of decay. Countless ancient skeletons of unimaginable size lay scattered across the land. Some stretched like mountain ranges; others pierced the sky like swords. Every bone radiated a terrifying pressure that froze the soul, as though bearing witness to past glory and a brutal destruction.
Deep within this forbidden land, space was distorted to its very limit, like a painting crumpled by a child's hands. Countless enormous, broken bronze pillars and shattered palace ruins covered in cracks lay scattered haphazardly along both banks of a seemingly endless, terrifying "burial river" formed from nothing but chaotic spatial currents, as if discarded by the gods. Fragments of time and space spun through the river like razor-sharp blades, shrieking like cries from hell and devouring everything that came near. Matter and energy alike were shredded to pieces in an instant.
The clearest, strongest source of the sensation in Xiao Yan's consciousness pointed unmistakably toward an area across the river, shrouded in even denser Chaos Demon Flame, like a beacon in the darkness. There, a massive Bronze Fragment jutted at an angle from the summit of a mountain of skeletons, piled high with countless enormous skulls, like a lonely gravestone bearing witness to endless vicissitudes. The fracture along its edge matched the fragment in his hand perfectly, as though two brothers separated for years had finally reunited. Countless dark-gold runes on its surface flickered on and off like stars in the night sky, stubbornly resisting the surrounding demonic flames as if guarding an unknown secret.
The fragments of information burned into Xiao Yan's soul like a searing brand, their power impossible to resist:
"Desert of Buried Immortals... Ancient River of Buried Gods... Demon Peak of Bones... Immortal Palace Fragment..."
Each word struck his soul like a heavy hammer, stirring up layer after layer of ripples.
"Ding!" A clear notification rang out like a celestial melody from the ninth heaven, yet with a hint of chill. "Critical destiny node detected: 'The Bronze Immortal Palace's Call'! Special mission triggered: Explore the Desert of Buried Immortals!"
[Mission objective: Proceed immediately to the mysterious Desert of Buried Immortals, cross the raging, treacherous Ancient River of Buried Gods, brave countless dangers to reach the Demon Peak of Bones, and retrieve the crucial third Bronze Immortal Palace Fragment!]
[Mission reward: Unknown (This reward is closely tied to the mysterious information contained within the fragment and the various encounters the host experiences during the exploration. It may hold an unimaginable surprise.)]
[Failure penalty: None (However, if the mission fails, the fragment may be completely corroded by the raging demonic flames and reduced to nothing; it may also fall into someone else's hands, rendering all your previous efforts futile.)]
[Warning: The Desert of Buried Immortals is the site of an ancient battlefield, weathered by countless years and drenched in blood. It is extremely dangerous! Space is chaotic, the laws are twisted, and countless unknown horrors lurk there! It is recommended that the host reach Peak Dou Wang before beginning this journey into the unknown and perilous!]
The system's notification rang out, cold and clear, like sharp blades piercing Xiao Yan's ears.
Xiao Yan snapped his eyes open, still dazed and shaken by the rush of information. He gasped for breath as though he had just fought for his life. Cold sweat poured down his back like a burst dam. The vision of that deathly forbidden land, filled with raging Chaos Demon Flame, roaring spatial currents, and enormous, terrifying skeletons, lingered in his mind like a nightmare, leaving him shaken.
But what made his heart race faster and his blood surge was the Bronze Fragment jutting from the summit of the Demon Peak of Bones! It seemed like a key that could open the door to an unknown world, or a radiant star shining in the darkness. Then there was the system's mission to "Explore the Desert of Buried Immortals." Those words echoed in his heart like a spell, stirring his deepest yearning for the unknown and his thirst for greater power.
"Desert of Buried Immortals... the third fragment..." Xiao Yan clenched both fists until his knuckles turned white, light flickering in his eyes. His burning desire for power surged, his urgency to uncover the unknown mystery flared, and a solemn sense of standing on the edge of an abyss crept in as he faced that forbidden land. His desire to grow stronger surged through his heart like a raging tide, fiercer than ever before! For the teacher waiting to awaken from his slumber, to uncover the mysterious veil of the Immortal Palace, and to possess the strength to stand proudly beside his father and face those terrifying beings head-on!
He slowly raised his head. His gaze became like an invisible blade, piercing through the thick, sturdy walls of the stone hall and landing steadily on the figure still seated in the crater in the distant plaza, immersed in meditation.
Father... Wait for me! I'll return with unrivaled glory and power!
This was no natural cavern sculpted by nature, but a distorted space forcibly opened by some transcendent power. Countless enormous, ghastly white bones, like the remnants of a horrific feast, formed this gloomy, terrifying world. They lay scattered in apparent disorder, yet with a sinister kind of order.
At the center of the space floated a ghastly green throne condensed entirely from soul power. Its cold light seemed to summon visitors from hell, radiating endless chill and eeriness.
A hunched figure completely shrouded in black soul mist as thick as ink sat quietly upon the throne, like a statue weathered by time yet radiating a terrifying aura. Two points of blood-red light, like demonic eyes shining from the deepest reaches of the underworld, pierced through the layers of soul mist and coldly watched an image slowly revolving in the void before him.
The image showed the heart of Snake Abyss Oasis. A pillar of Earth Vein Dragon Qi soared into the sky like a dragon bursting from the earth, thrusting straight into the clouds and radiating immense, mysterious power. Guarded by eight Dragon Qi pillars, the massive metal foundation of a pagoda was rising from the ground, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen like an eternal monument between heaven and earth.
"The Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix... foundation?" A hoarse, dry voice slowly rang out, like countless souls scraping against one another. It was chillingly strange, yet tinged with amusement. "The Snake-People Tribe... the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python... and that human bearing Dragon-Phoenix Power... Heh heh heh... This keeps getting more and more interesting."
The blood-red gaze shifted slightly, like two icy beams, and slowly settled on the figure sitting cross-legged in the crater beneath the foundation, the wound between his brows slowly repairing under pale golden flesh buds. The figure seemed to be examining a precious treasure soon to be his, or plotting some earth-shattering scheme.
"He actually endured a projection of this sovereign's Nirvana Finger and survived... He even managed to draw out the Earth Vein Dragon Qi... The Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline truly is extraordinary, concealing many mysteries." The soul mist stirred faintly like wisps of smoke, seemingly revealing a trace of surprise he could not conceal. "And that faint, almost imperceptible trace of the Immortal Palace's aura... Though it's as weak as a candle in the wind... I could never mistake it... The Bronze Immortal Palace... has finally revealed its traces once more..."
Before his words had faded, the two blood-red points of light suddenly blazed, like twin blood-colored suns erupting with a terrifying radiance in the darkness.
"That useless clone of Gu You's... did not die entirely in vain... At least... it let this sovereign precisely locate this region..." His voice turned abruptly cold, like the bitter north wind in the dead of winter, brimming with unmistakable, murderous intent. "Send the order:"
"Notify the Soul Envoy in the Black-Corner Region immediately. Have them set aside everything they are doing and closely monitor the slightest movement in the Tager Desert of the Northwest Region, especially the oasis where the Snake-People Tribe resides! Report back at once at the first sign of anything unusual. There must be no mistakes!"
"Awaken the Nether Duo and have them prepare immediately to infiltrate the Jia Ma Empire in secret! Their target is clear: Snake Abyss Oasis! Their mission: capture the person with the Woe Poison Body alive! Seize the Green Lotus Core Flame! Investigate every clue related to the Bronze Immortal Palace! If they meet resistance... kill without mercy!"
"As for Xiao Zhan... leave him alive... This sovereign will personally... search his soul and dig out every secret he's hiding!"
The icy commands spread through space in ripples, passing through countless barriers toward a distant, unknown place.
The figure on the skeletal throne slowly withdrew his blade-like gaze. The thick black soul mist surged back around him like a rising tide, completely shrouding him and cutting him off from the world. Only the two blood-red points of light remained, like never-fading demonic eyes, gleaming with greed and cruelty in the eternal darkness, as if declaring his boundless desire and ambition.
"Snake Abyss Oasis... Bronze Immortal Palace... This sovereign... is coming." The low, resolute voice sounded like a sentence from hell, its relentless momentum challenging the unknown fate ahead.
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