Youthful Valor

Above the pool, at the summit of the Phoenix Bone.

Luo Hongyan, who had been sealed away by the Yin Spirit Temple for hundreds of years, stomped her feet in fury.

In her spirit form, she had allowed her jade-like feet to sink into the Phoenix Bone, but upon realizing what she had done, she shuddered and hurriedly pulled them away.

Her pair of eerie red eyes turned as cold and sharp as blood-stained blades, fixing upon the shimmering surface of the pool.

Ever since she had been freed from the seal, she had yearned for the reconstruction of a flesh-and-blood body, and the Phoenix Marrow was something she was determined to obtain.

Once she secured the Phoenix Marrow and fused it into her spirit body, she would have the means to recast her form, reclaim her lost power, and unleash a bloody vengeance upon those who had conspired against her all those years ago.

She was wary of the mysterious entity that kept the "Dark Giant Python" in captivity, and as she was still in spirit form, she dared not enter the water herself.

By using a "Spirit Sha" to possess a Dark Ghost cultivator and sending them to the bottom of the pool, she could avoid the risk, and no one would know she was lurking above.

Little did she expect that the youth favored by the Blood Moon's "Eye of Imprint" would emerge from the shadows riding a snake, assassinating the Dark Ghost cultivator while the "Black-White King Python"—which rightfully belonged to Hong Tai—swallowed the "Spirit Sha" she had painstakingly refined.

"It is merely a second-tier Black-White King Python; its intelligence and spirituality have only just begun to bloom. It shouldn't have been able to detect the presence of the Spirit Sha, let alone consume the one I crafted."

After her initial rage, Luo Hongyan gradually calmed down, yet the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was amiss.

"The Black-White King Python belongs to Hong Tai; by what right did that brat seize it? For the python to swallow my Spirit Sha after changing masters—this matter is surely far from ordinary."

She suspected that the mysterious entity keeping the "Dark Giant Python" at the bottom of the pool was hiding in the shadows, using that young hunter as a pawn in its grand design.

Once her manic state had completely subsided, she became even more hesitant to act rashly.

"I still have a few Spirit Sha patrolling outside the deep valley; it seems I must summon them."

Lacking eyes of her own to use, she focused her intent, commanding those wandering "Spirit Sha" to seek out living creatures to possess, hiding within the bodies of beasts while awaiting her further instructions.

At the bottom of the pool.

"Gurgle!"

Hong Tai, who was battling around the Phoenix Bone, spat out a string of bubbles. He turned his head and stared blankly at Pang Jian, who was riding his "Black-White King Python" and hunting down his disobedient subordinates one by one.

He tried to shout in alarm, but no sound emerged—only a flurry of bubbles escaped his lips.

He was utterly bewildered. The "Black-White King Python" he had fed and raised for seven or eight years—how long had it even been since it gained sentience?

He could not fathom why the "Black-White King Python" would suddenly rebel against him and treat that young hunter as its master.

Furthermore, he had explicitly forbidden his subordinates from entering the water; how dared they defy his orders?

Hong Tai racked his brains but could find no answer.

Jin Yang, along with the two leaders who had reached the Pulse-Opening Realm, were equally stunned by Pang Jian riding the python, their eyes constantly darting toward Hong Tai with confusion.

Hong Tai's face darkened. Under their questioning gazes, he shook his head, signaling that he was just as clueless as they were.

Just then, Jin Yang suddenly grew agitated, pointing at a section of the Phoenix Bone.

They saw all the shimmering white light spots, taking advantage of the fierce battle between them and Ouyang Duanhai, coalesce into a cluster of amber-like, mysterious light, drifting from the base of the Phoenix Bone toward the upper joints.

"Phoenix Marrow!"

Jin Yang, losing control, let out a strange cry that released another large bubble.

He used his hands and feet to gesture frantically in the water, signaling for Hong Tai and the others to help him intercept Ouyang Duanhai.

As for himself, he lunged toward the direction where the white light was rising, determined to intercept the Phoenix Marrow at top speed!

"Ugh!"

Pang Jian, riding the python possessed by the "Dark Giant Python" and having already assassinated all the Qi Refining Realm Dark Ghost cultivators, also noticed the reappearance of the mysterious light that had previously strengthened his body.

He immediately commanded the "Dark Giant Python" beneath him with his thoughts.

However, this strange snake, its pupils now pitch-black, defied his order for the first time.

Pang Jian could not help but look down, only to see endless hatred—and... profound terror—surfacing within its obsidian-like pupils.

Hatred and fear. Hatred because the Phoenix Bone consumed your flesh and blood, creating these anomalies with your remains.

Fear? You no longer have a physical body, merely possessing the shell of your own kind, yet you still fear that Phoenix Bone?

Pang Jian thought silently, unsure if the strange snake could hear these non-verbal commands.

He suddenly realized that if even the strange snake feared the anomaly formed by the Phoenix Bone, then Jin Yang, who sought to seize this power, might not necessarily get his wish.

Pang Jian's mind raced, but he only urged the "Dark Giant Python" to approach the upper end of the Phoenix Bone, trailing closely behind the anxious Jin Yang.

This time, the "Dark Giant Python" chose to obey.

It carried Pang Jian toward Jin Yang at the top of the Phoenix Bone, moving much slower than before.

Pang Jian observed Jin Yang's movements while occasionally glancing at the monster that Hong Tai and his two companions were desperately pinning down near the python's skull.

He had noticed long ago that once that cluster of mysterious light took shape, the unidentified, non-human entity had gone berserk, struggling desperately to reach the light.

However, under the fierce onslaught of Hong Tai and his group, the non-human entity had failed to break free.

At this moment, Hong Tai held a golden, radiant spirit sword, the masked man gripped a bamboo flute, and Xu Rui clutched a black iron shield.

The three of them fought in unison, yet in the face of the non-human entity's breakout attempts, they appeared surprisingly battered.

Xu Rui, who held the shield, seemed dissatisfied with the implement; after seeking Hong Tai's approval with a glance, he withdrew from the fray and made his way to Ning Yao, who was wrapped in the silver net.

He gripped the iron chain tight and gave it a gentle shake, allowing Ning Yao to slip free from the mesh.

Once Xu Rui had retrieved his preferred weapon, he didn't even spare Ning Yao a look, immediately swimming back toward Hong Tai.

He swung the Silver Silk Giant Net high, sending it whistling through the water like a cloud of silver, casting it toward the inhuman monstrosity.

Clearly, the net that had imprisoned Ning Yao was his most handy tool, and a fine treasure capable of restricting the movements of the inhuman creature.

At the same time, Pang Jian suddenly noticed Jin Yang, who was surging toward the surface, furtively pulling a lotus leaf from his robes.

The lotus leaf was as green and clear as jade, glowing with a crystalline luster in the depths of the water, its fine veins seemingly concealing some profound mystery.

Jin Yang pulled back the collar of his shirt and pressed the lotus leaf against his heart with great care, shielding his chest with the leaf.

Having done this, he covered his chest again, a flicker of confidence appearing in his eyes, and he accelerated toward the mysterious, rising glimmer of light.

Jin Yang, who had choked on water earlier, kept his lips moving, repeating something over and over.

Because he was so agitated and kept repeating it without making a sound, Pang Jian was able to discern the words from the shape of his mouth.

The two words he was saying were... Phoenix Marrow.

Pang Jian realized in an instant that the amber glow where the Phoenix Bone had manifested was actually the marrow from within the bones of a Heavenly Phoenix!

Recalling Jin Yang's series of abnormal actions and the green lotus leaf he used to protect his heart, and looking at the monster with the divine phoenix tattoo on its chest, Pang Jian understood: the Phoenix Marrow was seeking a fleshly vessel capable of bearing its power, intending to burrow into the heart and take root.

It seemed that once successful, whoever the Phoenix Marrow entered would become another monster.

Jin Yang knew the consequences of having his heart devoured by the Phoenix Marrow, which was why he covered his heart with the green lotus leaf; it seemed he believed the leaf possessed miraculous effects.

"Help me kill this man."

Unable to command the Dark Giant Python to touch the Phoenix Marrow, Pang Jian suddenly shifted his strategy, his intent directed squarely at Jin Yang!

Among the group of Dark Ghost attackers, only Jin Yang had used his seven Cicada Wing Swords to pierce Pang Jian's hand bones and back repeatedly; the pain Jin Yang had inflicted upon him was the greatest.

He resolved to make Jin Yang his first target for slaughter in the Pulse-Opening Realm.

"Whoosh!"

The Dark Giant Python twisted its serpentine body, creating distinct ripples in the depths of the pool, and finally willing to exert itself again, it carried him straight toward Jin Yang.

The strength and speed of everyone beneath the pool were greatly diminished by the resistance of the water.

The python, however, was completely unaffected—in fact, it was even more agile than on land—so it quickly brought Pang Jian to Jin Yang's side.

"Swish, swish, swish! Swish, swish, swish!"

Having been struck by Ouyang Duanhai, the Cicada Wing Swords, now much weaker in spirit, were controlled by Jin Yang's power as they shot toward Pang Jian.

But the battered Cicada Wing Swords, now submerged in water, had their power and speed severely compromised.

With the Dark Giant Python's assistance, Pang Jian used his Dragon-Patterned Spear to parry and strike, sending the Cicada Wing Swords tumbling back to the bottom of the pool.

Leveraging the momentum of the Dark Giant Python beneath him, Pang Jian gripped the Dragon-Patterned Spear with both hands, aiming from afar at Jin Yang.

When he was close enough, the power within his arm bones erupted, and he thrust forward with all his might.

"Boom!"

A block of ice, frozen by the Cold Chi Jade Pendant, formed just in time, yet it was shattered by the heavy impact of Pang Jian's Dragon-Patterned Spear.

Jin Yang let out a muffled groan as he saw cracks appearing on the pendant he used to save his life; without a master to repair it, it would be difficult for the object to regain its original miraculous effect.

As he pulled away to dodge, he looked back to see Pang Jian, riding the snake, charging at him again with menacing momentum.

With the speed of the python, the force of its charge combined with Pang Jian's own divine strength and the heavy weight of the Dragon-Patterned Spear, Jin Yang, now lacking the protection of the pendant, felt a sense of impending doom.

In his heart, he cursed Hong Tai as a useless fool.

Not only had the Black-White King Python he had painstakingly tamed failed to serve him, but it was actually helping an outsider attack him.

Cursing aside, Jin Yang was still unwilling to give up the Phoenix Marrow, and trapped in a difficult position, he chose to continue charging upward.

He figured that if he truly could not avoid Pang Jian, he would simply burst out of the Blackwater Pool, find a way to plot for the Phoenix Marrow outside, and then launch a counter-kill against Pang Jian.

At the bottom of the water, both the Cicada Wing Swords and he himself felt a sense of frustration, as if they had power they could not unleash.

Once on shore, that Black-White King Python, only a second-tier beast, might not necessarily be able to take advantage of him.

"Splash! Splash!"

Ning Yao, freed by Xu Rui, swam upward with all her might the moment she escaped.

Having only recently advanced to the Pulse-Opening Realm, she could not compare to old dogs like Hong Tai and Xu Rui; her breath was reaching its limit, and if she did not go up to catch her breath, she would die at the bottom of the pool.

As she struggled upward, she naturally tilted her head, catching sight of Pang Jian, riding the snake, as he launched his pursuit of Jin Yang.

After Pang Jian had slaughtered the subsequent Dark Ghost Qi Refining Realm cultivators one by one, he was now hunting at the bottom of the pool, having switched to a higher-level opponent.

Ning Yao stared at Pang Jian, a massive wave rising in her heart, and she even began to doubt herself.

She wondered, was Pang Jian truly the original owner of those three stone houses?

Was the Pang Jian spoken of by the people of Linshan Town really this fierce, bloodthirsty youth before her eyes?

If he were truly the young hunter who relied on his younger sister, why had they not seen Pang Jian's sister when they arrived at the courtyard?

"Could it be that some genius from the Upper Realm with profound cultivation has usurped Pang Jian's identity, just waiting there for us to walk into the net?"

Ning Yao's mind drifted into a trance.