Xiangliu, the Altar, and the Million-Year Soul Ring!

Dugu Yao did not dwell on it further. Without figuring out what this place was, he could not be sure of anything, so he continued following the guidance forward.

Rumble~

Rumble~

Rumble~

A massive door appeared in Dugu Yao's field of vision. But as he drew closer and closer to it, sudden crashing sounds erupted.

The crashes sounded as though some enormous creature was slamming its body against the door. And the closer Dugu Yao got, the more frequent and violent the impacts became!

"What the hell is that noise?! There are ever-burning lamps on both sides of the corridor, and they're burning blue! This place is already gloomy and deathly silent—I'm seriously scared!"

With less than twenty meters left to the door, Dugu Yao stopped in his tracks and stared at it uneasily.

The repeated crashes came with tremors beneath his feet. In the instant Dugu Yao blinked, the door suddenly exploded, and a jade-green figure shot out from within, slamming hard into his chest.

The force sent Dugu Yao flying nearly a hundred meters before he crashed face-first into the ground.

"Fuck! What the hell was that?!" Dugu Yao cursed as his vision went dark, completely dazed from the fall.

Just before he completely lost consciousness, he clearly heard a series of hissing sounds by his ear. Something also seemed to be licking his cheek!

"Damn it, you're the little bastard that knocked me out, aren't you?!" When Dugu Yao woke up, all he saw was green. He reached out, grabbed it, and viciously hurled it toward the ground.

The jade-green figure landed lightly on the ground. Flicking its tongue, it tilted its head and looked at the awakened Dugu Yao.

Dugu Yao panted heavily. Once he had calmed down, he began examining the strange little creature before him!

"A snake body, nine heads, jade-green all over... but why does only one head have its eyes open? And I can feel that I seem to have some sort of connection with this little booger!"

"The ancients said: Gonggong had a minister named Xiangliu, who possessed nine heads and fed upon nine mountains!"

"The nine-headed description does match this little booger somewhat, but this size... It's only as big as my palm. Is it here to be a joke?"

Dugu Yao looked at the little creature and spoke gloomily.

The moment he said that, he immediately sensed the little fellow's aggrieved emotions. Its previously raised head drooped as well.

"Hmm... it can even feel wronged. Should I comfort it?"

Dugu Yao cupped the little booger in both hands and comforted it. "I was just joking. Don't take it to heart. Beasts grow up too. I believe that one day, you'll grow to Xiangliu's level as well, swallowing nine mountains in a single bite!"

What he had not expected was that it actually worked. The little booger raised its head again and affectionately rubbed against him.

Dugu Yao placed it on his shoulder. The little booger instantly became overjoyed, flicking its tongue and licking Dugu Yao's cheek.

Dugu Yao did not mind. He continued following the guidance forward. Now that the door was open, he wanted to see exactly what was inside!

"So, you came out from there. Don't tell me you're Xiangliu?" Dugu Yao asked with a smile.

The little booger tilted its head as if it did not understand him, wearing a remarkably humanlike look of confusion.

Upon reaching the door that had been smashed to pieces, he did not hesitate and walked straight inside.

The space within was extremely vast and open to the sky. The first thing that caught his eye was the five lifelike statues surrounding the area.

At the center stood something more like an ancient sacrificial altar!

The moment Dugu Yao stepped inside, flames ignited around the altar. Words formed from fire abruptly appeared before his eyes.

'Xiangyou, also known as Xiangliu, was a fiendish god of ancient times and a subordinate of Gonggong. With the body of a snake and nine heads, it devoured countless people. Wherever it went, the land became a flooded marsh!'

'The water it spewed from its mouth was even more terrifying than floodwaters—bitter, spicy, and highly poisonous. Anyone who consumed it would die!'

'Thus, not even birds or beasts could live in those marshes. Seeing Xiangliu's rampant evil, Yu slew Xiangliu with divine power and rid the people of a great scourge!'

'Yet whenever Xiangliu's blood touched the earth, no crops could grow. It polluted vast stretches of land. Yu tried to fill it with soil, but it collapsed three times after being filled three times!'

'Yu had no choice but to carve the land into a pool. Gods from all directions built the Five Emperors Platform beside it to suppress demons and monsters!'

"Isn't this the account of Xiangliu from the Classic of Mountains and Seas?" Dugu Yao murmured as he looked at the fiery words before him.

"My inheritor, I have waited for you for a very long time. So long that even I have forgotten time itself, forgotten everything."

"My divine power has been almost completely worn away by time. Next, according to the rules of this world..."

"I shall grant you two of my inheritances. The first is a Million-Year Soul Ring!"

As the flames on the altar went out, a mechanical voice echoed through the surroundings.

Immediately afterward, a dazzling golden light shone from the altar. A golden Soul Ring appeared—it was unmistakably a Million-Year Soul Ring!

"Inheritor... Xiangliu Inheritance—Million-Year Soul Ring!!!"

Before Dugu Yao had time to react, the Million-Year Soul Ring had already drifted before him.

"My inheritor, next is the second inheritance I have prepared for you: the Nine Nether Poison Scripture, the cultivation method I practiced. It is the cultivation method I am most proud of. Accept it."

As the voice faded, light shone from the altar once more. This time, it was a dim, shadowy glow. When the light finally dispersed, a book appeared.

Written vertically upon its cover were the four words: Nine Nether Poison Scripture!

"My inheritor, consider these two inheritances my gift upon meeting you."

"And you still have eight such inheritances awaiting you. In the future, every time your Soul Power Level rises by ten levels, you may enter the Five Emperors Platform again to receive a new and powerful inheritance!"

"I have long since died, and my divine power has gradually been worn away by the passage of time. This is merely a remnant of my consciousness. There is not much help I can offer you."

"Grow as quickly as possible in this world and become the new Xiangliu."

Dugu Yao held the Million-Year Soul Ring in his left hand and Xiangliu's Mental Cultivation Method, the Nine Nether Poison Scripture, in his right, yet before he could voice the doubts in his heart—

An invisible, immense force propelled him swiftly away.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived at the very top of the Five Emperors Platform. From where he stood, the Five Emperors Platform now seemed incomparably tiny, no more than a black speck.

Yet he still could not see the full extent of the Otherspace. He could, however, clearly make out the surroundings of the Five Emperors Platform: an endless pool of water. Beneath that black pool lay stark white bones—bones so enormous they defied imagination. Even with his vision, he could only make out their rough outline. They were the remains of a snake's head!