Visitors from the Heavenly Snake Mansion: One King Captures Two Emperors!
"If the seal keeps your Dou Qi cultivation from advancing, can't you train your body?"
With a wave of his hand, Lin Chen immediately assigned Hai Bodong a task. "Until you break the seal, go train your body. Strengthen it as much as you can, and don't slack off."
"Don't lose hope in your future. Dig deep into your potential and strive to reach even greater heights once the seal is broken."
"Me? Train my body?"
Hai Bodong looked down at his withered hands, then at Lin Chen's solid, powerful muscles, utterly at a loss.
That couldn't be right, could it? At my age, simply keeping my bodily functions from declining is already impressive. What future could there possibly be in training my body?
Despite these thoughts, he dared not show them. He merely nodded respectfully. "Yes. I will certainly work hard at my training and never disappoint you, my lord."
"Good."
Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction and patted his shoulder. "In a while, I'll refine a few pills to help you train your body. Try them and see how well they work. Don't stand on ceremony. We're all on the same side, so use them without worry."
In truth, he had not forgotten that achieving mastery of the Sound Wave Dou Technique he practiced, the Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Subduing Roar, required an exceptionally powerful body.
Now that he had a Dou Huang expert to experiment on, he could test the effectiveness of those body-training pill recipes recorded by that Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
If they worked well, there would still be time to use them himself.
Meanwhile, just as Lin Chen had broken through to Seven-Star Dou Wang and was discussing matters with Hai Bodong...
High in the sky, several hundred li outside Stone Desert City.
Above the boundless desert, an enormous eight-winged black serpent spread his wings and soared through the azure sky.
The black serpent looked extraordinarily strange. A spiral horn crowned his head, and vivid markings wound around his jet-black body, finally forming the shape of a crown upon his head. His cunning triangular eyes betrayed a magical beast's brutality.
Anyone knowledgeable would have recognized him at once as the renowned Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor!
At that moment, a woman with a thin veil covering her face stood atop the Black Serpent Emperor's massive body, her hands behind her back. Dressed in green, she possessed alluring curves, and her mature figure carried an elegant composure that suggested she had long held a position of authority.
"Bai Ya, are we nearly there?"
The green-robed woman parted her red lips, her voice as gentle and pleasing as a spring breeze brushing willow branches.
"Hahaha!"
A glint flashed through the enormous Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's triangular pupils beneath her. Opening his huge mouth, he let out a deafening laugh. "We're here, we're here! Just ahead! There's absolutely no mistake this time!"
"Once we find the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, my wandering days will finally be over!"
"When we return to the mansion with this achievement, I'm going to eat my fill!"
A faint smile touched the green-robed woman's lips atop the Serpent Emperor. "Let's find them first. At last, we can answer for the mission the Mansion Lord gave us. Our decades of running about haven't been wasted."
"Fly faster. Let's get there as soon as possible."
Rumble!
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor nodded slightly. His enormous body shuddered, and the eight wings on his back beat rapidly like wings that could blot out the heavens. Visible streams of turbulent air swept aside, howling around him!
In the blink of an eye, Stone Desert City appeared before them!
At that moment, within Stone Desert City.
At the center of the training square in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's compound.
Bang! Bang!
"Second Commander!"
"Second Commander!"
A clamor rose from around the square. Two figures were sparring fiercely, exchanging sweeping, forceful moves that made everyone's blood surge.
Thump!
The next instant, a figure wreathed in lightning flew backward as though struck by a heavy blow. His broad feet carved two deep furrows through the ground as he slid to the edge of the square.
"No more, no more! Third Brother, that Dou Technique of yours is incredible. It combines fierce power with subtle softness. I'm no match for you."
The figure waved his hands, still shaken. Yet his stern, ruthless-looking face was full of smiles as he said excitedly, "You're truly remarkable! How old are you, and you're already this strong? It looks like our Xiao Clan has a worthy successor."
"Second Brother, I just got lucky."
Xiao Yan scratched his head and smiled at his second brother, Xiao Li, across from him. "If it were a real fight to the death, I definitely wouldn't be your match."
"Ah, you brat, being modest again. I can tell you held back some trump cards while fighting your second brother."
Just then, Xiao Ding walked over in his white robes, his face beaming as he looked at his two younger brothers, his heart full of pride.
Xiao Yan turned his head and was just about to say something.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in his mind, carrying a note of vigilance and warning.
"Careful, kid. Two Dou Huang experts are heading this way. They'll be here any moment!"
Xiao Yan's expression shifted slightly. Before he could do anything, the sky above Stone Desert City suddenly darkened, an enormous black shadow blotting it out.
Looking up, he saw a gigantic black serpent covered in colorful markings. His features were indistinct, but the terrifying aura he casually radiated was enough to strike dread into anyone.
He was unmistakably a Sixth Tier magical beast!
Rumble!
The beating of the colossal creature's wings sounded like wind and thunder, carrying the tremendous power to shake the Heaven and Earth Energy. Many mercenaries in the city panicked and scattered, their cries and pleas for help ringing out incessantly.
"Bai Ya, behave yourself. We're only here to find someone. Rein in that temper, and don't scare away the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils!"
In the sky, the green-robed woman knitted her willow brows at the sight and could not help scolding him.
"These ants are simply too weak. They can't take a little fright."
"Besides, I've already locked onto the location of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. They won't get away."
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's pupils shifted, his faintly gleaming serpentine eyes looking straight toward a secluded courtyard.
There, four figures-two men and two women-were watching him warily.
One was a petite, delicate figure with an unusually striking pair of jade-green eyes, her little face filled with fear.
"Are those the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?"
Following the Black Serpent Emperor's gaze, the green-robed woman instantly noticed the petite figure as well and was about to descend.
Suddenly, a tall, slender figure in blue robes among the four scooped up the little girl. Ice-blue wings spread behind him, and he flew toward the outskirts of the city!
"Trying to run? After him!"
The green-robed woman's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly urged him on.
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor beneath her needed no instructions. The instant Lin Chen moved, he reacted, becoming a streak of black light as he pursued the fleeing pair!
Rumble!
The wind roared across the sky. Invisible gales shrieked, instantly shredding the drifting clouds and leaving long, narrow trails. Two streaks of light, one blue and one black, cut across the heavens in a chase.
"You brat up ahead! Leave that girl behind!"
A vicious gleam surfaced in the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's eyes. Invisible energy gathered within his enormous mouth and became a jet-black beam that shot toward Lin Chen ahead with the speed of lightning!
"A petty trick. You'll make a perfect test for the power of my evolved Sea Heart Flame!"
Lin Chen's expression did not change. With a soft chuckle and a turn of his wrist, a long saber of Dark-Blue Flame formed in his hand.
He casually slashed, sending an ice-blue blade of light streaking forth, as though countless waves were surging skyward. It instantly cleaved the beam in two, and the remaining saber energy swept toward the giant serpent behind him with fierce momentum!
Xuan-tier Advanced Dou Technique, Blazing Flame Raging Tide Slash!
"What?"
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's pupils abruptly contracted. He was a Sixth Tier magical beast, and not one who had only just advanced. Even among Sixth Tier magical beasts, he was powerful—the equivalent of a human Six-Star Dou Emperor.
Yet his casual strike could not subdue a Seven-Star Dou Wang?
"It's a heavenly flame!"
The green-robed figure atop the Serpent Emperor's expression shifted. Her discerning eye instantly recognized the origin of that deep-blue fire, but her willow brows drew together in confusion. "What kind of heavenly flame is this? I actually can't identify it..."
Roar!
Lin Chen gave them no time to react. After the saber light came a dragon's cry that shook heaven and earth. Invisible, piercing sound waves spread, becoming an immensely powerful soul assault that swept toward them both!
"This is bad!"
The green-robed woman's expression changed drastically. She raised a hand to defend herself, but ultimately could not outpace sound. In an instant, a heavenly dragon's cry that seemed capable of tearing apart her soul crashed into her mind, making her vision go black!
Beneath her, the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor fared even worse. His eyes filled with blood vessels, and his head felt ready to split. His enormous serpentine body writhed incessantly in the air as though he were in heat, and he could not keep himself from roaring!
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Thousand-Leaf Heaven-Burning Palm!"
The next instant, countless ice-blue maple leaves came whistling toward them, packed so densely that they seemed to blot out half the sky. Terrifying cold froze all the surrounding clouds, turning them into a glittering sea of crystalline ice!
Rumble!
The ice-blue maple leaves overlapped along wondrous trajectories, gradually forming an enormous crystalline palm imprint dozens of zhang across. Carrying terrifying might, it tore across the sky and slammed savagely into the black serpent's massive body!
"Roar!"
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor let out an agonized roar. Frost condensed all over him, while his four pairs of wings received particular attention. Dark-Blue Flame surged like the cruelest torture in the world, instantly melting those wings away!
"Bai Ya!"
Clutching her head, the green-robed woman cried out. She was about to act when her footing gave way, sending her tumbling backward.
Having lost his wings, the enormous black serpent suddenly plunged toward the ground like a giant fireball burning with blue flames and crashed heavily into the desert!
Bang!
Sand billowed everywhere as cold and scorching heat alternated, creating a strange spectacle of intertwined ice and fire within the deep crater. Only when the frost dispersed and the flames rose into the air did the figures of a woman and a beast gradually emerge.
"Cough, cough..."
The green-robed woman was pale, her clothes already torn to tatters, exposing her fair, delicate skin. Dou Qi surged frantically within her, temporarily driving away the deep-blue flames that had spread over her body.
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor was not so fortunate. All four pairs of his sky-obscuring wings had been burned away, leaving eight bright-red scars on his massive body as he lay weakly in the deep crater.
A hard layer of blue ice crystals covered his entire body. Clearly, he would not be breaking free anytime soon.
"Now, can we have a proper talk?"
Just then, a young voice sounded beside their ears.
The green-robed woman looked up to see a blue-robed young man slowly approaching, holding the hand of a little girl in a green dress. A hint of a smile rested on his face as he asked expectantly.