Sealing the Ruins and the Hall of Souls' Arrival

"Master!"

Xiao Yi Xian had been watching Qing Lin the whole time. The moment she saw Xiao Xuan appear again, she rushed over to him in excitement.

"Don't worry! What could have happened with me watching over her?"

Xiao Xuan was utterly unconcerned. Even if Tian Ling came back to life again, Xiao Xuan could still smash her to pieces with ease, despite being in his soul form.

"Master!"

At that moment, Qing Lin gradually woke up as well, a sweet smile on her face.

"Oh! Qing Lin, how did you become a Dou Emperor?"

Having only just regained consciousness, Qing Lin couldn't control her presence very well. Besides, she had only been a Da Dou Shi before, so her control over her own power was even more lacking.

"Senior sister, sorry for making you worry." Seeing the concern on Xiao Yi Xian's face, Qing Lin was deeply touched.

But she couldn't explain the change in herself either. "Master, how did I suddenly advance?"

Xiao Xuan spread his hands. "That was Tian Ling's doing. Her power was too great, so pouring it into you naturally caused a chain reaction."

"A small matter, nothing to worry about!"

Xiao Xuan didn't feel strongly about it. It was only a small breakthrough in strength. There might be a few flaws, but they could easily be remedied later.

"This ruin?" Xiao Xuan sensed the changes inside it. "Well done!"

Given the scale of this undertaking, it certainly couldn't be taken down without a Dou Sheng stepping in.

"From now on, it can be Qing Lin's territory!"

"The people of the Heavenly Snake Mansion can come and go too. With their strength, they won't be able to take much."

Xiao Xuan spoke calmly.

This ruin was, to some extent, the fruit of Tian Ling's painstaking efforts. Although her motives had been impure, there were quite a few magical beasts inside at the eighth tier and even at the threshold of the ninth tier.

They were extremely powerful. No wonder the Heavenly Snake Mansion had gained so little over countless years.

Still, it was enough to sustain the sect's legacy.

"Let's go! We've gained enough this time. If you get the chance in the future, Qing Lin, you can come back on your own!"

With that, Xiao Xuan led the group away.

As for Tian Ling's remains in the deepest part of the ruin?

He would leave them for her to deal with herself!

That was best for Qing Lin. Xiao Xuan's methods of making use of magical beasts were still somewhat crude.

"At least you know what's good for you!"

Although Tian Ling was sleeping inside Qing Lin, she still had a clear sense of the outside world. With Qing Lin's strength, she couldn't possibly shut her out.

That was how Tian Ling was able to send a voice transmission to Xiao Xuan.

"It was all left for my disciple. It makes no difference if you use it."

After Xiao Xuan replied, Tian Ling fell silent, putting on an extremely haughty air!

"Gains? What gains?"

Mo Xuan was very curious. Could it be that the boss had actually brought that Ancient Heavenly Snake back to life? That would be truly extraordinary.

"I've never seen an Ancient Heavenly Snake before! Let me have a look!"

Seeing no reaction from Xiao Xuan, Mo Xuan kept pestering him.

"Where did this nasty old man come from? How dare you presume to lay eyes on me?"

Although she was facing a genuine Dou Sheng as a remnant soul, Tian Ling wasn't the least bit intimidated. She floated out of Qing Lin's body and immediately began hurling abuse.

"A living Ancient Heavenly Snake's remnant soul?"

Mo Xuan's eyes went wide. It was his first time seeing a magical beast of such strength—a Peak Dou Sheng!

Even though she was already dead, the pressure she put on Mo Xuan was still considerable.

Looking at the faint connection between Tian Ling and Qing Lin, Mo Xuan was even more astonished.

"Xiao Xuan's methods truly defy the heavens!"

Even with Mo Xuan's exceptionally broad experience, this was the first time he had seen a mere Dou Emperor, previously a Da Dou Shi, with a Peak Dou Sheng magical beast as a companion.

"Impressive, very impressive!"

Mo Xuan gave Xiao Xuan a thumbs-up.

That only made Tian Ling's hair stand on end with fury.

He's ignoring me?

Tian Ling had never suffered such an insult.

"Take this!"

Magical beasts' minds really weren't very well developed.

Smiling faintly, Mo Xuan nimbly dodged the soul attack. It was no more than water without a source, facing a High-Level Dou Sheng like him who was still whole.

Was she joking, being so bold?

"Xiao Xuan, aren't you going to do something? If I damage her, won't you make me pay for it?"

A worried look on his face, Mo Xuan was genuinely concerned that if he used just a little too much force, not only would Tian Ling be gravely injured, but Qing Lin would also be caught up in it.

"Hmph!"

"Pfft!"

Tian Ling had been about to unleash a major attack, but Qing Lin directly cut her off from drawing on her power.

For a short time, Tian Ling could possess her host and directly unleash her peak combat strength.

Although she certainly couldn't reach the level of a Peak Dou Sheng, she could still exchange a few blows with a High-Level Dou Sheng without any trouble.

The only drawback was that it would consume some of Tian Ling's precious Soul Origin.

But to vent her anger, it wasn't out of the question.

"Grandpa Mo Xuan is a very good person. You're not allowed to bully him."

Qing Lin spoke with great seriousness.

"Stop messing around, all of you. Tian Ling is the remnant soul of the Ancient Heavenly Snake in the ruin. You've all met her now."

"That settles it! No more fighting. Tian Ling, go back. Mo Xuan, rein yourself in from now on."

With just a few words, all the conflict vanished into thin air.

Mo Xuan obediently shut his mouth, while Tian Ling returned to Qing Lin's body in a fury.

The two young girls chattered away on the side, talking about private matters between girls.

Trailing behind them, Mo Xuan scratched his head and ears. Faced with such a strange affair, he feared he wouldn't be able to sleep that night unless he learned most of the details.

"Tian Ling, that Ancient Heavenly Snake, how did she manage to survive from ancient times?"

"Do you know how she did it?"

Mo Xuan was intensely curious. Although he too had existed for an immeasurably long time, after coming out, he had simply been consuming his own reserves as usual.

Having discovered such an extraordinary means of survival, he naturally wanted to learn a thing or two from it.

"You? You'd better focus on your cultivation!"

"In her day, Tian Ling was also a supreme expert qualified to attempt a breakthrough to Dou Di. Although she had a general idea of what failure would mean before she made the attempt, she more or less got what she wanted."

For a remnant soul to survive, there were only two choices: rely on oneself or seek outside help.

Clearly, Tian Ling must have known some secret and seized something from between heaven and earth during her breakthrough, allowing her to sustain her life for so long.

But this method could only allow her to cling to life. True strength lay in pressing forward without fear.

Even if Tian Ling returned to her peak, Xiao Xuan didn't think very highly of her prospects.

Unless the world returned to its ancient heyday, to the age when Dou Di emerged one after another.

Otherwise, Tian Ling's chances were very slim.

"Is that so?"

Mo Xuan was greatly disappointed. If he could truly reach Peak Dou Sheng, he would have the ability to cling to life indefinitely himself. Why would he need to rely on a breakthrough to Dou Di?

He wouldn't make such a losing bargain.

"The spatial techniques you set up are far too complicated. If it weren't for keeping them intact, I would have punched straight through them long ago."

They had been flying through the ruin all this time. If Xiao Xuan had really wanted to take a shortcut, Mo Xuan's half-baked spatial techniques would probably have been destroyed completely.

Their only advantage was their complexity, which made them seem relatively secure.

Against an outside force strong enough, they would still shatter at a touch.

Of course, one had to be an eight- or nine-star Dou Sheng to have the strength to take them on directly.

Mo Xuan wasn't particularly powerful, but he knew quite a few different techniques.

Xiao Xuan took a single step, and the group emerged.

"Greetings, senior!"

Venerable Snake was still keeping watch outside, but signs of fairly serious injuries could faintly be seen on him.

"Someone else had their eye on this place too?"

Xiao Xuan gave a soft chuckle.

These were traces left by the Hun Clan's methods!