Chapter 156: Hand It Over!
Having reclaimed the position of clan leader, Yao Ming sat upon the clan leader's throne in the great hall and spoke with a face full of rapture, "This was always mine. No one can take it away."
"Quite right. Clan Leader Yao Ming, going forward, you must be careful. Do not let a similar incident happen again!"
Just as Yao Ming was immersed in the joy of returning to power, Jiang Yun's indifferent voice pulled him back to reality.
Yao Ming, who had just been utterly lost in bliss, immediately displayed the face-changing speed of a master actor. Looking obsequiously at Jiang Yun and the others—who had appeared in the great hall at some unknown moment—he spoke with the utmost deference.
"It is all thanks to the Young Master. Had the Young Master not lent his aid, Yao Ming would still be suffering within the Nine Serene Yellow Spring. For the Young Master's grace in granting me a new life, Yao Ming will spare no effort, even if it means crawling on my liver and brains. The Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons shall, from this point on, revere the Young Master as our sovereign!"
Medusa and the others looked at the groveling Yao Ming, exchanging glances. A look of stunned astonishment flickered through all their eyes. Jiang Yun's expression was also rather peculiar. He hadn't expected Yao Ming to be such a character!
"Yao Ming, Qing Lin possesses the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes. You know what to do." Faced with the fawning Yao Ming, Jiang Yun's pitch-black eyes gazed calmly at him as he spoke in an even tone.
"Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes!" Yao Ming's entire body jolted. He cast a horrified glance at Qing Lin—that insignificant little Dou Huang ant—and his heart quaked violently.
No one understood better than him the degree to which the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes suppressed serpent-type magical beasts. Aside from a few rare ancient bloodlines—such as the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python or several royal magical beast clans like the Ancient Heavenly Serpent—all others were ruthlessly, thoroughly suppressed by the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes.
In truth, the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes was also a form of bloodline atavism. Compared to humans, it was akin to a divine-grade bloodline among the snake clan. But because it was a magical beast bloodline, the suppression was even more absolute.
Under the watchful gazes of the group, Yao Ming fell silent for a long while. He opened his mouth several times, but ultimately stammered, "It can be done..."
Sweeping a glance at the struggling Yao Ming, Jiang Yun said lightly, "You have just re-ascended to the clan leader's position. There will surely still be diehard loyalists of Yao Xiaotian within. Toward these people, you won't feel any burden in your heart, will you?"
The Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons only had Yao Ming as their sole remaining Dou Sheng. Unless he was given to Qing Lin to control, who knew how many years it would take for Qing Lin to reach Dou Sheng.
Jiang Yun had never expected to rely on the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Clan to directly send Qing Lin to the Dou Sheng level. Half-Saint was the target in his heart.
"Phew—" Hearing Jiang Yun put it this way, Yao Ming inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. They were merely traitors—not worth his heartache.
"As you command!" Cupping his fists toward Jiang Yun, Yao Ming spoke gratefully.
He understood that with the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes in hand, Jiang Yun could have forcibly unified the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons. Yet he had still chosen him. This filled Yao Ming's heart not only with gratitude, but also secretly served as a warning to himself.
There would only be this one time. In the future, he absolutely could not bargain with Jiang Yun again—because Jiang Yun now possessed the ability to make his life worse than death.
"Take us to the Yellow Spring Stele!" Sweeping a glance at Yao Ming, Jiang Yun spoke calmly.
"Yes!" Yao Ming's body trembled at these words. But after merely a moment's hesitation, he lifted his foot and led the way toward the depths of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python's ancestral land.
Along the way, Jiang Yun also briefed Medusa and the others about the legend of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint.
"I never imagined the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Clan actually held the legacy of a Half-Di. Since he was a human, why did he leave his legacy in the ancestral land of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons?" After hearing the origins of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint, Xiao Yi Xian asked with some curiosity.
"You may not be aware, but although the Yellow Spring Demon Saint was not a member of our clan, he did have a considerable connection to us."
"Back when this peerless powerhouse fell, the legacy he left behind had long since dissipated with the passage of time. Only this one legacy of our Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Clan has been passed down to this day." Seeing Xiao Yi Xian ask, Yao Ming immediately answered enthusiastically. This young lady was one of the Young Master's beauties—a half-mistress, in a sense—and could not be slighted.
"I wonder—between Uncle Zhu Kun and this Yellow Spring Demon Saint, who was stronger?" Just then, Qing Lin's somewhat playful voice rang out, and she blinked at Jiang Yun.
"His Majesty the Dragon Emperor is invincible!" Zhu Feng's voice followed immediately, his tone laden with thick, absolute certainty.
Yao Ming's entire body shook. His heart could not help but tremble. This... this was too much information. Had he misunderstood?
The Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragons was actually a Half-Di?!
This was truly far too shocking. Then just how terrifyingly powerful was the Ancient Dragon Clan? The three great magical beasts of the Magical Beast World—it suddenly felt as if two of them were leagues below the other's tier.
Had the Taixu Ancient Dragons really been this low-profile all these years?
Possessing such strength, yet still able to lie low in the void, only now beginning to show signs of activity—truly a model of lofty virtue and unassuming conduct!
"We're almost there!"
Jiang Yun did not voice any refutation to Zhu Feng's words. Though Zhu Kun was indeed the strongest among the three nine-star Dou Sheng peaks, he might still be a shade short of Half-Di.
But there was no need to quibble over it. His gaze looked into the distance, and he spoke softly.
Immediately, everyone's gaze was drawn to the ancient altar in the distance.
This altar was exceedingly grand, constructed entirely of massive bluish-gray stone blocks. Standing atop the altar, one could look down upon some of the surrounding mountain peaks.
Jiang Yun's group slowly descended onto the top of the altar. At the very center of the altar, a massive pale-yellow stone stele, roughly a hundred zhang tall, stood in lonely isolation. An ancient aura spread outward, as though it had stood there since time immemorial.
"Young Master, this is the Yellow Spring Stele!" Yao Ming pointed at the enormous stone stele in the distance and spoke to Jiang Yun with a smile.
Everyone's gaze fell upon the Yellow Spring Stele, their expressions somewhat solemn. From it, they could all feel an exceedingly formidable soul pressure.
Xiao Yi Xian looked at the enormous finger imprint and palm imprint on the stele with a face full of bewilderment and asked doubtfully:
"What are those?"
Yao Ming explained: "The Yellow Spring Demon Saint had three famed Dou Techniques—the Yellow Spring Finger, the Yellow Spring Palm, and the Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath. All are Heaven Class Dou Techniques. Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath, in particular, is a high-level Heaven Class Dou Technique. Those finger and palm imprints are the legacies of the first two!"
"High-level Heaven Class Dou Technique!"
The group could not help but be stirred. Even Zhu Feng was no exception. High-level Heaven Class Dou Techniques—even the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan did not have many. Each one was an exceedingly precious clan-treasured art.
"In that case, why is the cultivation method of Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath nowhere to be seen?" Qing Lin pointed at the stele and looked at Yao Ming as she asked.
"Sigh—" At this, Yao Ming let out a sigh and spoke regretfully: "Although Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath is formidable, obtaining its legacy is incredibly difficult. The Dou Technique is hidden deep within the stele. For all these years, no one in our clan has ever passed the trial."
"What's more, hidden within it is also the blood essence of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint. Worried about damaging the Demon Saint's blood essence inside, no one has ever dared to forcibly break it open..."
When Yao Ming spoke of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's blood essence, a look of yearning involuntarily surfaced in his eyes.
"A Half-Di's blood essence!"
Hearing Yao Ming's words, everyone without exception was shocked. That was the blood essence of the person closest to the Dou Di level! Even an expert of Zhu Kun's caliber would be interested.
The Yellow Spring Demon Saint—a Half-Di powerhouse who had, beyond any doubt, dominated an entire era.
His strength had truly reached a realm of unparalleled, heaven-defying mastery. For a powerhouse of this level, the bloodline within his body would have already begun to gradually undergo mutation.
His blood essence, even to a Dou Sheng expert, was exceptionally precious—no less so than a ninth-tier pill.
"Jiang Yun, there is no shortage of Dou Sheng experts among the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons, and yet none of them have been able to obtain the cultivation method of Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath. You... you had better not take risks. It's just one high-level Heaven Class Dou Technique—we're not lacking for such things!" At this moment, Medusa turned her head to look at Jiang Yun, her voice laced with worry.
Hearing this, Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian also proceeded to dissuade him one after another.
"Jiang Yun, think it through carefully. Even Dou Shengs have been unable to obtain this legacy—it must be exceptionally dangerous within. There's no need to risk yourself for a single drop of blood essence and a high-level Heaven Class Dou Technique!" Xiao Yi Xian looked at Jiang Yun with a face full of tension.
"Sister Medusa and Sister Xiao Yi Xian are right. Jiang Yun gege, we don't care about this at all. Uncle Zhu Kun is a nine-star Dou Sheng and a Taixu Ancient Dragon besides. If you need blood essence, his blood essence is not inferior to the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's!" Qing Lin was the same, even saying something that made everyone struggle to suppress their laughter.
"Young Master, you could invite His Majesty the Dragon Emperor to come. Presumably, a Half-Di's legacy would be of great interest to His Majesty!" Zhu Feng's face was full of hesitation, but in the end, he still spoke up.
"After our clan's many years of probing, one requires a soul realm at least at the mid or even late stage of the Heaven Realm to obtain Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath and the blood essence from the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul. Young Master, although you have already reached the peak of the Spirit Realm, you are still far from the Heaven Realm. Please act with caution!" Yao Ming looked at Jiang Yun and tried to dissuade him with a worried expression.
Although he was enslaved by Jiang Yun, at this moment, his concern was absolutely genuine. If anything happened to Jiang Yun, not only would he likely be severely wounded by the Saint Demon Flame within his soul sea—if the Taixu Ancient Dragons were the slightest bit displeased, the entire Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Clan would be buried alongside him as funeral companions.
He hoped that after learning of these harsh conditions, Jiang Yun would see the difficulty and retreat!
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
Jiang Yun looked at the somewhat anxious Medusa and the others with ease and said, "Rest assured, I know my limits. I would not do anything I'm not confident in!"
"But—" Seeing that Jiang Yun had already made up his mind, the uneasy Medusa still wanted to persuade him further.
But Jiang Yun gently took hold of her hand and said softly, "Don't you know my trump cards yet?"
Hearing this, Medusa's heart stirred. She recalled that heaven-reaching giant tower from back then, and her heart immediately relaxed considerably. Feeling the warmth of Jiang Yun's large hand, she suddenly became aware of her own quickening heartbeat and hastily pulled her hand back.
Seeing that even Medusa had set her mind at ease, Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian, no matter how tense they were, could only choose to trust Jiang Yun.
If even Medusa and the other two women could not stop Jiang Yun, Yao Ming had even less recourse. He could only pray inwardly that this mysterious young man possessed some unknown means and could succeed.
Jiang Yun nodded toward the group. His figure moved, appearing on a stone pedestal directly in front of the stele. He slowly sat down cross-legged. The soul within his brow instantly surged into action.
Boom!
A roaring, violent rumble suddenly rang out. A soul storm spiraled upward. An illusory figure slowly condensed into solid form. With a flicker, it shot directly toward the stone stele.
The surface of the stele immediately rippled like liquid, waves spreading outward, and Jiang Yun's soul walked straight into it.
...
Rumble!
Within the pale-yellow space, clouds and mist coiled and churned. Bolts of thunder roared like furious dragons.
Boom!
The instant Jiang Yun appeared, a thunderbolt in the sky abruptly slashed down like a sharp sword.
"This welcoming gift is rather grand!"
Watching this scene, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. With a wave of his hand, black-and-white flames soared. With a muffled "fizz," the thunderbolt fell into the Saint Demon Flame and was swiftly refined.
Rumble!
Even fiercer attacks came. The deep-yellow clouds and mist continued to roil. An incomparably sharp, powerful fierce gale abruptly took form, as if about to tear heaven and earth apart.
It was a colossal deep-yellow energy finger, a full hundred zhang wide!
Jiang Yun's eyes narrowed slightly. His hands suddenly clapped together. A purple vertical eye appeared. Violent soul power likewise condensed into a flying sword and shot fiercely toward the Yellow Spring Finger.
Boom!
Space shook. The deep-yellow space was swept clear. Biting gales tore through, and spatial rifts appeared one after another within this space.
The next moment, the two attacks annihilated each other and vanished from sight.
"You are quite impressive—to have received two of my attacks with merely peak Spirit Realm soul power!"
Just then, a faint voice came from the distance. The clouds and mist between heaven and earth receded. A mountain peak suddenly burst through the ground, rising up from the earth, finally standing tall and erect.
Atop the mountain peak, a throne stood!
A figure clad in yellow furs sat quietly upon the throne. An aura that made even heaven and earth tremble slowly spread outward.
"Yellow Spring Demon Saint!" Jiang Yun calmly gazed at this legendary Half-Di powerhouse before him.
"Junior, you are quite excellent. But you have come a bit too early. Withdraw. This is not a place you should be."
The Yellow Spring Demon Saint's indifferent voice slowly entered Jiang Yun's ears. It contained a pressure that originated from the soul, and his tone carried a faint trace of appreciation.
"Since this junior has come, how could I leave empty-handed?" Jiang Yun fixed his eyes on the Yellow Spring Demon Saint and chuckled lightly, his tone relaxed.
"Since you seek death, then this seat shall grant it to you!" Hearing Jiang Yun's words, the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's expression abruptly changed. An extremely powerful soul fluctuation shot out like lightning, streaking fiercely toward Jiang Yun like a sharp blade.
"If you want to kill me, you'd better bring out some real skill!"
Seeing this, Jiang Yun smiled faintly. With a wave of his sleeve, a vast expanse of black-and-white flames howled forth like a sea of fire. In midair, it formed an enormous Yin-Yang fish-eye, completely blocking the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's soul attack.
"You are not from the Dou Qi Continent!"
Suddenly, the Yellow Spring Demon Saint abruptly rose. The very instant he stood, the heaven and earth surrounding the mountain peak all split and fractured. He stared at Jiang Yun with an icy expression and spoke in a chilling voice.
"An outsider—then all the more reason you cannot be allowed to live!"
Having said this, the Yellow Spring Demon Saint abruptly shot to his full height. Then, his hands flashed like lightning through a bizarre set of seals. Instantly, a terrifying fluctuation rippled outward.
In that moment, under this horrifying fluctuation, this entire world began to tremble violently. Enormous spatial rifts boomed into existence one after another. In the blink of an eye, the very heavens seemed to shatter and the earth to split—as if the apocalypse had arrived.
"Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath..."
"What Yellow Spring Heaven's Wrath? Hand it over!"