Word Count: 2,848 Words
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The three-faced Asura statue brought its blade down in a devastating arc.
As the soul-blade expanded rapidly before him, the remnant soul of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, a trace of gratification surfaced on that ancient face.
BOOM!
The surrounding world seemed to change color. The Asura Soul Reaping slash proved too powerful even for the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul to withstand.
The instant the blade cleaved downward, a deep rift split the ground of the inheritance space. This scar would endure as long as the space itself existed, silently telling every future cultivator who entered to receive the Yellow Spring Finger and Yellow Spring Palm that someone had once claimed the Yellow Spring Divine Anger's inheritance here and left behind this soul-blade strike!
A soft hum echoed through the air as the Asura statue slowly dissipated, its Spiritual Strength flowing back into Xiao Yan's body. Before the colossal throne, the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's remnant soul manifested once more.
Xiao Yan didn't let success go to his head. He harbored no illusions that he could match the Yellow Spring Demon Saint at full power. This was merely an extremely faint wisp of remnant soul, yet it had unleashed such overwhelming might while retaining clear consciousness.
If his guess was correct, the Yellow Spring Demon Saint must have reached the legendary Emperor State soul during his lifetime! Only an Emperor State soul could create Dou Techniques of this caliber.
"Hehehe, you didn't merely withstand the Yellow Spring Divine Anger; you shattered it completely." The Yellow Spring Demon Saint's face radiated deep satisfaction. "You've truly exceeded my expectations."
To clear the third trial, one had to withstand the Yellow Spring Divine Anger while possessing cultivation below 3-star Dou Saint. Xiao Yan hadn't merely endured it; he had broken through it entirely at only 1-star Dou Saint cultivation. A perfect, full-mark clearance!
Xiao Yan cupped his fists respectfully and smiled. "Senior overpraises me. If you were still alive, I could never have resisted."
The Yellow Spring Demon Saint merely shook his head at the young man's modesty. Even during his own lifetime, no 1-star Dou Saint could have achieved what Xiao Yan had just accomplished.
"It's a blessing that my inheritance will not end with me." A flicker of dimness passed through his eyes. "This is what you came for. I hope you can take that final step. Otherwise... ending up like me would be far too great a pity."
He flicked his finger. A soul fluctuation shot forth and hovered before Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan sensed the fluctuation and hesitated briefly before cautiously reaching out to grasp it. The moment it touched his palm, the ripple dissolved into countless threads of information that surged straight into his mind. A complete cultivation method for the Yellow Spring Divine Anger unfolded in his consciousness, its archaic characters carrying an ancient aura that stirred genuine joy in his heart.
He half-closed his eyes and immersed himself in the flood of information. Time lost meaning. When he finally assimilated everything and opened his eyes, a hint of delight colored his features.
The Yellow Spring Divine Anger was even more fearsome than he had imagined.
"Many thanks, Senior Yellow Spring." Suppressing the elation surging through his chest, Xiao Yan hastily cupped his fists toward the remnant soul.
"No need." The Yellow Spring Demon Saint smiled faintly. "My mission was to wait for someone capable of defeating this seat, then pass my learning on. And you... did it flawlessly."
He opened his palm. Faint golden streams seeped from his illusory body and converged toward his hand, condensing in the blink of an eye into a ball of golden liquid.
"You are the first to clear the trials. This is your reward. Take it."
The first two trials of the Yellow Spring Finger and Yellow Spring Palm had also contained remnant souls. Anyone who achieved the first clearance received additional rewards the Demon Saint had left behind. The Nine Serene Profound Scepter in Yao Ming's possession, along with the Ancient Heaven Serpent Essence Blood sealed within it, had both been obtained through this very stone tablet.
The third trial was the most difficult, and naturally its reward was the greatest: a ball of Essence Blood condensed from the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's own body.
Xiao Yan's heart trembled as he gazed at the golden Essence Blood floating before him.
Half-God Essence Blood!!
Although the Yellow Spring Demon Saint had ultimately failed to breach the Dou God realm due to insufficient Origin Qi, his bloodline had already approached mutation, teetering on the brink of becoming a true Dou God Bloodline. How terrifying was this Essence Blood? Even ordinary vials of Dou God blood likely couldn't compare!
After all, this was the blood of the man himself!
With utmost care, Xiao Yan accepted the Essence Blood. Only then did he raise his head to find the mountain peak beginning to crumble. Cracks spiderwebbed across the throne with sharp snapping sounds, and the Yellow Spring Demon Saint seated upon it grew increasingly transparent.
"My mission is complete. I only hope this seat's ultimate technique will not lose its radiance and fame with this seat's fall."
"Farewell, Senior!"
Xiao Yan's expression turned solemn as he bowed deeply. From all appearances, this strand of remnant soul had survived for countless years by relying on the Demon Saint's Essence Blood. Now that the blood had left his body, the remnant soul had finally burned through its last reserves, about to disperse between heaven and earth.
"I hope you can take that step..."
The Yellow Spring Demon Saint chuckled softly and inclined his head. In the very next instant, his figure disintegrated completely. The mountain peak and throne collapsed with resounding booms before dissolving into nothingness.
Xiao Yan gazed at the inheritance space, now plunged into darkness and emptiness. A quiet sigh escaped him. His illusory form shimmered once and began to fade. As his figure vanished, the space itself dissolved with a faint hiss, disappearing without a trace.
"Phew." Xiao Yan exhaled and withdrew his palm. A ball of golden blood floated gently above his hand.
A muffled rumble suddenly emanated from the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet. Above the original finger and palm prints, a mouth-shaped groove slowly appeared, radiating a peculiar fluctuation.
This served as proof of clearance. Though the first-clear reward was gone, future cultivators could still receive the inheritance.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, you're awake!" Qing Lin bounded over with cheerful steps, her pretty face alight with joy.
"How long was I in there?" Xiao Yan asked.
"Ten days and ten nights already."
"That long!"
Xiao Yan stored most of the golden Essence Blood in a jade bottle, then separated a small portion and held it out to Qing Lin. She quickly shook her head, flustered.
"Young Master Xiao Yan should keep it all. Qing Lin doesn't need any."
Touched by how sensible she was, Xiao Yan reached over and gently ruffled her hair with a smile. "Silly girl. Even if you don't want it, that Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent of yours may not have earned great merit in this battle, but it certainly put in the work. As its master, shouldn't you give it a little reward?"
Only after hearing this did Qing Lin hesitate briefly before nodding and accepting the Essence Blood.
"Right... where are Cai Lin and the others?" Xiao Yan glanced around. Neither Cai Lin nor Little Fairy Doctor was in sight.
"Sister Little Fairy Doctor seems to be studying the Spring Blood Crystals. Sister Cai Lin is busy managing the tribe's migration," Qing Lin answered.
The Spring Blood Crystals were rare treasures condensed from the Nine Serene Yellow Spring, containing terrifying yin-cold power while also breeding a specific Nine Serene Cold Poison. For most people, that cold poison was deadly. For Little Fairy Doctor, however, it was an exceptional tonic.
The Poison Scripture she had obtained at the spatial auction long ago recorded a top-tier poison concocted using precisely these Spring Blood Crystals.
After a moment's consideration, Xiao Yan decided not to disturb Little Fairy Doctor's poison refinement. Instead, he would find Cai Lin and share some of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood with her. Of all his companions, this Essence Blood would prove most valuable to Cai Lin.
With this Yellow Spring Essence Blood combined with the body-tempering effects of the Nine Serene Yellow Spring, Xiao Yan believed they could finally compensate for the congenital flaws in the Nine-Colored Origin Stone and allow Cai Lin to complete her evolution into a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python!
The special bloodline Secret Technique she had comprehended beneath the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was already comparable to an Intermediate Tian Class technique. It had propelled her directly from Six-Change Dou Venerate to 1-star Dou Saint. That alone showed how monstrous it was.
If she evolved into a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, that bloodline Secret Technique would likely reach High Tian Class. Who knew how terrifying it would become then? She might not even need Heavenly Flames to unleash peerless might.
As for Xiao Yan himself, it was time to begin refining the Bodhisattva Heart. With the aid of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood, the process would surely proceed more quickly.
…
During the ten days Xiao Yan spent receiving the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Dou Technique inheritance, the entire Dou Qi Continent had, without a doubt, been turned upside down.
All of it, naturally, revolved around the Yan Alliance.
The Yan Alliance forces led by Nalan Yanran and Yao Ye had joined with the Flower Sect under Yun Yun to completely annihilate the Profound Sky Sect. Meanwhile, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had radically changed course, publicly declaring that Yao Xiaotian and Yao Ce had rebelled and imprisoned their previous Tribe Leader, Yao Ming. With Yao Ming restored to his position, the tribe rescinded their hostility toward the Yan Alliance and surrendered all territory and resources except the Underground Serene Snake Network.
In the end, the Snake-People Tribe took up residence in the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, seizing the mantle of the snake tribes across the Dou Qi Continent and commanding all serpents under heaven!
From that moment, the Profound Nether Alliance was officially dismantled. The Yan Alliance emerged as a colossus surpassing the Two Sects, standing alongside the Hall of Souls and the Pill Tower as equals!
The founding factions of the Yan Alliance—the Jia Ma Empire, the Misty Cloud Sect, and the Snake-People Tribe—gained resounding fame throughout the Central Plains. The Xiao Clan's name echoed loudly as well. Though their overall strength remained the weakest among them, they possessed a remarkable Little Clan Leader.
Of course, Cai Lin's Snake-People Tribe returning to prominence in the Beast Region didn't sit well with certain other factions. Chief among the displeased was the Beast Region's overlord: the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe.
"The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe has gone completely insane! They actually demand one-third of the Yellow Springs Mountain Range!"
When Xiao Yan stepped into the hastily erected grand hall, Yue Mei's furious voice was the first thing to greet him. Her anger made her chest rise and fall sharply, drawing more than a few wandering gazes.
"Hmph! The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe is merely taking advantage of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's absence," one of the tribe leaders said, echoing her indignation. "Truly a case of the tiger leaving home and the monkeys declaring themselves king. If they think they can seize the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, they're dreaming!"
"Exactly! We've just relocated, and they're already trying to bully us. We fight!"
Cai Lin lounged lazily upon her throne. She slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes finding Xiao Yan as he strode through the main doors.
"Did you get it?" she asked softly.
Xiao Yan nodded and sauntered up to the throne without a shred of ceremony. He plopped down into the seat beside her, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, plucked a spirit fruit from the table, and took an unhurried bite. "Carry on. Don't mind me; I'll just listen."
Cai Lin shot him an annoyed look. Others at least had the decency to rule from behind the curtain. This man wasn't even pretending.
"What's your take?" she asked.
Xiao Yan shrugged. "Since those mongrel birds want it, just let them have it."
"...?!"
The tribe leaders below froze in stunned silence. Yue Mei, who had known Xiao Yan since his early days, gaped at him wide-eyed. Is this the Xiao Yan I know?!
Even more surprising was Cai Lin's reaction. She didn't object at all and actually nodded in agreement.
Their Queen's assent only deepened the tribe leaders' confusion. Yue Mei bit down softly on her lip and summoned her courage to speak. "Your Majesty, if we yield one-third of our territory, won't outsiders think we lack strength? I fear it will invite ridicule."
Before Cai Lin could respond, Xiao Yan spoke up. "Leader Yue Mei, if that one-third were given to you, could you actually defend it?"
Yue Mei froze, then shook her head. Her Mei Snake Tribe had grown significantly stronger, true, but holding a third of the Yellow Springs Mountain Range was utterly beyond them.
"Our Yan Alliance already has territories that need managing," Xiao Yan continued. "Though we defeated the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, our Snake-People Tribe as a whole is actually not as strong as they were. Since the Yan Alliance can't spare the manpower to administer those lands, we might as well let the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe manage them. That's better than leaving them to waste."
Cai Lin glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She hadn't expected him to see the situation so clearly.
The truth was exactly as he said. When she had agreed to leave the most fertile Underground Serene Snake Network to Yao Ming, it wasn't solely for the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's inheritance. The Snake-People Tribe genuinely needed the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe to remain in the Yellow Springs Mountain Range.
Never mind a force as powerful as the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe. Even some of the Beast Region's weaker races were looking to fish in troubled waters.
The Snake-People Tribe remained small and vulnerable. Their victory over the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe had come down to the overwhelming personal strength of Cai Lin, Xiao Yan, and their companions. This created an obvious problem: they simply lacked the manpower to hold so much territory.
Both Xiao Yan and Cai Lin needed to enter seclusion. In a few days, Cai Lin would descend into the Nine Serene Yellow Spring for closed-door cultivation. Without her presence, who would defend all these lands? Xiao Yan also intended to refine the Bodhisattva Heart. With both of them gone, the Yan Alliance would lose its two greatest combat powers in one stroke. Qing Lin alone couldn't possibly guard everything!
Better to cede a portion to the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe. The Yan Alliance, without a doubt, needed a period of rest and recovery. Further conflict at this stage would do them no good.
"Let them manage it for now," Xiao Yan said, his gaze on Yue Mei. "Once we've grown stronger, we'll simply take it back from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe."
…
Two days later, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe sent a delegation to negotiate with the Snake-People Tribe. To Xiao Yan's mild disappointment, their representative wasn't that chick Feng Qing Er. Instead, the delegation was led by a 1-star Dou Saint named Ying Huang.
"Hehe, and here I thought this Snake-People Tribe was something special. Turns out they're not even as good as the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe," a young man beside Ying Huang murmured under his breath.
Quiet as it was, everyone present possessed sufficient cultivation to hear every word.
"Brat, what did you just say?!" Mo Ba Si, leader of the Mo Snake Tribe, slammed his palm on the table, his face dark with fury.
"Hehe, just stating facts. It's not as if we actually want this place. It doesn't even compare to our ancestral land."
Just as the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe was notorious for using spatial power to 'borrow' things, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe seemed to have inherited an arrogance woven into their very bloodline.
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin and studied the delegation, then asked with a lazy smile, "Anyone can spout grand claims. Our Yellow Springs Mountain Range possesses a body-tempering holy land like the Nine Serene Yellow Spring. Does your Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe have anything comparable?"
The dismissive tone sparked a flicker of anger not just from the young man who had spoken but from the rest of the delegates as well.
"The Nine Serene Yellow Spring? That's nothing! Our tribe's Azure Skies Heaven Realm is countless times more powerful than your measly Nine Serene Yellow Spring!"
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed at once. Oh? So there's an Azure Skies Heaven Realm...