In the air above the Underground Serene Snake Network, Liu Xi didn't even turn his head. With his spiritual perception, he had already sensed the approach of the many Elders and the Underworld Serpent Guards of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. The tribe had sacrificed too much of its ancient bloodline power; the consequences of lacking true strength were now laid bare—Dou Zun experts numbered beyond count, yet among them, only a single Dou Saint remained.
The one who had spoken was an elder with a crimson serpent coiled around his shoulder. His face was fierce, yet his pupils were wide with a mix of shock and hesitation. The reason was simple—Liu Xi's aura was overwhelmingly powerful, his pressure suffocating. Worse yet, just beneath him, the tribe's current leader, Yao Xiaotian, lay half-dead and motionless.
Still, the elder's hesitation lasted but a breath before it hardened into grim resolve. If this humiliation was not avenged today, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe would become a laughingstock throughout the Beast Region—something they could never allow.
"Elders, lead the Underworld Serpent Guards and form the Ten Thousand Serpent Array! No matter the cost, kill this man and rescue the Clan Leader! Otherwise, our tribe will have no place in the Beast Region!" The crimson-serpent elder barked his order, his voice sharp and venomous, eyes blazing with ferocity.
"Yes!" The gathered Elders responded in unison. Even knowing Liu Xi's terrifying strength, they still surged forward, surrounding him on all sides. Dou Qi burst from their bodies, twisting the air into a roaring storm.
At the same time, countless Underworld Serpent Guards in dark armor marched from all directions, their halberds gleaming with cold light. As their breaths connected, a tide of killing intent gathered overhead, condensing into thick, blood-tinged clouds that made even space itself tremble.
Liu Xi glanced toward Qing Lin, and she immediately understood. Her Jade Snake Three-Flower Pupils shimmered faintly, while the once-lifeless figure behind her—Yao Ming—stepped forward.
Liu Xi could have wiped these people out in a matter of moments, but he wasn't here to destroy the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe—he was here to subdue it.
Having recovered nearly seventy percent of his strength after consuming pills, Yao Ming's aura burst forth. Compared to the First Elder and Yao Xiaotian, his presence carried a deeper, more commanding weight, instantly drawing the attention of all.
"Elders, Commanders… Do you still recognize me?"
At the sight of Yao Ming, Yao Xiaotian—half-dead and unconscious—gave no response. The First Elder's face, however, twisted with horror as the realization dawned on him. He could already guess what had happened, though what he hadn't expected was that Yao Ming was now under Qing Lin's control.
When the rest of the tribe saw that all-too-familiar face—one nearly identical to Yao Xiaotian's—they froze. Then murmurs rippled through the ranks.
"Isn't that Clan Leader Yao Ming? But didn't he die centuries ago from cultivation deviation? How can he be alive?"
"Such a powerful aura… even stronger than the current Clan Leader and the First Elder. Yao Ming was said to be the most gifted in our tribe's history!"
"If he's truly Yao Ming, why is he standing with outsiders? What happened?"
The First Elder's heart sank. Compared to the cruel and reckless Yao Xiaotian, the composed Yao Ming had always been the better leader. If the truth came out, his own end would be certain.
"Don't be deceived!" the First Elder shouted, voice cracking. "Yao Ming died centuries ago! This is an impostor—kill them all and rescue the Clan Leader!"
Even before his words had faded, he struck first. His body flickered like a serpent slithering through the void, appearing high above Yao Ming, ready to finish the still-weakened man with one strike.
Liu Xi was still keeping Yao Xiaotian suppressed, while Qing Lin focused on completing the control process, so he gestured for Xiao Yixian to intercept.
Xiao Yixian needed no further cue. The seal of her Woeful Poison Body released, and waves of black mist surged out, twisting into massive serpents of poison that coiled toward the First Elder. Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air.
The longer they fought, the paler the First Elder's face became. Xiao Yixian's strength alone matched his own, and with Liu Xi and Yao Ming still standing, the situation was hopeless.
'Damn it, this is over…' he thought, panic surging in his chest.
"Hahaha! First Elder, are you already so desperate to silence me? Back then, you and Yao Xiaotian plotted together to deceive and ambush me, sealing me beneath the Nine Serene Spring—leaving me to suffer endless torment under that cold aura for centuries!"
Though the words came through Qing Lin's control, Yao Ming's fury was genuine. He roared them out with a madness born of centuries of hate.
"What?!" Gasps erupted from the surrounding Elders and Guards. Shocked eyes turned toward the First Elder, who stood frozen mid-air, his face twisting between fear and fury.
"Withered Leaf Great Poison Palm!"
The First Elder's face twitched violently. Poisonous mists surged from his hand, forming a vast black palm print as he shouted in denial, words tumbling out in panic.
"I wasn't! I didn't! Stop lying! Don't just stand there—kill him!"
Xiao Yixian's cold laugh cut through the air. "Facing the Woeful Poison Body, you still dare use poison? Truly courting death."
Her hands weaved rapidly, sealing intricate signs. "Heavenly Nether Poison Seal—Human Nether Seal!"
A dark imprint burst from her palm, shining with sinister light. It collided with the First Elder's poisonous handprint, detonating in a massive explosion. Toxic winds howled, filling the air with swirling clouds of venomous mist.
Through that haze, a shadow shot forward like lightning, striking the First Elder squarely in the chest.
He spat a mouthful of black blood, a grayish miasma crawling over his face as disbelief filled his eyes. "I… am Poisoned?!"
The Heavenly Nether Poison Seal was a high-level Tian Class Dou Technique, consisting of the Human, Earth, and Heaven Seals. When combined, its power doubled, and with Xiao Yixian's Woeful Poison Body fueling it, the toxin could kill a Dou Zun outright—and even a Dou Saint would find it difficult to endure.
With a thunderous boom, Yao Ming stepped forward. His Dou Saint-level aura swept through the air like a raging tide as he opened his arms wide, gaze burning across the gathered ranks.
"Elder Xian! Elder Ming! Elder Liu! You were all once my trusted men. Must you now turn your fangs on me? My friend here has only purged the traitors for my sake. All forces—stand down! Withdraw the Serpent Formation! From this day, bygones will be bygones!"
The battlefield froze. One side stood the cruel, reckless current leader and his scheming First Elder; the other, the revered former Clan Leader and the unfathomably strong Liu Xi. Anyone with a functioning mind knew where loyalty should lie.
"Greetings, Clan Leader Yao Ming!"
"Greetings, Clan Leader Yao Ming!"
One by one, the voices rose until they became a roar.
"Withdraw the Ten Thousand Serpent Formation! Do not raise your hands against the Clan Leader's allies!"
The killing intent dissolved like mist under sunlight. Most of the tribe bent the knee to Yao Ming without hesitation; even the few of Yao Xiaotian's personal guards dared not resist the tide.
Hovering above, Liu Xi smiled faintly. Everything had unfolded exactly as planned. Without drawing his sword, without spilling a drop of blood, he had dismantled one of the three great beast tribes of the Beast Region.
(End of Chapter)
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