Chapter 534: The Mysterious Demon Snake Suppressed in the Ancient Desert

As the cultivators followed Longling's lead and explored deeper along the altar's guidance, they passed through a desolate land and finally entered a mysterious ancient desert.

Above the ancient desert, nine black suns hung in the sky, emitting surging purple light, with specks of cold flame twining around, making it utterly mysterious.

This strange celestial phenomenon caused the temperature in the ancient desert to plummet; a cold wind like a blade swept across the cultivators' cheeks, yet their gazes all focused on the center of the ancient desert.

There, a pool of three-colored liquid flowed slowly, emitting a faint light, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding desolation.

The cultivators' hearts stirred; someone recognized it as possibly the legendary Three Element Divine Water, said to possess the miraculous power of life and death, flesh and white bone.

This news exploded among the cultivators like a thunderclap, causing an uproar.

"Is it really the Three Element Divine Water? That's a legendary divine object!" a young cultivator exclaimed excitedly, greed flashing in his eyes.

"If it truly is the Three Element Divine Water, obtaining even a little would be of immense help to our cultivation!" another cultivator echoed.

"But this ancient desert is so mysterious; the Three Element Divine Water must surely be guarded by a powerful presence—we cannot act rashly." an elder cultivator reminded, his eyes showing caution.

Longling stood before the crowd, his deep gaze fixed on the three-colored liquid, sensing the powerful energy contained within.

This is indeed the Three Element Divine Water, but he also understood that such a divine object could not be easily obtained.

"Everyone stay calm; the Three Element Divine Water is good, but we must act cautiously." Longling's voice was steady and strong, gradually calming the excited cultivators.

"Senior Longling, what should we do?" a cultivator asked, with everyone's eyes fixed on Longling, awaiting his instructions.

Longling pondered for a moment, then said: "First set up a defensive formation at the edge of the ancient desert to guard against the unexpected. Then I will lead a few cultivators of higher cultivation level to scout, while the others remain here on standby, ready to respond."

The cultivators nodded in agreement, knowing Longling's decision was wise.

Thus, the group, under Longling's lead, cautiously approached the Three Element Divine Water.

As they drew nearer, the wind in the ancient desert seemed to grow more violent, whipping up sand that filled the sky, as if trying to block their steps.

But the cultivators pressed forward resolutely, their eyes fixed only on the mysterious Three Element Divine Water.

Finally, they reached the edge of the Three Element Divine Water. Here the temperature was even lower; the three-colored liquid emitted a faint chill, intertwining with the surrounding purple light to form a dreamlike scene.

"Everyone be careful; there may be mechanisms or guardian beasts around." Longling warned, sensing a hidden power fluctuating nearby.

The cultivators nervously looked around, their magical artifacts ready to be unleashed at any moment.

However, at that moment, a low rumbling suddenly came from the center of the ancient desert; the ground began to tremble, and a powerful aura surged up from beneath the Three Element Divine Water.

"Oh no, something is about to emerge!" Longling shouted, feeling the immense strength of that aura, which they could hardly contend with.

Sure enough, as the vibrations intensified, the center of the Three Element Divine Water suddenly erupted in a huge water column, within which a massive creature slowly rose.

Its body was composed of the three-colored liquid, its eyes flashing with purple light, and it exuded an icy yet powerful aura.

"This is the guardian beast of the Three Element Divine Water!" a cultivator cried out, his voice full of fear.

"Don't panic, everyone; join forces to fight it!" Longling shouted loudly, his eyes showing determination.

The cultivators immediately responded, quickly forming a formation—some took charge of attack, some of defense, and others of support and healing.

Streams of spell and artifact light intertwined in the air, forming a huge net that enveloped the guardian beast.

The guardian beast let out an earth‑shaking roar, its body suddenly transforming into countless tendrils of three-colored liquid that lunged at the cultivators.

The tendrils waved in the air, emitting piercing whistles; each swing carried tremendous force.

The cultivators strove to resist; their spells and artifacts collided with the tendrils, producing deafening booms.

However, the guardian beast's power was too great; although the cultivators' attacks were fierce, they still struggled to inflict substantial damage.

Longling watched all this, his heart filled with anxiety, knowing that if they continued like this they would eventually be defeated by the guardian beast and must devise a new plan.

At that moment, he noticed that the guardian beast bore runes similar to those on the altar at the center of the ancient desert.

His mind stirred—could these runes be the key to controlling the guardian beast?

? ￠O

"Everyone pay attention, attack the runes on the guardian beast's body!" Longling shouted loudly, his voice hinting at hope.

The cultivators immediately changed their attack direction, concentrating firepower on the runes on the guardian beast's body.

Sure enough, as the runes were destroyed, the guardian beast's power began to wane, and its tendrils lost their strength.

"We did it!" a cultivator exclaimed excitedly, his voice full of joy.

However, Longling knew they had not yet achieved complete victory.

Although the guardian beast's power had weakened, it remained extremely dangerous; they had to press the attack and utterly defeat it.

"Don't let up, keep attacking!" Longling shouted loudly; his artifact shone with blinding light, each swing stripping away a portion of the guardian beast's power.

Finally, through the cultivators' joint effort, the guardian beast let out a mournful cry, its body gradually turning into three-colored liquid that flowed back into the Three Element Divine Water.

The cultivators cheered and leapt for joy; they had successfully defeated the guardian beast and could now safely collect the Three Element Divine Water.

However, Longling furrowed his brows, knowing that the ancient desert still held many unknown secrets waiting for them to explore.

"First, don't rush to collect the Three Element Divine Water; set up defenses around the area, then assign people to take turns guarding." Longling's voice was steady and strong, gradually calming the excited cultivators.

The cultivators nodded in agreement, knowing Longling's decision was wise.

Thus, they established a defensive formation around the Three Element Divine Water and assigned personnel to take turns guarding, to prevent other unknown dangers.

As time passed, the cultivators began to carefully collect the Three Element Divine Water.

They knew that the divine water's value was immeasurable; each drop contained immense power.

With the guardian beast's demise, a strong bloody smell permeated the air of the ancient desert; the strange flesh turned into ominous runes that surged outward in all directions.

The runes wandered across the sand like living things, gathering in the desert to form pattern after pattern that made the heart pound.

These patterns emitted a dim light, as if heralding the beginning of some ancient ritual.

Yes, the energy in the ancient desert began to surge; the nine black suns seemed to receive some summoning, slowly drifting toward the center, forming the image of a hound swallowing the sun.

At this moment, all the cultivators were unsettled, feeling an unprecedented panic.

Eerie winds blew in the air, as if the seal of the ancient desert had been broken, and ominous qi surged forth from deep within the desert.

Everyone saw vast stretches of the ancient desert collapsing; strands of purple light appeared, and upon landing on a cultivator, they swiftly entered his body, devouring his divine soul, purifying it, and turning into purple demon snakes that grew an inch each day.

These demon snakes were tiny and numerous, wriggling beneath the cultivators' skin as if trying to burst out.

Cultivators were deep in panic, purple demon snakes surged toward them like a tide, frightening them out of their wits. They screamed and fled in all directions, but the purple demon snakes clung to them like bone-attached maggots.

The cultivators' faces showed despair; they felt death approaching.

"Hurry, hurry retreat to the Five-Color Altar!" Longling shouted, his voice trembling slightly, but he remained calm, trying to lead everyone to escape this disaster.

The cultivators, hearing Longling's call, felt as if they had grasped the last straw, and hurried toward the Five-Color Altar.

The Five-Color Altar emitted a faint light, becoming their only hope.

When they entered the Five-Color Altar, they discovered the purple demon snakes were all blocked outside, unable to get in.

The light on the altar seemed to possess some mysterious power, able to resist these evil creatures.

The cultivators breathed a sigh of relief, but their faces were still filled with fear.

"What's going on? Where did these demon snakes come from?" a young cultivator asked, trembling, his eyes full of confusion and fear.

"This is the curse of the Ancient Desert, the power released after the guardian beast fell." Longling said solemnly, his eyes showing a hint of determination, "We must find a way to break this curse, otherwise none of us can leave alive."

The cultivators nodded, knowing Longling was right.

They began searching for clues around the altar, hoping to find a way to break the curse; however, while they were busy, the purple demon snakes in the Ancient Desert became more violent.

They gathered outside the altar, forming a purple sea.

The demon snakes continually struck the altar's protective shield, emitting a piercing hiss.

The shield began to crack under the snakes' impacts, and the cultivators' hearts were once again filled with fear.

"The shield won't hold!" a cultivator shouted in terror, his voice full of despair.

"We must do something!" Longling shouted, his eyes showing a hint of resolve, "Everyone join hands, focus your power on the altar's center; perhaps this can strengthen the shield."

The cultivators immediately responded, joining hands and focusing their power on the altar's center.

As power gathered, the light on the altar became brighter, and the cracks in the shield began to gradually heal.

However, at that moment, the purple demon snakes in the Ancient Desert suddenly stopped attacking.

They began to circle outside the altar, forming a huge snake formation. At the center of the formation, a huge purple vortex slowly formed, as if something was awakening within it.

"What is that?" a cultivator asked in terror, his voice full of fear.

"I don't know, but I feel a powerful force." Longling said solemnly, his eyes showing a hint of vigilance.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from the vortex, and a huge purple demon snake slowly rose from it. This demon snake's body was hundreds of times larger than an ordinary purple demon snake, its eyes like two purple suns, emitting a cold, powerful aura.

"This is the Demon Snake King!" Longling's voice showed a hint of shock, "We must defeat it, otherwise none of us can leave alive."

The cultivators immediately responded, knowing this was their only hope.

They began to concentrate their power, preparing to launch an attack on the Demon Snake King.

However, the Demon Snake King's power was too great; each of its attacks carried destructive force.

The cultivators struggled to resist, but their attacks felt like tickling to the Demon Snake King.

The Demon Snake King's body was as hard as steel; the cultivators' magic treasures and spells could not inflict any substantial damage on it.

Longling, a cultivator of high Cultivation Level, faced the Demon Snake King, a terrifying entity formed from the condensed power of the Ancient Desert's curse.

In the sky, the light of the nine black suns was obscured by the battle's momentum; only the roar of the battle and the fluctuations of energy remained between heaven and earth.

Longling's figure moved swiftly on the battlefield, White Bone qi swirling around his body; these bone qi, like living things, moved with his will, forming a huge White Bone Dharma Appearance.

This Dharma Appearance towered into the clouds, its bones inscribed with ancient runes, emitting earth-shaking power.

Each swing of Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance carried the force of splitting heaven and earth, whipping up the surrounding sand into tornadoes.

The Demon Snake King coiled at the opposite end of the battlefield, its body massive as a mountain, its purple scales glimmering with a dim light in the sunlight.

Its eyes were like two purple suns, emitting a cold, powerful aura.

The Demon Snake King commanded the power of heaven and earth; each sway of its tail could shake the ground, each breath could change the color of the sky.

Its power was like a vast ocean, unfathomable; each attack distorted space.

The battle began; Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance swung its massive bone arm, launching an attack on the Demon Snake King.

The bone arm sliced the air, emitting a sharp whistle, striking the Demon Snake King with force enough to shatter mountains.

The Demon Snake King remained calm, its body flexibly twisting, easily dodging the blow.

At the same time, its tail lashed like a purple bolt of lightning, whipping the ground and raising huge sand waves that surged toward Longling.

Longling flickered, dodging the sand wave attack; his White Bone Dharma Appearance swung again, this time the tip of the bone arm forming a huge sword condensed from bone qi, its blade blazing with white flame.

Longling shouted, the great sword cleaved the void, advancing with unstoppable momentum to slash at the Demon Snake King's head.

A flicker of contempt crossed the Demon Snake King's eyes; its head suddenly blurred, instantly manifesting three heads.

Each head spat out an energy ball of a different attribute: purple lightning, black poison mist, and crimson flame.

The three energy balls converged in midair into a huge mixed energy ball, colliding with Longling's great sword.

With a booming "Boom!", the entire Ancient Desert trembled.

The collision of the energy ball and the great sword produced a massive explosion; its shockwave destroyed everything around.

Both Longling and the Demon Snake King were knocked back by the force, but they quickly steadied themselves and charged at each other again.

Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance became more solid, the bone qi richer; each of his attacks carried the power to destroy everything.

The Demon Snake King was not to be outdone; its body grew even larger, each scale flashing with purple light, each of its attacks wielding the power to control heaven and earth.