Chapter 546

"Xiao Yan!"

Sssss!! The massive Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake suddenly surged upward, violently opening its mouth to spew forth terrifying black poison mist, which surged toward everyone like countless giant venomous snakes.

Boom boom boom! The black poison mist serpent, as massive as a mountain range, lashed out with crushing force—the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's power, awakened by its primordial bloodline, was absolutely not to be underestimated.

It instantly shattered the Yun Yan Fu Ri Formation conjured by Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran, and even Cai Lin and Xiao Yixian, in their true forms, could not withstand it, both being flung backward.

Xiao Yixian slowly opened her mouth, summoning the Poison Pill, and instantly a colossal Thousand-Tree Demon Puppet, its entire body wreathed in ghostly poisonous fire, appeared.

Jiu! A shrill cry rang out; the Qian Mu Ye Jing opened all thousand of its eyes, and the black poison mist, as if encountering something horrific, was entirely dissolved by the toxic light beams shot from those eyes, stabilizing the situation.

"Xiao Yan, are you alright?"

A burst of colorful light appeared; Cai Lin swiftly flew to Xiao Yan's side, only to see him slowly shake his head, dispelling the Golden Diamond Glass Body and returning to his original form, as Three Thousand Yan Flame and Yin-Yang Dual Flame healed his internal injuries.

The Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's power was absolutely not to be underestimated, and since Xiao Yan had been ambushed, he had sustained some damage.

Yet Xiao Yan paid little heed to his own wounds, his gaze instead fixed intently on the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake—more precisely, on Qing Lin, standing atop its forehead!

Dressed in emerald-green robes, her long hair flowing, Qing Lin stood upon the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's head; her emerald eyes now glowed with a faint crimson hue, her expression cold, her gaze devoid of mercy.

Sssss! The Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake, like a loyal slave, obediently coiled beneath Qing Lin's feet, supporting her, while countless sea giant pythons emerged from Space, guarding her on all sides.

At this moment, what truly unsettled Xiao Yan and the others was not the Snake Slaves, but the colossal serpent shadow emerging behind Qing Lin.

"It's the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake Soul Body."

A spectral serpent with nine grotesque heads loomed as if suppressing heaven and earth; its entire form was a deep crimson, as if steeped in ancient blood for countless years. One glance unleashed an indescribable, towering aura of ferocious malevolence that spread through the air.

Gurglegurglegurgle!! Suddenly, the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's eyes hardened; the end of the Cave erupted in a burst of rock, revealing a stretch of crimson-stained boulders. At its center lay a pool roughly ten zhang wide, filled with crimson blood that occasionally bubbled, each bursting blood bubble releasing an intensely concentrated energy.

Floating atop the blood pool were scattered beast bones—clearly, the vicious Heavenly Demon Snake had thrown various Fierce Beasts into it.

"That's the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's blood pool, forged over a thousand years!"

The energy radiating from the blood pool was even stronger than Xiao Yan and the others had imagined; Xiao Yan suspected the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake had intended to use this pool to evolve into Nine Rank after reaching the peak of its cultivation.

Upon seeing the blood pool emerge, the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake's eyes gleamed with ferocity and greed.

The once-silent Heavenly Demon Blood Pool instantly boiled; countless blood bubbles surged upward, wild energy howled violently within the pool, and faint, thunderous, strange sounds quietly arose, then spread far and wide.

Boom! Qing Lin stomped on Space, becoming a streak of emerald light as she raced toward the blood pool, dragging the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake Soul Body with her.

"This guy wants to absorb the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's blood pool to solidify his body?!"

Xiao Yan's heart sank—he hadn't expected the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake, even after being sealed by Qi San Hua Tong, still possessed such power. It had been dead for countless millennia, reduced to nothing but a faint Soul Body, yet it had broken free of Qi San Hua Tong's seal!

The ancient beasts that once dominated the continent truly each had their own methods.

"You all hold off the Snake Slaves," Xiao Yan said, unfolding his Ancient Phoenix Wings.

Cai Lin gripped Xiao Yan's arm, her beautiful eyes serious, her expression hesitant. "Be careful."

"Don't worry—it's just the soul body of a stupid snake. I'm the Ghost-Slaying Master!" Xiao Yan flashed a brilliant smile, then flared his Ancient Phoenix Wings and shot into the Cave.

Watching Xiao Yan's retreating figure, Cai Lin's jade hand clenched tightly. Deep down, she wanted to follow him—but now, her strength was a liability. For Cai Lin, her nature was the complete opposite of Xiao Yixian's.

She wanted to stand at the front, not silently stand by and give support. For her, this weakness was agonizing.

"Wait for me."

At this moment, Xiao Yan's Ancient Phoenix Wings reached maximum speed, like the shadow of an ancient Heaven Phoenix slicing through the sky as he plunged into the Cave. When he arrived, he saw the Heavenly Demon Blood Pool, now resembling a colossal blood serpent, coiled around Qing Lin, enveloping her.

The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake's previously translucent body had grown increasingly solid and vividly crimson.

Xiao Yan's eyes darkened with gravity—he had once probed the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake's Soul Body, assuming Qi San Hua Tong's seal would keep it powerless. Now, it was a clear slap in the face.

Sensing Xiao Yan's Soul Force sweeping over them, Qing Lin's eyes snapped open. The entire Cave trembled violently; the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake Soul Body roared in fury at Xiao Yan, as if warning him not to disturb its resurrection.

"Hmph. So you really think you're something important? I didn't kill you before only because I didn't want to waste a Nine Headed Heavenly Snake Soul."

Xiao Yan snorted, and with a thought, activated the Emperor Soul Scripture. Terrifying Soul Force spread outward—he was now cultivating a Heaven Tier Low Grade Soul Cultivation Technique, his Soul Power surpassing even that of ordinary Heavenly Realm Souls.

A living Nine Headed Heavenly Snake might have had grounds to challenge him—but a dead monster's Soul Body dared defy the Ten Heavenly Lords?!

"Today, I'm taking you back to the Soul Palace!"

"Asura Descends!"

Xiao Yan formed a hand seal; his Soul Force solidified, and the Three Faces Asura Shadow crawled from Shen Yuan. The Dark and Sacred faces, having passed the Second Tribulation, were now fully solidified—far stronger than before.

Waaa! With a thought, the two Asura faces opened their eyes; darkness and golden light erupted from the statues, instantly engulfing the entire Cave.

Feeling the overwhelming strength of Xiao Yan's Soul Force, the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake Soul Body was instantly terrified.

When Xiao Yan's Soul Force had once reached the Heavenly Realm, it had never been this powerful!

The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake had calculated everything—except one thing: Xiao Yan's Asura Soul Severing Technique had already reached the stage of Dual-Face Gaze. Even if not yet Heavenly Rank Advanced, it was certainly Heavenly Rank Intermediate!

Sssss!! The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake shook its nine grotesque heads; all eighteen of its demonic eyes turned blood-red—and most strangely, those crimson pupils now mirrored exactly the Qi San Hua Tong that Qing Lin had activated.

A crimson light now resisted Xiao Yan's Soul Force, preventing him from dragging it into a Soul Illusion.

The two immense forces clashed, their Soul Storms shattering the mountain's structure; massive rocks slid down the cliffs.

Though Xiao Yan, aided by the Asura Soul Severing Technique, was subtly overpowering the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake, he could not yet drag it into a Soul Illusion to destroy it.

If he launched a direct Soul Attack, he might injure Qing Lin's soul—he had to fully extract it first.

"Qing Lin! Wake up!"

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened; he sent a Soul Force voice-call, his shout echoing like thunder within the Cave, piercing deep into Qing Lin's inner soul.

Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Qing Lin trembled; the green in her eyes deepened.

Under this shout, the Nine Headed Snake's massive body paused; its crimson eyes flickered with visible struggle. The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake now faced a double bind: under Xiao Yan's suppression, yet forced to suppress Qing Lin's Qi San Hua Tong to prevent her awakening.

Sssssss!! The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake realized it had misjudged—originally, it thought possessing Qing Lin's body would make Xiao Yan hesitate to attack. But Xiao Yan possessed such a terrifying Soul Dou Technique—he could directly attack the soul, suppress it, and even peel it away!

It had absorbed barely any of the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake's blood pool, and had already drained its accumulated Soul Power—reappearing again would take a very long time.

Sssssss!! The Nine Headed Heavenly Snake let out a furious, sky-shaking roar, then plunged once more into Qing Lin's body, hiding deep within the deepest recesses of her Soul—so deeply, in fact, that its Soul had fused with Qing Lin's Soul Body through Qi San Hua Tong.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the Nine Headed Heavenly Snake vanish into Qing Lin's soul, even Xiao Yan had no immediate solution—extracting its Soul Body would harm Qing Lin.

Splash! The blood serpent, deprived of control, dissolved into a pool of blood that rained down, returning to the blood pool. Seeing Qing Lin fall from midair, Xiao Yan rushed forward, catching her in his arms, his hand gripping her slender waist as they both plunged into the blood pool.

Feeling the soft, boneless waist in his arms, Xiao Yan's heart stirred; he quickly steadied his mind and looked at Qing Lin, who was slowly waking up in his embrace, saying, "Qing Lin! Are you alright?"

Qing Lin slowly opened her eyes and saw Xiao Yan so close; she froze for a moment, and the sensation of her tender body against his made her cheeks instantly burn hot—her blushing face carried a pure, innocent charm that stirred the heart.

Then she remembered how she had been controlled and allowed the Ancient Heavenly Demon Snake to ambush Xiao Yan; her eyes instantly filled with panic and guilt.

But this time, Xiao Yan had no intention of thinking about anything else—he was determined to completely deal with the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake Soul!

Xiao Yan grabbed Qing Lin's shoulders; feeling his firm grip, she nervously said, "Y-Yong Master! Did I hurt you?"

"These are trivial matters. Relax your spirit. I'll enter your spiritual soul soon," Xiao Yan said with serious eyes.

Knowing Xiao Yan intended to fully deal with the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake, Qing Lin composed herself and nodded firmly, saying, "Young Master Yan, don't worry about Qing Lin."

Qing Lin understood that the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake was far too powerful. She had thought she had completely refined it and fully controlled its soul with the Qi San Hua Tong—but it turned out to be false. A sliver of the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake's consciousness had hidden within her Soul Body, merging with it.

Qing Lin also knew that unless she completely eliminated the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake's soul, it might one day harm Xiao Yan again. So this time, even if it meant mutual destruction, Qing Lin would resolve the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake once and for all!

Xiao Yan could see the resolve in her eyes—even a resolve to sacrifice herself!

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly, flicked her forehead gently with his finger, and said, "Ya Tou, do you have so little faith in your Young Master?"

"But—"

"Relax. It's just fused with your soul—I have a way."

Seeing Xiao Yan's confident gaze, Qing Lin's eyes instantly softened; she nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master."

With a hum, Xiao Yan and Qing Lin locked eyes; Xiao Yan's body erupted in Golden Light, bathing the entire Cave in gold. Qing Lin's Qi San Hua Tong slowly activated and opened willingly, allowing Xiao Yan's Shura Soul Force to enter her spiritual depths.

After Qing Lin regained consciousness, the Snake Slaves outside naturally ceased their actions. Cai Lin rushed into the Cave first; when she saw the golden glow within and found Xiao Yan and Qing Lin unharmed in the blood pool, she let out a breath of relief.

"What happened to Xiao Yan and Qing Lin?" Soon, Xiao Yixian and the others entered the Cave, worriedly asking.

"Xiao Yan is dealing with the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake. Give them some time," Cai Lin said. She didn't know if Xiao Yan could kill the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake—she only knew he was now engaged in a Soul Battle.

Soul Battles were extremely perilous; one misstep and the soul would be utterly annihilated!

At this moment, Xiao Yan, enveloped in Shura power within his Soul Body, arrived in a verdant space—this was the deepest layer of the Qi San Hua Tong, Qing Lin's spiritual core.

In this deepest layer of the Qi San Hua Tong, a black-and-red Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake coiled tightly.

Seeing Xiao Yan enter, the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake slowly raised its nine heads, fixing him with solemn eyes.

Sssss!! The Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake hissed fiercely at Xiao Yan in deep dread!

At this moment, Xiao Yan was encased within the Three Faces of Shura, looking down upon the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake; clearly, in terms of Soul Force, Xiao Yan's power was now greater!

(End of Chapter)