Chapter 663: Nine-Headed Nightmare, the Daoist Seeks Profit (Combined)

「！？」

In the starry sky, a giant serpent coiled around the sun, its nine heads dancing wildly, shattering countless stars.

「This, this…」

Across tens of thousands of li of empty space, Li Xuanyong felt an indescribable terror surge toward him, shaking his spirit violently:

「Yu Wangxian, you bastard—is this the Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake?! 」

Li Xuanyong felt every hair on his body stand on end.

The Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake, a terrifying beast born in the depths of the Gui Xu's 'Wu Shen Great Realm,' was said to possess nine lives due to its nine heads, feeding on souls and wandering freely within the nightmares of all sentient beings.

In ancient times, one such terrifying Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake stood among the 'Wu' and 'Zhu' who blocked the Profound Heaven Sect's path to Gui Xu!

「Roar! 」

A terrifying roar echoed across the starry void—a fiendish divine art that required no medium, instantly engulfing half the sky.

Li Xuanyong's vision went black; he spat a mouthful of reverse blood, his spirit reeling as if about to plunge into an unimaginably horrific nightmare.

「Too late…」

Li Xuanyong sensed danger, but no matter how he struggled, he could not awaken—he could only watch helplessly as his senses faded one by one, sinking into the nightmare.

「You vile beast, dare to defy me before this Daoist? ！」

Suddenly, a thunderous bellow exploded—without any medium, it rang directly within Li Xuanyong's heart-sea, jolting him awake as he recoiled in horror.

At the same time, he hurled the White Bone Demon Mountain from his arms:

「Catch it! 」

BOOM!

The White Bone Demon Mountain swelled instantly, expanding a thousandfold in an instant; the surrounding void trembled, ripples visible to the naked eye rippling outward.

Like a meteor hurtling forward.

Huuu~

After retreating tens of thousands of li wrapped in Nine Smoke Silk, Li Xuanyong finally dared to look up.

Where the White Bone Demon Mountain had struck, the starry sky blazed with divine radiance.

A blazing sun burned fiercely, radiating terrifying heat and light capable of scorching the soul; gazing far into the distance, he glimpsed a figure standing behind that sun.

It was a bearded Daoist, stepping forth from the sun, one arm raised, fingers opening and closing—though no larger than a normal man, he gave the terrifying illusion of gripping the entire sun itself!

But Li Xuanyong knew this was no illusion.

This was…

「Qian Yang Wu Ji Dao! 」

「？？？」

Beyond the unnoticed void, a fine thread fell into this realm; Li Yuan had not yet recovered from the disorientation of his high-speed glide when he sensed terrifying qi that made his skin crawl.

He looked in horror.

In the starry sky, a nine-headed serpent coiled and writhed like a legendary monster from ancient times.

Amidst dazzling divine light, the Daoist stood tall, fingers spread wide, clutching the blazing red sun as he slowly pushed it forward, guiding it across the heavens.

「Damn it! 」

As the sun passed beside him, Li Yuan's spirit pounded wildly; even straining his vision to its limit, he could only glimpse a flash of blinding light.

The Daoist, pushing the sun, clashed with the monstrous nine-headed serpent.

BOOM!

Heaven and earth turned white, then black.

Even in his peculiar Tribulation Crossing state, Li Yuan felt a terrifying illusion of sensory collapse—this scene had surpassed the limits of his perception!

Eyes could not see; spiritual sense could not perceive.

Only in the void could he discern two blurred silhouettes clashing with unimaginable ferocity!

BOOM!

BOOM!

As if millions of high-intensity collisions erupted in an instant.

Li Yuan felt his spirit tremble; the sound of impact piled into an unimaginable roar—even though it did not touch him, it filled him with utter despair, as if his soul would be extinguished.

「Roar! 」

Li Yuan forced his Command Scroll to bolster his spirit, barely glimpsing a fragment of this legendary battle through the gaps of colliding light and shadow.

The nine-headed serpent, the bearded Daoist, a winged humanoid bird-man, and a colossal demon mountain he vaguely recognized…

「That's… the White Bone Demon Mountain?! 」

The thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind.

Then the colossal, terrifyingly expanded White Bone Mountain shuddered violently—its surface sprouted a withered old man's face, speaking clearly even amid the cataclysmic clash:

「Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake, Feathered Serpent… Yu Shidi, what incredible luck—you actually ran into this?! 」

Zzzzz~

The voice from the withered face was not ordinary transmission—it moved at impossible speed, and from within the mountain erupted a white mist thick enough to fill the entire starry sky.

Within the mist, demon soldiers lined up, bone warriors clanking; then countless White Bone Dao Soldiers surged forth, transforming into hundreds of thousands of bone chains, weaving into a vast net.

With deceptive slowness—yet actually faster than thought—they enveloped the entire starry sky, including the Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake:

「Yu Shidi, you owe me a favor! 」

Shhh~

The fine thread sliced through the void.

After distancing himself from the battlefield, Li Yuan's senses stabilized—and he saw the bearded Daoist's figure.

He stood in the starry void, a blazing sun hovering behind his skull; after the withered face spoke, he nodded and said, 「Good, 」 then opened and closed his fingers again, shouting:

「Bring me the sword! 」

Zing!

Li Yuan heard a sword's chime—a sound that resonated directly through the laws of heaven and earth, exploding within his mind.

He focused his gaze, but could only faintly glimpse a golden thread slicing through the void.

Then he heard a deafening, agonized scream!

Not one—but nine!

The fine thread fell toward an endless land; Li Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the starry battlefield, where rivers of blood poured downward and nine monstrous serpent heads, as large as stars and moons, plummeted.

「Lian Mo Zhu Xian Jian! 」

As this thought surged in his mind, Li Yuan's senses collapsed entirely, sinking into deep darkness—only faintly hearing a booming, triumphant laugh:

「My Dao is complete…」

…

…

BOOM!

Nine thunderous crashes, like meteors striking earth.

Li Xuanyong activated Nine Smoke Silk and drew near, seeing from afar how the 'Beichen Realm' had been turned upside down—mountains toppled, rivers burst their banks, oceans churned.

He saw clearly: the vast continent where the nine serpent heads had fallen had been shattered into dozens of fragments, the seawater dyed crimson by serpent blood and volcanic eruptions from the seabed.

Countless birds, beasts, fish, and turtles were pulverized into sludge by the shockwaves, yet even more creatures were drawn by the serpent blood, frantically rushing toward the dozens of shattered continents blanketed in disaster.

「Collect! 」

Li Xuanyong looked up.

He saw Yu Wangxian pull a yellow gourd from his robes, toss it gently upward—and an infinite suction force spread, drawing hundreds of streams like great rivers from all directions into the gourd.

「Though this serpent's bloodline isn't pure, it's still a Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake—its flesh and blood are worth a fortune…」

He lifted the heavy gourd, nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly tossed it to Li Xuanyong:

「Li Shixiong, take this gourd of serpent blood as partial payment—how's that? 」

「I…」

Li Xuanyong caught the gourd; even Nine Smoke Silk sagged under its weight. He didn't answer immediately, but cautiously glanced at the White Bone Demon Mountain hanging in the starry void:

「Tong Qian Shixiong… I, your younger brother…」

「Yu Shidi already informed me—otherwise, do you think you could even lift the Demon Mountain? 」

The withered face on the Demon Mountain laughed:

「But you took my treasure without permission—that won't do… hmm…」

As he paused, Li Xuanyong trembled in fear; his peripheral vision caught Yu the Big Beard smiling, and he cursed inwardly again.

「Your punishment: you will cultivate this treasure for one hundred years—free of charge! 」

With that, the Demon Mountain shrank to the size of a human head and landed in Li Xuanyong's arms as he bowed to accept his penalty.

「Don't bow—old Daoist's already gone. 」

Seeing Li Xuanyong hesitate to rise, Yu Wangxian found it amusing; when Li Xuanyong glared angrily, Yu's expression turned solemn and he bowed:

「Thank you, Li Shixiong, for your aid! 」

「…No thanks needed. Next time, don't ever call me again for something like this. 」

Only then did Li Xuanyong fiddle with the heavy gourd, yet he couldn't help staring at the colossal serpent corpse in the stars:

「What about the serpent bones? 」

The Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake's blood was valuable, but for him, the bones were more useful—bones from a near sixth-rank Nightmare Serpent were more than enough to cultivate a squad of fifth-rank White Bone Demon Soldiers!

If I had a squad of Fifth-Realm White Bone Demons guarding me, I'd dare explore those other dimensions!

"Wait until I extract the nightmare energy from its body—then the serpent bones are yours!"

Yu Wangxian didn't care.

He cultivated with singular focus; aside from the Dry Yang Wuji Dao, he owned only one sword—the Demon-Exterminating and Immortal-Slaying Sword—and never used any other spells, scriptures, or magical weapons.

"Hum~"

Li Xuan hadn't even had time to thank him when he heard a trembling chime.

Yu Wangxian raised his hand and summoned the massive sun he had been shaping— it descended beneath the giant serpent corpse, flames roaring, engulfing it entirely.

"Exterminate demons!"

Yu Wangxian flicked his finger, sending the Immortal-Slaying Sword into the flames. He focused his spiritual sense for a moment, then frowned in surprise.

The nightmare energy within the Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent was one-tenth less than he'd estimated—but then he wondered if the serpent's bloodline was impure.

He didn't care.

"Still enough for one use…"

…

…

White Bone Demon Mountain, Tong Qian Daoist, Yu Wangxian, Demon-Exterminating and Immortal-Slaying Sword, Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent, Feathered Serpent…

Heavenly Tribulation differs from listening to the Heavenly Voice—it moves with terrifying speed, but even a fleeting glimpse left Li Yuan in profound shock.

Even after the Tribulation ended, he remained dazed.

"... What an incredible Immortal-Slaying Sword!"

When Li Yuan came to his senses, his heart still trembled from that single sword shadow.

"Splash~"

Only then did Li Yuan hear the sound of waves—it was the sound of a massive catch.

He gripped the Tribulation Rod tightly, gazing intently—and there, on the hook, hung a monstrous serpent over thirty zhang long, with nine ferocious heads!

"Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent?!"

Li Yuan's heart leapt—but then he noticed something wrong. Though the serpent on the hook looked lifelike, closer inspection revealed its shell was hollow inside.

"This is a molt…"

Li Yuan relaxed, yet felt a pang of disappointment—he'd truly thought he'd caught a juvenile Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent.

But instantly, his attention was drawn to the molt:

"It seems I can indeed influence the direction of Tribulation Fishing, but only slightly… I was thinking of 'Mystic Vine Serpent Molt' before…"

"Splash~"

Li Yuan reeled in—the massive serpent molt landed on the gray stone platform.

"Such a huge serpent—and its molt is this small?"

Though thirty zhang long, the molt was pitifully tiny compared to the colossal serpent he'd glimpsed moments before.

Li Yuan glanced—and the Tribulation Platform had already sent a message:

【Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent Molt (13th-Rank)】

【…A molt left behind by a Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent born in the depths of the Return Void's 'Wu Shen Great Realm,' attempting to ascend to the Sixth Realm—its cultivation failed, so the molt is only a Fifth-Realm Treasure Material, retaining residual divine prohibitions and nightmare energy…】

【…The Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent is a Return Void aberration born from living nightmares. Legend says its bloodline originates from the Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent Ancestor of Wu Shen Realm…】

【……???】【Control Condition: Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline】

【Control grants access to the residual divine prohibitions within the molt】

【Contained Divine Prohibition:???】

"A half-Sixth-Realm molt…"

Perhaps because the previous scenes had been so horrifying, Li Yuan now felt little emotion seeing the molt.

"Useful for forging treasures—but control? I don't have Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent bloodline…"

Calming his spirit, Li Yuan read through each line—and his thoughts settled on the final one.

Unlike the others, this message glowed crimson as blood, radiating deep warning, making the heart tremble at a glance.

【Note: A trace of nightmare energy remains in this molt—possibly a fragment left by the Primordial Nine-Headed Serpent. May be chosen for assimilation…】

【Note: Reciting the name of the Primordial Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent Ancestor may cause it to sense you, even in the void…】

"Nightmare energy? What's it for?"

Li Yuan was startled—he'd never seen such a display on the Tribulation Platform before.

He cautiously studied the massive molt—and faintly, he saw a barely perceptible dark-purple vapor, alongside residual divine prohibitions.

"A fragment of nightmare energy left by the Primordial Nine-Headed Serpent…"

Gazing at that trace of nightmare energy, Li Yuan felt a faint understanding stir within him.

His greatest gain from this Tribulation might not be the half-Sixth-Realm molt—but this single trace of nightmare energy…

Though he didn't know the origin of the Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent or the use of nightmare energy, he understood the weight of the words "Primordial."

"The ancestral patriarch of the Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent lineage… Just uttering its name might trigger a response?"

Li Yuan cast a wary glance at the purple vapor in the molt. He was always obedient to warnings—he wouldn't even let his mind fully form the words "Primordial Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent Ancestor."

In the three months since joining Dongxuan Mountain, though he couldn't afford many cultivation texts due to lack of merit, he read every free journal and insight he could find daily.

In one such journal, he'd read that powerful cultivators who reached inconceivable realms—even if dead and their Dao extinguished—could still emerge from the thoughts of those who spoke their names!

"This world is too dangerous…"

Recalling the fishing grounds, the line, and the monstrous Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent he'd seen, Li Yuan now felt exploring the Abyss and other dimensions was no bargain at all.

The Return Void was too deep—he shuddered just thinking about it.

Even the Tribulation Platform now unsettled him.

The randomness of Tribulation was too great—what if one day he accidentally hooked some monster beyond comprehension?

"The Weapon Storage Space might not be safe either."

Glancing at the ink-black darkness surrounding the stone platform, Li Yuan decided he must be more cautious. Listening to the Heavenly Voice was fine—but Tribulation should be used sparingly.

"I wonder if this molt could help the Mystic Vine Serpent?"

Carefully, Li Yuan guided the purple energy into a Scented Cauldron, confirmed no other anomalies remained in the molt, then exited the Weapon Storage Space.

…

Wu~

Li Yuan opened his eyes to a faint whistling sound—he glanced sideways and saw the little rat playing with the Mystic Vine Serpent.

Though the Mystic Vine Serpent's rank far surpassed the little rat, which had once been a field mouse, the serpent had no spiritual awareness—only faint instinct—and under Li Yuan's command not to harm the rat, it was even being toyed with.

"You little rascal."

Seeing this, Li Yuan's mood lifted slightly—this Tribulation had weighed heavily on him.

"Squeak~"

The little rat darted into Li Yuan's arms, chirping, demanding something.

"One 'Transcendence Pill' will sustain you for three years—give you another, and you couldn't even digest it!"

Li Yuan refused without hesitation.

The Transcendence Pill was a First-Realm spirit pill he'd received as a bonus when buying 'Mystic Water Pills' three months ago—cheap, thirty-two bottles per minor merit, enough to elevate thirty-two spirit beasts to First Realm.

The Mystic Water Pills were his Second-Realm spirit pills, used to accelerate cultivation—three bottles per minor merit, barely enough for ten days—but he found them worth every bit.

Only three months since forging magic power, yet he now had twelve streams of it within him.

"Squeak~"

"Go!"

With a flick of his finger, he subdued the little rat, then beckoned—the Mystic Vine Serpent, shaped like a withered vine, landed in his palm, gliding gently, instinctively delighted and affectionate.

"No wonder it's an extraterrestrial beast—its potential far surpasses the little rat…"

Gently stroking its body, Li Yuan felt satisfied.

Spirit beasts had potential too, though not as strictly ranked as cultivators. In his own estimation, if the little rat was First-Rank potential, the Mystic Vine Serpent was Fourth or Fifth.

The gap was as vast as that between Cao Yan, the head shopkeeper of the Forging Shop, and the legendary Wan Zhuliu.

One Transcendence Pill took the little rat three years to absorb—he'd need twelve to possibly enter Dao. The Mystic Vine Serpent absorbed one in three months—and already showed signs of entering Dao.

If it had spiritual awareness, it would progress even faster.

"Sss~"

Sensing Li Yuan's good mood, the Mystic Vine Serpent flicked its tongue, joyfully slithering along his fingers—though it always avoided the Demon-Bone Chain.

The Mystic Vine Serpent had no spiritual awareness, but its instincts were extremely sharp—it sensed danger instantly.

"Don't rush to enter Dao—accumulate more energy, it'll benefit you later."

Li Yuan tapped the serpent's head.

The first step of the Eastern Pole Qingdi Longevity Scripture—planting the tree—requires the cultivator to unify the Three Primordials and forge magic power; the seed itself must at least have entered Dao.

Whether spirit beast, spirit plant, or cultivator—once one enters Dao, they can no longer merge with Heaven and Earth, let alone harvest divine runes.

"Take your time."

Letting the Mystic Vine Serpent glide into the bamboo tower, Li Yuan took a deep breath, pulled out the Knowledge Sphere, and opened the Grand Void Wanxiang.

"About Return Void aberrations: Nine-Headed Nightmare Serpent."

Hum~

After spending ten yuan coins, Li Yuan's vision filled with a flood of text:

【Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake: A top-tier aberrant beast from the depths of the Gui Xu, said to inherently embody certain cosmic principles, with a lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary aberrant beasts by several times…】

"Just this much?"

Li Yuan was surprised, and couldn't help but speculate: "This must only show a tiny fraction—lack of access rights? Or some other reason?"

The access rights of a Dongxuan Mountain inner-disciple are extremely high; if he couldn't find it, ordinary cultivators wouldn't even have the privilege to know about it.

"Origin of the Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake."

Li Yuan remembered the warning from the Human Tribulation Platform and asked cautiously.

【Per the Universal Knowledge Law of the Various Realms, some search results are not displayed.】

"As expected, nothing."

Seeing this, Li Yuan's mind grew somewhat clearer.

Even cultivators who have entered the realm may not fully control their thoughts; once they learn of the Primordial Nightmare Nine-Headed Snake, they might unconsciously think of Its existence.

If It truly could crawl out from human thoughts and nightmares, it would inevitably cause great calamity.

'Perhaps such an event has happened before?'

Li Yuan continued searching exhaustively—for questions like 'Origin of Gui Xu aberrant beasts,' 'Nightmare Power,' 'Wu Shen Great Realm,' 'Feathered Snake origin'—none were displayed at all.

"Deep within the Gui Xu, the Wu Shen Realm… could this be related to the Wu and Zhu mentioned earlier by Ling Shu Child?"

Li Yuan speculated inwardly but had no intention of asking Ling Shu Child; he planned to check the Scripture Library when he had time, to see if similar information could be found.

'Ling Yin could also explore this direction—might pick up something useful…'

Li Yuan multitasked, listening to Ling Yin while immersed in the Tai Xu Wan Xiang.

The Universal Knowledge Sphere's functions were all quite useful—aside from costing money, it had no flaws—but most of his time was still spent browsing the Tai Xu Wan Xiang.

Within the Tai Xu Wan Xiang, there was not only an ocean of information, but also countless cultivators' travelogues constantly uploaded, greatly aiding his understanding of the myriad realms.

Suddenly, Li Yuan frowned.

【Yuan Coins insufficient】

"A money pit!"

He shook his head, took out ten strands of Yuan Fire, exchanged them for 100,000 Yuan Coins, sighed inwardly, and decided he needed to think of ways to earn money.

Though he had only been admitted three months ago, Li Yuan already felt the pressure of insufficient Merit Points.

Not to mention advancement in the Palm of Sound and Palm of Tribulation, even acquiring the Xuan Weapon and resources for his own cultivation consumed vast amounts of Merit Points.

Take the Xuan Water Elixir, for example.

His aptitude allowed him to digest one daily—several times faster than cultivators with second- or third-grade aptitudes—requiring one Minor Merit every ten days; to forge eighty-one Great Peng magical forces, he'd need at least four and a half more years.

Moreover, the White Bone Demon was about to ascend to the second realm; even just maintaining his cultivation would require far more Merit Points, let alone advancing further.

"The Art of Crafting Treasures could work, but its entry requires gathering various divine patterns—unlikely to be useful anytime soon…"

"Follow the other senior brothers to the immortal cities across the myriad realms? Not impossible…"

As Li Yuan mindlessly searched for information, he suddenly remembered the Universal Knowledge Sphere.

"Actually, the Universal Knowledge Sphere has many ways to earn money."

Li Yuan's mind stirred; he exited the Tai Xu Wan Xiang.

The Tai Xu Divine Realm spanned all realms—how countless were the cultivators gathered within?

The 'Tai Xu Marketplace' and the 'Battle Hall' both offered ways to earn money; the former required trading and was somewhat troublesome, but the latter suited him well.

"Shh!"

Li Yuan's thought shifted, and the surrounding light and shadow transformed into a vast, dark starry expanse—he had entered the Battle Hall.

The Battle Hall's starry realm had four sections: the Tian Shi Yuan Battle Rankings, Challenging, Watching, and Guided Battles.

All four offered ways to earn Yuan Fire.

Challenging was simplest: entry cost ten Yuan Coins, victory granted five extra; this was merely the most basic, first-rank battle platform.

A second-rank battle platform required over a thousand Yuan Coins for entry, and victory granted five hundred Yuan Coins.

"Challenging earns the least Yuan Fire—far less than Watching or Guided Battles—but the latter two demand immense fame; for example, the Poisonous Dragon Divine Son 'Locust' earns nearly two million Yuan Coins per Guided Battle."

Li Yuan calculated inwardly.

In the Battle Hall, the most profitable were naturally Guided Battles and Watching; the former could earn hundreds of millions or even billions of Yuan Coins per session, while the latter…

Li Yuan looked up at the starry section for Watching; streams of text cascaded like waterfalls.

【Poisonous Dragon Academy's Chi Mai Daozi Ying Xuanlong challenges the Phoenix Clan's prodigy 'Phoenix Child'… Watching requires 5,000 Yuan Coins; experiencing the battle firsthand requires 50,000 Yuan Coins】

Like Guided Battles, Watching depended entirely on fame.

If one person watched, after the Tai Xu Pavilion's cut, Phoenix Child and Ying Xuanlong split 2,500—each receiving 1,250.

Ten thousand watchers meant 12.5 million.

【Phoenix Child challenges Feng Wuding… (Total watchers: 1,700,000; Current watchers: 36,000)】

"One point seven million watchers!"

Li Yuan was stunned; this was just one battle's viewership. Phoenix Child had over a dozen such famous battles.

"No wonder these people offer rewards of hundreds of millions—so profitable…"

Calculating Phoenix Child's total earnings, Li Yuan immediately grew envious, realizing the Battle Hall was truly a great place:

"Practicing spells while earning massive Yuan Coins…"

"Let's do it!"

(End of Chapter)