Xiao Yan reached out and grabbed the floating blood-colored crystal in front of him. The moment the crystal touched his hand, a terrifyingly cold force spread from his palm. In an instant, it froze Xiao Yan’s entire arm. “As expected, this is indeed the Yellow Spring Blood Crystal. Such a chilling force truly is frightening,” said Xiao Yan with a nod, showing some delight. He then shook his arm forcefully, shattering the ice, and put the blood crystal into his ring. Looking at Yao Ming, he asked, “How can I rescue you? By destroying these four chains?”
“No need. What confines me is not the chains but the Yellow Spring Dark Stone at the end of them. It perpetually releases a freezing force that drains my combat energy, making me extremely weak. There is a delicate mechanism embedded where the chains connect to the mountain. If you could just smash it, then even though the chains are made of special materials, they won’t be able to hold me any longer,” replied Yao Ming, shaking his head.
“Is that so?” Xiao Yan’s eyebrows raised slightly. He moved, appearing at the end of one of the chains. Indeed, the chain was piercing deeply into a black mountain. The mountain wasn’t very large, only a few dozen zhang in height, but it contained a chilling force so intense that even with the protection of his abnormal fire, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but shiver.
“Is this the Yellow Spring Dark Stone?” Looking at the dark mountain, Xiao Yan clenched his fist, and a torrent of mighty combat energy erupted. He then slammed his fist hard onto the mountain.
*Bam!*
A huge wave rippled out from where Xiao Yan’s fist landed, but the black mountain only quivered slightly. Xiao Yan’s punch, which could have heavily injured a Demi-Sage, didn’t leave the slightest mark on it.
“The Yellow Spring Dark Stone has been tempered by the chilling force for countless years, making it nearly unbreakable. Even if I fully recovered, I doubt I could destroy it,” Yao Ming rasped, seeing the futile efforts of Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly. Suddenly, he gripped a segment of the chain, and white mist instantly burst out. Releasing it, his hand was covered in thick frost. It seemed as if there was a vacuum filled with overwhelming chill within the chain. Now, he finally understood why Yao Ming had been locked here for hundreds of years…
Seeing Xiao Yan’s prolonged failed attempts, a look of disappointment appeared on Yao Ming’s haggard face.
“The things inside the Nine Serene Pools aren’t ordinary,” Xiao Yan shook his head, abandoning his futile efforts. He brought his fingers together, and a strand of abnormally compressed anomaly fire extended out, like a fine needle, gently pricking into the spot where the chain met the mountain. After a while, he felt a touch of an exceptionally hard, rounded object. Instantly, he exerted more force, and the fire needle pierced into the tough sphere.
*Crack!*
As the fire needle punctured the spherical object, Xiao Yan immediately felt a strange fluctuation emanating from the mountain. Then, all the chains were broken apart.
“Did it work?” Seeing this, Yao Ming, who was disappointed, raised his head sharply, looking at Xiao Yan with a wildly delighted expression.
While Xiao Yan was breaking the seal for Yao Ming, there was a joyous atmosphere in an enormous palace within the Nether Snake Earth Pulse, where many snake tribe chieftains gathered, laughing and chatting loudly.
On the throne sat a man in black, who was quite handsome, yet an undeniable chill radiated from between his brows. His gaze flickered with a sharp light, like a venomous snake ready to deliver a fatal strike, sending chills down anyone’s spine.
Beside him, two women with enchanting figures were carefully massaging his body, while his hands wandered over their soft, charming bodies, making their eyes glazed with drowsiness, looking extremely alluring.
*Suddenly, the man in black opened his eyes, shocked. “The seal… has been breached?”*
“Chieftain, what happened?” asked the old man with a red snake coiled around his shoulder, frowning slightly.
“The seal that confined Yao Ming has suddenly broken.” The man in black sprang up, his face cold. A soft voice whispered into the old man’s ear.
“What? How could this be possible?” The old man’s expression changed instantly, but he quickly composed himself, subtly glancing at the elders and tribal chiefs in the hall. Lowering his voice, he transmitted a message, “Go quickly. If Yao Ming escapes, we’re finished. I’ll hold things here and send reinforcements shortly…”
“Don’t worry, he won’t ever recover,” the man in black sneered sinisterly and disappeared from the throne in a flash.
“Ah, an elder has something to report. The chieftain will handle it. Everyone, continue,” the old man stood, smiling and reassuring the people in the hall.
*Xiao Yan broke the seal on the last chain, retracting the fire needle. With a wave, he softly propped up Yao Ming, who was about to fall. “You’ve just escaped, and your combat energy is almost depleted. Even a Peak Combat Sect powerhouse could easily kill you now.”*
“Haha, I never thought I’d see the day when I, Yao Ming, could escape. Young friend, may I know your name?”
Yao Ming’s body was extremely weak, but he was obviously very excited. He turned to Xiao Yan and laughed.
“Xiao Yan.”
“Young friend Xiao Yan, I am forever indebted for saving my life. As long as I can have my revenge, if you ever need anything, I will use all my power from the Nether Serpent Clan to help you!”
Yao Ming stared intently at Xiao Yan, speaking earnestly. Xiao Yan smiled, feeling the intense gratitude in Yao Ming’s words, which was due to his hatred for Demon Howl, but he could tell that Yao Ming wasn’t the kind of person to forget a favor. Relieved, he snapped his finger, and a bottle of pills flew to Yao Ming, saying, “Take the pills to restore some combat energy. We can’t stay here for too long. We must leave the Nine Serene Pools. Once you regain your strength, we’ll deal with Demon Howl.”
“Yes, as young friend Xiao Yan says.” Yao Ming nodded and, without ceremony, swallowed the whole bottle of pills. He knew in his current state, he was no match for Demon Howl.
“Let’s go.” Seeing Yao Ming freed, Xiao Yan waved his sleeve, and they transformed into two water arrows, shooting towards the surface. Due to being in the Nine Serene Pools for a long time, Xiao Yan’s combat energy was significantly depleted. As a precaution, he took a few pills on the way.
On the way back, they encountered countless strange snakes, but thankfully, Yao Ming had a method to control them. After emitting some odd sounds, the snakes kept their distance, avoiding a fight.
Without any hindrance, Xiao Yan’s speed increased substantially. In under ten minutes, he saw some light in the distance and felt relieved. He accelerated…
“We’re almost out,” Xiao Yan smiled as they approached the surface. He then grasped Yao Ming and broke through the water, landing on the lake’s surface.
*Thud!*
Just as Xiao Yan steadied, a low rumble echoed from the sky, and a figure fell from the heavens, the sharp sound of tearing wind echoing continuously.
“Cai Lin!” Xiao Yan’s face changed as he swung his sleeve, catching her with a soft force. He pulled Cai Lin to his side.
“Finally, you’re out,” Cai Lin, beside Xiao Yan, sighed in relief, wiping blood from her lips.
Seeing the blood, Xiao Yan’s eyes turned cold. He looked up and saw a black-clad figure hovering in the air, glaring at him with a fierce glare.
“This person suddenly appeared and dragged us three out. Qing Lin and Little Healer Immortal were both injured,” Cai Lin said, gritting her teeth.
Xiao Yan glanced at the chaos nearby; both Qing Lin and Little Healer Immortal were in a sorry state. His eyes turned icy.
In the sky, the black-clad man gazed at Xiao Yan and the skeletal Yao Ming, a venomous smile spreading across his face.
“Little scum, daring to disrupt my plans. No matter who you are, today, I’ll make you pay with your life here in the Yellow Spring. As for these three beauties, I’ll take them. This is the price you pay for your recklessness!”
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