Chapter 598: Chapter 598: Demon Flame Descends

Word Count: 3,242 Words

******

Yao Ming’s heart surged like a storm-tossed sea. The Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was a Divine Beast that existed only in ancient legend. The Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe had always been exceedingly rare, and even Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons were so few in number as to be almost unheard of, let alone Nine-Colored ones.

Because of that scarcity, most people didn’t even know that above the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python existed yet another tier, the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python!

Even in ancient times, the number of times a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python had appeared could be counted on one hand, and every single appearance had sent shockwaves through the entire snake race. Yao Ming had never imagined he would one day witness with his own eyes a Divine Beast that should exist only in legend.

Deep within an abyss of the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, the slumbering Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent abruptly raised its heads. Nine python bodies, each as thick as a surging river, reared up from the depths, and eighteen scarlet pupils locked onto the giant python’s silhouette painted across the sky.

Within its bloodline memory dwelled the knowledge of certain ancient, incomparably terrifying magical beasts that even it dared not provoke. Even the ferocious Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent had its own list of beings it feared. The Dragon Phoenix was one. The Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was another.

The central head slowly lowered, its gaze drifting toward the black-robed figure standing beside the Nine Serene Yellow Spring.

The Dragon Phoenix and the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python were both at this man’s side. Even the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent itself had no choice but to obey the directives of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. One could well imagine just how terrifying this man truly was.

He was the center of it all!

...

Three sharp whistles cut the air as three Heavenly Flames shot from the pillar of light like meteors and plunged back into Xiao Yan’s body.

Not long after the flames returned, the radiance overhead gradually dispersed, and a captivating figure that could haunt one’s dreams slowly took form within the nine-colored brilliance, emerging beneath countless fixed gazes.

Her lips were a blazing crimson, and her eyes carried an aloof coldness that seemed to look down upon all living things. Cold and beautiful. Enchanting. Devastatingly seductive. A presence capable of toppling cities and kingdoms. Every one of these descriptions converged perfectly upon a single body.

At the first glimpse of that charming face with its faint, icy allure, the heartbeats of more than a few spectators quietly quickened. Such a woman could only be called a peerless enchantress.

The bewitching beauty in the sky slowly lowered her gaze. Only when she saw the man below, his face lifted in that familiar, sunny smile, did the frost on her features begin to thaw. Deep within those cold pupils, a quiet warmth of passion and tenderness stirred to life.

For that moment, the rest of the world seemed to fall silent and fade away, leaving only the two of them.

A faint curve slowly bloomed across those enchanting cheeks, like a peony unfurling in full bloom. Bewitching, breathtaking, gorgeous enough to stop a heart mid-beat.

Cai Lin took a single step, and the empty space shifted beneath her jade-like feet. She lightly trod upon the void and appeared before Xiao Yan.

Two years without seeing his wife left Xiao Yan momentarily dazed. Her appearance had not changed, yet that breathtaking beauty and the imperious grace she exuded so effortlessly still made him lose himself for an instant.

"You’ve exited seclusion?"

"Mm."

"Your strength seems to have risen quite a bit."

"4-star Dou Saint. One star higher than you." The corners of Cai Lin’s red lips lifted, and a faintly domineering glint colored her beautiful eyes. She had finally surpassed Xiao Yan’s cultivation once again!

Xiao Yan was struck speechless. His gaze slid sideways to Zi Yan, still wrapped in flame as she received her inheritance, and his expression turned distinctly odd.

Do you magical beasts simply stay bottlenecked forever, only to leap whole ranks at once the moment you finally advance?

"Just refining the Nine-Colored Origin Stone and the Bodhisattva Great Restoration Pill shouldn’t have been enough to raise you this much." A realization struck him as he spoke. A moment ago, Cai Lin hadn’t been at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Spring at all. She had seemed to be in another space entirely.

"At the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Spring lies a hidden nest of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe," Cai Lin explained softly. "I obtained the inheritance of my forebears there. Among them were ancestors whose bodies had long since perished, but whose souls still lingered. I awakened them, and they fused all of their remaining strength into my bloodline, tempering my body. That is why my cultivation rose so quickly."

"So that’s how it is..."

Her brief account clicked all the pieces into place for him. No one could have guessed that at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Spring there lay a buried ancestral nest of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe. That Cai Lin had stumbled into it was truly a heaven-sent fortune.

This world had always been full of miracles. He had obtained the Flame Mantra and gathered twelve Heavenly Flames; others naturally could have their own fortuitous encounters as well.

Even so, a faint trace of desolation welled up within him. Zi Yan and Xun Er were one thing; they were noble daughters of great ancient factions from birth, their paths illuminated by the glory of generations before them. But he had always thought Cai Lin was like himself, someone who had clawed her way up from the very bottom. Yet in the end, even this fellow ’grassroots’ cultivator had outpaced him.

Cai Lin caught the helplessness and the small flicker of wounded pride in his eyes. However giddy she felt, she knew better than to let her joy show too plainly. She couldn’t bruise her husband’s pride. A flash of domineering tenderness moved through her gaze. Then, without warning, she opened her jade-like arms and, in full view of everyone present, wrapped them possessively around Xiao Yan’s neck and pressed her lips to his.

Her mouth was soft and fever-hot, crashing against his before he could react. Cai Lin’s unique fragrance flooded his senses as a warm, insistent tongue parted his lips and tangled with his own, brazenly staking her claim on him all over again. It was domineering, yet at the same time impossibly tender. A kiss that said, without words, This Queen is yours either way. What does it matter who is the stronger of us for now?

Every last scrap of displeasure in Xiao Yan’s chest dissolved like smoke. He felt her initiative and the near-frenzied longing wrapped within it after their long separation, and he simply surrendered.

Sometimes, even a man like Xiao Yan was content to remain perfectly still and let Cai Lin have her way with him entirely, savoring the rare pleasure of being thoroughly at ’Her Majesty’s mercy.’

Their very public display set unknown numbers of young men and women aflame with restless heat. Some burned with jealousy and envy, some could only smile bitterly, and a few simply stood rooted in place, lost in fantasies of their own.

Xiao Yan, of course, had no intention of letting outsiders keep watching. With a casual wave of his hand, a spiritual barrier surged outward and sealed off the entire Nine Serene Yellow Spring space. Hidden from every gaze, the two of them quite shamelessly drowned in their reunion behind Zi Yan, who still burned within the Three Thousand Burning Flame.

They kissed again and again, breaking apart only to collide once more, each meeting deeper and more urgent than the last. Cai Lin’s slender fingers dove into his hair, fisting and pulling him closer, while Xiao Yan’s hands traced down the curve of her waist before settling firmly on the lush swell beneath. He kneaded possessively, drawing a low, half-growled sound from deep in Cai Lin’s throat.

Any other time, they would have already torn open space and fled back to their chambers for a proper ’celebration’; several rounds’ worth, at the bare minimum.

Before long, however, the two finally pulled apart. Their gazes locked, heavy with open reluctance, and a thin, glistening strand still clung between their lips for a fleeting instant before it snapped.

A mighty Dragon Might was rising, swelling stronger with every heartbeat.

Do too many bad things and you get punished by Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor!

"Zi Yan’s aura..." Cai Lin had naturally noticed Zi Yan some time ago, but the Three Thousand Burning Flame wrapped around her had blocked any clear sense of her cultivation.

The instant the Three Thousand Burning Flame returned to Xiao Yan, however, a heaven-shaking Dragon Emperor’s Might erupted outward from Zi Yan. The aura of an intermediate 4-star Dou Saint was enough to make even Cai Lin’s brows lift in surprise.

In her impression, although Zi Yan had consumed the Body Transformation Pill, and although she knew Zi Yan belonged to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, she had never expected that aura to have grown to this degree!

Xiao Yan smiled as he looked at that surging Dragon Might. "Zi Yan has inherited the orthodoxy of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Her cultivation is now at intermediate 4-star Dou Saint, and she is the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. She intends to unify their scattered branches."

Cai Lin gave him a rather strange look. If you bring the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe under your control as well, won’t that mean you’re secretly ruling the entire Beast Region?

A true Beast Taming Grandmaster?

After all, she had been in seclusion for two years and was unaware of many developments. Before entering seclusion, she had merely intended that, once she emerged, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would descend, and she would help Xiao Yan obtain it.

Who could have imagined that in those two years, Xiao Yan had already laid the groundwork to unify the entire Beast Region? He had even succeeded in turning Feng Qing Er to his side, and was simply waiting until after the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame to join hands with Zi Yan, unify the three Dragon Islands, deal with the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, install a puppet Tribe Leader, and seize complete control of the entire region!

Roar! Roar! Roar!!

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

A mighty dragon’s bellow tore through the air, carrying with it a wave of soul-shaking force and surging dragon aura that swept across the entire Nine Serene Yellow Spring.

A purple true dragon burst forth from the void. Its colossal body stretched on and on, long enough to drape across an entire small mountain range. Hardened amethyst scales lined its spine, and its tail bristled with scales of varying sizes interspersed with sharp, jagged spines.

Beneath the sunlight, those scales glimmered with a deep purple luster, radiating a fierce aura and terrifying energy. Its dragon eyes were deep and luminous, as though able to pierce through all things in this world.

Its dragon claws were incredibly robust and powerful. Each talon was tipped with a sharp claw-blade, more than enough to rend anything to shreds. Wisps of purple dragon’s breath spilled ceaselessly from its maw, further showcasing its majesty and might.

The long tail swayed with each motion of its body, trailing clear violet traces through the air like arcs of lightning, like a purple rainbow drawn across the sky. From its entire form poured an overwhelming dragon aura, one that compelled awe in the heart of any who sensed it.

"This Yellow Spring Divine Anger is really hard to cultivate. Even the Dragon Slaying Sword wasn’t this difficult to master."

The instant Zi Yan’s tender voice rang out, the towering dragon might inexplicably crumbled. With a soft hum, the purple light scattered, and a barefoot Zi Yan stood there in the empty air, pouting as she grumbled about the difficulty of the Yellow Spring Divine Anger Dou Technique.

Spotting Cai Lin’s figure, Zi Yan’s form shimmered and shrank, reverting to that of a small girl. She skipped and bounded her way to Cai Lin’s side, eyes alight with delight. "Sister Cai Lin, you’ve exited seclusion!"

"You are the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe?" A faint, almost maternal warmth softened Cai Lin’s expression as she took in Zi Yan’s adorable, childlike appearance.

"Hehe, aren’t you also the Empress of the Snake-People Tribe, Sister Cai Lin?" Zi Yan giggled. As a magical beast, her innate senses told her plainly that Cai Lin’s current strength was in no way inferior to her own.

Back during the Yan Alliance days, the two of them had often gone romping through the Magic Beast Mountain Range together, wreaking no small amount of havoc among its magical beasts.

After the two had chatted for a while longer, Cai Lin’s expression sobered, and she turned her gaze to Xiao Yan. "How long until the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame descends?"

Zi Yan’s face also turned grave. She knew all too well how important the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was to Xiao Yan. He had been laying the groundwork for it for over a decade now.

"It should be any time now." Xiao Yan’s expression grew somber. "Let’s return to the Yan Alliance first and gather our forces. When the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame descends, there will undoubtedly be another tempest of blood and slaughter."

The ancient Dou God Clans would never let the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame slip from their grasp. The Yan Clan in particular, who already possessed five Heavenly Flames with three of them ranked in the top ten, could not possibly allow the third-ranked Purifying Lotus Demon Flame to slip away.

Cai Lin nodded. After giving Yue Mei and the other tribe leaders their final instructions and temporarily entrusting the Snake-People Tribe’s affairs to the Four Great Elders, she, Xiao Yan, Zi Yan, and Qing Lin returned to the Yan Alliance.

Xiao Yan needed to gather the Yan Alliance’s strongest combat power. He naturally couldn’t rely entirely on the Hall of Souls or on Xun Er and the Gu Clan’s strength. The Gu Clan might very well become one of the forces competing against him for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.

After all, Xiao Yan had taken Xun Er as his wife rather than marrying into her clan. To the Gu Clan, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was likewise an enormous prize they couldn’t simply relinquish.

Unfortunately, the Yan Alliance didn’t have many elite Dou Saints. Even Venerable Tian Huo, who had once been a tremendous source of aid to Xiao Yan, was still only a One-Change Dou Venerate. Such cultivation was considered formidable enough within the Central Plains, but to enter the contest for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame at that strength would be nothing short of throwing one’s life away.

Even Yun Yun had only reached Eight-Change Dou Venerate, still some way from Nine-Change. As for Nalan Yanran, who had reaped the greatest benefits from the journey to the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, she had entered death seclusion after the battle against the Profound Sky Sect, determined to fully digest every last insight she had gleaned beneath the ancient tree.

The good news, however, was that Little Fairy Doctor had successfully broken through to 1-star Dou Saint, and even further, into the late 1-star Dou Saint stage, through the Yellow Spring Cold Poison Powder she had formulated using the Spring Blood Crystals and the Sky Quiet Poison Code!

What was more, after consuming a Bodhisattva Seed and benefiting from two full years of Little Fairy Doctor’s painstaking care, the Ancient Pill Beast obtained from Tian He Zi had also successfully advanced to a Rank 9 Pill Beast. Counting her existing ones, Little Fairy Doctor now effectively commanded three Pill Beasts!

She was, without question, a true Pill Beast Master.

In the end, Xiao Yan settled on his lineup. Cai Lin, Zi Yan, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin would all accompany him to contend for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Should anything unexpected occur, at the very least these four all possessed enough strength to safeguard themselves.

In the days that followed, with every preparation in place, Xiao Yan’s life gradually quieted, and he waited calmly for word from the Hall Chief of the Hall of Souls.

Of course, the Yan Alliance and the Hall of Souls were hardly the only ones keeping vigil over the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Across the Central Plains, ancient factions that had long kept themselves hidden away, neither showing their peaks nor revealing their valleys, were beginning to stir. In a single moment, the entire Dou Qi Continent once again seethed with hidden undercurrents.

The impending advent of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had drawn out the vast majority of powers in the Central Plains, both seen and unseen, all those who possessed the strength to vie for it!

That stretch of mountain forest, ordinarily so devoid of human presence, had now grown extraordinarily lively.

These surging undercurrents continued for roughly four days.

...

Xiao Yan was playing with Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai inside the Yan Alliance when his eyes suddenly narrowed. He slowly lifted his head and gazed toward the distant horizon. There, in the western sky, two crescent moons, one above, one below, silently revealed themselves.

In that same instant, nine brilliant stars high in the firmament began to shift beneath countless awestruck gazes, drifting slowly until at last they aligned into a single perfect line.

Twin moons unveiled together. Nine stars joined as one. The tides of heaven and earth surged. The Demon Flame descended upon the world!

The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, at long last, returned to this world once more!

"Daddy?" Xiao Xiao clutched her rubber ball and tilted her small head. Xiao Cai, whose body had grown noticeably larger of late, slithered over as well, flicking her serpent tongue.

Cai Lin had felt the change too, and she walked over to speak gently to them. "Xiao Xiao, Xiao Cai, be good. Daddy and Mommy need to go fetch something. We’ll return after a while. You two be on your best behavior in the meantime."

Just then, Yun Yun approached with unhurried steps. The two women, each beautiful in her own distinct way, exchanged a long look. Once Xiao Yan, Cai Lin, and the others departed, the Yan Alliance would be left in something of a power vacuum. The strongest remaining expert would be Yun Yun, an Eight-Change Dou Venerate.

Cai Lin and Yun Yun shared little personal history. Back in the days of the Jia Ma Empire, the two had even crossed blades on account of the hostility between the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People Tribe.

"I’ll be entrusting the two of them to you. If any danger arises, take them to Eastern Dragon Island or the Beast Region," Cai Lin said with a serious look in her eyes. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was far too important to Xiao Yan. It would determine whether the Flame Mantra could evolve to the God Class, and it directly concerned Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. They had no choice but to go all out to fight for it.