Chapter 372 Suppressing the Heavenly Serpent's Soul

Qing Lin led the way as the two figures, one in front of the other, streaked toward the Northwest of the ruins.

The ancient forest below receded rapidly, with towering trees turning into blurred green shadows.

Shen Wen followed behind her, his gaze falling on Qing Lin's back, while his mind pondered the words she had just spoken.

Something was awakening deep within her Bloodline.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were naturally the nemesis of snake-type Demonic Beasts, allowing the owner to control them or even devour their Souls to strengthen themselves.

Since Qing Lin was now a Dou Zun and had the enhancements of the Heavenly Demon Body and the Great Charm Technique, the power of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils was far beyond what it had been in the original timeline.

If there really was something in these ruins that could resonate with her Bloodline...

Then it must be an existence at least at the Dou Saint level.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Qing Lin's speed slowed down.

She looked down at the dense forest below, her brow furrowing slightly. She closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then pointed toward the ground.

"It's right down there."

Shen Wen's Soul Power probed outward, instantly penetrating layers of soil and rock to reach hundreds of feet underground.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and nodded.

"Let's go."

He raised his hand, and the power of the space ancestral talisman surged from his palm, enveloping the two of them in a silver-gray light.

The next moment.

The surrounding soil and rock parted automatically like flowing water, revealing a passage leading deep underground.

The two of them descended.

The further down they went, the denser the energy in the air became, carrying a cold and ancient aura.

That aura resonated faintly with the fluctuations of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils on Qing Lin, making her breathing quicken slightly.

After an unknown amount of time, the surrounding soil and rock finally dispersed, revealing a vast underground space.

The space wasn't large, measuring about a hundred feet across.

The surrounding rock walls were covered with dense, ancient runes. These runes were layered and interconnected, forming an extremely complex sealing Formation.

In the center of the Formation, a ball of ghostly green light floated.

Within the light, a giant serpent lay coiled.

The serpent's body was a full hundred feet long, covered entirely in ghostly green scales. Each scale was the size of a palm, shimmering with a cold luster in the light.

The most striking feature was its heads—it had nine.

The nine heads were either raised or lowered, eyes tightly shut, and snake tongues flicking slightly. Even in its slumber, it still radiated a heart-palpitating pressure.

The Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake.

Qing Lin stood beside Shen Wen, staring at the giant serpent within the ghostly green light, her jade-green eyes shining with startling intensity.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils within her were throbbing wildly, as if they had encountered their fated prey.

"It's this," her voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement. "Brother Shen Wen, it's calling to me... not with a voice, but through Bloodline."

Shen Wen nodded, his gaze falling on the sealing Formation.

The Formation was very ancient and exquisite. Those layered runes were interconnected to form a complete sealing system, locking the Soul of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake firmly within this underground space.

The person who had set up this Formation was not weak; they were at least a high-level Dou Saint.

But no matter how exquisite a Formation was, it could not withstand the erosion of time.

After countless years, those runes had dimmed considerably, and several places even showed subtle cracks.

The power of the Seal was gradually dissipating, and the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake slumbering within was also slowly awakening.

Shen Wen withdrew his gaze and looked at Qing Lin.

"Can you control it?"

Qing Lin stared at the giant serpent, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"I can." She paused, light swirling in her jade-green eyes. "But I need time."

"Its Soul is too strong. Although it's suppressed by the Seal, it is an Ancient Heavenly Serpent after all..."

"I need to fully activate the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to completely control it."

Shen Wen raised his hand and struck out with a palm.

The silver-gray palm print landed on the sealing Formation. There was no earth-shaking roar, only a low, muffled thud.

The runes that were already dim shattered and vanished one by one the moment the palm print touched them, like melting snow under a blazing sun.

The sealing Formation broke.

The ghostly green light suddenly flared, illuminating the entire underground space as bright as day.

The slumbering Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake snapped its eyes open.

Eighteen eyes, ghostly green vertical pupils, cold and indifferent, carrying the violence of being startled awake.

The nine heads rose simultaneously, tongues flicking, letting out a hissing sound.

That cold and ancient aura surged out like a tide, spreading in all directions.

Qing Lin moved.

She took a step forward, jade-green light surging from her body and condensing into a massive illusory image behind her.

The phantom resembled a snake's pupil, with three eyes clearly visible, radiating a Soul-stirring and eerie power.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

The moment the light brightened, the nine heads of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake turned toward Qing Lin simultaneously.

Eighteen ghostly green vertical pupils stared at her with scrutiny, wariness, and a hint of dread from deep within its Bloodline.

Qing Lin did not retreat.

She raised her head and met those eighteen eyes.

The jade-green light swirled in her eyes, growing brighter and more intense, as if it wanted to devour all eighteen ghostly green vertical pupils.

The two forces met in mid-air, silent but as fierce as two armies clashing.

The nine heads of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake opened their mouths simultaneously, and a silent roar echoed through the underground space.

It was resisting. Although its Soul had been sealed for countless years and was weak to the extreme, the pride in its bones would not allow it to bow to a human.

Qing Lin's face turned slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, but she did not back down.

She pushed the power of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to the limit. Three beams of jade-green light shot from her eyes, piercing straight into the depths of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake's Soul.

Heavenly Demon Body. Great Charm Technique.

With the simultaneous enhancement of the two powers, the might of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils instantly surged several-fold.

The power pouring into the depths of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake's Soul was no longer simple suppression, but carried an irresistible charm.

The Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake's struggle gradually weakened.

In those eighteen ghostly green vertical pupils, the coldness and indifference were slowly fading, replaced by a dazed obedience.

The nine heads slowly lowered, the tongues stopped flicking, and the hissing sounds gradually subsided.

Qing Lin took a deep breath and formed hand Seals. A jade-green rune flew from her palm and merged into the largest head of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake.

The moment the rune entered, the nine heads of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake trembled simultaneously, then became completely quiet.

It lowered its heads, its eighteen eyes looking at Qing Lin, no longer with coldness and indifference, but with submissiveness.

"Master."

An ancient and raspy voice rang out in Qing Lin's mind; it was the Soul transmission of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake.

Qing Lin withdrew her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Her face was as pale as paper, and the sweat on her forehead slid down her cheeks.

She stood there, her legs trembling slightly, yet she smiled brilliantly.

"Brother Shen Wen, I succeeded."

Shen Wen walked up to her, reached out to support her shoulder, and Living Spirit Qi flowed from his palm into her body, helping her recover her consumed Soul Power.

"Well done."

Qing Lin leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her breathing gradually steadying.

The ball of ghostly green light slowly contracted, and the phantom of the Ancient Nine-Headed Sky Snake shrank bit by bit, finally turning into a tiny beam of light that merged into the space between Qing Lin's eyebrows.

Deep within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, a ninth snake pupil slowly opened. Within it, the phantom of a nine-headed heavenly serpent lay quietly coiled, merging with her Soul.

Qing Lin's aura began to climb.

Four-Star Dou Zun.

Five-Star Dou Zun.

Six-Star Dou Zun.

The rising momentum only gradually slowed down once it reached the mid-stage of Six-Star Dou Zun.

She opened her eyes, and the light swirling in her jade-green pupils was deeper and more Soul-stirring than before.

"Once I've completely refined its Soul," she said softly, "I should be able to reach Dou Saint."

Shen Wen rubbed her head and didn't say much else.

The two of them left the underground space and returned to the surface.

The ancient forest was still quiet. The distant roars of beasts were intermittent, and sunlight spilled through the gaps in the canopy, spreading a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground.

"Let's go." Shen Wen raised his hand and tore through space. "It's time to head back."

Qing Lin nodded and followed behind him, stepping into the spatial rift.

By the time they returned to the Shen Residence, it was already evening.

The lights were on in the Flower Hall. Xiao Yi Xian was sitting by the window, flipping through a Pill Formula brought back from the Pill Tower. Dan Chen was beside her, taking small sips from a bowl of soup, while Tang Huo'er was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the two enter, Xiao Yi Xian looked up, her gaze sweeping over Qing Lin as her brows quirked slightly.

"A Breakthrough?"

Qing Lin nodded and sat down beside her, picking up a teacup and taking a sip.

Her face was still a bit pale, but her spirits were high, and light swirled in her jade-green eyes.

Xiao Yi Xian didn't ask further, simply handing the Pill Formula in her hand to Shen Wen: "This was sent over from the Pill Tower. They said it's a newly organized Eighth Grade Pill formula and wanted you to take a look when you have time."

Shen Wen took it, flipped through a couple of pages, and stored it in his storage ring.

In the following days, Shen Wen stayed comfortably in Pill City.

With the matter of the Beast Region ruins concluded, he considered the opportunities he knew about next.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree and the Heavenly Tomb were not things that could be approached in the short term.

So Shen Wen was in no hurry.

Every day he went to the Pill Tower, spending a few hours in Old Man Shennong's medicinal garden, pondering the refinement of Ninth Grade Pills.

The rest of his time was spent at the residence, accompanying Cao Ying and Shen Yunlong, and practicing the Dragon-Phoenix Harmony Scripture with the women. His days were peaceful and fulfilling.

His cultivation was steadily improving.

One day, when Shen Wen returned from the Pill Tower and had just sat down in the Flower Hall, Cao Ying walked out from the backyard.

She handed Shen Yunlong to a maid, sat down beside Shen Wen, and took a jade talisman from her sleeve to hand to him.

"A message from the Yan Clan side."

Shen Wen took it and probed it with his Soul Power. A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly.

Cao Ying looked at him: "What is it?"

"The matter of the Ling Clan has been exposed." Shen Wen put down the jade talisman and leaned back against the chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. "Someone broke through the Ling Clan's Small World and found that there wasn't a single person inside.

Not only is the clan seat empty, but all those Ling Clan disciples who were traveling outside have also vanished."

Shen Wen shook his head. In the original timeline, he estimated the Ling Clan should have been destroyed around the time the Heavenly Tomb opened.

But based on the various information he had collected previously, the Ling Clan had actually been destroyed long ago. He could only say it was likely influenced by him.

It was possible that because the Spirit Devouring Life-Extinguishing Arrays were being constantly destroyed—aside from the Gu Clan, he had used the Gold-Devouring Rats to gather intelligence and had been taking action continuously while wiping out the Hall of Souls.

This had likely provoked the Hun Clan into action.

The Flower Hall fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Yi Xian looked up, her brow slightly knit.

Dan Chen put down her soup bowl, her eyes wide. Tang Huo'er walked in from outside and happened to hear these words, her footsteps pausing.

"All vanished?" Tang Huo'er walked over and sat opposite Shen Wen, her voice tight. "Not a single one left?"

Shen Wen nodded.

"How is that possible?" Tang Huo'er frowned. "The Ling Clan is an Emperor Clan with a Legacy of ten thousand years and Dou Saints guarding it. Even if they were exterminated, it's impossible for there to be no commotion at all."