424: Digging up the demon's ancestral grave! (4K monthly ticket request)

The snow was getting heavy!

Outside Chuanzhong Pass, on a hill, three figures, straight as blades, appeared one by one, gazing towards the city wall.

The wild wind, carrying heavy snow, howled like a raging tide across this border pass, carved by Li Daojian with an axe. The few lights on the city wall were severely bent by the wind and snow, yet they never extinguished.

Suddenly, a dull roar, like thunder rolling from the horizon, rumbled closer and closer.

Immediately after, the heavy city gates creaked open, emitting a muffled sound.

The next second, thunder erupted from the city gate, and tens of thousands of iron cavalry, like a black torrent, surged out of the city.

The iron hooves of the warhorses trampled on the accumulated snow, quickly churning up mud. On their backs, cold light glinted off their iron armor, and behind them, black banners with gold edges flapped in the strong wind, like black wings.

Beneath their iron helmets, stern eyes shot out cold light, cutting through the snowy night as they rushed out of the city!

The Ninth Mountain thus marched south!

On the distant hill, Yang Shan, the Peak Martial Monk from Wudao Mountain, watched the black torrent of steel rush southward, his eyes blazing. "It's time for us to move out too!"

With that, he transformed into a cold star, soaring upwards, and plunged into the wind and snow. Ling Yunzi and Zhao Quanzhen, in unison, stepped forward and followed swiftly and decisively.

At this moment, amidst the iron-armored torrent of thousands of troops, at the front of the Formation, an old general with a goatee, clad in green armor, was hidden within the torrent. With one hand holding the reins and his body slightly hunched, he formed a sword-finger with the other, using it as a brush. Chanting incantations, amidst the howling wind and snow, he wrote with flowing strokes, and golden characters lit up with each stroke before disappearing into the air.

It was as if a character key in the Void Realm had been pressed and then released!

However, these extinguished characters did not truly disappear; instead, they entered another formless realm of nothingness. These characters, formed from the power of incense, transformed into streaks of golden light, traversing thousands of mountains and waters in this Void Realm at an unimaginable speed, heading to another land.

The next second, ten thousand miles away, on Xian Ti Mountain, a massive volcano, with a diameter of over ten miles, lay. Beneath its scorching magma, a pair of terrifying green triangular snake eyes now opened.

This ten-zhang long green Gou Snake was now exhaling a wisp of golden flame, transforming into a raging fire, enveloping a massive object. The surrounding magma appeared a terrifying deep purple, with faint golden streaks of flowing fire within the purple.

The temperature here had reached a terrifying level; the deep purple magma could incinerate a Martial Monk's Physical Body.

Yet, this ten-zhang long green Gou Snake remained within it as if unaffected, currently exhaling golden flames, devouring an object.

This object was, astonishingly, the skeletal remains of a Vicious Beast. Its bones were as clear as white jade, only fifty to sixty feet long, yet it had two horns on its head and two hooks on its tail. The surface of its white jade-like bones was laced with faint golden threads, which carried powerful vitality and pressure, like flowing beast blood. It was unknown what kind of Yao's blood could retain such powerful pressure after death.

And outside these beast bones, within the purple fire domain, shimmering Restrictions, radiating flowing light, heavily encircled these white jade beast bones.

But these layers of Restrictions had been breached by this green Gou Snake!

"The front lines have mobilized, faster than I anticipated. I need to speed up too!"

At this moment, as the green triangular snake eyes opened, a string of golden characters flashed within them like fleeting shadows. Immediately after, the snake spoke in human tongue.

It was Chen Yuan, who had infiltrated Xian Ti Mountain last night!

Things had progressed more smoothly than he had imagined. He first used the Dream Grafting Divine Ability to capture several intelligent Yao Snakes, extracting some basic information about their clan. After gaining a basic understanding of the situation, he killed a Body Profound realm Gou Snake in a volcanic Immortal Cave, refined its vital blood, and took over its body, then used the Embryonic Transformation Divine Ability to replace it.

Then he simply waited, as he had received news that the Hooked Snake Clan would transport troops to Yin Mountain at regular intervals.

As it turned out, before even a day passed, the bells rang in the Hooked Snake Clan's territory on Xian Ti Mountain, summoning their clansmen. Thousands upon thousands of Gou Snakes emerged from various volcanic caves, flowing upstream along the magma river, converging at the massive volcano known as the clan territory.

Chen Yuan, transformed into one of them, arrived at this volcano and witnessed hundreds of giant, ferocious Gou Snakes creating a commotion within, a truly spectacular sight.

However, many of them were Yao Snakes whose ancestral Bloodline had not yet awakened, or whose cultivation was low and had not yet developed intelligence. He mingled among them, wondering how to infiltrate this clan territory, when streaks of flowing light flew out from the massive volcanic crater.

Those were golden snake scales, each as large as a millstone. These golden snake scales flew rapidly down along the various magma rivers erupting from the giant volcano, shuttling and swimming within the magma fire rivers.

When these snake scales passed by some slightly stronger Gou Snakes, they would burrow into the snake's body, and then the surface of that Gou Snake would emit a faint golden light.

It was as if they had been chosen by some selection process!

And those that clearly lacked intelligence or had low Demonic Qi were bypassed by these snake scales!

At that moment, a golden snake scale shot directly towards the Gou Snake Chen Yuan had transformed into. His heart tightened slightly, but he did not reveal his Qi to deflect it. Instead, he allowed the snake scale to transform into a faint golden light and burrow into his body.

Once the snake scale entered his body, it was immediately suppressed by his three Divine Treasures, as well as his Golden Core and Dao Fruit. Streaks of profound light emanated from it, exciting a small drop of Gou Snake vital blood that he had refined into an acupoint within his body. Subsequently, his "snake body" also emitted golden light!

Thus, he was chosen and led into what the Hooked Snake Clan called their clan territory, which was that massive volcano!

Inside was a world of its own, with architecture not much different from human carved beams and painted rafters. Immediately after, the transformed Tianguan Demon General of the clan told these chosen Gou Snakes that their group of demons would accompany the Heavenly Dog adults on an expedition beyond the mountains. The hundreds of Gou Snakes chosen by the snake scales let out excited, ferocious roars.

Before their departure, those of them who had been cultivating outside were to enter the "Dragon Transformation Pool" once, to accelerate the Awakening of their ancestral Bloodline and cleanse the traces of the curse.

And so, Chen Yuan now found himself here, in what the Hooked Snake Clan called their Forbidden Ground, the Dragon Transformation Pool!

This was also the first time Chen Yuan truly witnessed the unique Rank system and social structure of the Yao Race!

Lower-Rank clansmen, like wild beasts, were left to roam the mountains, fighting and hunting, while higher-Ranked demons had social structures no different from humans, though their behaviors were simple and crude.

At this moment, Chen Yuan was astonishingly in the deepest part of this Dragon Transformation Pool!

Before entering, he was cautious of any Bloodline imprints left by the Hooked Snake Clan, to avoid exposure. However, he found that after entering this magma pool, the Gou Snake vital blood within him indeed surged, but very quickly, it was firmly suppressed by another majestic cry.

Within his Fire Divine Treasure, the Fire Phoenix let out a joyous cry. The fiery red Wutong leaves growing on the coffin lid trembled, sweeping out a suction force.

Then, Chen Yuan's body began to frantically absorb the fire essence from this magma pool!

Sensing this change, he immediately cut off the suction force. If he revealed any abnormality here, wouldn't it be like putting a sign saying 'There is no silver here'?

He sensed several gazes observing him in the dark!

Although he didn't sense any Qi that threatened him, he was a crucial part of the plan, so caution was paramount.

However, sensing his Fire Divine Treasure's craving for this essence Qi, he also grew curious. After all, this coffin lid was made from a section of the Wutong Divine Wood. For it to show a hint of abnormality, there must be something special about it.

So, Chen Yuan watched his "companions" roaring in agony as they activated their ancestral Bloodline in the "Dragon Transformation Pool," and silently submerged himself!

As he delved deeper into the magma pool, Chen Yuan was somewhat surprised to find that the situation inside was very similar; the deeper he went, the more the magma's color changed, and the temperature became increasingly terrifying.

However, with the Fire Phoenix Divine Fire within him, he was as comfortable as a fish in water, and continued to dive to the deepest part. He initially felt some anticipation when he saw the scene, and then he saw a beast bone here!

The anomalies of this "Dragon Transformation Pool" were all due to this beast bone.

This left Chen Yuan, who had been hoping to find a pleasant surprise here, somewhat disappointed. The surprise he spoke of was, of course, the Qi Luck Spiritual Root!

Clearly, he was being greedy!

Though this fire domain was terrifying, it couldn't compare to the one in General Mountain back then. The deepest part of that place, where the coffin was placed, was filled with a golden fire domain that even Martial Monk Divine Ability users would avoid like the plague, not daring to touch it. Chen Yuan had used it once during the Tianxiong Pass mutiny and once during the great battle in Qingshan County, and the effects were surprisingly good.

However, that tomb in General Mountain involved both the "White Jade Capital" and the Wutong Divine Wood, neither of which was simple on its own.

For this beast bone to have such an effect was truly extraordinary!

Observing the appearance of the beast bone and feeling its pressure, Chen Yuan speculated that it must be the remains of a Hooked Snake Clan ancestor who had passed away long ago.

He didn't know how many years this corpse had been here, still retaining such immense pressure, but it must have been a Dragon Tiger-Ranked Great Demon!

Or perhaps even more powerful!

A corpse of this Rank was naturally a great treasure!

Since he had stumbled upon it, and it was even the ancestral grave of demons, Chen Yuan would be letting himself down if he hesitated for even a second, so he decided to excavate it!

Facing the layers of Restrictions set up by this clan outside, it didn't take him much effort to break through them, given his knowledge of the Dao of Formations. It wasn't that the Restrictions set by the Hooked Snake Clan weren't powerful enough; rather, these Restrictions relied on the fire domain here to exist. Chen Yuan had the Formation Divine Ability, the Dharma Eye, which is a Restriction-breaking divine light, and the Fire Phoenix Divine Fire. With these three working in concert, he opened a gap in the Restrictions without causing any disturbance and slipped inside.

Now, he was in the process of initially refining this demon bone, using the Divine Fire to envelop it. The golden threads on it were slowly refined into Chen Yuan's body by the Divine Fire, circulating and entering the Fire Divine Treasure, where they were absorbed by the Fire Phoenix Incarnation hovering within. The Wutong Divine Leaf inside became Blazingred and trembled, slowly drawing out new branches from the coffin lid.

At the same time, during this process, the small drop of Gou Snake vital blood within him continuously boiled, Impurities dissipating as wisps of black Qi. The crimson blood droplet became exquisitely vibrant, and a faint power seemed to be Awakening within it. Though not immensely powerful, it was astonishingly pure, and he could sense fragmented streams of information within it.

Chen Yuan did not stop this; he merely sealed his acupoints, not daring to let this Qi leak out, and developed a strong interest in it.

Was this what the demons referred to as "ancestral Bloodline" Awakening?

One must know that most of the demons' power came from the power inherited in their Bloodline from their ancestors. Some were Innate, others Acquired. These Yao Race inscribed their Legacy in their blood, passing it down from generation to generation, enduring through time.

However, as generations multiplied, the blood within these demons became increasingly mixed and impure, and the power they obtained became less and less. They could not awaken autonomously, or rather, they could only awaken a portion of the Legacy after cultivating to a certain stage.

This was the so-called ancestral Bloodline Awakening, and it was the main way the Demon Race gained power!

Chen Yuan had previously learned the Demon Nine Transformations Divine Ability, which later evolved into the Heavenly Gate Divine Ability Embryonic Transformation. His body could contain all rivers and transform in countless ways, which was why he dared to risk walking a tightrope deep into the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Now, he was actually experiencing the true Legacy Awakening of a demon, which was truly profound.

However, he had received news from Gongsun Yang that Chuanzhong Pass had already mobilized its troops, so he didn't waste any more time on this path. He composed himself, intensified the fire, and accelerated the refining of this white jade demon bone, extracting the golden threads from it like silk from a cocoon, and swallowing them all.

At the same time, his perception never stopped radiating outwards, sensing every disturbance outside. Fortunately, it remained calm. He had several layers of Qi concealment Divine Abilities, and the layers of Restrictions outside also indirectly helped to mask his presence.

After all, the Yao Race here would never have imagined that at the foot of Yin Mountain, where the Human Race was extinct and demons were everywhere, someone would actually dig up their ancestral grave!

Under this "calm," the demon bone, being refined by the Divine Fire, continued to shrink, and the golden threads on it gradually diminished.

About an hour later, the demon bone had been melted into a white jade paste, and almost all the golden threads had been extracted.

However, Chen Yuan didn't have that much time for quiet refining. He simply opened his mouth wide and swallowed the Divine Fire along with the paste.

Then, his pupils flashed, and he spat out a stream of golden magma, replenishing the golden color of the magma that had been diluted here due to the demon bone being taken away. He stirred it around, and then a golden light suddenly shot out from his snake eyes.

The golden light transformed, taking on the appearance of the demon bone!

Having completed all this, Chen Yuan's gaze flickered. He then went to the edge of the layers of Restrictions and, using the same method, opened a hole in the Restrictions large enough for him to pass through. He then left the Restrictions and surged straight up through the magma.

Half a cup of tea later,

"Splash!"

A blue light shot out from the magma pool, landing with a thud on the nearby volcanic rock. A pair of green snake eyes gleamed with a chilling light, surveying the surroundings!

Around him, dense demonic shadows had already emerged, and the Demonic Qi had clearly become much more concentrated!

More and more Gou Snakes were also coming out from inside.

Chen Yuan was among the middle group of Gou Snakes to emerge, neither too early nor too late.

Once all the Gou Snakes had emerged,

The Tianguan Demon General who had led them earlier spoke expressionlessly,

"Let's go, it's time to set off!" (End of Chapter)