Three days passed quickly. At this moment, Qing Lin stood gracefully by the lakeside, quietly gazing at the calm surface, not missing a single movement.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind came, and Yao Ming's figure appeared behind Qing Lin. He anxiously said, "Mistress Qing Lin, the Tian Yao Huang tribe is attacking. For your safety, please take shelter!"
"No, I will stay here and wait for Brother Jiang Yun to come out!" Qing Lin gently shook her head and spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the surface of the Nine Nether Yellow Spring.
"This..." Hearing Qing Lin's response, Yao Ming hesitated but, seeing the determination in her eyes, sighed and turned to leave.
On a distant mountain peak stood a dozen figures. One of them, an elder with a cold face, looked at the approaching Yao Ming and said sternly, "Chief, the Tian Yao Huang tribe is bullying us too much. They claim they want to annihilate our tribe! If we do nothing, we will become a laughingstock—no tribe will dare to align with us in the future."
As soon as this elder finished speaking, many other voices agreed, clearly angered by the arrogance of the Tian Yao Huang tribe.
"Elder Mo, this is not a simple matter. The Tian Yao Huang tribe's chief, Huang Tian, has personally led this attack. That old fellow is at the late stage of the Five-Star Dou Sheng. Who among us in the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe can match him?" A stern-looking elder in gray robes frowned as he spoke.
Hearing this, a wave of exclamations arose in the crowd, as the power of a Five-Star Dou Sheng left them overwhelmed.
"Chief, what does that lord have to say?" Someone asked, frowning and looking at Yao Ming.
The presence of Jiang Yun and Qing Lin was no secret among the high ranks of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe. They knew their chief had obtained a powerful backer, possibly even linked to the Taixu Ancient Dragon.
Feeling the gathered gazes, Yao Ming spoke gravely, "That lord is now at the bottom of the lake. If Huang Tian dares to come here, this place will be his burial ground!"
Hearing Yao Ming's words, many people subconsciously sighed in relief. Whether true or not, Yao Ming's assurance greatly boosted their morale.
They all began preparing to teach the invaders from the Tian Yao Huang tribe a lesson.
"Yao Ming, I hear you were revived. This seat hasn't properly congratulated you yet!"
Suddenly, a voice filled with a strong pressure echoed like thunder, reverberating in the ears of every member of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe.
Hearing this voice, the expressions of the elders on the mountain peak turned solemn.
Yao Ming's eyes grew darker, and he soared into the sky, looking towards the mountains beyond.
In that direction, a massive celestial phoenix flapped its enormous wings, hundreds of meters long. Atop the phoenix's head stood a figure in a purple-gold robe, hands clasped behind his back. His golden eyes, filled with majesty, gazed towards Yao Ming.
"Chief Huang Tian, this is not a gesture of congratulations," Yao Ming said gravely, looking at Huang Tian and several figures behind him.
Those three were the Elders of the Tian Yao Huang tribe: Tian Yao San Huang—Phoenix, Kun Huang, and Eagle Huang. They were respectively a Two-Star Dou Sheng, a late-stage One-Star Dou Sheng, and a mid-stage One-Star Dou Sheng.
"Yao Ming, I will cut to the chase. Tell me the truth about the disturbance caused by the Nine Nether Yellow Spring half a month ago, or..."
Huang Tian's cold gaze fixed on Yao Ming as he spoke. As his words fell, a terrifying aura burst forth from his body, making the atmosphere around them oppressive.
"Chief Huang Tian, I advise you, this is not something you should covet. It will only bring disaster upon your Tian Yao Huang tribe! Do not mislead yourself!" Yao Ming's face turned serious as he looked at Huang Tian.
Huang Tian's golden eyes filled with icy coldness as he laughed, "A joke. What thing in this Beast Region is beyond my reach?"
Hearing Huang Tian's cold laugh, Yao Ming's face darkened further. Today's matter wouldn't end peacefully.
"I must see what this place has to offer!"
As Huang Tian's voice fell, the surrounding space rippled. His form shot towards the depths of the Nine Nether Earth Python Headquarters, where the Nine Nether Yellow Spring was located.
Seeing Huang Tian's audacious attempt to forcefully intrude, the faces of many Nine Nether Earth Python tribe elders turned grim. Such actions were tantamount to publicly slapping their tribe's face!
"Huang Tian, don't go too far! This is the territory of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe!" Yao Ming's figure flashed and appeared in front of Huang Tian, his face darkening as he shouted angrily.
"Yao Ming, as a Two-Star Dou Sheng, are you sure you want to attempt to stop me? As a chief, are you willing to endanger your tribe?" Huang Tian's indifferent gaze coldly swept over Yao Ming and the elders behind him.
"Huang Tian, you shall not pass today!"
"Huang Quan Palm!"
Yao Ming's eyes turned cold. Ignoring the vast gap between them, he unleashed a terrifyingly powerful palm strike towards Huang Tian.
"Overestimating yourself!"
Seeing Yao Ming dare to make a move, a mocking glint flashed in Huang Tian's eyes. His relaxed face turned utterly cold, and with a flick of his two slender fingers, a golden feather darted out like lightning, clashing with Yao Ming's fierce palm wind.
"Hiss!"
Upon contact, Yao Ming's palm wind disintegrated. The golden feather, sharp as a divine blade, easily cut through Yao Ming's fierce palm wind, leaving a half-inch-long wound on his steel-hard palm.
In a single exchange, Yao Ming was wounded. His face changed as the golden energy spread from the wound, numbing his muscles.
"If I wanted to kill you, it would be effortless."
Huang Tian's figure, like a phantom, appeared in front of Yao Ming. His cold golden gaze swept over Yao Ming before he waved his sleeve, sending Yao Ming crashing into a mountain peak with a single blow.
"Chief!"
Seeing Yao Ming unable to withstand even one move, the expressions of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe elders changed. Fury rose in their hearts.
"Form the array!" A shout emerged from the rubble of the mountain.
"Yes!"
Hearing Yao Ming's command, all the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe elders responded with cold determination. In unison, nearly a hundred figures soared to the sky, their complex connections hinting at an intricate formation.
"Great Serpent Formation!"
Pillars of light erupted from their bodies, linking together in less than a minute to form a massive formation in the sky, stretching for thousands of meters.
A black shadow flashed, and Yao Ming swiftly took his place at the center of the formation.
However, looking toward Yao Ming, Huang Tian's tone was filled with disdain as he said, "The formation is impressive, but you are no longer the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe of old."
"Heavenly Phoenix Formation!"
As his words fell, Huang Tian waved his sleeve, and the many strong members of the Tian Yao Huang tribe quickly spread out. Following a unified shout, a deafening cry rang out.
"Hiss—"
"Chirp—"
With two terrifying roars, immense energy converged and formed a colossal serpent and a massive phoenix, standing proudly before everyone's eyes.
The giant serpent emanated an ancient aura and carried immense power, while the ancient celestial phoenix, with its massive wings, looked even more dominant.
The confrontation also alarmed the nearby powerful figures. They looked over and gasped in shock, clearly not expecting the appearance of the two tribal formations.
"Attack—" At this moment, the sky echoed with the shouts of the two tribes.
Everyone watched as the colossal serpent, formed by the elders of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe, swung its massive tail, shattering the space around it.
Facing this terrifying impact, Huang Tian merely raised an eyebrow. The ancient celestial phoenix screeched and struck with golden wings, colliding with the serpent.
"Boom!"
In the sky, the collision created a shockwave, sending the ancient celestial phoenix flickering but making the serpent's form appear more ethereal. In this first clash, the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe clearly fell short.
Seeing this, Huang Tian's figure flickered and charged at Yao Ming amidst countless gazes.
"Dammit—"
Seeing that even their combined effort couldn't stop Huang Tian's onslaught, Yao Ming felt a surge of helplessness.
"Demon Phoenix Claw!" Huang Tian coldly targeted Yao Ming, his lethal attack tearing through space, aiming at Yao Ming's head.
"Yao Ming was subdued by Brother Jiang Yun. Without Brother Jiang Yun's orders, Qing Lin cannot let him die before me!"
At this moment, a soft but firm voice echoed. Despite the gentle tone, everyone felt a chill.
"Roar—"
Next, a roar sounded above the Nine Nether Yellow Spring. A woman in green robes stood in mid-air. Behind her, a thousand-meter-long serpent with nine heads emerged, attacking Huang Tian.
"Dou Sheng... Ancient Sky Serpent!?"
Seeing the approaching ancient serpent, a trace of shock appeared in Huang Tian's eyes. The ancient serpent and phoenix were once equals, supposed to have vanished into history.
The Tian Yao Huang tribe descended from the ancient phoenix. How could an ancient serpent exist on the current continent?
No time to ponder, Huang Tian reacted swiftly, a black aura erupting and forming a massive, grotesque mouth rushing to devour the ancient serpent.
"Devour Heaven and Earth!"
"Bang—"
With a resounding boom, the dense energy shockwave sent the green-clad figure retreating.
Huang Tian sneered as he watched Qing Lin being forced back. "So what if it's an ancient Sky Serpent? A living serpent might be a threat, but a mere spectral form is foolish to challenge me!"
"Kun Huang's Blood Stomach!"
Black aura surged from Huang Tian, quickly forming a massive digestive-like organ above, resembling a monstrous maw, rushing toward Qing Lin.
"Huang Quan Finger!" Stabilizing herself, Qing Lin pointed, stirring a violent energy, forming a gigantic yellow finger that tore through space, crashing into the maw.
"Boom—"
The maw devoured the Huang Quan finger effortlessly, but the strike pushed Qing Lin into the formation center, replacing Yao Ming.
Arriving, Qing Lin rapidly formed seals as numerous figures appeared around.
Simultaneously, her eyes glowed with green petals blooming. Every strong member of the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe now had a mark on their foreheads.
"Heavenly Serpent Position!"
With a shout, the summoned giant serpent dissipated, replaced by the ancient serpent behind Qing Lin, now more solid.
From above, one could see green lines connecting all the tribe's strong members to Qing Lin, funneling endless power into the ancient serpent.
"Green Snake Triple Flower Pupils!" Recognizing the eyes' peculiarities, Huang Tian's face turned serious, quickly grasping the situation.
"This explains why Yao Ming went to such lengths to stop me."
"So what if it's the Green Snake Triple Flower Pupils?" After his shock, Huang Tian sneered, "Great Cracking Demon Claw!"
His form blurred, reappearing above Qing Lin with massive black claws locking her space, aiming to crush her head.
Qing Lin's eyes narrowed but she didn't dodge. Instead, she changed her hand seals, causing the ancient serpent to roar, its nine heads each exuding different energies, clashing with the claws.
"Boom—"
In the sky, the claws and the ancient serpent's nine heads collided, creating a storm of destructive energy, tearing apart the surrounding space.
Although the ancient celestial phoenix's form flickered, it remained stable while the serpent's form suffered, sending the Nine Nether Earth Python tribe into a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Huang Tian's form flickered directly at Qing Lin.
"Dammit—"
Seeing their combined power still futile against Huang Tian, Yao Ming's anger grew, mingled with hopelessness.
Ancient Celestial Phoenix Formation's pressure pressed on them, energy tempestuous, challenging them all.
Huang Tian's black claw swiped, aiming directly at Qing Lin's head.rones, her words unwaveringly firm.