Chapter 283: Heavenly Nail Subdues the Demon Snake

The most precious treasure of this minor Xuanyou Sect was a mountain rock inscribed with a mural.

It appeared, and indeed was, a very ordinary rock mural.

However, the content carved on the mural was extraordinary. It depicted a colossal dragon-serpent beast, long-bodied and seemingly serpentine, yet possessing six pairs of fleshy wings on its back.

Its head resembled that of a crocodile, appearing incredibly ferocious. Even as a mere carving on the mural, its immense malevolence was palpable.

In the mural, it was firmly pinned by a massive nail through its tail, restricting its movement. A thick chain connected to the nail at one end, with the other end directly forged into the head of the dragon-serpent beast.

Thus, both the head and tail of this dragon-serpent were restrained, yet it wouldn't easily die. Its body clearly bore a long, gaping wound, revealing its internal tendons and bones.

On these tendons and bones, numerous, dense, and horrifying restrictions were carved.

These depictions on the mural conveyed to anyone who saw them that this dragon-serpent was destined for an exceedingly miserable existence. It could only struggle and wail, yet to no avail. This clearly indicated that whoever had pinned it down harbored an immense hatred for the creature.

It was a clear case of choosing to inflict extreme torment rather than simply kill it.

What most shocked Xu Qing and the captain was that the artist had carved swirling stars in the serpent's eyes, appearing upon closer inspection as if tens of thousands of stars were superimposed.

This was... the second stage of the Return to Ruin Grand Realm!

Xu Qing glanced at the captain, who also looked at Xu Qing, then both simultaneously turned their gaze to the old man.

“What is this object?” the captain asked.

“This is how our Xuanyou Sect is connected to Ancient Emperor Xuanyou,” the old man quickly explained. “Countless ages ago, before Ancient Emperor Xuanyou unified Wanggu, he embarked on his legendary life's journey, arriving by sea with a mission and setting foot on the Wanggu continent.”

“At that time, though the Ancient Emperor’s Great Dao was not yet complete, suppressing this small demonic serpent was effortless for him. He ultimately used a celestial nail to pin the serpent to the shore of Yinghuang State, branding restrictions into its tendons and bones to torment it. Meanwhile, he casually remarked to his companions, 'For biting me, I shall suppress this demonic serpent for a hundred thousand years.'”

Upon his first arrival, the land the Ancient Emperor set foot on was what is now Yinghuang State. As he was about to disembark on his journey, a demonic serpent that had long plagued the area, defying the Ancient Emperor, brazenly bit him.

“Furthermore, the Ancient Emperor also left behind a poem back then,”

“‘Celestial nail suppresses the demonic serpent, myriad laws refine the cosmos!’” Speaking of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, the old man, despite lying on the ground with the captain’s foot on him, couldn’t help but reveal a hint of pride in his expression.

“Just for one bite, he ripped open its belly, branded it with restrictions, and subjected it to painful torment for a hundred thousand years? What a petty person!” The captain’s expression turned odd, and he couldn’t help but glance at Xu Qing, transmitting his voice.

“Little Ah Qing, before this, I thought you were the pettiest of all. Now it seems you still have work to do.” The captain winked. With outsiders present, he wouldn't openly call Xu Qing by name, but voice transmission was fine.

“Captain, in your previous life, you must have been that snake, right?” Xu Qing replied, his expression unchanged.

The captain raised an eyebrow, chuckled, then turned and stomped on the old man's belly, speaking with a fierce expression.

“Your sect’s most treasured possession is just this mural? If there’s a mural, then the location where the snake was pinned is also here?” After speaking, the captain looked around, seeing no place resembling the depiction in the mural.

The old man felt a bit awkward about this question. After a moment of hesitation, seeing that these two disciples from a superior sect were not benevolent, he dared not conceal the truth and could only sigh.

“It’s not here.”

“Where is it?” Xu Qing asked, a faint suspicion forming in his mind.

“It’s within the forbidden grounds of the Xuanyou Sect of your Eight Sect Alliance,” the old man stated truthfully.

The captain chuckled at this.

“Your sect’s treasured mural depicts the forbidden grounds of the Alliance’s Xuanyou Sect?”

The old man became even more embarrassed, forcing a bitter smile.

“Actually, within Yinghuang State, we are the most authentic Xuanyou Sect. Our sect’s ancestors were tasked by the Ancient Emperor to guard that demonic serpent, ensuring its suffering deepened by a fraction each year.”

“Time passed like this, and although the lineage was interrupted a few times, it was barely maintained until my master's time. He met Fairy Zixuan of your Alliance’s Xuanyou Sect—now known as Immortal Zixuan. My master immediately recognized her boundless potential with a single glance.”

“So, he willingly gave away the ancestral land and entrusted the sect’s important responsibilities to her. He then freely led us to live in seclusion here, enjoying a peaceful and tranquil life, free from worldly strife. Thirty years ago, he passed away.”

Xu Qing looked at the gaunt disciples around him, then at the cowering old man. He remained silent regarding the old man’s words.

The captain’s expression was peculiar as he looked at the old man.

The old man felt awkward inwardly, unsure what to say.

“Is your master’s surname Zhao? Zhao Zhongheng?” After a long pause, the captain cleared his throat and asked.

“Huh? My master isn’t named Zhao,” the old man replied, startled.

The captain shook his head and lifted his foot from the old man. He felt it was a bit wrong to bully them; they were too pathetic.

So, he meticulously inquired further about the snake.

“That ancestral land is now the core foundation of the Eight Sect Alliance’s Xuanyou Sect. I haven't been there myself, but I heard my master say that the ancestral land is filled with terrifying soul force. The density of this soul force is quite beneficial for cultivation; even a single breath provides immense advantages. And although the demonic serpent's physical body is dead, leaving only its skeleton, my master said that the serpent hasn't truly died. Its soul is still present, though incredibly weak and dormant. Therefore, what can be absorbed is merely its ambient soul force.”

“The Ancient Emperor’s seal not only pinned down the demonic serpent’s physical body but also its divine soul. For countless years, this demonic serpent has harbored a deep-seated hatred for Ancient Emperor Xuanyou!”

As the old man continued his explanation, Xu Qing and the captain gained a deeper understanding of the Alliance Xuanyou Sect’s place of creation. After some time, they chose to leave.

They didn't overly pursue the matter of the sect diverting resources, merely warning them not to be excessive and then leaving them to their own devices. As for the large rock at the entrance, after trying, the two found it truly couldn't be removed; it was as if it had grown out of the ground.

The captain, unwilling to give up, went over and bit it, tearing off a piece, but this was his limit. To the alarm of the Xuanyou Sect members, the two then departed.

“I still feel a bit short-changed; we didn’t get anything,” the captain sighed on the way back.

Xu Qing nodded. He also felt that the gains from this trip were too meager.

The two exchanged glances.

“What do you say we figure out a way to go absorb some energy from that Xuanyou Sect’s place of creation after we get back?” the captain prompted.

Xu Qing hesitated. Immortal Zixuan’s image flashed through his mind, and he instinctively didn't want to go, especially since he felt that merely absorbing ambient soul force wasn't worth visiting the Xuanyou Sect.

“However, just absorbing some ambient soul force, such a trivial matter, is pointless. If we could find a way to awaken that demonic serpent's soul, and we take a bite, that would yield the greatest benefits!” As the captain spoke, his eyes gleamed.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing was immediately tempted. He no longer considered Immortal Zixuan and began seriously pondering the feasibility of the plan, as did the captain.

A moment later, as the two flew out of Mount Taishi Due and remotely spotted the alliance fleet, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

“Since that demonic serpent harbors a deep-seated hatred for Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, if it were to see someone who resembles the Ancient Emperor, do you think it might be stimulated, causing its soul to awaken from its slumber?”

The captain's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

“I was just thinking about that myself,” the captain said. “You mean Little Jianjian, right?”

Xu Qing nodded. The captain chuckled, and the two began discussing the details. They finalized the specifics once aboard the ship, as it continued its journey.

“Wu Jianwu hasn’t arrived; he should still be in Southern Phoenix Continent, specifically within the Phoenix Forbidden Zone.” Xu Qing looked at the captain, emphasizing that getting him to come willingly was key.

“That’s simple,” the captain replied. “That kid’s worship of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou is fanatical. I’ll send someone to search for him in the Phoenix Forbidden Zone and pass him a message, telling him we’ve discovered the Ancient Emperor’s former residence, and there’s even a poem written by the Ancient Emperor himself!”

“Let me tell you, Little Ah Qing, the former residence and the poem, especially the latter, will be an indescribable draw for Little Jianjian!” The captain beamed with excitement, immediately using the Security Department’s ship to transmit a message to the sect, beginning to arrange the matter.

Thus, time slowly passed. Several months flew by, and the Security Department’s river patrol proceeded relatively smoothly. Gradually, their fleet of boats finally reached the end of the river channel.

This was the intersection of the main river and Mount Taishi Due, and also the former location of the Shaosi Sect’s mountain gate. As they approached, Xu Qing saw the Shaosi Sect in ruins, and the collapsed dam.

The fragments of this dam, even the small ones, measured hundreds of zhang, while the larger ones were thousands of zhang. One could imagine that before its collapse, this dam must have been astonishingly massive.

Beyond the shattered dam and the ruins of the Shaosi Sect, Xu Qing and the captain beheld a vast river-sea, immeasurably wider than any tributary.

That was the main channel of the Immortal Everlasting River!

As it surged, it resembled a vast ocean, its waters churning, creating thunderous roars that incessantly echoed.

The spiritual immortal energy here was exceedingly dense, to the point that most disciples of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect could not approach too closely without feeling dizzy and intoxicated.

Standing there, Xu Qing felt equally moved. He looked eastward, towards the direction of the Taishi Immortal Gate, while to the west lay the vast Mount Taishi Due and, beyond it, Yinghuang State’s first forbidden zone.

This main river, after flowing into the forbidden zone, emerged black, becoming astonishingly anomalous.

One could imagine that within that forbidden zone, there must be an extremely terrifying entity that reversed the immortal essence, transforming it from celestial to anomalous!