Chapter 287: Many Years No See Little Demon Snake, Do You Regret Biting Me?

Five life flames blazed within Saint Yunzi, causing a mighty tremor. It was as if a cosmic starfield had transformed into a terrifying sea of fire within his body, a shocking sight that unleashed incredible combat power.

Beside him, eight Nascent Soul cultivators from the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect sat meditating with their eyes closed. During this time, they had all exhausted their mental energy to help Saint Yunzi suppress the potent poison. The poison was exceptionally unique, making them all extremely wary.

Even Old Ancestor Lingyun showed a hint of fatigue in his eyes. He had exerted considerable mental effort to implant the Alliance Leader's Golden Crow into his grandson. Now, seeing his grandson recover, his expression was filled with profound relief.

"Yun'er, what do you plan to do next? Enter the Golden Core stage?"

"Grandfather, I intend to challenge Xu Qing. What I lost, I will reclaim with my own hands!" Saint Yunzi floated in mid-air. He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them after a moment, speaking calmly. "With the Alliance Leader's Golden Bird, I no longer fear Xu Qing's poison. Furthermore, the Golden Crow can provide me with immense vitality, making my combat strength even greater than before. After all, the Alliance Leader wouldn't simply let me die."

"Yun'er, this was a measure of last resort." Old Ancestor Lingyun fell silent, then sighed after a moment.

"He merely desired my body; it's nothing. Grandfather, please place a seal within me, sealing all my cultivation apertures so they cannot be extinguished. Without these two malicious tactics, even if Xu Qing has three life flames with two life lamps now, I am confident I can suppress and kill him! The pain I endured, I will make him suffer it many times over!"

Soon after, a challenge letter was sent from the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect to the Seven Blood Eyes! Saint Yunzi wished to challenge Xu Qing to a battle to the death! The arrival of the challenge shook the Seven Blood Eyes, and the entire Eight Sects Alliance was instantly stirred.

Xu Qing, currently in the Xuan You Sect's Land of Creation, was oblivious to the events unfolding outside. His eyes were wide as he watched Wu Jianwu in mid-air, observing the moment when the surroundings vibrated intensely after he recited a poem.

Xu Qing's mind reeled, and even the Captain gasped; he hadn't expected it to actually work. A trace of the ancient serpent's soul had indeed awakened. Though only a sliver, it caused the sky and earth to change color, winds to reverse, and an immeasurable surge of soul power to erupt many times over. The surrounding cultivating disciples also showed expressions of alarm, their eyes opening in shock as they looked around. They saw the proud Wu Jianwu floating in mid-air and simultaneously sensed the immense surge of soul power in the area. This scene shook their minds, but they clearly wouldn't interfere; instead, they accelerated their breathing and absorption.

Xu Qing followed suit, not daring to immediately approach the deeper area. He sat cross-legged, fully absorbing the soul power. The Captain did the same, his eyes gleaming with excitement, even shouting out...

"Long live our Emperor, our Emperor is magnificent!"

Wu Jianwu, still in mid-air, had fully immersed himself in the role and became even more arrogant upon hearing the praise. With his hands behind his back and chest puffed out, he looked disdainfully at the demon serpent's skull on the lake and spoke softly.

"Through heaven and earth, I roam freely, this little demon serpent is truly worthless!"

As Wu Jianwu's voice reverberated, an unprecedented, earth-shattering roar, far more intense than before, ripped through the Land of Creation. The surrounding mountain ranges trembled at that moment, as if the earth itself was shaking!

"I have suppressed you for a hundred thousand years; having no body is hardly pitiful!" Wu Jianwu waved his hand grandly, his voice growing even louder, his aura reaching the pinnacle of his life. Even the serpent's head on the pillar trembled slightly, and soul power, dozens of times denser than before, instantly burst forth. Witnessing this, Xu Qing grew concerned that the demon serpent's soul might fully awaken and then simply devour Wu Jianwu.

The Captain also gasped, rapidly assessing the situation. He figured that if the demon serpent truly awoke, Wu Jianwu's demise was one concern, but he himself wasn't prepared and it wouldn't be convenient to extract the fangs. So he quickly spoke.

"Little Jianjian, that's enough, you don't need to recite anymore."

Wu Jianwu, still in mid-air, frowned upon hearing this and cast a cold glance down at the Captain. "How dare this audacious commoner speak, challenging My Emperor's supremacy?"

At that moment, Wu Jianwu's eyes held a mixture of contempt (three parts), arrogance (five parts), and domineering intent (two parts), as if he had completely embodied the character of the Xuan You Ancient Emperor. After all, this was his lifelong dream and his ultimate goal. As he spoke, the tremors in this Land of Creation grew even more intense. It seemed that Wu Jianwu's manner of speech further agitated the sluggish demon serpent's soul in its slumber.

Seeing Wu Jianwu was too deeply immersed in his role, the Captain sighed and looked at Xu Qing. "Xu Qing, you handle this. I'm worried this fool will take it too far and get himself killed."

Xu Qing looked up and gave Wu Jianwu a cold glance. He didn't believe Wu Jianwu was truly lost in character; the man was likely doing it on purpose. At that moment, Wu Jianwu's body suddenly stiffened under Xu Qing's gaze. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Qing produced a jade slip that held a past recording.

The moment he saw the jade slip, Wu Jianwu instantly shivered, his expression quickly shifting to one of obsequiousness. All his previous demeanor and gaze vanished instantly, and he quickly descended. "Senior Brother Xu, let's talk, haha, let's talk."

Only when Xu Qing put away the jade slip did Wu Jianwu finally breathe a sigh of relief. Without needing to examine it closely, he could guess that the jade slip likely contained the footage of him patting the bear's belly in the cave. Despite his relief, the recent experience filled him with exhilaration, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

"That was truly exhilarating!"

With Wu Jianwu no longer impersonating the Xuan You Ancient Emperor, the demon serpent's soul, which had shown signs of awakening, gradually calmed. However, the previous near-awakenings had infused the area with incredibly dense soul power. So, Xu Qing ignored Wu Jianwu, closed his eyes, and fully absorbed the spiritual energy. As vast amounts of soul power were drawn into his body, his cultivation apertures also accumulated the power needed to open. Soon, a rumble sounded within him, and his 111th cultivation aperture abruptly opened.

Xu Qing's spirits lifted. He rose and, using the token granted by Reverend Purple Xuan, headed straight for the core of the Land of Creation. Upon reaching the inner circle and drawing near the crimson lake, he sensed an even denser concentration of soul power. He sat cross-legged and rapidly absorbed.

Thus, time slowly passed. Xu Qing's cultivation continued without interruption as he fully focused on opening his cultivation apertures. The Captain, however, clearly lacked the authority to approach the core. Yet, even as he absorbed, his eyes never left the teeth in the demon serpent's mouth, which were stained with golden blood.

"Good stuff, this is the real good stuff!" The Captain swallowed, his gaze lingering longingly on the teeth as he absorbed soul power. "I need to figure out a way to break these teeth off later. This thing is destined for me. With it, I can pry open anything!" As the Captain's eyes gleamed with intense desire, Xu Qing's cultivation apertures opened to 114. It wasn't over; it continued. Only after Xu Qing broke through his 116th cultivation aperture did the soul power in the area begin to diminish. Xu Qing then opened his eyes and looked at Wu Jianwu in the distance.

Wu Jianwu had been anticipating this moment. Without a word, his body suddenly ascended. He cast a disdainful glance at the demon serpent's skeleton, then, with his hands behind his back, spoke softly.

"It's been many years, little demon serpent; do you regret biting me? You ate, drank, and relieved yourself here; your bones are still full of excrement!"

The moment Wu Jianwu uttered those words, the now-calm demon serpent's soul once again unleashed a monstrous roar. This roar was infinitely more intense than before, vaguely sounding like a furious gnashing of teeth, echoing in all directions.

"Xuan You!!"

Even the outermost ring of mountains, formed by its colossal body, began to shed countless rocks, shaking incessantly as if preparing to rise. Xu Qing took a breath and quickly spoke.

"That's enough!"

Wu Jianwu quickly quieted down and rapidly descended, still clearly not entirely satisfied. In truth, he was also shaken by the display, yet the sheer thrill and exhilaration he felt made him uncontrollably obsessed with such acts. He even began to wonder if he was the reincarnation of the Xuan You Ancient Emperor, given how effective his methods were.

The Captain, standing nearby, looked at Wu Jianwu as if he were a divine being. The method he and Xu Qing had conceived was merely an experimental idea, and they hadn't been sure if it would actually work. To their surprise, it not only worked, but the effect was unparalleled. The Captain even believed that if Wu Jianwu continued reciting dozens more lines of poetry, the demon serpent would undoubtedly fully awaken.

"So effective? I'll try it next time!"

With the widespread eruption of soul power, Xu Qing immediately began absorbing it. The soul power in his vicinity had reached an extreme density, to the point where it would seep into his pores even if he didn't actively draw it in. In this way, his 117th cultivation aperture opened instantly half an hour later.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with intense anticipation. He took a deep breath, and the soul power within him rapidly surged, accumulating until it transformed into a powerful force. He then directed it with full might towards his 118th cultivation aperture. In an instant, his 118th cultivation aperture opened!

"Only two more!" Xu Qing didn't hesitate and continued absorbing. Time passed, and an hour later, a thunderous roar emanated from within Xu Qing. His 119th cultivation aperture had fully opened!

"The last one!"

Xu Qing's mind was exhilarated, brimming with intense excitement and anticipation. However, this final cultivation aperture demanded an immense amount of soul power, so he simply unleashed the full power of the malevolent flame within him. Looking on, one could see black flames rolling outwards from Xu Qing's body in all directions, forming a colossal fiery vortex. It spun with a rumbling sound, forcibly drawing in all the soul power from the vicinity. Despite the high concentration of soul power here, Xu Qing's absorption made it impossible for anyone else to draw it in. They could only watch in awe as soul power furiously converged around Xu Qing's position.

Finally, after reaching its peak concentration, Xu Qing opened his mouth and swallowed fiercely. Instantly, an enormous amount of soul power converged within him, transforming into a shadowy dragon-serpent form. It then surged with overwhelming force towards his 120th cultivation aperture, charging forward with a thunderous roar!

The next instant, a cracking sound echoed in Xu Qing's mind as his 120th cultivation aperture successfully opened!

However, none of the people present witnessed Xu Qing's 120th cultivation aperture opening! The moment it opened, Xu Qing immediately manipulated his shadow to conceal this cultivation aperture and simultaneously shrouded his entire body, making it impossible for outsiders to discern the details. He did not wish to reveal his full strength here. As a result, his fourth life flame was also covered by the shadow, which acted as a curtain, blocking all prying gazes.

With four life flames blazing, Xu Qing closed his eyes, sensing a vast world burning within him. As the flames spread outwards, shaking all directions, two magnificent canopies appeared above his head. Only Xu Qing himself could perceive that beneath the shadow-formed curtain, the fourth life flame, now fully formed and gathered within him, was blazing fiercely!

The black canopy was eerie and sinister, with flowing flames like curtains, incinerating the sky. The colorful canopy shimmered with radiant light, creating a sea of brilliance around it, illuminating the earth. Behind him, the Golden Crow's wings spread, its eyes fierce as if it sought to refine the world. Its tail flames flowed over Xu Qing's entire body, cloaking him in an imperial robe. He appeared like a young ancient emperor, seated in this place, striking awe in all directions.

The next instant, all of this vanished. After Xu Qing retracted everything, a hint of regret appeared on his face.

"Still a little short," Xu Qing sighed softly, his voice faintly echoing, vaguely reaching the ears of all the alliance disciples observing him. This led them to believe that Xu Qing's breakthrough had failed, falling just short in the end.

Wu Jianwu breathed a sigh of relief. He felt certain he would have been unhappy if he had personally witnessed Xu Qing's four life flames form. As it was, he found the outcome quite satisfactory.

Only the Captain's gaze shifted from the demon serpent's teeth to Xu Qing, and he blinked. "Something's off; this kid must be hiding something!"

As this thought crossed the Captain's mind, he suddenly felt he should consider opening another seal. "With a junior brother like this, why do I feel so much pressure!"