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In the Beast Domain, after Zi Yan returned to the Ancient Dragon Island, Qian Renhan left the Ancient Phoenix Island and arrived at the Abyss of the Nine Nether Depths—one of the main passages into the subterranean world. His destination was the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe. After devouring Huang Tian's soul, he had come to fully understand the dwelling place of this tribe. His journey to them, naturally, was to seek the legacy left behind by the Nether Spring Demon Saint.
The true headquarters of the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe lay deep underground. Of course, they also had numerous branches scattered across the surface. In terms of population, this race ranked first among the three major tribes. However, their excessive reproduction had led to the dilution of their bloodline. According to the elders of the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe, if things continued this way, their ancient bloodline might be completely depleted within a century. At that point, they would be reduced to the level of ordinary magical beasts.
This looming threat had caused serious disagreements and disputes within the tribe. But without the replenishment of ancient bloodlines, and with their current rate of reproduction, that day was bound to come.
Beneath the earth, the terrain under the structures of the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe was extraordinarily complex. However, to Qian Renhan, this posed no challenge at all. Snakes preferred dark, cold, and damp environments, and the fighting aura of the Nine Nether Earth Pythons possessed an icy-cold attribute. Thus, by heading deeper into the direction of increasingly intense cold energy, one could reach the core of the tribe's territory.
As for the frigid, chilling lands inhabited by the Nine Nether Earth Pythons, to Qian Renhan, it felt no different from returning home. He liked this coldness as well, and didn't even need to shield himself with fighting aura.
In terms of strength, the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe was slightly weaker than the Central Plains' Pill Tower—excluding its Grand Ancestor. They only had two or three Dou Saints, all of whom were at the one-star level. After refining his body with Huang Tian's essence blood, Qian Renhan's physique had become so powerful that even if he stood still and allowed these Dou Saint elders to strike him at will, they wouldn't be able to harm him. Because of this, he had little interest in the tribe's serpents and simply ignored them all as he crossed through space.
At the deepest part of the Nether Serpent Vein, there was a massive, dark chasm—at least a hundred meters wide and seemingly bottomless. From its depths, an astonishingly cold aura roared upward like a violent gale. An ordinary expert standing there would feel as though even their blood and fighting aura were about to freeze solid.
The chasm stretched downward for tens of thousands of meters, and near the surface, Qian Renhan spotted an enormous lake not far away. The bitter cold energy capable of freezing fighting aura to stillness emanated from this very lake.
The lake was vast. Its waters were a deep yellow hue, but within that yellow flowed faint streaks resembling fresh blood. Wisps of yellow-tinged, blood-colored mist continuously seeped from the lake, rising and swirling into the sky.
"This is the Nether Spring of the Nine Nether Realm." Qian Renhan walked up to the lake, crouched down, and touched the water with his hand. Instantly, a sizzling sound rang out as dark yellow ice crystals rapidly climbed up his arm, encasing it all the way to his shoulder.
Despite his arm being enveloped by the yellowish ice, the blood inside continued to flow at a normal pace and temperature. This wasn't because Qian Renhan possessed any immunity. In truth, his body had no innate resistance at all. What was truly powerful was his fighting aura's attribute. Due to cultivating a Heaven-Tier technique, his fighting aura operated automatically, swallowing the invading cold as it entered his body.
"I didn't expect the Nine Nether Spring to have such effects."
Qian Renhan withdrew his hand. The ice crystals covering his arm quickly transformed into fighting aura and sublimated into his body. The energy of the Nine Nether Spring that entered him actually soothed his chaotic fighting aura.
Ever since Qian Renhan had broken through to the early stage of Seven-Star Dou Saint, his beginner-level Heaven-Tier cultivation method had become inadequate. Its ability to suppress his explosive and rapidly growing fighting aura was extremely poor. But now, under the influence of the Nine Nether Spring, his fighting aura finally calmed. The surface of his internal fighting aura lake, once covered in bubbles, began to settle as those bubbles continuously burst.
The Nine Nether Spring was the holy land of the Nine Nether Earth Python Tribe. Even they could not soak in its icy waters for long. In ancient times, however, there existed a magical beast that could survive in this spring—the Nine-Colored Devourer Python!
This ancient magical beast possessed a bloodline so powerful it could suppress even the Taixu Ancient Dragons. It was among the top-tier species of the vast Great Thousand World. Because of this, even the chilling energy of this spring alone was enough to pacify Qian Renhan's swelling fighting aura.
Splash!
With a single motion, Qian Renhan leapt directly into the Nine Nether Spring, submerging himself completely. He closed his eyes and silently embraced the cold's baptism across his entire meridian network. Meanwhile, his fighting aura began circulating rapidly, preventing the excessive cold from freezing his meridians and turning him into an eternal ice sculpture.
Although Qian Renhan's power was steeped in darkness, its foundation ultimately lay in the Twelve-Winged Fallen Angel. Yet, the darkness of the Twelve-Winged Fallen Angel could only stand on par with Heavenly Flames. And in the presence of this intense cold, even the might of a Heavenly Flame was at a disadvantage.
Ranked tenth on the Heavenly Flame List, the Nine Nether Wind Flame—born in regions of extreme yin—was nowhere to be seen in this spring. The reason was obvious. In terms of absolute yin, was there any place in the world more extreme than the waters of the Nine Nether Yellow Spring?
Once Qian Renhan's fighting aura had completely stabilized, he proceeded to an ancient altar.
The altar was colossal, entirely constructed from massive blue-green stones. Standing at its summit allowed one to overlook the surrounding mountain peaks. At the very center of the altar stood a pale yellow stone stele, roughly a hundred feet tall. It loomed in solemn stillness, radiating an ancient, eternal aura.
"So this is the Yellow Spring Stele…"
Qian Renhan looked up at the towering monument. Etched upon it were numerous strange runes that glimmered faintly. Carved into its surface were two imprints: a massive finger and a palm indentation half a zhang deep. Who could imagine that these two simple marks were imbued with the Dao Rhythms left behind by the Nether Spring Demon Saint? They embodied two powerful Heaven-Tier Dou Techniques.
Of them, the Yellow Spring Finger, though classified as a low-level Heaven-Tier Dou Technique just like the Great Annihilation Finger, gave Qian Renhan the impression of being on a whole other level. One was a typical beginner-level Heaven-Tier technique, while the other verged on the threshold of a mid-tier Heaven-Tier Dou Technique.
Qian Renhan sat cross-legged atop a stone seat directly in front of the stele. As he settled in, the soul within his brow began to stir.
His powerful soul—at the peak of the Heavenly Realm—emerged and condensed into a humanoid form identical to his body. Taking a single step forward, the translucent figure collided directly with the surface of the stone stele.
(End of Chapter)