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**
A night passed.
At dawn, the morning sunlight spilled over the land.
Inside the tent, Wei Yang stretched lazily, then stepped outside, taking in several deep breaths of the cool, refreshing morning air beneath the rosy clouds. Standing atop the peak, he looked out into the distance.
By now, the Beast Bone Mountain Range below was crowded with people everywhere. Noise, shouting, curses — the clamorous sounds never ceased. Even though it was still early morning, it was already that lively.
Because of the overwhelming number of people and the lack of any order or supervision, the entire Beast Bone Mountain Range had descended into chaos. Fights broke out constantly, sometimes over the smallest matters.
Fortunately, the peak Wei Yang's group had chosen was at the outer edge of the range, a bit secluded, so it was relatively peaceful.
Looking farther toward the center, numerous peaks there were covered in tents — those were near the Ancient Ruins, territories already claimed by the great factions.
Wei Yang slowly walked to the edge of the mountaintop, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed toward the mountain range's center. That was where the Ancient Ruins would emerge. From that direction, he could faintly sense the distortions in space — ripples curving subtly in the void.
Clearly, the master of that Ancient Ruin had laid down an extremely strong barrier, preventing outsiders from peering in.
Rustle~
Soft footsteps approached. Qing Lin, freshly washed, carried over a pot of freshly brewed green tea. Just then—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures flew rapidly from afar and landed on the mountain peak. It was Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, who had gone out exploring the previous night.
"Brother Wei." Xiao Yan landed and walked over.
"Any luck?" Wei Yang asked, picking up a cup of tea from Qing Lin's tray and pouring himself a drink.
"None. We scouted around nearby but couldn't find any trace of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. We almost ended up in a fight with the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Clan." Xiao Yan shrugged. "I figured it wasn't worth it, so I pulled back."
"Mmhhm. After all, this is the Nine Serene Deep Ground Pythons' territory. They rely on sheer numbers — even the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan would have to behave themselves here." Wei Yang smiled. "Even if the Ten Thousand Beast Flame is really here, under these circumstances, you wouldn't be able to take it away."
Xiao Yan nodded, showing no sign of frustration.
After all, he didn't urgently need that flame. There was no reason to force things now. If he found it, great — if not, so be it. The Ten Thousand Beast Flame ranked too low. Its power wasn't great, and it wouldn't help much in evolving the Flame Mantra.
For a Quasi-Heaven Grade Flame Mantra to evolve into a true Heaven Grade, an ordinary Heavenly Flame wouldn't be enough to push it past that threshold. So, there was no need to offend the Nine Serene Deep Ground Pythons over something like this.
The real focus was still the upcoming Ancient Ruins — and the Soul Baby Fruit. The group stood at the edge of the peak, gazing toward the mountain range's center under the morning light.
"When I came back, I asked around," Xiao Yan said. "The Ancient Ruins inside are extremely dangerous. There are many powerful ancient corpse puppets guarding it." He continued, "There are also strange mechanisms and traps within. Even Dou Zun experts wouldn't dare to be careless."
"The ruins are hidden within a spatial seal. Every so often, the space fluctuates and cracks appear. During that time, some strong people take the chance to sneak in, but most come back battered and miserable — though they did bring out some useful information."
"Oh?" Wei Yang raised an eyebrow.
"It seems this Ancient Ruin, even after all these countless years, is still not to be underestimated." Qing Lin said.
"However," Xiao Yan added, "Up until now, no Dou Zun experts have entered yet. This spatial seal has a restrictive effect. If a Dou Zun tries to force their way in, the seal will unleash a powerful counterattack."
"It's a seal created by a Dou Sheng expert. Even after so many ages, ordinary Dou Zun wouldn't dare to recklessly test it with their lives."
"Dou Zun experts can't enter?" Qing Lin frowned. "Then isn't our trip here for nothing?"
"Hehe, sister-in-law, don't worry. The seal has already grown quite weak. In a few more days at most, it will start to dissolve."
Xiao Yan smiled and explained, "Once the seal fades, the restriction will be gone. By then, Dou Zun-level experts will be able to enter freely. Right now, there are already quite a few Dou Zuns secretly waiting for that moment."
By the time he finished, his tone carried a hint of emotion.
No wonder it was an Ancient Ruin — it had drawn so many Dou Zuns. This upcoming competition for the ruins would surely turn into a bloody battle. Who knew how many Dou Zuns would die before it was over.
Hearing that, Qing Lin finally let out a breath of relief. "As long as Dou Zuns can enter, that's good."
Her gaze swept across the vast stretch of lush, green mountains, and she could faintly sense several immensely powerful auras hidden deep within them. Indeed, there were quite a few Dou Zuns lurking in the shadows.
However, her mind at this moment wasn't on them. Instead, it was on the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python clan.
Nine Serene Deep Ground Python...
A strange gleam flickered in Qing Lin's eyes.
So many serpents, and all of them powerful — as someone born with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, it was impossible for her not to feel some temptation.
After all, she possessed the unique physique that could enslave serpent-type magical beasts, yet up until now, she had only Du Jiao under her control — far too few, far too monotonous. Ever since she'd stepped into the Dou Zun realm, her cultivation speed had inevitably slowed down as well.
Even Xian'er had already reached the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zun and was currently researching high-grade poisons to prepare for her breakthrough into the One-Change level. Meanwhile, Qing Lin herself was still only a Four-Star Dou Zun.
The reason her progress was so much slower was simple — she hadn't enslaved enough serpent-type beasts, and thus couldn't receive enough energy feedback from them. Her constitution was such that the more serpent beasts she enslaved, the faster her cultivation would advance.
If she could capture a few peak Dou Zun–level Nine Serene Deep Ground Pythons, then—
"Right," Wei Yang suddenly asked, "have you discovered any traces of the Hall of Souls?"
Xiao Yan shook his head. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he took a sip and said thoughtfully, "None so far. But those guys always prefer lurking in the dark. Even if they're here, I'd bet they're hiding themselves very well — they won't show up easily."
"But I can say for certain, with all the noise surrounding this Ancient Ruin, the Hall of Souls definitely won't sit this one out. The only question is — how many experts they've sent."
Wei Yang nodded. "A perfect opportunity to harvest powerful souls — there's no way they'd pass that up."
Those soul scavengers… how could they possibly ignore such a feast?
They must have rushed here the moment they caught the scent. Once the fighting starts, just picking up a few Dou Zun souls would be enough to make their trip worthwhile.
After losing one of their branch halls a year ago, the damage they took was massive — they'd definitely want to earn some quick 'bonus' souls to make up for it.
"Heh." A cold glint flashed across Xiao Yan's eyes.
"Let's get the Soul Baby Fruit first," he said with a sneer. "After that, we'll have plenty of time to 'play' with them slowly. Destroying one branch hall is far from enough compensation!"
"Alright," Wei Yang said, his gaze sweeping past the endless mountains and the bone sea, finally settling on the distorted space above the mountain range's center.
He waved his sleeve lightly and turned to head back toward the tent. "Let's just stay quiet for now and wait for the Ancient Ruin to open. Try not to stir up unnecessary trouble."
"Yeah," Xiao Yan drained his cup and nodded. "I won't go out again these next few days."
With that, he took Zi Yan and followed Wei Yang back to their tent.
Inside the tent.
Qing Lin looked distracted, several times opening her mouth as if to speak but hesitating each time. Wei Yang raised an eyebrow. As her husband, how could he not know what she was thinking?
Sitting back in a wide chair covered with soft beast fur, he beckoned to her with a small smile.
"Come here."
Qing Lin walked over and sat beside him, tilting her head up with wide, expectant eyes.
"You're thinking of going after the Nine Serene Deep Ground Pythons, aren't you?" Wei Yang said with a soft chuckle, tapping her delicate nose with his finger.
"Mm." Qing Lin nodded, her tongue subconsciously running over her lips.
It was as if she were staring at something delicious — her eyes gleamed faintly, and in her pupils, tiny emerald lights began to bloom, two small flowers quietly unfurling.
"I knew it." Wei Yang sighed helplessly, hesitating for a moment before frowning slightly. "But… that might not be such a good idea."
Doing that here, right in the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python's territory, would be far too reckless. He knew all too well that this clan had Dou Sheng experts — not just one, but several. If things got out of hand, they'd be in serious trouble.
"Just two, okay?" Qing Lin raised two slender jade fingers, looking at him pitifully. She was anxious — she wanted to reach peak Dou Zun as soon as possible.
"Tch… fine." Wei Yang clicked his tongue after thinking for a moment, finally nodding his agreement. Then he added after a pause, "But you'll have to do it quietly. Don't make too big a scene. And don't go after any peak-level ones — too sensitive. Just catch a couple of mid-to-high-level ones."
"Got it!" Qing Lin nodded eagerly, eyes shining with excitement. She leaned in and planted two quick kisses on Wei Yang's cheek.
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