Seeing Xiao Yan's furious expression, Qin, the commander, also stiffened and quickly silenced himself. "It seems that Zi Yan's condition isn't very promising..." Color Ling stepped forward, furrowing her brows. "Shall we proceed to the Void Space to lend them our support?" Xiao Yan's gaze flickered slightly, then he shook his head gently after a moment. "We don't need to rush now. As long as the strong members of the Tian Yao Phoenix Clan and the Jiyou Di Minglong Clan don't head to the Void Space, Zi Yan should be able to hold on. Our current priority is to hold them back and delay their movements." Upon hearing this, Color Ling nodded lightly and said no more. With a clear plan in mind, Xiao Yan pressed further for information from Qin, until finally the latter had nothing more to offer, at which point he concluded the conversation. "Now, you may release us. Everything you need to know—I've already told you." "Qin sighed weakly, his body's blood nearly drained to half. If things continued like this, he would truly be crippled. Xiao Yan glanced at him coldly, then with a mere gesture of his finger, instantly sealed the qi within the bodies of the several men. He then swept his sleeve, hurling them into a dark fissure deep within the chasm. This chasm was filled with countless passages—so intricate and extensive that even the local powerhouses, such as the Nine-Deep Earth冥Snake Clan, could never fully chart every path. By sealing them inside, their fate—whether they lived or perished—would now hinge entirely on their own luck. "Come, let's head to the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs." After dispatching these individuals, Xiao Yan didn't linger. With a simple hand motion, he surged forward toward the depths. Behind him, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qing Lin followed closely. … The underground realm features an exceptionally complex terrain, yet fortunately, Xiao Yan and his companions had thoroughly prepared for this journey, possessing detailed maps. As a result, they reached the underground world within less than an hour, passing through several serpent tribes along the way. After roughly half a day's journey, they finally arrived at the main stronghold of the Jiyou Di Minglong Clan—the Minglong Serpent Vein. "It's surprising to see the Serpent People here as well, and the scale of their settlement is vastly superior to ours..." Color-Lin stared in amazement at the dense clusters of Serpent People spread across the plain, marveling, "I've seen in our genealogical records that our own tribe once migrated to the Tagoer Great Desert a long time ago. But I hadn't known whether they had moved out from this Beast Realm." Xiao Yan smiled, his gaze directed toward the depths of the land veins, saying, "The Nine-Deep Yellow Springs lie deep within the land veins. However, there are many powerful beings hidden within this vein, some even at the half-Saint level. If we disturb them, it would certainly be troublesome. So, you should try to minimize your presence as much as possible." "Understood." Upon hearing this, Color-Lin and the others nodded in agreement. The Nine-Deep Earth-Medusa Serpent Clan was no weak force, and now they were venturing deep into the enemy's heartland. Even if Xiao Yan possessed the strength of a Battle Saint, it would surely not be an easy task if they were discovered. "Whoosh!" Xiao Yan swept his sleeve, and the space around him instantly twisted, swiftly enveloping everyone's bodies. As the space rippled, the figures vanished in an eerie manner. Now, Xiao Yan had ascended to the pinnacle of existence within this realm, mastering the art of spatial manipulation to such a degree that he could even walk through void spaces. Though he was currently carrying three companions, their presence posed no significant burden, allowing him to glide steadily toward the heart of the Yin-Snake Earth Vein without drawing much attention. However, as he drew closer to the deeper reaches of the Yin-Snake Earth Vein, he began to sense the strength of the cultivators' presences growing stronger. On several occasions, he noticed faint, puzzled soul perceptions sweeping across his concealed spatial field—indicating some awareness, though fortunately, this subtle detection had not revealed his party. Thanks to his extraordinary abilities, Xiao Yan managed to narrowly evade the detection of the numerous powerful figures throughout his journey, eventually entering the depths of the Yin-Snake Earth Vein without a single sound. Deep within the Yin-Snake Earth Vein, there lies a vast dark chasm, stretching over a hundred zhang in width and extending far beyond the horizon, its depths shrouded in an astonishingly cold aura that constantly surges upward like a gust of wind. This chilling wind is so potent that even ordinary strong cultivators experience their blood and internal qi freezing simply by standing within its reach. At the very bottom of this chasm lies the Sacred Pool of the Nine-Underworld Yin-Snake Clan, the Nine-Underworld Yellow Spring—the very destination of Xiao Yan and his companions. Surprisingly, there is no additional defense along the sides of the chasm, as everyone understands that the ceaseless surge of this cold, wind-like aura serves as the most natural of guards. Even cultivators of the Dou-Zong level hesitate to venture deep into it. "Shh—" As the piercing, cold gusts continued to blow without cease, the space around suddenly subtly warped, and several figures gradually emerged—naturally, Xiao Yan and his companions. Upon stepping into view, Xiao Yan glanced at the dark, abyssal chasm, smiled slightly, and did not linger. With a swift motion of his sleeve, he enveloped everyone in a dense flow of spatial energy, forcefully breaking through the intensely cold winds and swiftly entering the depths of the black chasm. The ravine was exceptionally deep; even at Xiao Yan's swift pace, it took nearly ten minutes before he reached the ravine's floor. As he drew near, a vast, towering lake located some distance away came into view, radiating a chilling aura so potent it could freeze a person's internal qi throughout their body. The lake was immense, its waters deep yellow, yet within that hue, as if flowing through it, were streaks of blood-red. Subtle currents—blended with pale yellow and tinged with a faint crimson—constantly seeped out and rose upward, roaring toward the sky. "This is indeed the famed Nine-Deep Yellow Spring," said Xiao Yan, breathing a sigh of relief as he stepped closer. With each step nearer to the Nine-Deep Yellow Spring, he could feel an increasingly subtle cold force seeping into his body. "This place is exceedingly cold. Even the inhabitants of the Nine-Deep Earth-Mortar Serpent Realm find it difficult to endure for long. Thus, unless under exceptional circumstances, few come here. This gives us ample time," said Xiao Yixian, who remained at a distance from the lake. The cold energy there was even unbearable to her. Xiao Yan nodded, finally stopping his steps beside the Nine-Depth Yellow Springs. He knelt down, placing his palm into the lake water, where immediately a series of hissing sounds echoed as deep yellow ice crystals swiftly climbed up his arms. "Indeed impressive—no wonder Master said he couldn't reach the very bottom of the springs." Witnessing the intense cold power emanating from the Nine-Depth Yellow Springs, Xiao Yan was slightly startled. He activated his unique fire within his body, which then flowed outward, rapidly melting the ice layers. "Cailei, I'll go first to the bottom of the springs to retrieve the Yellow Spring Blood Crystal. Once I succeed, you'll enter the springs, and I'll protect you." Xiao Yan shook his hand, then turned to Cailei, who had approached beside him. Among the group, only he and Cailei were close enough to reach the springs—Xiao Yan due to his strength and unique fire, while Cailei, naturally, because of her body constitution. "Alright, be careful. If things get too tough, just retreat." "The colorful scales nodded slightly, her tone serious. The cold power of the Nine-Depths Yellow Springs was truly terrifying—she had never imagined such an extreme cold could exist in the world. When the medicine elder had first mentioned that this place could help her ascend to the Nine-Color Devouring Sky Serpent, she had doubted it. But now, after seeing it firsthand, she couldn't help but believe it might indeed be possible. Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. As a genuine Battle Saint, and protected by four unique fires, he genuinely didn't believe such energy could withstand the cold of the Nine-Depths Yellow Springs. "Summoning the strange flame, Xiao Yan exhaled steadily, his expression serious. With a single movement, he plunged directly into the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs, then surged forward at lightning speed toward the very bottom. 'Sssss!' As Xiao Yan entered the springs, a column of white mist rose from the lake surface, bubbles continuously rising—clearly caused by the strange flame. Cai Lin extended her jade hand, dispersing the entire column of mist. Only after the mist had vanished did she breathe a sigh of relief, her gaze turning to the two young healers. 'Let's first conceal ourselves and wait for Xiao Yan to emerge,' she said. 'Agreed,' the two healers nodded in response. With a swift motion, they both vanished into the surrounding darkness, their presence fully subdued.