"Crack!" A figure streaked through the murky yellow lake water like lightning, flames swirling around him. Each time his body touched the surrounding water, a series of sharp crackling sounds erupted. "Indeed, the Nine-Depths Yellow Springs possess an astonishingly potent cold energy." Xiang Yan swiftly moved toward the lake's depths. As he progressed, his expression grew increasingly serious. The cold energy within the Nine-Depths Yellow Springs seemed capable of freezing his ki. Even with the protection of his unique fire, Xiang Yan felt a growing numbness in his limbs, and the steady flow of ki within his body had begun to slow. "It seems we must accelerate—this place isn't suitable for prolonged停留!" To channel the Strange Fire and resist the cold and damp forces required substantial consumption of Qi. Though Xiao Yan has now ascended to the rank of Battle Saint and can command the energy of an entire realm, the cold and damp forces within this Yellow Springs are so potent that they remain beyond his control and absorption. As this thought passed through his mind, Xiao Yan moved swiftly, his speed surging once more. A deep water trail emerged where he passed, only to be swiftly filled by rising lake water after he had gone by. The Strange Fire surged wildly, and Xiao Yan delved deeper into the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs. Yet as he progressed further, the cold and damp forces intensified exponentially. Eventually, even Xiao Yan had to summon every ounce of his Qi, vigorously channeling it to disperse the cold energy infiltrating his body. "I wonder just how deep this Nine-Deep Yellow Springs truly extends. If this continues, I may have to return home with nothing but empty hands." Xiao Yan gazed into the still pitch-black depths of the lake, his brows furrowing slightly. He needed to ensure he had enough qi to make the return journey. The cold and damp energy of the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs seemed to have a special effect of eroding his qi—without the unique flame acting as a barrier, reaching this depth would have been no easy feat. "Hiss!" As Xiao Yan struggled with the tenacity of the spring's environment, a subtle sound suddenly reached his ears, and he immediately noticed the water flow behind him surging rapidly. "Boom!" With the water accelerating, Xiao Yan drove a powerful punch into the back, and the force passed through the water in an unusual manner, striking a dark silhouette with such force that it shattered it completely. "I didn't expect there to be any living organisms within the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs. Staring at the creature obliterated into a mass of blood and plasma, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with a touch of astonishment. The cold energy here was even unbearable to the Nine-Deep Earth-Mortar Serpent, let alone sustained over time. "Shhh!" After delivering a powerful punch that sent the black silhouette crashing, Xiao Yan had just time to submerge before suddenly sensing the water around him grow turbulent. Moments later, a dense, dark mist surged swiftly into his field of vision. As he observed this mist, his expression subtly shifted—what he saw wasn't mere mist, but a multitude of strange serpents, each entirely black and covered in eerie scales. The sharp, hissing sounds he heard were emitted precisely by these serpents. "Shhh!" "These strange serpents opened their fierce maws long before reaching Xiao Yan, and instantly, countless deep-black water arrows shot forth from their mouths. Upon encountering the lake water, the water spontaneously split, further accelerating the arrows' speed. The rushing, whistling sound of the arrows shook the surrounding lake water, causing it to emit deep, resonant explosions. 'Such a cold energy...' Xiao Yan observed the dark water arrows, his brows furrowed. These arrows were identical in nature to the cold power of the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs, yet even more concentrated and deadly. 'It's no surprise that the strange always gives rise to the even stranger.'" As the thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind, he suddenly recalled the molten world beneath the Cana College—a realm harboring a peculiar, unknown creature, one whose numbers were astonishingly vast. "I can't afford to get entangled with these odd beings; it would drain too much qi," he thought. With a sudden movement, Xiao Yan surged forward, his speed skyrocketing, transforming into a streak of lightning that tore through the lake water, rushing toward the depths of the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs as swiftly as thunder. Yet, as Xiao Yan fled, the strange black serpents swiftly pivoted, sweeping across the landscape in a relentless wave of pursuit. "Ssshh!" At the peak of his speed, even beneath the deep waters, Xiao Yan's terrifying velocity created one after another afterimage. Yet these fleeting silhouettes were often pierced through by countless water arrows shot from behind. Truly troublesome creatures! "No matter how hard he accelerated, those strange serpents still trailed behind like shadows, never leaving. Xiao Yan's face grew cold. He glanced back, then tightly clenched his hands—flame erupted instantly in his palms and was thrown backward. The flame instantly expanded, swelling into a vast cloud that spread out in all directions. "Crick! Crick!" As the flame surged into a sea of fire, even the cold energy present in the area could not extinguish it. The strange serpents, unable to adjust in time, kept colliding with the fire waves. The intense heat instantly reduced the serpents that came into contact with it to ash." Crick! Crick!" Faced with such terrifying flames, the strange serpents also began to show fear. After a wave of successive deaths, they finally stabilized, no longer daring to advance, and could only continuously shoot black water arrows from a distance, gradually dousing the raging inferno. While the serpents desperately fought to extinguish the flames, Xiao Yan moved swiftly, swiftly descending and disengaging from them all. "Indeed, this Nine-Depth Yellow Springs is no ordinary place. Though these serpents themselves are not particularly powerful, their cold, piercing water arrows are exceptionally fierce—being struck by such numbers, even a half-Saint-level powerhouse would find it difficult to endure." After clearing away these troublesome obstacles, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. He glanced downward and noticed a faint glow appearing at the far end. His spirit instantly brightened, and he quickened his pace. After a while, he finally arrived at the location where the light had appeared. "Here, then, is the very bottom of the Nine-Depth Yellow Springs?" Before him lay an immense expanse of sandy and rocky ground, dotted with countless pebbles the size of fists. These pebbles emitted a soft, luminous glow, which made the area remarkably bright. "The depths of the Nine-幽 Yellow Springs must reach far into the earth's core; if I were to go deeper, I'd surely turn to ice myself," Xiang Yin observed as he scanned the area, then slowed his pace to search for the Yellow Spring Blood Crystals. To his surprise, despite carefully examining every corner, he found not a single Yellow Spring Blood Crystal. "There are no Yellow Spring Blood Crystals here at all. Could it be that the Nine-幽 Earth-冥 Serpent Clan has taken them all?" With no luck in his search, Xiang Yin's expression grew increasingly concerned. After having made such a strenuous journey to reach this place, would he have to return empty-handed? "Ah... save... me..." Just as Xiao Yan was frowning, a surprisingly faint groan suddenly reached his ears through the flowing water. "Who?" Upon hearing this delicate sound, Xiao Yan's expression instantly changed, and his inner ki erupted with a sharp burst. He carefully scanned the surroundings with cautious eyes—there were others here? How had he failed to notice them at all? Yet, when Xiao Yan focused his full attention, the sound vanished completely, as if he had merely imagined it earlier. "Did I mishear?" Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly, yet he knew deep down that, at his level, such a mistake was impossible. He then slowly lowered his head, placing his feet into the deeper part of the water, hesitated a moment, and then suddenly grasped the water below with a firm palm. "Splish-splash—" Xiao Yan raised his palm and plucked a palm-print into the sandy ground. As the sand and stones rolled, a massive iron chain, stretching over a hundred paces, suddenly came into view. Upon seeing this enormous chain, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. With a gesture in the air, he gently pulled the chain out. As the chain emerged, the ground beneath suddenly trembled, and three more massive chains rose from the mud, each anchored firmly to the surrounding massive mountains—so firmly that they could hardly be moved. Xiao Yan paid no attention to where the chains were anchored; his gaze remained fixed on the central point of the four chains, where a large mass of dark mud lay. "This strong aura—surely he is at least a Three-Star or even stronger Star Sovereign. How could someone of such caliber be trapped here?" Gazing at the skeletal figure, a look of astonishment flickered across Xiao Yan's eyes as he murmured. "Save me! Save me! As long as you save me, I will make the entire Jiyou Earth's Yinlong Clan recognize you as their sovereign!" As Xiao Yan stared at the withered figure, the latter's deep-set eyes suddenly opened, fixing his gaze on Xiao Yan with a wildly frantic intensity. A hoarse, guttural roar erupted in this realm beneath the Yellow Springs, echoing like a ghostly wail, chilling to the very soul.