Xiao Yan frowned, gazing at the withered figure struggling beneath the chains. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Who are you? Why are you trapped here?" "Huff... huff..." The skeleton-like figure had clearly expended considerable energy during his earlier struggles, now breathing rapidly. Xiao Yan could sense an intense, extreme cold energy seeping through the four massive chains, steadily draining the figure's qi and leaving him perpetually weak—yet not life-threatening. He could only endure, clinging to existence through this relentless, ongoing consumption. "Indeed, the person who has imprisoned him must be quite ruthless. This kind of sustained, life-sustaining torment is even more cruel than killing him outright." Xiao Yan was struck by surprise, never having imagined such an unusual occurrence at the very depths of the Nine-Deep Abyss. "I am Míng, the chieftain of the Nine-Deep Earth-Medusa Serpent Clan," the skeleton-like figure finally spoke after a moment of breathless pause, his voice remarkably hoarse, as though sandstone were being dragged across glass—sharp and piercing. "Save me! As long as you bring me out of this place, I will give you anything you desire!" The man known as Míng gazed at Xiao Yan with a pleading intensity. "The chieftain of the Nine-Deep Earth-Medusa Serpent Clan?" Xiao Yan furrowed his brow, yet remained composed, calmly responding, "According to what I know, the current chieftain of that clan should be a man named Yāo Xiào Tiān, correct?" "That useless scoundrel! That dog! It was he who devised a treachery to seize my position and sealed me beneath this Nine-Deep Yellow Springs! Ah! This beast! He has subjected me to centuries of cold, draining my very essence! If I am ever fortunate enough to see the light of day again, I shall make his life a living hell!" As soon as the three characters "Yao Xiao Tian" entered his ears, the eyes of Yao Ming instantly turned blood red, an endless surge of resentment radiating from them, and his furious roaring echoed without cease throughout the depths of the Yellow Springs. Xiao Yan silently nodded, impressed—this creature had been sealed here for several hundred years, and such a fate indeed seemed quite tragic. The cold, pervasive energy of the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs penetrated like an incisive blade, causing a piercing pain akin to a physical wound, unbearable to ordinary beings. Yet this being had endured such agony for hundreds of years. Even Xiao Yan could not help but shake his head upon hearing this. "Could you tell me about your connection with Yao Xiao Tian?" Xiao Yan spread his hands, asking. "I am his eldest brother." The Yamei hesitated for a moment before finally speaking in a hoarse voice: "I was originally the most legitimate candidate for the head of the Chanyin Clan of the Nine-Youth Earth-Ming Serpents. Many of the elders within the clan favored me, and originally, Yao Xiaotian was absolutely impossible to become head. He himself fully understood this, so he treated me with utmost respect and courtesy every day. Yet secretly, he devised schemes against me—first poisoning me, weakening my strength significantly, then defeating me personally and sealing me deep within the Nine-Youth Yellow Springs." "Why didn't he simply kill me outright? That would have saved him so much effort," Xiao Yan asked. "Because he wanted me to die—not easily, not at all," said the Yamei, his voice growing increasingly strained. "Hah! This brother truly treats me, his elder brother, far better than one might expect!" By the end of the statement, the Yamei could no longer contain his emotion and burst into a hoarse, tearful laugh—filled with both sorrow and rage. Xiao Yan remained silent. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect him, so it was hard for him to imagine why his own brothers, originally so close, harbored such deep and intense resentment toward each other. "When I was sealed away, I was merely a mid-level half-saint. However, over these hundreds of years of refining under the power of the Underworld, though I have endured countless hardships, my strength has also grown significantly. Today, I have reached the level of two-star Battle Saint. As long as I am restored to the light of day, my internal battle energy will quickly recover and reach its peak." "Regarding the beast named Yao Tian Xiao—when I first attained half-saint status, he was still at the peak of Battle Sovereign. Given his talent, I believe he has now reached around one-star Battle Saint. However, he has a trusted ally: the Grand Elder of our Nine-Yuan Earth-Min River Serpent Clan. Based on my assessment, this elder now likely possesses the top-tier strength of a one-star Battle Saint. In fact, back then, this elder played a crucial role in severely injuring Yao Tian Xiao and helping to seal me away." "Two one-star Battle Saints?" "Heard this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. Indeed, the Nine-幽 Earth-Midnight Python Clan possessed profound depth—merely the ones mentioned were two genuine Battle-Saints. With the current creature, the Azure-Midnight, that would make three. Such strength truly warranted their status as one of the three premier clans in the Beast Kingdom. Unexpectedly, however, the Azure-Midnight did not seem as formidable as he had sensed. Likely, this stemmed from the physical nature of beasts, which differed from humans. "My greatest obstacle lies with these two. Once I eliminate them, I will surely control the Nine-幽 Earth-Midnight Python Clan. Then, young friend, you will be my life-saver. Though I, the Azure-Midnight, may not be particularly generous, what I say carries weight—what I promise, I will fulfill. When I come to control the Nine-幽 Earth-Midnight Python Clan, should you have any requests, I will strive to meet them wholeheartedly." The Azure-Midnight gazed steadily into Xiao Yan's eyes, speaking with solemn conviction. Xiao Yan gently clenched his fist in his sleeve, yet did not immediately speak. His eyes flickered, for since he had learned of the Three Dragon Islands' intention to seek external support against Zi Yan, he had been striving to find a way to undermine their alliance. Yet, after much thought, he found no particularly effective plan. After all, the Nine-Deep Earth-Medina Serpent Clan was no match for the Tian-Ming Sect in terms of strength; they too possessed formidable power. While bringing over the strongest members of the alliance might allow for a fair contest, relying solely on Xiao Yan himself would undoubtedly prove difficult. As for the reputation of Xiao Xiao Tian, Xiao Yan had heard of him. This man was indeed unyielding and resolute in his methods, cold and indifferent, always driven by self-interest. Given his nature, as long as the benefits were sufficient, he would surely agree to the demands of the Northern Dragon Island and the other two islands, uniting them to jointly oppose Zi Yan's Eastern Dragon Island. In that case, even with Zi Yan possessing the exceptionally rare Dragon-Phoenix constitution, he would likely find himself overwhelmed by the combined forces. However, if Xiao Ming truly managed to control the Nine-Deep Earth-Mortar Serpent Clan, it would undoubtedly shatter the three dragon islands' conspiracy, and without this crucial support, they would suffer significant setbacks. "I don't trust you," thought Xiao Yan for a moment, then finally raised his head, gazing steadily at Xiao Ming, and slowly shook his head. He knew little about the latter, and had no clear sense of his character. Should he succeed in rescuing Xiao Ming, he might end up being a white-eyed wolf—grateful or not, but if Xiao Ming turned around and bit back, that would truly be frustrating. Upon hearing Xiao Yan say this, the yao Ming opened his mouth, yet could find nothing to say. Indeed, he had no way to earn Xiao Yan's complete trust at their very first meeting. "However, I can certainly save you—there is even more: after rescuing you, I can assist you in reclaiming your position as clan chief, but with one condition," Xiao Yan said, his gaze steady and fixed upon the yao Ming. "You must freely release your soul so that I may establish a spiritual seal upon it. Should you ever lie to me, I will activate this seal, and at that moment, even if you are a Supreme Battle Saint, you will inevitably suffer severe injury, and your strength will never advance again." At this, the yao Ming's expression subtly changed—this was equivalent to placing his life entirely in Xiao Yan's hands. "Only then can I truly trust you. If you refuse, I shall simply turn around and leave right now. Honestly, I don't want to get involved in this mess at all." Xiao Yan said firmly. Ao Ming clenched his teeth, his gaze wavering. Though he was never one to be controlled, the thought of the countless hardships he had endured over the centuries stirred a growing resentment within him. With a sudden, fierce breath, he roared, "Very well! As you say—I've had enough of my grudges! I'll go and crush that insignificant fool to pieces!" "Excellent!" Seeing Ao Ming finally agree, Xiao Yan felt a surge of joy and said so. "Ah…" Ao Ming drew a deep breath, and light flickered at the center of his brow. A subtle spiritual force surged forth, eventually coalescing into a massive black serpent before him. Noticing that Ao Ming had willingly summoned his spirit, Xiao Yan smiled, and with a subtle mental effort, a thread of glowing, fiery spirit energy drifted out, swiftly entering the serpent's forehead. As the spiritual mark touched the serpent's brow, the creature shuddered violently before dissolving into a fluid form and sinking into the center of Ao Ming's brow. When the souls of the yamen were drawn into the center of its brow, Xiao Yan could also sense the fluctuations of the latter's soul. Now, with a mere thought, the soul imprint imbued with the power of the hetero-fire would instantly explode, shattering the other's soul into fragments. "By the way, I came to this Nine-Deep Yellow Springs in search of the Yellow Springs Blood Crystal—do you know where it has gone?" After resolving this matter, Xiao Yan smiled. "The Yellow Springs Blood Crystal is quite rare even within this Nine-Deep Yellow Springs; typically, it takes nearly a thousand years to form a single piece the size of a palm. Over the past few centuries, I've completely consumed all such crystals..." Upon hearing this, the yamen hesitated slightly, then suddenly opened its mouth, and a streak of blood-like light shot out, hovering before Xiao Yan—revealing a blood-colored crystal roughly the size of a clenched fist. Within the crystal, it seemed as though an endless flow of blood surged, appearing remarkably strange. "This is indeed the Yellow Springs Blood Crystal, isn't it?" murmuring softly as he gazed at the crystal, radiating a faintly eerie glow.