Xiao Yan reached out and took the blood-colored crystal floating before him. As soon as it came into his hands, a terrifying cold force surged through his palms and within moments froze one of his arms solid. "Indeed, it's the Yellow Springs Blood Crystal—this level of cold power is truly formidable," Xiao Yan nodded with satisfaction. Shaking his arm, he shattered the ice crystals and carefully stored the blood crystal in his storage relic, then turned his gaze toward the yamen, asking, "How can we rescue you? Do we need to break these four iron chains?" "No," the yamen replied. "What's holding me captive isn't the chains themselves, but the Yellow Springs Yin Stone at the far end of each chain. This stone continuously releases a steady flow of cold energy, draining my qi and keeping me in a state of extreme weakness. There's a well-designed mechanism hidden at the junction where the chains meet the mountain's body. As long as you break that mechanism, even though the chains are made of special materials, they will no longer be able to hold me." "Heard that, the yao ming merely shook his head and said. "Oh?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, then moved his body, appearing at the end of a chain. Indeed, he had seen the chain deeply embedded into a dark black mountain—though not large, only a few dozen zhang in size—the mountain radiated an intense coldness that even with his unique fire protecting him, made Xiao Yan feel a shiver run through his body. "Is this the Yellow Springs Yin Stone?" Looking at the dark mountain, Xiao Yan clenched his fists, and a vast surge of combat energy erupted, then struck hard against the mountain's surface. "Boom!" A massive wave of water spread out in a thunderous rhythm from where Xiao Yan's fist landed—but the dark mountain only trembled slightly. Xiao Yan's punch, powerful enough to severely injure a half-saint-level warrior, had left not even a single impression on the stone. "The Yellow Springs' dark stone, refined by the cold阴 force for countless years, has long become utterly unyielding. To destroy it, even if I regain my full strength, would surely prove difficult," the yōming said, its voice hoarse from the disturbance caused by Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan furrowed his brow, then suddenly grasped a section of the iron chain, instantly causing a hissing stream of white vapor to erupt. Upon releasing his grip, thick layers of white frost had already covered his palms. It seemed the iron chain itself was a vacuum, saturated with an overwhelming presence of cold阴 energy. Only now did he fully comprehend why the yōming had been imprisoned here for several centuries. Seeing Xiao Yan's persistent efforts yield no results, a touch of disappointment began to surface on the yōming's dry, weathered face. "The things from the Nine-Deep Abyss and the River of Souls are indeed no ordinary ones..." Xiao Yan shook his head, deciding no longer to waste effort. With his two fingers curled together, a strand of exceptionally compressed hetero-fire extended out, like a fine needle, gently inserted into the point where the iron chain was anchored into the mountain's body. After a while, he finally sensed a remarkably hard circular object. With a sudden, firm press of his fingers, the fire needle pierced deeply into the core of that solid sphere. "Crack!" As the fire needle penetrated the sphere, Xiao Yan immediately felt an unusual ripple emanate from within the mountain. Instantly, the massive iron chain snapped completely in two. "Really? It worked?" Apu Ming, who had initially been somewhat disappointed, suddenly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, filled with overwhelming joy. … At the very moment when Xiao Yan was breaking the seal of the Yinyin, the magnificent palace deep within the Yin Snake Earth Vein was bustling with activity. Numerous chieftains from various Snake People tribes gathered there, their laughter and conversation echoing throughout the grand hall. Seated upon the throne in the hall was a man dressed in black, handsome in appearance, yet his features carried an unmistakable coldness. With his eyes slightly half-open, a sharp gleam flashed within them—like a venomous serpent capable of instantly killing a person—sending a chill through every onlooker. Beside him, two graceful women gently massaged his body, while his hands continuously moved over their soft, delicate forms, making the women's eyes dazed and their presence especially alluring. "Below the man, an elder with a crimson venomous serpent coiled around his shoulders furrowed his brows, saying, 'The seal that had been restraining the yōming has suddenly broken...' A subtle voice reached the elder's ears as the black-robed man suddenly stood up, his face cold. 'What? How is this possible!' The elder's expression instantly changed, then quickly composed himself, glancing subtly at the senior monks and tribal chieftains in the hall before whispering, 'Hurry over there—should that yōming escape, we'll be in serious trouble. I'll hold my ground here and come to your aid swiftly...' 'Don't worry,' the black-robed man said with a serene, grim smile, and with a single movement, vanished from the throne. "Heh, with the elders reporting matters, the clan head will go to receive them first. Everyone, please continue..." Upon seeing the black-robed man vanish, the elder also stood up, smiling warmly and soothing the crowd within the hall. Aoying's gaze was firmly fixed on Xiao Yan, and he spoke in a solemn tone. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled. He could clearly sense the profound gratitude embedded in Aoying's words—though that gratitude had been born out of his resentment toward Ao Xiao Tian. Nevertheless, Aoying certainly didn't seem like a lukewarm or ungrateful companion. With this thought, Xiao Yan felt a subtle relief in his heart. With a flick of his fingers, a vial of pills shot toward Aoying. "Take the pills first to restore some qi," he said. "We can't stay here much longer. We must quickly leave the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs. Once you've recovered, then we'll go after Ao Xiao Tian." "Indeed, Xiao Yan, your advice is most sound!" Aoying nodded gratefully and, without hesitation, swallowed the entire vial of pills. He knew that, in his current condition, he would be no match for Ao Xiao Tian. "Let's go!" Having successfully rescued Aoying, Xiao Yan waved his sleeve, and the two of them swiftly transformed into two streams of water arrows, surging upward toward the heavens at lightning speed. Due to the extended period spent in the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs, the qi within Xiao Yan's body had been significantly depleted. To be safe, as he moved outward from the springs, he swiftly pulled out several pills and swallowed them. On the way back, he encountered countless strange serpents, but fortunately, the yin-ming seemed to have a method of controlling them—after emitting some odd sounds, the serpents retreated to a safe distance, thus avoiding any conflict between Xiao Yan and them. With no obstacles in their path, Xiao Yan and his companion's speed increased dramatically. In less than ten minutes, he spotted the distant lights, and breathed a sigh of relief. With a swift wave of his sleeve, his pace surged. "We're leaving!" As they approached the lake surface, Xiao Yan smiled, then suddenly shook his body, seizing the yin-ming and breaking through the water, landing on the lake surface. "Thud!" Just as Xiao Yan had stabilized himself, a deep, resonant rumble suddenly echoed through the air, followed by a graceful figure plummeting downward from the sky, her sharp wind-whistling cries never ceasing. "Cai Lin?" Seeing the figure, Xiao Yan's expression subtly tightened. With a swift wave of his sleeve, a surge of gentle strength erupted, catching the figure firmly before he pulled her close with a firm grasp to his side. "You've finally made it," Cai Lin breathed, relieved, as she wiped the blood from her lips with her jade hands. Noticing the blood on Cai Lin's lips, Xiao Yan's eyes darkened slightly; he said nothing, merely lifting his gaze slowly. Hovering in the space above, a figure in black robes stood motionless, now bowing his head, his gaze intensely hostile. "That man appeared suddenly, seizing us all—both Qing Lin and Xiao Yixian were injured when he grabbed us," Cai Lin gritted her teeth, speaking. Xiao Yan's gaze was fixed beyond the Yellow Springs, where Qinglin and Xiao Yi's energies were both disordered, clearly having sustained serious injuries. As a result, his expression grew increasingly cold. Above, the cloaked man stared at Xiao Yan and the skeleton-like Yamin standing beside him with an intensely stern demeanor, a cold, venomous smile playing upon his face. "Little fool! You dare disrupt my grand plans. Regardless of your origins, today I shall have you buried right here within the Yellow Springs! As for your three beautiful companions, I shall take them for myself—this, then, shall be the price you pay for your impetuousness!"