"Thud!" High in the sky, Xiao Yan's fist met the elder's palm, which exuded a thick, pungent, foul-smelling aura of black mist. The intense flame instantly leapt upward, vaporizing the toxic essence completely. The powerful force sent the elder staggering back several steps, his internal qi and blood circulation even beginning to surge and churn—Xiao Yan's unique fire power making him deeply uncomfortable. "Senior Elder," Xiao Yan, now manifesting as a golden giant, looked down upon the elder with calm superiority, "I think it's time you surrender. You won't be able to defeat me. As for the young elder, Tian Xiao, he'll surely fall to Yan Ming within ten more rounds. Once he's out of the way, I suspect your fate won't be very favorable." Upon hearing this, the elder's face trembled slightly. With a quick glance at Tian Xiao's battlefield, his heart sank—he now appeared to be nearly completely subdued by Yan Ming, his desperate and disheveled condition clearly indicating he wouldn't last much longer. "Good heavens! All these years of hard work—now completely wasted!" The Senior Elder was filled with fury and resentment. He had always believed that they had fully established control over the Nine-Deep Earth冥Snake Clan. Yet the harsh reality revealed that such control was, in truth, an illusion. Once a crisis arose, that very control would dissolve into mere mockery. Hearing the piercing cry, the Senior Elder's heart leapt and he quickly turned to see that the now lay motionless atop a mountain peak, like a dead dog. The once towering peak, originally reaching a thousand paces in height, had collapsed nearly halfway. The clash between two Dou-Sheng cultivators was so fierce that even a simple movement could reduce an entire massive peak to dust and ash. "Thud!" Aiming a powerful foot down upon the body of Yao Tianxiao, Yao Ming generated a wave of devastating wind ripples centered on his foot, shattering nearby boulders into fine powder. Yao Tianxiao, in turn, expelled a gush of blood, some of which mingled with fragments of his internal organs. Witnessing this scene, many members of the Nine-Yuan Di-Ming Python Clan blinked in surprise— the combat between the two had been truly devastating. Ao Tian Xiao appeared disheveled, yet Ao Ming was no less so—his body covered in a series of gushing wounds, blood flowing steadily from his crown down to his face, making him look terrifying. In their battle, Ao Ming truly embodied the spirit of a "determined warrior who fights to the last breath"—otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult to swiftly defeat a one-star Battle Saint like Ao Tian Xiao. "All the suffering I've endured over these centuries—every single one—has been entirely due to you!" Azure Ming spoke with a frosty tone. He slowly knelt down, his hands gently caressing the head of Azure Tian Xiao, whose blood-streaked face suddenly softened for a brief moment. "Back then, I truly regarded you as my own brother. If you had not betrayed me, the position of clan chief would have been yours by now, inevitably." "From childhood onward, you always enjoyed the best things first. If you wanted me to die, you'd never find peace yourself!" As Azure Tian Xiao felt Azure Ming's touch, his entire body trembled. He could sense the fierce intent of the former's heart, and his own eyes flashed with a sudden, cold glare. Yet, just as the surge of his internal qi was about to reverse and burst his body, Azure Ming's gaze grew icy, and his hands pressed like the sharpest blade, forcefully piercing into Azure Tian Xiao's head. Blood and brain matter erupted in a sudden, violent spray. "Crash!" Her hand plunged into the妖天啸's head, and妖暝 remained expressionless, slowly withdrawing it. In her palm lay a black orb the size of a clenched fist, exceptionally smooth, with a subtle flow of black mist coalescing into the face of a creature shrieking in agony—precisely the visage of妖天啸. Across the heavens, every member of the Nine-Deep Earth-Mortar Serpent Clan watched the mountain peak, sensing the complete disappearance of妖天啸's presence and life force from the world. Those who had been actively opposing the elder elders at that moment grew pale, their bodies trembling, unable to move or speak. Holding the black orb,妖暝's eyes flickered with a touch of sorrow. Though her vengeance was fulfilled, she did not feel particularly fulfilled—such a scene of hand-to-hand combat, of kin turning against kin, was among the most tragic that could unfold in the cosmos. "Gurgle..." High above, the Senior Elder slowly swallowed a gulp of saliva. He hadn't expected the monster to be quite so ruthless—offering the young phoenix no chance at survival at all. In fact, she had even extracted the latter's magical core from his body, clearly determined to leave him with no chance of recovery. Xiang Yin observed the monster standing motionless beside the lifeless body of Xiang Tianxiao, silent and unmoving. He too had brothers of his own, and thus understood the depth of pain that would ripple through him if he were to strike against Xiang Ding and Xiang Li. Though Xiang Tianxiao had initially fallen to the monster, their bloodlines were the same, flowing through their very veins. "Senior Elder," said the monster, taking a long, deep breath, then waving her sleeve to gather Xiang Tianxiao's body. With a fierce expression, she lifted her gaze to the Elder, her voice cold and resolute. "Now it's your turn." Seeing the妖暝's utterly fierce gaze, the Senior Elder also trembled. He understood that should he fall into the former's hands, his fate would be far more tragic than that of妖天啸. "Majestic Serpent Sky Explosion!" The Elder swiftly scanned the faces of妖暝 and Xiao Yan, then suddenly bit his teeth fiercely, rapidly forming an unusual hand seal with both hands. Instantly, his body swelled dramatically, his skin rippling rapidly as though something were about to burst forth. Observing this scene, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, stepping back slightly and with growing unease. "He dares to self-explosion!" Even妖暝 was startled by the Elder's decisive action, quickly retreating himself. "Boom!" As both Xiao Yan and妖暝 were retreating, the Elder's body finally erupted in a thunderous explosion, sending out a devastating wave of energy that instantly leveled any peaks within a thousand zhang. "Shhh—" "At the moment the energy surge erupted, countless black energy serpents surged forth in a sweeping, all-encompassing manner, rushing toward every direction. As soon as these serpents touched the ground, they instantly vanished. 'Not a self-sacrifice—this old fellow is truly cunning! He's deliberately abandoned his physical form and hidden his magical core within a split-off body...' Observing this scene, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with surprise. This old man indeed acted decisively; though he had lost his body, his strength would undoubtedly diminish significantly, and it would take him a long time—perhaps years—to recover to his peak. 'Hmph. This old man has just gotten a good deal!' As the energy surge gradually subsided, Yao Ming flashed into position beside Xiao Yan and barked orders at the numerous members of the Nine-Youth Earth-冥 Snake Clan: 'Order a search throughout a radius of ten thousand li—make sure that old man is found!' 'Yes!" "Upon hearing this, several elders quickly bowed and responded respectfully. The late Lord Yāo Míng had long enjoyed a formidable reputation within the Nine-Deep Earth冥 Serpent Clan. Though he had gone missing for several centuries, the very force with which he had previously slain Yāo Tiān Xiào had left an indelible impression, ensuring that all clan members remained deeply awed. "We are honored to welcome back Lord Yāo Míng to his position. We shall pledge our unwavering loyalty!" The elder members, all of considerable experience, swiftly advanced to pay their respects to Yāo Míng. "Thank you, elders. The affairs of the clan shall be entrusted to you. Those who no longer belong should be relieved of their positions—there is no need to retain them further," Yāo Míng said calmly. To reclaim his leadership, he would inevitably have to eliminate certain trusted allies of Yāo Tiān Xiào, otherwise, complications would inevitably arise. "Understood!" The elders promptly responded with due respect. "As Xiao Yan was releasing the Diamond and Glass Body, Cai Lin and the others also emerged from the deep ravine, finally hovering beside him. Having been unable to participate in the earlier battle, they had remained unseen until now." "Xiao Yan, this time, thank you so much for your timely assistance," said the yao Ming, turning to Xiao Yan and bowing with sincere gratitude as she delivered several instructions. Xiao Yan smiled and waved her hand. "Xiao Yan, this great favor is beyond my ability to repay. However, no matter what, I must offer something in return. I'm sure you'll find it interesting—please don't rush to decline. I have something in mind that I believe you'll appreciate," said Yao Ming, pausing thoughtfully before suddenly smiling. "Hmm?" Xiao Yan slightly raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever heard of the Yellow Springs Immortal Saint?" asked Yao Ming with a smile. "The Yellow Springs Immortal Saint?" Xiao Yan was momentarily startled, then his expression grew more earnest: "The one who once nearly reached the level of a Battle Emperor during the ancient times?"