"Hmph, I almost let that old ghost escape just now…"
Yao Ming's figure flickered, appearing beside Xiao Ming. He stared coldly at the First Elder and then extended his hand to receive the snake from Xiao Ming.
Yao Ming only kept the First Elder's soul and returned the monster core to Xiao Ming.
When the Elders saw this scene, they rushed over. They felt a surge of excitement inside them. Yao Xiaotian and the First Elder had ruled with an iron fist for years, showing no mercy.
With them gone, replaced by the former Tribal Chief Yao Ming, known for his fairness, high prestige, and even greater strength, it might actually be a good thing.
"... Elders, from now on, the matters of the tribe will be under your care. Those who shouldn't stay, don't need to stay any longer."
Yao Ming calmly said. If he wanted to regain his position as the tribal chief, he needed to eliminate some of Yao Xiaotian's confidants. Otherwise, they would be a source of trouble in the future.
"Understood!"
Upon hearing this, the Elders immediately responded respectfully.
Xiao Ming watched Yao Ming handle the affairs of the tribe in an organized manner and nodded slightly in approval.
Though sealed for so many years, his demeanor had not faltered. The tribe would become powerful if given time to develop.
"Alliance Leader Xiao, thank you for lending a hand this time around…"
After delegating various tasks, Yao Ming turned around and bowed respectfully to Xiao Ming.
"Your great favor cannot be repaid, but I'll ensure you receive substantial compensation. Oh, by the way, has Alliance Leader Xiao heard of Demon Saint Huang Quan?"
"Naturally."
Xiao Ming glanced at Yao Ming. He had actually wanted Yao Ming to take him to find the Huang Quan Stone Tablet, but he hadn't expected Yao Ming to bring it up himself.
Yao Ming likely wanted to unlock the stone tablet to further increase his strength and solidify his control over the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.
However, with the turmoil in the tribe today, it might not be possible to meet the Huang Quan Stone Tablet immediately.
...
The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python had experienced a major upheaval, inevitably resulting in some bloodshed events overnight.
After a night of turmoil, things gradually calmed down as dawn broke. At that moment, Yao Ming had already appeared in front of the room where Xiao Ming resided.
Sensing his presence, Xiao Ming immediately stepped outside.
They didn't stop along the way. In less than ten minutes, they arrived at the ancient altar.
This altar was extremely majestic. It was entirely made of large green rocks. Standing at the top of the altar, one could see some of the surrounding peaks.
Xiao Ming and Yao Ming landed slowly next to the altar. A pale-yellow stone tablet of about three hundred meters in size stood in the center of the square. It stood alone in that spot, emitting an ancient aura that made it appear to have existed indefinitely.
'Is this the legendary Huan Quan Stone Tablet…'
Xiao Ming looked up at the enormous stone tablet. Various mysterious symbols were engraved on it, emitting occasional flickers of strange light.
An enormous one-meter-and-a-half-deep handprint was carved into the stone tablet. Various strange pieces of information radiated from it, presumably containing the cultivation methods for the Yellow Spring Finger and Yellow Spring Palm techniques.
The Yellow Spring Finger was a Low Tian Dou Technique, while the Yellow Spring Palm was an Intermediate Tian Dou Technique. Both possessed immense power, but only the Tribal Chief of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe and a few Elders were qualified to cultivate them.
Yao Ming bowed low to this stone tablet. After which, he slowly stepped back. His eyes looked at Xiao Ming as he said, "This is the Huang Quan stone tablet of my Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. The 'Yellow Spring Divine Anger' and the Demon Saint essence blood are hidden within it. But whether we can obtain them or not will depend on Alliance Leader abilities."
Xiao Ming nodded silently; his gaze focused on the stone tablet. On it, he sensed an extremely powerful soul pressure.
The Yellow Spring Divine Anger was a Soundwave High Tian Dou Technique. Even other experts in the Dou Saint realm would be horrified by it. Among the top-level powerhouses who fell at the hands of Demon Saint Huang Quan, at least nine out of ten had their souls forcefully shattered by it.
Even Xiao Ming's current Intermediate Tian Soul Skill, Silent World, wasn't comparable to it. Only after he improved his own technique would it be able to compete.
As for the Demon Saint essence blood, it went without saying. Whether Xiao Ming could break through to the three-star Dou Saint in a short time depended on whether he could obtain this essence blood.
His body moved before he appeared on a stone seat in front of the stone tablet. He slowly sat down while the soul beneath his brows began to move.
"For this period of time, don't let anyone disturb me..."
Xiao Ming whispered, and his body trembled slightly. Then, a substantial figure emerged from the center of his brow, eventually floating in front of the stone tablet.
Seeing Xiao Ming's soul that seemed almost tangible, Yao Ming inwardly praised him.
The matters of the soul were far too illusory and ethereal. Nowadays, the continent was dominated by Dou Qi, and only a few powerful individuals paid significant attention to soul cultivation. While the soul was a fundamental aspect of a person, in combat against others, it was difficult to achieve overwhelming effects unless there were special techniques involved.
The investment of time and effort required for soul cultivation was not always proportional to the benefits gained from it.
As a result, the soul strength of most powerhouses was merely at an ordinary level. Achieving something akin to Xiao Ming's ability to condense his soul into a substantial form was nearly impossible.
The soul strength of magical beasts like them was even worse, equivalent to a seventh-tier alchemist at best.
Xiao Ming's soul body floated in front of the stone tablet. Taking a step forward, his somewhat illusory form collided directly with it.
Chi!
Circular ripples spread across the surface of the ancient tablet like liquid in the instant they made contact, and Xiao Ming's soul seemed to be devoured, mysteriously vanishing in front of the stone tablet.
...
Rumble!
Thunder roared like enraged dragons in the sky filled with ancient aura, and the thunderous sound shook this realm, causing the entire space to tremble violently.
"Is this the hidden space within the stone tablet…"
Xiao Ming's body floated in midair, looking at this strange space with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Then, his gaze extended into the distance, to what appeared to be the edge of this space.
In the distance, a temple faintly appeared and disappeared.
'To be able to create such a vast realm within the stone tablet, this Demon Saint Huang Quan really lives up to his reputation.'
Letting out a soft sigh, Xiao Ming's feet moved through the air as he walked deeper into the space.
With each step he took, thunderbolts from the sky seemed to be drawn towards him, relentlessly crashing down in an overwhelming assault.
However, these attacks didn't even make Xiao Ming flinch. Within a radius of ten meters around him, an invisible force silently shattered any thunderbolt that entered, as if he was enveloped by an invisible protective barrier.
Bang!
As Xiao Ming ventured deeper, those thunderbolts gradually subsided, seeming to be aware that there was nothing they could do to stop him. When the last trace of lightning vanished from the sky, a deep yellow cloud suddenly formed above him. Following that, an immensely powerful gust of wind tore through the sky, pressing down fiercely upon him.
"Yellow Spring Finger…"
Xiao Ming's steps paused slightly as he lifted his head to gaze at the deep yellow finger that tore through the sky from the cloud layer. His expression remained unchanged as he swung his sleeve gently, causing flames to erupt beneath it. Amidst the swirling flames, a five-colored radiant sun emerged, radiating boundless light and power.
Boom!
With a flick of his palm, the radiant sun spun and shot forth, colliding with the deep yellow finger in mid-air. Instantly, a dazzling radiance burst forth, accompanied by a world-shaking explosion.
Terrifying energy shockwaves spread in all directions, cold air and fiery waves entwined, creating a series of reverberations that rippled outwards, sweeping across the surroundings.
Bang!
Just as the Yellow Spring Finger shattered, the ground beneath Xiao Ming suddenly ruptured, and a massive yellow palm shot out like lightning. In a flash, it appeared beneath Xiao Ming, its grasp closing around his body with formidable strength.
"Shatter!"
A calm voice resonated from within the giant hand, followed by a powerful soul storm that surged forth, instantly rupturing the hand's grip.
Xiao Ming was already close to the temple when the yellow giant hand shattered. He was only ten meters away, and he could see a deep yellow throne atop the temple. It radiated an ancient and majestic aura that bore the weight of time.