Chapter 457: Nine Serene Spring

As the unusual light pierced into the center of his brow, Xiao Ming gently shut his eyes and guided his soul power into action. He initiated a meticulous scan around his brow area, swiftly detecting a fist-sized cluster of pale light suspended there.

His soul remained fixated on this white cluster, which hovered serenely in place, showing no further movement.

'So, this is the remnant image of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint?' Xiao Ming pondered quietly. He directed his soul power to approach the light cluster slowly.

Despite his proximity, the cluster of light remained unresponsive. His soul power continued to draw nearer, and the strength of his Late Heaven Realm soul quietly condensed.

With each passing moment, just as Xiao Ming was on the verge of enveloping the light cluster with his soul power, a burst of white radiance abruptly shot out from within the cluster. It moved as swiftly as lightning, aimed directly at his soul!

Xiao Ming remained calm in the face of this unexpected turn. He quickly summoned his soul power to form a strong defense in front of him.

Despite this, when the deceptively weak white radiance collided with his soul defense, it easily penetrated its barriers. Right before his eyes, it seamlessly rushed into his soul.

In the fleeting instance that the white radiance penetrated his soul, four words abruptly surfaced in his mind - Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint!

'This Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint certainly lives up to its reputation as the strongest being closest to the Dou God realm. My Late Heaven Realm soul power is rendered ineffective even against a mere remnant of his.'

Xiao Ming furrowed his brows slightly as he opened his eyes.  However, he wasn't disheartened; he had expected this outcome.

He had considered having his "Spirit" devour this remnant, but he ultimately dismissed the idea.

There was no need to fear that this remnant would do anything to him. Although the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint was somewhat eccentric, he was also relatively straightforward in his actions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sealed the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, employing the rationale that the demonic flame could wreak havoc on the continent.

'Come to think of it, if it weren't for the fact that the only remaining Origin Qi in the world lies in the Tou She Ancient God's Tomb, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint might have become a Dou God long ago. He could have gained fame in the Great Thousand World. How could he have ended up trapped in the Dou Qi Continent, only to face his demise by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame when his life span was nearing its end?'

Xiao Ming felt a tinge of emotion as he thought about this.

He then remembered Zhu Kun, Zi Yan's father who guarded the tomb, Xiao Xuan in the Heavenly Tomb, and Demon Saint Huang Quan's residual soul within the Huang Quan stone tablet.

'It's fortunate that I have Origin Qi in my hands. Even if I don't open the Tomb of Tou She Ancient God, I should still be able to reach the Dou God realm.'

Of course, becoming a Dou God required a considerable amount of energy. However, if he truly needed to break through, Xiao Ming already had a choice - the Heavenly Tomb.

Xiao Xuan had once attempted to break through to the Dou God realm there. Though he failed due to a lack of Origin Qi, his choice demonstrated that the Heavenly Tomb was indeed a suitable location for breaking through to Dou God.

Of course, it was too early to discuss these matters now.

For the time being, Xiao Ming needed to find a way to advance to the three-star Dou Saint stage and strive to become stronger. Otherwise, Hun Tiandi would not let him go so easily.

...

As the sky brightened the next day, Xiao Ming bid Cao Ying farewell and quietly left the Pill Region, making his way alone towards the Beast Region.

Since this wasn't his first journey to the Beast Region, he was familiar with the route. With his significantly enhanced strength, his travel speed had naturally increased exponentially. What once took several days to traverse now only took half a day.

Upon entering the Beast Region, Xiao Ming didn't linger, heading straight for the area where the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe was located.

The Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe's true stronghold lay deep within the underground. Of course, they also had numerous branches on the surface.

In terms of sheer numbers, this tribe was the largest among the three major tribes. However, their substantial population led to impurities in their bloodline.

According to the estimates of the elders within the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, if things continued this way, their ancient bloodline would be nearly depleted within a century. By that time, the tribe would have fallen to a state comparable to ordinary magical beasts.

This matter caused significant disputes and discord within the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. However, without the replenishment of the ancient bloodline and given their current rate of reproduction, that day would inevitably arrive.

...

The Nine Serene Ground Abyss was a key tunnel that led into the underground world. It was also occupied by the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. Therefore, the defenses were relatively tight, but these measures mainly deterred ordinary experts. With Xiao Ming's current strength, even these defenses wouldn't be enough to detect his presence.

Xiao Ming's figure appeared on a mountain not far from the abyss. Casting a glance at the seemingly formidable defenses, he shook his head. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he enveloped himself in a dense spatial force, and with a spatial ripple, he vanished from view.

The underground world had a highly intricate terrain. Fortunately, Xiao Ming had thoroughly prepared for this journey, possessing detailed maps. In less than an hour, he reached the underground world. Along the way, he passed through several snake-people tribes, and after about half a day, he finally arrived at the primary stronghold of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe - the Underground Serene Snake Network.

The Underground Serene Snake Network served as the headquarters of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe. It held a sacred place in the hearts of many snake tribes. Being such a sacred site, it was naturally heavily guarded. An average snake-people wouldn't be allowed entry.

'It truly lives up to its reputation as one of the three major tribes in the Magical Beast world. There are indeed many experts within this mountain range,' Xiao Ming muttered to himself as he stood on a hill near the Underground Serene Snake Network, gazing into the distance at the mountain range.

The Nine Serene Ground Abyss, where the Underground Serene Snake Network was located deep within, contained numerous hidden experts. There were even Half-Saint-level powerhouses among them. Should they be alerted, even Xiao Ming could potentially find himself in a troublesome situation, potentially leading to a confrontation.

Although he had a minor conflict with the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, his purpose for coming here wasn't to take lives.

These powerful figures within the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe could potentially prove useful to him in the future. Thus, there was no need to resort to lethal actions. Prudence was key.

The current Xiao Ming had already advanced into a peak level existence in this world. He could use spatial strength with great proficiency now. He could even walk within the empty realm.

He delved deep into the Underground Serene Snake Network using his spatial abilities, successfully evading the notice of the numerous experts he encountered along the way.

However, as he approached the depths of the Underground Serene Snake Network, he sensed the presence of increasingly powerful experts.

Occasionally, he even felt fleeting soul detections brushing against his concealed space. It seemed that these experts had sensed something amiss due to their familiarity with the surrounding space.

Fortunately, these fleeting senses didn't expose him. Otherwise, with his strength, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe would have a hard time.

Using his extraordinary abilities, Xiao Ming successfully avoided the senses of the many powerful beings along the way and quietly entered the depths of the underground Serene Snake network.