People in Doupo: The beginning of the game intercepts the rich woman Xun'er

"The Nine Netherworld Staff?! It's actually the Nine Netherworld Staff that's been lost for hundreds of years!"

A startled cry suddenly erupted from the group of elders, shattering the deathly silence.

Gazing at the jet-black scepter with flowing python patterns in Yao Ming's palm, the expressions of all the elders in the sky changed drastically. Their pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and the surprise and panic on their faces were instantly replaced by extreme shock. Then, an uncontrollable fanatical light surged in their cloudy old eyes.

"It really is the Nine Netherworld Staff! The pattern of the two snakes coiling around the staff head, and the snake bead with flowing light between the snakes' eyebrows, are exactly the same as the clan leader's token recorded in the ancient books!"

"No wonder...no wonder I could feel such a strong bloodline pressure! This pressure even made the python bloodline within me tremble slightly, as if it were on a pilgrimage!"

Amidst the rising and falling gasps of amazement, the elders stared intently at the scepter, their breathing becoming heavy.

Everyone knows that the Nine Netherworld Staff is not only a symbol of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan Chief's status, but also the lifeblood of the entire clan! Legend has it that within the fist-sized snake bead at the staff's head lies the purest royal bloodline left behind by the first patriarch. That bloodline power is enough to nourish the clan's foundation and reverse the decline of its bloodline.

In order to forcibly increase their combat power, the Nine Netherworld Python Clan has already overdrawn its ancient bloodline. The bloodline of the younger generation is becoming increasingly thin, and even transformation is becoming more and more difficult. If this continues, the entire clan will eventually decline and perish.

The royal bloodline within the Nine Netherworld Staff is undoubtedly a miraculous cure for the dead! If it can be unsealed and injected into the clan's bloodline pool, it can greatly slow down the rate at which the bloodline thins, and may even allow the clan to re-emerge with a powerful individual possessing ancient pure blood!
Such an immense temptation was too much for even these centuries-old creatures to bear. Their eyes gleamed with desire, and their gazes toward Yao Ming shifted from initial surprise and doubt to a complex mix of awe and longing.

"No wonder I searched the entire clan's treasury and dug three feet into the ground but couldn't find any trace of the Nine Nether Staff. It turns out that you, you bastard, swallowed it!"

With a hoarse roar, Yao Xiaotian had finally broken free from his paralyzed state. However, his dantian and qi sea had been sealed by Yao Ming's secret technique, and he had been severely injured by Xiao Ling's thunderous methods. At this moment, his meridians were broken and his fighting qi was blocked and difficult to move. He could only lie on the ground like a dead snake out of water, unable to move even an inch.

He stared intently at the Nine Netherworld Staff in Yao Ming's palm, a symbol of the clan leader's authority. His face was so gloomy it could drip water. His remaining python eyes churned with resentment and unwillingness. He dug his ten fingers into the soil beneath him, his nails cracking and bleeding, but he was completely unaware.

Yao Ming seemed to sense the venomous gaze, but without turning his head, he merely glanced at him coldly, a mocking smile playing on his lips. Then, he strode forward, arms outstretched, completely unguarded. His eyes, dormant for hundreds of years, were sharp as knives, fixed intently on the elders in the sky.

"Elder Xian! Elder Ming! Elder Liu!"

A deep shout, like a thunderclap, shook everyone to their core. Yao Ming's voice carried a complex mix of emotions, like the joy of reuniting with an old friend, and an undeniable authority: "Back then, the three of you were my most trusted confidants, fighting alongside me in countless battles, protecting our clan! Do you intend to blindly follow treacherous villains and choose to be my enemies today?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Ming turned to the side, gently beckoning Xiao Ling to his side. His gaze swept over the astonished and uncertain members of his clan, and he said loudly, "The man beside me is named Xiao Ling! It was he who bravely rescued me from the abyss of the Nine Netherworlds! Now, he is also vouching for my innocence and purging the traitors in our clan!"

He raised his hand and pointed at Yao Xiaotian, who was lying on the ground, and then at the disheveled Grand Elder. His voice resounded through the sky: "Everyone, listen to my command! Immediately withdraw the clan's protective formation and leave this place! Those who have gone astray and repent will be forgiven! But those who are stubborn and dare to aid and abet evil, don't blame me, Yao Ming, for not showing any mercy to our clan!"

When foreign enemies invade, even if a powerful enemy presses on the border, the entire Nine Netherworld Python Clan will surely unite as one and share a common hatred for the enemy; but right now it is clearly a struggle between good and evil within the clan, and who is right and who is wrong is already clear at a glance.

On one side is the current patriarch and Grand Elder, who act recklessly and are willing to sacrifice the clan's bloodline for their own selfish desires; on the other side is the highly respected former patriarch who led the clan to its peak, and is also accompanied by an unfathomable powerhouse who can severely injure a Dou Sheng with a mere flick of his wrist. Any sensible member of the clan knows which choice to make!
"Greetings, Chief Yaoming!"

Elder Xian, who was the first to react, suddenly raised his arm and shouted, his aged voice filled with excitement and awe. His confidants behind him also responded in a thunderous roar, the sound reaching the sky.

"Greetings, Chief Yaoming!"

"Dismantle the Ten Thousand Serpent Formation! No conflict is permitted with the distinguished guests of Chief Yaoming!"

The shouts rose and fell like thunderclaps across the sky. The tense and murderous atmosphere instantly vanished. Most of the elders and Nether Serpent Guards did not hesitate to sheathe their weapons and activate their battle qi to dispel the imminent formation.

A few of Yao Xiaotian's confidants looked at each other, their faces filled with panic and despair.

They had intended to put up a stubborn resistance, but seeing their clansmen turn against them, feeling the unquestionable majesty emanating from Yao Ming, and the faint yet terrifying pressure emanating from Xiao Ling, they dared not utter a single word of protest. Under the pressure of the overwhelming forces, they reluctantly withdrew their attack.

As for the human powerhouse that Yao Ming just mentioned, why he broke into the Nine Netherworld Python Clan's forbidden area, the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs, and why he rescued Yao Ming, such a complicated cause and effect, in the current tense and rapidly reversing situation, no one has the mind to delve into it.

Everyone's mind was completely captivated by the dramatic changes of the reappearance of the demon and the scepter. Their minds were filled with choosing sides and making choices, leaving no time to explore the origins of a human, nor daring to express any opinion on the matter.

However, among the crowd, several elders who were in charge of external intelligence frowned slightly when they heard the name "Xiao Ling". They felt that the name was very familiar, as if they had seen it in an urgent intelligence file.

They couldn't help but stare intently at Xiao Ling, gazing at his well-defined features and composed demeanor, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashing in their eyes.

But then I thought, this is a crucial moment for the clan to establish its rule, and any extra voice could backfire.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the unspoken understanding in each other's eyes. They immediately withdrew their probing gazes and wisely kept silent, avoiding any further disturbance at this critical juncture.

Seeing that the situation had completely stabilized, Yao Ming's smile became even more pronounced. He reached out and grabbed Yao Xiaotian's snake tail, lifting him into the air as if he were a dead mudfish. His black robes fluttered in the eerie wind of the Yellow Springs Earth Vein.

Immediately, his eyes, dormant for hundreds of years, suddenly flashed with a sharp, cold light, like a sword being drawn from its sheath, shooting straight at the Grand Elder who was sprawled on the ground in a disheveled state. Yao Ming lifted his foot and took a step; each step seemed to explode with thunder on the ground, causing dust to fall in a flurry.

As he moved, even though Xiao Ling had already concealed his aura, a terrifying pressure far stronger and more domineering than anyone else present surged forth like a tsunami, instantly sweeping across the entire world. "A two-star Dou Sheng?!"

The moment the level of this aura was clearly perceived, Yao Xiaotian, who was paralyzed in Yao Ming's hands, and the Great Elder, whose body was charred black, turned ashen-faced, and even their lips trembled uncontrollably.

They simply couldn't accept the reality before them. Suppressed in the Yellow Springs Abyss for hundreds of years, eroded by the cold and yin energy every day, Yao Ming's cultivation not only did not regress in the slightest, but instead broke through the shackles of that year, soaring all the way from the half-saint realm, and forcefully stepping into the level of two-star Dou Sheng!
"As expected of Chief Yao Ming! Such astonishing talent is worlds apart from that of Yao Xiaotian, he is more than a hundred times stronger!"

A deafening cheer suddenly erupted, and the members of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan all showed expressions of wild joy, their eyes filled with fervent reverence as they looked at Yao Ming.

As magical beasts, their cultivation path emphasizes a solid foundation and slow accumulation. In terms of cultivation speed, they may be far inferior to the genius cultivators of the human race, but they have the advantage of long lifespans, often hundreds or thousands of years, which is enough for them to steadily hone their cultivation.

Yao Ming was suppressed in the Yellow Springs Abyss for hundreds of years. Instead of having his cultivation destroyed by the cold and yin energy, he broke through the barrier and advanced all the way from the half-saint realm to the level of two-star Dou Sheng. Such a heaven-defying cultivation speed is a rare existence in the entire history of the beast world!
Seeing Yao Ming's eyes, filled with resentment and killing intent, closing in step by step, the chilling pressure almost freezing the air, the Grand Elder trembled violently, his face turning deathly pale. He knew Yao Ming's nature all too well. Once known as the most ruthless ruler of the clan, his methods were incredibly cruel. If he fell into Yao Ming's hands today, not only would he not have a complete corpse, but his very soul would likely be crushed to ashes—his fate would be a thousand times more miserable than Yao Xiaotian's!
"Devil Snake Sky Explosion!"

In this desperate situation, a mad, ruthless glint flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes. He quickly glanced at Yao Ming's cold face, then at Xiao Ling, who stood calmly to the side. Knowing that there was no way out today, he gritted his teeth and his hands formed a series of strange and twisted hand seals at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

In an instant, an extremely violent battle aura exploded from his body, causing his body to expand wildly at a visible speed. His originally charred skin writhed rapidly, and his veins bulged like dragons, as if countless venomous snakes were writhing and thrashing under his skin, ready to burst out at any moment!

"He's insane! This old bastard actually dared to detonate his natal magic core!"

Yao Ming's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart trembling at the old man's resolute determination. The Demonic Serpent Heavenly Explosion was a forbidden technique of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan; once activated, it was a move that would result in mutual destruction, its power enough to severely injure an ordinary Battle Saint!
His expression changed drastically. He dared not be negligent in the slightest and retreated rapidly like a ghost, shouting at the same time, "Everyone, get out of the way! Quickly!"

"Oh no! This old bastard is going to self-destruct!"

Exclamations of alarm erupted like thunder among the crowd. The faces of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan members on the ground changed drastically, their hearts leaping into their throats, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at the Grand Elder.

They knew all too well the terrifying power of a Dou Sheng's self-destruction! It was a destructive force powerful enough to shake the heavens and earth. Once detonated, not only would the core area of ​​the Yellow Springs Earth Vein beneath their feet be reduced to barren wasteland, but the entire area within a thousand feet would be turned into scorched earth. Those clansmen whose cultivation was below the high-level Dou Zun level would be crushed into dust by the aftershocks!
Seeing this, Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly, rubbing his chin with his fingertips, and muttered to himself, "Tsk, I guess I still have to take action myself."

He lowered his gaze slightly, taking in the Elder's blustering yet cowardly appearance. Although he knew that the old scoundrel would not actually self-destruct, he was merely using the power of the forbidden technique to bluff and force Yao Ming to retreat in order to protect himself.

However, once the forbidden technique, Demonic Serpent Explosion, is activated, it will deplete one's original battle qi. Even if one stops in the end, one's cultivation level will drop significantly.

Xiao Ling was still thinking of handing this old thing over to Qing Lin to subdue. A complete Dou Sheng expert is much more useful than a crippled piece of trash, so naturally he couldn't let him waste his life like this.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ling lazily raised his hand, making a loose clench in his palm.

"Om-"

The surrounding air suddenly froze, and an invisible spatial force swept out like a tide. Centered on the Grand Elder, the world within a radius of several feet seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

The elder, who was frantically activating forbidden techniques and whose body had expanded to its limit, suddenly froze in place. The surging battle qi within him stopped abruptly, like a wild beast whose throat had been choked. Even the venomous snake patterns churning under his skin froze for a moment.

"Spatial power?!" The Grand Elder's pupils shrank, and for the first time, extreme fear surged in his eyes.

Xiao Ling remained expressionless, his lips parted slightly, and four soft words echoed throughout the heavens and earth:

"Space strangulation."

The moment the words fell, the space around the Grand Elder suddenly twisted! Visible cracks spread like a spider web, and sharp spatial fragments, like invisible blades, whistled and cut towards his limbs and bones.

"what--!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted, and the elder's skin was instantly torn apart, blood spurting out like a fountain. The fine spatial spikes were everywhere, burrowing into his body through his pores, frantically tearing at his meridians and bones.

His swollen body shrank at a visible speed, and the chaotic battle qi within his body was stirred into a mess by the power of space. Even his natal demon core, which was about to explode, was forcibly suppressed back into the depths of his dantian.

The spatial rifts, like maggots clinging to his bones, gnawed at his flesh bit by bit, and the crisp sound of bones shattering echoed repeatedly.

If Xiao Ling hadn't deliberately restrained his power, targeting only his meridians and battle qi, he would have already been minced into a bloody mess.

Even so, the Grand Elder was in a terrible state, his body covered in blood and flesh, bones exposed, meridians broken, and his breath as faint as a candle in the wind. He lay on the ground, unable to move even a little, barely clinging to life.

And all of this happened in the blink of an eye. (End of Chapter)