Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Zhizhen knew better than anyone how terrifying Qinghui was.

This creature is cultivated to devour hearts and blood. During its embryonic stage, it is merely a parasite. Once mature and entering the body, it will travel along the blood and qi, devouring the internal organs, meridians, flesh, and blood bit by bit.

Screams rose and fell as Zhizhen's body began to swell unnaturally, then quickly withered away.

The green viper kept moving around inside his body, and its size increased at a visible rate.

In just a short while, Ji-jin's screams came to an abrupt end.

His body shrank completely, his skin clung to his bones, and all the flesh in between was devoured.

"This"

Zhao Qingtan put away the Six Meridians Divine Sword and looked at the scene before her, unable to help but let out a gasp of surprise.

If she hadn't reacted quickly, she probably would have ended up like this if the blue viper had burrowed into her body.

Thinking about this, a cold sweat broke out on my back.

“If you get hit by this, you’ll be fine, but if he gets hit, he’ll die instantly,” Chen Zhan explained, turning around.

"Why?" Zhao Qingtan asked, puzzled.

"They all come from the same source."

"His cultivation level was mostly achieved by absorbing the power of the Green Serpent and supplementing it with the essence plundered by the Blood Tumor."

“Now that the Azure Serpent has turned against him, it’s as if all his cultivation and blood energy have turned against him, so he will die very quickly. You have no connection with him, and you will need time to adapt after the Azure Serpent enters your body, so there is room for maneuver.”

Zhao Qingtan nodded as if she understood, her gaze still fixed on Zhizhen's corpse.

Just then, a green figure emerged from it; it was the green serpent that had absorbed all his vital energy and essence.

At this moment, the green serpent was more than twice its previous size, and its emerald green scales glowed with an eerie red light.

Zhao Qingtan subconsciously raised her hand, her Qingfeng sword already drawn, ready to slash and kill him.

"There's no need to kill it; it won't attack you or me."

Chen Zhan's voice rang out at the right moment, and he raised his hand to stop her.

Although Zhao Qingtan had doubts, she still withdrew her sword.

As expected, the green snake ignored the two of them completely. Like a weary bird returning to its nest, it rushed straight through the ruins and quickly disappeared into the deep darkness without a trace.

The two ignored the green snake and turned their gaze back to the ruins left by the broken stone wall.

The thick smoke and dust gradually dissipated, and the scene behind it slowly came into view.

The moment Zhao Qingtan saw what was in front of her, she froze, her eyes widened, her pupils contracted, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

Chen Zhan also slowly stepped forward, his originally calm expression now showing a hint of surprise.

Behind the stone wall was not the secret chamber one might imagine, but a vast underground cavern.

Countless glowing stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cave, emitting a pale halo that cast a chilling glow over the entire cave, filling the air with an indescribable stench of decay.

In the center of the cave stands a huge stone platform several meters high, made of dark blue-green rock, its surface covered with dense, eerie inscriptions.

On the stone platform sits a giant bronze cauldron, its body engraved with ferocious beast head patterns. The cauldron is tightly bound by dozens of thick black iron chains, one end of which is fixed to the stone platform, while the other end is deeply embedded in the rock walls surrounding the cave. Each chain is taut and straight, clearly imprisoning something.

In the center, surrounded by chains and a giant cauldron, a monster was clearly fixed in place.

The monster's body was not as smooth as the green serpent's.

Instead, it was covered with a thick layer of dark red scales, like congealed blood. Each scale was the size of a palm, and thick beads of blood kept seeping from between the scales, dripping onto the stone platform and making a "drip-drip" sound that was particularly jarring in the silent cave.

This monster had three heads. The main head, located in the center of the top of the head, was more than three times larger than the other two heads. Its eyes were like two burning red jade, emitting a bloodthirsty red light.

Its body was long and slender, several tens of feet long, and it was completely locked up by black iron chains, unable to move.

Its body shape is somewhat like a centipede, but it has no legs. Under its abdomen are more than a hundred swollen blood sacs, which are purplish-black and pulsate rhythmically with its breathing.

Just as the two were watching, a blood sac suddenly burst open with a "bang," and a tiny black snake, as thin as a thread, emerged from it. As soon as the snake appeared, it was taken away by an invisible stream of true energy and disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Seeing this, Chen Zhan's doubts were resolved, and he finally understood the root cause of the hematoma.

"What is this!"

Zhao Qingtan suppressed her fear and asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

She had roamed the martial world for many years and had seen many strange and exotic creatures and evil spirits, but she had never seen such a terrifying monster. Just looking at it made her hair stand on end.

"Three-headed Blood Serpent".

Chen Zhan spoke slowly, his tone somewhat solemn: "It is probably a mutated species of the Flood Dragon. Judging from its form, it must have combined with some kind of Gu worm during the process of advancement, which is why it turned into this form."

"Have you met Brother Zhan before?" Zhao Qingtan turned to look at him.

"I have never seen it with my own eyes, but I have only read some records of it in ancient books."

Chen Zhan shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the three Blood Serpents:

"Ancient texts record that a serpent can transform into a dragon after three hundred years of cultivation, and a dragon can transform into a dragon after a thousand years of cultivation. A serpent can become a dragon with three claws. After becoming a dragon, it transcends the category of mortal beasts, becomes a demon beast, and awakens its intelligence."

"It sounds simple, but in reality, out of millions of snakes, only one can successfully advance."

He paused, then continued, "These three Blood Serpents failed to advance, but by chance they survived and even incorporated the characteristics of Gu worms. In terms of rarity, they are perhaps even rarer than real dragons."

"Is this the source of the hematoma?"

Zhao Qingtan asked, already having a vague idea of ​​the answer.

"Yes."

"The 'blood serpents' that are gestating in the hematoma are the young serpents born from the blood sacs under the abdomens of these three Blood Serpent Queens. They use a certain technique to implant the young blood serpent embryos into the human body, allowing them to feed on the body's qi, blood, and essence, and grow slowly."

"Once the Blood Serpent grows into the 'Green Serpent,' it will transform the absorbed blood and qi essence into pure internal energy, which the practitioner can then absorb for their own use."

"I should have realized that this method of directly transforming essence could not be achieved solely through cultivation techniques; it must require the assistance of spiritual treasures from heaven and earth."

"Clap clap-!"

Just as the two were talking, a crisp clapping sound suddenly rang out.

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness deep within the cave.

He wasn't wearing monk's robes, but rather a set of fine brocade robes, made of exquisite material and embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns, yet he had a shaved head, which clashed with his attire.

“Princess, it has been thirteen years since we last met, and you are even more beautiful than before.”

The man spoke, his voice gentle, yet carrying an indescribable eeriness.

Zhao Qingtan snapped out of her daze, turned to look at the person who had come, and frowned slightly.

The person in front of me appeared to be in his thirties, with fair skin and a handsome face, showing no signs of aging. Yet, he exuded an air of premature aging, which was quite strange.

Looking at this face, Zhao Qingtan felt that it looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she was looking.

"Who are you, monk?"

Zhao Qingtan asked in a deep voice, her tone wary.

The ability to move freely in this underground cave must be inextricably linked to the sinister activities of Putuo Temple. "Doesn't the princess recognize this old monk?"

"Back then, when you became a disciple of Zhikong, the old monk personally presided over the initiation ceremony. How come you are so indifferent now?"

The man sighed softly, his tone tinged with melancholy.

"You!! You are Abbot Faling??" Zhao Qingtan exclaimed in disbelief.

Fa Ling was the previous abbot of Putuo Temple, and his generation was one generation higher than that of the Zhi generation.

Twenty years ago, when she became a disciple of Zhikong, the abbot at the time was Faling.

Not long after, Fa Ling resigned from his position as abbot due to old age and declining health, and passed the position to his disciple, Zen Master Zhihui.

The Dharma Spirit of that year was already over sixty years old, with white hair and beard.

Now, twenty years have passed. Even if he were still alive, he should be an octogenarian, frail and weak.

But the person in front of me showed no signs of aging, which was really strange.

"It is truly rare that the princess still remembers this old monk."

Abbot Faling smiled, a hint of something strange in his smile. "It's been twenty years since we last met. The princess has grown up, and this old monk... looks a bit younger."

Fa Ling, however, paid no attention to her anger. Her gaze swept over Zhao Qingtan and finally landed on Chen Zhan.

Seeing that Chen Zhan looked calm and not at all anxious.

His tone carried a hint of scrutiny: "This benefactor, I do not recognize. You have come uninvited and killed many of my disciples. Such behavior is rather inappropriate, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhan smiled slightly and looked directly at Fa Ling: "Monk, take another look. You really don't recognize me?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Fa Ling's eyes as she carefully examined Chen Zhan's face, finding it somewhat familiar.

However, Fa Ling's pupils suddenly contracted, his whole body trembled violently, and he exclaimed in shock, "You are... Dao Master Xuan Yang???"

"impossible!"

"The Xuan Yang Dao Master has been dead for many years, you could never be him!"

More than a decade ago, the Xuan Yang Dao Master suddenly appeared, his cultivation unfathomable. He single-handedly challenged all the major sects in the martial arts world within three months.

He neither killed nor stole treasures; he simply ventured into the scripture pavilions of various sects and read through their scriptures.

But this kind of behavior is more insulting than murder, causing the entire martial arts world to lose face.

Later, various martial arts factions united to seek justice from Master Xuanyang, but suddenly news of his death spread.

No one has ever seen his body; they only heard that he died at the top of the East Sea, and his remains were never found.

Although there were many doubts about this news, it was gradually accepted by people in the martial arts world over time.

Chen Zhan ignored his questioning and turned to point to the three Blood Serpents on the stone platform in the center of the cave:

"Where did this thing come from?"

Fa Ling was still reminiscing, and the more she looked at Chen Zhan's profile, the more she felt that he looked exactly like the Xuan Yang Dao Master from back then.

"Hehe, you are not the Xuan Yang Dao Master."

Fa Ling quickly calmed down and sneered, "It's nothing but a fox borrowing the tiger's might. Even if the Xuan Yang Dao Master were really alive, he couldn't possibly maintain such a youthful appearance."

"You can defy lifespan, but I can't?" Chen Zhan retorted, a hint of amusement in his smile.

"That's natural!"

Fa Ling's tone carried a hint of arrogance, "Only by obtaining this heaven-sent spiritual treasure, the Three-Headed Blood Serpent, can I defy fate. No one else can do that!"

"A divine gift isn't enough, is it?"

"To reverse one's lifespan and increase one's power, one needs a unique technique. The one you're practicing should be the 'Refining Essence and Forging Blood Technique'?"

How do you know?

Fa Ling's body trembled violently, and he subconsciously took a step back, his eyes filled with horror: "Even if you really are the Xuan Yang Dao Master, you couldn't possibly know about this!"

"When you stepped down as abbot, it wasn't because you were old and frail, but because you discovered that your lifespan was coming to an end and you had to immediately begin refining these three Blood Serpents and cultivating the 'Refining Essence and Forging Blood Technique,' right?"

"Was Zhikong's death also related to this? Did he discover your secret and try to stop you?"

"Hahahaha!"

Fa Ling suddenly burst into wild laughter, the look of horror vanishing from his face, replaced by madness and triumph:

"What harm would it do to tell you? I killed Zhikong!"

"However, it was not he who discovered it, but I who taught him everything I knew. In Putuo Temple, he was the most talented, the best in martial arts, and the most proficient in Buddhism."

"I originally wanted to recruit him to join me in cultivating the 'Refining Essence and Forging Blood Technique,' so that we could use the power of the Three-Headed Blood Serpent to dominate the world and even achieve immortality."

"But he was stubborn and insisted on upholding some bullshit Buddhist teachings, saying things like 'all beings are equal and one should not commit murder.'"

"What good is upholding Buddhist teachings?!"

Fa Ling's eyes were ferocious, and his tone was agitated: "Birth, old age, sickness, and death; natural disasters and man-made calamities—who can Buddhism help? Can it grant you immortality? Only immortality is the true path!"

"He refuses to submit and even tries to expose my secrets, ruining my grand plan. He has no choice but to die!"

"With his death, the rest of the people in Putuo Temple lost their leader and their spirit, and obediently served me. Now, all the disciples in the temple are practicing the 'Refining Essence and Forging Blood Technique,' their power has greatly increased, and their lifespan has been extended by several decades. They are all grateful to me. Isn't this a wonderful thing?"

"Using the lives of innocent people to extend one's own lifespan and enhance one's own power, can that be considered a good thing?" Chen Zhan said.

"Innocent civilians?"

Fa Ling scoffed, his face full of disdain. "They were already seriously ill and didn't have long to live. I treated their illnesses, allowing them to live a few more years without any disease or disaster. I'm saving them; they should be grateful to me!"

"What about the people the Murong family abducted?" Chen Zhan continued to ask, his eyes growing colder.

“Those refugees, wandering aimlessly, suffering from hunger and cold, often die in the wilderness. I give them a bite to eat, allowing them to live a few more years. If it weren’t for me, they would have died even faster!”

"Then we should thank you?"

"Hehe, that's not necessary. It's just a matter of each getting what they need."

"You! You're spouting nonsense! You're talking fallacies and heresies!"

Zhao Qingtan could no longer contain her anger and roared furiously.

She suddenly raised the Qingfeng sword in her hand, and a sharp sword aura instantly condensed and shot towards the Dharma Spirit.

At this moment, the two were extremely close, and the sword energy had already reached the Dharma Spirit in an instant, leaving no way to avoid it.

But Fa Ling remained calm, slowly raising a finger and gently tapping it. The surging sword energy was frozen in mid-air, unable to advance any further, and could only struggle in place before slowly dissipating and turning into the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

"Too impatient."

"Your opponent is not me."

Fa Ling shook his head, his tone tinged with disdain, his gaze fixed on Chen Zhan. (End of Chapter)