Battle Through the Heavens: The Young Master of the Heavenly Serpent, intercepts Yao Lao at the star

The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn.

Bai Wanqing's sharp soul perception pointed directly into Bai Chuxiao's ring, and Yao Chen, who had been hiding deep inside, could no longer conceal himself.

The lingering soul aura, like a maggot clinging to a bone, was completely extracted. Helpless, Yao Chen could only sigh and forcefully manifest a semi-transparent phantom from Bai Chuxiao's ring.

He was an old man dressed in a Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, and an air of otherworldly elegance about him.

"Who are you?" Bai Wanqing's gaze turned cold, her battle aura surging, and a powerful aura of a high-level Dou Zong burst forth, directly targeting Yao Chen's soul. "You dare to infiltrate my Heavenly Serpent Palace and hide beside my son? What are your intentions?"

Faced with such terrifying pressure, Yao Chen's soul trembled slightly, daring not to resist in the slightest.

However, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself that the Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace was not an unreasonable and domineering person. If he really wanted to make a move, he would have already destroyed his soul just now.

He quickly cupped his hands in a respectful bow, his tone humble, no longer feigning mystery as he had with Xiao Yan, and directly revealed his identity: "Lord of the Heavenly Serpent Palace, please forgive me, I am Yao Chen, and in my previous life, I was often called the Medicine Venerable! I was a peak eighth-grade alchemist. Greetings, Lord of the Palace."

"A peak eighth-grade alchemist?" Bai Wanqing raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, feeling a sense of unreality.

Alchemists hold a revered position in the Dou Qi Continent, and eighth-grade alchemists are legendary figures. There has never been a case of an eighth-grade alchemist appearing in the Northwest Continent.

Without solid evidence, she naturally wouldn't easily believe it.

Yao Chen knew in his heart that he was now under someone else's roof and had no choice but to bow his head.

He had to explain his greatest value immediately, lest he be mistaken for a villain and killed on the spot, which would destroy all his centuries of accumulation.

"The Lord of the Manor may not have heard of my name," Yao Chen continued eloquently, "but I have heard of the Heavenly Serpent Venerable from back then."

"That was a powerful figure from a generation even older than myself. Back then, my Starfall Pavilion hadn't even been established yet, the power structure of the Central Continent wasn't what it is now, and the Four Directions Pavilion hadn't even appeared yet. But over a hundred years have passed, and the Heavenly Serpent Mansion has long since disappeared from the Central Continent. I never expected to encounter him here in the Northwest Continent today."

These words instantly bridged the gap between the two sides and proved that Yao Chen's qualifications were not just boasting.

Bai Wanqing's expression softened slightly, and she asked the core question again: "Then what exactly is your purpose in fleeing to my son's side?"

Yao Chen glanced at Bai Chuxiao beside him, and spread his hands with a wry smile: "I am just a remnant of a soul after death, and I fled here all the way. I had no ill intentions. At first, I wasn't even by Brother Bai's side. He took the initiative to intercept this ring from that brat Xiao Yan."

This directly threw the question back to Bai Chuxiao.

Seeing this, Bai Chuxiao spoke up decisively, his tone tinged with innocence: "Mother, I sensed an aura of opportunity related to snakes, which is why I tried to retrieve this ring. Who knew it contained the remnant soul of an old man?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen was immediately stunned.

What connection did he have with snakes? He couldn't understand why Bai Chuxiao's snake spirit seal would resonate with him.

Little did he know that Bai Chuxiao had not sensed him, but rather knew of Yao Chen's existence based on his memories from his past life, and thus deliberately intercepted him.

As for the so-called "serpentine opportunity," it was just an excuse that Bai Chuxiao made up on the spot, which was perfect for Yao Chen to worry about.

At this moment, Yao Chen also knew that once he entered the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, there was no way things would end well without an explanation.

He took a deep breath and reiterated, "I truly did not know that this ring contained any serpentine opportunities. However, I can offer the Heavenly Serpent Manor some ancient elixir formulas and teach them advanced alchemy techniques as a token of my sincerity in establishing friendly relations with the Heavenly Serpent Manor."

"The art of alchemy?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Chuxiao's eyes flashed with wild joy. He abruptly stood up and eagerly asked, "Master Medicine, do I have any chance of becoming an alchemist?"

He had long wanted to master the art of alchemy in this world, and now that the opportunity had presented itself, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

Yao Chen carefully examined Bai Chuxiao from head to toe, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "You currently only have fire-attribute battle qi in your body, and you are naturally lacking in wood qi. To become an alchemist, you must first possess wood-attribute battle qi."

He certainly remembered the scene when Bai Chuxiao absorbed the two-headed fire spirit snake's core; he had witnessed it firsthand. He also knew that Bai Chuxiao's physique was unusual and that he would be able to absorb battle qi of multiple attributes in the future.

Bai Chuxiao was overjoyed and immediately agreed: "Alright! As long as I can become an alchemist, I'll find a way to absorb wood-attribute battle qi later! Venerable Medicine, please teach me alchemy!"

Bai Wanqing, standing to the side, looked displeased, her eyes still wary, and said to Yao Chen, "What you said is only one side of the story. My Heavenly Serpent Manor is cautious in its actions, and we cannot fully trust you until we are completely certain that you have no ill intentions."

To allay any concerns, she said in a calm yet firm tone, "If you truly have no ill intentions, then do not resist. Let me place a soul mark upon you to restrain your words and actions. If my son can truly learn skills from you, I will surely remove this mark one day. The Heavenly Serpent Palace will forever treat you as an honored guest, and I will never break my promise!"

This soul imprint is both a test and a safeguard.

If Yao Chen truly harbored malicious intent, this mark could instantly obliterate his soul; if he genuinely wished to befriend him, it would provide him with a secure backer in the Northwest Continent.

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen remained silent for a moment.

He knew that this was the only way to save his life and make a comeback in the future.

If you refuse, it will only make Bai Wanqing more suspicious.

Moreover, he had already considered abandoning Xiao Yan and instead nurturing Bai Chuxiao. Although he planned to observe for a while longer to see if Bai Chuxiao's character was trustworthy, Han Feng's betrayal made him very hesitant about taking on disciples.

But now that they've been discovered ahead of schedule, there's no time to continue the investigation, so they have no choice but to take a gamble... Hopefully, Bai Chuxiao will treat him as kindly as he treated Qing Lin.

So he slowly nodded and said solemnly, "Okay, I promise you."

The moment she finished speaking, Bai Wan raised her hand lightly, and a condensed, tangible white soul light shot into Yao Chen's semi-transparent soul body like a shooting star.

"Buzz—!"

Yao Chen felt a slight tingling sensation deep within his soul, and an invisible chain instantly bound him tightly.

He could clearly sense that if he dared to harbor even the slightest ill will towards Bai Chuxiao, this mark would instantly detonate, causing his soul to be scattered and leaving him no chance to escape.

"Now you can rest assured..." Yao Chen gave a helpless bitter smile, then transformed into a stream of light and retreated back into the ancient ring to quietly recuperate and recover his strength.