Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Cai Die's words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in the Third Elder's eyes.

He collapsed to his knees, his face instantly turning ashen, and muttered, "Yes... Second Miss has only just begun to follow Senior Su... Her voice is weak and insignificant..."

An endless despair enveloped him; he seemed to see the bloody scene of the snake people's holy city being breached, their people being displaced, and being brutally slaughtered.

Seeing the Third Elder's dejected appearance, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and the light in his eyes about to be extinguished like a candle in the wind, Cai Die's heart ached as if it had been pricked by a needle.

The Serpent People, the homeland that nurtured her, those people who, despite their conflicts, were connected by blood, especially her sister… How could she possibly be so heartless as to watch them head towards destruction? If she did, she would spend the rest of her life tormented by regret.

After struggling internally for a long time, the angel's kindness ultimately triumphed over her fear of the unknown and a little bit of selfishness.

She sighed softly, resigned and utterly helpless. The sigh was as light as a breeze, yet it carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

"Sigh... I... I'll give it a try."

These simple words sounded like heavenly music to the Third Elder!

He practically sprang to his feet, his cloudy old eyes blazing with the wild joy of surviving a calamity. Overwhelmed with emotion, he kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Second Miss! Thank you, Second Miss! This old servant... this old servant, on behalf of the entire Snake-People race, kowtows to express our deepest gratitude to Second Miss!"

Butterfly paid no heed to the Third Elder's tearful kneeling. She turned around, her gaze fixed firmly on the direction of the cave where Su Baichen was, and took a deep breath, as if gathering enough courage.

Then, she took her first steps with her new, still somewhat unaccustomed legs, one step at a time, toward the direction that would determine her personal fate and the future of the entire snake-people race.

The Third Elder quickly got up from the ground, not bothering to brush the sand off his body, and carefully followed behind Cai Die, maintaining a respectful distance.

Escape?!

He had never entertained this thought before. He could run away, but he couldn't hide. If he simply left, he would anger the unfathomable Senior Su, bringing a true and irreversible disaster upon the Snake-People.

At this moment, he could only place all his hopes on the slightly frail yet exceptionally determined figure ahead of him.

…………

Meanwhile, inside the palace of the Serpent People, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

The magnificent palace, carved from obsidian, exudes a cold and majestic aura.

Queen Medusa, dressed in a magnificent purple-gold gown, leaned languidly on her towering throne. Her long, brilliant purple hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her exquisite face remained expressionless, except for her vertical pupils, which held an innate air of majesty and indifference as she silently gazed down.

Beside the queen stood an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a gray elder's robe; he was the Great Elder of the Snake-People tribe.

At this moment, he was looking at the disheveled Second Elder in front of him with disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

The Second Elder's appearance at this moment was truly appalling: his elder robe was covered in dust and stains, torn in many places, revealing his disheveled clothes underneath; his hair was messy; there were several shallow scratches on his face; and there was even a trace of blood left at the corner of his mouth. He looked travel-worn and extremely disheveled, with not a trace of the usual dignity of an elder.

"What did you say?"

The Grand Elder's voice trembled slightly, but more so with barely suppressed anger: "That girl actually became a powerful figure's maid? And that person's cultivation level is at least at the Dou Zong level?"

He simply couldn't believe the news. The second young lady had always been pampered in the clan and had a somewhat unruly personality; how could she suddenly become the maid of a Dou Zong powerhouse?

Moreover, a Dou Zong level expert is someone who stands at the top of the desert pyramid. How could he possibly be interested in the Second Miss, a girl with little cultivation who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun?

Sensing the anger in the First Elder's tone, the Second Elder shrank back, a look of innocence on his face, and said with a bitter expression, "First Elder, I had no choice! Who would have thought that the Second Miss would be so lucky, running into such a reclusive senior!"

He paused, recalling Su Baichen's terrifying strength, and a trace of lingering fear appeared on his face, his voice trembling slightly: "Moreover, that senior's temper is not ordinary! Just because Fourth Brother spoke without thinking, and was disrespectful, offending the senior and the Second Miss, the senior simply appeared out of thin air in front of Fourth Brother, without even a word of nonsense, and slapped Fourth Brother into the sand dune next to him, making him reflect on his mistakes in there!"

"That's genuine Dou Zong strength! His attacks are fast and ruthless; he's definitely a man of few words and no action!"

After saying this, the Second Elder seemed to recall that terrifying scene, remembering the Fourth Elder being slapped into the sand without even a chance to resist. He trembled and his face was filled with fear.

That's too brutal! That senior's strength is simply beyond his imagination!

Upon hearing this, the First Elder frowned, turned to look at the Second Elder with a questioning look in his eyes: "Since that senior was so domineering and had such a bad temper, how could you have returned unharmed? I don't believe that with your cultivation level, you could have escaped from a Dou Zong expert."

"Uh—!" Startled by the First Elder's question, the Second Elder's fearful expression froze, replaced by a slightly embarrassed look. He scratched his head and stammered out the details of Su Baichen's demand for compensation: "That senior..."

Chapter 21 Queen Medusa Truly Takes Power

After hearing everything, the Grand Elder collapsed into his seat, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Her wrinkled hand rested limply on the armrest, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

She slowly closed her eyes, as if trying to shut out the despairing reality before her, but her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

Queen Medusa, seated in the main seat, languidly sank into her magnificent throne, her bewitching purple eyes calmly gazing down, taking in the Grand Elder's struggles and dejection.

Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, her posture seemingly relaxed, but the slight upturn of her lips carried a hint of barely perceptible coldness.

She waited patiently for the Grand Elder to make the decision he had to make.

Anyway, her sister Cai Die is now safe, and the crisis that almost dragged the snake people into an abyss was ultimately caused by these elders and that damned inheritance ceremony.

Thinking of this, the coldness in her eyes deepened.

The entire hall seemed to be gripped by an invisible force, falling into a deathly silence.

The air was so heavy it seemed to drip water, and only the occasional crackling of torches burning on the walls accentuated the suffocating silence.

The guards standing on both sides held their breath, afraid that even the slightest sound would break the delicate balance and lead to unpredictable consequences.

Time passed slowly, feeling like an eternity had gone by.

The elder finally wearily lifted his heavy eyelids. His once sharp eyes were now bloodshot, filled with despair and helplessness.

She struggled to lift her head, gazing at the stunningly beautiful young queen on the throne, whose aura had completely transformed. Her dry lips moved a few times, and finally, as if using all her remaining strength, she squeezed out a word from deep within her throat that was almost a plea:

"Your Majesty, I beg you!"

After saying this, the Grand Elder seemed to have his spine ripped out instantly, collapsing completely in his place with his head hanging low, and he never uttered another word.

She knew better than anyone that the situation was now out of her control and even concerned the life and death of the entire snake-people race.

The root of this catastrophic disaster lies in the selfishness of these elders and the succession ceremony targeting the Second Miss. Now, their relationship with the Second Miss, Cai Die, has been broken. The only possible link to salvage the situation and negotiate with Su Baichen, the powerful figure who kidnapped the Third Elder, is the Second Miss's older sister—Queen Medusa.

This is the only glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

Upon hearing the Grand Elder's words, which were almost a surrender and a entrustment, Queen Medusa's lips finally curved into a more pronounced smile, revealing a breathtaking expression.

This smile meant that the stubborn barriers of the Presbyterian Church had finally been broken, and she could now rightfully take over and handle the crisis.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because what she was most worried about was that the Grand Elder would disregard everything and choose to fight to the death with the unfathomable Su Baichen, which would be a devastating blow to the Snake-People.

"I understand!" Medusa nodded slightly below, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable authority.

She suddenly stood up, and a powerful and imposing aura of authority instantly swept through the entire hall, making everyone present shudder.

Her gaze shifted to the Second Elder, whose expression was shifting rapidly. Her command was clear and decisive: "Second Elder, open the clan's treasury and retrieve the most precious treasure that best reflects our clan's sincerity. Afterward, come with me to see Senior Su and rescue the Third Elder."

The Second Elder looked at Queen Medusa, who exuded an imposing aura and possessed the true demeanor of a queen, with a complex expression in his eyes.

He recalled the young lady who once needed their assistance, but now she had grown into a capable and charismatic leader.

He sighed in frustration, knowing that the era of the Elders' excessive interference in royal power was likely truly coming to an end. He composed himself, bowed respectfully, and solemnly replied:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

Meanwhile, deep in the remote desert, inside a hidden cave half-buried in yellow sand.

Su Baichen closed his eyes slightly, sat cross-legged on a flat bluestone, his aura calm and still, as if he were one with the surrounding environment.

Not far away, Cai Die was absentmindedly poking at a pot of meat soup on the campfire in front of her. The aroma gradually spread, but it could not dispel the cloud of sorrow that hung between her brows.

She would occasionally glance at Su Baichen's profile, her eyes filled with complex emotions, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something, but the words always got stuck in her throat.

She didn't know how to begin. Should she apologize for the elders' actions? Or plead for leniency in the current stalemate? Neither seemed appropriate.

Cao Ying sat quietly in a corner of the cave, with faint energy fluctuations surrounding her. She was clearly immersed in cultivation and seemed completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere outside.

The Third Elder, who had been captured by Su Baichen, was now guarding the cave entrance like two sinners, along with the Fourth Elder, who was seriously injured and weak. They were enduring the dual torment of the desert heat and their own inner turmoil.

Inside the cave, Su Baichen wasn't simply resting with his eyes closed. His mind was immersed in his own sea of ​​consciousness, examining the mysterious light screen before him—the System Shop—which only he could see.

The mall is filled with a dazzling array of items.

Various elixirs gleamed with an alluring luster, ranging from first-grade healing and detoxifying pills to eighth- and ninth-grade golden pills that could drive even Dou Zun and Dou Sheng powerhouses to fight madly for them; scrolls of various attributes of fighting techniques and cultivation methods floated among them, including Xuan-rank, Di-rank, and even Tian-rank, all available; divine weapons and sharp blades shone with cold light, and rare treasures exuded extraordinary aura; there were even blessed lands and grotto-heavens that could accelerate cultivation and change the environment... But the most eye-catching among them were those light orbs marked with the word "blind box," which were relatively inexpensive but full of unknown allure.

However, the amount of gold coins required to purchase these items is so vast that it would deter most powerful individuals.

Any top-tier item can be priced at an astronomical figure, enough to instantly drain the accumulated wealth of an imperial family over generations.

However, for Su Baichen, gold coins were not the biggest problem.

As an eighth-grade alchemy master, his network of connections and wealth far exceeded ordinary people's imagination, and the pills he refined could often fetch unimaginable prices at auction.

Even so, when faced with the long string of zeros following the truly top-tier treasures in the mall, he often felt short of money and could only shake his head helplessly.

"These things are really meant for those old monsters who have lived for thousands of years..." Su Baichen thought to himself. He shifted his gaze from the tempting treasures to an inconspicuous corner of the system panel.

There, a check-in icon emitted a faint glow, displaying [Check-in Opportunity: 1].

This was a sign-in opportunity he received when he broke through to the Dou Zun realm, but he has kept it until now without using it.

The reason is simple: through his previous daily check-ins, Su Baichen gradually discovered a pattern: the quality of the rewards he received seemed to be related to the specific minor realm within his current major realm. As his minor realm improved, the rewards he received from check-ins became better and better, and there was even a possibility of encountering heaven-defying treasures that could help him directly break through the bottleneck of the next major realm!

Thinking back to how I used up my sign-in opportunities early on, and how I compared the rewards I might have received after my cultivation level improved, I always felt a pang of regret, as if I had lost a fortune.

Having learned from his mistakes, he decided to wait patiently until his Dou Zun realm reached a higher level before seizing this precious opportunity to maximize his gains.

Chapter 22 The Timid Butterfly (Please continue reading)

As Su Baichen's consciousness returned from the vast system store, he slowly opened his eyes. Before a helpless smile could fade from his lips, his gaze was drawn to the obviously restless little maid beside him.

The butterfly stared blankly at the leaping campfire, mechanically turning a wooden stick skewered with meat in its hand. Its eyes were vacant, and its thoughts had clearly drifted far away.

Even worse, the skewer of grilled meat, which was originally golden in color, had already turned black at the edges, and a pungent burnt smell was faintly wafting out. If it stayed any longer, it would probably be completely charred.

"Hey, hey, snap out of it!" Su Baichen had to call out to remind her, his tone tinged with amusement: "Little Butterfly, if you don't flip it over soon, we'll be eating charcoal tonight!"

Startled by the sudden sound, Cai Die jolted awake and snapped back to reality. When she saw the almost unrecognizable skewer of roasted meat in her hand, her face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple.

She hurriedly removed the burnt meat skewers, looking at the blackened mess with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. She subconsciously scratched her cheek, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at Su Baichen.

"I'm so sorry, young master... I'll bake it again right away!" she said, getting up to get the spare ingredients, wanting to make up for her mistake as soon as possible.

"Stop busying yourself!" Su Baichen waved his hand, his voice calm: "Come here first, I have something to ask you."

Such a simple sentence, to the anxious and uneasy Butterfly, sounded like a final judgment.

Her petite body stiffened abruptly, and countless terrifying thoughts surged into her mind like a tidal wave:

"Oh no! I can't even do this little thing right. The young master will definitely think I'm a useless burden!"