Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Roar~~~"

The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents sensed the heat of the flames and the threat to her life. She roared in an attempt to warn Yan, and the nine serpent heads at the ends of her hair rolled and hissed at Yan, trying to scare away this invading enemy.

"This is no longer your era; I will end it!"

Yan looked at the snake mother who was warning him, a strange look in his eyes. He gently grabbed with his right hand, and a fire god sword appeared in the hand of the fire giant outside his body.

The Flaming Divine Sword slashed horizontally, instantly shattering large boulders in all directions. In front of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, a stone shield was instantly cleaved apart. However, this powerful attack did not cause much damage to its target.

The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents was enraged. The nine serpent heads on her head roared and hissed at Yan at the same time. Eighteen pairs of gleaming serpent eyes shot out earth-yellow petrifying rays, freezing everything in their path, including the air and flames, into stone. However, this was not the most terrifying move.

Yan casually summoned a vast sea of ​​fire to counter the petrifying rays, and quickly approached the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents while being shielded by a curtain of fire.

However, at that very moment, the ancient giant serpent finally opened its eyes. What kind of eyes were they? Yan could not describe them in words. The moment he looked directly into them, his entire being, including his soul, felt as if it were frozen into stone.

"Click-click-click..."

The sound of stone shattering came from the enormous fire god's body. It started from the head, and the rising flames were gradually covered with a layer of ash. Then large areas of yellowish-brown appeared. Finally, the entire fire god turned into a statue standing in the swamp.

Above the battlefield, a white-clad girl on a water lily gazed at the scene with a complex expression. "No, no way! That guy... he's really dead?"

She had gotten along well with Yan during this time, and had even developed a tiny bit of affection for him. Seeing his fiery colossus form turn to stone still left her feeling quite melancholy. However, her strength was too weak; there was nothing she could do at this moment.

Opposite the petrified fire giant, the Mother of a Thousand Serpents slowly closed her eyes. She quickly stretched out her hands, and her serpent tail lashed out from behind her. Long experience had instilled in her this good habit: only complete destruction meant the annihilation of the enemy.

"Boom!!!"

As the serpent's tail struck the waist of the petrified fire giant, the entire giant statue was severed in half and shattered by countless earthen rays of light, causing it to completely collapse. However, at that very moment, a wisp of flame appeared in the air above the misty swamp.

"I thought I would never need the skill of being reborn from the ashes, but I didn't expect you to teach me a lesson."

Amidst the rustling rain of falling stones, the rolling flames coalesced once more into a human form. Behind Yan, a phantom image of a firebird appeared. His body gradually solidified from flames into stone, and finally transformed once more into the form of a giant fire god.

"Phoenix rebirth, rising from the ashes? How could he have such an ability? Didn't the Phoenix Clan disappear from the vast continent long ago?"

The girl in white was overjoyed to see Yan appear, but also extremely puzzled. In the ancient history of the Vast Continent, the phoenix was like the dragon and their tiger clan, existing at the top of the celestial beasts.

However, at the end of the incredibly glorious Celestial Beast Era, during the catastrophe of the rise of the human race and the great war against the beast race, countless ancient Celestial Beast bloodlines were completely wiped out.

Their Holy Heavenly Tiger clan was considered the most developed, but they could only occupy the harsh northern lands of the continent to build the Myriad Beasts Empire.

As for the dragons, some traces can still be found, but the remaining phoenixes and black turtles have long since disappeared into the river of history, and not even their remains can be found.

"With such a massive size, even your ordinary skills possess the power of divine techniques. It's a pity that this is also your greatest weakness."

Yan's figure suddenly flashed, and a ball of flame flickered as it approached the enormous Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents.

The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes instinctively sensed something was wrong and hurriedly reached out to slap it, trying to stop it. The snake hair on her head also quickly grew longer, and the nine snake heads competed to launch a terrifying attack on the ever-approaching Yan.

"Where is your weakness?"

Yan's figure flickered constantly to dodge the attacks. The Flame Giant God had shrunk into a ten-foot-tall golden flame body. Not only was he agile, but he was also quite powerful. He flew and roamed around the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, his eyes constantly flashing with flames, trying to find a weakness in this giant serpent body.

The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes possesses an extremely strong regenerative ability. Yan witnessed this terrifying regenerative ability when he was constantly slashing at her snake hair; there was no point in trying to outlast her.

"Are you about to open your eyes again? It's your chance."

While flying, Yan keenly sensed that the closed eyes of the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes were rippling with energy fluctuations again. In the instant he was face to face with the Snake Mother, he had an idea and suddenly leaped towards the Snake Mother's forehead.

"Boom!"

The divine arrow, formed from condensed flames, pierced through the relentless barrage of petrifying rays. Yan's figure narrowly escaped the two most crucial beams of light and arrived at the center of the Serpent Mother's forehead, in the blind spot of her vision. A large swath of flames instantly engulfed her head.

"Roar~~~"

Amidst the agonizing screams, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents was engulfed in flames, resembling an enormous torch. At the very heart of the flames, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents writhed and rolled, while vast swaths of poisonous miasma were burned away by the flames.

A massive flame rose from within the misty swamp, turning the entire swamp into a sea of ​​fire. Dark clouds filled the vast sky, accompanied by lightning, thunder, and wind and rain. A relic of an old era had come to an end, and a new era had begun.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 543 Return to Emerald

The flames in the Misty Swamp burned for three days and three nights, but the torrential rain lasted for seven days and seven nights. The fire gradually died down after three days, and the swamp reformed after the rain, but the mist that had shrouded the swamp completely dissipated.

Under the bright sunshine and clear skies, Yan leisurely strode across the clear waters of the misty swamp, covering ten zhang with each step, heading out of the swamp.

He moved quickly and soon reached the outer edge of the swamp. Although the ground was still muddy, the area was lush with trees and lush foliage, making for a rather pleasant scene.

Yan lightly touched the water's surface with his footsteps, and his entire body shot out like an arrow. In the next moment, his figure appeared on the treetop. After quickly getting his bearings, he arrived at the canopy of a large tree.

At the top of the dense tree canopy was a small wooden house, inside which lay a large white cat, or more accurately, a little white tiger, fast asleep. However, it was only four inches long, about the size of a white cat.

"Little one, how much do you sleep? How much have you eaten? You've gained weight again."

Yan approached the kitten's den and looked at the little white tiger lying on its back, basking in the sun, somewhat speechless. This little thing was really good at pretending to avoid arousing his suspicion. How could he possibly resist that round, chubby belly?

Yan reached out his wicked hand and couldn't resist poking it. The round belly was wonderfully elastic, and as he played with it, he couldn't help but poke it a few more times, and then it became uncontrollable.

The little white tiger cautiously opened its eyes, its nose wrinkling in displeasure. Yan's teasing continued, and it finally couldn't stand it anymore and slapped him with its paw.

"Hey! You little rascal, is that how you greet your owner?"

Yan, the wicked man, assumed the moral high ground like a cat, already thinking about how to toy with—or rather, how to punish—this disobedient little kitten. Should he spank its little bottom, or rub its belly and pet it a few more times?

The little white tiger seemed to sense his malice. It alertly pushed away his even more intrusive hand and flipped over to try to escape. Unfortunately, it underestimated the shamelessness of humans. Yan, who had no sense of martial ethics, used both hands to easily catch it.

"Waaaaah...waaaah..."

The little white tiger's resistance was futile. Under the eighteen techniques of petting a cat, it quickly gave up resisting, letting out a comfortable low growl, and letting Yan lay it down and flip it over, putting it in all sorts of positions.

Feeling great after petting the cat, Yan patted and rubbed the chubby tiger's butt. Then, next to the cabin, he spotted a very well-behaved water dove.

"Hmm! Now we can fly back."

Yan beckoned, and the Azure Water Dove obediently flew to him. He lightly stepped on it and jumped up. He pointed to the southwest, and the large water bird nodded intelligently before spreading its wings and flying towards the southwest sky.

What Yan didn't notice, or rather, didn't pay attention to, was that the little white tiger under his care, who was as obedient as a kitten, was now showing a complex, human-like expression.

The battle from ten days ago was still replaying in her mind: the sea of ​​fire that swept across the entire swamp, the torrential rain that seemed to burst forth, and the terrifying celestial phenomena that made it impossible for her to approach the battlefield in the center.

She still doesn't know what happened in the end, only that the giant beast, the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, was defeated by this man, which made her even more curious about the strength of the person in front of her.

The Nuwa Beast's cultivation was even higher than that of her father, Xue Aotian, the strongest person in the world, but it was defeated by the guy who was holding her. And the abilities that guy displayed that day were completely unknown to her, even though she was very knowledgeable.

There are so many mysteries surrounding this person that they are truly captivating and inviting exploration. After careful consideration, she decided to stay and investigate the secrets behind him.

Yes, Princess Tian'er is just that selfless. She's definitely not after human food and cuddles. She's not a pet cat, and she's not that superficial, even though she does have a pretty good life with humans.

The little white tiger was filled with complicated thoughts, but Yan was in a pretty good mood. He had come to the right place this time, as the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes had given him too many surprises.

Originally, with his strength, he would definitely not be a match for the other party in a head-on confrontation, but times have changed, and environmental factors have prevented the giant beast from unleashing its full power. The first and most powerful ultimate move was neutralized by his rebirth in flames, which is why Yan found an opportunity to identify the weakness.

However, in the end, Yan failed to kill the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents. Instead, he reached an agreement with this long-dormant, ancient behemoth, or more accurately, entered into a soul contract with it.

The Mother of a Thousand Serpents is also intelligent. Although such ancient beings have the problem of their bestial nature overpowering their divinity, they are not mindless beasts.

She had a survival instinct, so in ancient times she chose to sleep and prolong her life, but this only prolonged the arrival of death.

Although ancient behemoths had long lifespans, they were still mortal beings. Without taking the step of becoming gods, they could never achieve immortality, and their lifespans were ultimately finite.

She naturally didn't want to die. After Yan touched her forehead and the space between her eyebrows, their spiritual seas intersected. Yan's soul contract method gave her new hope, so she naturally chose to form a contract.

However, the energy within these colossal beasts was immense, and their existence was also quite unique. During the Flame Contract, the celestial phenomena changed drastically, with three days and three nights of sea of ​​fire and seven days and seven nights of torrential rain. It has been ten days since then before the aftershocks have barely subsided.

"I wonder how things are going over in the Emerald Empire. Cai Cai and Ming Hua should be alright, but I wonder if Bing'er is still sulking. That little girl needs to be properly disciplined!"

Yan sat cross-legged on the back of the Azure Wave Water Dove, his left arm encircling the little white tiger Pangdudu's body, while his right hand stroked the soft flesh of its back along its fur. His thoughts, however, had already flown to the Emerald Empire.

The little white tiger, Tian'er, sensed someone's distraction. It pawed at his hands with its tiny paws, raised its head, and let out a disgruntled whimper. The little creature's expression was quite lively, as if to say, "You stinky man, don't think about other women when you're touching me!"

Startled by the commotion, Yan chuckled and reached out his wicked hand towards the little white tiger again. His right hand slid down the tiger's heavy buttocks. The little tiger sensed the malice of the man and hurriedly flicked his tail like a windmill against his palm.

The man and the tiger frolicked around on the 'airplane,' and the journey back was filled with joy every day, making it a uniquely interesting experience.

……

The Feli Empire, the Feli Royal Military Academy.

In the front row of the freshman classroom, a quiet and beautiful girl listened attentively to the teacher's words on the podium, occasionally taking notes while referring to her textbook.

The Royal Military Academy of Feli is one of the higher education institutions in the Feli Empire, second only to the Feli Empire's Heavenly Jewel Academy in importance. Graduates are directly assigned to the military as officers. The students in this type of academy are mostly male, and high-quality beauties are even rarer.

Behind this girl, pairs of eyes unconsciously fell on her, and many boys in the class were attracted to her.

Classes at the Royal Military Academy weren't very long, and the bell rang quickly. The students breathed a sigh of relief, and the teachers didn't extend the class time, promptly packing up their textbooks and leaving.

"Bing'er, it's almost noon. Let's go eat together later!"

The few girls in the class, laughing and chatting, approached the girl in the front row who was taking notes and greeted her. The girl looked up and smiled gently, a complex expression in her eyes.

"You guys go ahead! I still need to go to the teaching building."

The girl spoke softly, and the expressions of the other girls who invited her to eat with them varied, their eyes filled with either envy or jealousy.

These girls had more contact with Shangguan Bing'er, so they were certain that this girl's background was not high, but for some reason she was valued by the vice dean.

Princess Caicai, the vice dean of the academy, is said to be promoted to the full dean soon. Being valued by her means a bright future for her.

"I go first."

Shangguan Bing'er didn't offer any further explanation. After greeting them again, she left the classroom and headed towards the teaching building.

On her way to the teaching building, she encountered many teachers, most of whom greeted her. Not only were the students curious about this girl who frequently visited the teaching building, but even the teachers were quite curious about her background.

After arriving at the teaching building, Shangguan Bing'er went straight to the fifth floor. As she slowly walked to the second-to-last office on the fifth floor, there was a soft click, and the door opened on its own. Shangguan Bing'er froze, stunned. Something seemed wrong.

"Come in!"

A voice came from inside the office, and Shangguan Bing'er instinctively shrank back, a hint of fear showing on her face. This voice was very clear in her memory; it was the guy who brought her to the Fei Li Empire. Had he returned?

After hesitating for a moment, Shangguan Bing'er reached out and pushed open the door. The room was well-lit, and she saw two people. One of them was naturally the vice dean, Princess Cai Cai, and the other was the mysterious person who had brought her to Fei Li City, Yan.

Shangguan Bing'er looked at the two of them with some curiosity. She noticed that Princess Cai Cai, who was usually gentle and serious, seemed to have a very red face today.

"Bing'er, are you getting used to life in the Emerald Empire?"

In the main seat of the office, Yan was up to his mischief from a spot where Shangguan Bing'er couldn't see him, while also greeting the girl.

"The vice dean took good care of me."

Shangguan Bing'er's evasive answer seemed like a response, but it still revealed a hint of resentment. She only said that Cai Cai took good care of her, but did not say whether she was doing well or not.

Or perhaps the girl was conflicted. At the Royal Military Academy in Feli, she didn't need to worry about much; she only needed to cultivate and study. This should have been her ideal life. But leaving her hometown to come here, especially when facing Yan, made her feel very insecure.