The green light flickered. The twelve green wood swords, now bathed in serpent blood, seemed to come alive — as though drinking in the blood essence — and their forms grew increasingly lustrous. Some of the ancient roughness was gone, replaced by a rich, translucent sheen, as though they had transformed into swords of green jade. Yet the radiance that flowed from them was somewhat eerie — a ghostly, deep jade glow, not unlike spirit fire. Finally, with several soft whisks of sound, they flew swiftly back and disappeared into Elder Han’s desiccated body.
Holding the green wood ruler, he walked forward into the pool of blood, gave a light tap, and pried the jade horn loose. Then he rummaged further into the serpent’s carcass and extracted an enormous serpent gallbladder — dripping with blood. With a bird-claw grip of his fingers, he burst the gallbladder sac, squeezed the bile into his own mouth, and then pushed the sac itself between his teeth, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed it down.
“Ah — bitter, indeed, but for this body of mine that is losing its vitality, it is a tremendous tonic. The gallbladder of a spirit serpent is no common thing.” His voice was faint and spectral, shot through with a ghostly air — even Li Lin and Li Yun felt a crawling unease.
Then, by means beyond ordinary understanding, he began to refine the serpent blood and serpent venom — wasting not a single drop. In the end, he gathered all the materials into a streak of green radiance, and in an instant, every last thing vanished without a trace.
“You few have a great deal of nerve, venturing all the way out here.” Elder Han — hair disheveled and face obscured — could not be seen, but one could imagine the grim cast of his expression, for his voice was cold and frigid. “Let me tell you — not even high-level experts with abundant reserves of divine power would dare venture lightly into the depths of these ruins.”
“Great-uncle, I know I was wrong.” Han Feiyu bowed his head and did not dare offer the slightest rebuttal, apparently deeply afraid of Elder Han. Li Lin and Li Yun also lowered their heads, not daring to meet the old man’s gaze.
“You may have shown a little cleverness — seizing on the moment when the ferocious birds and beasts had retreated to venture deeper in — but you forgot one thing: in this world, everything comes down to strength. Without reaching an absolute height of power, even the cleverest of schemes is utterly useless.” At this point, Elder Han’s tone softened slightly. “A great upheaval has occurred in the depths of the ruins. Even I must proceed with caution — otherwise my life would be in danger. Very well — all of you are to leave immediately. Do not come back.”
“Yes!”
Though the three assented, they made no immediate move to leave. Their eyes swept toward Ye Fan and Pang Bo — their killing intent raw and undisguised, without the slightest effort at concealment.
“Still not going!” Though Elder Han’s hair was disheveled and his face hidden, from between the strands of hair, two sharp beams of light suddenly shot outward. In an instant, all three felt a bone-chilling cold wash over them — and they did not dare linger another moment. Swiftly, they disappeared into the mountain forest.
Elder Han walked toward Ye Fan and Pang Bo. His body was as dry and desiccated as dead wood, his black robe hanging off what was essentially a short, skeletal stick. Paired with his scattered white hair, the entire figure radiated a sinister and unnerving aura. He moved without a sound — feet not touching the ground — drifting forward like a specter, emanating a faint and pervasive smell of death.
Both Ye Fan and Pang Bo tensed up at once. This gaunt and bony old man was far too sinister — both of them felt their scalps prickle with discomfort. They were no longer within the bounds of the Spiritual Void Cave Heaven right now. If this man chose to seize them for use as refining materials, they would truly have no one to call for help, and nowhere to turn.
Elder Han’s feet did not touch the ground as he drifted to a stop before them. The sound of cold laughter that escaped from his mouth was like the crying of a night owl in the dark — it made the hair stand up all over one’s body. This simply did not sound like a sound a living person would make.
“To escape the Jade-Horned Serpent’s jaws, and to have picked the Jade Serpent Orchid to boot — not bad.” He nodded repeatedly, staring at Ye Fan and Pang Bo. From between the white strands of his hair, two beams of ferocious radiance shot out, scrutinizing the two of them without pause.
Being praised by him in this way made both of them deeply uncomfortable — especially when they heard the words “not bad.” It did not feel like praise for their performance at all. Rather, it felt as though they were being appraised as specimens. Both Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt a creeping unease. This Elder Han before them, looking for all the world like an old ghost, was nearing the end of his lifespan and was trying to find ways to refine a life-restoring elixir. Having him stare at them in this manner was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.
“We pay our respects to Elder Han.”
Ye Fan and Pang Bo stepped forward to greet him. There was simply no way to flee right now — he could ride the divine rainbow; he could overtake them in an instant.
“You seem somewhat afraid of me. There’s no need for that — I am quite fond of young people, especially those brimming with vitality and life.” Elder Han’s voice was deep and hoarse. He took a few steps forward, looked over Pang Bo, and then his gaze came to rest on Ye Fan — blazing with an intensity that was like being assessed as a piece of personal property.
Ye Fan nearly drove his fist outward right then and there. Pang Bo was also at the very edge of his patience, about to act — but at that very moment, Elder Han suddenly gave Ye Fan a light pat on the shoulder. Then, like a specter, he drifted backward and departed, leaving the two of them behind.
“I have my eye on you two. Cultivate well from here on.” His voice was faint and lifeless, heavy with the air of someone half-gone from the world. In an instant he vanished from their sight, flying toward the depths of the ruins.
“What does that old wretch mean by this?” Pang Bo wore a puzzled expression. Just now they had been certain Elder Han was about to make his move — yet he had simply left like this.
“That old scoundrel…” Ye Fan’s expression was quite unpleasant. He muttered a low curse. “That brazen, unguarded stare — not a shred of restraint. He seemed to regard me as his personal possession. Damn him — I curse him to be trapped and die in the depths of these ruins!”
Pang Bo suggested, “Let’s get away from here as quickly as possible. While that old wretch hasn’t struck yet — the farther, the better.”
“Whether we run or don’t run — it makes no difference. He didn’t strike directly; he must be restrained by some wariness of Elder Wu Qingfeng. But from the composure he showed, it seems as though everything is already within his grasp. I have no idea what he’s actually planning…”
In the distant forest, Han Feiyu was utterly mystified. He had fully expected his great-uncle to seize Ye Fan directly for use in refining medicine — yet the man had merely lingered a moment and then drifted away as lightly as a feather. Li Lin and Li Yun gnashed their teeth in frustration. When they saw Elder Han depart, they began whispering to each other, plotting to go over and cut Ye Fan and Pang Bo down right now.
“Pang Bo is a Fairy Seedling — he likely has a tracking mark left by Elder Wu Qingfeng on him. If we kill them, it will probably be traced back to us immediately.” In the end, the three of them departed with fury and hatred boiling in their hearts, swallowing their killing intent and refraining from making a move.
It was at that very moment that a divine rainbow streaked across the sky, surging toward the depths of the ruins.
“That is Elder Wu Qingfeng.” Ye Fan and Pang Bo glanced at each other — and broke into expressions of relief.
At this moment, the depths of the ruins were undeniably dangerous — yet Ye Fan and Pang Bo did not turn back. Instead, they chose to press forward.
“Rather than pushing all the way to the very deepest part of the ruins, let’s search through the second-to-last layer. We might still find a few divine herbs like the Jade Serpent Orchid.” The two reasoned that the danger was concentrated in the innermost depths, where a stunning upheaval had taken place. The other areas should be relatively safer by comparison.
The mountain forest was quiet and still. Having walked another dozen or so li, Ye Fan and Pang Bo came upon a stretch of broken and crumbling earth where not a single blade of grass grew — utterly scorched wasteland, nothing but fractured foundation stones and shattered rubble, with nothing else at all.
In the course of their search, they finally confirmed that not every ferocious bird or beast had retreated. In several areas they spotted creatures no weaker than the Jade-Horned Serpent — all of them huddled nervously in their caves, agitated and restless.
“Boom!”
At that moment, a dull, muffled sound came from deep within the ruins once more. Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt their hearts seize — as though something had gripped their hearts and squeezed — followed by a sharp pang of pain. Their constitutions far surpassed ordinary people, and yet they still felt the discomfort. They stumbled back several paces before steadying themselves, their faces draining pale, both of them shaken and afraid.
“Just what is that thing…”
“Have you noticed — the intervals between these dull, muffled sounds are growing shorter and shorter.”
Beyond that, both of them also sensed a boundlessly vast and surging life force emanating from the depths of the ruins.
“What are you thinking?” Pang Bo asked.
Ye Fan shook his head. “I have a wild, absurd thought — I feel as though some immensely powerful creature, having slumbered for countless ages, is slowly, gradually awakening.”
Pang Bo’s expression turned to one of shock. “You don’t mean to say — that dull, muffled sound is its heartbeat?”
At that very moment, the sound of air being ripped apart rang out without pause — more than a dozen divine rainbows in succession streaked across the sky, surging toward the depths of the ruins.