Chapter 29: The Serpent's Horn

Beneath the surface of Blackwater Pond, Ning Yao gazed up at the heroic figure of Pang Jian riding the python. Her expression softened into a dreamy reverie, and for a moment, she was entranced by the scene unfolding before her.

As her body started to sink, she snapped out of her stupor and resumed awkwardly swimming upward.

Pang Jian's movements were fluid and effortless, like a fish underwater. In stark contrast, Ning Yao's strokes resembled a paddling dog, her movements stiff and disjointed.

While she watched Pang Jian clamp his legs around the python's neck, body poised like a drawn sword, and repeatedly thrusting his spear toward Jin Yang, Ning Yao quietly regretted not dedicating herself to learning to swim properly.

Pang Jian was proficient in the water and cleverly utilized the python's momentum to imbue each thrust of his spear with formidable strength.

Jin Yang was someone Hong Tai held in the highest regard, but even he was forced into a panicked retreat as Pang Jian continued to inflict bloody wounds on him.

Pang Jian was just a humble hunter. Where did he find the courage to confront and attempt to kill the higher echelons of the Shadow Specter Sect?

Was he not afraid of the Shadow Specter Sect's furious retaliation and inhumane torture if he was captured?

Deeper reflection caused Ning Yao to realize that the seemingly quiet and ordinary Pang Jian had consistently seized the initiative at every opportunity since entering the Solitary Mountain Range.

Even with her esteemed status as the young mistress of the Ning Clan, she could not make much headway.

The way Pang Jian looked at her was neither haughty nor humble. He never regarded her as someone of great importance.

This was completely different from the townsfolk she encountered in Linshan Town. They were worlds apart from Pang Jian.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He must have concealed a lot from me.

Ning Yao became more convinced that Pang Jian's origins were not as straightforward as they seemed.

Perhaps Pang Jian was a disciple of one of the upper-world sects, such as the Blood Moon Sect, the Star River Alliance, or the Sinister Soul Temple. After escaping from the Solitary Mountain Range, he may have disposed of the real Pang Jian and his sister, assuming their identities and lying in wait for search parties like hers to arrive.

Ning Yao could not help but wonder,

What is he plotting?

***

On the surface of the pond, amidst an ethereal veil of bloody mist, the enchanting figure appeared both nervous and excited. Her mesmerizing eyes were fixed on the bone of the Celestial Phoenix beneath her.

The cluster of faint light that was the essence of the Celestial Phoenix steadily drew closer to where she stood atop the bone of the Celestial Phoenix.

Despite lacking a physical body, Luo Hongyan instinctively took a deep breath, momentarily forgetting that she did not need to breathe.

After forming, the essence of the Celestial Phoenix realized Ouyang Duanhai was already possessed by another essence. To avoid being absorbed by Ouyang Duanhai, it had no choice but to float upward.

Luo Hongyan frowned in contemplation. "Even Jin Yang, the brat with a passable cultivation talent, failed to capture the attention of the essence of the Celestial Phoenix?"

Luo Hongyan had some knowledge about the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and its characteristics.

According to legend, when the Celestial Phoenix suffered serious injuries, it would detach its wing bones to seek out the life force of other creatures. The bone of the Celestial Phoenix would gather a vast amount of essence from the flesh and blood of these creatures and use them to form an essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

If the bone of the Celestial Phoenix was too far from its main body, the essence of the Celestial Phoenix would select a nearby creature to possess. By consuming their flesh and soul, it could achieve a rudimentary awakening of self-awareness.

Each of the Celestial Phoenix's bones could form an essence of the Celestial Phoenix that possessed its own independent consciousness.

In this way, every essence of the Celestial Phoenix could select a creature to possess, with each of them capable of existing as an independent entity.

Between the individual essences of the Celestial Phoenix, there was also an instinct to battle and consume each other, and finally merge to form the strongest Divine Guard of the Celestial Phoenix.

The Divine Guard was tasked with protecting the Celestial Phoenix and would eventually be called back to the Celestial Phoenix's side.

Upon returning to the Celestial Phoenix's side, the Divine Guards would transform into a bone imbued with divine strength and once again become a part of its wing.

After the bone of the Celestial Phoenix fell into the Solitary Mountain Range, it killed creatures like the Giant Abyssal Serpent to form the essence of the Celestial Phoenix. These essences of the Celestial Phoenix then sought to possess other beings such as Ouyang Duanhai.

Those possessed by the essence of the Celestial Phoenix would seek out its other bones and essences. They would either help refine these essences or consume others the Celestial Phoenix's essence had possessed.

This was their lifelong mission.

The essence of the Celestial Phoenix attained independent consciousness after forming, and to prevent being refined or consumed by other essences of the Celestial Phoenix, it would swiftly seek out suitable creatures to possess.

"I don't have a physical body. I'm in my ethereal form, so it didn't want me," Luo Hongyan murmured to herself, watching as the essence of the Celestial Phoenix drew closer, rising within the bone.

Her inner turmoil intensified with each passing moment.

With her ethereal form, she could enter the bone of the Celestial Phoenix to intercept the cluster of the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and claim it as her own. After all, it played a crucial role in forging her physical body.

However, the moment she merged with the essence of the Celestial Phoenix, she was bound to clash with the spirit consciousness residing within it.

She would be at her most vulnerable while subduing the essence of the Celestial Phoenix's spirit consciousness. Additionally, once she entered the bone of the Celestial Phoenix, she would be unable to conceal her ethereal form and become visible to those at the bottom of the pond.

She also believed that those responsible for capturing the Giant Abyssal Serpent from the Fifth World and raising it in Blackwater Pond were specifically awaiting coveters of the essence of the Celestial Phoenix such as herself.

Her inner desires nearly overwhelmed her, but she managed to restrain herself.

She prepared to wait for a while longer.

In the sky above her, Spirit Devils formed from the souls of cultivators in the Meridian Opening Realm, such as Luo Meng, hovered, awaiting her command.

***

Puff!

Pang Jian clenched his Dragonwood Spear tightly in the water. Leveraging the momentum of the Giant Abyssal Serpent and the surge in his physical strength, he inflicted multiple bloody wounds on Jin Yang's body.

History did not repeat itself but it often rhymed.

Before entering the pond, Jin Yang commanded his seven Cicada Wing Swords and relentlessly pursued Pang Jian, inflicting numerous wounds on him.

Now, Pang Jian tightly clenched his Dragonwood Spear and continuously left bloody wounds on Jin Yang.

Pang Jian had no desire to torment Jin Yang. After all, time was of the essence. Besides, Jin Yang, having reached the Meridian Opening Realm, could easily evade Pang Jian's spear with agile shifts of his body.

His spear thrusts only succeeded in piercing non-vital parts of Jin Yang's body, leaving mere holes behind.

Jin Yang was different from the Qi Practicing Realm members of the Shadow Specter Sect. A single thrust would not kill him.

Jin Yang had a cultivation realm one stage higher than Pang Jian and could protect his vital areas underwater.

Fortunately, Jin Yang was slower than the Giant Abyssal Serpent, and Pang Jian could circle him with his spear.

Jin Yang stuck close to the bone of the Celestial Phoenix and bore many bloody wounds on his waist, legs, and shoulders. Despite this, he still refused to leave the vicinity of the bone.

Pang Jian refrained from getting too close to Jin Yang, wary that the essence of the Celestial Phoenix would suddenly fly out from the bone of the Celestial Phoenix.

Neither chaser nor chased emerged from the pond even after a long while.

Unexpectedly, Ning Yao, with her poor swimming skills and awkward movements, was the first to resurface. Desperate for air, she shook her damp hair away from her face and breathed heavily, inhaling deeply to fill her lungs.

She felt a strange sensation and turned her head to look.

Numerous faint shadows floated near the bone of the Celestial Phoenix. Among them was the servant loyal to Shangguan Qin.

Atop the bone of the Celestial Phoenix stood a figure shrouded in a mist of blood, exuding an aura of mystery and power.

"It's the wicked woman from the stone pile!" Ning Yao screamed. Neither in nor out of the water felt safe anymore.

"Perhaps she's a suitable candidate. When I first broke the array, my strength was insufficient to inhabit her body. Now..."

Whoosh!

A beam of blood-red light shot forth.

Ning Yao hesitated, watching as a blood-red beam shot out from the bloody mist. She attempted to dive back into the pond, but could not make it in time.

The blood-red light entered the space between her eyebrows.

A figure mesmerizing enough to topple nations gracefully materialized in Ning Yao's mind. She spoke with a sweet, intoxicating voice, "Sorry, I'll have to borrow your body for a while. Please bear with me."

With those words, Ning Yao realized she was now captive within her body. She could still see what was happening around her, but she had lost control of her body and was unable to speak.

"Don't worry, you won't die just yet," Luo Hongyan murmured. Then, with Ning Yao's body, she leaped out of the pond and gracefully landed on the bone of the Celestial Phoenix.

As Ning Yao's feet firmly landed on the bone of the Celestial Phoenix, Luo Hongyan contemplated her situation. Now that she inhabited a physical body, she anticipated that the essence of the Celestial Phoenix would voluntarily merge with her provided no better options presented themselves and all other avenues were exhausted.

When that happened, she would give the essence of the Celestial Phoenix a big "surprise".

"Spread out," With a graceful wave of her jade-like arm, she commanded the Spirit Devils to hover around the edges of Blackwater Pond.

Crouching down, she peered into the pond with Ning Yao's eyes.

Jin Yang continued to ascend with Pang Jian in close pursuit. They were now nearing the surface of the pond, close enough for Luo Hongyan to clearly see them from above the water.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed the young man called Jin Yang from the Shadow Specter Sect had once again been struck by Pang Jian's spear.

Jin Yang had lost a significant amount of blood and abruptly fainted. His body became unnaturally limp in the water.

Luo Hongyan shook her head. "He's dead."

As if hearing her words, Pang Jian's eyes lit up as he targeted Jin Yang's vital organs, stabbing his spear repeatedly into the back of his neck and heart.

After confirming Jin Yang's death, Pang Jian rushed out from atop the python. He searched Jin Yang's body and retrieved the lotus leaf on Jin Yang's chest.

Pang Jian's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. He carefully pressed the large lotus leaf against his own heart.

He then swam back to where the hesitant Black and White King Python had been waiting at a distance from the bone of the Celestial Phoenix.

Luo Hongyan continued to peer down into the water from atop the bone of the Celestial Phoenix when she was overwhelmed by a strong sense of dread. She could not help but stare at the Black and White King Python.

The Black and White King Python's originally green eyes had turned pitch-black. The pair of eyes resembled two abyssal pools, swallowing all light in their depths.

Deep within the eyes of the Black and White King Python, she could discern numerous slender black snakes swimming quietly around.

Luo Hongyan concentrated her spiritual consciousness and empowered Ning Yao's eyes with her spiritual power. With her heightened perception, she scrutinized the pitch-black eyes of the Black and White King Python.

She saw it instantly.

Deep within the python's pitch-black eyes, slender snakes with olive-green scales and black spots dotting their bodies swam around.

Furthermore, atop the head of each small snake, a tiny horn started to emerge.

Luo Hongyan's expression abruptly changed. "When a python grows scales, it becomes a serpent; when a serpent grows horns, it transforms into a flood dragon; and when a flood dragon grows claws, it becomes a true dragon!

The Black and White King Python is inhabited by the beast soul of the Giant Abyssal Serpent! Tiny horns are growing on the small snakes in its eyes. Before it died to the bone of the Celestial Phoenix, it was in the middle of transforming into a flood dragon!

Luo Hongyan panicked upon realizing the truth.

She finally understood why the Black and White King Python could devour her Spirit Devils. She also realized why the skeleton of the Giant Abyssal Serpent lacked a horn.

When the bone of the Celestial Phoenix landed in the pond, it shattered the Giant Abyssal Serpent's horn, pierced through its skull, then pinned it to the bottom of the pond!