Suppression, Inside Story

Pill City, Shen Residence's Quiet Room.

Sitting cross-legged, with Red Fire flickering at his fingertips and his mind submerged in the deduction of the connection between the "Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations" and the Flame Ancestral Symbol, Shen Wen suddenly opened his eyes!

A sharp light burst from his eyes, and a piercing chill and fury instantly filled the entire Quiet Room.

He clearly "heard" the shrill call from the depths of his Soul that belonged to Shen Tian.

This was an ability belonging to his followers; after using it in danger, they could inform him through the connection of the Great Universal Salvation Technique.

"Seeking death!"

Shen Wen's face instantly became as cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

He didn't even stand up; the silver-gray Space Power around him was already boiling!

In his left palm, the silver space ancestral talisman mark lit up brilliantly;

At his right fingertips, the space-time runes belonging to Gu Treasure Art leaped and flowed.

Two forces, both originating from the supreme rules of space, perfectly fused and resonated at this moment.

The space within the Quiet Room rippled violently like water waves.

The void in front of Shen Wen silently split open a gap, and on the other side of the gap, the blurry scene of that valley in the Snake-People Mountain Range was revealed!

He took a step forward, his figure vanishing into the spatial rift.

The next moment—

Snake-People Mountain Range, within the valley.

Demon Crow's sharp claws were less than three feet away from Qing Lin's green pupils, which were wide with fear.

The biting wind from the claws already made Qing Lin's cheeks sting.

Xiong Tao's eyes were nearly splitting, and Zi Yan struggled frantically.

At this critical moment—

The space in front of Demon Crow, which was originally empty, was violently torn open as if by an invisible giant hand!

A slender figure in a black robe stepped out without warning, standing exactly between Qing Lin and Demon Crow.

The newcomer's expression was cold, his gaze like lightning, descending suddenly as if carrying the biting wind and thunder of traversing endless space!

It was Shen Wen!

Without even looking at the vicious, scale-covered claws close at hand, he simply raised his right hand, joined his fingers like a sword, and casually slashed down at Demon Crow's wrist.

The movement was effortless, as if he were merely brushing a speck of dust off his sleeve.

"Chih—!"

A faint but extremely sharp silver light flashed.

"Ah!!!"

A shrill scream suddenly echoed through the valley!

Demon Crow's right hand, which had been reaching for Qing Lin, was severed cleanly at the wrist!

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and pitch-black blood spurted out like a fountain!

The severed claw even scratched forward by inertia before falling powerlessly into the dust.

Shen Wen's figure stood steadily in front of Qing Lin, his black robe fluttering, unstained by a speck of dust.

He slowly raised his eyes, looking at Demon Crow, who was retreating dozens of yards away, his face contorted with pain and horror. His voice was calm, yet colder than ten-thousand-year-old ice:

"You just said... who did you want to die here?"

"Shen... Shen Wen?!"

Demon Crow clutched his bleeding wrist, the pain twisting his face like a demon's, but the horror in his eyes was far greater than the pain.

He stared fixedly at the young man who had suddenly torn through space to arrive, unable to believe it.

The other's aura was clearly only that of a Six-Star Dou Zong, but that casual slash just now... that absolute control over space, and that sharpness that treated his Three-Star Dou Zun defense as nothing, were definitely not ordinary!

Demon Crow knew he had to use his full strength!

"Roar—!"

A deafening hiss rang out, and Demon Crow's body rapidly expanded and transformed within the thick black mist.

In the blink of an eye, a giant python nearly a hundred yards long, covered in dark scales, appeared in the valley!

On the giant python's head, those two black patterns seemed to come alive, emitting a cold luster. There were even two slight fleshy bumps on its forehead, containing even purer Nether Power.

Nine Serene Earth Nether Python True Form!

After revealing his true form, Demon Crow's aura surged significantly. The pressure of a Three-Star Dou Zun, mixed with the ferocity of an ancient Vicious Beast, made the air in the entire valley seem to freeze.

He coiled like a mountain, his giant snake pupils locked onto Shen Wen. He spoke in human tongue, his voice booming like thunder, carrying a threat:

"Grandmaster Shen! Information about the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils has already been sent back to the clan!

Are you truly going to make an enemy of the entire Nine Serene Earth Python Clan today for the sake of this mere girl with strange pupils?!"

He tried to use the might of his clan to pressure Shen Wen.

The Nine Serene Earth Python Clan was one of the three overlords of the Demonic Beast world. With many experts in the clan and even a Dou Sheng presiding over it, its weight was enough to make any human expert think twice.

Hearing this, Shen Wen acted as if he had heard a joke, a cold curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Make an enemy of me?" He looked up, his gaze calmly sweeping over Demon Crow's massive true form, his tone indifferent. "I haven't even gone looking for your Nether Snake Earth Vein yet, but you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep."

Thoughts spun in his mind. The Void Ancient Dragon, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix, and the Nine Serene Earth Nether Python—these three major clans of the Demonic Beast world each had their own unique characteristics.

Setting aside the Void Ancient Dragon for now, deep within the Nether Snake Earth Vein where the Nine Serene Earth Python Clan resided...

It was rumored that there were ancient Legacy ruins related to the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, which were particularly effective for tempering snake-type Demonic Beasts.

These were already on his list of future plans.

It was just that things had been complicated before, and his strength hadn't reached the point where he could act with impunity, especially since there was still a Dou Sheng in the Nine Serene Earth Python Clan.

Shen Wen always planned before acting and never fought an uphill battle without certainty.

That was why he had temporarily held back and hadn't provoked them.

He hadn't expected that instead of him seeking them out, they would target Qing Lin first and take the initiative to run into his hands.

"Roar! Arrogant!"

Demon Crow was enraged by Shen Wen's blatant indifference. His true form shook violently, and a denser pitch-black aura rose from the gaps in his scales. His aura actually climbed again!

This was a Bloodline Explosion Secret Technique unique to the Nine Serene Earth Python Clan. It could significantly increase power for a short period at the cost of his Origin Qi being greatly damaged afterward.

He didn't believe that with his Three-Star Dou Zun cultivation, plus his true form and secret technique, he couldn't take down a Six-Star Dou Zong!

His hand being severed just now must have been due to his own carelessness and not using his full strength!

"Shen Wen! Die!"

Demon Crow's massive head reared up, and his bloody maw opened wide.

A pitch-black breath, thick as liquid and smelling of decay and poison, surged toward Shen Wen like a bursting River of the Netherworld!

Everywhere it passed, even space made a "hissing" sound, as if it were about to be corroded.

However, facing this terrifying strike that was enough to heavily injure or even kill an ordinary Four-Star Dou Zun, Shen Wen didn't even lift an eyelid.

He simply moved his mind slightly.

"Buzz—!"

An invisible and intangible yet vast as the sea mighty power of space suddenly descended, completely enveloping Demon Crow's massive hundred-yard true form!

Demon Crow's ferocious and violent expression instantly froze on his face.

He was horrified to find that his entire body seemed to have been cast into ten-thousand-year-old profound ice!

No, it was more terrifying than profound ice; it was space itself turning into the sturdiest cage!

The boiling Dou Qi in his body, his burning Bloodline, and even the Nether Poison Breath he had just spat out were all forcibly "frozen" at this moment!