21: Chapter 21 The Netherworld, the Queen Falls into the Trap

Forbidden area of the Nine Serenities Deep Ground Python Clan.

When Hun Feng and Yao Yao passed through the final barrier, the Yin energy that rushed toward them made Yao Yao instinctively wrinkle her nose. Before them lay a deathly silent abyss. The cliffs on all sides were as steep as if carved by a blade, and the rocks were a murky, indescribable dark yellow, glistening with a greasy sheen in the dim light. At the bottom of the abyss was a vast expanse of Nine Serene Yellow Springs water. The water was murky and dark, resembling a thick broth used to boil corpses, bubbling with viscous gasps. Every time a bubble burst, a wisp of extremely faint gray mist would overflow; that was the unconscious breathing of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python remnants that had been sleeping for thousands of years.

"Is this the Nine Serene Yellow Springs?" Yao Yao stood at the edge of the cliff and glanced down, her peach-blossom eyes filled with disdain. "Why does this water look like overnight medicinal dregs, all yellowish and gross? Young Master, are you sure Medusa can still maintain her beauty after soaking in a place like this for several months? If it were me, I'd want to die after soaking for three days."

"It is precisely because she can remain earth-shatteringly beautiful after soaking in a place like this for months that she is called the number one beauty of the Fighting Qi Continent." Hun Feng sat cross-legged on a protruding rock, his gaze fixed on the murky Nine Serene Yellow Springs water below. The deep blue flame of the Sea Heart Flame danced lightly on his fingertips, dispelling the Yin energy within a few meters. He could feel an aura rapidly expanding in the depths of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs—it was as if something was undergoing its final transformation at the very bottom of the water, and every pulse of that aura caused the entire expanse of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water to tremble slightly.

"How long do we have to wait?"

"Three hours. At most, three hours. Her aura has reached the critical point. The awakening of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python bloodline is irreversible; either she succeeds in evolving and soars into the sky, or she is devoured by the Demon Saint's will and sinks to the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs forever. However, given her willpower, the probability of failure is not high." Hun Feng's tone was certain, and the faint smile on his lips had not faded since they set out. Yao Yao glanced at him, too lazy to ask how he knew—there were too many inexplicable things about the Young Master, and this was just one more.

For a Dou Sheng expert, waiting for three hours was merely a snap of the fingers. But for Yao Yao, these three hours were exceptionally long because the Young Master's expression as he stared at the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water grew increasingly strange. His eyes were gradually filled with clear anticipation and possessiveness—not the greed he had for the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, nor the unwillingness he felt toward Gu Xun'er, but a pure, unmasked longing that only a man has when looking at a peerless beauty.

Just as Yao Yao was about to open her mouth to tease him, the surface of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water suddenly exploded.

A pillar of nine-colored light shot up from the bottom of the water, illuminating the entire abyss as if it were broad daylight. The energy contained within the beam of light was so terrifying that the surrounding space twisted violently. Dozens of ancient Sky Swallowing Python remnants emerged from the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water simultaneously, emitting low hisses toward the light pillar—not as a threat, but in submission. The bloodline suppression of the ancient Sky Swallowing Python caused these remnants to instinctively bow to their new king.

Hun Feng slowly stood up from the rock, the Sea Heart Flame retracting into his palm, and the pink halo of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame silently spread around him. He stared at the slender, graceful figure slowly taking shape in the center of the light pillar and took a deep breath.

"She is here."

The light pillar gradually dissipated. On the surface of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water, a long, slender, and graceful figure hovered quietly. She stood barefoot on the water's surface, the turbid waves of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs automatically calming beneath her feet, and even those bubbles that had been bubbling for thousands of years sensibly steered clear of the spot where she stood. A matte white long dress draped from her shoulders to her ankles, the fabric shimmering with a soft, silk-like glow—not a glaring, ghastly white, but a cold, noble moon-white. The form-fitting tube top outlined her full and upright curves, with intricate golden relief patterns inlaid along the edges and waistline; every line was sharp and exquisite, looking remarkably like the overlapping patterns of snake scales. Long-sleeved sheer fabric of the same color draped from her arms, and golden armor-style armbands at the cuffs tightened the sheer fabric, retaining a cold, hard sense of protection while exuding a touch of ethereal, soft charm.

The high-waisted design cinched her waist into a slender span, and the golden waist ornament fit tightly like chainmail, with a diamond-shaped white gemstone embedded in the center that gleamed with a lustrous sheen under the remaining reflection of the nine-colored light pillar. The skirt had a high-slit cut, with several extremely thin golden chains hanging from the side that swayed gently as she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a length of long, smooth calf beneath the skirt. Every collision of the chains emitted a faint, crisp metallic sound, which was exceptionally clear in the silent Nine Serene Yellow Springs abyss.

Her features were stunning and cold, her brows like distant mountains, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, and her pupils were a pure, deep, and eerie purple. Her skin was so fair it was almost transparent, nearly blending into her matte white dress; from a distance, she looked like a white jade statue outlined in gilded gold. Her jet-black hair hung loose behind her shoulders, with drops of Nine Serene Yellow Springs water still dripping from the tips, but each drop of water was evaporated into mist by her nine-colored Fighting Qi the moment it left her hair. Surrounding her was the phantom of a Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, which coiled behind her, so massive that it almost filled the entire Nine Serene Yellow Springs abyss, its nine-colored scales flowing with a heart-capturing luster in the darkness.

Medusa—no, now she was the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, a Four-Star Dou Sheng in the early stage. She slowly opened those purple eyes, the nine-colored halo from her evolution still lingering in her pupils, like two cooling stars. Her consciousness was still lingering at the last moment before the evolution was complete—she had absorbed the last wisp of energy from the Nine-Colored Origin Stone at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, the Demon Saint's essence blood had completely fused with her bloodline, and the inherited memories of the ancient Sky Swallowing Python had flooded into her sea of consciousness. Then, she felt two strange and powerful auras standing at the edge of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, scrutinizing her unscrupulously.

She raised her eyes and looked coldly toward the top of the cliff. A man and a woman stood there. The man was dressed in dark black combat attire, with a handsome face and a smile on his lips that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. His cultivation as a Six-Star Dou Sheng was not hidden at all, and he was surrounded by the aura of two Heavenly Flames that made her instinctively alert. The woman wore a black dress with a high slit, her peach-blossom eyes smiling, and she was playing with a silver-white bone whip in her hand. Her aura as a late-stage Five-Star Dou Sheng was steady and sharp, and the silver bells on her ankles emitted crisp sounds in the Yin wind.

"Medusa," Hun Feng stepped forward, standing at the very edge of the cliff, looking down from above at that cold, stunning face that was breathtaking. His voice was not loud, but the amplification of his Six-Star Dou Sheng Fighting Qi allowed every word to be clearly heard throughout the entire Nine Serene Yellow Springs abyss. "Congratulations on your successful evolution. Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, Four-Star Dou Sheng; you are truly a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Magical Beast world. I am Hun Feng, the current Young Clan Leader of the Hun Clan. I have come here specifically for you today."

Medusa's purple pupils constricted slightly. Young Clan Leader of the Hun Clan—she certainly knew those three words. The most notorious clan among the Ancient Eight Clans, they had remained hidden in the shadows for thousands of years, their strength unfathomable. That this young man in front of her could reach the level of a Six-Star Dou Sheng at the age of twenty-something was enough to show just how terrifying the Hun Clan's foundation was.

"Young Clan Leader of the Hun Clan?" Her voice was as cold as the ten-thousand-year cold spring at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, devoid of any unnecessary emotion. "I don't know you. Nor do I wish to know you. Move aside."

Yao Yao chuckled softly to the side, her peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents, her tone sweet enough to sicken someone: "Young Master, she doesn't want to know you. How about we introduce ourselves first? My name is Yao Yao, the Young Master's personal maid—"

Medusa didn't even glance at her, her purple eyes remaining locked on Hun Feng. She could feel that this man was the one truly in charge and also the most dangerous of the two.

"Don't be so cold." Hun Feng, completely oblivious to being ignored, stepped forward, hovering above the surface of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water, eye-level with Medusa. With his hands behind his back, his dark black robes flapping in the Yin wind of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, he wore that wicked smile that was quite familiar to Yao Yao. "I traveled all the way from the Soul Realm just to ask you one thing—what future is there in following Xiao Yan? He is a Two-Star Dou Sheng, you are a Four-Star Dou Sheng, he has Gu Xun'er by his side to distract him, and the Sky Mansion Alliance is about to be destroyed by the Hun Clan. Besides raising his daughter and guarding his rear for him, what else can you gain by following him?"

Medusa's purple eyes turned cold instantly. Xiao Yan, Xun'er, daughter—this person knew her background inside out. This was not a casual chat; this was long-planned covetousness. The nine-colored Fighting Qi around her surged violently, and the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python phantom behind her emitted a low hiss, her Four-Star Dou Sheng pressure crushing toward Hun Feng without reservation.

"You scoundrel! You are courting death."

"Courting death is not quite right." Hun Feng spread his hands, the calm smile on his face deepening slightly. He could tell that Medusa was truly enraged, but even in her fury, her face remained as beautiful as a fragile work of art—her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes like cold stars, the golden eyeshadow even more vivid and dazzling in her anger. "I am just stating the truth. Whatever Xiao Yan cannot give you, I can. He is the last descendant of the fallen Xiao Clan; I am the current Young Clan Leader of the Hun Clan. He has Gu Xun'er to care for; I only have Yao Yao by my side, so if you come, you will be the rightful mistress. His Sky Mansion Alliance is already being purged by the Hun Clan—" He paused, then suddenly took a message jade slip from his sleeve and waved it in front of her. "On the way to the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, I have already given the order—do not hurt that little girl named Xiao Xiao in the Starfall Pavilion. She is fine; she has already been taken away by the Hun Clan."

The nine-colored Fighting Qi around Medusa froze for a split second the moment she heard the words "Xiao Xiao," and immediately, a light even sharper than before burst from her purple eyes. She pressed forward, the Nine Serene Yellow Springs water beneath her feet shaken into a huge depression by her pressure, her voice as cold as quenched ice: "What did you say? You captured Xiao Xiao?"

"It is not capturing; it is accepting." Hun Feng did not dodge or retreat; he took another step forward, meeting the pressure capable of crushing an ordinary Dou Sheng.

He put away the jade slip and looked straight into her eyes. The playful tone in his voice faded a bit, replaced by an almost sincere earnestness.

"You should know about the Hundred Alliance Treaty better than anyone—the Sky Mansion Alliance and the Hall of Souls are in an all-out war, and Starfall Pavilion is bearing the brunt of it.

Tonight, the Three Demon Saints of the Hun Clan are leading the team, and forty Dou Shengs have already set out.

Xiao Xiao is staying in Starfall Pavilion; just think for yourself how dangerous it is for her?

I brought her out; at least no one would dare touch a single hair on her head within the territory of the Hun Clan."

He paused for a breath, watching the surging anger and suspicion in Medusa's eyes, and added:

"Your daughter is very safe right now.

The order I gave was—no one is allowed to harm her.

The Three Demon Saints are executing it personally; if you don't believe it, you can go see her yourself when we arrive at the Soul Realm.

She is your daughter, and she is also the most important guest in my hands.

Do you think I would let anything happen to her?"

"You are using my daughter to threaten me." Medusa stared at him, her purple eyes devoid of any gratitude, holding only deeper hostility and a trace of barely perceptible panic.

"Threaten?" Hun Feng laughed in amusement and turned to look at Yao Yao. "Yao Yao, you tell her, what order did I give?"

Yao Yao put away her playful smile, a rare look of seriousness appearing in her peach-blossom eyes:

"The order the Young Master gave was—Xiao Xiao is not to be harmed, touched, or frightened; those who violate this order will be beheaded.

The Three Demon Saints personally brought her back to the Soul Realm, and Hun Qian is leading the guards to protect her along the way. She is staying in the detached courtyard on the east side of the Soul Realm, right next to the Madam's side palace, and the servants attending to her have all been carefully selected."

Her tone was flat as she said this, but every word was like an awl driven into Medusa's heart.

The Snake-People Tribe Queen had lived for over three hundred years and had seen countless schemes and infighting; she could distinguish between lies and truths—this black-skirted woman spoke very calmly, but precisely because it was too calm, it made it impossible for her not to believe it.

Hun Feng turned to face her, his tone suddenly becoming languid, as if he were talking about a trivial matter:

"You can certainly think that I am using Xiao Xiao to threaten you.

But the fact is—I saved your daughter's life, and the person currently collecting the corpses of the Sky Mansion Alliance at Starfall Pavilion is Xiao Yan.

He is barely able to protect himself right now, and the Ancient Clan's reinforcements are still on the way.

Who started this purge?

It was Yao Chen who first declared at the Pill Tower assembly that he would wage an all-out war against the Hun Clan, and it was Xiao Yan who first led people to wipe out seventeen branches of the Hall of Souls.

The Hun Clan is merely fighting back.

Xiao Xiao getting dragged into this is not my fault.

The person who pulled her out of the battlefield was not Xiao Yan either."

Medusa's clenched knuckles turned white, and the scale patterns of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python faintly appeared on the back of her hand.

She wanted to refute, wanted to say he was spouting nonsense, wanted to say that Xiao Yan would never abandon Xiao Xiao.

But she could not say it.

Because she knew very well that Xiao Yan's enemy was the Hun Clan; as long as Xiao Xiao was still on the battlefield, any ripple of Dou Qi could cost her her life.

And although this man was extremely detestable, he was right about one thing—when the Hun Clan's army was pressing down, the one truly capable of protecting Xiao Xiao was not Xiao Yan, but the Hun Clan itself.

"What do you want?" Her voice was still cold and hard, but the determination in her tone to fight to the death at any moment had loosened by a fraction.

"Come back to the Soul Realm with me. Be my woman." Hun Feng was straightforward, without any embellishment.

"I don't want to beat around the bush with some things—you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen; there is no one else like you on the entire Fighting Qi Continent.

Being glared at by those purple eyes of yours, I knew I had come to the right place.

You don't need to rush to refuse—Xiao Xiao is still waiting for you in the Soul Realm.

At least go see her and confirm if she is truly safe.

Give me your answer after that."

Medusa was silent for a long time.

The bubbles on the surface of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs popped silently beneath her feet, and the phantom of the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python behind her slowly receded, turning into a faint wisp of nine-colored halo that merged back into her body.

She lowered her eyelashes, looking at her own reflection in the diamond-shaped white gemstone at her waist—that face held no fear or submission, only the cold hardness of forcing herself to temporarily endure after weighing the pros and cons.

She raised her head, her purple eyes coldly sweeping across Hun Feng's face, then across the bone whip Yao Yao was playing with, and finally landing on the void behind Hun Feng, as if looking at a place very, very far away.

"Fine. I will go with you to see Xiao Xiao.

But if you dare to lie to me—I don't care what Young Master of the Hun Clan you are, or what Star Dou Sheng you are, I will make you regret it."

"Rest assured, I have no interest in deceiving beautiful women. Yao Yao, lead the way." Hun Feng smiled slightly and turned to the side, gesturing for her to proceed.

Yao Yao drew the extremely thin silver chain from her waist and skillfully bound Medusa's hands behind her back.

The chain was forged from soul-devouring iron, specifically designed to suppress the bloodline power of soul-type magical beasts; the more one mobilized their Dou Qi, the tighter it would bind.

When binding the last loop, she leaned behind Medusa's ear and lowered her voice to say:

"Queen sister, stop glaring at me; when we get to the Soul Realm, I will arrange the best side palace for you, much more comfortable than the bottom of this Nine Serene Yellow Springs.

Also—everything I said just now is true; Xiao Xiao is really in the East Courtyard, and the Madam even prepared snacks for her."

Medusa closed her eyes and stopped looking at anyone. There was no weakness on that cold and stunning face, only her tightly pursed thin lips and slightly trembling fingertips revealing the humiliation and worry she was suppressing in her heart.

The gilded chain armor at the waist of her matte white dress was pressed by the chains, leaving a shallow indentation, and the golden chains on the side of her high-slit skirt made a faint, tinkling sound with her footsteps.

Before the light of the void teleportation array had dissipated, the communication jade slip in Hun Feng's sleeve exploded with a blood-red soul mark.

A low, thunderous roar poured out from the jade slip, mixed with the harsh noise of clashing weapons and tearing space, causing even the floating void stones outside the teleportation array to tremble slightly in the aftermath.

Yao Yao, who was supporting Medusa with her hands bound by the chain as they stepped onto the array disk, turned back abruptly upon hearing the sound, the laziness in her peach-blossom eyes instantly vanishing:

"This commotion—Young Master, did something happen at Starfall Pavilion?"

Hun Feng crushed the jade slip, and three disheveled black-robed phantoms appeared simultaneously in the void.

Elder Hun Tu, Hun Sha, and Hun Jing, the Three Demon Saints, knelt on the ground. Elder Hun Tu clutched a charred mark on his left arm that was still oozing blood, Hun Sha's face was as pale as paper with dried blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth, and Hun Jing's hood had been sliced off, revealing half of his burned old face.

The three of them were covered in signs of battle, and some wounds were still emitting wisps of soul mist.

Behind them were the broken ruins of Starfall Pavilion, the firelight reddening half the sky, and faint, deep-aural figures could be seen slowly retreating above the ruins.

Elder Hun Tu's voice was hoarse and hurried, yet he still maintained the composure of the head of the Four Demon Saints:

"Young Master, the headquarters and seventeen branches of Starfall Pavilion have all been eradicated. When Yao Chen led the remnants to break out through a secret passage, I severely wounded him with one sword strike. The core combat power of the Sky Mansion Alliance has been reduced by nearly eighty percent.

But just as we were closing the net, Gu Dao of the Ancient Clan personally led the Three Immortal Guards to reinforce—Gu Dao is the Head of the Ancient Clan Elder Hall, a late-stage Seven-Star Dou Sheng; the Three Immortal Guards are all at the mid-stage Six-Star Dou Sheng cultivation level; additionally, Gu Qingyang led clansmen below the Four-Star Dou Sheng level to flank.

I led Sha and Jing to clash head-on with Gu Dao for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, without a clear victor.

But the remnants of the Sky Mansion seized the opportunity to counterattack, and in the chaotic battle, General Hun Sha was ambushed and poisoned by Xiao Yi Xian's Calamity Poison Body. His injuries are not light, and he cannot fight anymore.

If we continue to entangle, I fear we will be picked off one by one by Gu Dao, so we had no choice but to give up chasing Yao Chen and, following the Young Master's previous order, took Xiao Xiao away from the battlefield first.

After Xiao Yi Xian went berserk, she was knocked unconscious by the backlash of her own poison arts and remained on the spot; we were unable to take her with us. Please forgive us, Young Master."

Hun Feng listened without changing his expression, only his fingertips digging into his palms imperceptibly.

Gu Dao, the Head of the Ancient Clan Elder Hall, personally led the reinforcements, and the Three Immortal Guards were dispatched in full force—Gu Yuan said he was sorry about the broken engagement, but in secret, he was using the most practical actions to protect Xiao Yan.

A late-stage Seven-Star Dou Sheng and three Six-Star Dou Shengs; for this reinforcement force, allowing the Three Demon Saints to retreat unscathed was already the best result.

Xiao Yi Xian was left behind and not taken, but since the Ancient Clan reinforcements had arrived, they would naturally hand her over to Xiao Yan, so there was no danger to her life.

"What are the casualties of the Three Demon Saints?"

"General Sha is heavily poisoned and needs to rest for over a month; General Jing has light injuries, and I am unharmed.

Out of the forty Dou Shengs, twelve were lost, three were heavily injured, and the rest are fine.

Xiao Xiao is safe and sound; Hun Qian is currently bringing her back to the Soul Realm and is on the way."

"You three have worked hard. Retiring decisively is not shameful." Hun Feng's tone was steady, but Yao Yao could hear that the Young Master's breathing had noticeably deepened for a moment when he heard that Hun Sha was poisoned.

He did not comment much on the Ancient Clan's reinforcements, simply put away the communication jade slip, turned, and walked toward the center of the teleportation array. He stopped after two steps, turned back, and glanced at Medusa, who was standing behind him with her hands bound by chains, silently listening to all of this.

Her purple eyes were still as cold as ice, her matte white dress emitting a soft shimmer in the light of the teleportation array, and the golden waist chain clinking gently with her slightly rising and falling breathing.

She did not ask a single word, but Hun Feng saw her jaw tighten imperceptibly—that was a micro-expression one would only have when suppressing anxiety and anger.

Xiao Xiao was safe, but Xiao Yan was heavily injured, Yao Chen was severely wounded, and the Sky Mansion was destroyed; Hun Feng knew very well what these messages meant to her.

"Your daughter is on the way; you will be able to see her when we arrive at the Soul Realm.

As for Xiao Yan—he is not dead.

The Ancient Clan has arrived and even dispatched their strongest lineup; this son-in-law of theirs will not lose his life for the time being."

There was no mockery or schadenfreude in Hun Feng's tone; he was simply stating a fact.

Then he turned around and nodded at Yao Yao.

The teleportation array's light lit up, and the figures of the three were swallowed by the silver light, disappearing beneath that eternally gray dome above the Nine Serene Yellow Springs.

In the last instant before the light closed, Medusa looked back in the direction she had come from—the churning, turbid Nine Serene Yellow Springs water was slowly closing, as if it were sealing away the last bit of light regarding freedom for her.

She closed her eyes, and the chains on her wrists made a very faint, clicking sound.