Chapter 201: Truly a Monster
He hadn't expected to encounter the newly born Qing Lin at the Snake-People Tribe's residence... Yao Yan looked at the infant in his arms and mused silently. He knew that he had changed Qing Lin's original fate. If he hadn't intervened, the relationship between the Snake-People Tribe and the Jia Ma Empire would never have eased, and those snake-people slaves would never have been released.
As a result, Qing Lin wouldn't have appeared within the Snake-People's territory.
Yao Yan reached out a finger and pinched Qing Lin's small cheek. Perhaps due to malnutrition, the little one wasn't in good condition, but her heterochromatic eyes were exceptionally bright and clear, carrying a soul-captivating charm.
"Quite a lucky little one~" Yao Yan murmured softly. He knew that if it weren't for this chance encounter, this girl who shone brilliantly in the original story might not have survived.
His presence was bound to change the fate of many characters from the original.
"I'll take the child. Hua She'er, check if her mother is still alive." Yao Yan instructed, then turned to leave with Zi Yan and the others. As for what Mobas thought, he couldn't care less. The thoughts of the weak never mattered—just like how that man had intended to crush Qing Lin to death moments ago.
As Yao Yan turned and left, the terrifying pressure gradually faded.
The battered Mobas struggled to lift himself from the ground. His once fierce eyes now flickered with shock and rage. His fists clenched tightly in fury, yet he was helpless. The gap between them had grown so vast it was utterly hopeless.
He couldn't even withstand a glance from Yao Yan. What right did he have to bark back?
"Mobas , put away your petty schemes. The Snake-People Tribe is no longer what it used to be. If you act so brazenly again, no one will be able to save you!" Hua She'er's stern gaze fixed on Mobas as she scolded him.
"What is his current strength?" Mobas remained silent for a moment before asking in a low voice.
"Peak Nine-Star Dou Huang, just a step away from Dou Zong. You should understand what that means!" Hua She'er replied gravely. She didn't want Mobas to antagonize Yao Yan. No matter what, he was still one of the eight tribe leaders, with great merit. If he were to die at Yao Yan's hand just like that, how would the other leaders perceive it?
Perhaps Yao Yan had held back just now for this very reason.
But this only proved that Yao Yan had a generous character and didn't hold a grudge against Mobas . If Mobas kept pushing, no one would be able to save him.
Mobas 's expression was gloomy, and after a long while, he finally muttered, "I understand."
That proud head that had never bowed finally lowered. Reality was always cruel. The gap between them was now so wide that he no longer dared to harbor even a shred of defiance. Perhaps only such a monstrous man could win the Queen's heart.
Seeing Mobas bow his head, Hua She'er breathed a sigh of relief. She had truly been worried he'd remain stubborn to the end, which would have been a death sentence.
"Go investigate the child's mother, and gather any other relevant information," Hua She'er instructed.
Mobas nodded and turned to walk away.
...
Snake-People Tribe's palace.
Shortly after Yao Yan returned to the palace, the Cai Lin sisters, having received word, hurried over. Upon seeing Yao Yan playing with the infant, the two exchanged glances. Cai Lin frowned slightly and stepped forward to ask, "What's going on? Did you get into a conflict with Mobas ?!"
Yao Yan shook his head in response. He had never dealt with Mobas directly—how could there be conflict? With Mobas 's level of strength, he wasn't even qualified to have a conflict with him.
He teased little Qing Lin for a moment, then turned to Cai Lin and asked softly:
"There's no conflict. I simply couldn't bear to see him bullying a newborn child. This little one is rather special—she's the offspring of a Snake-Person and a human, and it seems she has awakened a unique bloodline. Does your tribe have any records of the Three-Flowered Pupils of the Green Snake?"
"The Three-Flowered Pupils of the Green Snake? I've heard of it. It's said that those who awaken such heterochromatic eyes have absolute suppression over snake-type magical beasts!" Cai Lin's cold eyes shifted slightly as she looked at Qing Lin. "Are you sure?"
"Eighty to ninety percent sure," Yao Yan replied softly.
The Three-Flowered Pupils of the Green Snake—in a sense, this heterochromatic ability was even more outrageous than Flame Mantra. Training in Flame Mantra required risking one's life to refine and devour heavenly flame, but the Three-Flowered Pupils simply required subduing snake-type magical beasts to grow stronger, and they allowed the user to control those beasts in battle.
In terms of talent, it was even more terrifying than Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body.
In the original story, Qing Lin had even managed to control a two-headed Fire Spirit Snake, nearly fifth-tier in strength, without ever cultivating Dou Qi—an unbelievable level of suppression.
"Offspring from mixed bloodlines sometimes produce monstrous talents," Yao Yan said with a hint of emotion.
In a way, he was one of those freaks himself.
Perhaps even more so than Qing Lin.
Yao Yan didn't even know how to describe his current body—his father from the Hun Clan, mother from the Medicine Clan, then later modified by Hun Xuzi, his body forcibly fused with the essence blood of the Devour Spirit Tribe and Dou Saint blood of the Medicine Clan. Later, he even devoured Dou Emperor essence blood from the Stone and Spirit Clans... This path would surely continue in the future.
Who knew if a body infused with the blood of all races would become a Chaos Body of the Great Thousand World.
But it didn't seem like he had much choice.
"This little one's eyes are beautiful. I can vaguely see petal-like shapes—is this the Three-Flowered Pupils of the Green Snake?" Cai Die leaned closer to Yao Yan and studied Qing Lin's eyes. After a moment, when she caught a glimpse of the rare pupils, she couldn't help but lean on Yao Yan's shoulder and speak.
Yao Yan nodded, then curiously asked Cai Lin, "Do these pupils suppress Snake-People as well?"
"We Snake-People aren't magical beasts."
Cai Lin rolled her eyes at Yao Yan and replied in annoyance. In a way, the Three-Flowered Pupils were a mutated form of the Snake-People bloodline, manifesting the tribe's natural talent for snake taming into a visual form.
The Medusa Queen's lineage had similar powers—taming snakes, devouring Dou Qi energy... But none were as monstrous as the Three-Flowered Pupils.
Yao Yan gave a dry laugh, then asked again, "Are children like her common?"
"Extremely rare. Most die young, often before they're even a few years old. Even if they survive, they usually end up useless. One like her with the Three-Flowered Pupils is one in ten thousand." Cai Lin shook her head slightly and replied seriously.
If such eyes were easy to obtain, the Snake-People Tribe would've long been hunted to extinction.
In the Dou Qi continent, humans would always hold the core position.
Yao Yan nodded and dropped the topic. Together with the Cai Lin sisters, he waited for Hua She'er's return. Soon, Hua She'er brought news—Qing Lin's mother had passed away half a year ago. She had suffered abuse in human territory and relapsed from old injuries shortly after returning to the Snake-People's land.
She hadn't even tried to care for Qing Lin before her death. Instead, she handed the child over to the tribe and abandoned her. Many former slave Snake-People made similar choices. To them, the past had never been a happy memory.
Cai Lin and Cai Die fell silent—especially the former. A cold glint flickered in her eyes. If they hadn't made peace with the Jia Ma Empire, she would've gone to take revenge.
She had pursued strength to protect her people—that was her duty as Queen Medusa.
After listening to Hua She'er's report, Yao Yan remained calm, his expression unchanged. He said nothing. The woman was already dead—right and wrong no longer mattered. Besides, Qing Lin's mother hadn't done anything wrong. She was also a victim. So was Qing Lin. And the human? Perhaps he was wrong too.
But the world was like this. Right and wrong no longer had meaning.
"Let's leave it at that... This little one has greenish-blue scales. From now on, we'll call her Qing Lin," Yao Yan gave her the name from the original story, then turned to Cai Die with a smile and said, "Cai Die, I'm entrusting her to you. You happen to lack a personal servant—raise her well, and she'll serve you in the future."
Qing Lin's talent was undeniable. Growing up at Cai Die's side, she'd become someone trustworthy and make up for Cai Die's shortcomings.
"Alright~"
Cai Die didn't refuse. She reached out and took Qing Lin into her arms. Looking at the skinny little thing, a touch of affection rose in her eyes. She had raised pets before—but raising a child? That was a first.
Cai Lin frowned slightly but quickly relaxed. She understood Yao Yan was simply giving Cai Die companionship. After all, Yao Yan would soon head to Central Plains, and no one knew how long it would be before he returned.
Having handled Qing Lin's matter, Yao Yan turned to Cai Lin and curiously asked, "Do your elders want to meet me?"
"Why would they want to meet you?"
Cai Lin blinked and asked in return.
"...What bad luck~" Yao Yan muttered with a sigh. He actually looked forward to children.
"What do you mean?"
Cai Lin frowned and asked again, clearly displeased.
Yao Yan coughed and didn't pursue the topic. He stood, tidied his clothes, and said seriously, "I need to go to the Imperial Capital for a bit, to meet Hai Lao. I'll return later."
With his current strength, spreading the wings of the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan allowed him to reach the Jia Ma Empire's capital within half an hour. As his strength grew, distance became less of an obstacle. Once he stepped into Dou Zong, he could manipulate spatial power, further increasing his speed.
"I want to go too!" Zi Yan and Cai Die said in unison.
But Yao Yan refused. This trip wasn't for fun. As they looked on with disappointment, he turned into a stream of light and shot into the sky.
"Hopefully young master doesn't go flirting with Yun Yun..." Cai Die muttered.
"Yun Yun?"
Cai Lin looked at her sister with a face full of question marks.
Cai Die's eyes sparkled. She gently put Qing Lin down and pulled Cai Lin aside to gossip about the Yunlan Sect's young sect leader, explaining how that woman seemed very interested in Yao Yan, and they needed to stay alert. Cai Lin, for her part, felt completely speechless.
She never believed in guarding a man. Especially not one like Yao Yan—he couldn't be guarded against.
If he really had that kind of intention, watching him constantly would be pointless.
"Don't think about that. Focus on your training. When we return next time, it'll be to help evolve your bloodline," Cai Lin said, poking Cai Die's arm with her jade finger.
"We have to wait for young master to come back~"
Cai Die replied with a shy look in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, Cai Lin felt stifled inside. Her silly little sister had completely fallen. What should she do... She had, for the moment, forgotten the fact that she herself had already been thoroughly claimed.
The two sisters were more or less the same.
...
...
A sky-blue streak of light tore across the sky at a speed nearly impossible for the eye to track, heading toward the Jia Ma Empire. In less than fifteen minutes, the outline of the imperial capital appeared ahead, along with the distant mountains of the Yunlan Sect.
Compared to his previous slow speed, with the Sky Demon Phoenix wings, Yao Yan had reached a monstrous velocity—so fast even Dou Zongs would struggle to match it.
Swish—
As he approached, Yao Yan retracted his green-red bony wings. Looking at the familiar city, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He had few friends, but Hai Lao was undoubtedly one of them. Though they hadn't known each other long, they got along well.
With that thought, his Dou Qi wings trembled slightly, and he flew directly toward the Mittel Clan.
...
Mittel Clan.
Since Hai Bodong's return, the Mittel Clan had grown far more prosperous than before. The royal family and Yunlan Sect also seemed to have reached some kind of agreement with them, further boosting the clan's prestige.
"Great Elder, won't you come out and say something?" Teng Shan asked with a bitter smile, trying to persuade Hai Bodong.
"I've already said I won't get involved in this kind of matter. At worst, we give it up. The Mittel Clan doesn't lack for a little profit. Besides, there's only so much benefit to go around in the Jia Ma Empire. The more we take, the less others get. Conflict is inevitable—this is just happening earlier than expected~" Hai Bodong said indifferently.
After sipping his tea, he continued, "I know everything Yun Yun has been doing these years. She's very tactful. We should also give her some face. Let it go."
"Alright then." Teng Shan replied with a wry smile.
As the two were talking, Hai Bodong suddenly stood up, a glint of brilliance flashing in his eyes. In the next instant, his figure appeared at the entrance. His eyes looked toward the distant sky, where a sky-blue streak of light rapidly approached. Although the aura had changed significantly, he recognized it at once.
But the strength within that aura made his expression change slightly, his face full of disbelief.
Swish!
Soon, Yao Yan landed in the courtyard, his voice ringing out with laughter: "Hai Lao, long time no see."
"Your... your strength?" Hai Bodong hesitated, then asked in disbelief.
"A bit stronger than yours. Half-step Dou Zong," Yao Yan replied modestly. He was never one to boast.
Teng Shan, who had followed behind, gulped hard in shock, while Hai Bodong could only smile bitterly and mutter, "Truly a monster!"
(END CHAPTER)
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