"You really know where the Inheritance Tower is? And the Desolate Divine Fruit Tree?"
Yang Xiao's gaze was piercing.
The Celestial Cyan Snake was so startled it nearly fled into the void.
But when it saw Yang Xiao make no other move, it couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
At the same time, it glanced at Yang Lin.
Upon seeing him nod, it finally said, "To be honest, I don't know for sure if the Inheritance Tower is there. But, as is the custom on the 2nd Layer, there's always a Desolate Divine Fruit Tree near the tallest Inheritance Tower. And what's more, the most powerful Barbaric Beast King of the layer always guards that place."
"You mean to say, you know where the Desolate Divine Fruit Tree and the most powerful Barbaric Beast King are, but you don't know if the Third-Layer Inheritance Tower is there?"
Yang Xiao instantly understood what the little fellow meant.
The Celestial Cyan Snake considered this for a moment, then gave an adorable nod.
"Alright, then. Take me there."
Without the slightest hesitation.
There was no time to hesitate.
Yang Xiao chose to trust the Celestial Cyan Snake.
"This..."
It glanced at Yang Lin again.
The Celestial Cyan Snake nodded.
"Follow me."
With that, the Celestial Cyan Snake flew forward.
This species was born with the ability to sense the void. Their physical bodies were also terrifyingly powerful, as they possessed the bloodline of the Ancient Cyan Dragon.
However, they took a very long time to mature.
Moreover, their skin was naturally imprinted with Void Secret Patterns.
That was why, during Yang Xiao's first life, many experts had hunted the Celestial Cyan Snakes—experts who wished to achieve godhood, or who had already become gods and wanted the same for their descendants.
All for the Void Secret Patterns on their skin.
As a result, creatures like the Celestial Cyan Snake had become extremely rare, even in Yang Xiao's era.
If Yang Xiao hadn't been on friendly terms with the Celestial Cyan Snakes' ancestor, visited their home once, and gained some understanding of the species, he probably wouldn't have been able to recognize it now.
But flying like this was far too slow for Yang Xiao.
"Go ahead and use your Void Escape Form. I have Void Shifting; I'll be able to keep up."
Yang Xiao said calmly.
"Oh."
Perhaps because it was still too young, or because its knowledge of the Void Secret Pattern was innate and it didn't understand its significance, the snake simply gave a light nod.
The Celestial Cyan Snake then vanished.
When it reappeared,
it was already several hundred miles away.
And the moment it appeared,
it looked back,
to see if Yang Xiao had kept up.
Only to find,
Yang Xiao was still standing right beside it.
It was as if the snake hadn't moved at all.
Its awe for this older brother of Yang Lin's grew even deeper.
Soon,
using Void Traveling,
it led Yang Xiao through more than a hundred jumps.
Along the way,
they occasionally trespassed into the territories of other Barbaric Beast Kings.
But never deep inside.
The moment they startled one of the terrifying Barbaric Beasts,
the pair would already be gone.
From this ability alone, the Celestial Cyan Snake was simply heaven-defying.
But after a little over one hundred jumps,
it stopped.
It looked at a valley up ahead with a mixture of caution and hatred.
"There. That's the place."
Yang Xiao glanced at it.
He nodded slightly and said calmly, "If I get the chance, I will kill that Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle and avenge you!"
"You... you knew?"
The Celestial Cyan Snake was startled.
But Yang Xiao just smiled. "Alright, go back to Yang Lin. I can tell he's very fond of you. Don't let him down."
"Mm, okay. Thank you."
It was the first time it had seen Yang Xiao act so gentle.
The Little Celestial Cyan Snake also breathed a sigh of relief.
It bobbed its small head.
It glanced one last time at the distant valley.
Finally, it obediently dove into the void.
And vanished.
Sensing that the Celestial Cyan Snake had truly left,
Yang Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief.
'If that little fellow had stayed, I really wouldn't have been able to go all out.'
Because at this very moment, he had already sensed it.
The Barbaric Beast King up ahead,
the one Yang Xiao had just called the Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle,
was extremely terrifying.
'I really don't know how that person from the Profound Celestial Sect managed to snatch the Desolate Divine Fruit from this creature's grasp the last time the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion opened. This thing is at least a High-tier Barbaric Beast King, comparable to an expert at the Seventh Level of the Small Divine Power Realm. A worthy overlord of this 1st Layer indeed.'
Yang Xiao sighed softly.
'Originally, after taking down the Purple Blood Giant Bear Beast head-on and obtaining its Original Purple Blood, my strength had another breakthrough. I thought I'd be strong enough to survive on this 1st Layer now.'
But he never expected,
reality was just this cruel.
'My current strength is, at most, equivalent to the Small Divine Power Realm Second Level. And a very, very weak Second Level at that.'
'Against the Purple Blood Giant Bear Beast, which had also just barely reached the level of a Tier Six Barbaric Beast King, I was naturally unstoppable.'
'But dealing with this Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle before me...'
'...is difficult.'
'Exceptionally difficult.'
'Looks like I'll have to try my luck.'
A glint flashed in Yang Xiao's eyes.
He suppressed his aura.
Once again, just like when he had first broken through to the Void Observation Realm,
he returned to a state of natural simplicity.
Not a trace of his aura remained.
Then,
he began to walk slowly toward the valley.
At the same time, his Spiritual Power from the Void Observation Realm
was constantly scanning his surroundings.
By comparison,
Yang Xiao's only advantage now
was his Spiritual Power at the Void Observation Realm.
Although generally speaking, most experts who reach the Small Divine Power Realm have also reached the Void Observation Realm.
However,
that refers to human cultivators.
For Barbaric Beasts, it's a different matter.
If a Barbaric Beast's Spiritual Power reached the Void Observation Realm,
it would be a Demon Beast.
And a Demon Beast
was, at minimum, a Tier Seven existence,
an expert who could contend with those in the Great Divine Power Realm.
If Yang Xiao were to encounter one,
the beast could probably kill him with a single thought.
But for now,
on the 1st Layer of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion,
there was clearly no such existence.
And after some careful probing,
Yang Xiao actually discovered some things he hadn't noticed before.
'This Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle doesn't seem to dare enter the valley. It's just circling and occupying the perimeter. And it keeps staring at that Desolate Divine Fruit Tree... Could it be...'
A bold guess
surfaced in his mind.
'Could it be that this creature can't enter the valley at all?'
He recalled the First-Layer Inheritance Tower he had found earlier,
and how something had felt strange about it.
Thinking about it now,
he instantly understood.
It seemed that Barbaric Beasts of Tier Five and above simply did not dare to get close.
No matter how strong they were,
even if they occupied the surrounding territory,
a creature like the Purple Blood Giant Bear Beast
still wouldn't dare to invade the valley itself.
Otherwise,
'when Yang Lin and the others provoked the Purple Blood Giant Bear Beast, if Yang Tian hadn't stepped in, that big oaf of a bear would have stormed our camp and stomped them into paste long ago.'
'They never would have lasted until I came out of seclusion.'
'If this is true, then I have a chance.'
Yang Xiao smiled faintly.
The aura around him
suddenly surged forth.
His hands formed into claws.
He clawed at the void in front of him.
His figure moved forward.
Void Shifting instantly activated.
When he reappeared,
Yang Xiao found himself
already standing inside the valley.
And that Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle, which had been staring at the Desolate Divine Fruit Tree,
also looked over.
That pair of blood-red eyes
was incomparably ferocious.
Its body looked like that of a giant serpent, but its back was studded with countless feathered wings.
A single, gentle flap could carry it thousands of miles.
Utterly terrifying.
At this moment, however, it spoke in a human tongue.
"Human, if you obediently pick the Desolate Divine Fruit and present it to this King, this King might spare your life. Otherwise, this King has already memorized your aura. As long as you remain on this 1st Layer, this King has ways to find you!"
Its cold words
were thick with menace.
Too bad.
Yang Xiao just gave a scornful smile.
He looked at the Desolate Divine Fruit Tree before him with a displeased expression. "Such a big tree, and only five Desolate Divine Fruits? How stingy."
With that said, he completely ignored the Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle.
He picked the Desolate Divine Fruits from the Desolate Divine Fruit Tree and walked towards the nearby Inheritance Tower.
This action
instantly enraged the Thousand-Winged Serpent Eagle.
Its venomous gaze,
practically tangible,
flickered from time to time.
It was unclear what scheme it was plotting.