C14 The Lonely Elf

After fifteen minutes had passed, a speck appeared on the horizon, approaching Giant Tree Lake at a speed that defied the eye. In an instant, a figure materialized on the fractured grassland.

The newcomer was tall and gaunt, unhealthily so, resembling a beanpole. His cheeks were hollow, cheekbones prominent, and his skin was an ashen white. Narrow eyes emitted an eerie azure light, giving him the appearance of a walking cadaver.

With hands clasped behind his back, he wore an air of nonchalance. Gazing upward at the space where Su Mo and the others had vanished, he sensed the remnants of a spatial disturbance. Puzzled, he murmured, "Revolving Star Compass? The Mo family?"

Next, he stepped forward, but his figure reappeared beside a shattered rock a hundred meters away. His slender, greyish nails gently caressed the jagged edge of the stone as he spoke with increasing gravity, "Green Sea Sunny Sky Sword? The Flowing Cloud Sect?"

Inhaling deeply, he shook his head, muttering with a bemused look, "All of them are such a handful!"

While he pondered, the water behind him stirred violently as the massive form of the Thunder Snake emerged once more. Its three heads turned to face the man, and with a concerted roar, they vented their fury.

"Hmm? You're still alive, just wounded! That means the ones who've stumbled upon this place are merely insignificant upstarts! How intriguing!" he exclaimed, glancing at the Thunder Snakes, his thin, pale lips curling into a malicious grin.

The Thunder Snakes appeared to recognize the man, but hostility flickered in their six large eyes. They seemed to dislike this figure shrouded in an aura of death. The agitated Thunder Snake reared its heads and unleashed a deafening roar, displaying an unfriendly demeanor yet hesitating to attack.

"What a forgetful beast!" The man was unfazed by the Thunder Snake's aggressive stance, scoffing with contempt. He slowly lifted his left hand, revealing a small bell spinning in his palm.

The diminutive bell radiated a soft green glow. At the sight of it, the Thunder Snake immediately calmed down. Its three gaping maws snapped shut, and the towering heads bowed, eyeing the small bell with apprehension.

"Ding~"

The small bell twirled, emitting a crisp and pleasing ring that, despite its softness, vibrated through the air. The spiritual energy in the atmosphere swiftly dispersed in rippling waves, causing the three-headed Thunder Snake to wail in agony. Its massive form contorted as it withdrew into the marsh, its three large heads slumping onto the grass, eyes filled with dread as they gazed at the man.

The man pocketed the bell and commanded the Thunder Snake with an icy tone, "Open your mouth and take me down!"

The Thunder Snake, compliant, opened the mouth on its central head. The man leaped into the gaping maw, cautioning with a furrowed brow, "If you so much as nip me, I'll turn you into snake stew!"

The Thunder Snake grunted twice in deference, though its six eyes betrayed a flash of spite and venom. Nonetheless, it dared not misbehave, cautiously shutting its mouth before plunging with a splash into the waters of Giant Tree Lake.

The lake's waters were boundless, its depths unfathomable. The Thunder Snakes darted swiftly toward the lakebed, the light fading until darkness enveloped them.

At the bottom lay a sprawling range of submerged mountains. The Thunder Snake navigated through an underwater canyon, arriving at the heart of the range. It followed a channel to a cave entrance obscured by a colossal stone weighing thousands of pounds.

Coiling around the stone, the Thunder Snake heaved it aside, allowing a torrent of water to rush into the cave. It slithered in with agility and then, with a flick of its tail, repositioned the stone to seal the entrance.

Inside the hollowed heart of the mountain, a vast underwater cavern took shape, with the tide crashing against its edges. The Thunder Snake surfaced and opened its jaws to release the man.

"What on earth have you eaten to smell this foul?!" the man grumbled, his expression sour as he clambered out of the Thunder Snake's mouth. After hurling a few curses, he strode deeper into the cave.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Snake lay coiled and docile on the slippery bank, silently awaiting further instructions.

The man, hands clasped behind him, ventured into the cavern's depths. He glanced toward a dimly lit corner beneath the left wall, where a small wooden hut sat, and above it, a barrier resembling a spider's web floated in the void.

Upon confirming that the barrier remained unscathed, the man let out a relieved, cold snort, his gaze icy and sharp.

He continued to the right, and as he ventured deeper, the air thickened with layers of heat. Before him lay a vast pit, about ten meters in radius, its interior churning like magma. A closer look revealed it to be a pool of exceptionally thick blood. Eighteen iron chains, each shimmering faintly, stretched from the surrounding rock walls, converging on a central stone pillar. They bound a Demonic Beast, drenched in blood and so diminished in size that it was no larger than a Thunder Snake's head.

"The Spirit Sealing Array, powered by the spiritual energy of the subterranean veins, is truly extraordinary. It has completely contained the turbulent essence within the Blood Transformation Spirit Pool! Now that the pool has taken shape, integrating with the Spirit Sealing Array, one must first absorb the power of the Blood Pool to break the array. Otherwise, the rampant Spiritual Force might just flatten Giant Tree Lake in an instant!"

Satisfied with the Blood Transformation Spirit Pool's progress, the man nodded approvingly. He then spoke enviously to himself, "Chiang Hee has such incredible luck, stumbling upon the long-lost Celestial Devil Blood Fusion Technique! Once the fifth-level Bloodline Divine Beast is born and its fledgling life force drained, his Devil Embryo will surely reach full maturity!"

Drawing in a sharp breath, he reflected inwardly. Rubbing his chin, he murmured, "I need to devise a plan to coax Chiang Hee into handing over the item before his success. Otherwise, if that kid turns on me, I might not stand a chance against him..."

With his mind made up, the man cast a final glance at the struggling Demonic Beast atop the stone pillar in the Blood Transformation Spirit Pool and left the pit with a sneer.

Approaching a small wooden hut nestled in the rock wall's corner, he observed the still-active barrier. After a moment's thought, he gestured with a wave of his hand, sending a flash of light into the hut's space.

"This is the Snow Mountain Silver Feather and Hundred Flower Fruit Wine that Chiang Hee sent you! Tsk, your senior brother really does spoil you, using a Space Array even for your confinement. You do realize that the Mo family charges a hefty price for such luxuries!"

The man jested, "Don't be fooled by its appearance; this humble cabin holds the power of space, hiding a vast expanse within."

A moment of silence lingered in the small wooden house before a sweet, crisp voice emerged, reminiscent of a young girl's. "Please convey my thanks to Senior Brother Hee! Tell him that, vast as it is here, there's no life. The sky feels oppressive, the clouds are motionless, and there's no breeze. I really don't like it..." Her voice was tinged with a heart-wrenching sorrow.

After a brief pause, the girl's voice rose slightly, filled with hope, "Could you ask Senior Brother Hee to bring me some grass seeds and tree saplings? And maybe a little bird or rabbit that could tell me about the blue sky outside, if the stream water is sweet, and about the sunshine..."

"Enough!" The man cut her off, his impatience laced with derision. "Stop your nonsense! Chiang Hee isn't coming! Just stay put! You keep referring to the Blood Nether Palace's Four Young Masters as your senior brothers. Maybe your Dragon Trapping Hall should simply surrender to our Devil Dao! Hmph!"

His scolding left the girl silent for a long stretch before she replied, her voice a blend of defiance and hurt, "Senior Brother Hee isn't bad. You're the one who corrupted him..."

"I corrupted him?" The man laughed heartily, as if it was the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard. Shaking his head in mockery, he said, "Of all the disciples from the Eight Great Sects, Nine Great Saints, Ten Great Holy Lands, it seems only you, a naive girl, would utter such childish nonsense..."

With a few more cold laughs, he strode out, hands clasped behind him, his voice trailing off, "We may not dare to kill you, but don't even dream of escaping easily! Your presence makes the righteous forces of this world wary..."

The sound of splashing followed as three Thunder Snakes carried the man away from the underwater cavern, delivering him to the edge of Giant Tree Lake.

The man kicked the Thunder Snake's head and snarled, "Keep a close eye on things. If you mess up, I'll turn you into snake soup!"

The threat seemed particularly effective on the Thunder Snake, indicating the man had a peculiar fixation on the idea of snake soup.

Once the man vanished into the sky, the Thunder Snake made its way back into the water and swam down to its underwater cavern.

The Thunder Snake appeared to harbor a deep fear of the Blood Pool in the recesses of the cavern, only daring to swim around the open space near the shore, avoiding getting too close. Yet, it seemed to feel a connection with the small wooden house, resting its three heads at the doorstep while its body coiled all the way to the water's edge.

"Little snake, did that nasty person scold you again?" the little girl inquired with a tone of concern.

The Thunder Snake lifted its head and nodded, eyes filled with bitterness. It made a whimpering sound from its three mouths, as if trying to communicate with the girl.

The little girl seemed to understand the Thunder Snake's message and let out a sigh. "The Beast Control Bell is in that bad man's possession. No wonder you're scared of him... It's all my fault. If I hadn't run away after arguing with that stinky old man, that dummy wouldn't have taken the Beast Control Bell and escaped... Boohoo... I'm to blame for what happened to him..."

Alone, the little girl confided her heartache to the three-headed Thunder Snake. Remembering how her lifelong companion had been reduced to a puddle of blood by that vile man, she wept bitterly.

The three-headed Thunder Snake flicked out its three scarlet tongues, puzzled by the girl's words but sensing her sorrow. It shook its heads and emitted a series of deep, comforting growls.

After a bout of hiccupping sobs, the girl whispered resentfully, "That old man is awful, too. Why did he have to be so mean to me? I left home because I was so upset... When I get back, I'm not going to speak to him for a whole month..."

Heaving a deep sigh, the girl felt a profound sense of gloom. After a moment, she mustered a bit more energy and said, "Little snake, I'll sing for you. Maybe he can hear it too. If he hears my voice, perhaps he won't be in so much pain..."

As she spoke, the little girl began to sing softly. Her voice, as melodious as that of a songbird, filled the entire cave. Within the Blood Spirit Pool, the Demonic Beast, impaled by eighteen iron chains on the stone pillar, let out a mournful cry, and a trail of blood and tears fell from the stone.

The little girl's song was cheerful, yet it carried a longing for the outside world. To her, the blue sky, white clouds, and all living things were beautiful. She would tenderly kiss the grass, carefully help the Giant Tree grow its branches, nurture injured creatures, and revel in the touch of the breeze. She was a sprite of the earth, cherished by all of nature.

Eventually, the little girl's singing ceased. She appeared exhausted and frail. Quietude settled over the little cabin as the three Thunder Snakes lay on the ground, their eyes closed, seemingly asleep. A dreadful silence then engulfed the cave...