She Yuyan gave Xiao Jietian a deep, meaningful look before slowly rising from her throne.
She walked behind the massive chair and twisted a seemingly ordinary section of its backrest several times in a very concealed spot.
With a low rumble, a hidden stone door slowly slid open in the wall behind the throne.
"What you want is inside," she said quietly. "I hope you keep your word."
Xiao Jietian glanced into the dark passage, then casually tossed the young man in his hand toward her.
She Yuyan extended a palm. A gentle force deflected the momentum, catching her son safely in her arms.
Seeing that the restraints on him had also been released, she softly instructed:
"Lei'er, rest for a while."
She pressed a finger lightly against his sleeping acupoint. The youth—named Lei'er—immediately lost consciousness. She Yuyan carefully laid him down on the long, throne-like chair she had just vacated.
The seat was wide enough to serve almost as a small bed. She didn't feel comfortable letting her son leave the hall; she knew his temperament too well. If he went outside in his current state of mind, he might cause unpredictable trouble.
From the moment she deflected Xiao Jietian's throw, she had already clearly sensed that this young-looking man was stronger than herself.
Even if the entire Heavenly Serpent Mansion rallied against him, they likely wouldn't be his match.
Moreover, her sixth sense screamed that if she acted rashly, she would die—an effortless, resistance-less death.
After settling her son, She Yuyan turned back toward Xiao Jietian and the two women.
"Come with me. What you need is inside."
She spoke as though there were no issues at all, then turned and led the way.
"After we go in, stay close to me. Don't touch anything," Xiao Jietian said softly to Han Yue and Qing Lin behind him.
Both women nodded solemnly, their eyes filled with vigilance.
At the same time, each silently made the same resolve: if anything unexpected happened inside, they would rather sacrifice their own lives than let any harm come to him.
Xiao Jietian led the two women forward, quickly catching up to She Yuyan's pace.
As they walked, She Yuyan occasionally raised her hand. Invisible seals would shimmer briefly before sinking back into the walls—clearly deactivating layer after layer of restrictions.
The four of them traveled through the passage for nearly twenty minutes before arriving in front of an enormous stone door.
She Yuyan placed her palm against a carved handprint. A surge of five-star Dou Zong aura erupted from her body as she poured Dou Qi continuously into the imprint.
As time passed, the handprint grew brighter and brighter until finally, with a deep grinding sound, the massive stone door slowly opened.
Xiao Jietian and the two women watched the entire process in silence.
Beyond the door appeared a thin, glowing light curtain. Through its faint shimmer, one could vaguely make out the outline of a vast, tomb-like structure.
Xiao Jietian immediately sensed a familiar aura from the light curtain—very similar to the spatial lock he had once encountered in Jia Nan Academy's Hidden Book Pavilion.
She Yuyan turned and looked at the three of them, then took out a jade pendant.
The pendant floated before her. She rapidly formed hand seals. The jade emitted a dazzling light. She bit her fingertip and forced out a drop of essence blood, letting it fall onto the pendant.
The jade instantly turned dark red and merged into the light curtain.
With the pendant's entry, the curtain slowly tore open, forming a narrow portal just wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.
Xiao Jietian now understood—this was a spatial lock, and one deliberately designed with multiple safeguards.
To open it required three things: a special token, Dou Qi from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion's unique cultivation technique, and essence blood of their direct bloodline. All three were indispensable.
The reason he hadn't simply forced his way in earlier was simple: the Heavenly Serpent Mansion had once been a major power in the Central Plains and had produced at least one Dou Zun.
When a Dou Zun wanted to hide something, even other Dou Zun-level experts would struggle to locate it—because Dou Zun powerhouses could manipulate spatial power itself.
"How is this so similar to the Hidden Book Pavilion?" Han Yue stared at the light curtain, feeling a sense of déjà vu, and asked Xiao Jietian curiously.
"Exactly the same principle," he replied, then patiently explained the concept of spatial locks to the bewildered Qing Lin beside him.
After listening, Qing Lin nodded seriously, eyes shining with curiosity.
"So that's how it works… It looks like the thing is right there on the other side, but it actually isn't. Is this how space is used?"
"As soon as you obtain what's inside, you'll understand very quickly," Xiao Jietian said gently, stroking her soft green hair.
He wasn't worried about She Yuyan overhearing. When the time came to collect the item, she would discover the truth anyway.
Han Yue watched the tender interaction with a trace of envy—whether she envied Qing Lin's good fortune or the affection Xiao Jietian showed, even she wasn't entirely sure.
"Ahem—this is not the place for you two to flirt. Come inside!"
She Yuyan finally couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted them.
Was it really appropriate to act so lovey-dovey in front of a widow like her?
"Mansion Master, please lead the way."
She Yuyan said nothing more. With a graceful sway of her slender waist, she stepped through the portal in the light curtain.
Xiao Jietian followed immediately after, then Qing Lin, and finally Han Yue.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the scenery changed completely.
They now stood inside an enormous underground tomb. The surrounding walls were densely carved with all kinds of snake totems.
She Yuyan didn't pause. She continued leading them deeper.
Along the way, they passed many stone chambers. Inside each one, Xiao Jietian sensed the mummified remains of various snake-type magical beasts.
Finally, under her guidance, they reached the deepest part of the tomb.
She Yuyan formed another seal. The final massive stone door rumbled open.
The four of them stepped inside.
"This is an Ancient Heavenly Serpent. Our ancestors discovered it by chance many years ago. It was already in this state when found—likely perished during a failed tribulation."
She Yuyan pointed ahead and explained calmly, preemptively clarifying the corpse's condition to prevent the other party from becoming furious upon seeing it.
Before them lay the shriveled, mummified remains of an enormous snake—dozens of feet long.
"So big… and so terrifying!" Qing Lin and Han Yue exclaimed in unison, staring wide-eyed at the desiccated corpse.
This was a relatively rare **Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent**, but now it had no flesh left. Only a single layer of huge scales and dried snake skin clung to its skeleton, lying silently on the ground.
Because it had been dead for countless years, Xiao Jietian could not accurately sense its original rank.
But it was certainly no lower than seventh-tier.
"What exactly is the one thing you want?" She Yuyan asked.
"You'll know soon enough. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't disturb me."
Xiao Jietian gave her a glance, then turned his full attention back to the mummified corpse, carefully examining it.
"You…"
She Yuyan was nearly driven mad by his attitude.
For so many years she had sat in a position of absolute authority. Never had she suffered such humiliation.
In a fit of anger, she finally swallowed her pride—knowing full well her strength was inferior—and moved to the side, refusing to look at him anymore.
Out of sight, out of mind.
She secretly grumbled to herself:
*So handsome, but his heart is blacker than ink. And the way he talks is infuriating. I just asked out of kindness—was that really necessary?*
*And from the main hall all the way here, he barely looked at me once. His expression didn't even change.*
*Am I really old? Have I lost my charm? I take such good care of myself every day. Didn't they say that to young men, mature women like me have the strongest destructive power?*
She discreetly appraised her own curvaceous, alluring figure.
No problems detected.
Then she stole another glance at Xiao Jietian, followed by a look at Qing Lin and Han Yue. Seeing their figures and appearances, she thought:
*…Oh. Never mind. Misunderstanding resolved.*
Xiao Jietian, sensing She Yuyan standing not far away with her expression constantly shifting—now angry, now confused, now self-doubting—couldn't help but wonder inwardly:
*Is this woman possessed by evil spirits? Performing facial acrobatics?*
If She Yuyan ever learned what he was thinking, she would probably collapse completely.
However… the faint scent lingering in this place really was a little strange.
There seemed to be a subtle aphrodisiac factor mixed into the air—though it could easily be blocked with Dou Qi.
As expected of snakes.
Even in death, they still carried this inherent lustful nature.