Chapter 117. The snake cave [6]
The three gigantic serpents rapidly closed the distance.
Within moments, they arrived just outside the ring of boulders Lin Zhaoyue had arranged.
Then, they stopped.
Not one of them made any attempt to cross the invisible boundary.
Lin Xuan instinctively tightened his grip on his spear.
The two sides remained locked in a silent standoff and neither side make a move.
Several long moments passed.
The blind serpent slowly lowered its enormous head.
With a gentle motion, it placed two crystal-like orbs onto the ground before the formation.
After doing so, it turned around.
The crimson serpent and the snow-white serpent followed without hesitation.
The three giant serpents gradually disappeared back into the depths of the Yew Woods.
"...That’s it?"
Lin Xuan blinked in confusion.
Earlier, those three snakes had chased him as though he owed them money.
Now they had suddenly left behind two mysterious orbs before calmly departing.
The abrupt change left him completely bewildered.
After waiting a few more moments to ensure the serpents truly had no intention of returning.
Only then did Lin Xuan extended a strand of spiritual qi towards the two crystal-like objects and slowly made it floated toward him before settling gently into his palm.
The instant they entered his hands, he frowned with disgust.
"They’re... eyes?"
He stared at the pair of crystal-clear eyeballs in disbelief, these were the eyes of the blind serpent.
Just then, a familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[ You’ve found one of your missing memories. ]
[ Will you continue with your quest to recover your memories? ]
[ Friendly reminder: You personally chose to seal these memories. The system recommends letting go of the past and living for the future. ]
Lin Xuan silently stared at the serpent’s eyes.
For a long while, he said nothing.
The system had a point.
What was the use of dwelling on the past of someone else?
He was not the original Lin Xuan.
Before he could think any further, a small voice interrupted him.
"Father?"
Lin Zhaoyue had walked over without him noticing.
She tilted her head as her eyes curiously lingered on the crystal-clear orbs in his hands.
"Is that... a Memory Core? Is it yours?"
Lin Xuan glanced at her before casually closing his hand.
"Oh, this? No."
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Xuan stored both serpent eyes inside his storage ring.
"If they’re not yours, then let me see!"
Lin Zhaoyue immediately skipped over to him, her curiosity completely taking over.
"Let me see! Let me see! Let me see!"
She grabbed his sleeve with both hands and tugged at it relentlessly, repeatedly standing on her toes in a futile attempt to peek inside his storage ring.
Lin Xuan didn’t even spare her a glance.
Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and slowly swept his gaze over the three children.
"Now that the snakes have left... We should discuss your punishment."
The words struck like a bolt from the blue.
Lin Zhaofeng and Lin Zhaocao instinctively swallowed while Lin Zhaoyue’s bright smile disappeared.
The next moment, she dropped onto the ground with a soft thump.
Her arms and legs flailed dramatically as she rolled from side to side.
"Papa! We almost died!"
She pointed accusingly at herself before pointing at Lin Zhaocao and Lin Zhaofeng.
"We’ve already suffered enough! Doesn’t surviving a near-death experience count as punishment?"
Lin Xuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Objectively speaking...
She wasn’t wrong.
The three children had nearly lost their lives inside that underground tomb.
Few lessons were more unforgettable than standing on the brink of death.
Even so...
Hearing those words come from the mastermind behind the entire incident felt strangely unconvincing.
His gaze slowly settled on the still-rolling Lin Zhaoyue.
"...Alright. I’ll spare the other two from punishment."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lin Zhaoyue froze.
She immediately sprang to her feet,"Papa was the best, please don’t do this to me!"
Lin Xuan stared directly at her.
"You will receive three times the punishment."
Silence fell over the clearing as Lin Zhaoyue remained rooted to the spot.
Even the breeze seemed to stop as she slowly lifted her head and looked at her father.
Her mouth hung slightly open and disbelief filled her eyes as she stared at him, looking as though she had just met a complete stranger.
Twenty days passed after the incident.
The looming crisis disappeared without anyone in Violet Log City ever realizing how close they had come to disaster.
Inside the City Lord’s Manor, Shangguan Zhentian silently stared at the report in his hands.
After reading it several times, he could only arrive at one conclusion.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
The Beast King that had threatened to overrun Violet Log City had vanished without warning, and with it, the massive beast horde that had gathered within the Yew Woods.
No one knew what had happened nor was there anyone who could explain it.
Shangguan Zhentian slowly lowered the report and let out a weary sigh.
Even if the entire Shangguan Family had mobilized every cultivator under its command...
He still had no confidence they could have defeated a Spirit King.
Luckily, for the people of the Violet Log City and me, we survived thanks to the kind gesture of a senior. He though as he stared out his window.
At the same time, Lin Xuan had already returned to his cultivation cave.
With an ample supply of Fasting Pills prepared beside him, there was no longer any need to worry about food or interruptions.
He sat down cross-legged and slowly took the pair of serpent eyes from his storage ring.
Lin Xuan stared at the pair of serpent eyes, his excitement impossible to conceal.
A faint grin slowly spread across his face as he murmured, "Show me just how powerful you were, to the point that you could use a serpent’s own eyes as a Memory Core."
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xuan steadied his mind and turned his gaze toward the translucent system interface hovering before him.
"System," he said calmly. "Start the memory recollection."