Chapter 44: Inheritance

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To say Nine-Headed Snake God is gargantuan is an understatement.

Lin Jin is distantly aware of his Master standing beside him, but he only has eyes for Nine-Headed Snake God. It is larger than Eastern Port City, larger than even Poison Fang Canyon. It surpasses the tallest of mountains and the deepest oceans. Its eyes are pools of molten gold, and its shadow casts darkness upon the land. Nine heads and eighteen eyes move almost gently as they focus on Liu Jin as if the merest of those movements were not enough to reshape the landscape.

“Three years ago, you came before me, and I granted upon you my blessing.”

The voice echoes all around him. It comes from everywhere and nowhere. Liu Jin even hears it inside his head.

“Back then, I had no expectations of you. To think you would survive and come before me once more! Truly, once one lives long enough, no sight becomes impossible. A drop of rain will reach the ocean. A worm will become a dragon. A whelp in the Inner Realm will endure my poison!”

A chuckles echoes across the void.

“Rejoice, child. You shall receive my Inheritance.”

Inheritance.

Liu Jin asked his Master about it once or twice over the past three years. An Inheritance refers to a boon granted upon an individual by a Deity. However, the exact nature of the gift is something decided by the Deity.

There is no telling what Nine-Headed Snake God’s Inheritance will be.

“Do try to remain sane. It would be such a pity if the one who passed my test were to lose his sanity so easily.”

Pain.

Liu Jin cannot speak. He cannot think. His mouth opens. Someone screams and screams. There is laughter. Who laughs? Liu Jin doesn’t’ know.

All he knows is pain.

It is not poison. Not like before. Liu Jin’s dantian quiver and spasm, as if they are slowly being torn out of his body. It’s not just them. All his meridians are on fire, ripped out one by one. Every acupoint in his body vibrates. His blood! It rushes through his body in new and torturous ways. Heat pours in like molten lava. Veins and arteries realign.

Cold comes next.

The burning heat fades, but not naturally so. It is replaced by a freezing cold instead. Liu Jin feels it spread to every part of his body, and with the cold, clarity slowly starts to come back. Sight returns to Liu Jin. He can see the void around him once more. He’s on his knees, panting. Drool drips down his mouth.

He is breathing.

His chest rises and falls as he looks up. Something has changed, yet Liu Jin does not know what. It is only when he looks down that it begins to dawn on him

Dragon Bone Needles.

His Dragon Bone Needles.

Before panic can set in, Liu Jin realizes that not having them inside his body has not caused him to lose control of the poison. In fact, he feels better than he has felt in a long time. His Qi flows smoothly through his meridians.

Because there is no poison anymore.

Liu Jin stares, open-mouthed. Nine-Headed Snake God’s poison, which has been his constant companion for the past three years, is nowhere to be found in his body. Liu Jin’s Qi is finally returning to his natural flow.

Liu Jin laughs. Joy rises within him. His throat hurts from all the screaming, yet his laughter does not stop.

For a moment, he almost forgets in whose presence he is in.

“Young one, you endured my test and survived. People of greater strength and skill than you tried and failed. In the end, it was you, a young whelp in the Inner Realm, who proved worthy of receiving my Inheritance. Dying one, be happy. You have a suitable successor.”

“This old man thanks you for your praise, Great Elder.”

Golden eyes grow closer to Liu Jin. It almost feels like they are right in front of him, yet Liu Jin knows Nine-Headed Snake God is an unimaginable distance away.

“Child, to you who has proved worthy of my Inheritance, I give you my veins. Your Qi and blood now flow through the Veins of Nine-Headed Snake God. You will soon see the benefits of such a boon.”

Something odd starts happening as Nine-Headed Snake God talks.

It is almost as if Nine-Headed Snake God is growing fainter.

“So, it has begun.”

“Great Elder?”

A chuckle echoes across the void.

“Do not look so surprised, child. From the beginning, I was nothing more than a shade left behind, so my Inheritance could be passed on. I do not live. Not truly. I merely remain until my duty is fulfilled. Now that it has been, there is no reason for me to linger.”

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Even as it speaks, Nine-Headed Snake God’s form keeps growing fainter.

It is vanishing. Something as powerful as Nine-Headed Snake God is vanishing before his very eyes.

“Child, originally, I came from Amaranth. It may be that I still have family there. Should you keep proving yourself to be as unexpected as you have been so far, you may find yourself meeting them. In that event, do give that to them.”

Give that? Give what?

What is Nine-Headed Snake God talking about?

“Should you grow strong enough, you will realize where it is. Until such a time happens, do not die.”

Before Liu Jin can ask what Nine-Headed Snake God means, the massive creature vanishes completely, leaving them in the void. Liu Jin turns to his Master, but his words end up caught in his throat.

Something is wrong.

“Disciple, you may find it prudent to sit down. It seems to be starting sooner than I expected.”

Old Jiang’s words barely reach Liu Jin’s ears, yet he does as asked. It feels as if his body were being submerged into a deep ocean, yet something is rising within him.

It is not pain or poison or anything of the sort.

It is power.

For three years, Liu Jin has altered the flow of his Qi to remain alive. Now, his Qi flows as it once did before. No, it flows with even greater strength than before. The energy flows through his meridians at speed Liu Jin can barely control. The power is not just within him but outside as well. There is so much energy all around him, so much power entering his body.