BTTH: REBORN AS HALF-SAINT

As Yun Yun's peculiar sword trembled, a deep, narrow beam of light, no thicker than a thumb, shot forth with blinding speed.

"Boom!"

The beam collided with the green energy blast, sending shockwaves rippling through the air, stirring up a storm of yellow sand!

A moment later—

The beam pierced through the green energy and obliterated the spirit serpent's head into dust.

"That was close…"

Seeing the outcome, Yun Yun exhaled in relief, retracting her long sword.

However, her face paled—

This was the price of forcibly drawing on every last drop of her Dou Qi.

"As expected of Sect Leader Yun Yun!"

"But do you really think the spirit serpent, summoned with our very lifespan, can be so easily destroyed?!"

Yinshi's voice boomed as his hand seals changed once again.

The scattered remains of the serpent's head suddenly reformed, its fangs gleaming as it lunged forward to bite Yun Yun!

"What?!"

Yun Yun's eyes widened in shock—

Before she could react—

The spirit serpent had already struck!

"Hiss—!"

Its razor-sharp fangs sank into her delicate shoulder, and crimson blood spilled forth instantly.

"Damn beast!"

Pain seared through her body as Yun Yun instinctively slashed down with her sword, splitting the serpent's head in two again!

Yet—

Despite losing its head, the spirit serpent refused to die.

Instead, its massive tail whipped around violently—

"Boom!"

A thunderous impact sent Yun Yun's body flying like a broken kite, crashing into the ground.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips, her face even paler than before.

"This thing is too strange… Even after destroying its body, it still revives…"

Struggling to rise, she gritted her teeth and looked up.

There, the spirit serpent had already regenerated, its eerie green glow flickering menacingly.

"Haha! Flesh and blood mean nothing to the spirit serpent!"

"Even if you cut off its head, it will instantly restore itself!"

"You've lost, Sect Leader Yun Yun!"

Yinshi sneered coldly.

"So… an immortal beast, huh?"

Yun Yun forced herself to stand, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

But when she looked at the sky—

Despair filled her gaze.

"Spirit serpent, attack! Devour her!"

With Yinshi's command, the massive serpent lunged toward Yun Yun, its jaws wide open, ready to swallow her whole!

"So… this is where I die…?"

As the serpent closed in, Yun Yun shut her eyes, preparing to accept her fate.

"Not necessarily."

A calm male voice suddenly echoed in Yun Yun's ears.

Before she could react—

A firm arm wrapped around her slender waist.

Then—

She was lifted off the ground, swiftly dodging the serpent's attack!

"Who—?"

At the brink of death, Yun Yun never expected someone to save her.

But before she could process the situation, she realized—

She was being held in the arms of a black-clad man!

Her expression shifted instantly to anger.

"Let me go!"

She struggled, trying to break free.

Yet—

His arms were like iron, rendering her attempts completely useless.

"Don't move."

"In your condition, if you fall from here… it won't be a pleasant landing."

The man's voice was calm but firm.

"What?"

Only then did Yun Yun realize—

They were floating hundreds of meters in the air.

And the man holding her—

Had no Dou Qi wings.

Instead, he stood on thin air, as if defying gravity itself!

"You… you're a Dou Zong?!"

Yun Yun turned to look at him, her face full of shock.

"No."

"But a Dou Zong is no more than an ant in my eyes."

Hearing this, Yun Yun was stunned speechless.

Ants?

This man dared to belittle Dou Zong-level powerhouses?

In the Jia Ma Empire, a Dou Zong was an untouchable legend—

And yet, he dismissed them as nothing?!

"Y-You… you're so shameless!"

She glared at him, outraged.

This was the first time she had met someone who boasted so brazenly!

"That's just your ignorance."

The black-clad man—Xie Tianxiao—smiled faintly.

There was no need to explain himself further.

With her current knowledge, she wouldn't understand even if he told her the truth.

"You—!"

Yun Yun felt frustrated.

Some high-level Dou Huangs could also briefly stay airborne without Dou Qi wings—

So even if he were a Dou Zong, that didn't mean he could look down on them all!

This man was simply too arrogant.

Crossing her arms, she huffed coldly:

"Who are you? Why did you save me?"

Despite knowing her situation was bad—

And that this man had indeed saved her—

She still didn't feel comfortable being held in a stranger's arms.

"My name is Xie Tianxiao."

"As for everything else… we'll talk later."

Xie Tianxiao replied indifferently.

In truth—

He had arrived long ago, but he had waited until the perfect moment to step in.

Because, after all—

A proper rescue must be dramatic.

"You—forget it!"

Yun Yun wanted to argue—

But realizing her current condition, she let it go.

Watching as the spirit serpent missed its target, Yinshi's face twisted in shock.

"Not good! Yun Yun is gone!"

"What?!"

The other snake-men whirled around in surprise.

As the dust settled, they saw—

The spot where Yun Yun should have been was empty!

"Impossible!"

"With her injuries, she couldn't even form Dou Qi wings—how did she vanish?!"

"She was on the verge of death! How did she escape the spirit serpent?!"

Despite searching with their senses, they detected no energy fluctuations.

Yet, the fact remained—she was gone.

It was like—

Spending a whole month working hard… only for your boss to disappear on payday.

How could they accept this?!

Seeing his men's disbelief, Yinshi furrowed his brows.

"There must be a powerful expert who took her away!"

"An expert?"

The snake-man named Hei Du hesitated.

"Elder Yinshi… are you saying that a top-tier Dou Huang, skilled in speed techniques, took Yun Yun away?"

Yinshi's expression darkened.

"No."

"It wasn't a Dou Huang."

His voice grew grim.

"The one who took Yun Yun… is far stronger than that."

"But Elder Yinshi… if someone could take Yun Yun away without any of us noticing, there shouldn't be any Dou Huang in the Jia Ma Empire capable of such a feat, right?"

The Flower Serpent King frowned, shaking his head.

There were only a handful of Dou Huang in the empire, and the Snake-People Tribe had been at odds with the Jia Ma Empire for years.

In all that time, they had never heard of a top-tier Dou Huang who specialized in speed techniques.

"That's what makes this strange…"

Elder Yinshi muttered, deep in thought.

Not only did he not know who had taken Yun Yun, but this entire situation had surpassed his understanding.

But before they could process it further—

A calm, indifferent voice echoed from above.

"The Eight Great Chiefs of the Snake-People Tribe… you five are among them."

Hearing this, the Snake-People warriors immediately looked up.

There, hovering hundreds of meters above, was a black-clad man—

And right beside him—

Was the missing Yun Yun!

"What?!"

The five Dou Wang leaders squinted, locking onto the figure in the sky.

At first, they weren't sure what shocked them more—

That Yun Yun was unharmed—

Or that this man had no Dou Qi wings and was standing midair.

And then it hit them.

"D-DOU ZONG?!"

Elder Yinshi's face twitched violently, and he barely managed to choke out the title.

A Dou Zong!

A legend.

It had been years since the Jia Ma Empire had last seen a Dou Zong!

And yet—

One was right here before them!

How could they not be shocked?

"You—"

The Flower Serpent King started to speak, but as soon as he noticed this man standing on air, he swallowed his words immediately.

A Dou Zong was a supreme existence, even in the northwest continent.

How dare a mere Dou Wang speak disrespectfully?

After a long silence—

Elder Yinshi finally swallowed his fear and spoke respectfully:

"Yes… Great Dou Zong."

"May I ask why you have graced us with your presence?"

The other four Dou Wangs also hurriedly bowed, their previous arrogance completely gone.

None of them had expected a Dou Zong to intervene, let alone one who seemed openly hostile toward them.

And then—

The man in black spoke calmly.

"I was simply passing by."

"I don't like watching insects act so arrogantly… so I thought I'd clean up a bit."

His voice was cold.

And at that moment—

The five Dou Wangs felt a chill crawl down their spines.

This man—

Wanted to kill them.

"G-Great Dou Zong… w-we have never offended you!"

Elder Yinshi's expression shifted rapidly, his tone careful.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

"You touched someone of mine."

"Do you really think it's strange that I want to kill you?"

The black-clad man's tone remained indifferent, but Elder Yinshi and the others were already deathly pale.

"What does he mean… 'his person'…? Yun Yun?"

"How is she connected to a Dou Zong-level powerhouse?!"

Elder Yinshi gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak:

"Great Dou Zong, are you not afraid of our Snake-People Tribe's retaliation?"

"Though you are powerful, our Queen Medusa has recently gained the support of another Dou Zong."

"If you kill us now, you may invite unnecessary trouble upon yourself."

After saying this, Elder Yinshi fell silent.

He knew that with this man's strength, they were completely outmatched.

So, he had no choice but to bring up Queen Medusa's mysterious Dou Zong ally, hoping to force some restraint.

Hearing this, the black-clad man—Xie Tianxiao—chuckled softly.

"Clever."

"Using another Dou Zong to try and pressure me?"

"But unfortunately… a single Dou Zong is nothing in my eyes."

His words carried pure disdain.

Xie Tianxiao had already guessed—

Medusa must have told them that a Dou Zong was coming to help her evolve.

After all, as high-ranking leaders, they would naturally be aware of such information.

However—

What they didn't know was—

The so-called mysterious Dou Zong was him.

And he wasn't just a Dou Zong—

He was a Half-Saint.

A force beyond their comprehension.

"What—?!"

The five Dou Wangs' expressions turned grim.

Hearing how little he thought of a Dou Zong, they immediately realized—

This man had no intention of letting them go.

Elder Yinshi's face darkened.

"If that's the case… then we have no choice but to test your strength!"

"Spirit Serpent!"

With a loud roar, Yinshi's hands formed a series of seals.

The massive green energy serpent behind him immediately lunged toward the sky—

Aiming straight for Xie Tianxiao!

"Careful!"

Yun Yun's voice rang out.

"That serpent is strange—it has some form of immortality!"

She didn't know why this man saved her—

But right now, she didn't care.

Seeing the giant spirit serpent charge at Xie Tianxiao, she hurriedly warned him.

"Immortal?"

Xie Tianxiao's lips curled mockingly.

"Relax. It's just a small snake. I wouldn't even consider it a threat."

With that—

He lifted his right hand.

A blue flame flickered into existence.

Then—

He casually waved his hand toward the incoming serpent.

"HISSSS—!!"

The spirit serpent let out an agonized shriek the moment the flames touched it.

"No! That fire—!"

Elder Yinshi's face twisted in horror.

"Everyone, run!"

"That's an Heavenly Flame! If the spirit serpent dies to it, it won't be able to revive! We cannot stop him!"

"Heavenly Flame?!"

The other four Dou Wangs trembled in shock.

They had never expected that this mysterious Dou Zong actually controlled a Heavenly Flame!

And before they could even process what had happened—

The spirit serpent had already burst into flames, its enormous body disintegrating into ash within seconds.

"Pfft!"

At that moment, all five Dou Wangs spat out blood, their bodies staggering backward.

Their lifespan had been drained to summon the serpent—

Now that it was destroyed, they suffered severe backlash.

Xie Tianxiao sneered.

"This was your strongest move?"

"A so-called 'immortal' snake?"

"Pathetic."

Elder Yinshi gritted his teeth but finally bowed his head.

"Great Dou Zong, your strength is undeniable."

"We… admit defeat."