Seeing the gravity of the situation, Mei Yi approached Bing Ao with an overly cheerful smile. "Senior, I sense that the Star Flare must possess a profound mystery to be used as material for forging divine weapons. Could you explain the origin of this bizarre phenomenon?"

Bing Ao yawned. Though there was no day or night here, it was nearly time for his rest. "The Star Flare is what the Star Serpent spews forth. Long ago, Old Man Yama used his magic to inject the Star Serpent into my body. If that Star Serpent is slain, this entire peak will return to its original state, and you can all get back to the surface."

"Inside your body?" Mei Yi’s eyes widened in shock. She dared not utter the next sentence, but its implication was clear: they would have to kill Bing Ao along with the serpent!

"Hahahaha, rest assured," Bing Ao suddenly boomed with laughter. He flopped onto the ground, explaining, "The Star Serpent is indeed within me, but whenever I fall asleep, it slips out to roam across the entire Star Sword Peak. Speaking of which, I’m feeling rather drowsy now."

Ye Xiu was mildly irritated by Bing Ao’s casualness. He slipped his hands into his pockets and drawled, "Hey, what exactly is this Star Serpent? How am I supposed to deal with it?"

Bing Ao’s gaze drifted; sleep was pulling at him heavily. He opened his mouth slightly and whispered, "It enters my body when I wake, and only comes out when I sleep. Heaven knows what the thing is. You’re on your own."

"Hey, how can you just fall asleep like that!" Mei Yi hated lazy sleepers most of the time. She wanted to call out to Bing Ao but felt it disrespectful to an elder. Seeing Bing Ao lie down and instantly begin snoring loudly, she was left helpless.

Old Liu felt a surge of anger and almost kicked out at Bing Ao, but at that moment, the rising starlight surrounding them abruptly ceased. In that instant, the entire blue sky brightened, and the light originated from Bing Ao’s body.

Ye Xiu stared coldly. A blue line of light began to creep slowly out from the sole of Bing Ao’s foot. It coiled and twisted repeatedly, truly resembling a serpent weaving back and forth across the ground. Before long, it had spread across the mountaintop.

Old Liu bent down to touch the blue light, but as his hand descended, the light deftly slipped around it. He hurriedly pursued it, forcing the blue light toward the base of the peak. "Strange. This is clearly just light; where is this Star Serpent? Have any of you heard of such a thing?"

Mei Yi shook her head. She had already tossed out the Bright Moon Crystal Wheel and was seated atop it, looking down at the halo on the peak. The way it spread and circled definitely had a serpentine shape. "I recall no mention of this creature in legends concerning ancient divine beasts. If it's merely an existence like light, we must be cautious."

As time wore on, the blue color gradually moved down the peak, coiling around the massive cylindrical column like a colossal snake binding its prey.

Ye Xiu noticed this and cheered up. "The surrounding starlight has vanished. If it can descend the mountain, so can we. Let’s go now!"

"Move!" Following Ye Xiu’s command, Old Liu urged his sword downward. Unexpectedly, the buoyancy around them had indeed disappeared completely. He leaped off, heading straight for the ground below.

"Awoooo…" Just as Old Liu swept past the mountainside, a terrifying sound ripped through the air. The blue light previously wrapped around the cliff instantly morphed into the body of a deep-blue serpent, covered in countless embedded broken swords. Upon sensing Old Liu’s approach, these swords immediately stood erect and shot out.

Caught completely off guard, Old Liu tried to use his Demon-Breaking Sword Shadow to ward off the incoming sword light, but his footing gave way, throwing him off balance and causing him to plummet. "This thing really is a snake!"

"Crystal Wheel, emerge!" Mei Yi, still seated on one crystal wheel, launched her other crystal wheel toward the direction Old Liu was falling. Controlling her own position, she managed to make contact with Old Liu and, at the same time, gain a clear view of the entire peak. "Although this blue light envelops the whole mountain, the Star Serpent doesn't seem to be as long as we thought. What materialized just now was clearly only its body."

"Rumble!" Thick smoke suddenly erupted from the mountainside. Ye Xiu dropped vertically, launching his Black Flame toward the location that had just attacked Old Liu. However, the section of the serpent body that had materialized instantly dissolved into light and shadow. Depending on the intensity of the light, it was impossible to tell where it had flowed off to. "It isn't huge, but it could emerge from the blue light at any moment."

"The sword swarm is coming!" Old Liu, having just grabbed the crystal wheel to stay airborne, watched as a dense swarm of swords attacked them from below again. He roared, flipped, and stood firmly on the crystal wheel. A series of kaka-kaka sounds followed, revealing that the crystal wheel managed to withstand the assault of thousands of broken swords. "Mei Yi, this thing of yours is quite sturdy!"

"The Bright Moon Crystal Wheel contracts and expands freely. Enlarging it slightly to block these sword clusters is no issue," Mei Yi said proudly, completely oblivious to the blue light on the mountainside beside her rapidly deepening in color.

"Run!" Ye Xiu’s Black Flame shot out, directly impacting the area where the color had deepened. After a muffled roar, a ferocious serpent head, flicking its tongue, burst forth from the blue light. It was hit squarely by the Black Flame, yet its speed did not diminish in the slightest. Its head was like a massive boulder, its eyes glowing with blue light. It charged downward, directly knocking Mei Yi off the crystal wheel.

"Seven Swords of Demon Breaking!" Old Liu unleashed a sword strike toward the serpent's head. The sharpness of the Demon-Breaking Sword was legendary. Just as it was about to reach the serpent’s head, the head suddenly dissolved into a void of blue light. The Demon-Breaking Sword passed harmlessly through the light and plunged deeply into the mountainside. "It can shift freely between incorporeal and solid states?"

"Awooo!" The serpent head did not slow down and shot out, instantly turning solid just as it neared Mei Yi’s abdomen.

"Ah!" Ye Xiu arrived just in time, catching Mei Yi and shielding her against the serpent head. He felt the head suddenly elongate upon impact with his waist, and a barrage of sharp swords pierced directly into his body. Pain surged through him, making his entire frame tremble, nearly causing him to pass out.

"Ye Xiu…" Mei Yi summoned the crystal wheel back beneath her feet, grabbed Ye Xiu, and stepped onto it with him. "Are you alright?"

"Firelight Beast, go!" Old Liu threw out his Thin Face Blade, and the Firelight Beast spun, colliding with the Star Serpent’s head. Unexpectedly, the serpent head refused the direct engagement, turning ethereal again to evade the heavy blow from the Firelight Beast. "Ye Xiu, don’t let yourself be taken out by this mere little snake."

Ye Xiu, pressed against Mei Yi’s chest, looked back at his own hand. The broken swords embedded there were sometimes spectral, sometimes tangible; they simply could not be pulled out. Helpless, he fought through the pain and roared at Old Liu, "Where is your Five-Point Ice Crystal? Can you freeze that blue light?"

"Are you kidding? How can light freeze!" Old Liu swept over on his sword, equally at a loss against the elusive Star Serpent. "It’s pitch black below the peak. The only way down is to kill this Star Serpent, but that blue light is clearly a conduit for it to travel. Do we even know where it is entirely?"

Mei Yi only felt this was the first time Ye Xiu had actively embraced her. She stopped caring about the Star Serpent and simply smiled, burying herself in his arms.

Ye Xiu vaguely sensed Mei Yi's feelings. He deliberately turned his body to gaze at the peak. "Black Flame is useless against it, and it can evade most attacks by shifting its form. Is there truly no other way?"

"At this crucial moment, you have to rely on my Bright Moon Crystal Wheel!" Saying this, Mei Yi pushed Ye Xiu away and spun both wheels in her palms. In that instant, the two wheels locked tightly together, transforming into a massive metal chain that twisted and stretched freely, looking ready to ensnare the Star Serpent. "The Bright Moon Crystal Wheel is forged from exotic iron; it can combine or separate. It’s far more complex than you imagine."

"You mean to trap the Star Serpent!" Old Liu watched the Bright Moon Crystal Wheel extend in mid-air, his excitement palpable. "Goodness, Mei Yi, your weapon is truly unique. Show us what you can do quickly."

"How do I show you? If no one acts as bait, how will the Star Serpent be fooled?" Mei Yi shot Old Liu a sidelong glance, her meaning clear: he was to be the bait.

Ye Xiu considered for a moment and calmed down. "I will draw the Star Serpent out. Mei Yi, watch for the right moment to bind it. Old Liu, the final, fatal blow is up to you."

"Ye Xiu…" Mei Yi wanted to stop him but didn’t know how to phrase it. She could only vent her frustration toward Old Liu behind her. "This Star Serpent is agile and changeable; we might only get one chance. You must seize it."

Old Liu nodded with a smile and raised his Demon-Breaking Sword into the air. The dragon-like pattern on the blade began to glow faintly.

Using the Black Flame for propulsion, Ye Xiu charged and clung to the mountainside. He was enveloped in a faint blue-silver glow, and the mountain felt particularly quiet, giving off a damp sensation.

"Whoosh…" Sounds drifted up from the blue light below. A section of visibly deeper color began to circle the blue light around the mountain, quickly approaching Ye Xiu's position.

"It's coming!" The broken swords from the Star Serpent still shimmered on Ye Xiu’s back; perhaps the light from these swords was attracting the serpent closer. Seeing the sliver of light approaching, he extended both hands, ready to clamp down on it.

"Thwack! Thwack!" Countless broken swords shot out from the deeper shadow. Immediately following, the Star Serpent, like an iron wall, exposed its head once more. Its eyes shone with blue light, looking ravenous as if ready to devour Ye Xiu whole.

"Aiya! Ah!" Ye Xiu used his Black Flame to fend off the incoming broken swords, but facing the serpent’s ferocious charge, he could only use both hands to block. However, the impact force was too great; he was pinned hard against the mountainside. "Mei Yi, quick! Quick!"

"Crystal Wheel…" Mei Yi flicked her finger, and the Crystal Wheel shot out, snaking around the Star Serpent’s tail and gradually wrapping around its body.