"Where are the elders? Somebody get the elders, now!" a disciple screamed over the chaos.
"We're here!" From the edge of the courtyard, three gray-robed men, all looking well past their prime, sprinted into view.
A wave of relief washed over the disciples. "The three elders! They're finally here!" Confidence, or at least a flicker of it, returned to their faces.
Luo Zhen's gaze swept over the newcomers. All three were late-stage Yuan Wu cultivators. Pathetic. Aside from them, the strongest fighters the Xuanjian Sect had were a handful of junior disciples. Against his own power—the pinnacle of the Demon Yuan Realm—they were nothing. He could crush them all, even if they came at him at once.
The three elders didn't hesitate. They drew their longswords in unison, snapping into a strange, triangular formation as they charged. "Die, you demon snake!" one of them bellowed.
Their blades sliced through the air, sending shimmering waves of sword energy screaming toward Luo Zhen.
His eyes were like chips of ice. He opened his maw and unleashed a volley of a dozen orange-red blades forged from pure fire. Each one, over a meter long, sizzled through the air, radiating an aura of immense power as they flew toward the three elders.
The old men weren't slow. They snapped their swords up, holding them horizontally across their chests to brace for the impact.
It was useless.
BOOM!
Luo Zhen's fire blades were overwhelming. They didn't just counter the elders' attacks; they completely shattered them. The fiery onslaught washed over the three men, engulfing them.
"Aaargh!"
Three agonizing screams tore through the air at once. Before the horrified eyes of every disciple, the three elders were incinerated, their bodies exploding into a fine red mist.
Silence. Then, panic.
"The elders… they're all dead!"
"This thing… It's a monster!"
"The Sect Master! We need the Sect Master!"
The disciples scrambled, shouting over one another. The terrifying reality of their situation had finally crashed down on them. Some just turned and ran for their lives. The courtyard became a whirlwind of chaos.
A cold smirk played on Luo Zhen's lips. With a single, powerful twist of his serpentine body, he plunged into the heart of the crowd. He didn't need spells or special techniques. The raw, physical power of his massive tail was more than enough. A single sweep sent bodies flying, crushing the life out of the Xuanjian martial artists.
He carved a path of destruction through the entire compound, leaving a trail of death in his wake. When most of them were dead, a new thought sparked in his mind. Wings, sharp and leathery, unfurled from his back, and he launched himself into the sky.
Looking down at the sect's buildings, he opened his mouth wide and began spitting massive fireballs, one after another. They rained down from above, and within minutes, the Xuanjian Sect was an inferno. The few disciples who hadn't managed to escape were burned alive.
"Hahaha, yes!" The sight filled him with a primal, satisfying joy. This is what you get, you arrogant fools. This is what happens when you dare to cross me.
Suddenly, an enraged shout echoed from the distance. "What is happening here?!"
Luo Zhen turned his head. A blurry figure was sprinting toward the sect, moving at an impossible speed. One moment, it was a speck on the horizon; the next, it was skidding to a halt just outside the burning gates.
As the figure came into focus, Luo Zhen recognized him: Zhao Feilian, the Sect Master of Xuanjian. He was a wreck. His hair was a wild mess, his robes were soaked in blood, and his entire left arm was gone, leaving nothing but a ragged, cauterized stump.
So, his fight with the Baboon Commander is over, Luo Zhen mused from his vantage point in the sky.
Down below, Zhao Feilian's head snapped up as if he'd sensed something. His eyes locked onto Luo Zhen, circling high above the inferno.
"A Teng Snake?" Zhao Feilian's gaze flicked from Luo Zhen to his burning sect and back again. Pure, undiluted rage twisted his features. "Was this your doing?!"
He knew Luo Zhen could use fire magic. Putting two and two together wasn't hard.
"That's right," Luo Zhen hissed, his forked tongue tasting the smoky air. "You wanted to capture me, right? Make me your little pet for the rest of my life? I bet you didn't see this coming." He let out a low, rumbling laugh. "As of today, the Xuanjian Sect is history."
"Aaaah! You damned snake! I'll kill you!" Zhao Feilian screamed, his voice cracking with fury. With his one remaining arm, he swung his sword, unleashing a wave of terrifying energy that sliced through the air toward Luo Zhen.
A jolt of pure, instinctual danger shot through Luo Zhen. He violently flapped his wings, banking hard to dodge the attack. The energy blast passed just inches from him, and he could feel its immense power.
That was close, he thought, a flicker of surprise cutting through his confidence. If that had hit me, I'd be dead. Even on the brink of death, Zhao Feilian was still a monster.
But it made sense. Losing an arm was a devastating injury, but it hadn't lowered his cultivation level. He was still a Spirit Wu master, a whole realm above Luo Zhen.
Swish! Swish!
Zhao Feilian launched a few more attacks from the ground, but Luo Zhen was too agile in the air, easily evading each one.
"Get down here and fight, you coward!" Zhao Feilian roared at the sky, his face a mask of desperation.
"Oh, I'll be back down," Luo Zhen called back, his voice dripping with cold promise. "But not today. Mark my words, Zhao Feilian. The next time we meet, I'll be in the Spirit Demon Realm. And that will be the day you die."
With a final, powerful beat of his wings, Luo Zhen turned and flew away, vanishing into the clouds.
Staring at the empty sky, Zhao Feilian felt a profound, chilling fear creep into his heart. He had seen it clearly. That snake was already at the peak of the Demon Yuan Realm. He was just one step away from becoming a true Spirit Demon—the same realm as him.
And Zhao Feilian himself was critically wounded, missing an arm, and his power diminished. If Luo Zhen made that breakthrough… he was a dead man.
"No," Zhao Feilian whispered to the flames, his voice trembling. "I can't let him. I have to kill him. I have to kill him now."
His original plan—to capture the spirit beast and tame it—seemed like a foolish dream now. This was no longer about gaining a powerful pet. This was about survival.
Deep in the mountain range, Luo Zhen landed silently on an unmarked peak. It was time for a status check. He called up his internal attribute panel, and the familiar text appeared in his mind's eye.
Name: Luo Zhen
Race: Serpent (Supreme Variant Spirit Species)
Species Name: Flying Celestial Serpent
Innate Bloodline: Flying Celestial Serpent
Innate Abilities: Water, Fire, & Ice Spells; Flight
Other Abilities: Poison Dart, Constriction
Passive Ability: Armored Scales
Experience: 2873 / 4000
Realm: Peak Demon Yuan
System Note: Each major realm breakthrough offers a chance for bloodline evolution.
Just over a thousand XP to go, he thought, flicking his tongue. Time to start grinding. I need to hit the Spirit Demon Realm, and I need to do it fast.
Once he broke through, neither Zhao Feilian nor the Baboon Commander would be a threat.
He already had a plan: hunt. This entire mountain range was crawling with the Baboon Commander's lackeys. Killing them wouldn't bother him one bit.
He didn't waste a moment. He picked a direction and set off.
Before long, he arrived at a place he knew all too well: Niu Mountain, the territory of Boss Niu. Back when he'd first fled into these mountains, he'd sought refuge here. But the spineless Boss Niu had sold him out to save his own skin, leaving Luo Zhen injured and on the run.
It was time to settle that score.
Luo Zhen let his aura flare, blanketing the entire mountain with the immense pressure of a peak Demon Yuan beast. Moments later, a stampede of demon beasts thundered down from the summit, led by a massive cyan rhinoceros. Boss Niu.
"You!" The rhino froze, his eyes widening first in recognition, then in raw fear.
The reason was obvious. Luo Zhen was now at the peak of his realm; Boss Niu was just a beginner. The power gap was a chasm. Luo Zhen could kill him with his bare hands—or, rather, his bare coils.
Boss Niu took a nervous step back, then whispered to one of his subordinates, "Go. Get to Bright Moon Lake. Tell the Baboon Commander that the fugitive snake he's been hunting is here."
The smaller beast nodded and started to sneak away.
A cruel smile formed on Luo Zhen's face. He drew a breath and fired a single black dart of poison from his mouth. It flew true, striking the messenger beast and killing it instantly.
"What are you doing?!" Boss Niu stammered, his fear mixed with shock.
"Really, Boss Niu? Trying to pull a fast one right in front of me?" Luo Zhen's voice was dangerously calm. "My bloodline gives me exceptional hearing. I heard every word."
"Brother Black Snake, I had no choice!" The rhino's demeanor shifted instantly. He put on a pathetic, fawning expression. "You don't understand! The Baboon Commander wants you dead. He's put a bounty on your head across the entire mountain range!"
"Oh?" Luo Zhen said, unimpressed. He was one step from the next realm. Besides the Baboon Commander himself, no one here could touch him.
"And that's not all!" Boss Niu pressed on, desperate. "He's even made a deal with the humans outside the mountains. They're going to hunt you together!"
"Is that so?" Now that was interesting. "Which humans?"
"The Xuanjian Sect!" the rhino blurted out. "I heard they have a warrant out for you, too. Their Sect Master is looking for you everywhere!"
Luo Zhen actually laughed. So, he was important enough to make the Baboon Commander and Zhao Feilian team up. How flattering.
"You know, Boss Niu," Luo Zhen said, his eyes gleaming. "There's something I need to borrow from you."
"What is it?"
"Your head."
Before the rhino could react, Luo Zhen struck. His body coiled around Boss Niu in a flash, constricting with crushing force. The rhino's bones splintered, and with a final, brutal squeeze, Luo Zhen popped him like a grape, reducing him to a shower of blood and gore.
A notification pinged in his mind.
[You have slain the Chieftain of Niutou Mountain. +100 XP!]
The surrounding beasts stared in horror, then broke ranks, screaming and scattering in every direction. Luo Zhen didn't bother with them. They were small fry, not worth the time or the minimal experience points. His plan was simple: go for the head. Only the other Demon Yuan chieftains would give him the XP he needed.
Fifteen minutes later, he was at Tiger Mountain. He stormed the summit, spat a few fire blades to clear a path, and, before the stunned eyes of the local beasts, easily dispatched their chieftain.
[You have slain the Chieftain of Tiger Mountain. +150 XP!]
This one was a mid-stage Demon Yuan, so the payout was a little better. He moved on. Next was Wolf Mountain.
[You have slain the Chieftain of Wolf Mountain, the Gale Wolf King. +150 XP!]
Then Insect Mountain.
[You have slain the Chieftain of Insect Mountain, the Darkfire Insect. +191 XP!]
And White Mountain.
[You have slain the Chieftain of White Mountain, the White Rock Beast. +178 XP!]
He tore through the region like a force of nature. At the peak of the Demon Yuan Realm, no one could stand against him. The experience points poured in.
And then, he felt it. The familiar mental prompt.
[Experience points have reached the threshold. Initiate evolution?]
"Yes," he thought, without a shred of hesitation.
[XP deduction successful.]
[Evolution in progress...]
[Congratulations! You have successfully evolved. Current Realm: Initial Spirit Demon!]
The moment the confirmation came, Luo Zhen's body erupted in a blinding, black light. The light was so intense it solidified, forming a thick, dark cocoon around him. The cocoon began to grow at an incredible rate, expanding in seconds to the size of a small plaza.
Inside, Luo Zhen was undergoing a seismic transformation.
His size was the first thing to change. He had been a dozen meters long, but now his body was stretching, expanding like a balloon. Within moments, he grew from a large serpent to a colossal monster over thirty meters in length. He had more than doubled in size. His scales changed too, becoming a deeper, glossier black, and he could feel their defensive power increasing exponentially.
After fifteen minutes, the black cocoon slowly dissolved into motes of light, revealing his new, massive form.
Luo Zhen kept his eyes closed, savoring the feeling, taking stock of the changes. A few seconds later, he opened them.
He finally understood why it was called the Spirit Demon Realm.
The "spirit" was intelligence.
For a normal beast, breaking through to this realm ignited a spark of true consciousness in their muddled, instinct-driven minds. It wasn't much, but it changed everything. It meant they could think. They could reason. They had become truly sentient. They could analyze situations and restrain their primal urges, at least to a degree.
Of course, for him, that part of the evolution was completely redundant.
Well, that's a bit of a letdown, he thought with a hint of annoyance. I'm already smarter than any of them, and I can talk. A boost to my intelligence is the one thing I didn't need.