"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luo Zhen snarled, spitting a wad of saliva that splattered across the giant rooster's face.
He blinked, reappearing a hundred yards away in a flash of movement, a look of pure revulsion on his face. "God, that's disgusting."
This damn rooster was into that?
Stung by Luo Zhen's violent rejection, the rooster's embarrassment quickly curdled into rage. "You wanna pass this trial or not? Because let me tell you, you're not getting past the Mountain Lord without me putting in a good word for you. No chance in hell."
"Then I won't pass," Luo Zhen shot back, feeling his stomach churn. "Get the hell out of my sight. Now."
"Hmph. You'd better think this through," the rooster fumed. "I'm giving you an easy way out, and you're throwing it away."
"Easy way out? I wouldn't touch that offer with a ten-foot pole," Luo Zhen spat. The very idea made him want to gag.
Seeing how unbending Luo Zhen was, the rooster unexpectedly calmed itself. It took a deep, theatrical breath and glanced around before lowering its voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Look, if you're worried about your reputation, we can be… discreet."
It leaned in, a slimy grin spreading across its beak. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly, that baboon who was here before you? He was more than happy to keep me company."
"What the hell?" Luo Zhen felt a fresh wave of nausea mixed with disbelief. "That dead baboon did that?" He pictured the baboon's scrawny, three-foot-tall frame and then looked at the rooster's house-sized body. He was speechless.
He couldn't even begin to imagine the logistics. The size difference was insane, not to mention they weren't even the same species.
The rooster pressed on, oblivious. "Seriously, I've been an envoy for years, collecting tributes from all over. I've met plenty of beasts in the Demon Spirit Realm, but you're the first snake. There's a certain… novelty to you. You're different." It punctuated the sentence by deliberately licking its lips in a grotesque attempt at seduction.
That was the last straw.
"Disgusting!" Luo Zhen roared, his tail whipping through the air like a thunderclap, slamming into the rooster's massive body. He opened his jaws, and a dense cloud of razor-sharp ice blades erupted, screaming through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The ten-foot-long shards of ice converged like a swarm of hornets, engulfing the giant bird before it could even react.
"Ah—!"
A single, choked cry was all it managed before its body was instantly shredded into a million frozen pieces.
A sterile, electronic voice echoed in his mind.
[You have slain the Red Cloud Demonic Chicken. +350 EXP]
"Great Commander…" Wukong No. 2's voice was a terrified, raspy whisper. "You… you just killed the envoy from Ghost Fiend Mountain."
The other demon monkeys just stared, their jaws hanging open, their bodies limp with shock.
Luo Zhen was silent, his gaze fixed on the icy remains of the rooster. He'd acted on pure instinct, a cocktail of disgust and rage that had made him lash out with his full power. It was an instant kill.
He couldn't really blame himself. The rooster's words, its lecherous expression—it was too much. As a straight guy, even in a snake's body, there were lines you just didn't cross. Damn it all, who would have thought he'd run into this kind of creep out here?
"Great Commander, what do we do?" Wukong No. 2 stammered, his voice trembling. "Ghost Fiend Mountain is no joke. They say Ghost Head Tiger is vicious and has a hair-trigger temper. When he finds out his envoy is dead, he'll come for us. He'll burn this place to the ground."
A chorus of panic erupted.
"He's right! Ghost Head Tiger will slaughter us all!"
"He's terrifying! We have to run!"
"All of you, shut up!" Luo Zhen's roar boomed through the clearing, silencing the chatter instantly. He scanned their frightened faces. "I did this, and I'll deal with it. You have my word, I won't let you get dragged into this."
"What's your plan, Great Commander?" Wukong No. 2 asked.
"I need to think. I need you all to leave. Now," Luo Zhen commanded.
Once they were gone, he shook his head, forcing his mind to focus. He had to admit, killing the envoy was a massive problem. Even though the rooster came alone, secrets have a way of getting out. It was only a matter of days before word reached Ghost Fiend Mountain. When it did, they'd send their heavy hitters. Worst case, Ghost Head Tiger himself would show up.
His time here was up.
After a moment, he pulled up the system interface. "System, I need to unlock a new map."
[Which map would the host like to unlock?]
"How much to unlock the entire map of Dongyue Kingdom?" he asked, remembering the rooster's boast about it being a tiny kingdom with only four counties. He'd already unlocked Bright Moon County, so there were only three left. It couldn't be that expensive.
[Dongyue Kingdom contains four counties. Bright Moon County is already unlocked. To unlock the remaining three counties, the total cost is 1,800 EXP.]
Eighteen hundred? Steep, but I can swing it. Luo Zhen let out a breath. "Done. Take the 1,800 points and unlock the rest of Dongyue."
[1,800 EXP has been deducted. Payment successful.]
[Map of Dongyue Kingdom unlocked.]
The map in his mind's eye exploded outwards, revealing mountains, rivers, and human cities in stunning detail. Beyond the kingdom's borders, however, a thick fog remained. He spent a minute studying the new terrain.
Okay, I know Bright Moon County. The other three are Cangsong, Huangtu, and Heisha. His eyes narrowed. Cangsong and Huangtu are small-time, each with one Demon Spirit beast, just like me. But Heisha… that's where the capital is. And that's where Ghost Fiend Mountain is located.
His gaze drifted to the edge of the map. "Wait a minute. Blackwater Lake is right next to Heisha County?"
It was true. The lake formed the kingdom's border, and Heisha County was the last stretch of land before it.
So, to get to the lake, I have to go straight through Ghost Head Tiger's territory. A cold wave of relief washed over him. Thank god I bought this map. Walking into that blind would have been a suicide mission.
His plan had been simple: cash in his favor with the Silver Flood Dragon at Blackwater Lake and use it as a hideout from Ghost Fiend Mountain. Now he saw the flaw. He'd have walked right into the tiger's den.
"System, unlock the map for Blackwater Lake," he commanded.
[Blackwater Lake is a vast and deep body of water. Unlocking its detailed map requires 1,000 EXP.]
"Fine, take it."
[Processing payment… Payment failed. Insufficient EXP balance.]
"Insufficient?" Luo Zhen blinked. He pulled up his stats. Sure enough, he had less than 300 points left.
He sighed, a feeling of weary frustration settling in. Experience points… just like money. You never have enough when you need it.
He closed the menu. Where could he get a quick infusion of EXP? Then it hit him. Bright Moon County City. The merchant guilds. They have warehouses packed with rare herbs and pills.
It was a risky move. Raiding the guilds would trigger a massive response from the humans. But he no longer cared. Before, he'd wanted to lie low and make a home in these mountains. Now? He was leaving anyway. Might as well go out with a bang.
Once he was safe in Blackwater Lake, no human martial artist could touch him.
Decision made, he unfurled his wings and launched himself into the sky, soaring toward the distant city. Within fifteen minutes, the sprawling metropolis came into view. His senses scanned the area, instantly pinpointing the guild warehouses and the warriors guarding them. Most were weak, hardly worth his notice.
Only three posed any real threat: all of them at the early Spirit Martial Realm, the same level as that sect master he'd fought before. A few weeks ago, that might have given him pause. But after feasting on the tributes, he'd leveled up to the late Demon Spirit Realm. His power was on another level now.
Even if all three attacked him at once, he'd crush them. And they weren't together. This was going to be easy.
He swooped down on the first guild, his demonic aura washing over the building like a tidal wave.
"What demon dares attack the Thorn Flower Guild!" a warrior bellowed, drawing a massive saber.
Luo Zhen just scoffed. "Get out of my way."
He opened his mouth, and a volley of ice spears materialized, obliterating the warrior in a flash of frozen shrapnel.
[You have slain Sun Yidao. +100 EXP]
With the guard out of the way, Luo Zhen smashed into the warehouse and began to devour everything in sight.
[Consumed 300-year-old Black Leaf Grass. +160 EXP]
[Consumed Grade-3 Fierce Sun Pill. +280 EXP]
[Consumed Grade-3 Origin Qi Pill. +291 EXP]
[Consumed…]
He tore through the city like a hurricane. One guild after another fell, their precious inventories vanishing down his throat. First, he'd eliminate the guards, then he'd gorge himself.
[Consumed Grade-3 Origin Power Pill. +287 EXP]
[Consumed Low-Grade Spirit Herb, Golden Rose Fruit. +530 EXP]
[Consumed…]
In fifteen minutes, it was over. Every major guild in the city had been stripped bare. Burping, Luo Zhen flew back to his sanctuary at Bright Moon Lake and checked his status.
[EXP threshold reached. Proceed with level-up?]
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
[EXP deducted. Upgrading in progress…]
[Upgrade complete. Current Level: Peak Demon Spirit Realm.]
A faint black light shimmered around his body for a few seconds before fading. But just as it vanished, the system's voice chimed again.
[EXP threshold reached. Proceed with level-up?]
Again?
"Yes!"
[EXP deducted. Upgrading in progress…]
[Upgrade complete. Current Level: Early Earth Profound Realm!]
This time, the light wasn't faint. A blinding, pitch-black radiance erupted from him, so intense it was like a black hole had opened in the middle of the lake. The darkness solidified into a massive, obsidian cocoon the size of a basketball court, sealing him within.
He remained inside for a full half-hour. When the cocoon finally dissolved, he slithered out of a freshly shed snakeskin. He was immense. Nearly fifty meters long, with a body as thick as a king-sized bed. He could feel power thrumming through him, a strength so profound it made his previous form feel like a fragile toy. He had shattered a ceiling.
Then, the system spoke again.
[Major realm breakthrough detected: Demon Spirit to Earth Profound. Distributing special reward.]
[You have been granted one opportunity for bloodline evolution. Claim reward now?]
"Claim," Luo Zhen said, his voice a low rumble.
The world around him dissolved.
He found himself floating in a void, and before him was a creature so vast it broke the sky. A serpent of impossible scale, its coils disappearing into an unseen horizon. But it was the heads that stole his breath—nine of them, each one the size of a mountain, crowned with horns that pierced the clouds.
Holy shit… a Hydra.
As if sensing his presence, eighteen colossal eyes snapped open, and a wave of pure, unadulterated power washed over him. It wasn't an attack. It was just… presence. The ambient pressure of a god.
It was too much. It was like the entire ocean had fallen on him at once.
"Ah!"
A scream tore from his throat as the pressure crushed him, mind and body. And then, nothing.
He awoke slowly, a groggy haze clouding his thoughts. His whole body ached. He dragged himself to the edge of the lake and saw his reflection. His face was caked in dried blood.
Just looking at that thing… the sheer pressure of its existence made me bleed and pass out? His mind reeled. The terror of that nine-headed beast was still fresh, a primal fear that resonated deep in his soul.
Wait. A chilling thought cut through the haze. How long was I out?
"System, how long was I unconscious?"
[The host was unconscious for three days.]
"Three days?!" The words hit him like a physical blow. Three days. Ghost Fiend Mountain… they could be here any minute.
He pushed the panic down. "System, tell me about the bloodline! What did I get?"
Despite the terror, a spark of excitement ignited within him. The creature in his vision was a primordial force of nature. If he'd inherited even a fraction of its power, he was set. The only question was what, exactly, it was. In the old myths, there were two famous nine-headed serpents: Xiangliu, the poison god whose venom could turn lakes toxic, and Jiuying, a monster of elemental fire and water.
Both were terrifying in their own right. He'd be happy with either.
[The nine-headed beast you witnessed was Jiuying.]
Jiuying! Luo Zhen's heart soared.
But the system wasn't finished, and its next words were a bucket of ice water.
[However, because the host lost consciousness immediately upon seeing Jiuying, the bloodline evolution process was critically interrupted. You have failed to obtain the Jiuying bloodline.]
"You've got to be kidding me," Luo Zhen whispered, his excitement turning to ash.
[Host has obtained a fragment of Jiuying's power.]
[As a result, you have evolved into the Red Lotus Snake.]
[New Active Ability Unlocked: Red Lotus Fire.]
As the system finished, a searing heat bloomed in the center of his forehead. He looked at his reflection again. A new mark had appeared on his scales: a crimson, fist-sized lotus flower. At the same time, a strange tickle rose in his throat. He coughed, and a small, lotus-shaped flame flickered from his mouth.
It shot out like a tracer, a streak of brilliant red that landed in the middle of the lake. Intrigued, Luo Zhen focused his will on it. Explode.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar ripped through the air. The small flame detonated with the force of a military-grade bomb, sending a massive plume of water and steam hundreds of feet into the sky. The shockwave shook the very ground he was on.
Luo Zhen stared, dumbfounded. Okay… that's strong.
He pulled up his status screen, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
Race: Snake (Peak-Grade Mutated Spirit Species)
Name: Red Lotus Snake
Bloodline: Red Lotus Snake
Abilities: Water, Fire, & Ice Manipulation; Flight
Attack Skill: Red Lotus Fire (Tier-2 Beast Fire)
Defense Skill: Water Light Shield
Other Skills: Poison Arrow, Constriction
Realm: Early Earth Profound