"Fairy, you must be joking. I’m so small—how could I possibly eat you?"
The Jade Little Snake’s gaze flickered, showing remarkable intelligence.
Luo Ziyun pressed down on the Jade Little Snake’s head and shot it a playful glare. "Of course you can’t eat me. But you’re quite the sly one, aren’t you? Telling me to run was just a pretense. You’re probably looking for my protection, right?"
’For a seemingly delicate young woman to be strolling through Snake Valley so casually, with no venomous snake daring to approach—that alone was extraordinary.’
The Jade Little Snake couldn’t sense any Qi coming from Luo Ziyun, but if anything, that only proved how terrifying this woman was.
’A huge monster had invaded Snake Valley, devouring the other snakes as if they were noodles. To survive, it had to take a chance.’
’A chance that this woman, who looked like a Fairy, was stronger than the huge monster.’
That was why the Jade Little Snake had put on an act, telling her to flee.
But what kind of person was Luo Ziyun? The entire Snake Race of the Yaoling Mountain Range had to address her respectfully as "Auntie," and even Rank Three Snake Species had to obey her every command. There was no way she would fall for the Little Snake Spirit’s trick.
However, Luo Ziyun simply smiled. Though she had seen through its ruse and called it out, she wasn’t annoyed. She didn’t shoo the little snake away. Instead, she let it slither onto her shoulder to rest quietly.
At that moment, the ground began to tremble. On Bi Mountain, snakeberries shook loose and fell. Then, a Fierce Beast, dozens of yards tall, seemed to plummet from the sky, crashing down a hundred meters from Luo Ziyun. It was a bizarre and terrifying sight.
’At first, Luo Ziyun hadn’t taken the ’huge monster’ the Jade Little Snake spoke of seriously. She knew Snake Valley all too well; it was difficult for anything more powerful than a Rank Three Demon Spirit to appear here.’
’The only reason Awakened Snake Species could even appear here was that she had once buried half of her adoptive father, Demon King Liu’s, Golden Core in this place.’
But when she saw the huge monster, she was taken aback. Her beautiful eyes widened, and for a moment, she thought they were playing tricks on her.
"ROAR..."
The moment the Taotie saw Luo Ziyun, the eyes under its arms lit up. It had eaten so many snakes; it never thought it would get to have a change of palate.
’It had assumed there were only snakes in this area. Seeing a human was a delightful surprise.’
"A Taotie?"
Luo Ziyun murmured in disbelief, snapping out of her astonishment.
’Ancient Exotic Beasts were largely things of legend, and the Taotie was especially famous. She had never seen one before, but its appearance was too distinctive. That massive head, that gaping mouth, those eyes under its arms—the image was iconic.’
"ROAR..."
The Fierce Beast Taotie’s face was a mask of savagery. A brutally violent aura erupted from it without restraint, twisting the very space around it as it lunged toward Luo Ziyun.
The scene was utterly savage.
The Jade Little Snake on Luo Ziyun’s shoulder was so frightened it squeezed its eyes shut, trembling, unable to bear watching.
’If even this Fairy-like being couldn’t handle the huge monster, then all it could do was wait for death.’
’Everything was up to fate now.’
In the blink of an eye, the Taotie was upon her. Luo Ziyun had no time for shock; with a flourish of her Jade Hand, she struck out with a full-power palm strike.
The palm strike flew out, weaving back and forth like a butterfly dancing through flowers. The surrounding vegetation was instantly pulverized. With a piteous wail, the ferocious Taotie was sent flying into the distance. It crashed to the ground like a small hill, and then its body shattered into pieces.
"Huh... That weak?"
Luo Ziyun, on the other hand, was stunned. She could hardly believe her eyes. ’Was that huge monster not a Taotie?’
’Otherwise, how could she have killed it with a single palm strike?’
The situation had been urgent, and it was supposedly the legendary Ancient Exotic Beast, the Taotie. So even if Luo Ziyun hadn’t used her full strength, she had still put eighty percent of her Power into that palm strike.
’But even so, a Taotie shouldn’t be that weak.’
What Luo Ziyun didn’t know was that this Taotie was merely a clone whose strength didn’t even reach the Pseudo Demon King Level. She, on the other hand, possessed power comparable to a Deep Mountain Demon King. How could a mere clone survive a strike containing eighty percent of her Power?
"Wow... Fairy, you’re so powerful! Could you be a Nine Heavens Fairy who has descended to the mortal world? Do you have Immortal Power? That monster was so strong, but you killed it dead with a single palm strike!" The Jade Little Snake was now in absolute awe of Luo Ziyun, its expression full of worship. It looked like its bet had been the right one.
"Enough with the flattery." Luo Ziyun rolled her eyes. With a graceful shift, she floated directly in front of the Taotie’s corpse.
After a close inspection, a peculiar expression came over Luo Ziyun’s stunningly beautiful face. After a long moment, she confirmed it. "So this isn’t a real Taotie, just a soulless clone. No wonder."
’Even a weak Ancient Exotic Beast Taotie wouldn’t be *this* pathetic.’
Once she confirmed it was a clone, Luo Ziyun’s expression grew even darker. She said abruptly, "This is bad. It looks like the Ancient War Ruins have opened. Otherwise, a Fierce Beast like this could never have appeared in the world."
’It might only be a clone of a Taotie, but for a clone to exist, there must be a real one.’
"This Taotie clone must have entered from She Mountain. If it came from She Mountain, then I fear the Human World is about to face a catastrophe."
Luo Ziyun sank into thought. It took only a moment for her to realize the severity of the situation.
"Little snake, this Fierce Beast is dead. I must leave Snake Valley to investigate. Are you coming with me, or will you stay here?" Luo Ziyun said, glancing at the delicate little snake on her shoulder.
The Jade Little Snake’s eyes brightened. Despite its tiny size, it spoke with great respect. "Fairy, you saved my life. This humble snake will naturally follow you for the rest of its life to repay your kindness, serving you in any way I can."
"Tch... You’re a snake. How are you supposed to work like an ox or horse for me?" Luo Ziyun gave the little snake’s head a mock-vicious poke. "I told you, you’re a sly one. You’re just afraid that if another Fierce Beast like that one barges into Snake Valley, you’ll surely die without my protection, won’t you?"
Caught in its lie, the Jade Little Snake showed no shame. Instead, it declared with firm conviction, "Fairy, please do not doubt my desire to repay you! My admiration for you is like the Yellow River, a torrential, endless flood! It is also like..."
"Shut up, you little sweet-talker. I’ll let you come with me, alright?" Luo Ziyun said with a helpless, chiding look. "You’re even better at fawning than that heartless snake."
"Oh? Fairy, does that mean you know other snakes? You should introduce us sometime!"
The image of Tu Xiao’an flashed through Luo Ziyun’s mind, and a faint sadness crossed her face. "Little sweet-talker, didn’t you hear me tell you to shut up? If you don’t, I’m leaving you behind."
The Jade Little Snake sensed the shift in Luo Ziyun’s emotions and how she’d become displeased. It was so frightened that it instantly decided to play mute, not daring to ramble on any further.
As for Luo Ziyun, she gave the Taotie clone’s corpse one last glance before her figure flickered, and she vanished from the depths of Snake Valley.
「An hour later.」
Luo Ziyun appeared at the outskirts of She Mountain. As she made her way, she didn’t see a single venomous snake. She Mountain, once brimming with life, now reeked of death.
"It seems something major really has happened."
Luo Ziyun did not linger on She Mountain. Her figure, graceful and phantom-like, drifted down toward Bai Town below.