Xiangliu is a subordinate of Gonggong, an evil god that has been active on the earth for thousands of years.

As one of the founders of Great Xia, to say that Xiangliu holds no affection for Great Xia is purely a joke.

However, Xiangliu has never been an idealist like the first generation Witch King or the first-generation Gonggong.

Regardless of which head of Xiangliu, they are all genuine ambitious figures.

Especially after witnessing the rise of Great Xia, Xiangliu was eager to grasp real power within Great Xia.

Many of the conflicts between gods and humans were actually instigated by him secretly.

This situation persisted until Yu Guo left Great Xia and the emergence of the second-generation Gonggong.

Xiangliu had thought he would be the second-generation Gonggong, but he was utterly shocked, and then resentment and anger began to grow in his heart.

Xiangliu couldn’t understand why Yu Guo wouldn’t choose him as the second-generation Gonggong.

Even if he did harbor ambitions...

Even if he wasn’t sincere when he first joined Great Xia...

His contributions to Great Xia were authentic, it was he who helped Yu Guo manage the floodwaters and connect the water veins of the East Sea.

Xiangliu believed that the prosperity and peace that Great Xia enjoyed for thousands of years thereafter owed much to him.

But why would Yu Guo rather give the position of the second-generation Gonggong to a minor deity than raise him to become the Water God of Great Xia?

More crucially, Yu Guo entrusted the means to restrain him to the second-generation Gonggong to prevent Xiangliu from causing trouble.

Although the second-generation Gonggong was always benevolent and never used these means.

However, the significance of Yu Guo’s actions and the sense of humiliation it brought to Xiangliu was unprecedented.

"So... is that why you chose to betray the Gonggong Clan?"

Involuntarily furrowing his brow, Li Boyang’s question was met with Xiang Yao’s dismissive shake of the head.

"Ha, I’m not that superficial."

"Rather than hatred, ambition is the underlying drive for my actions."

"And I never viewed myself as betraying him; I am merely reclaiming what should rightfully be mine."

When saying these words, a blatant hatred flashed in Xiang Yao’s eyes.

"The only thing I didn’t anticipate was that even though that guy was severely injured by Wu Yi, he still possessed such tremendous power."

"Yu Guo left him with too many things..."

"Those things should all rightfully be mine!"

The resilience of the second-generation Gonggong completely caught Xiangliu by surprise, which eventually led to his downfall and his body being dismembered.

Xiang Yao wasn’t sure about the outcome of his other heads.

But he was indeed lucky to escape with his life, taking over the body of an Anaconda and lurking in the Hundred Lands Mountain Range.

"Wait, I have another question I want to know."

"How did you learn about the Soul Jade, and why did you father a human-god hybrid demigod?"

Upon hearing Li Boyang mention this, Xiang Yao’s expression suddenly became complicated.

It was a blend of helplessness, regret, humiliation, and yet a slight hint of relief.

"It’s simple, because I’ve seen Gonggong using the Soul Jade."

...........................

Xiang Yao didn’t know where Gonggong’s Soul Jade came from.

But toward the end of that great war, he had witnessed Gonggong using the power of the Soul Jade to temporarily return to his peak state.

In a sense, the appearance of the Soul Jade played a significant role in Xiangliu’s ultimate defeat.

In this context, Xiang Yao couldn’t help but have a deep impression of the Soul Jade.

So, when another subordinate of Gonggong, Fuyou, quietly appeared in the Hundred Lands Mountain Range and fought with the Flower Mantis over Hidden Flight’s Soul Jade, Xiang Yao couldn’t help but take action to seize it.

Fuyou, unlike Xiangliu, was truly the direct lineage and trusted aide of the second-generation Gonggong.

He was essentially a god incarnated as a water monster or plague ghost, often only appearing in autumn and winter.

However, Xiang Yao knew that Fuyou actually functioned as both an intelligence officer and a military advisor for Gonggong, spending most of his time gathering all sorts of information for him.

Conducting assassinations when necessary was also one of Fuyou’s duties.

Fortunately, despite Fuyou’s outstanding wisdom and strange abilities, he was far inferior to Xiangliu in terms of raw strength.

Especially after the battle in the East Sea, Fuyou was similarly severely injured by Wu Yi, leaving him with less than a tenth of his strength.

Compared to Xiang Yao, who was left with only one head, he wasn’t much better off.

The secret contest ended with Xiang Yao successfully seizing the Soul Jade unexpectedly.

Since then, the Flower Mantis has been constantly pursuing Fuyou and Xiang Yao, hoping to reclaim the Soul Jade from the two of them.

To shake off the Flower Mantis and also to transform himself back into the nine-headed serpent-bodied Xiangliu,

Xiang Yao made a wish holding the Soul Jade—to let Xiangliu be reborn!

Then, Xiang Yao lost consciousness and also a significant amount of time from his memory.

When he came back to his senses, he had already fathered a child with a female mountain resident.

And that child was the human-god hybrid demigod—Li Xi.

Xiang Yao took a few days to snap out of it, realizing he had probably been played by the Soul Jade.

Whether due to lack of capability or the inherent nature of the Soul Jade,

It interpreted Xiang Yao’s wish as "giving birth to a new Xiangliu."

Hence, the Soul Jade seized Xiang Yao’s body, found the most compatible mountain woman, and together they bore a female infant born with Xiangliu’s characteristics.

To be honest, Xiang Yao, in some sense, saw his wish fulfilled.

Li Xi, with serpentine hair and a snake’s tail, not only perfectly inherited all of Xiangliu’s traits but also had potential beyond Xiang Yao’s understanding.

But it was precisely this powerful trait and potential.

Xiang Yao saw at a glance that Li Xi wouldn’t live long.

Even though the Soul Jade had selected the most compatible body, Li Xi was still a premature baby with incomplete congenital development.

It’s hard to say with what mindset Xiang Yao entrusted this premature baby to Xiao’e, the witch priestess in Gaotun Village.

Because in Xiang Yao’s unwillingness to face Li Boyang, Xiao’e was the most likely to save the premature child.

No, Xiang Yao was almost certain that his child would eventually end up in Li Boyang’s hands.

"That Soul Jade is truly strange..."

"It even continuously influenced my thoughts, prompting me to make choices that don’t align with my nature at all."

The premature baby in Li Boyang’s hands would inevitably expose Xiang Yao’s existence.

Yet Xiang Yao still made this irrational choice, and the entire time, besides confusion and struggle, there was also a tiny bit of unexplainable anticipation.

"Choices not aligning with your nature?"

Looking thoughtfully at the serpent head on the treetop, Li Boyang merely asked calmly in return.

"To save your child, does it truly not align with your nature?"

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