Jia Liu kowtowed desperately before Celestial Master Zhang. "Celestial Master, save me! Save me! Now that Tie San is dead, the evil demon will surely come for me! I didn't do anything wrong! I just told Tie San the news, that's all. It's not a crime punishable by death!"

'Was it really not a crime punishable by death? He was the true catalyst for this entire mess. Tie San had merely been used by him.'

Just then, the villagers began to condemn Jia Liu, pointing accusingly at him as an endless stream of curses filled the air.

Jia Liu completely ignored their curses. He looked at the livid Celestial Master Zhang and pleaded, "Celestial Master, why don't you stay at my humble home tonight? I'll prepare a feast for you, so you can rest and build up your strength for slaying the demon tomorrow."

"You just want me to be your bodyguard, don't you?"

Jia Liu gave a sheepish smile. "Celestial Master, you are a virtuous cultivator of the Dao. How can you stand by and watch an evil demon murder people? As long as you eliminate that evil demon, I'll accept whatever punishment you wish to give me afterward."

Celestial Master Zhang's eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.

Casting aside all shame, Jia Liu hugged Celestial Master Zhang's leg and wept bitterly. "Celestial Master, if you don't save me today, I'd rather die right here before you than be slaughtered by that evil demon!"

The gruesome sight of Tie San's corpse was vivid in his mind, and he didn't want to suffer the same fate.

'Dying like that was too terrifying.'

Celestial Master Zhang's face was expressionless, but he must have been furious inside. For some unknown reason, however, he nodded and agreed.

"Get up. Though you may deserve to die, I cannot allow an evil demon to commit another murder. Tomorrow, I will build an altar and perform a ritual to end this matter once and for all."

Upon hearing this, Jia Liu was overcome with gratitude. He kowtowed repeatedly to Celestial Master Zhang, exclaiming, "The Celestial Master is a living Bodhisattva!"

"Celestial Master, please follow me. I will prepare the finest wine and dishes to host you properly."

With that, Jia Liu led the way, fawning like a pug trying to please its master.

Celestial Master Zhang eventually followed him, leading many villagers to think that he was truly a good person.

'With the Celestial Master's help, tomorrow will be the evil demon's last day,' they thought. 'But Jia Liu can't be let off the hook so easily, either.'

Afterward, several villagers helped dispose of Tie San's body. Tu Xiao'an remained where he was, staring intently at the departing backs of Jia Liu and Celestial Master Zhang until they disappeared from sight.

Suddenly, he heard the old village chief say to him worriedly, "Little Divine Doctor, you cured our village's strange illness. You are Ping'an Village's great benefactor. Now there's an evil Snake Spirit causing trouble, and people could die at any moment. I'll take you out of the village right now."

Tu Xiao'an shook his head with a smile. "Village Chief, there's no need to worry about me. Don't we have the immensely powerful Celestial Master Zhang here?"

"I'm just thinking of your safety. It would be better for you to leave, Little Divine Doctor."

"Since I'm here, I might as well see it through."

Ping'an Village spent the entire day in a state of terror. No one dared to go near the well, let alone drink the water from it.

The country paths throughout the village were practically deserted. Every family stayed in their own homes and did not go out.

With an evil demon on the loose, all they could do was wait for Celestial Master Zhang to perform his ritual tomorrow.

Tu Xiao'an returned with the village chief and did nothing for the rest of the day.

As night fell, waves of chilling cold washed over Ping'an Village. The aura of the Snake Race began to spread without restraint once more, growing increasingly intense.

The village felt like a ghost town, frigid as the dead of winter.

Tu Xiao'an had dinner with the village chief, asked for the direction of Jia Liu's house, and then headed over.

By now, everyone knew that Jia Liu was the catalyst for the whole tragedy, which meant the hidden Snake Spirit would know too.

Moreover, the aura of the Snake Race throughout the village had become exceptionally dense.

This meant the hidden Snake Spirit could no longer hold back and was about to come out to kill.

All he had to do was secretly watch Jia Liu's house and wait for his quarry to walk into the trap.

Following the directions the village chief had given him, Tu Xiao'an was just approaching Jia Liu's house when a bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted from inside. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

'Has the Snake Spirit already made its move?'

A thrill of excitement ran through Tu Xiao'an. He looked up to see a massive serpent's shadow shoot straight up from the Jia Family's backyard as the aura of the Snake Race erupted without restraint.

In an instant, Tu Xiao'an charged directly into Jia Liu's house. When he reached the courtyard, he was stunned by the sight.

He saw Jia Liu collapsed on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. He had soiled himself in terror. Before him coiled a colossal, vibrant snake. In the moonlight, it raised its Snake Head, flicking its tongue and HISSING, its eyes glinting with a cold, terrifying light. A black, gaseous flame wreathed its body, as if it had emerged from the Hell Abyss itself.

What was even more frightening was the snake's bizarre Snake Head. It was triangular, with a prominent bump on one corner that resembled a fleshy crown, making it look utterly unique.

An immensely powerful aura of the Snake Race emanated from its body, blanketing the entire village and making countless creatures tremble in terror.

'This...'

Tu Xiao'an instantly felt an overwhelming sense of danger. This was, without a doubt, a Rank Three Demon Spirit of the Snake Species that had successfully passed its trial.

Only Jia Liu was there, with no sign of Celestial Master Zhang. 'Could Celestial Master Zhang have been swallowed whole by this Demon Spirit?'

'No...'

'How could a member of the Snake Species achieve this at Rank Three? Wouldn't that make it a Snake King? Then what about me, the one destined to ascend the throne?'

'There can't be two Snake Kings in the world. A single mountain can't harbor two tigers. Even though I haven't reached that stage yet.'

Tu Xiao'an's eyes narrowed. 'Conscious Insight.'

"DING... Level 30 Snake Flood Dragon, having attained the Dao. A Rank Three advanced being."

'What? It's a Hu Snake.'

Tu Xiao'an was greatly shocked.

The Hu Snake is a special type of snake with a noble bloodline.

Legend has it that a Hu Snake becomes a Flood Dragon in five hundred years and a Dragon in a thousand. This was a Hu Snake that had undergone its Flood Dragon Transformation. The fleshy crown on its head was a sign that it had attained the Dao, crossed its tribulation to enter Rank Three, and evolved into a Snake Flood Dragon.

The Snake Race has two evolutionary paths. The first is to attain the Dao as a snake, becoming a Snake King and Ruling the World. The second path, chosen by the vast majority of the Snake Species, is to evolve into a Dragon.

The Dragon is a symbol of nobility. If you were to ask a snake what its dream is, it would be to become a Dragon.

Of these two evolutionary paths, Tu Xiao'an had chosen the first—attaining the Dao as a snake. A Hu Snake, on the other hand, strives toward the goal of evolving into a Dragon.

It began as a Hu Snake. After attaining the Dao, it became a Snake Flood Dragon. If it reaches Rank Four, it might evolve into a Huiling.

"Celestial Master, don't kill me! Celestial Master, don't eat me..."

Jia Liu was so scared he lost control of his bladder and bowels. He was completely delirious, much like Tie San had been.

He was spouting nonsense, but Tu Xiao'an's eyes suddenly widened as he looked at the soaring Snake Flood Dragon. It was as if he'd had a revelation.

'So that's it. That's what's been going on.'

'No wonder I couldn't find the hidden Snake Spirit. It was right beside me all along! A Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon can take human form. Celestial Master Zhang... is its disguise.'

'Perhaps this was also why Celestial Master Zhang was clearly furious, yet still followed Jia Liu to protect him.'

'It seemed like protection, but he actually wanted to kill him. Jia Liu had brought this on himself—a textbook case of letting the wolf into the house.'

'If Celestial Master Zhang is the hidden evil demon, then he must have deliberately taken human form and come to Ping'an Village to find the true culprit behind the deaths of the village belle and her child.'

'No wonder he was so insistent on finding out who started the rumor.'

'Now that he's found the true culprit, I'm afraid the entire Ping'an Village is next. He'll make them all pay for the deaths of the village belle and her child.'