After using Insight, Tu Xiao'an willed ten fragrant Snakeberries to appear before the Snake Flood Dragon.

The Snake Flood Dragon stared intently at the handsome youth before it and demanded in a deep voice, "What do you mean by this?"

"Eat them. Your injuries will heal."

"You want a rematch, don't you?"

Tu Xiao'an nodded. "We were interrupted. Strictly speaking, we haven't settled the score."

"This time, let's fight for real. But with a wager. Do you dare?"

The Snake Flood Dragon found it couldn't quite see through this Snake Spirit. "What's the wager?"

"The wager is this: if you lose to me, a Snake Spirit, you will acknowledge me as your master."

"What?"

The Snake Flood Dragon was stunned. 'What an ambitious Snake Spirit! To think it wants to subjugate a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon as a pet. Wasn't he afraid of sounding utterly preposterous?'

But a moment later, a complex look filled the Snake Flood Dragon's eyes. There was no mockery, no ridicule—it just stared intently at Tu Xiao'an.

"Don't you dare? Afraid you'll lose?" Tu Xiao'an asked, brimming with confidence.

He was right. 'The Snake Flood Dragon was genuinely afraid of losing. Before, it would have found the idea of a mere Snake Spirit challenging it laughable—a complete death wish.'

'But after everything that had happened, this Snake Spirit had completely shattered its perception of what a Snake was.'

Tu Xiao'an said, "You have no other choice. In your current state, you're at my mercy. You might as well take the gamble."

"Fine! This Celestial Master refuses to believe that I, a mighty Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon, could lose to a Rank Two Snake Spirit."

'It was like a grown man losing a fight to a three-year-old toddler.'

The Snake Flood Dragon swallowed the ten floating Snakeberries in a single gulp. A black aura erupted from its body, and a powerful force began to stir within it.

Immediately after, the sky seemed ready to collapse. The Snake Flood Dragon's body shot upward, soaring into the air like a lawless, world-devastating Demon Dragon.

Tu Xiao'an watched quietly, unmoved. 'Why choose to fight again? Because I've decided to subjugate this Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon.'

'Devouring it would only raise my strength by one or two Levels, which isn't very meaningful.'

'But to subjugate it... a Snake making a Flood Dragon submit. How exhilarating! Besides, it would be an incredibly powerful ally.'

'Besides, I have a sliver of admiration for this Snake Flood Dragon and its Transformation into Celestial Master Zhang.'

'It may have come to wreak havoc on Ping'an Village, but it was all to avenge its beloved mate and child.'

'So what if it massacred a village? Our species are different. There is no right or wrong, only debts of gratitude and hatred.'

'I'm not a human anymore; I'm a Snake. There's no reason for me to judge the situation from a human perspective.'

'What's more, after Devouring Leng Shuang, my mindset has changed dramatically.'

'Humans, other creatures—it makes no difference. It's always been the law of the jungle: the strong devour the weak.'

'Weakness itself is the original sin. There's no other reason needed.'

'It wasn't in the wrong. To not avenge such a profound hatred would be unworthy of its status as a Rank Three Creature.'

Tu Xiao'an was determined to subjugate it. However, subjugating a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon was nigh impossible for him. He was still only Rank Two and couldn't forcibly tame a Rank Three creature.

Unless the target submitted willingly, he couldn't subjugate it even if he beat it to death.

Therefore, Tu Xiao'an had to make Celestial Master Zhang submit to him, a Snake Spirit, of its own free will.

The only way was to have another battle and beat it into submission.

He had fought the Snake Flood Dragon to a standstill before, nearly winning. This time, although only a short period had passed...

...but because Tu Xiao'an had Devoured Leng Shuang, his Level had not only risen to 28, but he had also gained another Elemental Ability. His power had soared once again.

He was absolutely certain that he would win this seemingly one-sided battle.

"Snake Spirit, show your true form! This Celestial Master wants to see what you're truly made of, to dare think a Flood Dragon like me would submit to a mere Snake!"

Revealing his true form meant Tu Xiao'an reverting to his Giant Snake body.

But Tu Xiao'an shook his head. 'I just acquired the Transformation Technique. It's like I just put on a new set of clothes, and now you want me to rip them off? I'm not ready to part with them just yet.'

"That won't be necessary. This will be more than enough."

He stood his ground, radiating an overbearing and imperious aura.

The colossal Snake Flood Dragon thrashed in the air, its black aura flaring violently as it let out a cry that sounded like a mournful wail. "Arrogant whelp! How dare you humiliate me so!"

The Snake Flood Dragon was so furious it practically exploded on the spot. As its body thrashed about, its power radiated outwards, tearing large cracks in the surrounding space. Fierce winds howled, and a continuous series of explosive cracks echoed endlessly.

Blinded by rage, it cast aside all caution and attacked first. It opened its massive maw and shot towards Tu Xiao'an with the force of a thunderclap, intending to swallow him whole.

'Everyone knows you can't unleash your full power during Transformation! For a Rank Two to act this conceited when facing a Rank Three... this is pure contempt for me, a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon!'

How could it not be enraged?

Tu Xiao'an was instantly engulfed in a howling gale, his hair whipping about wildly. But his gaze was like lightning as a terrifying aura swept out from him, causing the temperature in the surrounding forest to plummet.

'Ice Frost Power... Let's see what you can really do.'

A deep blue aura burst forth, cloaking Tu Xiao'an like a magnificent mantle. He unleashed a vast wave of Ice Frost Qi, like a colossal avalanche, as he threw a punch at the thrashing Snake Flood Dragon. A giant phantom fist, imbued with a bone-chilling cold, instantly formed in the sky.

"You..."

The Flood Dragon cried out in astonishment, but in the next instant, it was frozen into an ice sculpture. It crashed to the ground with a tremendous BOOM, and the earth trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.

Its colossal body weighed tens of thousands of pounds; the ground could barely withstand the impact.

However, the Snake Flood Dragon instantly shattered the ice encasing its body. "You Devoured that Nv Jiao and gained her Elemental Ability?"

'This was clearly that woman's ability.'

"That's right. Ice Frost Qi. Feel that cold, icy rain slapping you in the face?"

Tu Xiao'an jeered. When an Elemental Attribute Ability was used well, it could be called upon at will. It had no fixed techniques, yet every action could become a technique.

"You already controlled Thunder and Flame, and now you have Ice Frost Power as well... My God!"

For a moment, the Snake Flood Dragon was so astonished it forgot this was a battle to the death.

'He just Devours someone, and their ability becomes his?'

'What kind of broken, cheating ability was that? It couldn't fathom how a mere Snake Spirit was capable of such a thing.'

'It was a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon! It had gone through a Flood Dragon Transformation from a mere Snake and still hadn't mastered a single Elemental Ability. Yet this Snake Spirit right here possessed a full three!'

'This was so heaven-defying it was practically ascending!'

Seeing the Snake Flood Dragon standing there, dumbstruck, its colossal body spanning the entire Ping'an Village...

...a playful glint flashed in Tu Xiao'an's eyes. He decided not to hold back any longer.

He pressed one hand to the ground, and the Ice Frost Qi spread out with incredible speed.

"I was talking to you! That's a sneak attack!"

The words had barely left its mouth when the Snake Flood Dragon was once again frozen solid, a lifelike sculpture of ice.

An ordinary person frozen like this would die in less than a minute, completely unable to break free. But as overpowered as the ability was, it couldn't truly trap the Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon for long.

The question was how long each freeze would last.

"Take this!"

A flicker of Flame ignited in Tu Xiao'an's bewitching eyes. He threw a punch toward the frozen Snake Flood Dragon, and a torrent of fire filled the sky, like a volcano that had lain dormant for thousands of years suddenly erupting with world-destroying power.

"Here... have a taste of fire and ice!"

The combination of ice and Flame was even more terrifyingly powerful.

This incredibly noble, transcendent Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon had become Tu Xiao'an's personal punching bag, completely unable to do anything but take a beating.

It was either being frozen solid or being scorched by Flame. To make matters worse, whenever it let its guard down, a bolt of Thunder would crash down from the sky.

Although he couldn't inflict any truly serious injuries, he was making it suffer tremendously.

Tu Xiao'an continuously cycled through his three Elemental Abilities, increasing his proficiency and striving for perfect mastery. This Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon was the perfect training dummy.

Any other opponent would have died countless times by now.

"I'm done! This Celestial Master is done fighting!"

After taking a beating for half an hour, the colossal Snake Flood Dragon suddenly called it quits. The most humiliating part was its inability to even get close to Tu Xiao'an.

It was either ice or fire, not to mention that damned Thunder.

This Snake Spirit could already dominate a newly-ascended Rank Three Creature. It wasn't a victory; it was a complete trouncing.

"If you won't fight, then you admit defeat. Submit to this Snake King!"

Tu Xiao'an levitated high into the air, phenomena representing his three Attributes swirling around him. He looked like a Celestial God descending to the mortal realm, radiating a dazzling light.

'Is that really just a Snake Spirit...?'

The colossal Flood Dragon shimmered, then transformed back into the human guise of Celestial Master Zhang.

'Perhaps this is my fate,' it thought. 'As a Snake, I desperately wanted to become a Dragon. I thought that was the only path forward for a Snake.'

"I am willing to submit..."

Sometimes, you had no choice but to yield. If you refused, you'd just get beaten until you did.

The Snake Flood Dragon had been thoroughly cowed.

'I cultivated for five hundred years and successfully achieved Flood Dragon Transformation, but what was the point? I can't even defeat a Snake.'

'I might as well just go crawl into a hole and die. The humiliation is unbearable.'

"This Celestial Master is willing to sign a Blood Contract with you, acknowledging you as my master, never to betray you."

'For a Flood Dragon to submit to a Snake is shameful, but for the weak to submit to the strong is not.'

'Unless you'd rather die, taking your enemy down with you.' 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Even an ant clings to life, to say nothing of a Snake Flood Dragon that had spent five hundred years cultivating to become a Rank Three Creature.

Besides, it could already tell that, barring any accidents, the Snake Spirit before it was destined to become the most terrifying creature in heaven and earth.

It would not be the only one; in the future, many powerful creatures would bow at his feet.

Hearing this, Tu Xiao'an was a little surprised. 'It's submitting just like that? To be honest, I haven't had my fill of fighting yet.'

'Using three Elemental Attribute Abilities at once feels amazing.'

Still, as the saying goes, when experts clash, the outcome is clear after just a few exchanges.

Tu Xiao'an hadn't even revealed his Giant Snake body, yet he had already made the Snake Flood Dragon suffer immensely. What was the point in continuing the fight?

It knew it couldn't win.

Besides, its opponent had already granted it a measure of dignity by allowing it to heal before their battle.

To continue any further would just be petulant.

A Blood Contract required the one submitting to offer up their own life's Essence Blood, placing them under the master's control.

But for Tu Xiao'an, it wasn't that complicated.

Excitement gleamed in Tu Xiao'an's eyes as a powerful stream of Consciousness Power enveloped Celestial Master Zhang.

"Don't struggle. Don't resist."

Celestial Master Zhang immediately felt a mysterious power threatening to engulf and swallow him.

"Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon, be mine!"

His eyes narrowed. Celestial Master Zhang flashed with a burst of light, then vanished into thin air.

"Haha... Success!"

Tu Xiao'an had successfully absorbed the Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon, capable of human Transformation, into his system.

Since his target didn't resist, the subjugation was incredibly easy.

He wasn't even Rank Three himself, yet he had subjugated a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon. What an incredible feat!

A transcendent Rank Three creature, a being far beyond ordinary life forms, was now Tu Xiao'an's pet.

'Awesome...'