"Not enough! Not enough! The more of this water, the better! Today, I, Tu Xiao’an, will ascend to my rightful place as a Rank Three Snake King!"

He had already been delayed, his ascension put off for too long. Tu Xiao’an couldn’t stand being so weak. He refused to wait even one more day.

As he shed layer after layer of skin, a sense of arrogant disdain for the world welled up within him.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH.

A serpentine shadow flickered through the bamboo forest, moving faster than the eye could see. It struck a dozen or so Purple Gold Bamboos, and instantly, a dozen streams of water converged, surging wildly into its open maw.

"Xiaoleng..."

Su Rushi stared, her eyes wide with bewilderment at the scene before her. She was so captivated she even forgot to clap. For the first time, she wondered, ’What kind of snake did I actually pick up?’

The snake’s entire body glowed with a brilliant light, growing more majestic by the second.

’Could it be that Xiaoleng is a demon, too?’

"Today! At this very moment!"

SCREECH...!

A serpentine cry roared toward the heavens. In an instant, the air flash-froze, and the sky itself seemed ready to collapse.

The world plunged into darkness once more as an aura of supreme, majestic power befitting a Snake King swept through the entire Purple Bamboo Forest. As if terrified, every single Purple Gold Bamboo began to sway wildly, their leaves rustling in a frenzy.

It was as if they were being battered by a torrential storm.

THUMP...!

Startled by the serpentine cry, Su Rushi plopped down onto the grass, completely petrified.

Her eyes slowly widened, as if witnessing the impossible. As the little snake she had found continued to drink the Purple Gold Water, its body began to expand at an explosive rate.

The once small and delicate snake was continuously growing larger, thicker, and longer. The three colored stripes on its body pulsed with Divine Light, resembling a dragon soaring into the heavens.

RUMBLE...

Three streams of Divine Light burst from the rapidly growing snake’s body, shooting into the sky above the Purple Bamboo Forest. They coalesced into three immense, vaporous clouds, within which a massive, serpentine shadow flickered in and out of view.

This phenomenon was identical to the one that had occurred back on Monkey Mountain.

"Haha... I’ve finally finished shedding!"

As the final Snake Scale fell from Tu Xiao’an’s ever-growing body, he felt the shackles and fetters binding him shatter completely. A vast, majestic power erupted from within.

SCREECH...!

The serpentine cry echoed throughout the entire Purple Bamboo Forest, and the majesty of the Snake King forced countless creatures into unconditional submission.

The effect was most pronounced on the tens of thousands of wild dogs lurking within the Purple Bamboo Forest. The moment they felt the Snake King’s majestic aura, they were overcome with terror. Cowering on the ground, they let out low, fearful growls, looking as though they were merely waiting for death.

Outside the Purple Bamboo Forest, the Dog Demon and the gorgeous woman were locked in a fierce battle. The woman grew increasingly furious. After several hours of fighting without gaining the slightest advantage, she shrieked in frustration, "You damned dog lackey! If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll have my cousin kill you!"

"My life already belongs to the Great King. He can come and take it whenever he wishes."

"Hmph! No one can stop me when I want to kill someone—not even my cousin! If you don’t get lost right now, I won’t be so courteous!"

The gorgeous woman prepared to transform into her combat form. However, as someone who prized her own beauty, she was extremely reluctant to do so, as she found that form far too ugly.

The Dog Demon gave a bitter smile. "Your Highness, please don’t make things difficult for me. The Great King himself ordered me to guard the woman inside. How could I possibly let you kill her? You’ll have to kill me first."

"Then go die!"

The Demon Qi roiling around the gorgeous woman intensified and her body began to transform. But in that instant, an incomparably majestic aura—that of a Snake King—spread out from the Purple Bamboo Forest. She froze, and the Dog Demon froze with her.

They were both stunned by the sudden, spreading aura of majesty. It was as if they had been struck by lightning, leaving them in a dazed stupor.

"What a powerful Snake Race aura... To think it actually frightens me."

The gorgeous woman swallowed hard, her face turning pale. Suddenly, as if recalling something, she demanded, "Dog lackey! Why is there such a powerful Snake Race aura inside? That’s clearly a Rank Three Snake Demon!"

"Not good!"

The Dog Demon was struck by a sudden realization. ’Could a Snake Demon be trying to kill the woman inside?’

At that thought, the Dog Demon’s figure blurred, leaving a trail of afterimages as he shot into the Purple Bamboo Forest.

The gorgeous woman hesitated for a moment before following him in. ’If someone else kills that bitch for me,’ she thought, ’all the better.’

......

On She Mountain, within Demon King Liu’s territory in the Yaoling Mountain Range, millions of members of the Snake Species began to stir. As if sharing a single, instinctual thought, their tails curled slightly upward and their bodies went ramrod straight. All at once, they turned to face the same direction and bowed their heads in worship. A chorus of hisses rose and fell, echoing across heaven and earth.

The scene was breathtakingly vast and magnificent, as if in preparation for a great festival of the Snake Race. It was no exaggeration to say that every single snake living in the Yaoling Mountain Range had unconsciously turned to bow in the same direction.

「Meanwhile」 In another region of the Yaoling Mountain Range, the territory of the Gray Demon King, a woman in white wielded a Treasure Sword. She attacked a shifty-eyed man in a gray robe, her sharp killing intent fueled by a towering rage. Every one of her slashes and strikes carried devastating destructive power.

Fortunately, her target was also incredibly powerful. Otherwise, he would have died a hundred times over.

This man in gray was none other than the infamous Gray Demon King of the Yaoling Mountain Range, a giant rat whose power surpassed even that of the White Demon King.

"You crazy woman, don’t push it! Do you have any idea how many of my kin you’ve killed these past few days? I’ve been lenient with you, but you’re relentless! If I didn’t have to give face to Demon King Liu, do you really think I’d be afraid of you?"