What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

The night was vast and murky, with dark clouds obscuring the moonlight, creating a quiet and mysterious atmosphere.

Using her powerful demon beast body and innate stealth abilities, Xu Nian managed to reach the vicinity of the thunder tribulation site, dozens of kilometers away, in just about ten minutes.

However, as soon as she approached near the tribulation area, her keen beastly instincts detected the presence of dozens of cultivators in the vicinity.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one; many cultivators around her were also there to capitalize on any opportunities, hoping to find treasures in the aftermath.

With so many people waiting for their chance, Xu Nian’s plan to swoop in and grab some loot was likely to be thwarted. But she didn’t lose heart. With a “since I’m already here” attitude, she silently hunkered down on a concealed tree branch, waiting for her chance to snatch victory at the last moment.

As she had anticipated, once the terrifying thunder tribulation ceased, numerous cultivators hidden in the forest rushed towards the center of the tribulation, apparently with the same intention as Xu Nian – to kill and loot.

For safety, Xu Nian chose to stay put. These cultivators’ cultivation levels were higher than hers, and rashly joining the fray could result in failure to obtain treasure and possibly getting caught in indiscriminate attacks. She remained on the outer edge of the tribulation area. As a stealthy hunter-type demon beast, her skills in concealing her presence had improved significantly after advancing in cultivation, making her nearly undetectable by those within two major cultivation levels, as long as she didn’t attack first.

Xu Nian stayed cautiously low-profile, using her excellent night vision to observe the chaotic fight. Various talismans and magical weapons were flying everywhere, and explosions occasionally boomed, causing Xu Nian, who had thought of getting closer, to halt. The fight was too fierce, and an accidental injury could be disastrous.

Suddenly, she noticed that at the center of the thunder tribulation, instead of the wealthy cultivator she had imagined, there was a glowing, gold, polygonal box. In the midst of the melee, it was being fiercely fought over.

Xu Nian hesitated for a moment, realizing they might be fighting over a divine artifact or magical treasure. Apart from the risky situation of the intense battle among high-level cultivators, even if she, a mere demon snake, managed to obtain it, she wasn’t sure if she could use it.

While she wavered, the battle gradually became clearer. The ground was littered with casualties, and in the aftermath of the fierce combat, three people surrounded the artifact, each maintaining a dominant position in the air.

One cultivator, wearing a black and red robe, cackled, “Even cultivators from the Tian Yuan Sect have come to snatch this. This really must be an extraordinary treasure.”

Xu Nian glanced towards the source of the voice. This guy was obviously a demonic cultivator.

The man in white robes spoke righteously, “Demons like you are a scourge that must be eradicated. We are merely acting in accordance with the heavens to eliminate obstacles.”

This must be the disciple from the Tian Yuan sect he was talking about.

At that moment, another cultivator dressed in gray appeared and jeered, “Ha! What’s the difference between the righteous and demonic paths? You’re all the same.”

Xu Nian thought this guy, throwing shade like this, was definitely going to be ganged up on.

Sure enough, in a short while, amidst the struggle, she saw the grey-robed cultivator, who had just been mocking others, was poisoned by the demonic cultivator, slowing him down. That’s when the Tian Yuan disciple in white seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, thrusting his sword right through him.

The cultivator, clad in gray robes and struck by a poisoned sword, rapidly lost his vital energy, sealing his grim fate. As he collapsed, blood seeping from his wounds and foam at his mouth, his death was especially horrific.

“Heh, disciples of the Tian Yuan sect are also quite sinister,” the black and red-robed demonic cultivator stroked his beard and commented.

The white-robed cultivator coldly retorted, “On the path of cultivation, dangers are common, and those with insufficient strength inevitably perish – it’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

The demonic cultivator spat disdainfully, “Tch, I can’t stand you self-righteous cultivators, all high and mighty but full of nonsense. If you want to kill, kill. If you want to rob, rob. Don’t dress it up as if you’re following the will of the heavens, hogging all the benefits and the moral high ground.”

Listening to the demonic cultivator’s words, Xu Nian found herself agreeing with him in her heart.

The white-robed cultivator snorted coldly, seemingly disdainful of further talk with the demonic cultivator, and flew sword in hand to attack the red-robed demonic cultivator.

For a moment, blades and swords’ shadows flew past at high speeds. Xu Nian had to concentrate a large amount of spiritual power into her eyes and focus intensely just to barely make out their movements.

The red-robed demonic cultivator attempted to replicate his previous poison attack, but the white-robed one was prepared. He had taken an antidote pill early on and used a rain talisman to dilute the airborne poison.

The demonic cultivator, frustrated, drew something from his storage bag and yelled, “Take this!”

The white-robed cultivator saw only a gaping abyssal mouth approaching him, the overwhelming pressure rendering him immobile. He had no choice but to defend himself with his sword.

Xu Nian watched intently and, after rubbing her eyes with her tail in confusion, couldn’t understand how the demonic cultivator had managed to immobilize his opponent. From her perspective, it seemed like the demonic cultivator had merely thrown a long red cord at the white-robed cultivator, who appeared petrified.

The battle turned one-sided. The white-robed cultivator, initially dominating, was now being overwhelmed, only able to put up a desperate defense, reduced to a fraction of his original power.

Seeing this one-sided situation, Xu Nian felt some disappointment. She had hoped both would be badly injured, allowing her to benefit from their fight.

At that moment, the demonic cultivator aimed his blade at the neck of the immobilized white-robed cultivator, signaling an inevitable end.

However, an unexpected twist occurred. From the pile of bodies, another person suddenly leaped up, moving like lightning, and swiftly beheaded the demonic cultivator.

By the time Xu Nian could react, the demonic cultivator’s head had already flown several meters away.

The severed head rolled on the ground, finally coming to rest with its triumphant expression still frozen on its face.

Xu Nian shivered involuntarily, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

The cultivator who had emerged from the pile of corpses and killed the demonic cultivator wore a robe similar to the white-robed cultivator’s, likely also from the Tian Yuan Sect. He looked much younger and was visibly elated after his successful strike.

Heh, just a rogue cultivator from the Demonic Sect, daring to fight against us, disciples of the Tian Yuan Sect.”

The young man first retrieved an mysterious golden artifact box that had fallen nearby, then went to assist the previous white-robed cultivator, asking with concern, “Senior Brother Qi, are you alright?”

The white-robed cultivator, now known as Senior Brother Qi, slowly got up with the other’s help and thanked him, “I’ve sustained some internal injuries, but it’s nothing serious. I really owe you for just now, Junior Brother Zhou.”

Junior Brother Zhou’s eyes shone with excitement, “It’s all thanks to Senior Brother Qi’s idea. If it weren’t for your instruction to play dead using the breath-holding technique at the right moment, I wouldn’t have been able to kill that demonic cultivator so easily. The credit goes to you, Senior Brother Qi.”

Senior Brother Qi weakly smiled, “If it weren’t for your decisive strike, I would have been dead at the hands of that demon. I owe you my life…”

Xu Nian, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Senior Brother Qi subtly and discreetly slipped the storage bag of the fallen demonic cultivator into his sleeve.

…

Xu Nian watched the two fellow disciples hobbling toward her, propping each other up. Her dark, glossy eyes didn’t miss a blink as they fixated on the polygonal box emanating a golden glow, nestled in Junior Brother Zhou’s arms. She couldn’t help but calculate her odds of swooping in, snatching it, and making a swift escape while they were off guard.

She felt no guilt about stealing the hard-won prize from these cultivators.

Ever since her reincarnation as a snake, she’d lived by the brutal law of the forest: survival of the fittest. If she managed to snatch it, it would be a testament to her skill. Failure, even at the cost of her life, would be a choice she made, with no one else to blame.

Just as Senior Brother Qi had said, the cultivation world is harsh and unforgiving; losing one’s life or possessions is not uncommon. Yet, the issue was whether she could successfully steal it without being overpowered. Senior Brother Qi seemed severely injured, but Junior Brother Zhou’s cultivation level was obviously higher than hers. Even a surprise theft might not guarantee her escape.

Xu Nian sighed inwardly, resigning herself to a fruitless night. The artifact was valuable, but her life was more precious. She lay quietly on the tree, yawning, ready to return home once the two cultivators departed.

Unexpectedly, the disciple holding the artifact, Junior Brother Zhou, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He managed to utter just a “You…” before his eyes widened in shock, and he uncontrollably collapsed forward.

Xu Nian’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t noticed any injury on him. As Junior Brother Zhou fell, the dark blade of a demon sword was slowly pulled from his back, staining his robe with blood. Holding the blade was none other than Senior Brother Qi.

The demonic blade was the very one taken from the demonic cultivator they had just encountered.

The turn of events was so sudden that Xu Nian was momentarily stunned.

She watched as Senior Brother Qi, knife in hand, delivered another blow to Junior Brother Zhou’s neck, ensuring his death. Then he slowly crouched to pick up the divine artifact that had fallen to the ground.

Xu Nian’s heart raced. There couldn’t be a better opportunity than this.

Without further thought, she calmed herself, reducing her presence to the minimum. In a flash, her eyes sharpened, and she sprang like an arrow towards the divine artifact.