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

Ever since the blessing of the Snake Goddess graced Qingshui County, everyone in Qingshui County has been walking around with smile on their faces. Whenever they encounter troubles they can’t resolve, all they need to do is pray at the Snake Temple, and the Snake Goddess surely provides a solution.

The days were bright and clear, with a sense of peace and tranquility pervading both inside and outside the city.

Guard Zhang Fu, on duty at the city gate, lounged lazily: “When I’m off duty, I’ll also go to the temple to ask the Snake Goddess for a blessing, hoping my wife will give birth to a healthy baby boy this year.”

Drip-drop, drip-drop, the cool rain suddenly started to fall. The previously clear sky turned dark in an instant, followed by a continuous vibration coming from the distance.

Li Yong, another guard, climbed up the city wall and squinted into the distance: “What’s that coming? Are those bugs?”

Hearing this, Zhang Fu also climbed up for a better view. At the end of his sightline, a dense swarm of black dots approached rapidly with the growing vibration. As the black dots neared, Zhang Fu could make out their menacing forms. His face paled as he stuttered in terror, “It’s demon beasts! They are attacking the city!”

Li Yong, too, realized with horror that the dark mass was actually a horde of demon beasts. They were so densely packed that they resembled a black tidal wave surging towards Qingshui County.

It had been over a hundred years since the last demon beast attack on the city. Since the eight major cultivation sects of the cultivation world had united to demarcate territories and established a pact to exterminate demon beasts, investing heavily in their eradication, there hadn’t been any attacks on cities. But now…

In panic, Li Yong frantically banged the warning gong and ran to alert the city, “The demon beasts are coming! Run for your lives, run…”

As the surging wave of demon beasts drew closer, the ground-shaking tremors reached Qingshui County.

This army of beasts was incomparably more powerful than the previous outskirts skirmish. Their forms were massive and terrifying, many mutated beyond recognition. Three heads and six eyes were common, and some even lacked fur, revealing their sharp teeth – a sight one would only expect in nightmares.

The city wall, spanning over ten meters in width, could only withstand the onslaught for less than a minute. With a loud ‘bang’, it collapsed into a pile of useless rubble.

With the city wall gone, the demon beasts flooded into the town unimpeded. Using their massive bodies, they crushed houses and hunted down the defenseless citizens, devouring them in a frenzy. Cries and wails filled the air as Qingshui County, once peaceful and prosperous, was turned into a living hell of carnage, dismembered limbs, and dark pools of blood.

“Snake Goddess, please help us!” a person huddled in a corner, praying continuously to the Snake Goddess.

Hearing a noise, he looked up with hope, only to be fatally clawed by a demon beast lurking behind him, its claws ripping out his intestines.

…

Xu Nian realizes something is wrong midway through her cultivation and rushes over, but by the time she arrives, it’s somewhat too late as the city is already full of rampaging demon beasts.

Though she slew a number of the invaders, more beasts continued their onslaught in areas she couldn’t reach, ravaging the citizens. The sheer number of beasts overwhelmed her.

She and Ji Yuebai had to split up, hoping to save as many people as possible in the city.

“Snake Goddess, you’ve come to save us.”

“We knew the Snake Goddess wouldn’t abandon us.”

Xu Nian rescued several terrified people from the clutches of the beasts and sheltered them in her miniature courtyard. It was the best temporary solution she could think of, given the overwhelming number of beasts. Her snake form alone couldn’t protect everyone scattered throughout the city, so she used the miniature courtyard as a refuge for the afflicted.

She prioritized saving lives, quickly scouring the city. Any obstructive beasts were killed, and the rescued people were placed in the miniature courtyard. In a short span, she managed to save hundreds.

However, with the city’s vast population, the miniature courtyard soon reached its capacity. Xu Nian directed the Elderly, women, and children to take refuge there, while others fled under her protection.

Besides Xu Nian and Ji Yuebai, there were also some low-level cultivators temporarily in the city. They too drew their weapons and talismans, joining the villagers in a desperate struggle against the beasts.

After saving as many as possible, Xu Nian plunged into the horde, slaughtering her way through. Although the beasts attacking this time were of a higher level than before, they were still no match for her; their only advantage was in numbers.

“Damn these beasts,” she seethed, infuriated that they dared to destroy her food supplies and kill the people aiding her cultivation. “Today, they’ll learn why the flowers are so red.”

Soon, Xu Nian had decimated the beasts in the area, leaving only their carcasses and remains. She was about to move to the next sector.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and a loud voice bellowed from the sky: “Wretched creature, dare to ruin my plans!”

Looking up, Xu Nian saw a sword qi wrapped in green lightning, descending from the clouds with a formidable pressure, striking towards her with the speed of lightning.

Caught off guard by the sudden thunderous strike, Xu Nian had no time to dodge. Reluctant to reveal her black box, a godly artifact, she wrapped her spiritual energy around herself, bracing to withstand the blow with her physical body.

However, a seemingly gentle sword light intercepted the green thunderous sword energy in mid-air. The clash of the two sword energies created a buzzing sound, exploding in a violent shockwave that dissipated into the atmosphere.

Ji Yuebai stood in front of Xu Nian, sword in hand, seemingly unaffected by the massive impact. Her noble and upright posture, with her raven black hair flowing behind her due to the burst of sword energy, and her snow-white Daoist robe fluttering in the wind, presented a majestic sight.

The figure in the clouds revealed himself – a middle-aged male cultivator, around forty, holding a dark red tower enveloped in a sinister aura, emitting eerie wails. His face was cold and dark, “Merely a fledgling, daring to interfere with my plans.”

A low-level cultivator, who had just escaped the fray, recognized him in terror, “He’s the Soul Devourer Daoist, a renegade from Tian Yuan Sect who turned to demonic cultivation. He’s controlling this demon beast tide to harvest the souls of the entire city to boost his cultivation!”

The Soul Devourer Daoist, showing a sinister smile, said, “I didn’t expect someone here would recognize me. Bad luck for you, kid.” With a swift gesture, the cultivator suddenly felt a chilling sensation on his back and collapsed, lifeless, before he could react.

Xu Nian couldn’t make out how the man had died, but the hair on her back stood up.

The Soul Devourer Daoist exuded a fearsome and malevolent aura. His initial strike had failed to take down Xu Nian and was intercepted by Ji Yuebai, which greatly irritated him. Seizing an opportunity while Xu Nian was off guard, he attacked her again with lightning speed.

Enraged by his second sneak attack, Xu Nian cursed vehemently, “You old pervert, instead of cultivating respectfully at your age, you have the nerve to ambush me, just a simple snake!”

Caught off guard by her foul language, the Soul Devourer faltered in his descent, giving Ji Yuebai an opening. In an instant, she moved like a shooting star, her sword striking swiftly at his vital points.

Xu Nian wasted no time seizing this opportunity, leaping up to join Ji Yuebai in a pincer attack against the Soul Devourer Daoist.

The Soul Devourer Daoist cursed inwardly at the cunning of the snake demon. Facing the sharp sword light from above and blocked by the snake below, he bit his thumb and quickly drew a symbol in the air, instantly teleporting himself several hundred meters away.

He glared intensely at the young sword cultivator garbed in Tian Yuan Sect’s robe. It was hard for him to believe that in just over two decades since his defection from Tian Yuan Sect, such a stunningly talented individual had emerged. Already stepping into the Golden Core phase in her twenties, she was a rare prodigy in millions. He felt a rush of excitement at the thought of her demise at his hands.

He needed a strategy to separate this sword cultivator from the cunning snake demon. With his near Nascent Soul cultivation, defeating a junior who had just entered the early stages of Golden Core should be effortless.

“The leading cultivator of the righteous Tian Yuan Sect, mingling with a filthy snake demon, is quite an eye-opener,” he taunted, trying to sow discord between the sword cultivator and the snake demon.

“This creature is sly and deceitful. Aren’t you afraid it might bite you when you least expect it?” he continued, suggesting the snake’s potential threat.

“Our high-level cultivators’ flesh and blood are supreme delicacies for these creatures,” he added, further stoking fear.

Xu Nian, infuriated by his attempts to disrupt the relationship she had worked hard to build, shouted back, challenging him to come down and face her, assuring him she wouldn’t kill him.

The Soul Devourer, pretending not to hear, secretly watched the sword cultivator’s reaction.

To his horror, he saw her eyes filled with icy coldness. As her slender fingers brushed over her sword, the blade burst with sharpness, emitting a terrifying pressure far beyond the Golden Core stage. Countless icy blue spheres of spiritual energy formed around her, shooting towards the Soul Devourer at her command.

The Soul Devourer Daoist was shocked. How could she, a mere junior, effortlessly use the Boundless Sword formation, which required Nascent Soul stage power? Realizing the threat she posed, he knew he had to eliminate her. If he let her grow unchecked, his life would eventually be in danger.

He commanded the evil spirits within the Myriad Ghost Tower to use their bodies to block the onslaught of the Boundless Sword Formation while retreating quickly towards the outskirts of the city.

“He’s trying to escape!” Xu Nian launched more than a dozen Thunderstrike talismans in the direction of the fleeing Soul Devouring Daoist, but only managed to hit his rear with one.

Electrocuted, the Soul Devourer Daoist’s dignified beard frizzled, but he was too preoccupied with evading Ji Yuebai’s pursuit to care about Xu Nian. He glared hatefully at Xu Nian, wishing to flay her alive, planning to first kill the sword cultivator and then deal with the deceitful snake demon.

In the deserted woods on the outskirts, the Boundless Sword Formation, unstoppable, completely sealed off the Soul Devouring Daoist’s escape path.

Ji Yuebai, sword in hand, coldly approached him step by step, “It’s futile; you cannot escape.”

The Soul Devourer Daoist, panting heavily and crouching, a glint of something strange in his eyes, spoke in a sinister, eerie voice, “No, it’s you who cannot escape.”

As he finished speaking, several crimson rays of light suddenly emanated from him, swiftly forming a semi-circular blood-red cage around him. In the blink of an eye, black toxic mists spread within it, and countless demons and ghouls with bizarre postures crawled up from the ground.

…

Xu Nian had thought that once the Soul Devourer fled, the demon beast tide would lose control and dissipate. However, the situation did not unfold as she had anticipated; the ferocious beasts continued to roam and wreak havoc in the city.

Cries for help reached her ears from time to time, and she couldn’t just stand by. She couldn’t catch up with Ji Yuebai, who was in pursuit the Soul Devouring Daoist, and turned back to join the cultivators fighting the invading beasts.

With Xu Nian’s powerful intervention, the pressure on the low-level cultivators significantly decreased. She took the lead, robustly knocking away the beasts with her thick skin and tough flesh. The ones that didn’t die from her blows were finished off by the cultivator squad following behind her, making their actions swift and efficient.

After cleaning up the demon beasts in the city with the help of the low-level cultivators, Xu Nian found herself nearly depleted of spiritual energy. This was the first time she had fought for so long, and by the end, she was pushing herself to her limits.

Using the last of her spiritual energy, she opened the mini courtyard and released all the townspeople she had sheltered there earlier.

After the battle, Qingshui County lay in ruins. Houses were reduced to heaps of dirt and wood under the destruction caused by the gigantic beasts. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and the streets were littered with the bodies of both humans and beasts, creating a heartbreaking scene of utter desolation.

Many had lost their loved ones in the disaster, and their cries of grief filled the air.

Some, despite their sorrow, consoled others, “As long as we’re alive, it’s good… as long as we’re alive…”

A somber and heavy atmosphere enveloped the crowd.

Mu Yanyu, disheveled, pushed through the crowd to Xu Nian’s side, “Where’s Ji Yuebai?”

A sense of foreboding surged in Xu Nian’s heart.

“She went after a demonic cultivator, she…” Xu Nian started, but suddenly her vision blurred and her head buzzed. In her hazy sight, a figure approached slowly in her direction.

“I’ve searched so hard for you, my dear sister.”