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

Just as Xu Nian braced for the impending pain, a red figure suddenly appeared, spreading its arms in front of her to shield her.

“Please, I beg you, don’t harm her.”

Mu Yanyu, unable to stay away due to her concern, had returned. Seeing the townspeople, seemingly crazed, wielding weapons to attack Xu Nian, she rushed forward without a second thought, attempting to stop them.

Remarkably, she was not under the control of Qingyi’s soul-capturing technique.

The weapon-wielding townspeople, recognizing a familiar face, hesitated in their steps.

The leader, with bloodshot eyes, yelled at her, “Move aside, Mu! We’re doing this for everyone’s good. If we kill this snake demon, we all can survive.”

The crowd behind him, brandishing their weapons, chorused in agreement: “She’s not one of us; her intentions must be different. How do you know she’s not just pretending to help us while plotting our downfall?”

Mu Yanyu, who lived under the same roof as Xu Nian and knew of her daily ventures to help those praying at the temple, defended her, “Although she’s a snake demon, she’s a good one. She has never harmed anyone.”

One of the townspeople retorted fiercely, “And how do you know that? Are you in league with this snake demon, bringing disaster upon us?”

“Exactly, she’s thinking of the snake demon instead of us all.”

“Let’s kill her too!”

“Kill her, kill her, kill her!”

The crowd, no longer hesitating, lunged at the defenseless Mu Yanyu, their weapons glinting coldly. She turned pale and closed her eyes in despair, “They’ve gone mad. All of them.”

The next second, she was swept behind Xu Nian by her tail, shielding her from the oncoming attack.

Sharp weapons pierced through Xu Nian’s scales and into her flesh, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably with pain.

The people, seeing their weapons were effective, exclaimed with glee, “It’s working, these weapons really work! We can kill it with these!”

Mu Yanyu, now protected under Xu Nian’s coiled body, was frantic with worry. Her voice, laden with tears, pleaded, “Run, just run! Don’t worry about me, these people have lost their minds.”

She couldn’t escape.

Xu Nian’s dark eyes were fixed on Qingyi in the sky. He had gone to great lengths to lure her out of the black box and surely wouldn’t let her slip back so easily. He must have set up a barrier around the box, one that allowed exit but no re-entry. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reconnect with the box, let alone hide back inside it.

More and more weapons pierced through her scales, stirring her flesh. She almost shattered her silver teeth from the pain, and eventually, she couldn’t hold back any longer. With her tail, she swept away the humans attacking her.

The intense pain made it difficult for her to control her strength. Those closest to her were sent flying dozens of meters away by the force of her tail, landing amidst the ruins, blood spraying from their internal injuries.

The soul-binding oath wrapped around her heart activated then, feeling like spiked iron thorns piercing into her heart and tightening unrelentingly. Compared to the excruciating pain of this constriction, the previous blade wounds almost seemed bearable.

Xu Nian could no longer contain her agony, rolling and thrashing on the ground like a fish on a cutting board.

The townspeople, fearful of being injured like the unlucky few before them, retreated.

Only Mu Yanyu, embracing Xu Nian’s body, cried uncontrollably: “Xu Nian, Xu Nian…”

Xu Nian’s once beautiful green scales were now covered with wounds of all sizes, blood continuously pouring from her body, staining her scales a deep red. She could only emit whimpers and mournful cries.

Mu Yanyu, desperate, tore off pieces of her clothing to try and cover Xu Nian’s wounds, but the blood kept flowing, unstoppable.

As Xu Nian’s struggles weakened, the hesitant townspeople armed with weapons regained their courage, ready to surge forward and finish her off.

Tears streaming down her face, Mu Yanyu shielded Xu Nian with her body: “Don’t kill her; she’s innocent. She never wanted to harm any of you.”

“Move, or we’ll kill you too.”

As the words fell, a sharp blade landed on Mu Yanyu, her blood flowing down the groove of the blade.

The attacker, startled, justified himself, “I warned you. It’s your own fault for not dodging.”

“Enough talk. That Mu girl is no better. She’s just been flaunting her uncle’s status as a county official. He’s already abandoned us and fled Qingshui County. Now see who will protect you.”

Another knife plunged into Mu Yanyu’s abdomen.

The young man wielding the knife looked horrified, his fingers trembling, “It’s not my fault, you chose to stand with that demon snake.”

Qingyi watched this spectacle with interest, a cruel glint in his eyes. It was time for him to intervene.

He swooped down but was repelled hundreds of meters away by a sword energy filled with intense murderous intent from afar.

The young man with the knife was now dismembered.

For the first time in her life, Ji Yuebai felt such intense rage, as if her heart was being seared over a flame.

Her green snake, the one that snuggled up with her every night, was now a bloody mess, barely clinging to life in the dirt, huddled next to the severely wounded Mu Yanyu.

Something hidden deep within was resurfacing amidst the chaos.

As Ji Yuebai arrived, the snake’s eyes briefly brightened before dimming again. She affectionately greeted her as always,

“Yuebai, you finally came. I’m in so much pain, it feels like I’m about to die.”

“Can you blow on it again…”

Her sword still dripped with fresh blood as she gently approached and squatted down, reaching out to touch the snake, her pristine Daoist robe trailing in the muddy, rain-soaked soil, becoming sullied.

The townspeople, armed and desperate, approached her, urging, “Immortal, you’re finally back.”

“Quickly kill this snake demon; it’s the root of all the misfortune that has befallen Qingshui County.”

“Yes, Immortal, kill it and all our problems will be solved.”

These armed individuals, thinking they were about to be saved, urged her eagerly, full of expectation.

Her fingers gently touched Xu Nian’s forehead, her voice tender beyond words, “I’ll help you in a moment.”

Suddenly, Xu Nian realized the agonizing pain in her heart had vanished, and the pain of soul-binding oath that was wrapped around her heart was gone.

Mu Yanyu had just caught her breath and wanted to explain the situation to Ji Yuebai.

But in the next second, a flash of silver light, and the heads of those clamoring for Xu Nian’s death slowly slid from their necks, bodies still upright, before they toppled over.

Those on the outskirts, their legs giving out, fell to the ground, “Aren’t you an immortal? Shouldn’t immortals save lives? How can you kill so indiscriminately?”

Standing protectively in front of Xu Nian, Ji Yuebai, in her immaculate white robe, was as ethereal and beautiful as ever, her sword dripping blood.

Her voice was like the chiming of jade, “Is killing someone like you, who repays kindness with malice, also considered indiscriminate?”

The man now facing her was the father of a little girl who had previously knelt before Xu Nian, swearing to repay her kindness.

He was speechless, struggling to justify himself, “I… I had no choice. Who knows if this snake demon wouldn’t harm people again?”

Disgust flashed in Ji Yuebai’s eyes, and in the next moment, his head joined the others on the ground.

Qingyi turned back to find that the hostages he’d taken so much effort to capture had been cleanly slaughtered by this sword cultivator. He was stunned, “You belong in the demonic path, not in a pretentious sect like Tian Yuan Sect.”

Facing Qingyi’s attack, what met him was another sword energy brimming with murderous intent. Qingyi barely dodged it, only to find his opponent swiftly advancing, her sword aimed right at his face, shocking him deeply.

He had thought that after killing the Soul Devouring Daoist, the sword cultivator would be at the end of her strength. Instead, her sword intent surged more fiercely, like an unstoppable tidal wave, heading straight for him. He instantly employed a high-level soul-capturing technique in a desperate attempt to shake her resolve, but her resolve was as unbreakable as a boulder.

Left with no choice, Qingyi revealed his true form, a form he despised, to block the attack. His clothes, cinched at the waist, tore as his body swelled, his massive shape nearly blotting out the sky. Simultaneously, four heads sprouted from each of his shoulders, transforming him into a sinister and terrifying nine-headed snake demon.

Originally, he had only one head, but the other eight grew after he devoured and transformed his siblings. Each head had its own abilities and consciousness, all sharing a single soul. Usually, they were sealed by him, only unleashed when facing powerful enemies.

Several enormous snake heads lunged at Ji Yuebai from all directions. Compared to the colossal snake demon, she seemed like a mere white speck floating in the air. Yet, she nimbly dodged the tricky onslaught, not just managing but almost overpowering the nine heads.

Below the fierce battle, Xu Nian, trembling with pain, used her tail to fish out healing spirit pills. She struggled to feed the unconscious Mu Yanyu, even pouring previously diluted spirit pill water down her throat. After swallowing the remaining pills and applying the spirit pill water to her wounds, Xu Nian collapsed, drained of strength.

Above, it was like gods battling. Ji Yuebai’s figure moved so fast in the air it was almost invisible. Qingyi’s nine heads employed every trick in the book, from spewing fire to emitting smoke, dazzling Xu Nian watching below. Explosions from close combat intermittently rocked the air.

Xu Nian was worried, but not for Ji Yuebai. She feared that after her own advancement, she might grow nine heads as well. If that happened, she would never dare look in a mirror again.

Ji Yuebai had already severed three of Qingyi’s heads. The remaining six howled in rage, entering a frenzied state. His enormous body crashed to the ground, shaking it on impact. Two heads that fell near Xu Nian caught her gaze.

The next second, Qingyi’s injured body lunged at Xu Nian, who, terrified, scrambled away, crawling and rolling, even shrinking her size to make herself a smaller target. Fortunately, Ji Yuebai swiftly intervened.

However, even Xu Nian could see that Qingyi was on the losing end. Soon, two more heads were cut off, leaving only three, unevenly spaced around its original head, teetering unsteadily.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from afar. A group of white-robed cultivators on flying swords hurried in their direction.

At that moment, Qingyi’s eyes turned blood red. The three snake heads on his shoulders rapidly shriveled and dropped, while his gaping maw began to brew a dark, ominous sphere, radiating a terrifying, sinister power.

Seeing this, Xu Nian urgently shouted, “No good, he’s unleashing a powerful attack, we need to retreat!”

As her voice fell, the dark sphere expanded like a black hole, engulfing the surrounding area in shadow. Time seemed to freeze within its reach, and Ji Yuebai’s movements suddenly slowed.

A malevolent glint flickered in Qingyi’s eyes. Unaffected by the slowdown, his venomous fangs aimed straight for Ji Yuebai’s slender neck.

Xu Nian, in the moment the dark field expanded, charged towards it, planning to use her tail to pull Ji Yuebai out of the slowed area. But upon entering the field, she found herself unaffected, possibly due to sharing the same bloodline as Qingyi. Like a snake immune to its own venom, their shared bloodline’s abilities couldn’t harm each other.

Thus, she struck like lightning, biting Qingyi’s neck, forcing his attack to halt. Consumed by hatred, Qingyi had neglected to guard against Xu Nian’s surprise attack and found himself in a death grip.

Being a shape-shifting demon beast, Xu Nian had to exert all her strength to bite through Qingyi’s scales. As she intensified her bite, Qingyi struggled desperately to shake her off. But Xu Nian, having suffered greatly at his hands, was determined not to let go, gripping with a tenacity stronger than a turtle’s bite.

As Qingyi writhed in agony, blood seeped from the flesh pierced by Xu Nian’s teeth. This made her feel disgusted, but she refused to loosen her grip, letting the tainted blood flow down her fangs into her mouth.

Something miraculous then happened. As she swallowed the blood, Xu Nian felt a strange power healing her battered body. Her spiritual energy rapidly replenished, and the initially foul-tasting blood transformed into an irresistibly enticing aroma, making her want to gulp it down.

Xu Nian finally realized why Qingyi was so intent on killing her – she was a large, delicious package of experience, with the added benefit of negating adverse effects.

The effect of the dark domain had dissipated. Ji Yuebai, sword in hand, smoothly decapitated Qingyi’s last head. The thick blood stained the Xian Yuan Sword deep red, but the small green orb within it swiftly devoured all the blood.

Reluctant to waste such a grand source of experience, Xu Nian, despite her mental discomfort, swallowed the rest of Qingyi’s body along with the demon core. She then lost her support and tumbled from the sky.

Her body fell into a warm embrace, and Xu Nian looked up at the person holding her.

Even from such an angle of impending death, the beauty was undeniable. A pleasant, cool fragrance emanated from her, and the black hair that fell upon Xu Nian felt ticklish but strangely comforting.

Though she had set out to repay a debt, in the end, it was she who had saved Xu Nian once again.

One after another, cultivators dressed in Tian Yuan Sect disciple robes descended from their flying swords, respectfully lining up in two rows and shouting in unison:

“Congratulations to Ji Shishu on advancing to the Golden Core stage and retrieving the Xian Yuan Sword.”

Ji Yuebai nodded indifferently, casually handing the Xian Yuan Sword to the leading disciple, “Take this to the Sect Leader for me.”

Hearing this, Xu Nian, who had been comfortably nestled in her arms, suddenly stiffened. She awkwardly twisted her neck, finding the once soft and comforting embrace now as uncomfortable as sitting on pins and needles, eager to escape.

Ji Yuebai had regained her memory! When did it happen, and how had Xu Nian not noticed any signs of it?

Xu Nian’s mind was in disarray, even feeling a twinge of stomachache as she struggled to think of how she would face Ji Yuebai soon.

The disciple bowed, accepting the sword and carefully placing the Xian Yuan Sword in a prepared scabbard, sealing it with reverence. He then methodically arranged for the other disciples to handle the aftermath of the battle and to guard the territories under Tian Yuan Sect’s jurisdiction.

After the others had left, the disciple remained by Ji Yuebai’s side, producing a bottle of pills from his sleeve, “Recently, I acquired a bottle of top-quality Guiyuan Pills, excellent for both replenishing spiritual energy and healing wounds. They are perfect for a Golden Core cultivator like Shishu.”

As Xu Nian was thinking about ways to better her relationship with Ji Yuebai, even contemplating resorting to flattery if needed, she was abruptly cut off by the disciple’s excessive praise.

Feeling a rush of irritation, she thought, ‘What’s this? Do I have to compete for the role of a bootlicker too?’

Ji Yuebai accepted the pills and effortlessly handed them to Xu Nian in her arms.

The disciple cautiously asked, “Shishu, may I inquire about the… entity in your arms?”

Lying in her arms, Xu Nian suddenly found the voice familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Turning her head in curiosity, she came face to face with a familiar visage, her expression twisting in shock.

Damn, talk about a small world – it was the same Qi Shaochen she had robbed before!