Chapter Seventeen: The Courage of the Ancestral Serpent!

Ji Meng did not hesitate in the slightest. He took his own son, She Li, and left Golden Heng Peak without so much as casting a glance at She Qi. It was as if She Qi was a complete stranger to him; She Qi watched Ji Meng’s indifferent departure, his heart filled with terror.

She Qi now felt utterly despairing. The illustrious demon sage Ji Meng had broken the oath he once swore, lured him into causing chaos in the Northern Wilds, and She Qi had believed that the serpent demon clan would ascend to new heights under his leadership. Yet, in an instant, Ji Meng had betrayed him. Now, his son had discovered he was not his biological father and had left, and soon, She Qi feared, even his own life might be forfeit.

Silence reigned across Golden Heng Peak; within the cave dwellings, one could hear a pin drop.

Jiang Yuan watched She Qi with an amused expression, saying nothing, his tyrannical aura steadily eroding She Qi’s last shreds of courage. She Qi finally understood fear.

Without Ji Meng’s support, how could he possibly oppose Zhou King, who commanded the world?

“Your Majesty… this matter…” She Qi finally managed to speak, but once the words reached his lips, he found himself at a loss.

Jiang Yuan seemed to anticipate what he was about to say and asked with a smile, “Are you about to tell me this was all a misunderstanding?”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty sees clearly!” She Qi eagerly seized the excuse Jiang Yuan had offered.

He had imagined Zhou King would give him a way out, use both hard and soft tactics to force the serpent demon clan to submit to the Shang dynasty.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yuan’s expression changed dramatically. He roared, “Misunderstanding? You know what crime you have committed? Treason and rebellion! Attempting to undermine the foundation of my Shang dynasty! Such crimes warrant your death ten thousand times over! And you still dare ask for my forgiveness? What a foolish dream!”

“General Zhang!”

“I am here!” Zhang Kui responded stoutly.

“Strip She Qi of all his powers! I will personally execute the one who threatened the foundation of my Shang dynasty!” Jiang Yuan’s voice was commanding.

“Yes!”

At his command, Zhang Kui conjured a Thunderblade from thin air. Thunder rolled and cold winds howled as he sped toward She Qi.

She Qi realized Zhou King was determined to kill him. He summoned a flexible sword, golden scales instantly covering him, gleaming with heavy brilliance—a formidable defense.

“Tricks of a petty craftsman!” Zhang Kui snorted coldly. Lightning crackled around his blade, radiating oppressive power.

Zhang Kui gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down in a mighty blow.

“Die!”

She Qi could not defend in time and took the blow directly, retreating several steps. Thankfully, his golden scales protected him from serious harm.

From this brief exchange, She Qi saw that Zhang Kui was only at the True Immortal realm, the same as himself. Though Zhang Kui was stronger, She Qi’s defensive treasure gave him confidence he would not be easily defeated.

Moreover, She Qi had no intention of entangling with Zhang Kui. Just as Ji Meng had abandoned him, She Qi could abandon the entire serpent clan.

Jiang Yuan saw through She Qi’s intentions and instructed the nearby Yin Jiao, “Jiao’er, assist General Zhang. Don’t let She Qi escape.”

“Your son obeys!” Yin Jiao bowed and departed.

He immediately unleashed his divine power, manifesting three heads and six arms. One hand held the Heavenly Seal, another the Soul Seed, two clenched into fists, and the last two wielded twin swords. His Nine Mysteries Battle Body shone brilliantly, captivating all who saw him.

Radiant with treasures, Yin Jiao appeared at the battlefield’s edge, declaring arrogantly to She Qi, “Old dog, with me here, you won’t escape! Face General Zhang in battle!”

She Qi, confronted by the treasure-laden Yin Jiao, frowned deeply. His chances of escape today were slim indeed.

But he would not stand and await death. His flexible sword stretched out like a ribbon, spiraling toward Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui was unperturbed, swinging his Thunderblade, one force rigid, the other supple. Unsurprisingly, She Qi’s sword suffered no harm; Zhang Kui’s effort seemed wasted.

This infuriated Zhang Kui, who felt he had lost face before the king. He bellowed and unleashed his signature technique: Earthwalk.

In an instant, Zhang Kui vanished underground, beyond She Qi’s ability to detect. Zhang Kui’s Earthwalk could cover 1,500 miles a day, a full 500 more than master Tu Xing Sun. There was no way She Qi could predict where Zhang Kui would reappear.

Unable to sense his opponent, She Qi was forced into a defensive stance, retracting his sword and focusing all his power on reinforcing his golden scales.

He dared not relax for a moment. Yet his vigilance was futile; Zhang Kui’s Earthwalk was ghostly and unpredictable. He reappeared behind She Qi, catching him off guard.

Inevitably, She Qi took another heavy blow.

This strike dimmed the golden scales considerably, though She Qi was still only lightly wounded. Zhang Kui shouted, “Let’s see how long your pathetic shell can last!”

Wounded, She Qi could only defend. He dared not use his flexible sword anymore, lest Zhang Kui exploit an opening.

Zhang Kui seized on this vulnerability and abandoned his subterranean attacks, raining blow after blow upon She Qi.

The cavern rang with the metallic clash of blade against armor. She Qi’s golden scales grew dimmer and began to crack.

At last, She Qi could not withstand Zhang Kui’s onslaught. After all, Zhang Kui would one day be enshrined as the Seven Kill Star, the god of slaughter. With his power at the peak of True Immortal, She Qi’s defeat was inevitable.

A mouthful of blood splattered from She Qi’s lips, his face turning pale. Soon, he reverted to his original form—his incomplete human shape gave way to a giant serpent, collapsed on the cave floor, barely alive.

Seeing She Qi forced back to his true form, Zhang Kui finally returned to Jiang Yuan’s side and saluted respectfully. “Your Majesty, the mission is accomplished!”

“Well done!” Jiang Yuan laughed heartily.

“Has his cultivation been abolished?”

Zhang Kui hesitated, realizing he had forgotten. As he turned to finish the task, Yin Jiao stepped forward, holding a golden serpent gallbladder and presenting it to Jiang Yuan with pride. “Such a small matter need not trouble General Zhang. Allow me, Your Highness, to handle it.”

He had come to the Northern Wilds to fight, but his father had rarely given him the chance. He seized every opportunity to prove himself.

“Jiao’er, you did well!” Jiang Yuan praised, smiling.

He recognized Yin Jiao’s efforts and was generous with his praise—after all, words cost him nothing.

But the golden serpent gallbladder Yin Jiao handed over unexpectedly came with system data.

Ancestral Serpent Gallbladder: The gallbladder of the world’s first serpent, the ultimate treasure passed down through the serpent clan. Even before Nuwa became a saint, she coveted this gallbladder—the origin of all serpents. Can be exchanged for 500 Tyrant Points.

What is this? Even a serpent gallbladder can earn Tyrant Points? It’s more valuable than the serpent clan chief! Jiang Yuan recalled that Crown Prince Yin Jiao of the Shang dynasty was worth only 500 Tyrant Points. No wonder Nuwa coveted it.

This gallbladder’s value, perhaps, lay in its connection to Nuwa—it could possibly restrain her in some way.