A High Adept

Suddenly, the White Snake turned and fled into the mountains like mad, using every ounce of strength she had to steal bird eggs.

Just moments ago, the White Snake had confirmed that this world was a cultivation world with demons and cultivators. Her thermal vision had clearly sensed someone flying through the sky—yes, flying. Then, the infrared heat signatures representing the lives of those bandits on the ground had steadily cooled. A falling body temperature was not a mild fever; it meant death was gradually turning them cold!

Those who could fly in the heavens were immortals, and immortals had always loved Demon Subjugation. The White Snake had no choice but to flee for her life.

Within the mountain forest.

A streak of white light flashed past. Though she had burrowed into the mountains, the unease in the White Snake's soul did not fade. To survive, she could only keep running without daring to relax for even a moment.

Outside the mountains, a pair of beautiful eyes gazed toward where the White Snake had vanished...

The white figure on the ground continuously crossed hills and streams, fleeing upstream along the waterway that had brought her out of the mountains. When animals encountered danger, their first thought was to crawl back into their dens. The White Snake thought the same way. If worse came to worst, she would hide at the bottom of the deep pool for ten days or half a month.

What she did not know was that someone was flying overhead, watching her frantic escape with great interest.

In the sky, three people stood atop a flying sword. Yes, a flying sword—the kind one could stand on and fly through the air. If the White Snake saw it, her jaw would probably drop straight to the ground. She had dreamed countless times of riding a treasured sword through the skies, and now it had come true—except someone else was doing the flying.

Two children clung tightly to a woman. She appeared to be around thirty, graceful and refined, beautiful inside and out. Her lovely large eyes gleamed with intelligence. She wore a white, skirted Daoist robe and a white jade crown, her long hair draped over her shoulders. A white cloak embroidered with plum blossoms swayed gently in the wind, making her seem like a fairy maiden from the Ninth Heaven.

"I'd like to see where this White Worm can run to now. Master, hurry and kill her!" the little boy said angrily, pointing at the White Snake in the forest.

The two children were around ten years old, one boy and one girl. Treasured swords rested on their backs, and they wore white Cloud Patterned Daoist Robes with blue designs, blue-cloud shoes on their feet, and jade hairpins securing their topknots. They looked like immortal children from a legend.

The woman smiled.

"Oh? Why kill her?"

"This White Worm dared to bring calamity upon the people in broad daylight. If she is not killed, the people's anger cannot be appeased!"

"Then what kind of people did she kill?"

"What kind? Of course, she killed villagers. If we had not arrived in time, that old granny would likely have suffered her poisonous fangs. If you don't believe me, ask Junior Sister."

The little boy looked toward the little girl beside him. After thinking for a moment, the girl nodded.

The woman shook her head and sighed softly.

"Mu'er, Ling'er, reading ten thousand scrolls is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. What you see before your eyes does not necessarily represent the truth. As your master, I should have brought you two down the mountain more often. Not all people are good, and demons are not necessarily all evil. Those thieves running rampant were evil, yet the White Snake killed evil men without harming innocent villagers. Tell me, was that snake hateful, or were those villains steeped in evil more hateful?"

The two little ones lowered their heads without speaking, though deep down, they still could not accept that a demon could possess kindness.

The woman seemed to know what her two disciples were thinking.

"Remember this: think thrice before acting, and do not let appearances blind your eyes."

"Yes, Master."

"That White Snake has already returned to her nest. Let us go down and take a look."

The White Snake, who had run back to the valley panting for breath, finally relaxed. The endless flight had drained too much of her strength, leaving her indescribably exhausted. She skillfully climbed the ancient Ginkgo Tree, whose branches had been worn smooth from her frequent coiling and climbing.

There were too many traps beyond the mountains. She absolutely could not go out again!

The White Snake made up her mind. Even if gold covered the ground outside the mountains, she would not leave. Whoever wanted to go could go; she was staying put.

In midair, the three watched the amusing White Snake with smiles. The woman looked around. Though this was no Blessed Land, it was still a fine place. Its spiritual energy was passable—one of those places cultivators disdained while spirits and monsters ignored. It was enough for a little demon with Spiritual Intelligence to cultivate. The deep pool in the valley and the surrounding terrain formed a crude Spirit Gathering Array, while the ancient Ginkgo Tree was the formation's core. The White Snake had encountered a bit of fortune.

With a flash, the three appeared atop a huge boulder beneath the tree. The girl curiously bent down and reached out to touch the boulder worn smooth by the White Snake.

The White Snake was dumbfounded...

Were these three immortals, or cultivators? Suddenly having people chase her all the way to her old nest, she did not know whether to run or continue pretending to be an ordinary wild beast and hide in plain sight. Her body instinctively reacted. She exposed the two sharp venomous fangs in her upper jaw in warning.

"Hiss!"

That woman was very beautiful. She would have been even more beautiful if she were not smiling at her, the White Snake thought.

"A little snake that has only just condensed qi, yet possesses such high Spiritual Intelligence. Interesting."

Upon hearing this, the White Snake, who had just arched herself into an attacking posture, immediately gave up resisting. She slid down the trunk and coiled herself on the ground, pressing both her head and body close to the earth in surrender. What else could she do? Could she not see that their treasured swords were floating in midair? They were sword immortals!

She lowered her head and did not dare move, only hoping that such important figures would not take a mere snake like her seriously. Then, through her keen sense of smell, she discovered someone had walked in front of her. Her belly scales felt no vibrations. There was no need to say more—the person's cultivation had surely reached the point of leaving no trace even upon snow. There were clearly three people before her, yet she could only sense the two children. As for the woman, she could only determine her direction by scent.

The woman was observing the White Snake.

The White Snake was ordinary, yet also somewhat different. She was only a little stronger than an ordinary beast, and Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters generally did not possess much Spiritual Intelligence. Yet this White Snake was exceptionally intelligent. When she had first seen the master and disciples, the surprise and bewilderment in her eyes, followed by her flight and feigned stupidity, then her immediate descent to the ground and acceptance of fate after a single sentence—it was all quite interesting.

Before long, an amusing idea entered the woman's mind.

"Little snake, would you like to follow me up the mountain and become a Guardian Demon Beast?"

In truth, the woman had not planned this before. She had merely come out of curiosity, seeking to pass the dull time between cultivation. It was not simply because this beast had high Spiritual Intelligence, either. Though the White Snake was clever, there were plenty of highly intelligent demons in the world. What changed her mind were those delicate, sleek, beautiful Snake Scales. Women did like beautiful things; it was like seeing a lovely bracelet and naturally wanting to buy it.

The White Snake raised her head and saw the woman's eager expression as she stared at her beautiful Snake Scales. She could only nod in agreement.

If she refused, though she had determined that the woman was not bad and possessed a kind heart, what if the woman suddenly turned ruthless and wanted to make a snakeskin wallet?

It had to be said that people in ancient times were still rather decent. If they liked a snake, they brought the whole snake home to guard the gate, unlike on modern Earth, where they would directly turn its skin into wallets and handbags to flaunt all day long.

The two children did not mind. Instead, they found having an extra snake rather interesting.

There was no need to say much to a Low-level Demon Snake. With a sweep of her long sleeve, the woman drew the White Snake into it. Darkness fell before the White Snake's eyes, and she fainted. Well then, she had been treated like an object.

What a disaster...