Snake's Ritual 1/5

At the Cilician Marshes Treehouse, the trembling lush vines have stopped, their leaves glistening with dewdrops, and their delicate stamens, facing the morning sun, exude a faint fragrance.

On a bed adorned with petals and leaves, two figures, sculpted like marble and jade, sleep in each other's arms, like a still, exquisite painting, displaying the perfect grace of the gods.

After a suppressed whimper, the delicate body covered by the blanket stirred slightly, and she slowly woke up.

Samael gazed at the skin flushed with a rosy hue, a playful smile on his face. He lowered his head and gently pecked Themis's delicate earlobe.

"Ugh... Stop messing around!"

Seeing that she couldn't pretend to be asleep to avoid the lewd Goddess of Justice, she pressed down on her uneasy fingers and glared resentfully at the madman who had tormented her all night.

Then, Themis's wandering gaze fell on the deep, bone-revealing teeth marks on the back of Samael's hand, and she gently stroked them with a hint of helplessness.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It's okay, and this is proof of our 'love'."

Samael recalled some idyllic scenes, shook his head slightly without a care, blinked, and chuckled teasingly.

Themis's cheeks instantly flushed, and she gently bit her cherry lips with her pearly teeth. The usually gentle and elegant goddess now had a hint of reproach and anger on her blushing face.

"Next time, don't suddenly revert to your monster form while doing something like this..."

Faced with the judge's subsequent accountability, Gu She quickly suppressed his mischievousness and obediently nodded in admission of wrongdoing.

A sudden, impulsive act of blasphemy can indeed bring the pleasure of breaking the Rules, but it can only be done once and not again.

After a brief moment of tenderness, Samael got up first and carefully combed and massaged Themis's body, which was a little sore, with flower dew. He also prepared a sumptuous breakfast.

Looking at the interesting case titled "Solomon's Judge" on the sticky note on her plate, the Goddess of Justice became even more delighted, and even the food she ate that day tasted a little sweeter.

Samael, sitting to one side, briefly explained the process and conclusion of the Mother Goddess to the female judge.

"You've got what you wanted, so what's next?"

Themis put down her small bowl, carefully tucked away the special "appetizer" containing the interesting cases, and then frowned and asked softly.

The ancient serpent activated the Sorcery Array, took out a bright yellow golden apple from it, tossed it to Themis, and smiled calmly.

"To be on the safe side, let's eat an apple first to tide us over, and then we can make contact with the prophet."

The Goddess of Justice gently shook her head and returned the golden apple to Samael.

"No need. Titan Gods are born from the power of Rules and possess a certain degree of immortality. They are not so easy to kill."

"You can stay here and absorb the life force bestowed by Jin Ping Kuan. I will protect your safety."

Then, Themis curled her fingers and grasped the longsword hanging on the wall. With the balance scales on both sides shifting, starlight fell and concealed the nearby treehouse.

Seeing that the Goddess of Justice was determined to do so, Samael had no choice but to give up the bribe and keep it for himself.

These three golden apples were originally intended for one for the Serpent Mother, one for Tina, and one for Themis, to complete the set.

However, both Tina and Themis possess natural immortality, and in the end, only Echidna, whose divinity is incomplete, truly needs it.

Since that's the case, the ancient serpent had no choice but to waste a wave of resources, using a golden apple to further enhance its immortality.

In any case, in terms of level and rarity, the Immortal Herb is really no match for the Golden Apple, which is formed from the power of the earth's bounty.

As for the last one, let's keep it for now. We might need it if we encounter any events related to it in the future.

Samael had made up his mind. He quickly finished off the golden apple, and as the surging life force boiled and surged within his body, he immediately closed his eyes and circulated his divine core, patiently absorbing it.

A day and a half later, in the Water Marsh Treehouse.

The Primordial Serpent, its head and tail intertwined in a perfect circle, lies coiled within the house. Its lifeless, grayish-white color extends from its tail.

As its entire body became like a stone sculpture, the light in its eyes also went out completely.

"Laugh!"

When the sound of the machine was suppressed to almost nothing, a barely audible tearing sound of cloth came from above.

Zooming in, a pitch-black crevice appeared on the grayish-white snake scales, gradually widening.

The Goddess of Justice, sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard with a sword in one hand, sensed the etheric tremor in the air and turned to look at the point where the torrent of life was erupting.

Water Marsh Treehouse, branches and leaves grow wildly, thousands of lush vines hang down and meander, and hundreds of buds, which were about to bloom, have fully opened after being nourished.

Thankfully, all was well! The Goddess of Justice breathed a sigh of relief.

It took so long?

It seems that this snake, which used to be of ordinary origin, is still lacking in bloodline compared to true gods and monsters.

After muttering a few words, Samael casually picked up the clothes hanging on the rack and put them on.

Then, the ancient snake picked up the dull Snake Molt from the ground, flicked it with its finger, and chuckled softly.

However, with each transformation, he made earth-shattering progress, becoming more perfect in both body and divinity.

A moment later, the door opened from the outside in, and Themis walked into the room. Seeing that Samael was safe and sound, she was finally relieved.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I'll take them out for a trip. I'll leave the safety of the Cilician Marshes to you."

The ancient serpent nodded in response, looking at the Goddess of Justice who had agreed without hesitation, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Then, it turned its gaze to the Snake Molt between its fingers and palms, and the corners of its lips slightly lifted.

Before I leave, let me give you a small gift.

As Samael pondered, he placed the Snake Molt on the ground, raised his hand forward, curled his fingers inward, and pierced the skin of his palm with his fingertips, a trickle of golden-red blood dripping onto the Snake Molt.

In an instant, the grayish-white snake scales regained their luster, and the empty abdominal cavity was quickly filled with flesh, bones, meridians, and organs.

After a moment, Samael looked at the black snake, which was about a foot long and was indistinguishable from a living creature but had a dull reaction. After a moment's thought, he raised his hand and drew a series of wedge-shaped symbols in the air.

Immediately, the ancient serpent flicked it away with its bent finger, and a golden radiance, enveloped by the talisman, disappeared from the black serpent's skull.

In an instant, the little creature's eyes sparkled with intelligence, and it went on to perform several increasingly difficult movements, such as shaking its head and wagging its tail, and crossing its legs in a figure eight.

Okay, that's settled then.

Samael nodded in satisfaction, and guided the creature, which possessed its own spirit, to swim to Themis's feet, where it then climbed onto the arm of the Goddess of Justice.

"When I'm not around, treat this as your pet, as a medium for our connection."

"If anything goes wrong, notify me immediately."

Themis gently stroked the Primordial Serpent's small head, nodded slightly, and watched Samael disappear into the distance.

Just as the ancient serpent was about to step out of the room, the Goddess of Justice bit her cherry lips and couldn't help but murmur a question.

Can we truly build a just order?

"I don't know what true justice really is, but I can guarantee that the future won't be worse than the present."

Samael turned back and smiled, his gaze resolute.

To break the Rules of the jungle, to restrain the gods, to establish order in this world, and to make the law depend on the gods—this is the sacrifice I wish to offer to Themis.

The judiciary should be impartial and flawless.

So let the snake, representing revenge and punishment, bring the growing pains of change to this world.

Samael pondered for a moment, then waved and walked away into the distance.