Snake Mother's Roar

Who is "Sir"?

There is no doubt.

Naturally, it is "Sir."

That is to say, the owner of the voice coming through the micro-earpiece.

If not for the commands issued one by one by "Sir," he, Zhou Yu, would have been torn to shreds by the endless swarm of giant snakes the moment he entered Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley, let alone deep into the Snake Den.

Under the guidance of "Sir."

Each giant snake acted like a marionette, allowing him to easily retrieve the Blood Lingzhi.

Zhou Yu did not know what the Blood Lingzhi was, but since it grew at the bottom of the Snake Den and was guarded by the Snake Mother, it must be of great importance to Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

"Sir..."

Awe grew ever deeper in Zhou Yu's heart.

"It's settled."

Far away in Magic City, a smile appeared on Su Yuan's face.

The plan provided by the Grey Mirror had its most dangerous phase in the deep underground Snake Den, specifically plucking the Blood Lingzhi right under the nose of the slumbering Snake Mother.

If there were any slip-ups during the process, the executor would surely die, especially during the extraction of the Blood Lingzhi at the bottom of the den.

Once that slumbering Snake Mother was awakened, even a Grandmaster of the Dan-Forming Realm would likely be left behind in such an environment.

It could be described as exceptionally perilous.

Of course, the peril here did not lie in the plan itself, but in the executor.

As long as the plan was followed, no problems would arise.

The only fear was that the executor might not carry it out properly or fail to listen to Su Yuan's commands.

Or perhaps their mental fortitude might falter, and they would lose control at the critical moment.

Facing a behemoth like the Snake Mother, even a Dark-Jin expert could potentially lose their composure.

Therefore, the choice of executor was crucial; it was best to use someone like a death-sworn soldier, someone who would not hesitate to follow Su Yuan's instructions and would execute orders as mechanically as a robot.

This was the reason Su Yuan utilized Zhou Enterprise.

Only a force with deep roots in the Southern Frontier for many years could cultivate such "death-sworn" subordinates, allowing Su Yuan to command them with ease.

"Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley..."

Su Yuan's thoughts drifted. Through the Grey Mirror, he also knew of the many treasures and ancient herbs nurtured within Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley; the Blood Lingzhi was merely one of them.

Besides the Blood Lingzhi, there was a "Dragon Transformation Herb," which was far more valuable and guarded by another, even more powerful Snake Mother.

The "Dragon Transformation Herb" could significantly promote the evolution of the physical body—significantly—and was highly useful even for Level 2 or even Level 3 life forms.

It was also the key for the two Snake Mothers in Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley to advance further and transform into Level 2 life forms.

However, Su Yuan had no immediate use for the "Dragon Transformation Herb," it had not yet matured, and the other Snake Mother was extremely vigilant, so he did not dwell on it.

"According to the plan, Zhou Yu will carry the Blood Lingzhi and arrive in Magic City in eleven hours. Eleven hours and twenty-one minutes from now, the Blood Lingzhi will be in my hands..."

Su Yuan thought to himself.

At the same time, he glanced around.

After taking over command of Zhou Yu, Su Yuan had come to the basement of the Zhou Family Old Residence.

It was quiet here, with excellent soundproofing, ensuring he would not be disturbed.

As for Tang Zhien? He was waiting outside the basement door.

"Next, it is time for the final phase of the plan."

Su Yuan commanded Zhou Yu once more, saying: "Walk forward eighty meters, then turn right and keep walking."

Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

Hearing the familiar voice from the micro-earpiece, a sense of security unexpectedly welled up in Zhou Yu's heart. Even with the Snake Mother right before him, as long as this voice was present, he felt he could fear nothing.

Strictly following Su Yuan's instructions, Zhou Yu turned right after walking eighty meters and continued on his way.

The number of snakes encountered along the path increased, but compared to the giant, ferocious snakes beneath the Snake Den, these snakes on the surface seemed like mere toys.

Eight minutes later.

Zhou Yu climbed over the hills surrounding the snake valley and finally caught sight of the outside world.

"Hm?"

In the distance, eight herb gatherers were busy producing a viscous, transparent liquid, then smearing it on the ground, trees, and giant boulders.

This was the order Su Yuan had issued when Zhou Yu first entered the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

"So this is where I come out if I head in this direction..."

Zhou Yu felt a sudden realization. In truth, after winding through the underground Snake Den, even with his extensive jungle experience, he had lost all sense of direction, let alone the ability to locate where the herb-gathering team was stationed.

"Ah? Team Leader Zhou? You've come out?"

The eight herb gatherers looked at each other in surprise as they saw Zhou Yu crawl out of the Snake Valley. Finally, the one leading the group gathered his courage and asked.

They had already prepared themselves for the possibility that Zhou Yu would never return.

After all, the place Zhou Yu had entered was the forbidden Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley!

"Mm."

Zhou Yu nodded slightly.

At the same time, Su Yuan's voice echoed in his ears once more.

"Use the transparent, viscous liquid to coat your body again, and be sure to coat the jade box containing the Blood Lingzhi as well."

"Then, return the way you came."

"Understood." Zhou Yu immediately began to execute the order.

Because they had been instructed to continuously produce the transparent, viscous liquid, there was still plenty left over after accounting for what had already been smeared on the ground, trees, and boulders.

Zhou Yu immediately began to coat himself once more.

Having just experienced what lay within, Zhou Yu felt no disgust toward the viscous liquid and slathered it onto his body with vigor.

After carefully coating the jade box as well, Zhou Yu immediately led the eight herb gatherers and began to head back the way they had come.

Five minutes later.

Deep beneath the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley, a long, drawn-out breath echoed once again.

Clearly, the Snake Mother beneath the earth had emerged from its state of transition between old and new breath and had begun to slightly regain its perception of the surroundings.

However, the moment it recovered, the Snake Mother immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Where was the Blood Lingzhi?

Where was that prominent Blood Lingzhi?

The Snake Mother opened its massive eyes, its pale golden slit pupils fixed on a spot nearby; where the Blood Lingzhi had once been, there was now nothing.

"Hiss—"

It took a full dozen breaths before the Snake Mother finally realized that the Blood Lingzhi had been stolen.

Upon realizing this, the Snake Mother flew into a rage.

Although the Blood Lingzhi could not compare to the "Dragon Transformation Herb," it was still exceptionally important to the creature; otherwise, it would not have spent so long sleeping beside it to guard it.

But now, the Blood Lingzhi was gone.

Rumble—

The gargantuan Snake Mother began to move. Although the Blood Lingzhi had vanished, its keen senses allowed it to capture the lingering aura of the herb in the air.

The Snake Mother followed this trail of residual aura, moving upward until it suddenly burst out of the Snake Den and onto the surface of the Snake Valley.

Ten thousand snakes bowed their heads, trembling in fear.

The Snake Mother continued to follow the aura until it reached the edge of the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley. Its massive head even poked out past the valley's boundary, but then it suddenly stopped.

The aura of the Blood Lingzhi, which had been permeating the air, came to an abrupt halt at this location, as if it had been wiped away into thin air.

Su Yuan had ordered the eight herb gatherers to continuously produce the transparent, viscous liquid and smear it on the ground, trees, and boulders precisely to erase the scent of all the gatherers.

After Zhou Yu emerged with the Blood Lingzhi, he had also coated himself with the liquid, and the jade box containing the Blood Lingzhi was no exception.

The goal was to erase the aura of the Blood Lingzhi and prevent the Snake Mother from tracking them down.

This was the most critical part of the cleanup operation. Without this preparation, even if they had managed to carry the Blood Lingzhi out of the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley or even out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they still would have been hunted down by the enraged Snake Mother.

That would have led to even more complex variables and accidents.

Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

The Snake Mother's massive body coiled around a hill.

At this moment, the Snake Mother looked around, feeling quite bewildered.

And upon realizing that the Blood Lingzhi it had guarded for years would never return, it suddenly let out a roar of fury.