Snake King's Lair

"Hmph, hmph, I noticed them long ago."

"Those mere mortals entered Ashen Sorrow Mountain, ignored all the medicinal herbs, and headed straight for the depths."

"How could such bizarre behavior escape my eyes?"

An Lingxiu smiled faintly as she looked at the four men behind her, her tone brimming with pride.

The four men were all ordinary people. What was surprising was that they seemed to be quadruplets, their faces nearly identical.

At that moment, their faces were filled with terror. In Mo Da and his brothers' eyes, these three men and one woman were simply fiends.

They had seen with their own eyes how the Senior Brother Zhang the woman spoke of had killed eight people with a single sword strike. Then, before everyone's eyes, the skin on his back split open, and a huge mouth spanning his entire back devoured the eight corpses!

That horrifying chewing sound had frightened Mo Da and his brothers to the utmost extreme.

"Hahaha, then how did Junior Sister know they carried the bloodline of the Tiger-Striped Green Snake?"

Hearing An Lingxiu's words, Zhang Yunlong seemed intrigued, and a trace of teasing filled his voice.

"Those snakes deliberately avoided them whenever they saw them. Something so obvious could only escape the notice of crude brutes like you."

"Besides, how could ordinary people possibly make it this far?"

An Lingxiu spoke in a coy tone, flaunting her knowledge.

"And your little sister has read quite a few records in the sect. Among them was the history of Ashen Sorrow Mountain."

"When this mountain first appeared, the strongest creature within it was a Tiger-Striped Green Snake demon beast on the verge of transforming into a dragon!"

"At that time, it had even taken human form and gone out to wreak havoc. If not for a mysterious expert who slew it, how could this mountain have fallen into becoming a place for trials?"

"And during its rampage, wasn't it perfectly normal for it to leave behind some bloodline descendants?"

"These four clearly knew about that, which was why they came here for this opportunity."

"Tell me, am I right?"

An Lingxiu took the iron chain from Zhang Yunlong's hand and gave it a hard tug. Mo Da was yanked forward at once, stumbling to the ground. Her cloud-patterned boot, stained with mud, stepped directly onto his face, her tone full of playful mockery.

Hearing this, Mo Da closed his eyes in despair. The four brothers had originally been hunters living around Ashen Sorrow Mountain, but years of crushing taxes had left them impoverished.

They had even faced imprisonment because they could not afford to pay their taxes.

Fortunately, Mo Da had discovered in a box left behind by his family that their ancestor had possessed an extraordinary connection to the Snake King slain in Ashen Sorrow Mountain.

A mere mortal had actually been husband and wife with that Snake King!

Back then, the Snake King had been preparing to overcome his Dragon Transformation Tribulation. Since he had not been confident of success, he had left behind that green box, marked with the location of his lair.

If he successfully transformed into a dragon, he would take Mo Da's ancestor with him as they attained the Dao and ascended. If he failed, everything within the lair would become the chance for his descendants to rise.

Mo Da did not know why his ancestor had never gone in search of the Snake King, but the Snake King's Lair was their only lifeline now!

In Mo Da's eyes, if the four brothers could become cultivators, their fates would change completely.

Unfortunately, before they could achieve anything, they had met their deaths. In Ashen Sorrow Mountain, they had actually caught An Lingxiu's attention.

"With their bloodline, these four would have no problem joining the Iron Sword Sect. If this were outside, I would definitely bring them into the sect."

"What a pity. We met at the wrong time. You have so many secrets, and whether you die or not, Fairy Sister will feel very uneasy."

An Lingxiu lightly ground her right foot against Mo Da's face as she teased him.

"Enough, Junior Sister. Hurry up. The Snake King's Lair is nearby. Once we get the opportunity, this senior brother still needs to eat, so don't play with them until they break."

Watching An Lingxiu's actions, Zhang Yunlong shook his head indulgently and reminded her.

Everything they said was heard clearly by Bai Yu in the tree.

A Snake King on the verge of transforming into a dragon?

The Snake King's Lair?

Was that what the golden qi pointed to?

Bai Yu was stunned. He had not expected Ashen Sorrow Mountain to contain such a thing, and these four were clearly here for this opportunity as well!

Judging by their appearance, they obviously knew where the lair was. If they got there first...

Thinking of that, a glint of coldness flashed through Bai Yu's eyes.

Four Qi Refining Stage cultivators—Bai Yu could not possibly be their match. But if he simply gave up like this, would he not be suffering a massive loss?

A Snake King on the verge of becoming a dragon! Even if it had died long ago, the remains it left behind would still be a supreme treasure capable of stirring up storms of blood and carnage.

Now that the opportunity was right before him, how could he possibly give up so easily?

Bai Yu watched An Lingxiu and the other three.

In a direct confrontation, even if he and Black Charcoal were tied together, they would not be their opponents.

But this was not without a chance!

Bai Yu watched everything with an icy gaze.

The Diamond Gu was effective even against Qi Refining Stage cultivators. It was simply too conspicuous; if the other side noticed it, the Gu would never be able to touch them.

But now, within Ashen Sorrow Mountain, An Lingxiu and the others had clearly grown complacent. They believed nothing could harm them, and such a flaw gave Bai Yu an opportunity!

As the four drew closer, Bai Yu adjusted his breathing with all his might, concealing himself as thoroughly as possible.

When An Lingxiu and the others entered the Diamond Gu's range, Bai Yu formed a hand seal and carefully controlled the Diamond Gu, making it slowly move toward their feet.

In those few short minutes, Bai Yu's heart rose into his throat. If the Diamond Gu was discovered, he would be finished.

He did not believe that, with his current strength, he could escape from the four of them once they flew into a rage.

The Diamond Gu moved slowly. The four clearly did not notice the changes in the pebbles beneath their feet and continued chatting and laughing.

Mo Da, who had climbed back up from the ground, followed them forward passively, despair filling his eyes.

Perhaps he had been dazed from being stepped on, but just now, he seemed to have seen several black pebbles suddenly move!

The sight made his expression freeze. He shook his head hard, and when he opened his eyes again, the stones that had moved were now beneath An Lingxiu's heel.

??!!! Hiss!

Was he seeing ghosts? How could ordinary stones move!

Mo Da's sudden stop made Zhang Yunlong frown. He snorted coldly and gave the chain a hard yank, dragging Mo Da and his brothers to the ground before hauling them forward.

"If you don't move, I'll eat you right now!"

The violent motion sent grass clippings and stones flying everywhere, but Mo Da's mind had clearly not recovered from his earlier daze.

Because he had clearly seen several stones on the ground turn into wisps of black smoke when Zhang Yunlong and the others stepped on them, boring into their bodies.

"How much farther is the Snake King's Lair?"

Mo Da and his brothers had ruined his mood for teasing his Junior Sister, leaving him extremely displeased.

"Soon! Soon!"

"According to the map's markings, it's not far north of here!"

Seeing Zhang Yunlong like that, the scene of him eating people surfaced in Mo Da's mind once more. He was so terrified that his mind went blank.

Only after they had gone some distance north did Bai Yu let out a heavy breath and wipe away the cold sweat that had appeared on his forehead from nervousness.

The next moment, killing intent flashed across Bai Yu's face.