The Green Snake Delivers News [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

BOOM!

A thunderous blast shook the heavens as the imposing bluestone pavilion on Upper River Street came crashing down amid billowing smoke!

Bricks and stones flew in every direction, while flames soared from the rear courtyard, staining half the market's sky red.

"Go!"

A loud shout exploded like a thunderclap. A figure wrapped around another person swept out from the ruins—it was He Sheng, disguised as Wu Feng.

With Kou Xiang'er in his arms, he rushed out of the market in an instant.

The moment he emerged, he ignored the astonished stares of the low-level cultivators at the tea stall by the entrance. Calmly and methodically, he released a flying boat. Only after leaping aboard with Kou Xiang'er in his arms did he turn into a streak of light and speed into the distance.

Yet when the flying boat reached the skies above the Silver Sand River, He Sheng's outspread divine sense suddenly halted, catching a familiar aura.

His brows drew together. After hesitating for a moment or two, he nevertheless continued toward the distant horizon.

But before traveling far, He Sheng drew on Brother Piao's memories to find a hidden underground cave, which he entered.

Kou Xiang'er was puzzled by this. "Senior, Lower River Market is only a few dozen li from here. Shouldn't we leave as quickly as possible, in case someone catches up to us?"

"Who would chase us?

"The one I destroyed was the Lower River Branch. Elder Xu and Wu Feng have both already become ghosts beneath my hand—what waves can Lin Wanrou possibly stir up? By the time the Celestial Sea Commerce Association's headquarters learns what happened here, we'll already be tens of thousands of li away, so..."

With a malicious chuckle, He Sheng used the soul-disorienting technique from the Soul Imprint Art to make Kou Xiang'er lose consciousness and fall asleep beneath her terrified gaze.

"I have too many secrets. To be safe, you should remain unconscious as you travel north with me."

Naturally, He Sheng would not break the agreement for no reason. After all, he had sworn a Dao Heart Oath. Once he hid Kou Xiang'er in the underground cave, he used the Flesh Rebirth Art again. Only after changing his appearance into that of another person did he quietly depart.

He Sheng did not go elsewhere. Instead, he secretly circled back outside Lower River Market. After searching with his divine sense, he found the familiar aura he had sensed before.

At a river bend about a li upstream from Lower River Market, the disguised He Sheng revealed himself. Soon, a fist-sized green snake head poked out from the water—it was the green snake from the aquatic manor at Longevity Pool!

"Greenie pays respects to Immortal Master."

Though the green snake recognized him at once, He Sheng was still somewhat surprised despite having been mentally prepared for it. After all, his current appearance was vastly different from his original one.

Is the Flesh Rebirth Art really this useless?

The thought had barely crossed his mind before He Sheng asked directly, "Little Green, how did you recognize me?"

"By your scent. Immortal Master changed his appearance, but your unique scent did not change in the slightest. Like a bright lamp in the night, Greenie smelled you right away."

Sure enough, his body scent had given him away.

He Sheng could only sigh inwardly. This Flesh Rebirth Art could only deceive those unfamiliar with him.

But it also served as a reminder to He Sheng: if he truly wanted to disguise himself as another person, he would need a far more profound secret art. In the cultivation world, merely changing one's face was nothing particularly advanced.

Keeping that firmly in mind, He Sheng asked why Greenie had come. Only then did he learn that the green snake had come south specifically to find him on the orders of the Star-Backed Black Turtle.

Afterward, He Sheng listened as Greenie recounted the many changes at Heaven Capital Mountain.

Although Greenie's account was calm and merely tried to make the events clear, He Sheng still drew in a sharp breath!

"You're saying that the Black Jade Blood Python and the Golden-Maned Giant Lion were both slain by Ye Shaochen?!"

Brother Piao's memories left a deep impression of the Black Jade Blood Python. Years ago, shortly after establishing his foundation, Brother Piao had traveled north and witnessed the Black Jade Blood Python battle a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator from the Golden Cloud Sect.

In the end, that Golden Cloud Sect cultivator had not even lasted half the time it took an incense stick to burn before being swallowed alive by the Black Jade Blood Python!

It frightened Brother Piao so badly that he abandoned his northern travels and headed south overnight, returning to Long Sun Mountain.

It was said that afterward, the Golden Cloud Sect's False Core elder had flown into a rage and personally stormed Heaven Capital Mountain. Yet against the combined forces of the Black Jade Blood Python and the Golden-Maned Giant Lion, he had returned empty-handed—and had even suffered a small loss.

And now, Greenie was telling him that the two great demons whom even a False Core cultivator could not defeat had been casually slain by Ye Shaochen?!

"Good thing... I ran fast that day!"

What else could He Sheng say? He could only be grateful for his decision that day, while also feeling fortunate for Old Turtle's decision to submit six-tenths of the way.

"Immortal Master, Turtle King also asked me to tell you that he has won Senior Ye's favor and was taken in as a spirit pet. He will not be returning to the aquatic manor at Longevity Pool in the future. He asked me to pass this array disk on to you."

After saying this, Greenie opened its mouth and spat out an ancient array disk.

After He Sheng accepted the array disk, Greenie continued, "Turtle King also said that he pleaded with Senior Ye on behalf of you and the He Family. Senior Ye agreed not to pursue matters concerning Immortal Master and the He Family.

"Turtle King hopes that Immortal Master will not act so willfully in the future. You must be more cautious in all that you do, or you may provoke another existence like Senior Ye—someone you simply cannot afford to offend.

..."

Greenie went on and on, relaying Turtle King's earnest instructions. He Sheng listened in silence, his heart filled with a tangled mix of emotions.

He had clearly been the one hunted down, yet now it seemed as if he had gained some enormous advantage—and even dragged Old Turtle down with him.

Even though he knew this was all the mess Brother Piao had stirred up, He Sheng still felt somewhat upset.

Seeing He Sheng's gloomy expression and sensing that his spirits were low, the green snake relayed Old Turtle's words once more:

"King Turtle said that Immortal Master needn't take this matter too much to heart. He said that being able to enter a first-rate immortal sect like the Mysterious Heaven Sect is an immense stroke of fortune."

He Sheng had no idea whether Old Turtle was comforting him or truly thought that way, but in any case, he felt that Old Turtle was genuinely kind-hearted.

What else could he say?

He Sheng put away the array disk and solemnly bowed deeply toward the north, as thanks for Old Turtle's kindness.

He Sheng knew full well that Old Turtle had truly helped him resolve a huge problem this time.

Otherwise, if he really made an enemy of a prodigy from a colossal sect like the Mysterious Heaven Sect, with Ye Shaochen thinking of him from time to time, he would never know peace in sleep or food.

"Oh, right."

The green snake seemed to recall something and added:

"King Turtle also gave a special instruction.

He said that the rules of great immortal sects are strict, and that in the future it would be difficult for him to keep associating with the He Family.

After Senior Cultivator Ye returns to the mountain, he will send someone to Long Sun Mountain with a fourth-grade cultivation technique as compensation, thus severing the karmic ties between King Turtle and the He Family."

Alright.

Old Turtle was completely out of the picture now, though that was within expectations.

He Sheng did not think much of it. Instead, the so-called fourth-grade cultivation technique caught his attention.

"A fourth-grade cultivation technique? What kind of classification is that?"

In Brother Piao's memories, cultivation techniques were divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, top-tier, and supreme.

Beginner cultivation techniques corresponded to Qi Refinement, intermediate ones to Foundation Establishment, advanced ones to Core Formation, and top-tier ones to Nascent Soul.

Supreme techniques were even more the stuff of legend.

There had never been any talk of grades.

"Could it be that these great immortal sects have another set of classification standards for cultivation techniques?"

Without any further information, He Sheng could only make a guess for now.

At that moment, the green snake spoke again:

"Immortal Master, now that King Turtle has departed, Greenie and my sister have lost our protector. We wonder whether we might be allowed to follow at Immortal Master's side and cultivate?"

He Sheng was somewhat surprised, but when he saw the green snake's gaze flick toward the array disk in his hand, he immediately understood. The two snakes wanted to remain in the water manor to cultivate.

He Sheng did not mind. He readily agreed, saying only:

"In a few days, I'll be heading north. You should return to Heaven Capital Mountain first. We'll meet up at the water manor afterward."

As he spoke, He Sheng thought of something else and casually asked:

"By the way, when Senior Mystic Turtle and Cultivator Ye... left, did they take the Thousand-Legged Centipede's corpse with them?"

"No.

Thousand-Legged Centipede's corpse is still lying at the bottom of Longevity Pool. Its body is filled with deadly poison, turning the entire Longevity Pool into toxic water. Ordinary demon beasts do not even dare approach it."

At the green snake's answer, He Sheng's eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked again:

"Then do you know whether the corpses of the Black Jade Blood Python and Golden-Maned Giant Lion, which Cultivator Ye slew within the secret realm of Black Vine Ridge, were taken away?"

The green snake tilted her head and thought carefully before replying:

"King Mystic Turtle seemed to urge Senior Cultivator Ye to take the two demon corpses away, but Senior Cultivator Ye found it too troublesome. Before leaving Heaven Capital Mountain, he only took Black Jade Blood Python's inner core, then rode King Mystic Turtle away."

Disciples of great immortal sects were actually this lavish?

He Sheng's eyes shone brightly. He felt that he had misunderstood Senior Cultivator Ye before. Looking at it now, Ye Shaochen was clearly a very good person!