Second-Order Serpentman

"These snake-people don't seem to have much vitality, like a candle flickering in the cold wind, as if they might go out at any moment," Zhou Siyi said, voicing her doubts.

Liu Jiang resumed her melancholy demeanor and explained, "After all, it's a forced union of two different beings, so the physical body is somewhat unstable."

"That's why I want them to mate and give birth to the next generation of Man-Snake hybrids. Naturally progeny of Man-Snake hybrids should be able to solve the problem of unstable physical bodies."

"However, the Man-Snake showed no desire to mate, and even after taking the Beast Essence Pill, there was no reaction."

Zhou Siyi stared at the Man-Snake in the pool, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a sense of exploration.

Then, her body began to tremble slightly, filled with unusual excitement and agitation.

Her appearance at this moment was completely different from her usual innocent and naive demeanor.

"Have you tried any aphrodisiacs like 'Hehuan San'?" Zhou Siyi asked.

"I've tried it, but it's completely useless," Liu Jiang said.

"Have you ever tried having humans or Azure Jade Snake mate with them?" Zhou Siyi asked.

"We've tried, but due to species isolation, it's impossible for a new generation of Man-Snake to be naturally bred," Liu Jiang said.

Listening to their conversation, a strange thought arose in Song Wen's mind.

The two people in front of me have absolutely no regard for basic human ethics and moral principles.

Liu Jiang seems to be a mad scholar, with a fanatical madness about exploring the mysteries of life and creating an unnatural creature.

Perhaps due to her birth and upbringing, Zhou Siyi showed extreme indifference to human relationships.

Perhaps in the eyes of these two, mortals without cultivation are no longer beings of the same kind as them.

Just as ants are to humans, how could a human possibly care about the life or death of an ant?

Looking back on everything since he began cultivating, Song Wen realized that perhaps it wasn't just these two people in front of him; probably many people in the Cultivation World shared this view.

Moreover, the higher one's cultivation level, the more indifferent one becomes to the lives of mortals.

It has nothing to do with good or evil, only with the level of cultivation.

"This is a bit tricky! Developing a new aphrodisiac specifically for Man-Snake is no easy task," Zhou Siyi muttered to herself.

After pondering for a long time without being able to come up with a solution, she turned to look at Song Wen.

"Junior Brother Wu, what are your thoughts on this?"

Song Wen shook his head. "I am neither an expert in alchemy nor familiar with the habits of Man-Snake, so I really can't think of any countermeasures. However, Man-Snake hybrids are not naturally conceived, so perhaps they are simply unable to reproduce. Their unstable physical bodies are proof of this."

Liu Jiang said, "That's not the case. I once cultivated a very special Man-Snake, which not only had a stable physical body but also possessed intelligence that was no less than that of Human Race."

"That beast is far too clever. It knows how to conceal its strength and hide its power, and it can even suppress its aura; without my noticing, it secretly advanced to a second-tier Demon Beast."

"One day, taking advantage of my carelessness, he escaped from the underwater snake ring and disappeared into the large lake."

Song Wen and Zhou Siyi were shocked upon hearing this.

"A second-tier Man-Snake!"

Liu Jiang nodded, a proud expression on her face.

Zhou Siyi turned to look at Liu Jiang, her eyes flashing with admiration.

"Elder Liu, may I see your notes on cultivating Man-Snake?"

Liu Jiang frowned. "This might not be convenient. Letting you see the Man-Snake is already an exception. In principle, only those of the rank of Pill Peak Enforcement Elder or above are qualified to know about the existence of Man-Snake. The notes are also a top secret of the sect and cannot be shown to others easily."

Zhou Siyi stopped speaking and instead sent a telepathic message.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiang's eyes lit up.

He said to Song Wen, "Elder Wu, please go and rest in the guest room. Elder Zhou and I have some things to discuss."

Song Wen nodded tactfully.

There were only three people present, yet Zhou Siyi used spiritual power to transmit her voice, clearly indicating that she was wary of Song Wen.

Song Wen strode towards the cave entrance, but after taking only a few steps, Song Wen suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked.

"Elder Liu, I have a question in my mind. If it's convenient, I would appreciate it if you could help me answer it."

"The Man-Snake hybrids are of negligible strength, so why bother nurturing them?"

Liu Jiang said, "This is a secret of the sect, and I don't know the reason behind it."

Thank you.

Song Wen bowed and took his leave, then turned and exited the underwater snake ring.

Song Wen thought Zhou Siyi and Liu Jiang would come out soon, but to his surprise, he waited for a full half month in the room arranged by He Su for the guests.

Fifteen days later, Zhou Siyi finally emerged from the underwater snake ring.

She looked exhausted, clearly mentally drained, but her eyes were bright and sparkling.

It seems that she and Liu Jiang have been studying the manuscript for the past two weeks, and they appear to have made some progress.

"Senior Sister Zhou, are you alright?" Song Wen asked.

"Junior Brother Wu, I'm fine, just mentally exhausted. I'll recover in a couple of days," Zhou Siyi replied.

"How did the mission go? When are we going back?" Song Wen was preoccupied with the development of the Bloodburst Pill and wanted to return to the Beast Taming Sect as soon as possible.

Zhou Siyi said, "The problem hasn't been resolved yet, so I'm afraid we can't leave for a while."

After saying that, Zhou Siyi went into an empty guest room to meditate.

Song Wen frowned slightly; he didn't want to stay at the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop any longer.

Since we're here, let's make the best of it.

Since he couldn't leave for the time being, Song Wen could only meditate and cultivate in the guest room.

Time flies, and two days have passed.

At noon that day, a medium-sized spaceship, over thirty meters long, landed above the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop.

More than ten disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, all at the Qi Refining Stage, disembarked from the spaceship, each carrying an unconscious young woman.

After placing the women in a separate attic, they returned to the spaceship and flew off again carrying a young woman.

This process was repeated many times until, in the end, more than two hundred women were sent into the attic.

These young women all share one characteristic: a vibrant life force emanates from their lower abdomens, indicating that they are all pregnant with new life.

At this moment, Zhou Siyi came out of the guest room and knocked on Song Wen's door.

"Junior Brother Wu, are you there?"

A moment later, Song Wen opened the door. "Senior Sister Zhou, what's the matter?"

"Elder Liu and I will be in seclusion in the underwater chamber for a period of time. During this time, we must not be disturbed by outsiders. I would like to ask Junior Brother Wu to keep an eye on the safety of the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop and remember not to let anyone enter the underwater snake enclosure."

Song Wen nodded in agreement, somewhat helplessly.

For the next six months, Zhou Siyi and Liu Jiang stayed in the underwater chamber and hardly ever showed their faces.

Every day, a number of women are sent into the underwater chamber, ranging from a few to twenty or thirty.

After the woman's energy was depleted, the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect from the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop went out to capture more beasts several times.

That night...

Song Wen, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes.

His Divine Sense detected a presence rapidly approaching the underwater snake ring beneath the lake.

This aura was extremely obscure; had it not been for its rapid movement causing ripples in the lake, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

Song Wen's figure suddenly disappeared from the room and appeared on the water's surface.

He swiftly formed a sword incantation, and a low-grade flying sword instantly plunged into the water, hurtling away to seize the mysterious aura.