The Snake Woman knew the person who had ambushed her was hiding behind that rock. When they still did not dare come out after so long, she assumed they were a coward, a petty villain who could only launch sneak attacks, and contempt rose in her heart.
"You two, go take a look. Bring that little thief to me!"
A vicious gleam flashed through the Snake Woman's eyes. Whoever dared hurt her would have to pay the price.
But she soon discovered that none of her four guards had moved at all.
Turning to look, she saw black mist rising around the four burly men. Black mandala flowers were blooming across their bodies, yet they seemed completely unaware and remained standing motionless.
The sight of them immediately made the Snake Woman think of herself. She looked down at her body and saw a mandala more gorgeous than any of theirs quietly blooming from her wound. There were many more flowers like it on her body.
Her pink scales began to dry out and lose their luster, and even the skin of her upper body began to turn sallow.
Had she had a mirror then, she would have discovered that her face was aging at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But even without a mirror, the Snake Woman knew these black mandalas were nothing good. She frantically tried to remove them from her body, for she had seen her four subordinates disappear completely, leaving not even their corpses behind.
Fear rose in the Snake Woman's heart. For the first time, the shadow of death loomed over her.
No, she did not want to die yet. She could not die.
She kept scraping the mandalas off her body with her sharp nails, but it was utterly useless. All it did