But people kept pouring into Shuzhou, and they were all strong individuals. Something definitely seemed amiss.
“Yue, didn’t your Valley Master explain these things?”
Yue shook his head, had he been informed about this, he wouldn’t be as clueless as Wang Sheng.
“Then, it can only mean that this matter has something to do with the Great Grandmaster, or even… destiny!”
In this world, the most miraculous and the most mysterious was destiny.
If the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley did not inform Yue, it had to be related to the Great Grandmaster or destiny.
The lack of information about the situation in Shuzhou meant it was related to the Great Grandmaster or destiny.
“But how could a Grandmaster like the Snake Demon know about Shuzhou’s anomalies?”
“Perhaps he knew about the actions of several Great Grandmaster factions and felt there was an advantage to be had in Shuzhou, so he came. There are quite a few such people.” Yue offered his own explanation, “The actions of Spirit Sword Valley and Heavenly Saber City are no special secret among certain circles; neither power had any intention of hiding their movements.”
“Opportunists?”
Wang Sheng neither agreed nor disagreed.
But he felt that this person known as the Snake Demon wasn’t entirely such a person.
This man seemed to have a strong sense of purpose as if he knew from the start that Shuzhou had an abundance of Spiritual Medicine and came specifically for that.
Just as Yue had mentioned, some people learned of the movements of Spirit Sword Valley and Heavenly Saber City, leading many opportunists to Shuzhou. Cheng Jiang came from another place and after defeating Cheng Jiang, Wang Sheng had also learned about him; he only took interest in the Three Counties after arriving.
It seemed Cheng Jiang was unaware of the abundance of Spiritual Medicine in Shuzhou, as he had not arranged for his people to venture into the mountains; what he practiced was exploitation, forcibly attempting to extract Spiritual Medicine from the people.
This individual known as the Snake Demon, on the other hand, was actively deploying his Demon Shadow Blood Snake to seek out Spiritual Medicine.
“Is it just my imagination?”
Wang Sheng himself wasn’t quite certain.
“Where is this person?”
“Three hundred li to the east!”
Yue answered honestly.
“Three hundred li, that close?”
This distance was indeed beyond Wang Sheng’s expectations; to be only three hundred li away, he thought. Not to mention his own travel speed, even Da Bai could arrive within two hours, including the need to detour due to difficult mountain trails. On flat ground, it would take just over half an hour.
However, upon reflection, it made sense—If the Snake Demon’s Demon Shadow Blood Snake had reached this far, it couldn’t be much farther.
“I’ll take you there, Lord Wang Sheng!”
“Alright, let’s set off now.”
Wang Sheng couldn’t always be on guard against someone with hostile intentions; now that he knew the location, it was better to nip the crisis in the bud.
“Da Bai, you can still move, right?”
Lately, Da Bai and Yun Xiao had been less active, digesting the benefits of the lotus seeds in preparation for their next evolution.
“Roar!”
It was not yet time for evolution, so there were no issues with movement.
Yun Xiao followed suit, wanting to join in the action.
Together, the two of them and two beasts set off towards the direction of the Snake Demon.
Meanwhile, the Snake Demon was still waiting for his little snakes to return.
“It should be soon; they will find that person before long!”
The Snake Demon was becoming impatient; during the time his little snakes were out searching, he had thought up countless ways to torture his target.
Assuming it was a Grandmaster, they would likely be able to endure his torment. And once the torture was over, he couldn’t allow the remains to go to waste. The leftover flesh could be used to nourish his precious, potentially creating an even mightier Demon Shadow Blood Snake.
“Flaying, dismemberment, three thousand cuts for slow slicing—how much can he withstand?”
A morbid flush appeared on the Snake Demon’s face, seemingly quite excited.
After a little more than an hour, the Snake Demon suddenly felt something entering his cave. He opened his eyes to see a streak of blood red.
“Back at last!”
The Snake Demon knew his little snakes had returned.
The little blood snake’s speed was very fast, even somewhat urgent.
However, the Snake Demon failed to notice this minor detail.
“Did you find him? Quick, lead me to the person!”
But the little blood snake did not obey him and tried to crawl further into the depths of the cave.
The Snake Demon finally noticed something was wrong and burst forth with his unique aura.
This was a technique he often used to subjugate all his pets; doing so would keep any snake in line without exception.
But this time, he seemed to have miscalculated.
The blood-colored little snake paid him no heed and continued to rush into the cave interior, his technique seemingly ineffective.
The Snake Demon suddenly remembered a warning from the book that taught him how to breed these snakes.
If such a technique failed, it meant the snake had encountered something far more terrifying than its master.
Do not hesitate, run for your life!
“Could it be the Great Grandmaster has arrived?”
The Snake Demon didn’t quite believe it. After all, how many Great Grandmasters could there be in the great Zhou domain to bother coming after him?
Grandmasters also existed in Miao State, and despite all he had done, they hadn’t come to capture him!
Impossible, it simply could not be.
Still, just to be safe, it’d be best to run—there’s only one life to live, after all.
As for all the thoughts of revenge, they had been cast far out of his mind.
But at that moment, the Snake Demon realized he was unable to run; he couldn’t move at all, and neither could anything else in the cave, including the blood-colored little snake that had tried to escape.
At the same time, two figures approached from outside the cave.
One of them, walking in the lead, spoke upon seeing him, “Snake Demon? No need for confirmation. With so many snakes around, it’s likely you!”