44: Chapter 44 The Green Snake's Wealth

"Silly Snake, poison this ice woman."

Xu Qing came before his final recruitment target, Lin Donglan, who was unwilling to reveal her name, and gestured to Silly Snake.

After being poisoned, Lin Donglan appeared somewhat calm.

Honestly, this woman is a real ice queen; she remained calm even after being captured, without showing even a hint of fear.

Xu Qing couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.

"Junior Sister Sword, translate what I'm about to say to her."

Xu Qing then quickly explained the current situation to Lin Donglan.

He also stated that once things were over, he would set her free, return her Storage Pouch, and give her a portion of snake blood that could assist in a Breakthrough.

Even upon hearing that they were being hunted by every human and demon in the mountain range, Lin Donglan's expression remained unchanged, only slightly furrowing her brows.

Then she looked up, facing Xu Qing without fear in the face of danger.

She spoke a single word calmly.

"Agreed."

Xu Qing was taken aback.

She had such a strong ice queen aura.

That cold gaze that looked down on everything, devoted solely to the Dao.

"Good, then the first squad of our Noble Snake Alliance is established."

"Our goal is simply to survive in this chaotic mountain range."

The first embryonic form of a pyramid scheme appeared in the Cultivation World.

He felt a bit more confident about surviving.

Even if it was by dragging others down with him to increase his own chances of survival.

"Silly Snake, if this ice woman tries to escape, you don't need to trigger the toxin."

Xu Qing instructed Silly Snake in the snake language, and Xu Linger did not translate it for Lin Donglan.

It wasn't a sudden burst of kindness; he just wanted to change his villainous image in Xu Linger's heart.

It must be so.

"Leave the mountain stream and circle around this area to stall for time."

"Also, do your best to find hidden spots in this area and try to locate the Tree Spirit."

Xu Qing gave his orders.

He didn't entirely believe the Tree Spirit's side of the story, but the current situation left him with no choice.

If he could find the location of the Emerald Leaf Glazed Fruit Tree Spirit's true body and gain some initiative, it would be much better than his current passive situation.

Several Escape Lights flew out of the mountain stream, and a short while later...

Several Escape Lights descended upon the mountain stream, including both humans and demons.

However, they didn't start a fight; instead, they warily searched the mountain stream before scattering.

Several of the Escape Lights headed straight in the direction Xu Qing had fled.

On Xu Qing's side.

"The Calamity Black Snake! It's actually the Calamity Black Snake!"

"As expected of the evil snake, it actually stole the heaven and earth spiritual root."

Two Foundation Establishment figures blocked the way ahead, their eyes showing surprise and a hint of fear.

One was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, holding a large saber and enveloped in a blood-colored Escape Light.

One was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, surrounded by flames and wearing a cloak patterned with Multicolored Flowing Fire.

They pulled out several Talismans and quickly launched a firework Spell into the sky to attract their fellow disciples for backup.

They seemed determined to stall Xu Qing and wait for reinforcements.

"Calamity Black Snake my ass!"

"Don't hold back, finish this quickly!"

Xu Qing was quite angry.

Being mistaken for the Calamity Black Snake was worse than being mistaken for the Resurrection Green Snake.

He transformed into a black light and shot forward, Wind Blades instantly condensing and slashing toward the two with black flames.

"It's the Calamity Black Flame! It's the Calamity Black Snake's Calamity Black Flame!"

The two were shocked and unleashed their trump cards; Saber Qi surged, and Multicolored Flowing Fire rose.

The two sides collided, various spiritual lights exploding, and the wind pressure was so intense it was nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open.

"Sword Pierces the Nine Heavens!"

Xu Linger's hands formed a sword Seal, and the ancient sword before her flickered with light, enveloping the blade and transforming it into a massive sword of Sword Qi that fell straight down.

The two quickly crushed Talismans, their bodies glowing with golden light as they summoned various defensive Magical Artifacts to intercept the falling Sword Qi.

The sound of metal grinding was almost deafening, but with the Dao Cultivation of everyone present, it naturally had no effect.

The black snake took advantage of the brief stalemate to close in, sweeping its massive tail sideways.

The emerald-green bracelet on its tail lit up; when the defensive artifacts touched it, their light dimmed and they lost their effectiveness as if they had been Sealed, wobbling unsteadily.

"What kind of Spiritual Artifact is this!"

The two turned pale with fright and attempted to flee.

"Space Barrier!"

The Space Barrier locked the two in place like a prison, preventing them from escaping.

The giant sword above shook and shattered, transforming into hundreds of sword lights that poured down like a waterfall.

Regret surged in their hearts.

They had clearly misjudged the opponent's strength; even with two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they couldn't even stall for a moment.

Xu Qing's massive body coiled around the two, purple lightning shooting from the gaps in his scales to paralyze them from the outside in.

At the same time, Xu Qing opened his snake mouth, aiming at the heads of the two who were coiled and unable to move.

Black fire erupted and poured over them, turning their heads into torches.

[Ding! Killed a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator.]

[Dao Cultivation +5, evolution points +10.]

[Obtained Magical Artifact: Fire Profound Bead x1.]

[Ding! Killed a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator.]

[Dao Cultivation +5, evolution points +10.]

[Obtained Skill: Saber Technique Lv1.]

Hearing the notification, Xu Qing uncoiled his body, took the Storage Pouches from the corpses, and then put the bodies into a Storage Pouch.

Leaving the bodies behind would allow the pursuers to gauge his strength.

For now, it was better to keep the enemy guessing and let them underestimate his strength as much as possible.

However, it likely wouldn't be very effective; the pursuers weren't fools and would naturally see the signs of battle, and with Xu Qing and the others gone, they could easily deduce the outcome.

"Continue fleeing toward the southwest."

Xu Qing had his reasons for why Silly Snake and Lin Donglan didn't intervene in the previous battle.

Silly Snake's venom didn't recover as quickly as Demonic Power, so it was better to save it for more difficult opponents.

Furthermore, Lin Donglan's coordination with them was poor; until they synced up better, it was better for her to stay at a distance and look for opportunities to strike from the shadows.

"These are all my collectibles; if there's anything that can briefly boost your strength, feel free to use it."

"Once this is over, I'll sell the items you've chosen to you for thirty percent of their value."

Xu Qing tossed a Storage Pouch to Xu Linger and Lin Donglan, letting them rummage through it.

"Ninety-three percent?"

Xu Linger asked with a strange expression.

"...Just thirty percent. Three as in three-tenths."

Upon hearing this, Xu Linger opened the Storage Pouch with delight, while Lin Donglan's expression remained unchanged.

But once the Storage Pouch was opened, both of them gasped.

This snake was incredibly wealthy.

After Xu Qing killed humans or demons, besides obtaining Storage Pouches and Yao Beast Materials, he would also receive rewards from the System.

Most of the System's rewards were Magical Artifacts...

What he showed them were basically just Magical Artifacts; they were only a portion of his assets, as all his Spirit Stones were kept in his Spatial Pupil.

Only this gave him a sense of security.

"Senior Brother Qing, I don't ask for you to be my spiritual pet."

"Can I be your human pet?"

"Or, if you die this time, can I inherit your property? I'll definitely avenge you!"

Xu Qing was exasperated.

The tense atmosphere of their flight dissipated slightly as the two began bickering again.

"Just keep the Storage Pouch with you."

Xu Qing said this when Xu Linger and Lin Donglan tried to hand back the Storage Pouch after making their selections.

"...Senior Brother Qing, I was just joking earlier."

Xu Linger's hand stiffened.

"I'm joking too, what are you panicking for?"