Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 672: Chapter 623: Snake of Fortune Qi

After watching the Water Creatures leave, Tu Xiao’an continued to browse his personal ”market.”

At his Realm, the help a new Battle Companion could offer was negligible. Mainly, Tu Xiao’an wanted to see if there were any turtle-like creatures among the throng of Demons.

He needed to evolve his Four Great Divine Beasts series.

The Cyan Dragon had already evolved. Next were the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise.

He already had candidates for the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird, but he didn’t have a single turtle.

He’d never even come across one. Speaking of which, the Black Tortoise, one of the Four Great Divine Beasts, was a hybrid of a snake and a turtle.

He wondered if, when the time came to evolve the Profound Turtle, he would have to evolve a snake and a turtle together.

As for snakes, Tu Xiao’an had as many as he could ever want—he was the King of the Snake Clan, after all. Turtles, however, were a problem.

’Do I really have to go to the ocean to catch one?’

He scanned the entire grand plaza, where Demons of all races stood in great numbers, yet he couldn’t find a single turtle. Tu Xiao’an was speechless.

Though disappointed at not finding a turtle, Tu Xiao’an wasn’t in a hurry. He continued to meander around on his Golden-winged Flying Horse, making the other Demons uneasy. They had no idea what this Snake King was up to.

Suddenly, a heaven-shaking dragon’s roar shot into the sky, causing a commotion among the Demons up ahead.

’A dragon’s roar?’

Tu Xiao’an was immensely surprised when he heard it.

’Don’t tell me there’s actually a Dragon locked up in the Demon Prison? Something that high-class?’

”Hah!” Tu Xiao’an immediately slapped the Golden-winged Flying Horse on its flank, urging it toward the commotion.

Moments later, Tu Xiao’an didn’t see a Dragon, but he did see a massive, coiling purple snake. The serpent was incredibly arrogant, treating the surrounding Demons as if they were nothing as it bellowed in human speech, ”You ugly monsters, get away from this Divine Dragon! Don’t dirty my eyes!”

A Demon retorted, unconvinced, ”You’re just a snake. What makes you a Divine Dragon? Who do you think you’re fooling?”

”A snake?” the purple snake roared. ”Are your eyes full of shit? Can’t you see this Divine Dragon’s beard and horn? And besides, have you ever seen a snake with four limbs?”

And it had a point. The massive, coiling snake was extraordinary. If you didn’t look closely, you’d really think it was a purple Dragon. It had a Dragon Beard, a Dragon Horn, and had even grown four limbs. It looked both regal and noble.

”It’s not actually a Dragon, is it? That roar just now was the sound of a dragon,” a Demon said nervously.

”Dragon, my foot. It’s just a snake. Maybe it’s evolving toward a Dragon, but since it hasn’t reached the Rank Three of Enlightenment, it’s ended up as this chimera.”

The nearby Demons broke into discussion. They were all Cultivated Creatures and incredibly perceptive; the aura radiating from the coiling purple snake was still clearly that of a snake.

Claiming to be a Divine Dragon? It might as well be trying to fool a three-year-old.

”Wrong! You bunch of morons! You ignorant hicks! This Divine Dragon is a hybrid of a Dragon and a snake! I am the most blessed and noble Dragon Snake in this world!”

”A Dragon Snake... isn’t that still a snake? Just one that looks a bit like a Dragon.”

A group of Demons sneered.

”Wrong again! I am a Dragon Snake! This Divine Dragon has two forms: I can be a Dragon, and I can be a snake! If I transform into a Dragon, I will be the one and only Divine Dragon between heaven and earth! If I continue as a snake, I will one day command all snakes and become their leader!”

The coiling purple snake spouted its heresies amidst the crowd of Demons.

”Haha! You want to be the Snake King? Aren’t you afraid of spraining your forked tongue? Don’t forget, the one who saved us was the King of your Snake Clan! You want to usurp his throne? You’d need the power to back it up!”

The Demons laughed in disdain. This Rank Two snake sure had a big mouth. Wasn’t it afraid its own King would hear its words?

Such talk was a provocation—utterly treasonous.

The purple snake instantly lost its nerve. It glanced left and right, then quickly explained, ”That last part doesn’t count! Pretend I didn’t say it! I’m going to be the one and only Divine Dragon in the world!”

”Tsk tsk. A mere snake that hasn’t even reached enlightenment wants to be the world’s only Divine Dragon? Did getting locked up in the Demon Prison make you stupid?”

”Wishful thinking! It’s the middle of the night, but you’re already dreaming even though you’re not asleep?”

Jeers and taunts rang out from all sides.

”Get lost! Get thirty meters away from this Divine Dragon, or I’ll swallow you all in one gulp!”

The purple snake roared, and another dragon cry erupted. A powerful gust of wind howled, blasting the nearby Demons back.

The Demons might have mocked it, but they didn’t dare to truly provoke this snake. Not only did it look like a Dragon, but its power was extraordinary and could not be underestimated.

Just then, a golden streak of light shot over, accompanied by the neigh of a horse.

”Whoa, you scared me for a second. Turns out it’s a Dragon Snake.”

Tu Xiao’an said with mild surprise after arriving on his Golden-winged Flying Horse and getting a clear look.

When it came to snakes that most resembled Dragons, the Dragon Snake species was probably at the top of the list.

Tu Xiao’an never expected to see a second Dragon Snake. The first one he had seen was in the Wei Xian Pavilion on the Ancient Street, where the owner kept it as the restaurant’s prized treasure.

However, that Dragon Snake was an ordinary one, not even an Awakened Creature. In the end, Luo Ziyun had stolen it and cooked it into a stew.

A tragic death.

But the Dragon Snake before him was completely different. It was an Awakened Creature at the Peak of the Second Rank. Its slender body coiled for ten meters, covered in unique, striped purple scales. A ridge ran along its back, giving it a domineering air. Moreover, if you didn’t look too closely, its head was almost indistinguishable from a Dragon’s, with a Dragon Beard and a single horn sprouting from its forehead, exuding an aura of nobility.

Holy shit!

Tu Xiao’an was so shocked that was the only word that came to mind. An ordinary Dragon Snake was already a once-in-a-generation Snake Species, but a Dragon Snake at the Peak of the Second Rank was an absolute treasure of the Snake Race.

Once it achieved the Rank Three of Enlightenment, it would become a King Snake.

From a distance, however, it simply looked like a purple Dragon, the very picture of auspiciousness.

Furthermore, this Dragon Snake’s serpentine aura was so powerful that even Rank Three Demon Spirits didn’t dare linger nearby.

It was unclear whether it was because of Tu Xiao’an, the Snake King, or the Dragon Snake’s own fearsome nature, but the surrounding Demons were all very wary of it.

Tu Xiao’an seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky, his expression immediately turning into one of ’just as I thought’.

Directly above the Dragon Snake, a solitary Xiangyun hovered. This signified that it was blessed by fortune and protected by an auspicious cloud.

A Dragon Snake’s fortune is inherently powerful; otherwise, humans wouldn’t use them as prized shop treasures. If its fortune were transferred to a human, that person would have endless money for their entire life.

They could find money just by bending over to pick something up, win the lottery every time they bought a ticket, and live a life free of illness and disaster.

And as this Dragon Snake was an Awakened Creature that cultivated, its fortune was even stronger, growing deeper as its Realm and power increased.

Moreover, absolutely no one dared to kill such a creature. Killing it would be a slap in the face to the heavens themselves. Its fortune would transform into Evil Qi and haunt the killer for the rest of their life, causing them unspeakable suffering.

’A treasure, an immense treasure.’ Tu Xiao’an’s eyes narrowed to slits. He could afford to ignore an ordinary Dragon Snake, but he absolutely could not turn a blind eye to one at the Peak of the Second Rank.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that it hadn’t yet reached the Rank Three of Enlightenment. For a species like the Dragon Snake, cultivation was extremely difficult. The heavens barely gave them a chance to awaken. But once they did, their Cultivation would soar.

Blessed with immense fortune, they could casually take a stroll through the mountains and find copious amounts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to consume and enhance their Cultivation.

But everything has its pros and cons. A Dragon Snake’s early cultivation might be as smooth as a fish in water, but when it came to achieving the Rank Three of Enlightenment, the ensuing Celestial Tribulation would be terrifying enough to scare you to death.

At that moment, Tu Xiao’an leaped directly off the Golden-winged Flying Horse and landed in front of the massive, coiling Dragon Snake.

The Dragon Snake was proud and arrogant, not only regal but also aggressive. But the moment it saw Tu Xiao’an—a Snake King who had already achieved enlightenment—land, it immediately lowered its high-held head and spoke in human words, ”This Dragon Snake kowtows to the Lord Snake King.”

All its insolence vanished.

”No need to kowtow. You’re a Divine Dragon now. This Snake King wouldn’t dare accept,” Tu Xiao’an said. The Dragon Snake’s earlier shameless boasts had naturally reached his ears.

The Dragon Snake’s heart skipped a beat. It yelled, ”Long live the Snake King! The Snake King is awesome!”

The other Demons: ”...”

What happened to being the one and only Divine Dragon in the world? How could it be so shameless? The other Demons couldn’t even find it in themselves to be polite.

”Long live the Snake King! The Snake King is awesome!”

Tu Xiao’an felt a vein throb in his forehead. ’As a noble Dragon Snake, an Auspicious Beast blessed with great fortune... this is its character?’

His favorable impression of it plummeted.

It was even worse than the prized treasure from Wei Xian Pavilion.

Still, what member of the Snake Race would dare act presumptuously in front of Tu Xiao’an?

The Snake King commands all snakes in the world. None dare to disobey. This was no empty claim.

”Alright, stop shouting,” Tu Xiao’an rolled his eyes. If it had just been a quiet Dragon Snake, people might have actually mistaken it for a Dragon.

After all, with its Dragon Beard, Dragon Horn, and four limbs, it did bear a strong resemblance to a Dragon.

Tu Xiao’an had more right than anyone to comment on this, since he had actually evolved a Cyan Dragon himself.

”Lord Snake King, please take this little snake to the Snake Palace! If I live my life without entering the Snake Palace, then being a Dragon Snake is all for naught.” This purple snake, perhaps from spending too much time among humans, was quite eloquent.

Tu Xiao’an chuckled. ”You want to enter the Snake Palace? The Snake Palace isn’t a place just any snake can enter.”

The Snake Palace was the Divine Land for all snakes in the world, and it stood within the Yaoling Mountain Range. This Dragon Snake was clearly not from the Yaoling Mountain Range.

”Lord Snake King, what must I do to be qualified to enter the Snake Palace?” the Dragon Snake asked eagerly.

”Become a Rank Three Demon Spirit. If you can cross the tribulation and achieve enlightenment, you will be qualified to enter the Snake Palace.”

The Dragon Snake said weakly, ”This little snake still needs to cultivate for some time before I can attempt Crossing the Tribulation. Besides, I’m not confident I can succeed.”

”Your fortune is too strong. You are favored by the heavens. I imagine the Celestial Tribulation will also ’favor’ you when the time comes and send a few extra bolts your way,” Tu Xiao’an said teasingly.

The Dragon Snake seemed to know this as well and said helplessly, ”That’s why this little snake isn’t confident about successfully Crossing the Tribulation.”

”Become my Battle Companion. Not only will you be able to enter the Snake Palace, but you can also undergo your tribulation at the very peak of the Snake Palace, letting all the snakes of the Snake Race witness the heroic sight of a Dragon Snake Crossing the Tribulation.”

In truth, Tu Xiao’an didn’t need the Dragon Snake to submit to him. As the King of the Snake Clan, all snakes in the world had to obey him unconditionally.

It was an unnecessary step.

But this Dragon Snake was different. It was blessed with great fortune. If Tu Xiao’an subdued it, perhaps he could claim a portion of its fortune for his own protection.

Fortune was an ethereal, illusory thing—invisible to the naked eye, but real nonetheless.

Tu Xiao’an himself possessed fortune; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been blessed by the System.

Besides, regardless of whether he could get a share of the Dragon Snake’s fortune, Tu Xiao’an wanted to subdue this snake and cultivate it properly.

This snake was a prime candidate. If cultivated well, its future achievements wouldn’t be any less than his mutated hybrid, the Evil Snake.