CHAPTER 551: CHAPTER 435: FELLOW DAOIST, SPARE MY LIFE

The person calling herself "Grandma" looks like an old woman in black, but when she sticks out her tongue, it’s apparent she’s a demon.

Grandma’s pupils are vertical and green, almost immobile, giving her an eerie presence, like that of a dead object.

Gao Xuan recognized it at once; this Grandma is the real Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon, fully transformed into a human form.

Luckily, this snake demon is just at the Golden Core level. Demons at this stage usually don’t possess advanced magic techniques—they might be stronger than a Golden Core cultivator, but their combat power is a tier lower.

She’s not much of a threat to Gao Xuan. Of course, if the snake demon were stronger, the Six-winged Celestial Cicada would have warned him.

In this world filled with countless mighty beings, the Six-winged Celestial Cicada is the real divine artifact.

But why would Jiang Lan conspire with this old demon? Jiang Lan, a disciple of a reputable sect, has pretty good talent, is smart and capable, and also quite pretty. She’s skillful in her actions.

Even in a major sect like the Cloud Mist Sect, there aren’t many outstanding disciples like her. As long as Jiang Lan follows the usual path of cultivation, she would naturally have a bright future.

What good can come from cooperating with a Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon?

As for that beautiful snake just now, it should be the disciple or subordinate of the Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon. Judging by the way this group of cultivators was mesmerized, it seems that Jiang Lan’s Clear Heart Powder had issues.

Gao Xuan ignored the ugly Snake Demon Grandma and asked Jiang Lan curiously, "You’re a disciple of a reputable sect. Why would you walk this path of the Demon Dao?"

Jiang Lan shook her head slightly, "That’s how human fates are. Sometimes when you take a wrong step, there’s no turning back. What good would it do to talk about past grievances now? At this point, it’s nothing more than a fight to the death between you and me."

"At least you see it clearly and aren’t pretentious about it."

Gao Xuan nodded in approval, "Since it’s like this, I’ll grant you a quick death."

As he spoke, with a flick of his sleeve, an earth wall rose out of thin air, blocking Jiang Lan and the Snake Demon Grandma.

"A petty trick, flaunting it before me."

The Snake Demon Grandma sneered coldly. Having taken human form for hundreds of years, she not only understands idioms but has learned quite a few human cultivator magics.

Earlier, watching Gao Xuan fight in the water mirror, she was already prepared for his Earth Wall Technique.

Seeing Gao Xuan use it again, she found it amusing. Only that brainless beautiful snake would fall for it.

The Snake Demon Grandma effortlessly sidestepped the earth wall. Gao Xuan’s magic technique, turning illusion into reality, produced a dense and solid wall; there was no need to contend with it.

Even though Snake Demon Grandma is in human form, the Snake Swimming Body Technique is ingrained in her bones. With a turn, she easily bypassed the earth wall.

To her surprise, Gao Xuan was standing behind the earth wall, not running away. Although she couldn’t comprehend why he didn’t flee, as a Golden Core Old Demon, she didn’t care.

Even if Gao Xuan had reached Foundation Establishment, there was still a significant realm gap between them. The difference in power was more than tenfold. Her humanoid body, refined from a thousand-year snake body, could be called a body of a hundred refinements.

Even if she stood still, it would be difficult for Gao Xuan to harm her with any magic technique.

The power level differences were just too vast!

The Snake Demon Grandma was full of confidence, not considering Gao Xuan a threat. She openly reached out and grabbed at Gao Xuan.

Her withered, old claw expanded tenfold, encompassing Gao Xuan with a single grasp.

Sneering, the Snake Demon Grandma’s vertical pupils flashed with a cold light. Though her heart brimmed with a bloodthirsty excitement due to her snake demonic instincts, she didn’t show it in her gaze. However, the smile on her aged face grew increasingly hideous and bizarre.

The Snake Demon Grandma grabbed Gao Xuan, but a light emanated from his Profound Yellow Daoist Robe, conjuring the phantom of countless mountains, blocking her claw.

No matter how she exerted her power, her claw could not penetrate the layers of illusory mountain shadows.

This time, the Snake Demon Grandma was somewhat irritated. A mere Foundation Establishment youngster dared to flaunt himself in front of her.

She coldly sneered, "Grandma will catch you and chew you to bits!"

"Take a good look in the mirror. You’re in no position to bite me."

Gao Xuan looked full of disdain, "Let me ask, is your nickname ’Old Ugly Hag’?"

The Snake Demon Grandma was infuriated. She didn’t care about her appearance, as a demon, she relied on strength to prey on humans and drink blood.

However, Gao Xuan’s contemptuous attitude was hard for her to accept.

After all, she is a dignified Golden Core Old Demon, with a thousand years of cultivation. She has devoured countless cultivators.

A tiny Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to provoke her! Did he really think she couldn’t break through this magical artifact!

The Snake Demon Grandma’s mouth suddenly expanded a hundredfold, swallowing Gao Xuan in one gulp.

As a descendant of the Ba Snake, devouring is her forte. Her stomach is especially unique, akin to a mighty magical artifact.

No matter the defensive magical artifact, it couldn’t resist the corrosive effects of her stomach acid.

Devoured magical artifacts, once dissolved by her stomach acid, could be transformed into her own strength.

This innate divine technique of devouring was what made the snake demon grow ever stronger.

However, at this point, advancing further becomes difficult. No sect or three major sects would permit a Golden Core Great Demon within their borders.

The Snake Demon Grandma was cautious, never daring to directly hunt cultivators openly, only using her disciples and subordinates as bait to lure cultivators.

If the incoming visitors weren’t strong, she would swallow them outright. If they were too strong, she would remain hidden.

Recently, by a twist of fate, she had caught hold of Jiang Lan’s leverage, accepting her as a disciple.

She even promised Jiang Lan that if she could gather one hundred cultivators, she would set Jiang Lan free.

This cooperation is the second time, yet they encountered Gao Xuan this time. Although he’s merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, the magical artifact he possesses is indeed formidable.

Jiang Lan watched as the Snake Demon Grandma swallowed Gao Xuan and Yuanbao. She commented with some regret, "Master, the magical artifact on Gao Xuan is the Nine Peaks Magic Robe, a heritage artifact of the Thick Earth Sect."

Jiang Lan was quite regretful; such an artifact is top grade, and it might even be a spiritual artifact.

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Gao Xuan casually cast a spell just now, and the power of that formidable magic must have borrowed the strength of the Nine Peaks Magic Robe.

Swallowed by the Snake Demon, this magical artifact was now useless.

The Snake Demon was indifferent, "This magical artifact is too conspicuous. Even if I give it to you, you can’t use it. I’ll swallow it directly, it’s at least of some small benefit."

As she spoke, her expression suddenly changed.

Jiang Lan, unsure of what happened, instinctively retreated quickly.

The Snake Demon let out an agonizing roar, and her human form rapidly expanded, transforming in an instant into a massive serpent over thirty feet long.

The giant serpent’s body lay on the ground, but it was taller than Jiang Lan, with layers of fine scales shimmering in a deep blue light, and under the sunlight, there was an odd beauty to the monstrous body.

Jiang Lan had never seen her in her true form before, and seeing this giant snake, her face went white in fear, retreating once again.

The giant snake had just appeared when its belly swelled dramatically. The serpent rolled in agony.

Its body, so massive, weighed several tens of thousands of pounds. In extreme agony, wherever it rolled became a scene of devastation.

The previous battle had already destroyed half of the beautiful Purple Leaf Trees. Now, as the Snake Demon rolled chaotically, not only was the entire Purple Leaf Forest demolished, but the mountain walls were struck by the immense body, causing rocks to crumble and the earth to shake.

Fortunately, the Snake Demon still had a bit of reason left, sparing the lives of those few cultivators. She rolled outward, as if turning the whole Purple Leaf Valley upside down.

Jiang Lan was extremely anxious, but she couldn’t help. She actually wished for the Snake Demon’s death, but if Gao Xuan died, she would also be in trouble.

Moreover, the Snake Demon had planted deadly poison in her. If the old monster truly died, she wouldn’t survive either.

But seeing the way the Snake Demon struggled, she couldn’t understand what kind of spell Gao Xuan had used.

As Jiang Lan’s anxiety peaked, she saw the serpent’s belly swell, as if a mountain were emerging from within.

This protruding bulge rapidly expanded to a height of hundreds of feet, forcing the serpent into a perfect triangular shape.

The deep blue serpent skin stretched so much without tearing, instead flashing a beautiful gleam under the sunlight, like an enormous leather bag!

Luckily, the Purple Leaf Valley was vast enough, and this suddenly emerging colossal leather bag didn’t crush Jiang Lan. A group of unconscious cultivators behind her also survived.

At this moment, Jiang Lan couldn’t even focus on those cultivators; she stood dumbfounded, thinking, "How could someone as young as Gao Xuan possess such skills!"

Jiang Lan didn’t know whom to help, nor how to help. Engaging in a battle of this level was beyond her capability.

Judging by the situation, she thought the Snake Demon had a better chance of winning. After all, she was a Golden Core. Although Gao Xuan’s spell was powerful, he couldn’t sustain it for long.

If the Snake Demon could hold on without dying, it would soon be Gao Xuan’s misfortune.

Not only Jiang Lan thought this way, but the Snake Demon did too. Gao Xuan had cast spells in its stomach, nearly bursting it.

However, its devouring innate ability kicked in at the critical moment, suppressing the mountain that Gao Xuan conjured as its stomach reached its breaking point.

In this stalemate, the Snake Demon was confident of victory due to its profound power. Even though its internal organs were severely injured, as long as its divine soul was intact and the Golden Core unbroken, these injuries wouldn’t be an issue.

However, once it captured Gao Xuan, it would certainly strip him of his skin and tendons, savoring every moment to vent its deep-seated hatred.

The Snake Demon was always cautious, never having suffered such a great loss. At this moment, it harbored an extreme hatred for Gao Xuan.

As it contemplated how to torture Gao Xuan for retribution, it heard a low chanting sound in its ears.

The voice seemed to emanate from deep within the earth, profound, ancient, heavy, and filled with an unshakeable resolve and grand vision.

The sound alone carried the weight of boundless earth, capable of suppressing and embracing all.

The Snake Demon was overtaken by the spell’s power, its divine soul momentarily paralyzed.

It wasn’t due to incompetence; its stomach nearly burst. It used all its strength to suppress the massive mountain Gao Xuan evoked. At this moment, it had no spare strength.

Gao Xuan had invoked the Ksitigarbha Demon-Subduing Spell inherent in the Nine Peaks Magic Robe.

This spell directly targeted the divine soul; if the soul was tainted or impure, it would be suppressed by the spell.

The Snake Demon had lived for a thousand years, long since awakening its intelligence. For that reason, it had lost its primal nature, its heart becoming filthy.

Once the Ksitigarbha Demon-Subduing Spell emerged, the Snake Demon’s divine soul was suppressed. With its millennia of cultivation, the Snake Demon shouldn’t have been so easily subdued.

Yet the Nine Peaks Magic Robe was wondrous, with Nine Peaks as its branches and Ksitigarbha as its root. The Ksitigarbha Demon-Subduing Spell, profound and deep, wasn’t tyrannical but carried the weight of appeasement and the breadth to embrace everything.

Had the Snake Demon been forcefully suppressed, it would surely have unleashed its Golden Core power in resistance. But faced with the gentle and inclusive Ksitigarbha Demon-Subduing Spell, its divine soul, feeling cradled by endless earth, naturally entered an extremely serene state.

In this state, the Snake Demon itself didn’t sense anything amiss, thinking only of remaining in the spell’s embrace, never to awaken.

As the Snake Demon’s soul drifted into a daze, the divine soul projection of Gao Xuan had already reached the Snake Demon’s sea of consciousness.

The projection of Gao Xuan’s divine soul extended a finger, and a surge of lightning burst forth from his fingertip, instantly engulfing the coiled Snake Demon’s soul.

When the Snake Demon realized something was wrong, it was already too late to resist. The Thunder Skill, the foundation of all magic, held the pivot of Heaven and Earth, the transformation of life and death.

The primordial qi and Source Power of this realm were interconnected. Gao Xuan, as the Thunder Divine Monarch, could also wield it. Although this foundational Secret Technique was limited by the primordial qi cultivation of his physical body, he could still manifest Golden Core level power with the help of the Nine Peaks Magic Robe.

The Thunder Skill exerted by the Thunder Divine Monarch was incredibly high-grade, and the Snake Demon’s soul screamed once before turning to ash in the thunder light.

Jiang Lan, observing the battle from outside, hadn’t yet realized what happened when she saw the Snake Demon’s body suddenly revert to its original form, its vertical pupils dilated, its lifeless gaze evident.

Jiang Lan was utterly terrified, the Snake Demon was truly slain by Gao Xuan! For a moment, she was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

A flicker of the Profound Yellow figure, and Gao Xuan had already arrived before Jiang Lan with Yuanbao.

Gao Xuan looked at the charming Jiang Lan and sighed gently, "Though you are a lovely lady, why choose thievery."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Jiang Lan quickly knelt, tears streaming down as she pleaded desperately, "Spare me, Daoist Friend, spare me..."