Feng Lingruan found herself trapped in a tight embrace.
Wen Xian was soaked from head to toe, and most of Feng Lingruan’s dress became wet as well. The damp cloth felt terribly uncomfortable.
Even worse was Wen Xian herself. Her thin body had no softness to cushion it, and her bones pressed painfully against Feng Lingruan. The force of the embrace disturbed Feng Lingruan’s energy and blood, worsening her already severe injuries.
She swallowed the metallic sweetness rising in her throat.
“Let go,” she said coldly.
Only then did Wen Xian realize that she was hugging the demoness. Frightened, she released Feng Lingruan and retreated several yards. She even brushed off her clothes as though something filthy had touched them.
The terror on Wen Xian’s face and the way she avoided Feng Lingruan like a deadly snake nearly made the Demon Lord lose control of her churning blood. The metallic taste surged into her throat again. She forced it down with great difficulty.
This insect was going to anger her to death.
Wen Xian was the one who had grabbed her, yet now she looked as though she had seen a ghost. She had even dusted off her clothes in front of Feng Lingruan, as if trying to remove some foul stain.
What a reckless, disrespectful insect!
Once Feng Lingruan recovered, she would torture this woman without mercy. She would make Wen Xian suffer so badly that death seemed kinder than life.
“Sorry. I was just a tiny, tiny bit terrified…”
Perhaps realizing that her reaction had been hurtful, Wen Xian hurried to explain with a guilty expression. Feng Lingruan had no interest in listening. Her mind was already filled with methods for torturing someone half to death.
At that moment, ripples appeared across the pool again.
Wen Xian’s expression changed. With a thought, the snow-white longbow stored inside her energy center instantly appeared in her hand.
She raised it and drew the blood-red string into a full moon. Spiritual energy surged from her body. A white arrow condensed on the crimson string, giving off such a frightening pressure that it seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth the moment it flew.
Feng Lingruan’s beautiful eyes widened at the sight of the longbow.
Its body was entirely white, while its string was as red as blood. That crimson thread gave the otherwise pure and sacred bow a strange, bewitching air. An extraordinary presence radiated from it.
*A lower-grade mystic artifact?*
*This insect owns a lower-grade mystic artifact as her life-bound treasure!*
How could someone so weak control a mystic artifact unless…?
Feng Lingruan thought of one possibility and could hardly believe it.
Artifacts were divided into five ranks. Ordinary magic artifacts stood at the bottom, followed by mystic, treasured, spiritual, and immortal artifacts. Each rank was further divided into lower, middle, upper, and supreme grades.
A life-bound treasure was different from an ordinary artifact. Anyone who obtained an ordinary artifact could use it, but a life-bound treasure accepted only one master. No one else could command it. If its master died, the treasure would be destroyed as well.
It grew stronger along with its master and possessed a will of its own. A cultivator either had to conquer such a treasure with overwhelming strength or wait for it to choose a master it accepted.
A cultivator could have only one life-bound treasure. Once it accepted its master, it would never betray them.
While the person lived, the treasure endured. When the person died, the treasure perished.
That was why cultivators willingly spent enormous amounts of wealth and effort raising the grade of their life-bound treasures.
The treasures deserved it.
As the ruler of the Demon Realm, Feng Lingruan possessed excellent judgment. One glance told her that the snow-white bow was no common object. It had suffered terrible damage, yet even in its broken state, it remained a lower-grade mystic artifact. That proved how extraordinary it must have been at its height.
If someone completely restored it, perhaps it would be…
An immortal artifact!
Even Feng Lingruan, who had seen countless rare treasures, felt her heart stir at the possibility.
Her former life-bound treasure had been destroyed many years ago. Since then, she had found nothing worthy of her attention. This longbow suited her tastes. If it had not already accepted a master, she would have seized it by any means necessary.
Unfortunately, it belonged to Wen Xian. Killing its master would only destroy the bow too.
That was both the strength and weakness of a life-bound treasure. No one could steal it and benefit from its master’s work. At the same time, a person could only watch someone else wield such a remarkable object without ever making it their own.
Seeing something so desirable but being unable to possess it was painful indeed.
What a shame that this insect had found such a treasure first. If Feng Lingruan owned it, her strength would rise to another level, shortening her plans by several centuries.
She bit her lower lip. Luck had never favored her. No matter how many years passed, she would never expect good fortune to fall into her hands.
She could rely only on herself.
Meanwhile, Wen Xian concentrated on the surface of the water. The instant the snake raised its head, she would release the arrow.
“Please… don’t attack me. I mean no harm.”
A timid woman’s voice suddenly came from the pool.
Wen Xian froze. Surprise also appeared on Feng Lingruan’s face.
An enormous snake’s head slowly rose above the surface. Its entire body was snow-white, and its scales were as pure and flawless as fine white jade. A single rouge-red mark decorated its forehead, providing a brilliant final touch.
“A White Jade Rouge Python?”
Feng Lingruan was deeply shocked.
White Jade Rouge Pythons were extraordinarily rare creatures. They were neither spirit beasts nor demons. From the moment of birth, their blood carried a trace of immortal energy, making them a kind of half-immortal. A fully mature python could ascend directly to the Immortal Realm without even facing a heavenly tribulation. They were true children of fortune, blessed by heaven itself.
But fairness governed all things. Although the pythons were born extraordinary, they were helpless when young. Apart from powerful spiritual awareness, they had no means of attack. Anyone could place them on the chopping block and slaughter them.
According to legend, eating one of their hearts granted a person the trace of immortal energy in its blood. That greatly increased the chance of surviving the heavenly tribulation and ascending. The previous Demon Lord had succeeded for precisely that reason.
If Feng Lingruan could do the same…
She looked at the young White Jade Rouge Python, and fierce longing flashed through her eyes. Eating its heart would raise her chance of becoming an immortal. Then she could fulfill her wish.
Only after becoming an immortal could she accomplish *that*.
It was her lifelong desire. Whatever the cost, she had to succeed.
Some sacrifices were necessary.
Determination filled Feng Lingruan’s gaze as she watched the young python. She circulated the spirit-beast energy she had recovered and began repairing her internal injuries.
The moment she could move again, the defenseless creature would have no hope of escaping her grasp.
As for the insect, she had merely enjoyed a little good luck. Feng Lingruan would still drag her back to the Demon Palace and torture her.
Wen Xian had no idea how dangerous Feng Lingruan’s thoughts had become. The great white snake could speak, and it did not look terrifying like other snakes. Wen Xian found it fascinating, and her courage returned.
She stored the longbow inside her energy center and approached the python.
“You’re so beautiful! May I touch your scales?” she asked curiously.
Feng Lingruan stared at her as if she were a fool.
Young White Jade Rouge Pythons might have no fighting ability, but that did not make them gentle. Their tempers were notoriously violent. Even a helpless one was not something an insect in the Energy Refining realm could oppose.
Their beautiful white scales were both their pride and their firmest boundary. Wen Xian’s request was nothing less than a challenge.
The woman was weak and ignorant. Feng Lingruan would enjoy watching her die.
Instead, what followed exceeded all her expectations.
The python slowly moved its massive head toward Wen Xian. Golden eyes as large as lanterns stared at her.
Wen Xian swallowed.
Did this snake have a bad temper?
Surely not. Something this beautiful ought to have a lovely personality too.
The human and snake stared at each other for a long moment. Then the python’s eyes curved into happy crescents. It flicked out a pale-pink tongue and brushed it across Wen Xian’s cheek.
Her skin felt cool, almost as though someone had spread mint across it. The sensation was both refreshing and soothing.
“Oh! You’re so easy to talk to. I like you!”
The python sounded delighted. Its floating tail rose from the water and wagged from side to side like that of an excited puppy.
Once Wen Xian realized how friendly it was, she began talking without pause.
“Why are you here?”
“Don’t you have any others of your kind?”
“Aren’t you lonely here by yourself?”
Even Feng Lingruan, who was only listening, found the questions annoying. Yet the python patiently answered every one. Feng Lingruan was speechless.
She was now certain that this White Jade Rouge Python had an incomplete mind. It was nothing like the creatures described in the legends.
“I’ve been here since I was born,” the python explained to Wen Xian. “I had brothers and sisters, but they all left. I was too afraid to go outside, so I stayed here. As for my mother… I don’t remember her at all.”
Wen Xian stroked its head with sympathy. “You poor thing. You must be lonely here by yourself. Would you like to go outside and see the world?”
The python’s eyes lit up. Its tongue flicked wildly with visible excitement.
“Really? I want to go outside!”
A crafty gleam entered Wen Xian’s eyes. Like a swindler tempting an innocent child, she coaxed the inexperienced python.
“I can take you with me. But first, you have to tell me whether there’s anything valuable at the bottom of this pool.”
Feng Lingruan fell silent.
So this had been the insect’s true purpose all along.
Even a foolish python ought to recognize Wen Xian’s wicked intentions. It should swallow her at once!
Feng Lingruan had still overestimated the creature’s intelligence. The instant it cheerfully admitted that it had treasure, she lost all hope for its mind.
It would be safer if this creature never went outside. With such little sense, someone could skin off all its scales, and it might still believe they were helping it.
It was hopelessly stupid.
Even Feng Lingruan’s determination to eat its heart began to waver.
If she ate the heart, could its stupidity pass into her?
After Wen Xian and the python struck their bargain, the creature happily dove underwater to retrieve the treasure. Wen Xian rubbed her hands together and waited, almost unable to contain her excitement.
More than anything, she hoped to receive a flying magic artifact. Then she could finally leave this cursed place.
If not that, a good sword would also do. Her cultivation had been stuck at the fifth level of Energy Refining for several days.
Whatever it was, she would accept it as long as it was valuable. She was not picky.
When ripples appeared on the pool, Wen Xian’s eyes shone so brightly that they seemed ready to produce light. The White Jade Rouge Python surfaced with a large chest held in its mouth, and Wen Xian began trembling with excitement.
Her wonderful treasure had arrived!
