The villagers arrived at the Village Entrance, stopping before a building that resembled a temple.
One by one, they placed the woven baskets on their backs down on the open ground in front of the door.
This must be the Ancestral Hall the old witch mentioned.
After setting down their bamboo baskets, the villagers looked anxious and hurried back into the village.
On the open ground lay more than twenty bamboo baskets, half of which contained snakes.
A dozen or so snakes of various colors and sizes flicked their tongues inside their respective baskets.
This was the first time Lin Xue had seen so many snakes up close in real life. Having been afraid of snakes since childhood, he felt utterly unsettled.
Especially in the basket next to his, where a brightly colored, massive snake several times thicker than him raised its upper body, flicking its tongue and glaring fiercely at him through the bamboo.
It hissed menacingly, eyes filled with murderous intent, as if it wanted to charge over and devour him alive.
Lin Xue cast a glance at the huge snake, his heart nearly stopping.
He quickly turned his head away and shuffled his body as far from the rude beast as possible, trying hard not to look at it.
Inwardly, he muttered, “Fierce my ass. You can’t bite me through the basket. I’m not scared of you!”
Soon, the villagers had all left the open ground.
The Daoist Nun approached the Ancestral Hall’s entrance and called inside, “Father, today’s snakes have been delivered.”
“I know,” came an aged voice in reply.
After a moment, an old man clad in a cyan Daoist robe appeared at the door.
Lin Xue looked at the Old Daoist once more. The man’s hair was completely white, with a long white beard on his chin, presenting the image of a transcendent immortal.
He stood sideways facing Lin Xue, so Lin Xue only saw the left side of his face.
When the old man turned his face fully, Lin Xue noticed a deep scar running across his right eye, from his forehead down to the corner of his mouth like a crawling, ugly worm.
The scar made his expression terrifying and ruined his otherwise ethereal appearance.
The Daoist Nun pointed to the bamboo baskets in the courtyard. “Father, today the commoners only managed to catch fifteen snakes. The number is a bit low.”
The One-eyed Old Daoist gave a faint “hmm,” though there was no sign of displeasure on his face.
He stepped over the threshold onto the open ground, walked to the baskets, and looked at the snakes inside. A faint glimmer of hope flashed across his fierce face.
He reached out his left hand and grabbed a snake from the nearest basket.
The snake was brightly colored and venomous. It was extremely aggressive, opening its mouth and spitting venom at the old man.
The old man remained unmoved. He extended his right index finger and pressed it against the snake’s head.
The venomous snake immediately froze like a wooden doll, motionless, its tongue drooping out of its mouth.
Disappointment appeared on the old man’s face. He shook his head, snapped the snake’s neck with a pinch, and casually tossed it aside.
The fierce venomous snake now lay limp on the ground like a piece of rope, no longer moving.
The old man moved to the next basket, pulled out another snake, pressed his right index finger on its head, and again shook his head in disappointment before breaking its neck and throwing it to the ground.
Then the next one, and the next…
Soon, dead snakes were scattered messily across the ground.
Lin Xue’s basket was at the edge.
He watched helplessly as the old man executed the snakes one by one, his body hair standing on end and a chill running down his spine.
Damn it, he thought. Is this old Daoist sick in the head? He’s making his daughter force the villagers to catch all these snakes just to kill them for fun?
Does he have some sick tendency to abuse animals?
I just barely transmigrated here and have only been alive for two days. Am I really about to die already?
He began to regret stealing those bird eggs earlier.
If he hadn’t been so picky and refused to eat mice and frogs, maybe he wouldn’t have been caught.
But now it was too late to regret.
Soon, all the snakes had been killed by the old man snapping their necks.
The old man approached Lin Xue’s basket and reached out his hand.
Lin Xue hunched his neck, opened his mouth wide, and bit down hard on the old man’s hand.
If you want to kill me, I’m not going to make it easy!
Even if I can’t kill you, I’ll leave you a scar!
But he failed to bite the old man’s hand.
The old man’s movements didn’t seem fast, but somehow he grabbed Lin Xue’s neck and pulled him out of the basket before Lin Xue could bite down.
Held tightly in the old man’s hand, Lin Xue felt utterly hopeless.
This was truly the end.
It seemed he was about to say goodbye to this world.
He wondered if after death he would transmigrate to another world.
He closed his eyes, preparing to meet his death.
The old man extended his right index finger and pressed it to the top of Lin Xue’s head.
An electric current instantly shot through Lin Xue’s entire body, from head to tail.
It was a strange sensation. Lin Xue inexplicably felt a bit of pleasure. His tense body relaxed, and he even felt like rolling his eyes back.
No wonder the snakes became dazed and dumb after being touched—it was because it felt so good.
The One-eyed Old Daoist made a questioning “hmm?” but instead of snapping Lin Xue’s neck like the others, his eyes widened in surprise and delight.
He tapped Lin Xue’s head again with his finger. The tingling current ran through Lin Xue’s body once more.
Lin Xue’s slender body twitched involuntarily from head to tail.
“It connects! It connects! This snake has a Spiritual Vein! I’ve finally found one, hahaha!”
The old man laughed madly, his scarred face even more ferocious.
“I’ve tested nearly a thousand snakes in recent days, and at last, I’ve found a snake possessing a Spiritual Vein. It seems heaven has not forsaken me, Yu Changfeng. Wahahahaha!”
The Daoist Nun wore a pleased expression and approached to salute. “Congratulations, Father, on finding a Container.”
Yu Changfeng looked at Lin Xue in his hand with satisfaction and laughed heartily:
“To become my container is quite the honor for you, little one!”
He tossed Lin Xue back into the basket, folded his hands behind his back, and laughed as he strode toward the Ancestral Hall.
The Daoist Nun lifted the basket and followed him inside.
Lin Xue came out of the strange tingling sensation.
Hmm? I’m not dead?
The one-eyed old man named Yu Changfeng said he had a Spiritual Vein. What’s a Spiritual Vein?
Are this father and daughter making people catch snakes just to find one with a Spiritual Vein?
What’s a Container anyway?
Lin Xue was utterly baffled as he was dragged into the Ancestral Hall.
Yu Changfeng waved his sleeve, sending a gust of wind that shut the heavy doors of the Ancestral Hall.
He patted a fist-sized pouch at his waist.
Swish!
A book about the size of an A4 sheet flew out from the pouch.
Lin Xue looked at the small pouch and understood: this must be the legendary Storage Pouch used by cultivators. A tiny pouch that held vast space inside, capable of storing many things.
He coveted the Storage Pouch intensely.
If I had one of these to deliver takeout, how many more orders could I deliver in a day!
I’d definitely be the monthly top deliverer!
Then his mood darkened. I’m about to die, and I’m still thinking about delivery orders?
Yu Changfeng held the book and sighed, saying, “I began Refining Qi at age ten. By fifteen, I entered mid-stage Refining Qi, and at twenty-eight, I reached late-stage Refining Qi. Back then, who in the family didn’t praise me as a prodigy? Given time, Foundation Establishment would have been inevitable, and Golden Core Formation not impossible.”
“But at thirty-five, I was betrayed by a scoundrel who injured one of my eyes. Of the 365 orifices in the body, the right eye is missing, a permanent loss. Ever since, I’ve been stuck at late-stage Refining Qi, unable to reach Foundation Establishment.”
“Now, at one hundred and twenty-four years old, my time draws near.”
“I had intended to Soul Possess someone and restart the path of cultivation, but the damage to my eye severely affects the influx of soul into another’s sea of consciousness. It’s easy to fail the possession or be counter-killed, so I’ve given up on that plan.”
“Fortunately, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Ten years ago, I killed a Demon Snake and seized this book—the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art. It was written by a high-level demon clansman and records how to transform a demon beast into human form. After transformation, the three hundred sixty-five orifices are complete, allowing cultivation with human methods.”
“I spent years studying it aimlessly until a brilliant idea came to me: Why not Soul Possess a spiritual beast and then cultivate a human body from the demon beast form?”
“Beasts are naturally weaker in soul power than humans, making possession easier. Even with only one eye, destroying their soul and taking their body shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Alas, I, Yu Changfeng, once a peerless talent, am now forced to become a beast. It is both tragic and lamentable.”
The Daoist Nun comforted him, “Father, even such a prodigy as you, using a demon body, will surely achieve Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Formation, becoming a mighty figure. Who dares question your origins then?”
Yu Changfeng laughed loudly, “Lian’er speaks well! Once I form my Golden Core, who will doubt I’m a demon body?”
He threw the book on the altar and said, “Life and death follow the Way of Heaven. Soul Possession defies that order, so it’s heavily restricted. First, it can only possess bodies without cultivation. Second, any being can only possess another once and be possessed only once. Third, after possession, original cultivation is lost, starting from zero.”
“Unfortunately, after a century of Refining Qi cultivation, all my achievements will vanish once I possess this little snake. I will become a spiritual snake with barely awakened intelligence, with no cultivation and no ability to transform.”
“According to the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art, a young demon must reach mid-stage Body Tempering to form a complete human body. But cultivation is harder for demon beasts without guidance from cultivation techniques. Progress is slow. Even with my talent, I don’t know when I’ll reach mid-stage Body Tempering.”
“Luckily, I once killed a direct disciple of the Beast Taming Sect and obtained the Beast Refinement Codex—an untransmitted secret of the sect. It allows my Beast Pet to devour and refine other demon beasts’ Serpent Cores, transforming their demonic power into cultivation for my Beast Pet.”
He reached to his Storage Pouch, and a translucent sphere about the size of a walnut flew out, landing in his hand.
The sphere looked soft and elastic.
Yu Changfeng handed the orb to the Daoist Nun and said, “Lian’er, after I possess this spiritual snake, feed this Serpent Core into my mouth. Use the Beast Refinement Codex I taught you to help me absorb it, raising my cultivation to mid-stage Body Tempering—enough to form a human body.”
“Once I transform, you will kill everyone in this village. We’ll then dismantle the Illusion Formation and leave early.”
The Daoist Nun nodded, “I understand.”
Listening from inside the basket, Lin Xue was stunned.
So it turns out this old bastard plans to Soul Possess my snake body?
In the end, he’s going to kill me!
That old man even ordered the witch to kill the entire village later. These cultivators really are heartless, treating lives like grass and dirt. Truly beasts!
Why haven’t the Immortal Masters of the Demon-Slaying Bureau arrived yet?
Jade Emperor, Primordial Heavenly Lord, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jesus, Zeus—anyone please show your divine power and destroy these two dog Daoists. Save little snake me and the entire village!
Lin Xue prayed wildly in desperation.
But Yu Changfeng walked straight to the basket, grabbed him by the neck, and pulled him out.
It was over, truly over.
Lin Xue’s face was ashen as he stared at Yu Changfeng’s ferocious face looming before him.