Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 501: Chapter 489: One Deep Mountain Great Demon After Another

I’m so looking forward to Azure Owl achieving its Demon Transformation.

Tu Xiao’an was in high spirits. He was now, for the most part, completely reunited with his Battle Companions, except for the ones still fighting in the warzone.

The Three-headed Evil Snake and Golden Pupils were raising hell in the warzone. Both were bloodthirsty Battle Companions with terrible tempers. Even if Tu Xiao’an were to call for them now, they probably wouldn’t return.

Calling them over would just hinder their Cultivation. The place was teeming with creatures that had become spirits; the more they ate, the faster they grew.

"Master, don’t get caught up reminiscing! My goddess is still in dire straits!"

Tree Spirit Charlie’s mind was completely occupied with Miss Baihua. ’He hasn’t even achieved Demon Transformation, and all he can think about is chasing girls. Just like that Bull Demon King, that Colorful Bull.’

"She won’t die," Tu Xiao’an said with a chiding laugh. After a moment’s thought, he added, "Charlie, do you really think you’re worthy of that flower? She’s at the Great Demon Level, and you haven’t even started Crossing the Tribulation yet."

"For my goddess, Charlie will cultivate diligently!" the Tree Spirit declared with unwavering resolve.

’It’s incredibly rare to encounter an awakened plant-type demon, let alone a Flower Demon at the Great Demon Level.’

’Might as well call dibs on her now, I guess.’

Joking aside, Tu Xiao’an shifted his gaze to the circle of Flame. Inside, Miss Baihua was enduring inhuman torment. Her legs had already reverted to branches, and he believed that under the Celestial Might of the Celestial Fire Burning, she would soon be forced back into her original form.

"Damned centipede, are you going to come out or what?! I’m about to be burned alive!"

A sharp cry erupted from within the flames.

Hearing this, Tu Xiao’an frowned. ’Could one of the Gray Demon King’s subordinates be hiding nearby?’

Just then, the ground beneath Tu Xiao’an’s feet began to tremble violently as a terrifyingly powerful wave of Demon Qi surged up from below.

"Get back!"

Tu Xiao’an roared. Azure Owl and the Tree Spirit were only Rank Two and could be easily injured.

BOOM...

Sensing something was wrong, Tu Xiao’an had already leaped into the air. A moment later, the ground shattered and a massive monster burst forth. Its body was enormous and long, with countless legs—an utterly terrifying sight.

"Snake Demon, I’ll have your life! How dare you harm my Little Sister Baihua!" The voice, as mournful as a wandering soul and as sharp as a ghost, sent a shiver through the hearts of all the demons present.

The scene erupted into chaos. A giant centipede with a seemingly endless body burst from the ground, spiraling straight up in an attempt to swallow Tu Xiao’an whole.

Tu Xiao’an shot higher into the air, looking down as the terrifying, several-hundred-foot-long centipede snapped at him, its jaws just a few meters away.

’Holy hell, that’s a huge centipede!’

Even Tu Xiao’an was startled by the sight. ’That thing is absolutely horrifying. People say snakes are scary, but compared to this, we look downright adorable.’

’Snakes are limbless, but centipedes are the exact opposite—their bodies are nothing but legs, earning them the name "hundred-legged bugs."’

Furthermore, the Demon Qi radiating from this centipede was incredibly dense, at least on par with a Deep Mountain Great Demon—enough to scare the soul right out of a person’s body.

Seeing that Tu Xiao’an was too agile to catch as he continued to rise, the terrifying centipede opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of highly corrosive black Qi.

Tu Xiao’an dodged its bite but couldn’t evade the black Qi. He was completely enveloped as the dark energy frantically burrowed into his skin.

"Haha! That’s my Poisonous Qi! Inhaling even a single wisp is a death sentence!"

The massive centipede abandoned its attack and dropped back to the ground with a BOOM. It then transformed on the spot. One moment, it was a terrifying hundred-legged monster; the next, it was a bizarre and ugly middle-aged man.

"Centipede, hurry and save me!"

Trapped in the flames, Miss Baihua cried out desperately. The fire had already forced her halfway out of her human form, and she couldn’t hold on much longer.

The bizarre transformed man instantly flashed over to the raging flames. He opened his mouth and spewed out another cloud of black Qi, attempting to extinguish them.

The black Qi washed over the blaze, but the flames continued to burn fiercely, even evaporating the Demon Qi-infused miasma.

The bizarre man’s expression changed drastically. "This is bad! It’s Celestial Fire! I can’t put it out!"

Hearing this, Miss Baihua’s heart sank to rock bottom. ’How could it be Celestial Fire? A snake, casting Celestial Fire? What the hell is going on?’

’Can anyone explain this? No wonder I can’t escape these flames.’

"Then what do we do?! Think of something, quick! I don’t want to die!"

For a flower to cultivate to the Great Demon level was a feat harder than passing the eighty-one tribulations. Miss Baihua could already feel the terror of death creeping in.

In just a few more minutes, she would revert completely to her original flower form.

"The only way is to make that fire-breathing Snake Demon put it out," the bizarre man said, looking in Tu Xiao’an’s direction.

Tu Xiao’an descended from the sky, his entire body shrouded in black Qi, looking as though he’d been cursed.

The black Qi was, in fact, Poisonous Qi, terrifyingly potent and clinging to him like a shadow.

Seeing this, Zhang Qinglong appeared at Tu Xiao’an’s side. He flicked his horsetail whisk, raising a fierce wind, but the black Qi shrouding Tu Xiao’an could not be dispersed. "Master," he exclaimed in alarm, "this is a potent centipede toxin! It clings like maggots to bone and will poison you to death!"

"Let me try!"

Azure Owl unfurled its nine-colored wings. A burst of Divine Light flared as it tried to blow the black Qi off Tu Xiao’an.

Unfortunately, it also failed.

By now, Tu Xiao’an’s face had darkened, and he looked for all the world as though he had been lethally poisoned.

"Give up. My centipede venom is the most potent under heaven. It’s incomparably toxic. Not even the Daluo Immortals could save him now."

The bizarre man looked at Tu Xiao’an. "Snake Demon, extinguish the flames on my Little Sister Baihua, and perhaps I’ll spare your life."

Unfazed, Tu Xiao’an sneered at the Centipede Great Demon’s words. "Are you proposing a trade? A life for a life?"

"Your life is worth nothing compared to Little Sister Baihua’s. You’re getting off easy," the bizarre man said coldly.

"Haha..."

Tu Xiao’an burst out laughing, his voice dripping with contempt.

"What are you laughing at? You’ve been poisoned by my venom. Only I can cure it. You have no choice."

Tu Xiao’an’s voice was calm and flat. "I’m laughing at your shameless boasting. The most potent venom in the world belongs to snakes. Your centipede venom is a joke."

In folklore, there are the "Five Poisons": the centipede, venomous snake, scorpion, gecko, and toad.

Although both snakes and centipedes are counted among the Five Poisons, a centipede’s venom yield is small and generally not fatal. The venom of a poisonous snake, however, is feared across the world.

Countless people die from snakebites every year.

Of course, it all depends on the species and lineage. The more powerful the snake, the stronger its venom. Likewise, the venom of a sufficiently powerful centipede can be deadly.

Since they were both Rank Three Demon Spirits, the potency of their venoms was on a completely different level.

Even Tu Xiao’an himself didn’t know just how terrifying his own snake venom was. He had always disdained using it and had never really had the chance.

"The fact that my venom can kill a snake like you says it all," the bizarre man sneered. ’A snake that even a fatal Celestial Tribulation couldn’t kill... if my venom kills it, doesn’t that make my poison the deadliest in the world?’

"Poison me to death? Your venom is nothing special. Did you really think I couldn’t handle it?" Tu Xiao’an opened his mouth and took a sharp breath, and the black Qi shrouding his body was rapidly sucked inside him.

The bizarre man stared at Tu Xiao’an as if he were an idiot. "You’re courting death! The more you inhale, the faster you’ll die!"

Tu Xiao’an ignored him, continuing to take great gulps of the poisonous gas. A moment later, he had inhaled every last wisp. Far from looking poisoned, he now appeared completely revitalized.

"Am I dead? I couldn’t feel better," Tu Xiao’an said, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile as he gazed at the bizarre man.

"You... This is impossible!" The bizarre man was in utter disbelief. He knew better than anyone how potent his venom was; even a Pseudo Demon King would be slowly tortured to death by it.

"Heh..." Tu Xiao’an chuckled, then spat. A wad of black phlegm shot out.

The black phlegm, saturated with dark Qi, instantly began to corrode the ground where it landed. It sizzled and sank, inch by inch, until it vanished deep into the earth, a testament to the venom’s terrifying power.

"So, are you convinced?" Tu Xiao’an asked arrogantly.

The bizarre man’s expression shifted from looking at an idiot to looking at a monster. He was utterly dumbfounded.

’Who the hell operates like that?’