Offering Snakes

A major event had recently gripped the Moon-Grace Minor Realm.

At the Nascent Soul Inauguration of the rising Lord Shen Fenglin, an obscure little snake demon had accidentally revealed his true form after overindulging in a few cups of wine. Ordinarily, this would have been a trivial matter, but to everyone’s shock, the demon’s true form was that of a Sky-Reaching Serpent—one not even a thousand years old!

As the saying goes: “Ten thousand years for longevity; the Sky-Reaching breaks the heavens.” Rumor had it that the inner dantian of a Sky-Reaching Serpent could shatter inner demons and help its consumer leap directly into the next cultivation realm.

Upon seeing this, Lord Fenglin acted decisively. He detained the snake demon on the spot, declaring his intent to offer the creature to the Sects of the Upper Realm to “spread the prestige of the Righteous Path.”

Once the news broke, it wasn’t just the Moon-Grace Realm that shook; even certain Middle Realms, where demon cultivators held sway, were rattled. It had been ten years since the Demon Lord fell, leaving the demons of the Three Thousand Realms leaderless. If a Sky-Reaching hatchling were allowed to fall into human hands now, the Demon Race would be the laughingstock of the other five races for ten thousand years.

To this end, the Bright Moon Demon Ancestor of the Moon-Grace Realm was livid. He vowed to intervene personally to reclaim the young serpent. Some human cultivators mocked his “noble” intentions, claiming he was merely a wolf in sheep’s clothing who wanted the serpent for his own selfish gains.

While the two races were at each other’s throats on the surface—each harboring their own schemes—Shen Fenglin calmly invoked the name of the Changming Sect.

Upon hearing that name, almost every demon cultivator below the Soul Transformation stage, including Bright Moon, went silent.

Though the Changming Sect was a top-tier sect of the Great Realms, certain local demon powerhouses didn’t fear it much. After all, the Changming Sect Leader, Jinyu, was merely at the peak of the Body Integration stage. Demons lived in clans; which demon ancestor didn’t have a few Body Integration powerhouses in their lineage?

However, when news leaked that a certain Immortal Venerable from the Great Realm would be accompanying Jinyu to the ceremony, even those demons above the Soul Transformation stage fell into an eerie silence.

The fact that such a detailed report failed to mention this Immortal Venerable’s specific title was the truest sign of trouble. In the Three Thousand Realms, there was only one person who required no title at all.

Aside from that, the nearest demon-aligned Middle Realm was the Frost-Grace Realm, famous for its cold-attribute cultivators. The Frost-Grace Demon Queen was a spirit-plant by origin, named after her world, and possessed a cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Mahayana stage.

In terms of raw power, she was among the top two of the Four Great Demon Kings. Combined with her unique innate talents, her dominion over the surrounding minor realms was comparable to that of a Tribulation Transcendence powerhouse.

Yet, such a titan of the demon race remained utterly indifferent to the young Sky-Reaching Serpent about to be sacrificed on her very doorstep.

While the low-level demons of the minor realms fumed at her silence, those above the Soul Transformation stage in the Middle Realms sensed something fishy. For a time, no one dared to move.

With that, all obstacles in the path of Shen Fenglin’s “Offering Ceremony” were cleared.

In his moment of triumph, Shen Fenglin “generously” announced that the Changming Sect Leader, moved by his devotion, had granted him nine Inner Disciple slots. To promote the Righteous Path, Shen Fenglin was willing to give two of those slots to guests at the ceremony.

Within three days of this announcement, the Moon-Grace Realm was bustling once more. Countless cultivators arrived with spirit stones, talismans, and heavenly treasures, fighting for an invitation just to catch a glimpse of “Immortal Providence.”

In scale and fervor, this Offering Ceremony was several times larger than Shen Fenglin’s previous inauguration. Even the Su Family, the local giants of the Moon-Grace Realm, volunteered to host the event. To show their sincerity, the Su Family Head went so far as to bring out their ancestral “Exquisite Celestial Cloud Platform” as the venue—a massive sacrifice.

While the platform hadn’t reached the level of a true Immortal Artifact, it still required a Soul Transformation cultivation to fully activate. Unfortunately, the Su Family had faced a decline in talent; since the previous head’s death, the new head was only at the Nascent Soul stage. Thus, the platform couldn’t function at full capacity and served merely as a lavish banquet hall.

For Shen Fenglin, however, that was more than enough.

With everything prepared, only the true protagonist of the ceremony remained.

Wisps of incense drifted from the burners, swirling above the sacrificial altar. Inside an opulent gold cage, a white snake lay quietly, a red silk ribbon tied around its neck like an exquisite sacrificial offering. A shroud that blocked divine sense was draped over the cage.

The red velvet—embroidered with gold thread charms—created a grotesque, “celebratory” atmosphere.

Bai Yujing had spent the last few days racking his brain, trying to figure out what that blue light next to Shen Fenglin was. For the first time in his life, he felt frustrated by his own “useless” head.

Just as he was looking for a place to vent his irritation, the familiar clinking of jade pendants sounded outside the cage. Someone stopped in front of him, separated only by the shroud, and chuckled.

“Senior, it’s time to go on your way.”

Who are you calling ‘Senior’?

As Bai Yujing sneered internally, another male voice chimed in with a scoff. “Senior? What Senior! He’s just a beast so stupid he thinks he can look down on everyone.”

“Have you forgotten the condescending way he acted when he gave us those Heart-Nurturing Pills? If you ask me, Liuming, you’re being far too polite.”

Before Liuming could respond, a feminine voice coolly reminded them, “Jingchun, watch your tongue.”

“What, are you afraid of him?” Du Jingchun snapped. “Or is it that you actually—”

Seeing the tension rise, Liuming quickly interrupted. “Why is it just us? Where is Fellow Daoist Su?”

Wang Qinghe ignored Du Jingchun’s provocation and explained, “She said her family head is clumsy and feared mistakes in the ceremony, so she went to help.”

“I see,” Liuming said meaningfully. “But if you ask me, the ceremony doesn’t need her constant attention. Fellow Daoist Su probably just finds us an eyesore and didn’t want to come.”

Du Jingchun sneered, “A woman who looks down on everyone.”

“It matters not if she comes,” Wang Qinghe said flatly. “I have reached the fifth level of the Exquisite Heart. In time, I will take her place. As for Su Jiu-shao… once we reach the Changming Sect, the Ancestor will have his ways. There is no need for further words.”

…Take her place?

Inside the cage, Bai Yujing frowned and couldn’t help but bite the tip of his tail. The Su Family’s “Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart” was a bloodline talent; outsiders couldn’t learn it even with a blood transfusion. What power did Shen Fenglin have to allow Wang Qinghe to master it so casually?

…His “dear disciple”—how many secrets was he hiding?

And this fabric that could block the divine sense of a Tribulation Transcendence expert—where did Shen Fenglin get it? Did it have something to do with that blue light?

Bai Yujing looked up at the bright red silk, eventually letting go of his softened tail-tip. His gaze grew solemn.

And… were these disciples so confident because they already knew about the blue light?

He had no answers, and the people outside weren’t going to give him any. But Bai Yujing’s intuition told him that from the very beginning… he was the only one kept in the dark.

He thought he was being a kind mentor out of love for his disciple, but in their eyes, he was likely just an arrogant, insufferable stepping stone.

Bai Yujing slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Fine… why bother getting angry at the dead?

He had a habit of meeting the wrong people, for which he had been mocked relentlessly by a certain someone. But thanks to those experiences, he was quite practiced in dealing with ungrateful wolves.

As the Demon Emperor, if he couldn’t take back everything he gave tenfold, wouldn’t he be a laughingstock to that person in the future?

Outside the cage, Liuming chatted with the others, but his eyes kept drifting back to the cage. No matter how insulting their words were, there was no movement from within. It was as if neither their hatred nor their contempt mattered to that snake.

“…”

Liuming fell silent, staring gloomily at the gold cage. Just as he reached his limit and moved to lift the red shroud, a bone-chilling cold radiated from behind him.

Liuming froze. He turned frantically to see Shen Fenglin approaching with a smile, though his eyes were terrifyingly cold.

“A-Ancestor!” “Greetings, Ancestor!”

As the others bowed in a hurry, Shen Fenglin ignored them, casting a frigid glance at Liuming. However, when he looked down at the cage, his expression instantly transformed.

He carefully lifted a corner of the red silk and whispered tenderly, “Master, good day.”

The white snake remained coiled as always, not even bothering to lift his head. Shen Fenglin seemed used to the coldness. He smiled indifferently. “Master, don’t be afraid. It will only hurt for a moment.”

“When it’s over, I promise I’ll bring you back. Please, rest easy.”

The red silk was draped back over the cage. Shen Fenglin stared through the mist at the sacrifice he was about to offer, his eyes drowning in a mix of madness and obsession.

Hate me then, Master.

Intense emotions need pain to pave the way; heavy love needs hatred as a backdrop. So, if you cannot look only at me, then hate me.

Regrettably, the arrogant youth did not know that his “world-shaking” love and hate were, in Bai Yujing’s heart, not even worth as much as his own dignity in the eyes of a certain someone.

Shen Fenglin clutched his ethereal dream, turned, and walked toward the celestial stage.

Amidst the harmony of celestial music, the grand Offering Ceremony began. The venue was packed with guests; countless修士 (cultivators) held their breath, focusing their divine senses on the center of the stage.

The tedious rituals meant nothing to Bai Yujing. He simply lay in the cage. The red silk blocked everything, leaving him unable to see or sense his surroundings. He could only guess the progress of the ceremony by the faint sounds reaching his ears.

He didn’t care about the ceremony anyway. He had already decided: regardless of which Immortal Venerable came from the Changming Sect, he would provoke them into a rage and use their hand to fake his death. Then, everything would be over.

Thus, he did not see that above the stage, seven Exquisite Stars hung high, forming the Big Dipper. And at the position of the North Star, facing the Dubhe star, sat a white-clad immortal who had descended from the Upper Realm.

His former disciple carried the gold cage, ascending the steps of the Celestial Cloud Platform. With every step, a vast, echoing bell tolled across the stage. Shen Fenglin’s spiritual aura was more intense than ever; even Bai Yujing could hear his heart pounding with excitement.

Standing at the Merak position, Su Jiu-shao was nearly suffocated by the spiritual pressure. She clenched her fists in silence, watching the center of the stage. In the end, she could do nothing but watch as that poor little snake, tied in red silk like a bride or a sacrifice, was served up to the “god’s” table.

Shen Fenglin’s followers all shared a look of eerie fanaticism, staring unblinkingly at their chosen master. The scene was as absurd as a shadow play from a nightmare—grotesque, yet unchallenged.

Was she crazy, or was the world?

Clad in magnificent robes, Shen Fenglin finally knelt before the stage, holding the gold cage high. The eighty-first bell tolled, and then—absolute silence. The world went still.

In truth, Bai Yujing had thought it all through over the past few days. Once a person dies, their light goes out. His belief that the jade snake was a sign of a reunion or a chance to repay a debt was likely just wishful thinking. His benefactor was buried on that mountain peak long ago. Everything since was just him “carving a mark on a moving boat to find a lost sword.”

Yet, as the final echo of the bell faded, Bai Yujing couldn’t help but look up at the blood-red fabric, remembering a time long ago.

“Will my benefactor grant any wish I make?” “Mhm. Whatever you want.”

“Then Qingqing wants to be with you forever!” “Something destined to happen cannot be called a wish.”

“Oh, okay… then Qingqing wants to learn how to transform. I want to look like you.” “As you wish.”

Memory intertwined with reality. Outside the cage, the youth’s voice rang out, trembling with excitement: “This is a Golden Core stage Sky-Reaching Serpent… offered to the Immortal Venerable!”

“Qingqing, once you transform, you can’t wrap yourself around my hand like a little snake anymore.” “Why? Is my transformation not pretty? If you don’t like this face, I can change it.”

“No, it’s beautiful. But you’re still too small… Let go. Stop wrapping your legs around me, and don’t rub.”

“I’m not!” That was the first time Bai Yujing had ever talked back to that person. He had gripped the man’s hand tightly, tilting his youthful, newly-transformed face up with stubborn defiance. “I’m a hundred years old. I’m not small.”

To mortals, a century was a lifetime. But now, eight hundred years had passed.

The face in his memories grew blurred, returning to that visage whose features he could never, ever see clearly. This time, he hadn’t sneaked down the mountain, nor had he been disobedient, yet fate remained the same. It turned out that the ultimate end of “carving the boat” was to find that everything had changed.

Fortunately, he was no longer a little snake. That long-life pendant shaped like a jade snake… he didn’t need it anymore.

However, as soon as that thought surfaced, it was as if someone had heard it.

While the white snake was lost in his daze, a hand suddenly swept away the red shroud covering the gold cage. In an instant, the cage was flooded with light.

That hand seemed to pull back the dark curtain over his life—or perhaps, like a groom lifting the red veil of a bride on their wedding day. The scent of a biting snowstorm mingled with sunlight filled the cage, instantly clearing the snake’s mind.

“…?”

Bai Yujing snapped out of his reverie and looked up. Then, his heart froze. Every bit of melancholy, grief, and resentment vanished in a puff of smoke.

Outside the gold cage, a face so handsome it was infuriating stared down at him. Those eyes were icy, devoid of emotion, yet for some reason, they held a faint, terrifying hint of rage.

The white snake, still adorned with the red silk, stared blankly through the bars at the man. The brilliant silk fluttered in the wind, trailing out of the cage. The world fell silent for this moment.

Then, in the next second, Bai Yujing’s pupils shrunk into sharp vertical slits. Like a creature facing its natural predator, every single scale on his body stood on end.

—Xuan Lie?!

Why the hell is this bastard here?!