In the unfathomably deep, frigid pool, an enormous serpent head suddenly began to tremble. It opened its maw wide, and someone flew out from within.
That someone was Su Mo.
“Ah, how I’ve missed this—familiar yet strange.” The moment he returned to his own body, his first instinct was to greet his good brother. But then he couldn’t help breaking into a little tune: “Bro, you’ve gained some weight…”
He didn’t linger on the pleasantries. Instead, his gaze locked onto the massive serpent head before him.
“So you’re Yamata-no-Orochi. You’re the one who wanted to devour me?”
Only one head was here; the other seven resided in seven separate minor worlds.
“Hm?” The serpent’s enormous eyes were filled with confusion. “That’s not right—you were just… Ah, I see. Teng Snake, you crafty schemer.”
The Teng Snake’s voice echoed in Su Mo’s mind: “Its current strength is at the Demigod realm, and there’s only one head here. I’ll lend you my power—slay it!”
Su Mo’s gaze sharpened. “Let’s do it!”
He had already borrowed the Teng Snake’s power, and now another surge of cold energy coursed through his body. In an instant, his round pupils transformed into vertical slits, and his internal spiritual energy was completely replaced by black Yin Fire.
Hum—
His consciousness burst out of the abyss in a flash, enveloping the entire Qian Realm. He could even sense its boundaries with the other minor worlds.
Such overwhelming spiritual power!
“Impressive, isn’t it, kid?” The Teng Snake said smugly. “I was once on the same level as Yamata-no-Orochi. Right now, it only has one-eighth of its incomplete divine sense, while I’ve lent you a full quarter. Savor the Demigod realm while you can…”
In the lightless abyss, vast stretches of the pool began to freeze solid. Yet, even encased in ice, both the man and the serpent could move freely.
“You’re just an ordinary human. Even with a fragment of my divine power, you’re nothing but a false god. I don’t believe you can kill me!” Yamata-no-Orochi fired a gray beam from its eyes. It looked unremarkable, but the moment it struck Su Mo, he was plunged into boundless terror—so deep he couldn’t pull himself out.
“Can you even do this? You’re stronger than it, and you’re still getting wrecked!” The Teng Snake was so infuriated it was about to curse its ancestors.
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely Su Mo’s fault. He had just switched back from being a girl to a guy, hadn’t had time to adjust, and was suddenly wielding Demigod-level power. Even with perfect commands from his brain, his body couldn’t execute them flawlessly.
“Heavenly Demon Eye · Soul Reap!”
A massive violet eye materialized behind him. The spiritual control kicked in instantly, wrenching him free from the grip of fear.
So spiritual techniques can be used like this!
Of course, the premise was that his spiritual power exceeded his opponent’s—which was the case now.
“Cranial Crusher!” Su Mo roared, vanishing from his spot. When he reappeared, his right palm was already pressed against Yamata-no-Orochi’s head.
With a deafening boom, the enormous skull burst apart. Su Mo’s heart leaped with triumph—but then, in the blink of an eye, a new head grew back, identical to the original.
Damn it. I almost forgot—all eight of Yamata-no-Orochi’s heads must be severed simultaneously, or it’s useless.
What an infuriating ability. It was practically a bug.
Su Mo refused to accept it. He clenched his right hand, and the war blade Ye Qingyi often used materialized in his grip. A flash of steel—the serpent head fell. But another one grew back just as quickly.
“You can’t kill me. As long as one of my other seven heads remains intact, I’m invincible.” Yamata-no-Orochi laughed mockingly. It stopped resisting altogether, simply waiting for Su Mo to make his move.
Su Mo furrowed his brows deeply, thinking, I’ll strike it one more time. Since it’s not fighting back anyway, I might as well get some more practice in—opportunities like this don’t come often.
“Let me try this next—All or Nothing!” Sword intent burst forth like a surging river, vast and unstoppable.
Just then, a golden light blazed in the dark abyss. It was the walnut projection—the one that Yamata-no-Orochi had previously shrouded in black mist. With the mist gone, it now radiated a brilliant glow.
Neither Su Mo nor the serpent paid it any attention at first.
Squelch—
The serpent’s head was severed once more.
Yamata-no-Orochi remained unfazed, and Su Mo was already bracing for another swing. But to his surprise, the headless body didn’t regenerate—instead, it began to twist and swell grotesquely.
“Oh no—it’s going to self-destruct! Run!” The Teng Snake’s warning rang out. Su Mo’s consciousness flickered, and he vanished from the water. When he reappeared, he was already airborne.
A muffled explosion rumbled through the Qian Realm, shaking it violently for a long while before things finally settled.
Considering that Ye Qingyi’s soul was still in deep slumber, Su Mo decided to help her leave this place first.
He tried.
The Serpent Pillar refused?
He cut it down.
Leaving the Qian Realm, he was transported to the front of a grand palace. The palace resembled a shrine, with a square in front—and standing on that square were eight serpent pillars. Atop each pillar was a serpent head. Only the one at the Qian position bore cracks and was dim and lifeless.
By now, two people had already completed their minor world trials—Sato Mami and Sakurai Mei, stationed at the Dui and Li positions respectively.
As expected of the hosts—they finished faster than anyone else.
It made sense. They had prior experience to guide them, unlike the others, who were essentially fumbling in the dark.
When the two of them spotted the cracked serpent head above Su Mo, they both turned to look at him. “What did you do?”
Su Mo spread his hands innocently. “What are you talking about?”
He was about to put on an acting masterclass—but before he could, his vision went dark, and his consciousness faded. When he came to, he was back in that familiar chaotic void.
“My power isn’t free, you know. Trial period’s over—you can come back now.” The Teng Snake’s voice was languid.
Su Mo kept his composure and offered his thanks. “Thank you for your assistance, Senior.”
“It was nothing.” The Teng Snake said flatly. “But if you really want to show your gratitude, I won’t say no. How about handing over control of this body to me?”
Su Mo’s expression remained calm, but the Teng Snake took it as him putting up a brave front. It sneered, “Oh, I almost forgot. What I want to do now isn’t really up to you, is it?”
As soon as the words left its mouth, the souls of Su Mo and Ye Qingyi were trapped by a ring of Yin Fire.
“Don’t worry—I’ll keep you both around. When I get bored, I can always chat with you.” The Teng Snake laughed sinisterly.
Su Mo shielded Ye Qingyi behind him and let out a helpless sigh. “Senior, heaven’s cruelty can be endured—but self-inflicted folly cannot. I was genuinely grateful for your help. But you had to turn around and try to take over my body. Sorry, but this is my turf.”
“Your turf?” The Teng Snake looked as if it had just heard the joke of the century. “Hahahaha! If I were still sealed, you’d be right. But I’ve broken free. What can you possibly do to me?”
A smirk tugged at Su Mo’s lips. “Try me.”
Unbeknownst to the serpent, the same cage from before had reappeared in the surrounding space—only now it was vastly larger, enclosing all three of them and the entire visible area within its bars.
“What—how?! You already lifted the seal!” The Teng Snake was utterly shocked.
With a flick of Su Mo’s will, the cage shrank instantly, trapping the Teng Snake inside while leaving him and Ye Qingyi completely untouched.
“You were never going to escape that seal—like Sun Wukong could never escape the Buddha’s palm. All I did was open a tiny crack to borrow your power, but you were always still inside the cage. With a single thought, I can expand or contract it at will.”
The Teng Snake’s expression flickered between shock and uncertainty. “You’re so young—how can you be this cunning?”
Su Mo let out a cold laugh. “I had no choice, Senior. You’re the Teng Snake—the very embodiment of treachery and deceit. If I didn’t keep my wits about me, you’d have played me for a fool sooner or later. Still, I should thank you for teaching me that the cage could be broken with willpower. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought of this.”
“Fine, fine, fine. Call me treacherous—but you humans are a thousand times more devious. I, the great Teng Snake, actually got tricked by a brat like you!” The serpent gnashed its fangs in fury, but there was nothing it could do.
“I told you—this is my domain. But you just had to court death. So I’m happy to oblige.”
Suddenly, a falling sensation hit Su Mo. His consciousness scattered, and when his eyes fluttered open again, a face full of anxiety hovered just two feet away.
“I didn’t touch you!” Kasher blurted out in frantic explanation.
