Starting as a Snake: Defying Heaven with Invincibility

"Humph! At least you know what's good for you," Xiao Long said. "Besides that, I'll teach you human actions and etiquette. Don't worry, as long as you do well, you'll be rewarded generously."

Hearing this, Huang Mao's eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "What kind of reward?"

"A reward that will make you stronger," Xiao Long replied.

"Stronger enough to become a Demon General?" Huang Mao's breathing became rapid.

"Humph! A Demon General is nothing. Follow me, and becoming a Demon Emperor won't just be a dream," Xiao Long said with a cold snort.

"Re... really?" Huang Mao seemed incredulous.

"Would the words of this Emperor be false?" Xiao Long said proudly.

Huang Mao was so excited he could hardly speak, nodding vigorously at Xiao Long.

His dream was to one day become a top-tier Demon General, return to his tribe, become a mountain king, and live out his life peacefully. He never dared to hope he could leave this place.

To him, even becoming a Demon King was unimaginable, let alone a Demon Emperor, which was legendary. But he had complete faith in Xiao Long's words; if Xiao Long said it was possible, then it was.

"I'll first teach you the human language." With a thought, Xiao Long transmitted a vast amount of words and explanations through soul communication.

Then, he transmitted human actions, customs, and more.

Huang Mao fell into a state of contemplation.

The content of these teachings was comparable to a Profound-level technique. For Huang Mao to fully understand it would take at least three to five days.

Xiao Long took out the ingredients for a Soul-Reviving Pill from his inventory and also retrieved a middle-grade spirit tool alchemy furnace he had just acquired.

He tossed the ingredients into the furnace and began refining the pill.

With the fifth level of the Azure Dragon Tome, Xiao Long found alchemy much easier. He completed many complicated steps effortlessly, even multitasking by melting several ingredients at once. In just half a day, a third-grade Soul-Reviving Pill was successfully produced.

Xiao Long swallowed it.

Before long, the pill's effects kicked in, and Xiao Long felt an unprecedented comfort in his sea of consciousness—a pleasure from the depths of his soul.

Half an hour later, the pill's effects were exhausted, but Xiao Long's soul power seemed unchanged.

Xiao Long knew that given the extent of his soul damage, even a ninth-grade Emperor Pill might not be enough to repair it. Only a legendary elixir might work.

"With my current soul power, I can easily kill a mid-stage Qi Condensing Realm warrior with a soul needle. Against a high-stage one, I can make them lose focus briefly and then kill them. But to control a soul slave, I can only manage a low-stage Qi Condensing Realm."

Xiao Long estimated that in his current state, as long as he didn't encounter that fat Xue Wuqing, he wouldn't be in any danger.

To be safe, Xiao Long refined two more Soul-Reviving Pills, giving one to Xiao Bai, who also had a wounded soul. The pill was beneficial for her, and he kept the other as a backup.

As for the higher-grade Spirit-Reviving Pill, he didn't attempt it.

Firstly, he lacked the ingredients. Secondly, the Spirit-Reviving Pill was a fourth-grade pill, and a prerequisite for refining it was nurturing it with True Qi flames. Xiao Long could only control basic Inner Qi flames for now. He would need to reach the Demon General level, converting all Inner Qi to True Qi, to attempt it.

Next, Xiao Long took out a large amount of confiscated ingredients and spent three days refining several well-formed third-grade pills.

"Chongxu Pill, Explosive Yuan Pill, Qi Condensing Pill—in this backwater country, they should be worth quite a bit," Xiao Long thought to himself.

These three pills were his capital for earning spirit stones.

Xiao Long glanced around the cave. Da Hei and Er Hei had finished absorbing human blood essence, leveling up twice to become seventh-stage demon beasts. Their bodies grew to five meters in length, shedding a layer of snake skin.

In contrast, he himself was still only half a meter long, like a big earthworm.

The white fox, Xiao Bai, had disappeared after taking the Soul-Reviving Pill and hadn't returned for two days. Xiao Long didn't bother to look for her; with her strength, she could roam the demon beast mountains freely.

"Huang Mao!" Xiao Long called out.

Huang Mao quickly ran over, standing straight like a spear.

"You've almost mastered human language habits, right?" Xiao Long asked.

Huang Mao scratched his head. "I've learned about ninety percent."

"Alright, put these on."

Xiao Long took out a coat, a bamboo hat, a mask, and long boots from his inventory, all found in a Fire Cloud Sect elder's storage ring.

Huang Mao put them on, and soon, a three-meter-tall masked man with a bamboo hat stood before Xiao Long.

Xiao Long looked him over and was fairly satisfied.

Ape-like demon beasts had a physique similar to humans. As long as they mimicked well, disguising as a human wasn't impossible.

Huang Mao had ancient bloodline and could cultivate the Battle Saint Physique, so his comprehension shouldn't be too bad. If he couldn't even disguise as a human, he wouldn't be worth following Xiao Long.

"Show me your hand," Xiao Long ordered.

Huang Mao extended his furry hand, and Xiao Long spat a flame of Inner Qi, burning the fur off his hand.

"Ah! No!" Huang Mao shrank back in fear.

"What? If you're not satisfied, I can refine a Hair Removal Pill and strip all your fur," Xiao Long said.

"No, I'm very satisfied," Huang Mao said with a forced smile. After a pause, he hesitantly asked, "Boss, what about the tail?"

Xiao Long then noticed Huang Mao's tail was tucked under his clothes, making a large bulge like a giant whip—far too conspicuous.

"Don't worry about it. No one will ask."

"Uh, alright."

Xiao Long slipped into Huang Mao's sleeve, coiling around his arm.

"When we reach the human city, do exactly as I say. Don't speak out of turn. Any mistake could cost us our lives. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Let's go!"

Huang Mao took a step and disappeared from the cave entrance.

...

In the dense forest, a ghostly wind blew, rustling the leaves. Faint sounds of fighting could be heard.

In a clearing, two female disciples from the Ask Sword Sect wielded long swords, besieging a white demon wolf. The wolf's body was covered in sword wounds, its fur stained with blood.

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The two disciples weren't faring well either. One had her clothes torn, revealing a shocking wound on her white skin, and her strength was waning.

This was a third-stage demon beast, a Blood Cang Wolf. The more injured it got, the more its bloodlust was aroused. Seeing the two women falter, it became even more ferocious, its power increasing.@@novelbin@@

"Sister Xiao Nan, attack its tail from behind. I'll use the Star Point Sword Technique to hold it off!"

"Okay!"

Xiao Nan dashed to the Blood Cang Wolf's rear, but suddenly stepped on something, losing her balance. The Blood Cang Wolf seized the chance, swiping a claw at her head.

"Xiao Nan!" the other disciple shouted.

Xiao Nan realized her mistake, but at such close range, she couldn't dodge. She could only watch as the wolf's claw came at her.

This would either kill or cripple her.

"No!" Xiao Nan despaired.

At that moment, a tall, imposing figure dropped from the trees, stomping on the Blood Cang Wolf's head, then flipping it away.

"Get lost!" The man swung his arm, smashing the wolf with a massive tree, sending it flying and leaving it dazed and confused.

"Die!"

A tree came crashing down, and the Blood Cang Wolf's head exploded, red and white splattering everywhere—dead beyond doubt.