Huh...

"Oh... I see now. You were shedding your skin."

The young woman noticed the snake’s beautiful stripes, a mix of several colors. Its tail, however, was wrapped in a double layer of Snake Skin; it clearly hadn’t finished shedding its old skin.

"Little snake, did you fall asleep because you were tired from shedding?"

She knew shedding was an exhausting process for a snake. Since they had no hands or feet, they had to rub against other objects to peel off their skin.

This snake was so small. It must have been rubbing against something to shed its skin and fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"Hee hee, let me help you," she said, her eyes curving into crescents as bright as the most beautiful stars in the sky.

Her delicate hand grabbed the extra layer of skin on the little snake’s tail, intending to tear it off.

But as simple as it seemed, she couldn’t do it. No matter how much strength she used, the stubborn layer of Snake Skin wouldn’t come off.

"It’s that tough? No wonder you were so tired you fell asleep, little snake."

The young woman puffed out her adorable cheeks and kept trying to help the little snake shed. Her movements were gentle at first, but even when she resorted to forcefully tearing and pulling, she still failed.

Perhaps she had used too much force, because suddenly, the little snake’s eyes opened. A brilliant light flared within them, making its Snake Gaze exceptionally bright.

"You’re awake! Did I hurt you?"

Seeing the little snake in her hand awaken, she tried to put on what she thought was a friendly smile, completely unconcerned that it might turn ferocious and bite her.

The little snake’s gleaming eyes stared blankly at the young woman, who blinked her beautiful eyes back at it.

For the first time, their eyes met.

A strange ripple seemed to pass through the air.

’I’m not dead? This girl looks so familiar. Did she save me?’

A voice spoke inside the little snake’s mind.

’No, I was probably blown away by the violent explosion, crashed into this bamboo forest, and she just happened to find me.’

This snake was none other than Tu Xiao’an, who had been on the verge of ascension when he was ambushed by another Demon King.

It was hard to say whether he was incredibly lucky or terribly unlucky. For others, Crossing the Tribulation to achieve ascension meant clear skies ahead once they endured it. But his was a fatal Celestial Tribulation, and just when he had painstakingly survived it, two great Demon Kings were waiting to ensure his death.

Fate seemed to decree his death, but Tu Xiao’an was defiant. ’I refuse to die. I’ll be damned if I die.’

His will to live was incredibly strong. And that was right; he had survived yet again.

Soon, the phantom of a giant rat’s head surfaced in Tu Xiao’an’s mind, followed by a surge of world-destroying power that had sought to annihilate him.

’That was close,’ he thought. Fortunately, his shedding had been nearing completion, and his new body was incredibly tough. It had held on, not turning to ash under the Demon King’s killing blow.

But... but Tu Xiao’an felt terrible now. His body was completely limp, devoid of strength.

He realized his shedding process was still incomplete. There was still a section of skin on his tail waiting to be sloughed off.

This layer of skin had become like a shackle. Without shedding it, he couldn’t become a true Rank 3 Snake King and couldn’t achieve Transformation.

It was like a Martial Arts Master on the verge of a breakthrough in his Martial Arts, only to be interrupted at the critical moment. In a normal story, even if you didn’t die, you would suffer a cultivation deviation.

And he had, in a way, suffered a cultivation deviation. He had taken one step toward ascension, but his other foot was now stuck, unable to land.

Now, things had become very troublesome. Although he hadn’t died from the Demon King’s killing blow, his not-yet-fully-formed snake body had sustained massive damage. He didn’t have a shred of strength left.

The shedding on his tail had also come to a halt.

He needed to heal his injuries and recover his strength before he could finish shedding the Snake Skin on his tail.

Normally, the process would be: complete the shedding, achieve ascension, emerge as a Rank 3 Snake King, and take on a human form.

And that wasn’t even the worst part. Tu Xiao’an secretly tried to summon his system, but there was no response. It seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

’Did my own immature new body withstand the Demon King’s killing blow, or was it the system’s protection?’ Tu Xiao’an didn’t have a clear answer.

In any case, his current situation was a devastating blow. Tu Xiao’an felt as weak as when he had first been reincarnated as a snake.

’Damn it all.’ Tu Xiao’an should have been looking down on the world after his ascension, well on his way to becoming invincible. Instead, he felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

His body was weak, his system was dormant, and he couldn’t even use his Elemental Attribute Abilities.

Despair. It was utter despair. In his current state, any random Awakened Creature could take his life.

With the system dormant, he couldn’t even summon his Battle Companions for protection.

"Are you thirsty? Have some water. This water is really good. You’ll have the strength to finish shedding after you drink it," the young woman said with a smile, holding the little snake in one hand while opening a glass bottle with the other.

The water in the glass bottle was a pale purple. It was beautiful, looking almost like some kind of chemical compound.

However, there was very little of the pale purple water, only a few dozen drops. It was the entire fruit of her morning’s labor.

Just as Tu Xiao’an was despairing, a clear and pleasant voice reached his ears, as lovely as an orchid in a deserted valley and soothing to the soul. He lifted his gaze to the pale purple drops in the glass bottle. His keen senses detected a trace of Spiritual Qi, and his eyes instantly lit up.

Immediately, the young woman discovered that this snake was truly intelligent; it completely understood her words. The moment she opened the bottle, its tiny Snake Head dipped inside, and it obediently began to drink the Purple Gold Water.

In one go, it drank up all the fruits of her hard morning’s work.

However, the young woman didn’t mind at all. Her beautiful eyes watched as, after drinking the Purple Gold Water, the little snake’s entire body began to glow with a crystalline light. In the darkness, it looked just like a glow stick—it was gorgeous.

"Come home with me, okay? You’re so small and delicate; it’s dangerous for you out here," the young woman said, looking expectantly at the shimmering little snake in her hand. The "King" character on its forehead was particularly captivating.

’Small and delicate?’

Tu Xiao’an was taken aback and felt a bit miffed. ’You’ve probably never seen this Snake King’s terrifying form as a sky-shaking Giant Snake.’

But right now, he was just a fifty-centimeter-long little snake, the very same size he was when he had first been reincarnated. The thought was depressing.

’Those motherf*ckers...’ Tu Xiao’an seethed internally. ’You two shameless Demon Kings, just you wait. Wait for the return of your king, Tu Xiao’an!’

’As for now? The outside world really is dangerous for me.’

’Fine, it’s your lucky day, little girl.’

The young woman saw the little snake give her an incredibly human-like look before nodding its head. The gesture was a bit comical, but also very cute, just like a perfect ornamental pet snake.

"Giggle... That’s great! You agreed to come home with me!"

A peal of joyous laughter instantly echoed through the sea of bamboo. It was as if the bamboo cheered and the green leaves danced for her. She was like the happiest Fairy in the world, innocent and carefree.

She had never seen such a beautiful snake before, and most importantly, it was so smart it could completely understand her.

She absolutely adored it.

And so, the exceptionally beautiful young woman cradled the exquisite little snake in her delicate hands and made her way home, walking through the vast sea of bamboo.

Tu Xiao’an kept catching a fresh, natural fragrance as he gazed at the young woman’s face, which grew more and more familiar the longer he looked.

Suddenly, he froze. ’It’s actually her.’

’I searched high and low for nothing, only to find her by sheer chance.’

The entire reason he had come to the Yaoling Mountain Range was to save the granddaughter of the Ancient Academy’s vice-principal. And now, that very granddaughter was standing right in front of him, alive and well.

’I was supposed to be the one saving her, but now it seems like she’s the one saving me.’

Fate certainly worked in mysterious ways.