Chapter 718 - 656: Current Snake King vs. Old Snake King, Part 2

Chapter 718: Chapter 656: Current Snake King vs. Old Snake King, Part 2

The Great Demon Snake on the throne finally reacted. He frowned and looked over. "Who are you? How dare you not bow and kneel upon seeing this king?"

"I am here to challenge you. I am more worthy of being the King of the Snake Clan than you are."

The moment these words were spoken...!

"Haha... How arrogant. Do you know the consequences of losing a challenge against me?"

The young man said coolly, "I do. Snake eats snake. The loser becomes the winner’s food."

"And you still dare to challenge me?" The Great Demon Snake on the throne was domineering and appeared utterly condescending.

"Because I will not lose." The young man was full of confidence. "If you lose, I will not eat you. I only want your throne and your obedience to my commands."

The Great Demon Snake on the throne was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. He tossed the Snake Beauties from his lap away like trash and stood up. "You’re courting death! I lead the Snake Race, and ten thousand snakes bow to me. How dare you speak such treasonous words! Fine! I will grant you your wish!"

Tu Xiao’an watched in amazement. Then, the Great Demon Snake on the throne and the young man both vanished.

A moment later, a figure reappeared on the throne.

It was no longer the robust, middle-aged man, but the young challenger. An excited smile played on his lips as he sat down and declared domineeringly, "From this day forward, I, Demon King Liu, am the king of this Snake Race! I will make the Snake Race the greatest clan in the Yaoling Mountain Range!"

’This... this...!’

Seeing this, how could Tu Xiao’an not understand? This was merely a phantom, a scene from the distant past.

’Did I fall for a Phantom Technique the moment I stepped into this ancient palace?’

Tu Xiao’an grew unsettled. ’What a terrifying Illusion Technique! My Consciousness Power is so strong, yet I didn’t notice a thing.’

Consciousness Power was the strength of one’s Soul Power. It allowed one to see a mountain as a mountain, water as water, and a flower as a flower. But everything he was seeing was not real.

He had been in an illusion all along without realizing it. Only when he heard the young man call himself Demon King Liu did it all click into place.

"Break!"

Tu Xiao’an’s demonic eyes narrowed. He stomped his foot, and his powerful Consciousness Power swept out like a tornado, causing the space within the palace to twist violently.

CRASH...!

Swarms of Snake Beauties vanished as if they were mere fantasies, and the newly-enthroned Demon King Liu also disappeared.

But the magnificent, golden palace remained a palace, still filled with extravagant splendor.

’No, this is still an illusion. I haven’t broken it yet.’

Tu Xiao’an simply didn’t believe it. ’An ancient palace that looks like a yellowed leaf from the outside can’t possibly be this magnificent on the inside.’

This splendor was almost on par with his own Snake Palace’s main hall.

"Again..."

Suddenly, a classic, long table materialized before Tu Xiao’an. A strange assortment of delicacies and fine wine appeared on it. Then, two goblets materialized opposite each other, and the wine automatically filled them to the brim.

SHING...!

Tu Xiao’an’s expression changed. Seated opposite him was a white-haired old man who looked weathered by the ages. His eyes, however, were not cloudy. Instead, his empty sockets held mesmerizing whirlpools, giving him a very strange and mysterious air.

"Junior, do not be afraid. Since you are here, you might as well relax. Come, have a drink with me. In the last thousand years, you are the first person to enter. Oh, no—the first snake."

The white-haired old man smiled faintly at Tu Xiao’an, his empty eyes radiating a five-colored light.

Needless to say, the one who had manifested was the Snake King from two generations ago, the Great Demon Snake!

Tu Xiao’an stared blankly at the old man, saying nothing, his thoughts unreadable.

"Have a drink. A friend has come from afar," the old man said, raising his goblet. He seemed very hospitable.

Tu Xiao’an glanced down at the goblet of fine wine before him. Just as he was about to reach for it, a vicious viper shot up from within the cup, its massive jaws gaping open at him.

"Boring!" Tu Xiao’an’s hand shot out like lightning. With sharp eyes and quick reflexes, he grabbed the viper by its weak spot. With a slight squeeze, the vicious viper dissipated like thin air.

"Do you find this fun?" Tu Xiao’an immediately demanded with a cold glare. The old man had been toying with him from the moment he arrived.

The white-haired old man chuckled. "Fun. For someone like me who’s been trapped for a thousand years, everything is fun."

"Then I’ll play with you," Tu Xiao’an snorted. His expression turned serious as the overwhelming aura of a Snake King erupted from him, instantly enveloping the old man.

The old man was startled, as shocked as if a thunderclap had exploded over his head. He looked lost and bewildered, the light in his empty, mesmerizing eyes dimming.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The magnificent golden palace shattered as if it were being demolished. Everything vanished in an instant, like smoke from the past.

Looking again, the palace was now a dim, oppressive environment, thick with a deathly stillness. On the walls, only a few sealed oil lamps flickered with a faint light.

Everything around was barren and bleak. The change was immense.

When Tu Xiao’an looked at the white-haired old man again, a strange glint flashed in his eyes. Before him was a massive skeletal snake with a huge, bony skull—a snake skeleton that looked as if it had been weathered by a thousand years.

But this snake skeleton was alive.

"Haha...! To think the Snake Race has a new king again! Such a powerful Snake King aura! Haha...!"

At that moment, the giant snake skeleton let out a shrill laugh. It was a wild and excited laugh, but it was also chilling enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Demon King Liu! I never thought you’d see the day your throne was stolen! Your throne was taken by another snake! The heavens have eyes! What goes around comes around! How satisfying! So satisfying...!"

"Junior, I truly never expected you to be the new Snake King of the Snake Race! Tell me, did you kill Demon King Liu, or did you devour him? Tell me now!"

The giant snake skeleton rose up before Tu Xiao’an, looming over him with a sinister gaze.

Tu Xiao’an’s worldview was shattered. ’The Great Demon Snake I came to find is a White Bone Demon?’

It was made entirely of white bone, without a single Snake Scale or piece of flesh on its body, exactly like the White Bone Demon described in *Journey to the West*.

’Perhaps it’s more accurate to call it an undead Skeleton Snake. What kind of Snake Bloodline does it even have?’

’Was it always like this, or did it become this way after being trapped for a thousand years?’

"Answer me! Did you kill Demon King Liu, or did you devour him?" the Great Demon Skull Snake demanded, desperate to know.

"I killed him. His Primordial Spirit was obliterated, and he has lost the right to enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation," Tu Xiao’an said calmly after composing himself slightly.

’What? Primordial Spirit obliterated?’

Hearing this, the Great Demon Skull Snake was so agitated it nearly fell apart. It let out an even shriller voice, "Good! Haha...! Each generation of our Snake Race produces new talent! You are ruthless! Far more ruthless than Demon King Liu ever was!"

"He stole my throne and merely imprisoned me here. But you stole his throne and did something even crueler than simply killing him—you obliterated his Primordial Spirit and denied him the chance for Reincarnation in the Six Paths!"

Its shrill words echoed like a ghost through the lifeless palace.

It was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

’Ruthless?’ Thinking back, Tu Xiao’an had to admit he might have gone a bit too far back then. A bitter smile touched his refined face.

’No wonder Luo Ziyun wanted to cut all ties with me.’

But at the time, Tu Xiao’an had no choice. Demon King Liu had tried to seize his body with his Primordial Spirit, so he’d had to be merciless.

"Stop playing dumb with me, and don’t you dare call yourself ’this king’ in my presence. I am the King of the Snake Clan now. You are nothing but a failure," Tu Xiao’an snapped coldly.

’Has being locked up for a thousand years made you forget your place?’

’Still daring to call himself ’this king.’’

"Bastard! Junior, it’s not your place to lecture me! When I was King of the Snake Clan, you hadn’t even been born into this world!"

A terrifying aura of the Snake Race erupted from the Great Demon Skull Snake. It moved like lightning, coiling around Tu Xiao’an and looking down on him with a vicious glare. Its killing intent shot out like a gale, making one feel as if they had been plunged into the Hell Abyss.

Tu Xiao’an remained unfazed. He dissolved into a black mist, drifted out of the coils, and reformed into his human shape. He calmly said, "Pulling rank with your age isn’t a real skill. Are you trying to fight me? Or now that you know Demon King Liu is dead, do you intend to kill me so you can go out and become the King of the Snake Clan again?"

That killing intent was truly terrifying.