Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 182 - 179: Your Snake King Is Back
The Snake King Temple in Bai Town had been bustling with activity these past few days, packed with a sea of people from morning till night.
This was because the dozens of victims who had gone missing on She Mountain had returned.
According to the victims, they had been personally rescued by the Lord Snake King from the clutches of a man-eating Giant Snake.
Their story was more fantastic than any TV drama. It was difficult to believe, yet impossible to dismiss.
Since many of the victims were police officers, their accounts held a high degree of credibility. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Besides, the Snake King had manifested and entered the mountain on the very day the missing victims returned. It all added up.
Regardless, the Snake King was real. It helped them, rescued their people, and fought the man-eating monster.
However, the Snake King had been in the mountains for over three days now. Aside from the return of the thirty-odd victims, there had been no other news.
She Mountain remained under lockdown, and no one dared to set foot on it.
They didn't know if the Snake King had slain the man-eating monster, and She Mountain couldn't remain sealed off forever.
And so, the people could only pray ceaselessly at the Snake King Temple. But more than praying, it felt like they were waiting for the Snake King to return.
On this day, beneath a clear, boundless sky, at 3:10 in the afternoon, a colossal, golden-glowing snake shadow materialized above Bai Town. It immediately let out an imperious and majestic hiss.
In an instant, all the people of Bai Town erupted in cheers. Their Lord Snake King had returned after vanquishing the evil beast.
This time, upon seeing the giant snake shadow, the crowd showed no surprise, only profound reverence. One by one, they knelt to welcome their Divine Spirit. Not a single person was tactless enough to take out their phone to record.
Such an act would be seen as disrespectful to the Snake King, and anyone caught doing it would be universally condemned.
Anyone who dared disrespect the Snake King might as well leave Bai Town.
A dense sea of people filled the streets. The residents of Bai Town poured out of their homes, kneeling at their own doorsteps and prostrating themselves in worship to welcome the king's return.
The giant snake shadow coiled in the sky for several seconds before soaring through the clear expanse, heading for the Snake King Temple.
Wherever the snake shadow passed, people dropped to their knees in unison, kowtowing, so overcome with emotion they could hardly contain themselves.
WHOOSH...
The brilliant golden snake shadow transformed into a streak of light and shot into the Snake King Temple.
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
All of Bai Town was filled with adoration for the Snake King. By manifesting and returning to the Snake King Temple, the Snake King was announcing to the world that the man-eating monster of She Mountain had been dealt with. He had returned in glory.
The next moment, the Snake King Temple was mobbed. Everyone surged toward it as if in a frenzy.
To say it was a sea of people would be an understatement; there wasn't even room to stand.
With the Snake King back, everyone wanted to be the first to go to the temple and give their thanks.
DING... DING... DING...
From....
From...
From...
After that grand display, behind the Snake King statue inside the temple, Tu Xiao'an's system exploded with notifications.
An immeasurable amount of Power of Faith surged toward him like a monstrous tide.
"DING... Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a total of 700,000 Power of Faith."
'Holy cow, that's insane!'
Tu Xiao'an was stunned. 'Looks like that little flex was a huge success.'
It was more than double the Power of Faith he'd received from his last manifestation.
Three days ago, when Tu Xiao'an was preparing to go to She Mountain to deal with the Vampire Snake, he had manifested above Bai Town and received a wave of 320,000 Power of Faith.
Now, upon his return, another manifestation had brought in 700,000 in one go.
'Looks like Faith Points are pretty easy to earn,' he thought. 'I spent five hundred thousand on a Strength Potion to deal with the Vampire Snake, and now I've made it all back.'
Believers were the most fanatical people in the world. They were superstitious, and the more superstitious they were, the more fanatical they became.
But the superstition of Bai Town's people had merit. Their Snake King wasn't some empty belief; it was real. It protected their peace, guarded them, and vanquished evil.
It was worthy of their faith.
Now, within a single hour, the threshold of the Snake King Temple was nearly worn away by the sheer volume of visitors.
Wave after wave of Power of Faith surged toward Tu Xiao'an.
Tu Xiao'an was practically bursting with joy.
The only awkward part for Tu Xiao'an was that the statue in the Snake King Temple wasn't of him. If he wasn't physically in the temple, the Power of Faith wouldn't be credited to him.
'I need to solve this problem as soon as possible.'
Tu Xiao'an watched the temple teeming with people, their excited faces turned toward the Snake King statue as they knelt in prayer. It was a marvelous feeling.
Finally, Tu Xiao'an's Snake Gaze locked onto a man in a Daoist robe.
With the Snake King Temple so busy, the busiest person was undoubtedly its manager, Li Shun, one of Tu Xiao'an's most faithful followers.
"Li Shun..."
Li Shun was in the thick of it, busily managing the flow of people in the temple, when a majestic voice suddenly echoed in his mind. He trembled from head to toe.
'The Lord Snake King is summoning me again!'
THUD. Li Shun dropped to his knees before the Snake King statue. He first kowtowed three times, then said respectfully, "Lord Snake King."
"How is the new statue coming along?"
Replacing the Snake King statue was imperative, and he had entrusted Li Shun with this task.
For a devout believer like Li Shun, a task from the Snake King was of the utmost importance. How could he not carry it out with all possible haste?
Besides, with the temple now overflowing with countless new believers, a new statue was definitely necessary.
"The statue is complete. We were just waiting for the Lord Snake King's return to install it," Li Shun replied. He seemed to be muttering to himself, but his words were filled with profound reverence.
This was good news, but Tu Xiao'an suddenly remembered something. He sent another message: "Is it the gold and silver one?"
"Yes, made exactly to the Lord Snake King's specifications."
Tu Xiao'an thought for a moment. "Have another one made. This time, make it look like this."
Instantly, an image appeared in Li Shun's mind: a majestic, extraordinary snake covered in purple-and-gold stripes, radiating an Emperor's Qi.
A single glance was enough to make Li Shun feel an overwhelming urge to submit and prostrate himself in worship.
'Has the Lord Snake King changed his form? Could it be his Cultivation has increased dramatically?'
Tu Xiao'an hadn't expected to shed his skin and change color again, so naturally, the old statue design was now obsolete.
It had to be made in his current likeness.
"You must have this new statue completed as quickly as possible."
Hearing the telepathic command, Li Shun nodded repeatedly. He wouldn't dare utter a single word of refusal. To be summoned by the Snake King for a task was a blessing earned in a past life, the kind of fortune that would make his ancestors proud.
It was something he could brag about for the rest of his life, a story that would make others burn with envy.
"Lord Snake King, I have something I wish to report."
"Speak," the majestic voice resounded in his mind. Li Shun immediately said, "In half a month, it will be the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. I would like to hold the ceremony to replace the statue on that day."
As soon as he said this, Tu Xiao'an understood Li Shun's intent. The seventh day of the seventh month was the traditional Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day.
It was the day magpies were said to form a bridge so the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could be reunited.
But to the people of Bai Town, it was also the Snake King Festival. Every year on this day, Bai Town would hold a grand ceremony at the Snake King Temple to make offerings to the Snake King. It was a major local event.
This was a clear testament to the people of Bai Town's worship and faith in the Snake King.
While other places held ceremonies to pray to their gods for things like favorable weather, the prayers during the Snake King Festival were for She Mountain to be filled with snakes, for Snake Catchers to be spared from the snakes' enmity, and for a House Snake to take up residence in their homes.
Having a House Snake was a sign of great fortune, one that was believed to bring wealth and blessings under the Snake King's protection.
