Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 186 - 183: Snake King Festival
At this point, it had to be said that Tu Xiao'an's methods were extraordinary. If he wished, he could cultivate any low-level creature into an Awakened Creature.
Even a mosquito, should he so desire, could be cultivated into an Awakened Creature—one whose bite would be instantly fatal, killing without a trace.
"You're playing favorites! I want one too."
The Azure Owl stared with a complicated expression at the floating Purple Gold Snake. 'The fact that he could forcibly turn a stupid dog into an Awakened Creature is simply outrageous.'
'He's so powerful. Being subjugated by him, becoming his pet... it doesn't seem so shameful after all.'
The Azure Owl secretly comforted itself.
Tu Xiao'an understood. The Peacock also wanted to eat an Awakening Fruit. He shot it a look. "That fruit is useless to you. It'd be a waste for you to eat it."
'It's already an Awakened Creature, so why would it need an Awakening Fruit? That's just completely redundant.'
"I don't care, I want to eat it!"
Its voice was clear and pleasant, yet it held the petulance of a little girl.
Tu Xiao'an was speechless, lines of exasperation forming on his face. He directly tossed out three Snakeberries to shut the unreasonable Peacock up.
Although this Peacock, the Azure Owl, had an incredibly noble bloodline, its mentality was like that of an eight or nine-year-old girl. It still needed to be coaxed.
Data Display...
Host: Tu Xiao'an.
Identity: Awakened Snake King (Leader of the Snake Race) 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Level: 23.
Evolutionary Energy: 20,000/2,000,000
Faith Points: 213,000.
Skills: Power of Thunder and Lightning, Flame Power.
Store: Open.
Tu Xiao'an's data updated quickly. His Level, in particular, was now a stunning Level 23.
After the battle with the Vampire Snakes, Tu Xiao'an had gained far too many benefits. Not only had he risen three Levels and gained one million Faith Points, but he had also mastered Flame Power.
Now, if he were to run into the Ancient Snake Spirit again, he would probably be able to gain another ability: its Water Manipulation Power.
However, the Snake Spirit had kept its word and, as agreed, had already left the territory of Bai Town. If it was smart, it wouldn't appear before Tu Xiao'an again.
Otherwise, Tu Xiao'an could completely crush it.
Staring quietly at his stats, Tu Xiao'an felt a faint thrill of excitement. His eyes were fixed on his Faith Points.
A few days ago, Tu Xiao'an was still trying to accumulate a million Faith Points, but now, in the blink of an eye, he had over two million.
With a thought, he entered the store's interface.
Many of the previously grayed-out items had been unlocked following the massive surge in Tu Xiao'an's Faith Points.
But Tu Xiao'an had no interest in looking at the unlocked items one by one. Right now, his heart was set on obtaining a specific one.
"DING... Transformation Technique. Allows for changing into a false form. Cost: 1,000,000 Faith Points."
Quietly, a sentence surfaced in Tu Xiao'an's mind: 'Heavens, don't let me reincarnate. I'm willing to become a House Snake to guard my family, watch over our home, and secure its fortune.'
Ever since Tu Xiao'an became a House Snake, he hadn't dared to hope he could ever become human again in this life, to stand firmly on this earth on two feet.
But when the store opened, he saw a glimmer of hope. Although this Transformation Technique only provided a false form, it could at least allow him, a snake, to take on a human shape.
When the false is taken for real, the real becomes false.
Of course, Tu Xiao'an had another path: to become a Rank Three Creature, rising above ordinary beings and achieving a true Transformation from his snake form.
However, given his current Evolutionary Energy Value, it would be extremely difficult to gain even a single Level anytime soon without some kind of system quest.
So the path to Rank 3 was still a bit distant; it couldn't be rushed.
Only the store's Transformation Technique could temporarily satisfy Tu Xiao'an's yearning to take human form.
"Does the Host confirm the purchase of the Transformation Technique?"
The system's cold voice prompted.
Tu Xiao'an took a deep breath, his resolve firm. "Confirm purchase."
"DING... Congratulations to the Host on successfully purchasing the Transformation Technique. 1,000,000 Faith Points have been consumed."
"Transform now?"
Hearing this, Tu Xiao'an paused. His Snake Gaze, capable of deep Insight, narrowed. Faintly, he saw a woman in the inner room holding a photo frame, stroking it gently.
The photo in the frame showed a handsome young man with a bright, sunny smile, in the prime of his youth.
The woman longed for the person in the picture. A single tear slid down her cheek and dripped onto the frame.
"Transform now."
Tu Xiao'an withdrew his gaze. His voice was calm, but his heart pounded with excitement.
................
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month—the Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day—was also the ancient Snake King Festival passed down through generations in the hearts of Bai Town's people.
Bai Town could be called a thousand-year-old town, blessed with outstanding people and a rich heritage. Its folk customs were simple and forthright, and its deep-rooted communal culture had left behind many historical sites and unique local folklore.
On this day, Bai Town was filled with the joy of a grand festival. Every household hung up lanterns and decorations. But these were not the usual festive red lanterns; they were snake-shaped lanterns.
These snake lanterns weren't store-bought; each household had made its own long in advance.
Only by making them yourself could you show true sincerity.
From early in the morning, the streets of Bai Town were bustling with people, all heading with a shared understanding toward the Snake King Temple.
Interestingly, many people actually had snakes draped over them. These snakes seemed to be a source of pride to show off to others. Whoever had the best Snake Species with the finest appearance would attract large crowds of onlookers.
They would be sized up and discussed, drawing looks of envy.
This was Bai Town, an ancient town with a culture centered around snakes.
Locally, almost no one, young or old, male or female, was afraid of snakes. If word got out that a young man from a certain family was afraid of snakes, it would bring utter shame upon his household.
He'd have a hard time finding a girlfriend, let alone a wife.
The area in front of the Snake King Temple was already a sea of people. Two massive, rose-colored incense sticks, each two meters tall and weighing 25 kilograms, had been lit before the temple.
The townsfolk gathered before the temple to worship the God.
This year's Snake King Festival was different from previous years. So much had happened, especially the manifestation of the Snake King, who vanquished demons, subdued evil, and performed great deeds of kindness. This made the people of Bai Town feel exceptionally solemn and reverent.
Furthermore, today was the great day for replacing the Snake King statue, news of which had spread throughout Bai Town half a month ago.
Replacing the Snake King's statue was a monumental event. Combined with the festival today, nearly every resident of Bai Town would come to the Snake King Temple to participate in the grand occasion.
Even many people working in other cities made a special trip back.
As the elders would say to the younger generation: "If you don't come back today, then don't ever bother coming back."
Many Snake Catchers would bring out two of their best snakes today. One was an offering to the Snake King, to be released back to She Mountain after the ceremony was complete.
The other snake was for showing off—to be used in battle serpents and snake comparisons.
Snake Catchers took pride in fine snakes. The better the Snake Species and the finer its appearance, the better the opportunity to earn some prestige.
Beside the temple, there was already a huge basket known as a "snake basket." Inside, no fewer than a thousand venomous snakes were hissing in alarm, slithering and scurrying about.
These snakes were all offerings to the Snake King and would be the ones set free.
By the end of the day, this giant snake basket would contain no fewer than ten thousand venomous snakes, the vast majority of which would be rare Snake Species.
No one would dare to use an ordinary venomous snake to pad the numbers. That would be a great disrespect to the Snake King. You'd just be asking for death.
One must understand, a single rare Snake Species could be worth tens of thousands. The value generated by ten thousand rare Snake Species was truly terrifying to contemplate.
