Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 187 - 184: A Grand Occasion for Humans and Snakes

Releasing a snake worth tens of thousands just like that might be incomprehensible to an outsider.

They might even think it's stupid—a case of having more money than sense.

But the people of Bai Town have unwavering faith in the Snake King. To them, all the snakes on She Mountain belong to the Lord Snake King.

At around ten in the morning, the new Snake King statue, draped in a large red cloth, was carried out by four men. The Lord Snake King's customary parade began with three cannon blasts and the resounding clash of gongs and drums.

As the Snake King's procession began, a sea of people poured out, the parade route cleared by a large gong at its head.

A palpable excitement ran through the crowd. Everyone wondered if, on such a momentous day, the Lord Snake King would manifest himself again.

The image of the giant, shimmering golden snake shadow coiling in the sky above Bai Town was a sight one would never forget.

As the Snake King's procession advanced, a flag team followed closely behind. Wooden placards inscribed with "Wields Thunder," "Lord Lian," "Silence," and "Make Way" were arrayed at the front, clearing a path for the Snake King's statue.

Accompanying the Snake King statue, besides the four strongmen carrying it, was a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe. This was Li Shun, the man in charge of organizing the entire event.

Li Shun walked beside the Snake King's statue. While countless onlookers on both sides could only follow the procession, he had the honor of accompanying the Lord Snake King on his tour, his face beaming with pride.

'My ancestors must be smiling down on me. Truly, they must be.'

The massive procession snaked its way through the streets, forming a long line like the body of a serpent.

Wherever the procession passed, families along the route would light incense and firecrackers to welcome it. They would also exchange three sticks of incense with people in the parade—a ritual known as "sharing the fragrance"—to show their shared reverence for the Lord Snake King, who they believed would drive away pestilence and bestow blessings upon their community.

It had to be said, the people of Bai Town took the Snake King Festival very seriously; this was certainly no perfunctory affair.

To an uninformed observer, the sheer scale of the event might suggest a tour by a major national dignitary.

Within the long, serpent-like procession, many people—even children—had snakes coiled around their necks, wrapped around their waists, or entwined on their arms.

The snakes themselves were remarkably docile, as humans and serpents celebrated the grand occasion together.

Amidst the massive crowd, a beautiful young woman with a sweet face and long, slender legs was holding a selfie stick. Her lovely face was flushed with excitement as she broadcasted a livestream from her phone.

"Hey everyone, are you seeing this? Bai Town is holding the Snake King's procession right now! Can you see it? Look at this crowd! Isn't it spectacular?"

The annual Snake King Festival was truly a massive event.

The young woman panned her phone across the surroundings, and the viewers in her livestream were immediately and profoundly shocked, left completely dumbstruck.

"Whoa, my goddess! Does your town have to be so over-the-top? There are way too many people!"

"I wasn't seeing things, was I? It looked like everyone had a venomous snake on them! You really live up to your reputation, Bai Town. A real-life den of vipers!"

"Goddess, tell us the address! It looks so exciting, I want to head over and see it for myself!"

Bai Town's Snake King Festival had even been featured on the national news before. As a festival passed down through ancient traditions, it possessed a rich cultural heritage.

The number of attendees at this year's Snake King Festival had broken all records. Every corner was packed with people, an uncountable, surging sea of heads.

In addition to the locals, many outsiders had also come to experience the ancient festival.

The beautiful streamer was none other than Li Qingzhao. She was deeply proud to be a citizen of Bai Town. A livestream needs a good hook, and what hook could be more captivating than the Snake King Festival? The sight alone of hundreds of thousands of people surging through the streets was enough to dazzle anyone.

Not to mention the many people with venomous snakes draped across their chests—a scene that was both bizarre and fascinating.

If she wasn't going to stream this, when would she?

Just then, Li Qingzhao turned into a roving reporter, pointing her phone at a middle-aged man to start an interview.

"Excuse me, sir. If I'm not mistaken, is that a Silver Ring Snake you have there?"

The middle-aged man was dressed like a typical Snake Catcher in simple, practical clothes. The snake on his body, however, was anything but plain; it was a rare and highly venomous Snake Species.

The snake's back was patterned with alternating black and white rings, the white ones narrower than the black. Its tail was long and slender, and its total length was over a meter. Its eyes gleamed with a cold light.

"Young lady, you've got a sharp eye," the man said. "But this here is no ordinary Silver Ring Snake. See that little horn on its head? That means its breed is far superior to a common one."

Li Qingzhao aimed her phone at it and took a closer look. Sure enough, there really was a small horn on the Silver Ring Snake's head—though no matter how she looked at it, it just resembled a bump.

The Silver Ring Snake was one of the most venomous snakes in the country and extremely dangerous. They usually appear quite docile, causing people to lower their guard, but a Silver Ring Snake gives no warning before it strikes. A bite causes immediate respiratory paralysis. Without antivenom within two hours, death is certain.

Most people would be terrified upon seeing such a snake, but this one remained perfectly calm on the man's body. It didn't even react much when Li Qingzhao looked at it and touched it.

It wasn't shy around strangers; it was very well-tamed.

"Hehe! Alright, viewers, you're in for a treat today! You're going to see all sorts of venomous snakes. I guarantee that most of these are snakes you've probably never even heard of, let alone seen!"

Li Qingzhao continued to scan the crowd for more unusual venomous snakes. Soon, she spotted a portly man with a prominent beer belly. What caught her eye was the Black Snake coiled around his neck. It looked fierce and incredibly domineering, exuding an imposing aura.

The Black Snake was unique from head to tail. On closer inspection, amidst its fierce and domineering presence, there was also a hint of surprising cuteness.

Li Qingzhao had no idea what kind of venomous snake it was.

"Sir! Sir! Can you tell me what kind of snake that is?"

This portly man wasn't dressed like a Snake Catcher; he looked more like a businessman. Because of the Black Snake, the man walked with his head held high and his chest puffed out, looking extremely smug. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He might as well have had the words "Hey, come check out my snake!" written all over his face.

In the end, it was his flamboyance, along with the Black Snake, that successfully drew Li Qingzhao's attention.

Li Qingzhao aimed her phone at the portly man and started recording. The man wasn't camera-shy in the least; in fact, he seemed thrilled and announced in a loud voice, "This snake of mine is a big deal! You won't find another one like it on all of She Mountain!"

'Not found on She Mountain?'

Li Qingzhao was surprised. She Mountain was famous for its vast variety of Snake Species; you could even find many foreign breeds there.

"Well, hurry up and tell us, sir! What kind of snake is it?"

Li Qingzhao was a snake enthusiast to begin with. Besides, the snake on the man's body was a glossy, jet-black, without a speck of any other color, yet it was utterly captivating.

In her livestream chat, hundreds of thousands of viewers were also furiously debating what species of snake it could be.

In an instant, the screen was flooded with comments.

The portly man chuckled, clearly loving the attention. He made sure Li Qingzhao's phone was pointed right at him before saying, "This here is a Black King Snake. It's a non-venomous snake."

"A non-venomous snake." When he said this, Li Qingzhao froze. She blinked her long eyelashes, feeling like she'd been had. She gave the portly man a huge eye-roll. "Sir, I'm live right now with hundreds of thousands of people watching. You can't be messing with me like this."

'A non-venomous snake with such a badass name? Is that even allowed?'

Besides, non-venomous and venomous snakes had completely different statuses, and their values were worlds apart. At the very least, a non-venomous snake doesn't even produce venom.

And snake venom was an incredibly important resource for human medicine.

"Hmph. What does a little slip of a girl like you know?" Seeing Li Qingzhao's obvious disappointment, the portly man snorted unhappily and explained, "Don't look down on my snake just because it's non-venomous. It's the nemesis of venomous snakes! It has no venom of its own, but it possesses a god-tier poison resistance Attribute. Not only is it docile, but it's also gorgeous. And the most badass thing about it? It feeds primarily on other venomous snakes."

The portly man said this with his chin held high. So what if it was non-venomous? It fed on other venomous snakes.