Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 194 - 191: The Snake King’s Return
With a single command to kneel, hundreds of thousands of people fell to their knees in a matter of breaths. A dense sea of dark heads stretched out as far as the eye could see.
The annual Snake King Festival had become Bai Town's grandest celebration, even more massive and festive than the New Year.
Incense smoke permeated the sky above Bai Town, threatening to transform it into an Immortal Realm veiled in white mist.
The old man, Li Defeng, took a deep breath, his gaze profound and reverent. The backs of his hands were as coarse as old pine bark, crisscrossed with deep cracks, and his palms were thick with calluses. It was this pair of hands that now reached out and gripped a corner of the large, red cloth.
The scene was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath and looked up, their expressions solemn. The Snake King statue was about to be unveiled.
"Unveil..."
The man in the Daoist robe, Li Shun, cried out solemnly. As if using all his strength, Li Defeng forcefully pulled the large red cloth from the statue.
In that instant, a purple cloud of Qi surged toward the heavens. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the new Snake King statue, utterly transfixed. They could only stare, dumbfounded.
The new Snake King statue depicted a coiled snake. Its form was powerful, its posture proud and majestic. It radiated an imposing aura, one that could swallow mountains and rivers, as if it were galloping through waves of clouds and mist. Its entire body was adorned with purple and gold stripes that complemented each other, suffusing it with the supreme and noble Emperor's Qi.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, so lifelike it seemed to breathe, projecting the majestic aura of a snake soaring through the nine heavens.
Now, the Snake King statue stood before the hundreds of thousands, towering under the bright daytime sky. Bathed in the dazzling sunlight, the purple and gold stripes on the statue seemed to glow, radiating an immense and majestic presence.
"We invite the Lord Snake King to return to his rightful place!"
Li Defeng stared at the statue, stunned for a few seconds. He then threw his hands toward the sky, his voice booming like a great bell.
'Haha... It's finally my turn to put on a show.' 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
'Bah... I mean, it's my turn to make an entrance.'
Amidst the kneeling crowd, a handsome young man tilted his head up slightly. A startling light flashed in his bright eyes as the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
SWOOSH...
He vanished into thin air. Strangely, no one noticed that the person beside them was gone.
And then...
CRY...
High above the Snake King statue, a serpentine cry that seemed to originate from the highest heavens erupted and shot into the sky. The hundreds of thousands of people, both shocked and overjoyed, suddenly looked up. A colossal, golden phantom of a snake had appeared. Majestic and grand, it coiled and writhed, its aura powerful enough to overturn seas and swallow mountains.
In that brief moment, the sky itself seemed on the verge of collapse. A majestic and sacred aura washed over the entire area. Everyone stared up at the colossal golden snake phantom, their eyes wide with a shock that was impossible to describe.
The hundreds of thousands of people trembled, a current of excitement running through them. A look of wild fervor was plain on their faces.
They were not afraid or panicked. There was only incomparable, fervent excitement.
This ancient town, with its thousand years of history, was built on the legend of the Snake King. Since ancient times, its people had lived by the snake and taken pride in the snake. Now, in a modern, atheistic era, their enlightened Snake King had manifested to protect their lands, appearing from the void above.
It was a miracle. An unparalleled miracle.
Although this was not the first time the miracle of the Snake King's manifestation had occurred, at this moment, no one could remain calm. Everyone was ecstatic.
The golden phantom of the snake, its heaven-shaking cry echoing from the highest heavens, coiled in the sky above the hundreds of thousands. This image, this scene, was branded deep into the soul of every person present, never to be forgotten.
And the manifestation of the Snake King would from this day forward become a story told in every household in Bai Town, passed down for generations to come.
"We invite the Lord Snake King to return to his place!"
"We invite the Lord Snake King to return to his place!"
"We invite the Lord Snake King to return to his place!"
...
The cries rose and fell across the scene, swelling into a deafening roar like a tsunami. Hundreds of thousands of people shouted in unison, their voices creating a sound wave so powerful it seemed to shake the very heavens. In that instant, the sky itself seemed to change color as countless clouds were blasted apart by the sheer force of the sound.
CRY...
The golden snake phantom erupted in a heaven-shaking, dazzling light, so brilliant that no one could keep their eyes open. They could only perceive the phantom, trailing the purple cloud of Qi, plummeting straight down toward the Snake King statue. Then, inch by inch, it merged into the stone.
Instantly, the Snake King statue began to glow, as if it had gained Life Force. It now seemed even more majestic and grand.
The Snake King had returned. Once again, a thunderous cheer like a tidal wave swept through the crowd.
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
"Long live the Lord Snake King!"
Hundreds of thousands of people prostrated themselves in worship, their excitement boiling over. From this day forward, the Snake King would truly be among his people, residing within the temple.
The significance of this to the people of Bai Town was immense. They truly had their own guardian God—not a void, not a myth, but something as real and omnipresent as the air they breathed.
They could feel the Snake King's presence as if it were their own. The Divine Spirit they had worshipped for hundreds of years had appeared before their very eyes. Who wouldn't be moved to their core?
At that moment, Formless and unseen, countless fine streams of energy began to rise from the air. Wisps and strands of it drifted from the body of every single person, flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea as they merged into the Snake King statue.
These fine streams of energy resembled specks of light, completely invisible to the ordinary person. Only Tu Xiao'an could see them.
This was the so-called Power of Faith being generated.
DING... DING... DING... DING...
Tens, hundreds, thousands, then hundreds of thousands of notification alerts began to chime wildly in Tu Xiao'an's system.
From... From... From...
From... From... From...
From... From... From...
Almost simultaneously, a ceaseless torrent of the Power of Faith began to surge wildly, like a flash flood bursting through a dam, threatening to drown Tu Xiao'an.
"DING... Congratulations, Host. You have gained a wave of 6,570,000 Power of Faith."
And that was just the first wave. An endless stream of Power of Faith continued to pour in, dazzling Tu Xiao'an.
'I've struck it rich. I'm rich! I've really hit the jackpot!'
Watching this massive influx of Power of Faith, the hidden Tu Xiao'an felt like a man who had just won the lottery. He was so excited he could barely contain himself.
'With all this Power of Faith, I can buy anything I want from the System Mall. It'll be like going on a shopping spree on Amazon.'
The Power of Faith continued to skyrocket as the thunderous cheers from the crowd echoed endlessly.
'This was exactly the effect Tu Xiao'an had been aiming for. Why else would he have put on such a performance?'
'From now on, Bai Town would be his personal supplier of the Power of Faith. As long as the people of Bai Town were here, Tu Xiao'an would never have to worry about his reserves, unless, of course, they stopped believing in him as the Snake King.'
'But that was impossible. This ancient town had developed for a millennium with snake culture at its very core. If they didn't believe in the Snake King, what else could they possibly believe in?'
'Tu Xiao'an's actions today were a clear and open declaration to the people of Bai Town: "From now on, you are under my protection. No Demon, Demon Fiend, or evil spirit will be able to harm you."'
'At the same time, this was also a responsibility. With great power comes great responsibility, after all. Having been evolved by the system, Tu Xiao'an was, at his core, a True Snake. His actions had to benefit both the people and himself; he could not engage in excessive slaughter.'
'Only by protecting a region and performing good deeds could he earn everyone's faith and worship.'
