Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 72 - 71: Surging Snakes
Jiang Xingze had his reasons for saying the Silver White Snake was, at best, a Snake Spirit.
His master, Dr. Snake, had once told him that a snake's path to becoming a Snake King was as arduous as the legendary Journey to the Western Heaven. Just as that journey involved eighty-one tribulations, a snake's Cultivation into a spirit and then a Snake King required passing through forty-nine trials. Upon achieving Perfection, the character for "King" would appear on the Snake Spirit's forehead. Only then would a new Snake King be born.
The saying that animals weren't allowed to become spirits after the nation's founding wasn't just a joke.
You've probably seen reports on TV or in the news about an old tree being struck by lightning, with the corpse of a massive snake found hanging from its branches, also struck dead.
That massive snake was most likely a Snake Spirit attempting to leap the Dragon Gate—trying to become a Snake King—only to be struck down by the heavens as punishment.
In our advanced scientific age, most people are atheists. Talk of animals becoming spirits, Demon Fiends, or monsters is all considered bullshit.
But often, such things exist for a reason.
Dr. Snake believed that no snake could become a Snake King on its own. The requirements were simply too demanding. It would need an extraordinary bloodline and countless lucky opportunities—like, by some stroke of fate, consuming a thousand year old ginseng, a Ten Thousand Year Lingzhi, or other priceless herbs and exotic fruits from deep within the mountains.
Yet even if a snake managed all that, upon reaching the final step, the heavens would surely serve it a bolt of Divine Thunder.
That was why Dr. Snake wanted to create a Snake King himself through scientific experiments.
As Dr. Snake's apprentice, Jiang Xingze naturally worshipped and implicitly trusted his master. The old man hadn't even finished creating a Snake King, yet here was an imposter.
'I have to expose it.'
As a gale raged around the brilliantly glowing Silver White Snake, a strange phenomenon erupted, and no one could remain calm.
The believers who had faith in the Snake King were naturally unafraid, feeling secure in its power. But those who had spoken so arrogantly were now filled with terror.
Suddenly, an intense rustling echoed from the jungle.
Following the rustling, one ferocious, terrifying venomous snake after another slithered out. They were all of different species and colors, but they swarmed in from all directions in unison, their hissing echoing endlessly.
The venomous snakes moved as if they had received an Emperor's decree. In just a few moments, hundreds of them poured out from the undergrowth, surging toward Jiang Xingze.
And that was only the beginning. An endless stream of venomous snakes emerged, their numbers swelling by the second.
GASP...!
Everyone on the scene gasped. Good heavens, so many venomous snakes! They were densely packed and scrambling over one another. The sight of a legion of snakes on the move was utterly terrifying, like a tidal wave about to crash down.
"This... this..."
"My god... The Snake King really did summon the swarms!"
The Snake Catchers from Bai Town were so nervous that sweat poured from their brows. Their hearts pounded—THUMP, THUMP—and their faces flushed. To them, witnessing such a surge of snakes was a spectacle so magnificent they could die without regret.
"Long live the Snake King..."
"All hail the Snake King..."
"Long live the Snake King! All hail the Snake King!"
In an instant, the Snake Catchers began to chant. They kowtowed once more to the Silver White Snake, which held its head high, their eyes filled with the fervent adoration of true believers.
'If this isn't the Snake King, then what is?'
"Young Master Jiang! Young Master Jiang! The snakes are coming for us! What do we do? What do we do?!"
They were all Snake Catchers, the elite team sponsored by the Shanye Group. Catching snakes was their job. One or two snakes? They wouldn't be scared. But the problem was, as far as the eye could see, a fucking sea of venomous snakes was surging toward them. The longer you looked, the more terrifying it became. Anyone who didn't piss their pants at a sight like this had nerves of steel.
Two fists are no match for a swarm of snakes.
Jiang Xingze's jaw hung open. His eyes were wide with the terror of a hunted animal. His face was pale and drawn as he knelt on the ground, watching helplessly as the swarm of snakes swept toward him.
'What the fuck?' he thought. 'What in the hell is this? Did it really summon a swarm of snakes to attack me?'
They called it a legion of snakes, but in reality, there were over a thousand of them. It was terrifying. The tide was simply endless.
'If that tide of snakes washes over you,' he thought, 'there'll be nothing left.'
'How can this be? How can this be?'
Jiang Xingze felt like he was going to lose his mind. 'Is the Silver White Snake... really the Snake King?'
For the first time, he began to doubt himself.
Reality had slapped him so hard in the face that he had no choice but to doubt himself.
HISS...!
HISS...!
HISS...!
The entire area, the very space itself, was filled with the hissing of the Snake Race. The sky seemed ready to collapse. A suffocating pressure descended upon the jungle. The sweltering heat was replaced by a refreshing coolness—no, it was a bone-chilling cold.
The innate, cold aura of the Snake Race made everyone feel as if they were walking on thin ice over an Abyssal Hell.
Venomous snakes surged forth one after another, like the Yellow River bursting its banks. The cold, fierce light in their eyes made one's entire body tremble.
The scales on their long, slender bodies glistened. Their long, sharp fangs were on full display in their gaping maws—a truly terrifying sight.
What was most terrifying was that Jiang Xingze and his men realized the massive swarm was heading only for them. The snakes completely ignored the other Snake Catchers, as if they were thin air.
In a short time, they were completely surrounded. On all sides, venomous snakes stood with heads held high, encircling them in layer upon impenetrable layer.
They could try to run, but they'd have to tread on the bodies of venomous snakes. And the moment they did, they could say goodbye to their legs.
"We're done for... we're finished! We're going to be food for these snakes!"
"This is it. We've handled snakes our whole lives, only to be killed by them in the end."
"Young Master Jiang, you've doomed us all!"
The Snake Catchers sent by the Shanye Group glared at the kneeling Jiang Xingze with pure resentment. If he hadn't so arrogantly provoked the Silver White Snake by talking about summoning swarms, then the Silver White Snake would never have done this, and they wouldn't have been caught in the crossfire, left to be fed to venomous snakes alongside him.
Surrounded by countless venomous snakes, with hissing filling their ears, the fear of death enveloped their hearts.
"Let's kneel! We didn't offend the Snake King! Jiang Xingze is the one who deserves to die! It has nothing to do with us!"
In this life-or-death moment, they instantly decided to abandon Jiang Xingze. This was all his fault. Why should they have to take the fall for him?
"Spare us, O Snake King! This has nothing to do with us! It was Jiang Xingze who disrespected you! We'll kowtow to you! Long live the Snake King! Please, we beg you, let us go!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The loud sounds of foreheads hitting the ground echoed out. The dozen or so elite Snake Catchers from the Shanye Group all kowtowed to the Silver White Snake, trembling in absolute terror.
And then, something strange happened. As the men kowtowed to the Silver White Snake, the dense ranks of venomous snakes surrounding them stirred, magically parting to form a path.
