Looking at the little demon’s sweet smile, Chen Nan felt a tremor run through his body. He tried to struggle but couldn’t move. He wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. In the blink of an eye, cold sweat soaked his clothes.

  "Like a fish on a chopping block, I am at their mercy. I just came out to travel, and now I’m already facing this miserable fate. Heaven, are you playing a joke on me?" Chen Nan was terrified to the extreme. If he were to be castrated, his life would truly be worse than death.

  After giving the order, the little demon princess turned and walked aside, with the female guards blushing as they followed her.

  One of the male guards drew a long sword and deliberately waved it in front of Chen Nan, scaring him into quickly closing his eyes. The cold, sharp blade pressed against his skin, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. The guard gave Chen Nan a malicious smile, slowly moving the sword toward his lower body. The "waiting" was excruciating for Chen Nan. In just a moment, he was completely drained, his body spasming uncontrollably.

  The little demon princess waited for a long time but did not hear Chen Nan’s scream, and couldn’t help but feel curious. She boldly turned around and saw her subordinates torturing Chen Nan mentally. She found it quite amusing.

  The little princess quickly returned, nodding in satisfaction at the subordinate and snatching the long sword from him. She tapped the sword on Chen Nan’s face and said, "Interesting, I didn’t expect this lecher to be so afraid of death."

  Chen Nan saw the little demon come back, holding the sword and waving it between his nose and eyes. His face turned pale with fear; if the sword slipped even a little, it would be just as bad as castration.

  Seeing the terror on Chen Nan’s face, the little princess was overjoyed. She lightly dragged the sword past his ear, severing a lock of his hair. When the hair fell on Chen Nan’s neck, his face changed.

  The guards exchanged glances, all showing faint smiles. They knew this little princess too well. Although she was already sixteen, she was an absolute headache. She was both clever and mischievous, sometimes like a naughty child with countless tricks that left others helpless.

  The little demon princess seemed to tire of the game. She raised the sword and slashed toward Chen Nan’s lower body. The guards were horrified and immediately shouted, "Your Highness, please don’t!"

  These people were terrified, just as frightened as Chen Nan. If the emperor found out his daughter had done something disgraceful to the royal dignity, they would surely be in deep trouble, and it would likely cost them their lives.

  The little princess’s face turned sour as she said, "What are you doing? Are you trying to meddle in my affairs?"

  A female guard stepped forward and said, "Your Highness is precious; you cannot... you cannot do this..."

  "Hmph!" The little princess threw the sword on the ground, her face returning to a cold expression. She turned and said, "Take him away. I want to deal with him slowly."

  Chen Nan, hearing what felt like the voice of a celestial being from hell, saw a faint glimmer of hope amid his despair and fear. He let out a long sigh, inwardly lamenting that she was truly a little demon!

  The little princess was accompanied by twelve guards and three mages—six male and six female guards, and three male mages.

  These people were all young, but their abilities were no joke. The mages easily forced Chen Nan out of the water, and the female warriors knocked him to the ground in just over thirty moves. This showed just how formidable their skills were.

  Chen Nan regained his freedom of movement, but his mute acupoint had not been unsealed by the little demon princess. Truly, "the mouth of the people is more difficult to guard than a river!"

  He muttered to himself, "These people all have black hair and eyes, so they must be Easterners. But among them, there are those who can use magic. It seems that after the merging of the two continents into the Tianyuan Continent, various cultivation methods began circulating, allowing Easterners to learn some Western magic, and Westerners to master some Eastern martial arts."

  Chen Nan watched the little demon bouncing and hopping through the forest, secretly cursing: twist your waist, sprain your ankle, fall down...

  But again and again, he was disappointed. The little demon princess was like a bird just released from its cage, incredibly happy, occasionally running up to him to give his head a hard knock or tug his ear.

  Chen Nan really had no words to describe his misery. Although he had secretly used his family’s secret martial arts to unseal the pressure points the little demon had placed on him, he had no choice but to “obediently” keep silent.

  At night, when they rested, Chen Nan had thought of sneaking away. But as soon as he moved, the guards on watch threw him a cold glance, forcing him to abandon the idea of escape.

  “I never thought I, Chen Nan, would end up in such a state. Little demon, don’t fall into my hands...”

  They had been trekking through the mountains for three days. They had seen a giant dragon flying across the sky, and the massive footprints of ancient giants, all of which made the little demon princess incredibly excited. Every time something like that happened, she would find Chen Nan to “express” her joy, which often resulted in him foaming at the mouth and collapsing to the ground.

  For Chen Nan, this was an unbearably painful journey. He hated and resented the little princess but was utterly helpless.

  Two days later, Chen Nan finally understood the identity of this group and their purpose.

  The little demon princess was Chu Yu, the youngest daughter of the Emperor of the Chu Kingdom, beloved by both the Emperor and the Empress. The guards around her were elite warriors trained specifically for her by the Emperor, utterly loyal. As for the three mages, they were not yet full-fledged mages, only apprentices.

  In a few months, the Emperor of Chu would be celebrating his sixtieth birthday. The little princess, in order to express her filial piety, had sneaked out of the palace to pick the legendary Fire Lotus from the western border of Chu, intending to present it as a birthday gift to the Emperor. She had kidnapped her followers through threats and intimidation to accompany her.

  "You guys say, when I present the Fire Lotus to my father, what kind of expression will he have? Hmm, I guess he will smile so much his mouth will hurt and allow me to come and go freely from the palace. Haha, it will be great. I’ll be able to go wherever I want, and no one will stop me, hehe..."

  Chen Nan sighed inwardly: She looks so cute now, almost like an innocent little angel. A demon's heart with an angel's appearance!

  The guards all wore bitter expressions. Although they had been forced by the little princess, the Emperor would definitely not tolerate this. When the time came, they would surely face punishment.

  "Hmph, have you all eaten bitter melon? How many times have I told you? When the time comes, I won’t let Father punish you." The little princess was a little displeased. She glanced at Chen Nan, who was standing nearby, and said, "Hmph, you scoundrel, dare to smirk? Come here and practice with me."

  For the past few days, the little princess had been calling Chen Nan a lecher, but after a female guard quietly told her a few things, the princess quickly realized something. First, she angrily beat Chen Nan to a pulp, and then she never called him a lecher again, instead calling him a scoundrel or a filthy thief.

  Chen Nan, gritting his teeth, unwillingly walked over. He prayed in his heart: "God, Buddha, angelic sister, though I know you’ve already gone to the Celestial Tomb to 'enjoy life,' don’t you have any distant relatives? Send them to deal with this demon. Demon, ghost, Lord of Hell, please come and take this sister of yours away!"

  In the past two days, Chen Nan had accompanied the little demon princess to practice martial arts countless times. The princess’s martial skills were surprisingly high, leaving him battered and bruised, his face unrecognizable.

  The little princess gave Chen Nan a mischievous smile and said, "Why do you look so gloomy? Is it that hard to practice martial arts with me? Hmph!"

  "Hehe, you're making progress! Not bad, let me try this move. Hehe, now you know how strong I am, don’t you? Haha..." The little princess's joyful and smug laughter echoed through the forest as Chen Nan's nth nightmare began again.

  On the sixth day, the little princess and her group finally arrived at their destination. A volcano appeared before them, its crater surrounded by swirling smoke, with flames seemingly ready to erupt at any moment.

  Chen Nan was secretly alarmed: this terrifying little demon has truly lost her mind, she's actually planning to go to the volcano to pick the Fire Lotus.

  The princess's guards were extremely nervous. One of the apprentice mages asked, "Your Highness, is the Fire Lotus really at the volcano's mouth?"

  The little princess seemed a bit displeased and snorted, "Of course, it's there. Are you scared?"

  The apprentice mage hurriedly replied, "No, of course not! We swear to risk our lives to pick the Fire Lotus for Your Highness."

  The little princess said, "When my master first found the lotus, it hadn't matured yet. Calculating the dates, these next few days are the best time for harvesting."

  A female guard reminded her, "Your Highness, I heard that all rare treasures are guarded by spirit beasts. I wonder if this lotus..."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Oh, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten! My master said there’s a small snake guarding it. Hmm, you’re not afraid of just a little snake, are you? Just be a bit careful and it will be fine." The little princess said carelessly.

  Chen Nan muttered to himself in disbelief: "Just be a bit careful?! Can you really handle a spirit beast guarding a treasure so easily? This little demon’s nerves are truly out of the ordinary. No way, I can't go in front, I’ll just stay far behind."

  The group started heading up the mountain, and Chen Nan slowly moved, eventually falling to the back of the line.

  "Scoundrel, go to the front!" The little princess's crisp voice ruined his plan.

  He cursed inwardly, "Little demon..." Reluctantly, he moved to the front of the group.

  "Huh, scoundrel, what kind of look is that? Are you dissatisfied? Do you want to challenge me to some kind of duel like those experts? Wow, that sounds great, how about we have a duel at the peak of the volcano?" The little princess exclaimed excitedly.

  Chen Nan sighed inwardly: Demon princess!

  The closer they got to the volcano's mouth, the hotter the air became, making it uncomfortably warm, and the rocks beneath their feet grew increasingly hot. Chen Nan felt a bit anxious, constantly on alert for that little snake hiding in the shadows.

  Finally, they reached the volcano’s mouth. A thick smoke billowed out, the air was intensely hot, and the crater felt like an oven. Sweat dripped onto the dark volcanic rocks and immediately evaporated.

  A rich, fragrant scent wafted from the smoke, instantly refreshing the exhausted group.

  On the inside cliff of the volcano’s mouth, a ball of fiery red light pierced through the smoke and into their eyes. The fragrance was coming from there.

  The little princess smiled and said, "There really is the Fire Lotus. My master really didn’t lie to me. Hehe, this is great."

  The group took out their poison-proof scarves and covered their faces. The little princess glanced at Chen Nan and tossed him one as well, saying, "Hurry up and put it on, the smoke is highly toxic."

  Chen Nan felt a slight sense of gratitude, but it quickly faded. The little princess then said, "Hurry up and get it on, we need to lure that little snake out."

  He thought to himself: Demons will always be demons!

  The smoke swirled around the volcano's mouth, reducing visibility to almost nothing. Looking down, all he could see was a faint glow—undoubtedly the swirling lava. Chen Nan cautiously walked along the circular rim of the volcano, silently praying that the little snake was napping.

  The fragrance of the Fire Lotus grew stronger and stronger. A gentle breeze blew, dispersing the smoke around the volcano's mouth, and the scene before Chen Nan instantly became clearer.

  The Fire Lotus was rooted on the cliff, three zhang (about 10 meters) below the volcano's edge. The entire plant stood about half a meter tall, glowing fiery red. Nine translucent red leaves grew on its stem, and the top was flower-shaped, resembling a lotus, but a hundred times more vibrant. The fiery petals were bright and dripping with color, dazzling like jade.

  The smoke swirled, gradually covering the Fire Lotus, leaving only a red glow visible. Suddenly, a huge sense of danger surged within Chen Nan. He felt like prey being watched by someone—or something.

  A pitch-black cave appeared on the cliff near the Fire Lotus. Two blood-red points gleamed from within. With a thunderous roar, countless large rocks fell from the cave into the depths of the volcano, and a massive creature began to emerge from the hole.

  Chen Nan was horrified, his soul nearly leaving his body. The massive creature was the head of an enormous snake, as large as a room. The two blood-red gleams were the snake's crimson eyes, as large as washbasins.

  Boom! Boom!

  More rocks tumbled into the volcano's depths as the giant snake slowly moved out of the cave, revealing a section of its colorful body. The snake's body was covered with scales the size of palm fronds, glittering and shimmering, both strange and terrifying.

  "Damn... this... this is the 'little snake' that little demon mentioned? ***... This... is so exaggerated." Chen Nan cursed, his voice trembling.

  The giant snake halted, its blood-red eyes locking onto Chen Nan. At the same time, it opened its massive mouth, revealing a set of gleaming white fangs. The fangs were as sharp as swords, half a meter long, menacing and terrifying.

  A chill quickly spread from the top of Chen Nan's head to his heels, goosebumps rising all over his body.

  Suddenly, a blood-red tongue, two zhang (about 6 meters) long, darted out from the giant snake's mouth, curling toward him. The thick, nauseating stench made him want to vomit.

  "Ah..."

  Chen Nan shouted in fear, turning and running, reaching the highest speed he had ever run in his life. As he ran, he yelled, "Demon princess, you little *****! You’re trying to kill me..."

  The little princess had always thought that Chen Nan’s mute points were sealed by her. When she heard him shout loudly, she was first stunned, then filled with anger and hatred. But when she saw the giant, colorful snake behind him, her face turned pale. However, she quickly regained her composure and then said something that almost made Chen Nan faint: "This snake is so beautiful!"

  Chen Nan ran like the wind down the volcano. As he passed by the little princess, he cursed, "Pervert, lunatic, demon..."

  The guards the little princess brought were truly seasoned veterans. After the initial shock, they quickly calmed down, tightly gripped their weapons, and braced themselves. Three apprentice mages began chanting incantations, and waves of magical energy emanated from the air. But unexpectedly, the giant snake, after revealing a large portion of its body at the volcano's edge, came to a halt, merely staring coldly at the group.

  The little princess remained unusually calm. "Don’t be afraid, the Fire Lotus is about to mature. That stinky snake has been guarding it for over a thousand years, and at this critical moment, it will not leave the Lotus. We will attack it from a distance."

  She then commanded, "Quick, scatter the realgar over that stinky snake!"

  A dozen cloth bags were thrown toward the giant snake all at once. At the same time, the apprentice mages completed their incantations, and a large number of sharp wind blades surged forward.

  The wind blades cut through the cloth bags, and the realgar poured down from the sky, landing on the giant snake's body. The snake trembled violently and began to retreat.

  The group cheered, filled with renewed energy. More cloth bags filled with realgar and a new wave of wind blades surged forward. The snake's colorful scales, glistening with cold light, were covered with realgar. The pungent smell of realgar filled the air at the volcano’s mouth, and soon, the giant snake shriveled to the ground, motionless.

  The group immediately erupted into cheers.

  Chen Nan ran to the halfway point of the mountain, but hearing the cheers behind him, he couldn’t help but stop and turn around to look.

  "I didn't expect this little demon to be so capable, actually taking down such a massive creature. Truly worthy of being the sister of a demon."

  He still felt a lingering fear when he recalled the giant snake's sharp fangs and menacing red tongue, but at the same time, he felt exhilarated.

  Chen Nan glanced at the volcano's mouth. He really wanted to leave that little demon behind and travel the world, but he also wanted to stay and watch the rare battle between man and snake. He hesitated, torn. In the end, unable to resist the temptation, he quietly crept closer to the volcano’s edge. When he was about ten zhang (about 30 meters) away, he hid behind a large boulder.

  The little princess carefully examined the giant snake, which had shriveled at the volcano's mouth, and then smiled. "I didn't expect this stinky snake to be so cunning. It pretended to be weak to deceive us. Everyone, don't approach it. Attack it from here."

  The guards took out their strong bows and crossbows, shooting arrows at the giant snake, while the three apprentice mages began chanting incantations, preparing for magical attacks.

  A barrage of arrows flew toward the snake, resembling a swarm of locusts, but to their astonishment, the steel-tipped arrows, upon hitting the snake's scales, merely sparked a few sparks before falling to the ground.

  The massive wind blades cast by the apprentice mages barely caused the giant snake to tremble and left no trace on its body.

  The little princess decisively commanded, "Cease attacks on other parts of its body. Focus all attacks on its eyes."

  Arrows rained down, all targeting the snake's blood-red eyes. The giant snake seemed to mock them, closing its eyes and blocking the arrow storm.

  At that moment, the three apprentice mages gathered a large amount of magical energy, forming three ice spears, cold and gleaming. When exposed to sunlight, the ice spears shone brilliantly, resembling a rainbow arching across the sky as they flew toward the giant snake's eyes.

  "Bang!"

  "Bang!"

  "Bang!"

  The ice spears shattered into countless pieces before the giant snake's eyes, and the light faded. Though these three powerful magical attacks had some effect, the giant snake's eyelids revealed traces of blood. Meanwhile, the massive snake's head rose again, no longer drooping, and its frightening tongue flicked in and out, its sharp fangs gleaming with a chilling light. Its blood-red eyes locked onto the group with terrifying intensity.

  Chen Nan, still hiding behind the boulder, was ready to flee at any moment.

  "Whoosh!"

  The giant snake opened its enormous mouth and spewed a large wave of flames. The roaring inferno surged toward the group. The three apprentice mages hastily began chanting, and a faint blue magical shield enveloped them, protecting them from the flames.

  Chen Nan was dumbfounded, sighing, "No way, this terrifying creature has already cultivated into a monster. My heavens, a serpent demon!" Seeing this, he quickly backed away another ten zhang.

  At this moment, the three apprentice mages had gathered enough magical elements. They opened a small gap in their magical shield and then cast a large curtain of light toward the giant snake. The faint blue light turned into waves of water, instantly extinguishing the flames around them and soaking the giant snake. Steam began rising from the volcano’s mouth, and the group took this opportunity to retreat about seven or eight zhang.

  The giant snake seemed enraged. With a loud rumble, it extended another four or five zhang of its massive body from the cave. Countless rocks fell into the depths of the volcano. Now, the snake's body stretched a full seven or eight zhang in the air, and its enormous head looked even more menacing and terrifying. The snake looked down at the group, its eyes flashing with a murderous gleam, as though it wanted to dive down. But in the end, it reluctantly retreated to the side of the Flame Immortal Lotus, pressing its entire body against the volcanic rock.

  The group let out a collective sigh of relief. At that moment, a female guard stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, this demon snake has already completed its cultivation. It’s not something we can handle. We should retreat immediately."

  One of the apprentice mages also spoke up, "Yes, this... this is no small snake. This... this is a snake spirit. We should... we should..."

  The little princess glared at him, causing the apprentice mage to immediately shut his mouth.

  Chen Nan, hidden behind the volcanic rock, thought to himself: The little princess is fiercer than the giant snake!

  The little princess said, "Didn’t I give you thirty-six powerful magic arrows? If not now, then when? Shoot them!"

  The guards took the magical arrows from their backs and nocked them on their bows, all aiming at the giant snake’s blood-red eyes.

  "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" ...

  The magical arrows flew out like lightning, leaving a trail of fluctuations in the air. The magical elements in the air began to vibrate irregularly. The giant snake seemed to sense the danger, swiftly turning its menacing head to the side. The magic arrows grazed its mouth, creating sparks, and then suddenly exploded, blasting away a large section of the scales on the left side of the snake's mouth. The remaining magic arrows hit the same area, instantly turning the giant snake’s mouth into a mangled mess of flesh, revealing its terrifying white teeth.

  The giant snake was enraged. Its massive body suddenly reared up, with its blood-red tongue flicking in and out, while its sharp white teeth gleamed. At the same time, the snake's body, still hidden in the cave, began to slither outward. The volcano’s mouth shook as though struck by an earthquake.

  Everyone was stunned. The little princess said in a low voice, "It seems we have no choice but to use our last move." She took out an ancient long box from her pack, opened it, and retrieved a longbow that gleamed with a dark luster.

  When Chen Nan saw her actions, his pupils contracted, and he stared at the longbow without blinking.

  "The Hou Yi Bow!"

  He hadn’t expected to see the legendary bow from the Immortal Fantasy Continent after so many millennia. The Hou Yi Bow had changed owners countless times, and its last master a thousand years ago had been Chen Nan’s father, Chen Zhan. With this bow, Chen Zhan had once killed three peerless experts who were besieging him in a single day, earning a name for himself and becoming a legend across the entire Immortal Fantasy Continent.

  Chen Nan’s lips trembled as he whispered, "The Hou Yi Bow... I never thought I would meet you again after all these years..."

  At that moment, a deafening crash echoed, and countless huge rocks rolled down from the volcano's mouth. The giant snake shot into the sky, its hundred-zhang-long body fully exposed in the air.