The giant serpent's tail touched the ground, while its hundred-zhang-long body stood upright in the air, exuding an intimidating presence, as if it were about to ascend into a dragon and take flight.

  The little princess casually picked up a carved-feather arrow and set it on the bowstring. Then, with all her strength, she managed to draw the Houyi Bow just a little. The dark bow began to emit a faint golden light, which, like a thin mist, surged toward the arrow. Base metal transformed into pure gold—an ordinary carved-feather arrow turned entirely golden before shooting forth in a dazzling streak of light.

  Winds howled, thunder rumbled, and the heavens dimmed. The golden arrow seemed to tear through the void, reaching the giant serpent in the blink of an eye. The serpent's eyes filled with terror—it had sensed the immense energy contained within the arrow. It plunged downward, narrowly avoiding the golden radiance that made the heavens and earth tremble. Coiling atop the volcano's crater, its massive body shuddered uncontrollably.

  The golden arrow had merely grazed the serpent, leaving everyone in despair. But in an instant, the winds howled and thunder roared once more—the arrow, which had seemingly vanished, whistled back from the distance. Its brilliance eclipsed even the sun, and in a flash, it pierced deep into the serpent's body.

  A spray of blood burst from the wound, painting the sky above the volcano in crimson. The colossal creature thrashed wildly, sending enormous boulders flying in all directions. The princess and her companions scrambled to evade the deadly chaos.

  After more than ten minutes, the serpent ceased its writhing. Once more, it reared up, lifting its ferocious head more than ten zhang off the ground. It fixed a murderous glare on the little princess, but when its gaze fell upon the Houyi Bow, a primal fear flickered in its eyes.

  A massive, gaping wound had been torn through the serpent’s body by the golden arrow, its edges glowing faintly as blood gushed out in torrents.

  A novice mage called out, “Your Highness, fire the divine bow once more! If you strike the same wound, we can surely slay this demon serpent!”

  “I can’t,” the princess replied. “I don’t have the strength left to pull the bowstring. One of you, try!”

  One by one, over a dozen guards stepped forward to attempt the feat, but none could draw the bow.

  Hiding behind a rock, Chen Nan had observed everything clearly. No one present understood the Houyi Bow better than he did—without exceptional cultivation, it was impossible to even nudge the divine weapon. If the little princess had possessed sufficient power earlier, she could have drawn the bow just a bit more, and not just a serpent—even a dragon would have been doomed. In ancient legend, the Houyi Bow had once shot down celestial beings from the heavens, making it one of the most formidable divine treasures of the Immortal Continent.

  The serpent seemed to realize that no one could wield the fearsome "black weapon" against it anymore. Its murderous intent surged. After casting a quick glance at the blazing immortal lotus within the volcano, it lunged toward the nearby group.

  Chen Nan had sensed danger long before anyone else and was already sprinting down the mountainside.

  Only now did the little princess truly panic. “I overestimated my own strength!”

  The guards shouted urgently, “Your Highness, run!”

  She slung the Houyi Bow onto her back, took one last deep look at her companions, then turned and fled down the mountain.

  At that moment, the serpent swooped down, stirring up a violent storm. In an instant, its massive head was upon them—its crimson tongue flickered, and its gleaming fangs were only inches away from the group. Three novice mages hastily raised a pale blue barrier.

  With a thunderous crash, the serpent’s head slammed into the magical shield. The barrier shattered instantly, sending the three mages spewing blood. The guards were flung through the air by the immense impact, tumbling down the mountainside.

  The serpent moved like lightning, swiftly closing in on the falling men. Two of them were crushed under its immense body before they could even scream, reduced to nothing but pulp. The remaining guards were petrified with fear. But the serpent did not stop to attack them—it fixed its ruthless gaze on the little princess and charged after her.

  At this moment, Chen Nan was scared out of his wits. The little demon trailed behind him, while the giant serpent relentlessly pursued her.

  The little princess let out a series of frantic screams. “Ahhh…!”

  Chen Nan shouted back, “Little demon, why the hell are you screaming? Stop clinging to me like a shadow!”

  “You scoundrel! Filthy thief! How dare you speak to me like that? One day, I’ll drag you back to the palace and make you a eunuch—ahhh! That wretched snake is right behind me!” The little princess had completely lost her previous composure; now, she was utterly panicked.

  Hearing her terrified cries, the guards fought through their pain, struggling to rise from the ground. They drew their longswords and stabbed at the giant serpent, but ordinary steel was useless against its scales. The massive creature twisted its body and slammed into them with brutal force, sending them flying like ragdolls.

  The serpent had already closed in on the princess, its crimson maw gaping wide as it unleashed a torrent of blazing fire. The raging flames surged toward her.

  Her face contorted in sheer terror, and she let out a piercing scream. “Ahhh—!”

  Just as the flames were about to engulf her, the Houyi Bow suddenly emitted a soft golden glow. The light formed a protective barrier, holding the inferno at bay. The giant serpent recoiled in fright, stopping dead in its tracks.

  At that moment, a long and thunderous roar echoed from the distance, rolling across the sky like peals of stormy thunder.

  “Yu’er, do not fear—I am here.” The voice was so powerful that it sent loose rocks tumbling down the volcano’s slopes.

  The sheer force of the sound left Chen Nan’s ears ringing. He nearly toppled over from the impact.

  Moments later, a middle-aged man in flowing robes appeared a hundred zhang away.

  “Wuuu… Old man, what took you so long? If you were any later, that damn snake would’ve eaten me!” the little princess cried out.

  Chen Nan, still shaken and breathless from the tension, collapsed onto the ground. His blood roiled within him, his body weak from the overwhelming strain.

  “Such terrifying sound techniques! Could this be the legendary sonic-killing art, the Azure Dragon Roar?” He narrowed his eyes at the approaching man. “She calls him ‘old man’—could he be some ancient master who has regained his youth?”

  In the blink of an eye, the man had halved the distance between them.

  “He’s using the Shrinking Ground Into Inches technique! His mastery is near the realm of Dao itself. This old fellow is no ordinary expert—his martial skills must have reached at least the Grandmaster level.” Chen Nan’s heart pounded with alarm.

  In an instant, the middle-aged man arrived before the little princess. The giant serpent remained nearby, its eyes locked warily on this unexpected intruder.

  Yet the man seemed utterly unconcerned by the massive beast. He gently patted the little princess’s head with an indulgent smile. “Haha, little girl, took quite the beating, didn’t you?”

  “Ugh, stop patting my head!” The little demon princess swatted his hand away, pouting. “Hmph! Dead old man, were you hiding this whole time, watching me struggle just for your amusement?”

  “If I had been here all along,” the man chuckled, “do you really think I’d just stand by and watch you get chased around by a mere little snake?”

  “Unbelievable!” Chen Nan was utterly speechless. Both master and disciple had the audacity to call that colossal beast “little.”

  “Hmph! Who knows if you’re telling the truth or not.”

  Just then, the surviving guards, having skirted around the giant serpent, stumbled toward them.

  The middle-aged man spoke in a low, commanding voice. “Get as far away from this volcano as you can.”

  The little princess said no more and led the heavily injured guards down the mountain. Naturally, Chen Nan had already bolted ahead—he had no intention of sticking around to deal with that terrifying little demon.

  “Hey! Scoundrel! Filthy thief! Stop right there! If I catch you, I’ll skin you alive!” the little princess shrieked furiously.

  Having suffered greatly during his captivity, Chen Nan lashed back without hesitation. “You pompous little princess! Keep dreaming! One day, you’ll pay for this—I swear to god, I’ll XXXXX…!”

  The surviving guards longed to rush over and seize him, but their injuries left them powerless to do anything beyond shouting curses from afar. Never in her life had the little princess suffered such humiliation. Her silver teeth clenched tightly, her body trembled with rage. If not for the fact that she had exhausted all her strength, she would have already chased him down and killed him ten thousand times over.

  With just a few leaps, Chen Nan reached the foot of the mountain. Ignoring the furious shouts behind him, he darted into the depths of a nearby forest. He had no intention of fleeing just yet—he wanted to see the battle between the newly arrived middle-aged man and the giant serpent. Concealing himself in the shadows of the dense foliage, he lay in wait.

  The Houyi Bow, which had instilled fear in the serpent, had been taken away by the little princess, yet the creature did not immediately attack her master. The serpent was no ordinary beast—it possessed intelligence. It could sense the immense power concealed within the seemingly frail figure before it. Restless, it writhed its massive body uneasily.

  Now facing the serpent alone, the little princess’s master underwent a startling transformation. In an instant, he no longer seemed like a mere man but a towering giant standing unshaken between heaven and earth. His face showed no trace of fear—only unshakable confidence.

  The serpent was the undisputed ruler of the surrounding wilderness; no creature dared to set foot within miles of its domain. Yet in just half a day, its dominance had been repeatedly challenged. Now, faced with the overwhelming aura of the middle-aged man, it was utterly enraged. With a furious hiss, it spewed forth a tidal wave of searing flames, engulfing the sky as it roared toward him.

  The man moved like a lightning bolt, leaving a lingering afterimage where he had stood. In an instant, he had shifted five zhang to the side before leaping high into the air. His palm struck the serpent’s previous wound, sending another fountain of blood gushing forth.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The pain was unbearable. The serpent reared up, then crashed to the ground, its blood-red eyes glowing with a murderous light.

  A howling gust of wind arose from nowhere as the serpent’s massive tail sliced through the air toward the middle-aged man. If this strike had landed on a battlefield, it would have truly been a “sweep across a thousand troops.” With a deafening boom, boulders shattered, dust and debris filled the sky, and the force of the serpent’s tail left a deep, gaping trench across the mountainside.

  When the dust settled, the man was standing atop the volcano’s peak. The serpent once again reared up, its colossal head now level with the crater’s edge. Its gaping maw, filled with jagged fangs, lunged forward to swallow him whole.

  But the man did not retreat. He met the attack head-on, his fists thrusting forward. A vast surge of white light burst forth from his knuckles, striking the serpent’s bloody maw.

  “BOOM!”

  A thunderous explosion echoed through the mountains.

  The serpent was sent hurtling to the ground, crashing into the mountainside with such force that rubble shot in all directions. At the same time, the sheer force of the impact sent the middle-aged man flying from one side of the volcano’s crater to the other, where he crashed down in a disheveled heap.

  Chen Nan, watching from his hiding spot, couldn’t help but marvel. To take on a hundred-zhang-long serpent alone—this man’s cultivation is truly beyond the mortal realm.

  Hiding in the jungle, the little princess and her group watched as the middle-aged man fought the giant serpent, overjoyed at his ability to hold his own.

  Man and serpent clashed once more. Relying on lightning-fast speed and unparalleled skill, the middle-aged man targeted the serpent’s eyes and other weak points, while the serpent leveraged its massive body to sweep and ram at him. The two figures, one human and one beast, leaped and twisted across the volcano, sending enormous boulders tumbling down the mountainside.

  As they fought, they drew farther and farther from the volcano’s crater, gradually making their way downhill. Chen Nan sensed trouble and quickly slipped away. The little princess and her group also realized the danger and immediately retreated a full li.

  The moment they left, their previous hiding spot turned into the new battlefield. Man and serpent had brought their fight from the mountain to the forest below. With each punch the middle-aged man threw, blinding white light burst forth, and anything it touched—rock, tree, or earth—was instantly reduced to dust.

  But the serpent’s destructive power was even greater. Each time it spewed flames, vast swaths of forest were reduced to scorched earth. Every swing of its massive tail sent trees toppling in droves.

  In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the entire forest had been razed to the ground.

  Chen Nan watched, his heart pounding. He had seen supreme experts before—his own father was the greatest of them all—but battles of such ferocity were few and far between.

  The little princess secretly counted her blessings. Had the serpent unleashed this kind of fury on them earlier, she would have already gone to heaven by now. Of course, that was just wishful thinking on her part—Chen Nan was far more convinced she would have gone straight to hell to reunite with the demons.

  At that moment, the middle-aged man seemed to be gaining the upper hand. His lightning-fast figure repeatedly flashed near the serpent’s previous wound, his fists hammering the same spot again and again, each strike bursting with searing white light. The serpent writhed in agony, its massive body rolling and twisting in pain.

  The little princess cheered instantly. “Go, Master! Kill that stinking snake and avenge my guards!”

  Then, in the blink of an eye—

  “Aiya! Old man, you’re so dumb! How did you let that stupid snake gain the upper hand again? Did I praise you too soon and make you cocky?”

  “Old man, you’re really useless! Ugh, so stupid! How could you let that filthy snake burn your hair?!”

  …

  The middle-aged man wordlessly raised a hand and sliced away the scorched strands of hair, retreating a dozen zhang in an instant.

  “Master, you coward! How can you just run away?!”

  Chen Nan couldn’t help but chuckle. Having a demonic disciple like this—what a tragedy for the poor old man.

  The middle-aged man took a deep breath and sent a voice transmission. “Stop your nonsense, little brat. Keep it up, and I’ll make you face the wall in punishment for a hundred days when we get back.”

  “I was just encouraging you!”

  The middle-aged man: “…”

  Spurred on by this “encouragement,” the middle-aged man unleashed his full might, pummeling the serpent into utter exhaustion. Just as everyone thought victory was within reach, the serpent’s tail suddenly struck like a bolt of lightning, coiling around the middle-aged man’s waist in an instant.

  With a single motion, it hoisted him high into the air. Even at its thinnest point, the serpent’s tail only needed a single loop to completely ensnare him from the chest down.

  The little princess cried out in alarm, breaking past the guards' attempts to stop her as she rushed forward.

  The middle-aged man struggled with all his might, his body glowing faintly with white light. The radiance grew stronger and stronger, and the serpent’s tail wrapped around him began to loosen. He was on the verge of breaking free when, suddenly, the serpent’s hideous head lunged toward him, its massive maw gaping, blood-red.

  He hastily swung both fists outward, sending a blast of searing white light that halted the monstrous head in its tracks. But in that moment of distraction, the serpent’s loosened tail coiled tightly around him once more.

  The little princess ran as fast as she could, stopping less than ten zhang from the serpent. Her voice trembled with sobs. “Master… wuu…”

  “Yu’er, don’t cry. Your master is fine. This little snake isn’t enough to take my life.”

  “Master, catch the Hou Yi Bow.” As she spoke, she threw the legendary bow and a carved-feather arrow high into the air.

  “Wuu… Master, I’m so sorry! I wanted to see your true strength, so I didn’t give you the Hou Yi Bow earlier… wuu wuu…” Tears streamed down the little princess’s face.

  “Yu’er, don’t be afraid. This little snake truly can’t do anything to your master. And now that I have the Hou Yi Bow, it’s as good as dead.”

  Even as he spoke, the middle-aged man landed two powerful punches on the serpent’s head. Searing white light exploded forth, forcing the beast back three zhang. He stretched out both hands, sending forth a soft white glow that drew the Hou Yi Bow and the feathered arrow into his grasp.

  “Yu’er, fall back! You might get hurt.”

  Seeing that her master had secured the Hou Yi Bow, the little princess finally relaxed and turned to run.

  The serpent, upon seeing the legendary weapon, showed unmistakable fear. Its massive head retreated seven or eight zhang.

  The middle-aged man’s radiance intensified. With the feathered arrow nocked, he exerted all his strength to draw the bowstring. He bellowed, “Open!”

  But to his shock, the bowstring did not budge.

  “Yu’er, has someone used the Hou Yi Bow before?” he shouted.

  “Yeah, old man! See that bloody hole in the snake? I shot that! Aren’t you proud of me? I finally managed to pull the divine bow!”

  “What?! You little fool! The Hou Yi Bow can only be used once per year! You’ve doomed me!”

  “Ah… Master… wuu…”

  The serpent seemed to realize that the middle-aged man could not wield the divine bow. With a vicious gleam in its eyes, it lunged at him once more.

  The middle-aged man swung the Hou Yi Bow like a club. The dark bow struck the serpent’s gleaming white fangs with a resounding crack, snapping four or five half-meter-long venomous teeth from its mouth, sending them flying in a spray of blood. The serpent shrieked in pain and lashed out with its tail, hurling the middle-aged man through the air.

  He crashed to the ground in a disheveled heap, exhaling deeply before gripping the divine bow tightly and charging toward the serpent once again.

  Chen Nan stared in utter disbelief. The little princess’s master was using the Hou Yi Bow as a cudgel! The sight made his heart ache.

  “This lunatic… this is an absolute crime against a sacred weapon!”

  Meanwhile, the little princess beamed with delight. “Hahaha! Old man, you’re hilarious!”

  The middle-aged man leapt high into the air, and a flash of black light passed by. The giant serpent’s scales, as hard as fine steel, were shattered into pieces by the Hou Yi Bow, and blood rained down from the sky. Enraged, the serpent’s entire body thrashed violently, its massive tail sweeping and slashing, causing the earth to tremble.

  But alas, the little princess’s master moved like lightning, dodging wave after wave of lethal attacks. Then, holding the Hou Yi Bow, he launched repeated strikes, leaving the serpent drenched in blood.

  Suddenly, the serpent came to a halt. Its serpentine body stood upright in the air, emitting a faint golden light. A remarkable transformation began to take place—the serpent’s multicolored scales turned to golden ones, four protrusions appeared on its abdomen, and a pair of gleaming golden antlers sprouted from its head. A dragon’s roar erupted from the serpent’s mouth, shaking the heavens. A powerful dragon’s aura emanated from its body, causing all the animals within a hundred miles to bow low to the ground.

  Everyone was stunned.

  “Dragon! I’m seeing the legendary dragon!” Chen Nan shouted excitedly.

  The little princess screamed, “Oh my God! We’re fighting a dragon!”

  While everyone else was filled with excitement, the little princess’s master revealed a somber expression. Only he understood that the serpent had not truly transformed into a dragon. Its dragon claws had not emerged. The failure to transform into a dragon only had one outcome—death.

  He spoke softly, “Brother Snake, I apologize. I thought you were a mere snake demon who had failed to cultivate, never imagining you would be so proud, spending millennia cultivating your true dragon form. If you hadn’t reached the crucial point of transformation, I believe we would have long been dead.”

  At that moment, the golden scales on the serpent’s body began to fall off, revealing the bloody, torn flesh beneath. The serpent let out a sorrowful dragon’s roar and spit out a golden glowing core from its mouth. The core exploded in midair, turning into a shower of golden sparks that disappeared. The failed dragon transformation caused the serpent to become a streak of golden light, rushing toward the volcano. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the volcano’s mouth.

  The little princess’s master sighed deeply, his heart heavy. If it had been just a snake demon he killed, he would not have felt such sorrow. But having slain a sacred serpent that had the potential to transform into a dragon, he felt an immense weight in his heart.

  “Was it right? Was it wrong? Maybe this world doesn’t have a clear right or wrong,” he sighed.

  With a heavy heart, the middle-aged man approached the volcano’s mouth. He flew toward the Immortal Fire Lotus, plucking only one petal before pulling the entire plant out and throwing it into the volcano.

  “Brother Snake, perhaps this is fate. If the Immortal Fire Lotus had matured just half an hour earlier, maybe you would have already transformed into a dragon. This lotus would have protected your soul, ensuring your immortality. May you become a true dragon in your next life.”

  At that moment, the little princess and the others arrived.

  “Master, what happened just now? How did that nasty snake turn into a dragon?”

  The middle-aged man replied, “You saw wrong. How could it have turned into a dragon?”

  “It was a dragon! I clearly saw a dragon! Didn’t you all see it too?” The little princess turned to the guards.

  “It was a dragon.”

  “Definitely a dragon.”

  “Surely it was a dragon. I saw it clearly.”

  ...

  The guards confirmed.

  The middle-aged man said calmly, “When people become overly nervous, they can experience hallucinations. You were all too nervous just now.”

  The little princess replied, “Hmph, old man, you’re acting strange today. You’re definitely hiding something from me.”

  The middle-aged man chuckled, “You little girl, always overthinking things. Here, this is the Immortal Fire Lotus you wanted to pick.”

  “Ah, why is there only one petal?”

  "You, really, are too greedy. It's already good enough to get one petal of this immortal herb. The other petals, once they ripened, have already fallen into the volcano," he said.

  "Ah, what a pity," the little princess sighed.

  "Hey, Master, what about that snake? Did you kill it?" she asked.

  "It died under the Hou Yi Bow," he replied.

  "Oh, old man, you’re acting so strange today. You clearly killed a dragon—no, a giant serpent—and yet you seem so listless," the little princess said, blinking her large eyes and giving him a meaningful look.

  The middle-aged man pinched her nose, changing the subject with a smile. "You little rascal, you actually ran away from the palace. Don’t you know your father is about to be driven mad with worry?"

  "How annoying," the little princess swatted his hand away. "I came out to find the Immortal Fire Lotus, not for my father. When I give it to him on his sixtieth birthday, he’ll be absolutely thrilled."

  "You’re completely reckless. Don’t you know how dangerous this is? How can you not think of…"

  "Alright, alright, I get it. You’re even more nagging than my grandmother. Master, I heard that when you were young, you had a crush on my grandmother. Is that true?" the little princess said with a mischievous smile.

  "You... don’t change the subject."

  The little princess laughed. "Yes, yes, I will, Master. I’ll return to the palace right away."

  The middle-aged man looked helpless. "You’re too mischievous. I really don’t trust that you’ll go back safely."

  The little princess tilted her head in confusion. "Old man, aren’t you coming back with me?"

  The middle-aged man answered, "I came to find you. I was supposed to ‘escort’ you back, but on the way, I heard that a qilin divine beast has appeared in the Luofeng Mountain Range. That’s an extraordinary event, and I want to see it for myself. But I don’t trust you to go alone!"

  "A divine beast, the legendary qilin? Is there really a qilin in this world?" The little princess’s eyes sparkled, her face full of excitement. "I want to go too!"

  "No, you’ve already been away from the palace for more than half a month. Your mother is so worried about you that she’s fallen ill. You need to return quickly," the middle-aged man insisted.

  "What? My mother is sick?" The little princess’s face fell in disappointment. "Alright, I’ll go back right away."

  The middle-aged man handed the Hou Yi Bow back to the little princess. "Yu’er, how did you manage to steal the Hou Yi Bow? Do you know this is the national treasure of the Chu Kingdom? It’s meant to deter the greatest masters of other nations."

  "So what? I just borrowed it for a bit. I’ll return it, won’t I?" the little princess said nonchalantly.

  "You really don’t know the stakes. This divine bow was once sealed. It can only be used once a year. How could you just casually take it? Fortunately, the Chu Kingdom doesn’t have any powerful enemies right now, so it’s not really needed."

  "I know—alright," the little princess dragged out her response.