"Alright, now that he's been stripped of his possessions," Zhang Yong looked at his clothes and pulled him closer to inspect them. "Your clothes look expensive... I don't usually have this habit, but... hehe."
Zhang Yong immediately pulled off his clothes, leaving the corpse naked without any respect, and changed into them.
"Ah, that's better. This bastard ruined my modern clothes, he deserves this."
After finishing his personal looting, Zhang Yong turned his gaze towards the serpent. By his calculation, it should have broken free by now, yet it remained there, motionless.
Zhang Yong looked at the serpent with a cold gaze, then approached it, observing its stiffened expression. It seemed frozen in place, its enormous eyes holding only a strange silence.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Yong asked indifferently.
However, Zhang Yong noticed a needle embedded in the ground, still overflowing with Death Qi, which wouldn't last much longer.
'Seriously, a Grade Four beast is afraid of a Death Qi needle?'
Zhang Yong knelt down and calmly picked up the needle. "Seriously, you're afraid of this? Oh, thinking about it, beasts at your rank possess some intelligence."
Zhang Yong played with the needle calmly between his fingers while the giant serpent remained frozen in place, as if even afraid to breathe loudly.
Zhang Yong smiled and stepped forward. An idea had occurred to him. He placed the needle in front of its enormous eyes. "Do you think I'll kill you?"
The serpent emitted a low hum, its fear evident.
Zhang Yong wasn't in the mood to wait. He reached out, grabbed the serpent's lower jaw, and lifted its head slightly. "You really do understand. That's good."
He relaxed his grip and withdrew his hand, while the serpent quickly retreated backwards, adopting a defensive posture. It stood silently for a moment, as if thinking about something.
"My mount, isn't it?"
Those were the words he had said when the serpent was caught by the threads. He had said it casually, but now he looked at the serpent with sharp eyes.
Immediately, something pulsed in Zhang Yong's chest as he looked deeply at the serpent. The Blood Nest reacted somewhat. It hadn't before, but it did now when the serpent was afraid.
Something is wrong.
"Do you wish to survive?"
The serpent didn't move, but its eyes never left Zhang Yong for a moment.
"Good, at least you didn't deny it. Submit, and I won't kill you. Does that suit you?" Zhang Yong said with a compassionate smile.
Zhang Yong looked at the serpent calmly, noticing the subtle changes in its behavior. The beast was swaying unnaturally as if its body was too heavy to move, and even its enormous eyes seemed lost.
However, the serpent leaned forward and bowed its head to Zhang Yong.
This human is strong. Even the spider was no match for him. He could kill me but he's letting me live.
Simply put, the serpent acted on instinct. It felt that if it chose to flee, it would die. If it refused, it would die. Even attacking wasn't an option. On another level, from its very being, it felt it should submit to him.
It was like a feeling... a villager must submit to a king.
Zhang Yong smiled as he watched the serpent choose to bow to him. "Well, it seems you've understood the situation correctly."
Zhang Yong proceeded to sit on the serpent's head while it lifted its head and began moving forward.
But at the moment they left, in a distant place among the dense trees, there were eyes silently watching them.
"He killed Fang Yu that quickly?"
The voice was faint, but held a tone of deep interest.
"This will be interesting... let's make him meet Huo Qiangda."
---
After progressing for a while, Zhang Yong smiled calmly. 'This little guy is so cute, it makes me want to...' Immediately, Zhang Yong shook his head. 'What am I thinking? Have I become interested in collecting animals now? Plus, I don't think this beast is even useful if it stays with me.'
Zhang Yong let out a long sigh. 'When did my heart start softening for pet beasts?'
Nevertheless, Zhang Yong raised his gaze to the sky and smiled as he noticed birds flying. 'I suppose since I became a father... or at least an adoptive father. Is this how parents feel when they part from their parents? Heh. I'm starting to regret being a troublemaker in my youth.'
Zhang Yong remained lying on the serpent's head, watching the birds fly in the sky while thinking calmly.
He had never planned to become responsible for another creature, let alone a giant beast like this. But here he was now, riding a serpent the size of a tower.
He looked down, where the ground stretched far below him, and felt a slight tremor under his body with every step the serpent took.
This feeling wasn't entirely bad. On the contrary, there was something comforting about it.
"You're moving slowly," he suddenly spoke, causing the serpent's massive body to shiver slightly before it increased its speed.
Zhang Yong chuckled lightly, unable to stop himself from saying, "That's better."
'Well, never mind. I'll follow my feelings just this once. I'll take this serpent under my wing.'
As time passed, the serpent began to get used to Zhang Yong's presence on top of it and moved more smoothly. But deep down, fear was still planted within.
It felt something incomprehensible emanating from this human, something that made it incapable of even thinking about resistance.
It knew what it felt was just instinctive fear... but also a strange sense of belonging.
Zhang Yong wasn't in a hurry, so he let the serpent walk without precise direction.
The serpent continued moving through rough terrain at a steady pace, while Zhang Yong remained seated calmly on its head, enjoying the wind blowing against his face. Over time, he began to feel a kind of amusement watching the serpent's cautious reactions every time he moved or gave a vague command.
When they passed by a huge river, the serpent stopped for a moment, hesitating as if unsure about crossing. Zhang Yong raised an eyebrow and said in a sarcastic tone, "Don't tell me you're afraid of water?"
The serpent's massive body retreated slightly, then emitted a faint hum as if protesting. Zhang Yong laughed, then waved his hand indifferently. "Then move. No time for silly fears."
However, the serpent backed up a few meters, opened its mouth, and spat purple venom into the water. Immediately, several Grade Three spotted piranha fish surfaced.
"Oh, so that's what you were afraid of. Well done."
After that, the serpent crossed the river. A short time later, the two entered a denser forest where the light began to fade among the giant trees. Suddenly, something moved in the bushes before a human-sized monkey appeared, staring at the giant serpent with wide eyes.
For a moment, the monkey froze as if it couldn't believe what it was seeing, then let out a high-pitched scream and ran away at full speed.
Zhang Yong, surprised by the scene, suddenly noticed a slight vibration in the air, followed by the sound of distant explosions.
He sat up attentively, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. "Stop!" he ordered the serpent, which immediately obeyed and ceased movement.
Zhang Yong stared into the distance, where burning lights flickered among the trees. "It seems a battle is taking place there."
Zhang Yong felt bored and didn't want to expend mental energy to use his Heavenly Eyes, so he decided, "Let's go there," he said to the serpent, pointing towards the source of the lights.
The serpent moved quickly in the specified direction. As they approached, the sounds of battle became clearer. Savage shouts, the roar of fire, and the sound of violent collisions.
Upon reaching the edge of the battlefield, Zhang Yong saw something that made him regret coming. Long Yuliang was fighting against a Scarlet Flame Lion. The ground around them was scorched, trees destroyed, and smoke rising everywhere.
'Ah damn, two fire idiots will only cause a bigger fire.'
Nevertheless, Zhang Yong looked deeper. Minor purple wounds on her body and dark circles under her eyes. This girl was poisoned.
Zhang Yong and the serpent watched from afar. Zhang Yong had dismounted from the serpent's head.
He was conflicted.
Save her or let her die.
He seriously wanted to let her die. If she died here, no one would know and that would be the end of it.
But on the other hand, there was his promise to his master to help anyone from the Pure Jade Sect.
He wanted to get rid of a problem, but he also didn't want to break his promise to Master Gu, not after what he had done for him.
Zhang Yong let out a sigh and turned to the serpent. "Tell me, is she worth saving?"
The serpent looked at Zhang Yong with its enormous eyes, then slowly moved its huge head, as if pondering the question.
Of course, he didn't expect to take a serpent's opinion, because in the end the serpent looked at him with its own confusion.
He let out another sigh, closing his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a clear decision. "To hell with all this. I don't need to complicate things more. I'll help her and leave."
He slowly turned and began walking towards the battlefield. As he advanced, he suddenly raised his hand, holding a gun.
Long Yuliang had reached her limit, her breath ragged, her arms trembling from exhaustion, and the poison was starting to spread. She was jumping, avoiding the claws of the Scarlet Flame Lion, but the burn marks on her clothes and body were a clear sign she wouldn't last long.
At the moment the Scarlet Flame Lion was about to deliver the finishing blow, a sharp explosion sound echoed in the air!
Bang!
A bullet was fired at high speed, piercing the Scarlet Flame Lion's eye, causing it to let out a deafening roar of pain as it stumbled backward.
Long Yuliang, who was on the verge of collapse, was completely surprised. She raised her head with difficulty and saw a person walking towards her with calm steps, holding a gun still smoking.
Her eyes lit up when she saw it was Zhang Yong. "Husband! It's you!" Gratitude was evident in her voice.
Zhang Yong glanced at the Scarlet Flame Lion groaning in pain, then looked at Long Yuliang, who was still breathing with difficulty. "Stop. I don't care what you say. I'm not your husband or any other bullshit , I'm here because of the cooperation between our sects. Don't interpret it your way."
Long Yuliang smiled a mysterious smile, despite her pain. "You're harsh... but I know you wouldn't leave me here to die."
Zhang Yong looked at her with cold eyes, then shifted his gaze to the Scarlet Flame Lion groaning in pain, giving clear instructions to the serpent. "Finish him off, boy."
The giant serpent nodded its head with a deep hum, then swiftly charged towards the staggering Scarlet Flame Lion.
After a fierce fight with the lion, the serpent managed to kill it.
After returning to Zhang Yong, "Alright, it's done." Zhang Yong threw a bottle of poison antidote pills towards Long Yuliang. "Take it. We don't owe each other anything."
"But, husband..." Before Long Yuliang could finish her sentence, Zhang Yong interrupted.
"Enough, enough of this nonsense now—"
However, before Zhang Yong could finish his sentence either, sounds of collision came from the road behind him, in the opposite direction.
Upon hearing that, Long Yuliang's face paled. "He's coming!"
Zhang Yong turned towards her and asked hurriedly, "Who is it?"
However, Zhang Yong felt a presence standing on a nearby cliff above them and turned his head to see it.
Red hair flowing back, bronze-colored gleaming skin, a long red jacket revealing well-defined abdominal muscles, huge and broad fists—masculine in every sense of the word.
But what shocked Zhang Yong more was... he was at the Grandmaster level!
'Why would a sect send someone like him here... No, the more important question is, how did he survive at this level?'
The man stood atop the cliff with a wide smile. "You've been running from me for a long time, Fire Law Body!"
Long Yuliang's face paled. "Huo... Qiangda!"
However, when Huo Qiangda saw Zhang Yong, he smiled cheerfully. "Oh, a new opponent. I'd like to know how strong you are."
Huo Qiangda immediately jumped towards Zhang Yong, pulled his fist back, and instantly sent a punch towards Zhang Yong.
'A person who fights directly. It's been a while since I met someone like that.'
Immediately, Zhang Yong swung his left fist, and the two fists collided heavily.
Crack!
Zhang Yong was pushed back for the first time, digging his hands and feet into the ground to avoid being pushed far away.
Immediately, he felt pain in his arm. He looked at it and was shocked. The bones in his left arm were broken.
This bastard is strong!
For the first time, Zhang Yong met someone who surpassed him in physical strength, and he wasn't even someone in the Ancestor Realm or even the Venerable Realm, but a Grandmaster!
'Can't mess with this guy!'
Huo Qiangda looked at Zhang Yong with admiration. "Oh, you're strong. Stronger than any of those bastards I've met who call themselves geniuses. What's your name?"
Zhang Yong looked at him in bewilderment. "Zhang Yong."
Huo Qiangda's smile became brighter. "Zhang Yong, a good name. My dream is to restore the glory of the Strength Path. What is your dream?"
Confusion spread even more across Zhang Yong's face. "I don't have a dream."
Immediately upon hearing those words, Huo Qiangda frowned. "You... don't have a dream... That's nonsense!" Huo Qiangda raised his foot and stomped it on the ground in anger, causing the earth to shake violently.
'This beast is getting angry. This doesn't bode well.'
Zhang Yong's mind raced quickly. He lifted Long Yuliang onto his shoulders and prepared to run.
"Oh, so you're close to this girl, aren't you?" Huo Qiangda spat on the ground. "And I thought you were qualified to become my rival, but in reality, you're not a man. What's the use of your existence, you idiot, fool, wicked scum, weakling, you who have the eyes of a worm, the vile, corrupt, debauched one, you stinking pile of filth, the vulgar simpleton, the clumsy oaf, the silly dullard, the dirty wretch?"
Zhang Yong's jaw dropped at the sheer volume of insults. He had lived two lives and hadn't been cursed as much as in this moment.
Immediately, he pressed his foot on the ground and dashed away in escape while the serpent followed him.