Zhou , now ten inches long , scales harder and fangs sharper , now no longer a newborn but a proper snake , ill beit a small one
...
In another part of the swamp , pink hair fluttered in the wind as the flower girl stood on a tree branch , green eyes looking at the swamp below .
Her form shifts , she shapes into her true form , a majestic White fox. She raised her snout to the sky and released an ear piercing howl,
...
Zhou's nose twitched as if sensing the change , The swamp trembled , distant rumbling of water . But then the ground shook, reeds snapping as shadows surged through the marsh. Dozens, then hundreds of beasts, their eyes glowing with frenzy, their roars merging into a single, deafening tide. The swamp itself had risen.
Zhou was swept up in the tide , getting trapped in the swarm and being forced to move with them else be trampled , it was hard to navigate the horde filled with boars , crocodile , antellope and even other snakes but he spotted a nearby boar , he hopped on its back , it didn't even noticed he was on its back as it charged forward
After a few minutes , in the distance , walls of stone were visible .
The gate of the wall swung open and from it numerous cultivators emerged clad in ornate garments and armor brandishing weapons like maces and swords at the oncoming beast tide.
A large war cry was heard as the cultivators recieved the beasts tide , all out chaos broke out , Man vs Beast ,
The clash was apocalyptic.
Flames roared as a cultivator swung his mace, Qi igniting the air in a blazing arc that incinerated a dozen charging boars. A crocodile the size of a carriage lunged from the swamp, only to be split in two by a sword that gleamed like moonlight.
Zhou clung to the boar's back, his tongue flicking wildly as the battlefield erupted around him. Sparks of Qi, blood, and screams filled the night. His Core quivered, reacting to the storm of energy, threatening to spiral out of control.
Then he saw it—green eyes glimmering in the chaos. The rat. It darted between corpses, sinking its fangs into fallen beasts, devouring their essence with manic hunger. When its gaze met Zhou's, it grinned, as if mocking him even here.
Above it all, the white fox stood on a ridge, her fur glowing under the moonlight, her howl cutting through the din. The beasts surged harder at her command, their frenzy redoubling.
Zhou hissed, his coils tightening. He was no longer just a hatchling—but in this war between man and beast, he was still nothing more than prey.
And then— A cultivator's eyes locked onto him.
The cultivator was a young man dressed in heavy armor carrying a Spiritual grade sword , He was at the Qi refining layer 3. the qi refining stage is equivalent to mortal beast stage.
The young cultivator rushed at Zhou with madness in his eyes . slashing at Zhou, Zhou reacting in time , narrowly dodging the sword strike. He didn't sit still , Zhou counter attacked with a reflexive S shape and went for a bite , The bite managed to land causing the cultivator to recoil back as Zhou let go.
The fury in the cultivators eyes increased as he suddenly started channeling Qi into his sword , causing ripples of blue light around him.
The blade arced downward
The blade hissed past, grazing Zhou's neck. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but he did not falter. His coils snapped forward, striking again, forcing the cultivator to stumble back.
The young man snarled, eyes bloodshot, Qi surging wildly around him. His sword gleamed with blue light, each swing leaving ripples in the air. Even at the third layer of Qi Refining, his presence was suffocating.
Zhou's Core quivered, his instincts screaming at him to flee. But something deeper hissed louder: Fight.
He darted low, weaving in an S‑curve, his body a blur. The cultivator slashed downward, missing by inches as Zhou coiled around his arm. Fangs sank into flesh. The man roared, shaking violently, but Zhou refused to let go until the taste of blood filled his mouth.
Then— A shadow loomed. A massive boar, tusks dripping with blood, barreled into the fray. The cultivator cursed, forced to leap aside, his sword flashing to meet the beast's charge.
Zhou fell to the ground, battered and bleeding, but alive. His tongue flicked, tasting the air. The rat was gone, the princess's howl still echoing in the night.
His eyes focused on the cultivator , who was currently fighting the boar , Zhou darted into a very tightly made S shape and lauched at the cultivator.
Being distracted by the bear , the cultivator didn't see it causing Zhou to latch onto the back of his neck.
Qi crackled around Zhou as he used Qi burst while still on the cultivator and wrapping his body around the cultivators neck with all his might , gripping with full force
The burst of Qi sent scorching pain through the cultivator , making him have the urge to scream in pain but cant as Zhou constricts his neck ,the cultivator started flayling while still fighting the boar.
The cultivators eyes begin to be blood shot as the last of his consiousness leaves his body , his body goes limp
The cultivator's body went limp, his sword clattering to the blood‑soaked ground. Zhou's coils tightened once more before he finally released, his tongue flicking across the man's neck.
Hot, metallic blood coated his fangs. Different from beast blood—richer, sharper, laced with Qi. It burned down his throat like fire, and his Core pulsed violently, greedily drinking in the essence.
Zhou froze, his body trembling. This was his first taste of human blood. And it was intoxicating.
The battlefield raged on around him, but instinct drove him to act. He slithered across the corpse, fangs tearing into flesh, siphoning every drop of Qi‑infused vitality he could. His scales shimmered faintly, his wounds knitting faster than before.
Then his tongue flicked again—catching the faint scent of something else. A small leather pouch tied to the cultivator's waist. Zhou bit through the strap, dragging it free. The bag jingled faintly, filled with spirit stones, dried herbs, and talismans and even a manual. He didn't understand their use yet, but instinct told him they were valuable.
Zhou coiled tighter around the pouch, hiding it beneath his body. His eyes gleamed with a new cunning.
The tide raged on, beasts and men slaughtering each other in waves. Zhou slithered low, weaving between corpses, striking only when opportunity presented itself. A fallen wolf leg—devoured. A dying deer beast's torse—finished with a swift bite. Another cultivator's body—looted before the rats could reach it.
The human cultivators were on the losing side, taking heavier losses than the beasts, but from the sky , ten individuals appeared , those at the Core formation , their presence like a mountain of pressure on all beasts , causing them to stop attacking
The white fox finally made its move , moving at insane speeds from its previous location and joined the battle field.
Her presence alone balanced the scale of power the Core formation cultivators made.
She looked at them sinisterly an suddenly explosions surrounded the sky as the cultivators in the sky unleashed technque after technique to try and harm the white fox but where unsuccessful , the fight dragged on
Zhou watched the fight between the cultivators and the White fox ,his coils twitched and quivered in excitement snapping out of his amazement, he slithered around the battle field continuing to devour any fallen beasts , increasing his Qi and Core size and looting cultivator bodies
All the Storage bags he took hung around his neck like trouphies , when he was about to take the last storage pouch , the rat came out of no where , and snatched it using its superior speed and agility.
Zhou hissed in disdain , his instincts : for some reason , tell him there is something special in that pouch . Zhou wants to chase after the rat but it wouldn't be possible.
Slithering through the battle field painted in blood , the sky still in a symphany of explosions in the White fox's fight , Zhou crawled to a hole in the city wall , his recently acquired storage pouches jingle loudly , highlighting how much loot he gained.