"Human... you are bold."
Mo Jian shivered when he heard a strong feminine voice in his mind, but he recovered quickly.
He knew instantly that it belonged to the Serpent Queen.
"Senior, only the bold have the right to fight for what belongs to them," he responded with a forced calm.
His spine was already drenched in cold sweat.
Even without seeing the Serpent Queen, her voice terrified him beyond asure. It was unlike anything he had ever felt.
When he had t with the human powerhouse, their presence was not as horrifying as this. He could still hold his ground against them.
But against her, he felt the chasm between them.
Even though he trembled inwardly, he managed to maintain his composure.
After a few minutes, the hundreds of serpents before him began to retreat.
"Co," she heard her voice once again. This ti she was inviting him into her ho.
Watching the terrifying snakes retreat into the valley, a narrow path opened that could only allow one person to pass at a ti.
The Old Withered Man and Lonely Spear exchanged subtle glances. Behind them, their n wore pensive expressions as well.
They all understood what was happening.
"Y-young—"
Before Lonely Spear could speak, Mo Jian interrupted him sharply.
"Wait for ," he commanded, and walked toward the valley.
Watching their young master depart, the Old Withered Man, Lonely Spear, and their n could not help but feel fear. What if the Snake Queen ate their young master?
Beasts are humans too. They could feast on humans just as humans could feast on beasts.
Fear gripped their hearts like a vice.
"I don’t like this..." the Old Withered Man whispered, his face grim.
"Likewise... but what can we do?" Lonely Spear responded with an uneasy feeling.
"Let’s hope the young master returns alive, else..." His voice trailed off, but everyone knew the implication of his words.
Mo Jian understood the gravity of the situation but pressed on. Walking into the valley, his heart gave a jump.
Before him lay thousands of snakes, a sea of writhing coils. Their hissing sent a cold shiver down his spine.
A drop of sweat fell from his temple. His heart raced, hamring against his chest like a war drum.
’Perhaps I shouldn’t have co.’
The serpentine eyes made his skin crawl. The path was densely packed with snakes on both sides.
He could feel the cold scales of so snake at his feet.
It was nerve-wracking.
Many tis he wanted to turn and escape with all his might, but each ti he forced himself to calm and dragged his feet forward.
What should have been a few minutes of walking had taken close to an hour. When he finally arrived beside the massive cave entrance, he breathed a sigh of relief, his robe drenched in cold sweat.
The cave entrance was devoid of snakes. It was clean, with many beautiful flowers arranged neatly.
"Are you going to stay outside?" he heard the Serpent Queen’s voice in his head once again.
Mo Jian did not respond as he entered the cave. The cave was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was massive, and the walls were smooth.
’Why do I feel I’m inside the belly of a monster?’ he thought, but he shook his head.
After walking for more than ten minutes, he arrived at the heart of the cave.
The heart was as big as two football fields.
On the walls were shiny stones.
The spiritual energy in the air was so dense that it ford a mist.
However, his attention was not on the shiny stones or the dense spiritual energy but on the colossal beast at the center. Its body spread and filled the space, creating a small hill. Still, he did not see the end of it.
Its scales glowed beneath the shiny stones.
Resting on the body was its massive head. On its head was a small crown, and its golden eyes locked on the small human before it.
"Have you seen enough?" she spoke.
This ti she spoke directly.
Her voice was sweet and crisp, pleasant to the ear. Yet Mo Jian did not feel that way.
Coming out of his stupor, he swallowed the lumps in his throat forcefully.
"I’m sorry, Senior, for staring at your body," Mo Jian apologized quickly.
He understood his situation. He was treading on a thin line, and any slight mistake might be his doom.
"Where did you get this pill?" she asked.
"Senior, we found it in an ancient ruin, but we are trying to recreate it as we speak," Mo Jian replied.
He knew he must show his worth if he ever wanted to leave this cave alive or have any chance of forming an alliance with such a mighty being.
The Serpent Queen did not speak for several minutes. Her serpentine eyes locked onto Mo Jian.
Feeling her gaze, Mo Jian did not avert his gaze.
A human and a beast stared at each other without speaking. The cave was silent as a graveyard.
Mo Jian had no way of understanding her thoughts. The only thing he could do was maintain the gaze.
"Little one, you’re interesting, and I find your courage likable."
Finally, the Snake Queen broke the deadlock.
"I know you did not co to my ho with goodwill, and you did not co to give this pill. Speak, tell what you want."
’Finally...’ Mo Jian sighed in relief.
"Senior, we humans on this continent are trying to leave and explore a much better world." He began, his clear and eloquent voice echoing inside the space.
"I know seniors are among the mightiest beings on this continent, but I can say confidently that the continent is holding you back."
"We humans have begun to explore all the paths that lead outside the continent, and the Never-Ending Forest is one of them."
"I hope you will allow us to continue the exploration. With the world suppressing us, if the two races work hand in hand, I believe we can leave the continent."
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