Far away from Three Union City, beyond the open plains where the royal roads cut clean lines through the land, the terrain slowly shifted.
Grass gave way to scattered trees and scattered trees thickened into forest.
This was where the Twin Snakes played.
Nearly two hundred kilometers from the city, the air was cooler beneath the canopy, heavy with the scent of damp soil and resin. The forest was alive in a way plains never were. Sounds layered upon sounds. Insects, birds, beasts large and small.
Xiao Yang and Xiao Yin loved it.
They darted through the trees like living streaks of color, their long serpentine bodies twisting effortlessly between trunks and branches. To them, the forest was a playground.
"Too slow!" Xiao Yin teased as she coiled lazily around a thick branch.
Xiao Yang hissed in annoyance. "That squirrel cheated."
"It dodged," she replied smugly. "You just missed."
Xiao Yang snorted and coiled, muscles tightening.
"I’ll get it next time."
The target in question was a Fat Cheek Immortal squirrel perched high on a distant tree, its cheeks stuffed with glowing nuts. Xiao Yang locked onto it, eyes narrowing.
WHOOSH.
He launched.
The world blurred as he shot forward like a living arrow, smashing straight through the tree the squirrel had been on.
KIIII
But the squirrel reacted at the last moment, leaping away with a shrill cry.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Xiao Yang crashed through the trunk, then another, and another, splintering wood and leaves as his momentum carried him onward. He finally skidded to a stop after tearing through ten trees in a straight line.
The forest shook.
Birds exploded into the air.
Beasts fled in every direction.
Xiao Yin arrived a second later, coiling above him and laughing.
"You missed again!"
Xiao Yang lifted his head, glaring. "That one was tricky!"
As they bickered, neither of them noticed the sudden stillness creeping into the forest.
Not the absence of sound, but the wrongness of it.
Too controlled.
Xiao Yin was the first to feel it.
She froze mid-coil, tongue flicking out as her pupils narrowed.
"Yang," she hissed quietly. "Do you feel that?"
Xiao Yang stopped talking.
His playful posture vanished instantly, replaced by taut alertness. His body lowered, scales brushing the bark as he extended his senses outward.
Then he saw them.
Eyes.
Not one pair.
Many.
They glimmered faintly from between tree trunks, from behind roots, from shadows that did not quite match the shapes around them.
Cultivators.
Humans.
A group stepped forward, no longer bothering to hide.
At their center was a woman dressed in elaborate robes of pale green and brown, embroidered with flowing vine motifs. Her expression was gentle, almost delighted, as she looked at the twins.
"Oh," she said softly, hands clasped. "They really are beautiful."
Beside her stood a young man in yellow robes adorned with an urn emblem at his chest. His smile was sharp, possessive.
"If my fiancée wants them," he said lightly, "I’ll fetch them for her."
Several others stood around them, young men and women alike, their expressions relaxed, confident. None of them radiated killing intent.
Which was precisely why the twins felt danger.
Xiao Yang’s eyes narrowed. "We were careless."
Xiao Yin’s coils tightened, her voice dropping. "Too many."
They could sense it now.
Every person here was at least in the First Tribulation Stage of The Immortal Realm.
Some stronger.
Much stronger than they had expected to encounter this far from the city. It wasn’t that they were worried for their strength, they were worried for their perception and what they might spread.
The woman stepped closer, ignoring the way the ground subtly cracked beneath Xiao Yang’s shifting weight.
"Don’t be afraid," she said gently. "We won’t hurt you."
Xiao Yin hissed softly. "Humans always say that."
The man in yellow chuckled even though he didn’t understand the snakes. "They seem feisty."
His gaze sharpened. "Which means they’ll fetch a very good price."
The air grew heavier.
The twins had no idea who these people were.
They did not care about weddings.
They did not care about alliances.
But instinct screamed at them.
This was not going to be simple.
And far away, in Three Union City, Lin Mu’s Sword Cradle Divine Sheath pulsed once.
Sharp.
Sudden.
As if something, finally, had drawn blood.
The moment the richly dressed woman’s interest became action, the atmosphere of the forest changed pletely.
The young man with the urn crest did not hesitate.
He surged forward, immortal Qi bursting from his body as he locked onto the twin snakes. His movement technique flared, yellow light flashing beneath his feet as he closed the distance in an instant.
"Catch them!" he barked.
But his hand grasped only air.
Xiao Yang twisted his body mid-air, scales flashing white as he slipped past the man’s grasp like flowing water. Xiao Yin mirrored him perfectly, her black-scaled form snapping sideways between two trees, leaving behind only a ripple in the air.
The man overextended, stumbling forward before catching himself.
The youths behind him froze.
"...He missed?" someone muttered.
The young man straightened, his face flushing with embarrassment. He glanced back at the others and forced a laugh.
"Hah. I wasn’t serious just now."
He raised his chin, eyes sharp with wounded pride.
"I’ll show you what a Core Disciple of the Golden Urn Sect can really do."
The others cheered, calling out encouragement. Several even laughed, confident that it was only a matter of time.
The man inhaled sharply, his aura surging as he pushed more immortal Qi through his meridians. His speed doubled, then tripled, his movements being smoother, more refined.
Still, the twins stayed ahead.
They darted through the forest canopy, weaving between branches and roots with terrifying precision. Their long bodies bent and twisted in ways no human body could replicate, slipping through gaps that would have shattered bones.
Xiao Yang hissed, irritation clear in his tone. "He’s annoying."
"We can’t hurt them," Xiao Yin replied sharply. "Master said no trouble."
Xiao Yang clicked his tongue. "Breaking legs isn’t killing."
Xiao Yin snapped her head toward him. "And then what? Hundreds of humans chase us instead of dozens?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers