The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 172: Daoist Dragon Snake

Wu Yuan fell into a heavy silence, his mind rapidly calculating how to handle the sentient Dharma Treasure Embryo.

He was incredibly thankful that he hadn’t let greed cloud his judgment and rush headlong into Snake Valley. The consequences would have been fatal. He was equally thankful that he had maintained a strict distance from the valley’s abyss since his first scouting mission.

A thought suddenly struck him. “During my initial expedition into Snake Valley a long time ago, I felt that entity staring at me from the abyss. If it is so devastatingly powerful, why didn’t it strike me down then?”

The Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven paused before explaining. “The ancient seal left behind by the demon king inadvertently suppressed the Dharma Treasure Embryo as well. Though it was only collateral damage, the sheer magnitude of the sealing power was immense!”

“In fact, it was the pressure of that very seal that prevented Daoist Dragon Snake’s divine soul from immediately dispersing upon his death. Combined with the fact that he was actively undergoing an Inner Demon tribulation at the time, the seal essentially trapped his soul, forcing it to fuse with his Treasure Vessel to survive.”

“So, while Daoist Dragon Snake physically Perished, his soul’s fusion with the artifact preserved a sliver of his existence. If he plays his cards right, he might even orchestrate a resurrection! A supreme Fated Chance born from absolute misfortune!”

The Grotto-Heaven scoffed lightly. “I estimate the Dharma Treasure Embryo only fully solidified its form 10,000 years later, right when the seal began to degrade and the Spiritual Qi of the Azure Spirit Mountain Range revived. When you first visited, the ambient Spiritual Qi had only just started to return. It hadn’t accumulated nearly enough energy to physically harm you. That terrifying gaze? It was a pure bluff to scare you away.”

“Frankly, I’m astonished it managed to condense a physical form this quickly. This Daoist Dragon Snake was truly an anomaly!”

Wu Yuan’s eyes gleamed with cold calculation. “So, it still lacks the energy reserves to launch a direct assault.”

“Correct. However, I suspect the embryo has sensed the shifting power dynamics within the Azure Spirit Mountain Range. It knows something is wrong and is likely desperate to escape. Being trapped at the bottom of Snake Valley for millennia… it will not accept its confinement for much longer.”

“Were Daoist Dragon Snake’s spells and original artifacts draconic in nature?” Wu Yuan asked, probing for a tactical advantage.

“I have no idea,” the Grotto-Heaven replied dismissively. “He was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, having not yet condensed his Golden Core. If he wasn’t the very last cultivator I saw before I was buried, I wouldn’t even remember his name. My knowledge of his arsenal is virtually nonexistent.”

Wu Yuan stroked his chin, a ruthless strategy forming in his mind. “You control the environmental energy here. Can you actively drain the ambient Spiritual Qi from Snake Valley?”

“It sits squarely within your established domain, so yes, I can manipulate the environment there,” the entity confirmed. “Siphoning the energy from a single valley requires a negligible amount of Grotto-Heaven power.”

Wu Yuan clapped his paws together. “Do it. Systematically bleed Snake Valley dry of all ambient Spiritual Qi.”

“You intend to starve it—”

“I have matters to attend to,” Wu Yuan interrupted smoothly, severing the mental connection and vanishing from the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven without wasting a single second.

“…” The Grotto-Heaven was left utterly speechless by the Rat King’s abrupt dismissal.

Wu Yuan’s consciousness snapped back to his physical body in the treehouse. He vaulted out of his nest, pacing the floorboards with manic energy. Daoist Dragon Snake. A semi-sentient Dharma Treasure. An apocalyptic Fated Chance!

I must acquire it.

He immediately set off to find the Fleshy Crest Snake King.

He found his vassal sprawled flat on his back, his pale, bloated belly exposed to the cavern ceiling in a state of absolute, drug-induced bliss. Scattered around him were jagged red crystals—highly condensed Snake Spirit Blood.

The Snake King’s eyes were glazed and unfocused. His forked tongue lolled out of his mouth, lazily sweeping across the floor. “So good,” he slurred, a dopey grin plastered across his face. “So… intense…”

He snapped up another red crystal, swallowed it whole, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he rode the euphoric high.

Wu Yuan glanced at Big Old Black, who was standing nearby. “Wake him up.”

Big Old Black didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and delivered two brutal, razor-sharp backhands directly across the Snake King’s snout.

“Wake up, you junkie!” Big Old Black barked.

Despite the bleeding lacerations on his face, the Snake King just giggled foolishly, too numb to feel the pain.

Losing his patience, Wu Yuan casually flicked his wrist, casting a concentrated frost technique. A blast of sub-zero energy slammed into the Snake King, flash-freezing his bloated body into a solid block of ice.

A moment later, Big Old Black shattered the ice with a heavy kick. The Snake King hit the cavern floor with a heavy thud, shivering violently as the biting cold shocked his nervous system awake.

Blinking rapidly, the Snake King looked around in a panic. “G-Great King! What is it?”

“I have a vital operational directive for you,” Wu Yuan said, his tone deadpan and authoritative. “Execute it flawlessly, and you will be rewarded with an unlimited supply of Snake Spirit Blood crystals.”

The Snake King’s pupils dilated to the size of coins. He practically vibrated with jittery excitement. “Great King! Even if I have to die, I will see it done! Not for the… the delicious crystals, of course! But to further Your Majesty’s glorious empire!”

Wu Yuan nodded slowly. “I need you to be ruthless.”

“Ruthless?” The Snake King tilted his head, struggling to process the command through his chemical haze.

“When you return to Snake Valley, I want you to initiate a mass culling,” Wu Yuan ordered. “Slaughter the common snake demons in massive numbers. Purge the weak. Drastically reduce the overall biomass and vitality of the valley.” This will starve the Dharma Treasure of biological energy to supplement the drained Spiritual Qi. “However,” Wu Yuan continued, “you must simultaneously isolate and selectively breed the elite specimens—specifically the spirit snakes harboring dragon blood. Nurture them until they Awaken as demons, then harvest them for me. This ensures I retain my high-grade resources while castrating the valley’s overall strength.”

The Snake King blinked, trying to parse the instructions. “So… kill everyone who isn’t me?”

Wu Yuan sighed. “Do not be obtuse. Keep a specialized workforce of loyal subordinates alive to manage the breeding pits. You cannot physically cull the entire valley by yourself.”

“Understood, Great King! Just wait for my good news!” The Snake King puffed his chest out. “I might be terrible at fighting other species, but terrorizing my own kind? I have lifetimes of experience!”

Convinced he grasped the full scope of the mission, the Snake King slithered back toward Snake Valley with renewed, manic purpose. Visions of endless mountains of Snake Spirit Blood crystals danced in his mind.

The moment the Fleshy Crest Snake King slithered into the dark, damp expanse of Snake Valley, he let out a piercing, authoritative hiss. The sound reverberated off the canyon walls, summoning the entire local hierarchy of snake demons to his presence.

Before the crowd could fully assemble, a sleek female snake demon with a slight, horn-like protrusion on her skull practically glided up to him. She wrapped her sinuous body around his girth like a clinging vine. She rubbed her head seductively against his scales, flicking her tongue and gazing up at him with undisguised lust.

The Snake King stared down at her. Under normal circumstances, he would have eagerly reciprocated. But today, a different hunger burned in his veins. The promise of the Rat King’s chemical rewards entirely eclipsed his primal, biological urges. He felt nothing but a jittery impatience.

Sensing his utter lack of response, the female snake paused, looking up at him in genuine confusion.

Avoiding her gaze, the Snake King’s eyes snapped to the dozens of elite snake demons gathering before him. Needing to establish absolute terror, he seized the first excuse he could find.

“Why are you all so late?!” he roared, his voice dripping with venom. “How dare you treat my summons with such casual disrespect!”

Without a second of hesitation, the fleshy crest atop his head quivered violently. A hyper-concentrated cloud of dark green, necrotic mist erupted from his jaws, hurtling directly toward the physically strongest snake demon in the crowd.

The target didn’t even have time to register the betrayal. Its eyes widened in absolute shock before the toxic cloud enveloped it.

In a matter of seconds, the powerful demon was violently dissolved, melting into a bubbling puddle of foul-smelling, acidic sludge.

The rest of the swarm recoiled in sheer terror. They flattened themselves against the damp earth, deathly silent and trembling uncontrollably.

The Snake King surveyed the paralyzed, terrified crowd, deeply satisfied with his display of absolute authority. He singled out two specific demons—both bearing distinct draconic horns on their skulls.

“You two,” the Snake King commanded coldly. “Draft the finest hatchlings from the breeding pits. Take them to the outer edges of the valley. Train them. Force them to Awaken. The rest of you… prepare for the cull.”