Chapter 70: The Farmer and the Snake!

The Tribulation clouds, which had been slowly dispersing, suddenly began to churn and condense once more.

Panic seized both Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing.

Neither of them had expected the Heavens to be so relentless. By interfering to save the giant snake, Xiao Yifeng had inadvertently entangled himself in its fate, causing the Tribulation to restart. Since the black snake was currently in a weakened state, the gathered energy wasn’t as cataclysmic as before—but “weak” was a relative term when dealing with the wrath of Heaven.

“It’s not over,” Xiao Yifeng grit his teeth.

He had no choice. Time was running out. He accelerated the transfer of energy, pumping the last dregs of the Divine Tree’s essence into the snake’s battered body.

The transfer was brutal and fast. Within moments, the stump was drained dry.

Life flooded back into the black serpent. Its eyelids snapped open, revealing a pair of vertical golden pupils. It stared at Xiao Yifeng for a long heartbeat, its gaze complex—a mixture of gratitude, sorrow, and resolve—before it pulled away from his hand.

It didn’t flee. Instead, it dove headfirst into the open wound of the giant turtle’s carcass.

Inside the mountain of flesh, the snake went into a frenzy, devouring the turtle’s remaining Origin Essence. This was far more efficient than Xiao Yifeng’s mediation. In mere seconds, it sucked the corpse dry of its spiritual power.

ROAR!

With its aura restored to a volatile peak, the snake burst from the corpse and soared into the sky. It let out a piercing shriek that resonated across the entire ocean, a challenge directed straight at the gathering clouds.

The lightning fell.

The snake didn’t dodge. It charged straight into the descending bolt like a moth flying into a flame, seeking its own destruction in a blaze of glory.

BOOM!

The collision was blinding. Scales shattered and flesh burned. The charred body of the giant snake plummeted from the sky like a meteor, smashing into the island with a dull thud. It lay motionless, smoke curling from its blackened hide.

Satisfied, the Tribulation clouds finally dissolved, leaving the sky clear.

Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing rushed to the crater. They scanned the snake with their spiritual sense, but there was nothing—no heartbeat, no breath, no soul fluctuation.

It had Perished.

A wave of bitter regret washed over Xiao Yifeng. I thought I was saving it… but I killed it.

If he hadn’t interfered, the snake might have been able to hide in the ruins, unnoticed by the Heavens. His haste to help had drawn the Tribulation back, forcing the weakened creature into a confrontation it couldn’t win.

Before he could sink further into guilt, a piercing cry tore through the air from the distance.

Xiao Yifeng looked up, his blood running cold. The giant eagle had returned.

The bird looked horrific. Its feathers were burnt and falling out, its body stained with blood, and bald patches marred its once-majestic wings. It was no longer the divine predator it had been, but a vengeful, broken monster.

In his past life, the eagle must have fled after diverting the lightning, never to return. That was why the Profound Frost Ice Python survived. But this time, Xiao Yifeng’s actions had changed the variables. He had awakened the snake, triggered an eighth bolt of lightning, and the noise had lured the eagle back.

The eagle circled once, its sharp eyes locking onto the three figures below: Xiao Yifeng, the girl, and the corpse of its enemy. It also saw the Divine Tree, now reduced to worthless charcoal.

Greed was replaced by pure, unadulterated rage.

It shrieked and folded its wings, diving straight at them with the intent to kill.

“Take this!” Xiao Yifeng ripped the Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant from his neck and shoved it into Su Miaoqing’s hands.

Then, he turned to the empty air and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Whichever Senior Brother or Martial Uncle is hiding in the shadows, save us! If you don’t act now, Senior Sister Qing’er is going to die!”

Su Miaoqing stared at him, her beautiful eyes wide with confusion. Who is he talking to?

As if on cue, a weathered, familiar voice chuckled from the empty space beside them.

“Little Feng, you really are a clever brat! How did you guess I was here?”

The air shimmered, and a figure materialized. It was Second Senior Brother, the old Daoist Lingxu. He stood calmly in mid-air, holding a snow-white horsetail whisk, his robes fluttering gently in the wind.

He looked up at the diving eagle with a calm, almost bored expression.

The eagle froze in mid-dive. It had just fought a Heavenly Tribulation and a peak Nascent Soul turtle; it was running on fumes. Lingxu, on the other hand, was fresh, his aura vast and unfathomable.

The beast was intelligent. It took one look at the old Daoist, sensed the lethal threat, and immediately aborted its attack. With a terrified screech, it banked hard and fled toward the horizon, disappearing in seconds.

Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing collapsed onto the ground, heaving sighs of relief.

Lingxu descended, landing lightly beside them. He looked at them with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

“Junior Brother Yifeng, Junior Sister Qing’er,” Lingxu shook his head, smiling bitterly. “You two have guts larger than the sky. Daring to interfere in a battle between peak Nascent Soul Demon Beasts? Even I didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.”

“Senior Brother Lingxu?” Su Miaoqing was still processing the sudden rescue. “Why are you here?”

Lingxu ignored her for a moment, turning his gaze to Xiao Yifeng. “I am curious, Junior Brother. I am confident my concealment technique is flawless. How did you know I was nearby?”

“It was a gamble,” Xiao Yifeng admitted, calming his heart rate. “If I had descended the mountain alone, Master probably would have let me sink or swim. But since Senior Sister Qing’er came with me, I knew Martial Mother wouldn’t take the risk. She would definitely arrange for a Senior Brother or an Elder to shadow us. I just didn’t know exactly who it was.”

“You truly are sharp,” Lingxu laughed, clearly impressed. “No wonder Master and Martial Mother hold you in such high regard. Brave and resourceful at such a young age. But don’t take a risk like that again! If you had guessed wrong, there would be no medicine for regret.”

“Yes, Senior Brother,” Xiao Yifeng nodded obediently. He quickly changed the subject, pointing to the devastation around them. “Senior Brother, look. The root of the Divine Tree is still here, and there’s the giant turtle’s shell. I believe they would be valuable to the sect. Could you help us transport them?”

Lingxu’s expression turned serious as he inspected the charred stump. “You have a good eye. Although the tree is destroyed, the root is the foundation. As long as the root lives, the tree can be revived! But we must act fast.”

He glanced at the turtle remains. “And the shell of a peak Nascent Soul Spirit Turtle… that is indeed an unexpected windfall.”

“Please take them back to the hall for treatment immediately,” Xiao Yifeng urged. “The shell can be refined into a defensive Dharma Treasure. As for the black snake…”

His voice trailed off as he looked at the charred corpse. Sadness clouded his eyes.

Lingxu followed his gaze. He frowned slightly, stepping closer to the burnt body.

“Yi?”

The old Daoist let out a surprised sound, his eyes widening. “Incredible. I didn’t expect this beast to actually succeed. Dead wood coming back to life!”

“What?” Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing exclaimed in unison.

Lingxu stroked his long beard, sighing with admiration. “Truly, astonishing Providence. Very well, let me give you a hand. Consider it forming a good karma.”

He flicked his fingers, sending a beam of gentle green light onto the black snake’s corpse.

As soon as the light touched the charred scales, the massive body crumbled. It disintegrated into ash and dust in the blink of an eye, blown away by the sea breeze.

Left behind in the center of the ash was a single snake egg, the size of a fist.

The eggshell was white, etched with mysterious, beautiful patterns in various colors.

Crack.

The egg shook. A fissure appeared on the surface. Then another.

With a final crack, a small white head pushed through the shell. A tiny snake crawled out.

It ignored the humans at first, turning around to devour its own eggshell and the remaining fluids. Once it had licked the ground clean, it raised its head to look at them.

It was exquisite. Its scales were pure white, and on its forehead grew two tiny protrusions—dragon horns. Its eyes were a piercing silver-white, completely different from the golden pupils of the giant snake, or the icy gaze of the Profound Frost Ice Python from Xiao Yifeng’s past life.

Xiao Yifeng realized what had happened. In his past life, the snake had survived the tribulation but failed to ascend, mutating slowly over time. This time, it had succeeded.

This was a Nirvana Rebirth. It had shed its mortal coil to be born anew as a higher being.

The little white snake’s cold silver eyes swept over the three of them. Finally, its gaze locked onto Xiao Yifeng.

Whoosh!

It launched itself through the air like a white arrow. It was so fast that none of them could react.

Before Xiao Yifeng could flinch, the snake clamped its jaws down hard on his hand.