Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 540: Chapter 527: A 500-Year Game of Chess

Tu Xiao’an suddenly entered his own Divine Sense and immediately saw a young-looking man exuding Demon Qi, wreaking havoc in his sea of consciousness.

Who else could it be but Demon King Liu.

When Demon King Liu saw Tu Xiao’an manifest, he gave a sinister smile. "Little fellow, you’re quite quick. This King hasn’t even begun the true possession, yet you’ve already discovered me. You have some skill."

’Fucking hell, this was all thanks to the system. If he had waited until Demon King Liu had truly begun the possession, Tu Xiao’an would have been at a disadvantage.’

"Hmph, I wouldn’t dare. I wouldn’t dare claim to have any skill in front of you, Demon King Liu. You’re the one with the impressive methods and the cunning mind," Tu Xiao’an said, his voice flat and cold, though he was almost gritting his teeth in hatred.

The moment the system alerted him to the possession attempt, Tu Xiao’an had a sudden realization. In an instant, everything became clear.

’All that talk about doing it for the Snake Race, for their former glory—it was all lies. Demon King Liu used half of his Golden Core to incubate a super-strong Snake Species just so he could find a new snake body for himself.’

"It seems you’ve guessed something," Demon King Liu sneered.

Tu Xiao’an said flatly, "If I’m not mistaken, your claim about entering the Path of Reincarnation was a complete lie. There was no such thing. You left your Primordial Spirit, your Three Souls and Seven Spirits, inside this drop of Essence Blood, didn’t you?"

"Haha, correct! You’re absolutely right." Inside Tu Xiao’an’s sea of consciousness, Demon King Liu was surprisingly frank, not bothering with mystery. "What Path of Reincarnation? Even if it existed, this King wouldn’t be foolish enough to take such a risk. That would be cutting off my own retreat."

Tu Xiao’an stared at him. "So it seems this Ten Thousand Blood Pool wasn’t prepared for the new Snake King, but for yourself."

Demon King Liu said, "This King left my Primordial Spirit in this drop of Essence Blood. But no matter how strong the Essence Blood’s Energy is, it would have run out one day. To survive, this King could only use the Essence Blood of Ten Thousand Snakes to nourish it while waiting for the new Snake King to appear."

’As soon as the new Snake King appeared, it was time for him to take over.’

"You played such a long game, lying in wait for so long, all just to possess the new Snake King’s body?"

A glint flashed in Demon King Liu’s eyes as he said in a low voice, "Is that not enough? To live! This King wants to live! Do you think I want someone else’s body? If this King hadn’t failed my Ascension to Rank Four back then, causing severe damage to my physical body, drastically reducing my lifespan to the point where I could die at any moment, would I have been forced to take such a step?"

He had no choice in this move. After failing his Ascension to Rank Four, his dragon body from the Snake Becoming Dragon process could not gain the recognition of the Heaven and Earth Law. Even if Demon King Liu hadn’t been severely injured, he would never have been able to become a Rank Four Divine Spirit in his lifetime.

So, his only option was possession. Possess the new Snake King’s body, become a snake again, cultivate as a Pure Snake, and once more attempt to reach Rank Four.

"You truly are insidious and shameless. You sounded so righteous and noble in the Blood Pool. I almost believed you were a good Snake King who devoted everything to the Snake Race. But it turns out everything you did was for your own benefit." Tu Xiao’an’s worldview was shattered. He was finally experiencing firsthand the meaning of a treacherous heart and a venomous soul.

"Was I wrong? This King used my own Golden Core to nurture a Snake Species, and now I’m simply taking back my position. All of this is perfectly natural," Demon King Liu said coldly.

Tu Xiao’an said with disdain, "But I’m not the Snake Species nurtured by your Golden Core, so you have no choice but to resort to possession, is that it?"

"Yes, that’s right. You weren’t nurtured from this King’s Golden Core. But you are even stronger and more talented than the Snake Species that would have been! Your snake body, your human form, your methods, the Elemental Ability you’ve mastered... they’re simply flawless. Absolutely perfect. You’re even stronger than this King was before I became king myself. The heavens are truly on my side! Even the gods are helping Demon King Liu by delivering such a perfect physical body to me!"

"With your incredibly strong snake body, this King will surely be able to attempt the Ascension to Rank Four again. And this King is confident I will succeed in one go, becoming a legendary Rank Four Divine Spirit!"

Demon King Liu was extremely excited. He had been overcome with joyous surprise when he first saw Tu Xiao’an’s physical body soaking in the Blood Pool.

Everything was proceeding according to Demon King Liu’s plan. The only deviation was that this new Snake King wasn’t the Snake Species nurtured from his own Golden Core, which would present a slight obstacle to his possession.

But that no longer mattered. He was already inside the other’s sea of consciousness; the possession was halfway to success.

"You’re really something else. Truly impressive." Tu Xiao’an felt an urge to give him a thumbs-up. He had to admit, he was impressed.

’This was what true cunning, what true scheming, looked like.’

Demon King Liu had spent five hundred years playing a long game. First, he built the Ten Thousand Blood Pool to nourish his Primordial Spirit. By ensuring his Primordial Spirit wouldn’t perish, he saved his own life. Then, he split his Golden Core in two and had Luo Ziyun consume half, because he needed her to handle everything that came after.

He needed Luo Ziyun to protect the future Snake Species and support it so it could cultivate and become the new Snake King.

Then, after the new king ascended to the throne, he would have Luo Ziyun bring the new Snake King to the Ten Thousand Blood Pool. He would then take over as a matter of course, because it was nurtured from his Lifebound Golden Core, giving him the right to reclaim it.

The plan was beautiful and seemingly foolproof.

The only thing Demon King Liu hadn’t calculated was the anomaly of Tu Xiao’an, who had devoured the Snake Species nurtured by his Golden Core. But for Demon King Liu, this wasn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it was a huge stroke of luck.

The stronger the new Snake King, the greater the benefit to him after the possession.

"I’m guessing Luo Ziyun doesn’t know about your plan, does she?" Tu Xiao’an’s bewitching eyes stared intently at the excited Demon King Liu, who was reveling in his success.

The smile on Demon King Liu’s face stiffened slightly. "That girl is too naive. If she knew about the plan, it wouldn’t have proceeded so smoothly. Only by believing I was gone could she carry out my instructions without distraction."

"You really have used everything and everyone you could, not even sparing your own adopted daughter," Tu Xiao’an scoffed, but inwardly, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

’Luo Ziyun didn’t know about Demon King Liu’s plan. That meant she wasn’t an accomplice, but another victim he had used.’

’In truth, Tu Xiao’an could tell that Luo Ziyun was probably unaware. Otherwise, her reaction upon seeing Demon King Liu manifest in the Blood Pool wouldn’t have been so emotional and genuine.’

’He was truly grateful for that. Otherwise, the two of them would have become enemies in the blink of an eye.’

Tu Xiao’an had complex feelings for Luo Ziyun. The woman stirred something in his heart.

He didn’t want their relationship to be irreparably destroyed.

"This King did not use Yan’Er! Even if she knew my plan, she would have helped me just the same," Demon King Liu flatly denied. "Besides, I have treated her well. I even gave her half a Golden Core to consume. Otherwise, she would have been reduced to a pile of bones within these five hundred years."

"You should know that if this King had used an entire Golden Core to nurture the Snake Species, the resulting creature would have been far more powerful and terrifying. But this King didn’t do that. I genuinely treated her as my adopted daughter. I didn’t want her to die."

"That’s fucking bullshit!" Tu Xiao’an exploded with rage upon hearing this, his killing intent surging. "You didn’t use the whole Golden Core to nurture a Snake Species because you had no choice! You had to keep something in reserve as a failsafe to ensure your plan was foolproof! Without Luo Ziyun, what would the newly-nurtured Snake Species have to do with you? Who would have guided that snake to the Snake Race, to the Ten Thousand Blood Pool?"

"Only a foolish girl like Luo Ziyun would believe your lies and spend five hundred years carrying out your orders, thinking you were truly concerned about the fate of the Snake Race, thinking you were never coming back, and repaying your kindness with all her heart!"

Demon King Liu retorted, "I did her a great kindness. That much is true. Regardless of anything else, it was I who allowed Yan’Er to gain power no weaker than a true Demon King’s and greatly extended her lifespan. What’s wrong with asking her to do a few things?"

"Little fellow, this King is telling you all this so you can die without regrets. I, Demon King Liu, will be taking over this body of yours. You may now rest in peace."

Tu Xiao’an shot him a sideways glance, his eyes seemingly cold and emotionless, yet laced with lofty contempt. "On what grounds will you possess my body? With just that wisp of a soul? Oh, my mistake. To put it nicely, your Primordial Spirit."

Demon King Liu had the appearance of a calm, young man, but his expression now twisted into something ferocious and terrifying. "This King entered your sea of consciousness as a Primordial Spirit, but don’t forget, you are also a Primordial Spirit within your own sea of consciousness. It’s Primordial Spirit versus Primordial Spirit. Whoever wins will be the new owner of this physical body."

"This King may have failed my Ascension to Rank Four, but I was once a Rank Three Peak expert. My Primordial Spirit Power is far stronger than that of a little snake like you who has just ascended to the throne!"

"Hmph. What makes you so sure? I wouldn’t be so certain," Tu Xiao’an said coldly.

Demon King Liu sneered, "Little fellow, watch closely. This King is not only going to possess your body, but I’m also going to devour your Primordial Spirit!"

As he spoke, the figure of Demon King Liu, brimming with Demon Qi, transformed into a black sphere. The sphere was about the size of an adult’s fist, but it pulsed with menacing, malicious intent and contained immense power.

The black sphere then split open, forming a large mouth that issued a wailing, mournful voice, "Little fellow, I won’t be holding back!"

The massive mouth lunged viciously toward Tu Xiao’an, a terrifying sight to behold.

Tu Xiao’an’s eyes snapped open, his brow looking as if it were set with unmelting Frost. The corner of his lip curled up as he too transformed, becoming a sphere. But his was a shining ball of light, also the size of an adult’s fist, in no way inferior to the black sphere Demon King Liu had become.

The vicious black sphere, lunging forward to bite, was startled when it saw the ball of light Tu Xiao’an had become. It halted its attack and said in disbelief, "How is this possible? Your Primordial Spirit is actually no weaker than this King’s!"

’What kind of joke was this? One had to remember that he, Demon King Liu, was a Rank Three Peak expert! He was a being who had even attempted the Ascension to Rank Four.’

’He may have failed, but he was still far beyond others.’

"I told you not to celebrate so early." Tu Xiao’an’s countermove struck a blow to Demon King Liu’s arrogance.

’He couldn’t speak for his other abilities, but his Primordial Spirit was first-rate. Why? Because Tu Xiao’an’s own Consciousness Power was exceptionally strong, and Consciousness Power is only strong when the Primordial Spirit and soul are strong.’

’Especially after his third-stage evolution, his Consciousness Power had surged and evolved into Divine Sense. This proved that his Primordial Spirit and soul had grown even more robust.’

’The physical body was easy to cultivate, but the soul’s Consciousness Power wasn’t something one could train at will. Every one of the system’s evolutionary transformations enhanced both his body and his soul simultaneously.’

’And this scheming bastard, Demon King Liu, just had to pick a fight based on the strength of their Primordial Spirits.’