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"I suspect that the Earth Dragon Cave might be the descendants of those Serpent Priests from the Sorcerer Dynasty," said Chen Qing.

"Serpent Priests?" Weichi Feihong had heard this term for the first time and was somewhat puzzled, as this faction was not within his knowledge.

Chen Qing patiently explained, "Back then, to attract the Human Race to serve, the Dragon Palace disseminated the Dragon Transformation Technique.

Humans, having the extraordinary ability to merge with everything, developed a technique that grafted with demons, and it became a secret technique for some magicians who sought immortality. "

"Among the many creatures, snakes are a very peculiar species.

According to the studies of Ancient Sorcerers, some non-demonic snakes can live for thousands of years, and some demonic snakes are even more exaggerated.

They seem capable of living indefinitely, as long as they have a source of food, each time they shed their skin. "

"How could that be?" Weichi Feihong asked in disbelief, "I’ve never heard of undying Serpent Demons."

"That’s because such Serpent Demons, once they grow to a certain size, find it difficult to survive," Chen Qing explained.

"Shedding demons grow larger with every molt, and their dietary needs increase continuously.

Having a large body size makes it hard to hide, and an increasing need for food would cause turmoil among humans.

Thus, you often see giant Serpent Demons wreaking havoc in the countryside, only to be killed by magicians or warriors.

It is rare for them to live over a thousand years. "

"I see, what about those in the north?"

"Earth Pythons!" Chen Qing nodded. "Buried deep underground, avoiding humans, they find a living space.

In the ages when demons were weak, it was a survival strategy, and it was Mother Earth who led those groups of snakes to hibernate in the depths of the earth.

These Mother Earths are attracted by the ancient consciousness in the Celestial Serpent Palace, drawing priests to serve.

In the Southern Barbarian Nation, those half-human, half-snake evil gods are the most susceptible to this lure. "

"Are you saying... those evil gods from the Southern Barbarian Nation, are they human?"

"What do you think... is religion organized by humans or gods?" Chen Qing suddenly asked a very peculiar question.

Weichi Feihong was taken aback, "Isn’t it said that it is the evil gods who tempt mortals to organize?" Including the Divine Way that you, Your Majesty, practice now, isn’t it the same idea?"

"Hey, don’t talk nonsense..." Chen Qing immediately said, "Although I also rely on faith for sustenance, mine is different..."

The deities enshrined by the Divine Way aren’t only recipients of faith; they use faith to build and strengthen believers’ communities, adopting a path of shared prosperity.

This is called ’from the people, for the people,’ whereas evil gods are more like criminal syndicates.

They collect protection money but don’t really play by the rules or care for your well-being.

They find every means to exploit you and then stimulate you with greed, turning you into a maniac of desire, burning yourself out to give them the maximum faith, and they don’t even spare your life or soul when you’re of no value anymore.

But we’re a legitimate organization, so it’s different, right...

"I wasn’t saying that Your Majesty’s organization is the same as those evil gods, I just meant... it’s somewhat similar."

"If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak at all." Chen Qing gave him a glare, "Can you equate a government with a gang if both are collecting your hard-earned money?"

Weichi Feihong: "...."

Ahem, Chen Qing coughed lightly and continued, "Anyway, most of the evil gods are actually human. The reason is simple, only humans truly understand humans, knowing exactly what temptations can rapidly form an organization."

"I see..."

"But why start the Celestial Serpent Palace that Your Majesty mentioned?"

"Of course, it’s in pursuit of ultimate strength," Chen Qing said with a smile.

"There are two directions in the evolution of snakes— one is to molt into a lesser dragon and then transform into a dragon, after which the body size reduces, and they gain Divine Skills, thereby greatly extending life. But there’s a drawback. "

"A drawback?"

"Yes, the drawback is that... dragons, unlike snakes, are unable to evolve indefinitely through molting and thereby achieve near-immortality..."

Weichi Feihong: "...."

"Do you mean that those snakes from the Southern Barbarians don’t want to transform into dragons but want to keep growing in size instead?"

"You’re indeed quicker-witted than WeiChi Peng," Chen Qing suddenly laughed. "That’s exactly what I mean. The Celestial Serpent Palace represents another evolutionary pathway for snakes—unlimited shedding, infinite growth!"

"Can such a thing last?" This time, even the biologically uninformed Weichi Feihong felt something was amiss.

"It can’t..." Chen Qing shook his head. "But it’s the strongest method of immortal evolution for snakes. The flesh of the evil gods in the Southern Barbarians is nearly collapsing. That’s why they want to open the Celestial Serpent Palace, to find the Celestial Serpent secret technique and allow their bodies to evolve anew. "

"If that’s the case, why didn’t they start sooner instead of choosing now?"

"There are many reasons, one of which lies with the gatekeeper," Chen Qing explained in a low voice, "In those days, the Celestial Serpent Palace was sealed by the rebellious evil gods below after a certain constraint was removed. The reason is quite simple. The learned Serpent Sorcerers understood the ecology of the world the best, and they were well aware that if these Celestial Serpents continued to live, they would eventually devour the entire world. That’s why they rebelled and sealed the Celestial Serpent Palace.

The key to the seal was probably taken control of by a demon not long ago. "

"Madam Lu?"

"Yes..." Chen Qing nodded, "Madam Lu has a special lineage, possesses the Serpent Tongue, and can communicate with all the Serpent Spirits in the world. Moreover, she has a parasitic treasure bottle that almost guarantees she cannot be captured alive or killed, making her the optimal choice for surveillance. If I’m not mistaken, the siege and eventual fall of Zhulong Country happened because some Serpent Sorcerers grew greedy and wanted to unlock the Celestial Serpent Palace, leading to the attack that caused its downfall.

And King of Qin, who orchestrated all this, chose Madam Lu to keep those Serpent Sorcerers in check. "

"Using a Reincarnating Demon, especially one that is almost impossible to kill and who understands the Serpent Tongue like her, can continuously monitor the movements on the Southern Barbarians’ side.

After all, many Serpent Spirits are not very intelligent, and if someone tries to open the Celestial Serpent Palace again, those Serpent Spirits would easily give them away. "

"Earth Dragon Cave must be an intelligence organization, originally designed to monitor the noble Serpent Spirits of the Southern Barbarians, but it was exploited by the Lu Family, turning it into a dark assassination organization breeding Serpent Demons."

"Is this... did Madam Lu confess all this?" Weichi Feihong couldn’t help asking.

Chen Qing shook his head slightly, that old woman was more resilient than expected, with various tortures applied, she just wouldn’t talk, harboring immense hatred for herself.

Weichi Feihong suddenly felt stunned, what you describe sounds as if you witnessed it yourself...

The arrangements made by King of Qin back then, the true reason behind the downfall of Zhulong Country, and the tasks entrusted to the Lu Family, how profound were those secrets?

How does this guy know all that?

Could it be...

A thought popped into Weichi Feihong’s mind, could this guy be a descendant of King of Qin?

He shook his head; it seemed the matter of urgency was not to dwell on this but rather the so-called Celestial Serpent Palace that Chen Qing mentioned.

It sounded even more terrifying than the Dragon Palace.

Although the Dragon Palace was cruel, it still accommodated the Human Race, using them at most as slaves.

But that Celestial Serpent Palace was truly a harbinger of world annihilation, isn’t it?

"Sir, if such a thing were to be unleashed, could the world still exist?"

"Why wouldn’t it exist?" Chen Qing rolled his eyes, "That thing has been opened before, hasn’t it? Isn’t the world fine as it is?"

"But..."

"Don’t be too despairing..." Chen Qing chuckled, "Those big creatures are indeed terrifying, but that is from our perspective. But for certain things, those big creatures are the best nourishment!"

"Ah?"

"You’ll find out later," Chen Qing said with narrowed eyes, "I suspect that there’s something fishy about the Lu Family’s betrayal."

"Something fishy?"

"The Imperial Court couldn’t possibly be unaware of what the Lu Family had taken control of. The collective departure of the Lu Family to the North, could it really have been without any interference?"

"Uh..." Weichi Feihong fell silent, speaking softly, "I heard that something has taken control of the Imperial Palace in the Capital City."

"Do you really think that Emperor Siao has been controlled?"

Weichi Feihong was silent; he used to not believe it and even admired the man greatly, an emperor with exceptional boldness and ambition. How could it be that with no word of objection, he was said to be controlled?

But after witnessing ancient powers like Bai Yu, he began to think it wasn’t impossible.

Chen Qing, however, shook his head, "The powers of the ancients have a hard time invading the present world; they mostly rely on tempting powerful people of the present to help unseal them. Any ancient being was actually sealed because of human greed, and the more powerful the person, the easier they are tempted. I actually think that it’s still the same man in charge in the Imperial Palace, and the Lu Family’s journey north might be his doing! "

"Your Majesty wants to open the Celestial Serpent Palace?" Weichi Feihong still couldn’t understand, "For what reason?"

Chen Qing looked eastward, his expression somber. He had a guess, but he was praying that it wasn’t so. Otherwise, when the time came... the Capital City would truly become a place where no one could tread.