Chapter 4: She’s Going to Be Eaten!

Was this… a flying python?

She didn’t have time to think—she just ran for her life. But the monster suddenly swooped in front of her, its massive body coiling into a circle around her, cutting off every escape.

The whirlwind it stirred up tangled her long hair, and dust stung her eyes.

“Don’t eat me! I’m so skinny, there’s no meat on me. I’d taste awful!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

The black snake glimmered faintly with golden light—strangely beautiful. It only stared at her, like a hunter watching its prey, silent and menacing.

As it drew closer, she finally got a clear look at its round, wide eyes framed with long lashes.

It slowly lowered its head toward her. Terrified, she dared not make another sound, afraid of provoking it. The coils around her grew tighter, nearly crushing her.

“Little girl, what exactly are you? You look like an ordinary mortal, yet inside you is a hidden, powerful force.”

The black snake had spoken—its voice was unmistakably male.

Its enormous face loomed before her, and the hot, fishy breath from its nostrils blasted against her cheeks.

“You… you can talk? You’re a demon?” she stammered, her throat dry.

She didn’t understand what it meant. What powerful force could she possibly have within her? If she did, she would use it now to destroy this thing!

“That’s right, I’m a demon. Haven’t you ever seen such a majestic and heroic one before?” The snake smirked smugly and flicked its forked tongue at her.

“…” So this was a narcissistic snake demon.

“You’re such a pretty little girl. What a pity—you’ll be in my belly soon. Don’t worry, I’ll swallow you whole so you won’t suffer too much,” the black snake said as its tail tightened around her body and lifted her high into the air. “I’m very considerate of delicate beauties.”

“Ugh! Who needs your consideration?” she cried.

Seeing herself about to become demon food, she suddenly remembered the two men she met yesterday by the Violet Lake. From Yi Yao’s words, she learned that the lake was part of Bingying, and that the breathtaking man she saw was its master.

She didn’t know what kind of place Bingying was, but its master must surely be someone of great importance.

Although this spot was far from Violet Lake, the wilderness was desolate—perhaps still within Bingying’s borders.

As the black snake raised her toward its gaping jaws, she panicked and shouted desperately:

“Master of Bingying! Master of Bingying! Someone’s causing trouble at your doorstep—come and deal with it!”

The snake froze, pausing mid-bite, and looked around suspiciously.

But aside from the whispering wind across the grasslands, there was nothing. Silence hung heavy in the air.

The black snake sneered. “Do you really think the master of Bingying would bother to save you? Even if this is near his territory, he’s never cared about trivial matters like this. Your life or death means nothing to him.”

The light of dawn fell across her pale face, lending her a fragile beauty that made the black snake sigh. “What a waste to eat you.”

“Then don’t eat me! I’ll work for you. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it!” she pleaded, hoping to bargain.

“You don’t know, do you? We Devourer Serpents love nothing more than eating demon spirits. You may not be one, but the strange power sealed within you… if I eat you, I might gain it.”

So it was a Devourer Serpent. She didn’t know what that meant, but clearly it was some kind of monster.

With that, the serpent raised her higher with its tail. Its jaws opened wide, ready to drop her into its throat like a morsel of food.

Looking down into the cavernous, pitch-black gullet, like a bottomless void, her survival instinct exploded.

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be eaten…

That single desperate thought sprouted like a seed and grew into a towering tree in an instant. She felt her entire body flood with blazing energy, surging from her core into every limb.

Hotter and hotter… until it burst forth like a volcanic eruption, shattering some hidden seal.

Blinding red light exploded from her body. It was so dazzling that she squeezed her eyes shut, screaming.

Just before closing them, she caught a glimpse of the snake’s pupils contracting in sheer terror.

The air around her turned searing hot, though she herself felt no pain.

The serpent’s coils loosened, and her body plummeted from high above.

The Devourer Serpent shrieked in agony.

She thought, I escaped being eaten, only to fall to my death?

But suddenly, a streak of violet light flashed at her side, and a strong hand caught her firmly by the waist.