The giant snake's tail was on the ground, and its hundred-foot body stood upright in the air. Its terrifying presence made it look as if it were about to transform into a dragon.

The little princess casually took a feathered arrow and placed it on the bowstring. She then used all her strength to pull the Hou Yi's Bow back a little. The dark, sleek bow began to emit a faint golden light. The light, like a thin mist, surged toward the arrow. The common iron arrow turned a solid golden color, and finally, it transformed into a streak of golden light that shot from the bowstring.

Thunder rumbled, the world paled, and the golden light seemed to tear through the void, reaching the giant snake in the blink of an eye. The giant snake was terrified. It seemed to have sensed the immense power in the golden arrow. It quickly dropped to the ground, its massive body narrowly dodging the golden light that had stolen the world's radiance. The snake's entire body coiled and trembled in the crater.

The golden arrow brushed past the giant snake, which disappointed everyone. However, in the next second, the thunder rumbled again, and the golden arrow, which had already disappeared, came whistling back from a distance. The dazzling golden light overshadowed the sun in the sky, and the golden arrow instantly pierced the giant snake's body.

Poof!

A wave of blood burst from the giant snake's wound, and a bloody light soared into the sky above the crater. The massive snake's body thrashed and rolled, and countless huge rocks were sent flying. The little princess and her group scrambled to dodge them.

After about ten minutes, the giant snake stopped thrashing. It stood upright again, its monstrous head about a dozen yards from the ground. It stared viciously at the little princess, but when it saw the Hou Yi's Bow, it instinctively showed a look of fear.

The giant snake's body had a massive blood-filled hole sliced through it by the golden arrow. The wound went straight through, and blood gushed out.

An apprentice mage said, "Your Royal Highness, please fire the divine bow again. If you shoot the same wound again, you can surely kill the snake demon."

"No, I don't have the strength to pull the divine bow again. You try."

All dozen guards went forward and tried, but not a single person could pull the divine bow.

Chennan, hidden behind the rock, had seen everything clearly. No one present understood Hou Yi's Bow better than he did. Without extraordinary power, it was impossible to pull the bowstring even an inch. If the little princess had enough power, and if she had pulled the Hou Yi's Bow back a little further just now, let alone a giant snake, even a dragon would not have been able to escape its deadly fate. In ancient legends, Hou Yi's Bow had once shot down a god from the heavens and was one of the most powerful magical treasures on the Immortal Continent.

The giant snake seemed to realize that the group could no longer use the terrifying "dark tool." Its eyes flashed with a fierce light. It glanced back at the Fiery Immortal Lotus inside the volcano and then charged directly at the group.

Chennan had sensed the danger earlier and was already running down the mountain.

Only at this moment did the little princess finally show panic. "I overestimated my own strength!"

The guards shouted, "Your Royal Highness, run!"

The little princess slung the Hou Yi's Bow over her shoulder, took a deep look at the people in front of her, and turned to run down the mountain.

At this time, the giant snake had swooped down, creating a gust of wind. Its huge head arrived in front of the group in the blink of an eye. Its blood-red tongue and bone-white fangs were just inches away from the group. The three apprentice mages quickly created a pale blue light shield. The giant snake's head slammed into the magical barrier, which instantly shattered. The three apprentice mages coughed up blood, and the guards were thrown backward by the immense force, rolling down the mountain.

The giant snake moved as fast as lightning, catching up to the rolling group in a flash. Two of them were crushed by the snake's massive body and turned into a bloody paste without even a single cry. The sight made the remaining guards terrified. The giant snake didn't continue attacking the other guards. Its eyes flashed with a vicious light as it chased the little princess ahead.

At this moment, Chennan was scared to death. The little demon was following him, and the giant snake was relentlessly pursuing her.

The little princess screamed, "Ah!"

Chennan yelled back, "Little demon, what are you screaming for? Don't follow me like a leech!"

"You good-for-nothing, you scoundrel! How dare you talk to me like that?! I'll have you castrated and brought into the palace sooner or later! Ah, the snake is here!" At this point, the little princess had lost her previous calm composure and was completely panicked.

When the guards heard the little princess's scream, they endured the pain in their bodies, crawled up from the ground, and drew their swords to stab at the giant snake. But the ordinary iron swords were no match for the giant snake. The snake twisted its body left and right, and its massive body savagely slammed into the guards, sending them flying like scarecrows.

The giant snake had caught up to the little princess. It opened its blood-red mouth and spewed a large torrent of fire. The raging flames swept toward her.

The little princess's expression was filled with panic, and she let out a piercing shriek. "Ah!"

Just as the flames were about to engulf the little princess, the Hou Yi's Bow suddenly emitted a faint golden light, which blocked the flames and made the giant snake stop abruptly.

At the same time, a long cry came from a distance. The sound was like a thunderous roar, echoing in the air for a long time.

"Yuer, don't panic. Your master is here." The man's voice was so loud that even the rocks in the crater rolled down the mountain.

Chennan's ears were ringing, and he nearly fell to the ground.

In a moment, a middle-aged man in loose clothing appeared at the foot of the volcano.

"Boohoo! Old man, why did you take so long?! If you had been one step later, that wretched snake would have eaten me!" the little princess cried.

Chennan's blood was churning, and due to his excessive nervousness, he sat down on the ground with a thump.

Such powerful voice control! Could it be the "Roar of the Dragon" skill? The little demon calls him "old man." Could he be an old guy who has reverted to a younger form? He stared intently at the middle-aged man. In the blink of an eye, the man was fifty yards closer.

Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, a skill that is close to the Dao. This old guy is indeed impressive. It seems his martial arts have reached at least the Grandmaster level. Chennan was secretly shocked.

In an instant, the middle-aged man was in front of the little princess. The giant snake was not far away, watching the uninvited guest with a hostile look.

The middle-aged man seemed to completely disregard the giant snake. He lovingly rubbed the little princess's head and smiled. "Silly girl, why are you running around being so naughty?"

"Ugh, stop that! Don't pat my head!" The little demon princess pushed the middle-aged man's hand away and pouted. "Hmph, you old man, were you here all along? Did you deliberately hide and watch me make a fool of myself?"

"If I had been here all along, would I have watched you being chased by that little snake?"

Oh, my god! Chennan was truly speechless with this master and student pair. They both called the colossal beast a "little" snake.

"Hmph, who knows if you're telling the truth or not."

At this moment, the lucky surviving guards stumbled over, carefully avoiding the giant snake.

The middle-aged man said in a deep voice, "Move away from this volcano, as far away as you can."

The little princess no longer said anything and led the badly injured guards down the mountain. Of course, Chennan had already run away first. He didn't want to face that terrifying little demon again.

"Hey, you good-for-nothing, you scoundrel! Stop right there, or when I catch you, I'll skin you alive!" the little princess yelled viciously.

Chennan had suffered greatly during his captivity. He yelled back fiercely, "You arrogant princess, you're dreaming! I'll make you pay for all this sooner or later!"

The guards who had survived desperately wanted to rush over and catch him, but they were too injured. They could only yell and curse from a distance. The little princess had never been so insulted. She gritted her teeth in anger, her body trembling. If she hadn't exhausted all her power, she would have already chased him down and killed him.

In just three or five leaps, Chennan had reached the foot of the mountain. He ignored the curses behind him and dove into the nearby forest. He didn't leave right away, however. He wanted to watch the fight between the middle-aged man and the giant snake. He hid in a corner of the dense forest.

The Hou Yi's Bow, which had terrified the giant snake, had been taken away by the little princess, but the snake was still hesitant to attack her master. The giant snake was already a sentient being, and it could sense the immense power within the seemingly weak body of the man in front of it. It restlessly twisted its huge body.

Facing the giant snake alone, the little princess's master's aura changed in an instant. He seemed to be a giant standing proudly between heaven and earth. His face showed no fear and was filled with powerful confidence.

The giant snake was the king of all beasts in the area. For hundreds of miles, no other beast dared to take a step closer. However, it suddenly let out a low growl, and its body tensed. It fully gave up its attempt to attack and instead chose to defend itself. It let out a mournful howl, and a fiery light surged from its body, charging toward the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man moved like lightning, leaving a blur behind him. In an instant, he moved fifteen feet to the side, then leaped high and struck the giant snake's earlier wound with a palm. A wave of blood once again gushed from the wound.

The giant snake couldn't bear the immense pain. Its upright body toppled to the ground, and its crimson eyes were filled with a terrifyingly cold, fierce light. A wild wind started from the ground, and its massive tail swept toward the middle-aged man. This tail attack would have been a true "Sweep of an Army" on a battlefield. With a rumbling sound, rocks flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky. The snake's brutal tail swipe left a huge gully on the mountain.

When the dust settled, the middle-aged man was already standing on the summit of the volcano. The giant snake stood upright again, its huge head level with the crater. It opened its ferocious mouth and tried to swallow the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man didn't dodge. He moved forward, unafraid. He threw two punches, and a large expanse of white light appeared in front of his fists. The white light, like a physical object, collided with the giant snake's bloody mouth.

Boom!

A deafening sound.

The giant snake fell from the air and crashed to the ground, sending rocks flying. The immense recoil also threw the middle-aged man from one side of the crater to the other, where he fell to the ground in a messy heap.

Chennan admired him. This middle-aged man can fight a hundred-foot-long giant snake all by himself. His cultivation is truly extraordinary.

The little princess and her group, hiding in the forest, were overjoyed to see the middle-aged man fighting the giant snake.

The middle-aged man and the giant snake got entangled in a fight again. The middle-aged man relied on his lightning-fast speed and extraordinary power to attack the giant snake's weak spots, such as its eyes. The giant snake, in turn, used its massive body to sweep and charge at the middle-aged man. The man and the snake leaped and tumbled on the volcano, and huge rocks constantly rolled down the mountain.

The man and the snake moved farther and farther from the crater and eventually came down the mountain. Chennan felt that something was wrong and quickly slipped away. The little princess and her group also felt unsafe and retreated another mile.

As soon as the group retreated, their original hiding spot became the new battlefield. The middle-aged man and the giant snake fought from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Every time the man threw a punch, a large area of scorching white light would appear, and rocks and trees would instantly turn into dust.

The giant snake's destructive power was even greater than the man's. Every time it spewed fire, a large section of the forest was incinerated and turned into scorched earth. Every "Sweep of an Army" knocked down an entire row of trees.

In less than a few minutes, the entire forest was leveled.

Chennan watched in awe. It wasn't that he had never seen a master, as his father was the best of the best, but he had rarely seen such an intense battle.

The little princess was secretly glad that if the giant snake had unleashed its fury on them earlier, she would probably be in heaven right now. Of course, that was her wishful thinking. Chennan believed she would more likely be in hell, getting to know her "relatives."

At this time, the middle-aged man seemed to have the upper hand. His lightning-fast figure frequently appeared near the giant snake's previous wound. The white light from his fists repeatedly struck the same spot, and the giant snake was beaten back again and again. Its massive body constantly rolled and thrashed.

The little princess immediately cheered, "Master, go! Kill that wretched snake and avenge my guards!"

"Oh, Master, you're so clumsy! How did you let that wretched snake get the upper hand again? Are you getting cocky because I praised you?"

"Master, you are so pathetic! Oh, you're so clumsy! How did you let that wretched snake set your hair on fire?"

The middle-aged man reached out and sliced off the lock of hair that had been set on fire. He quickly retreated thirty feet.

"Master, you're such a coward! Why are you running away?"

Chennan chuckled to himself. The middle-aged man had a little demon as a student, which was truly a great misfortune in his life.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath and said with his mind, "Little girl, don't talk nonsense. If you keep messing around, I'll punish you with a hundred days of solitary confinement when we get back."

"I was just encouraging you!"

The middle-aged man fell silent.

Spurred on by the "stimulation," the middle-aged man's power exploded, and he beat the giant snake until it was listless. Just when everyone thought the middle-aged man had victory in his hands, the giant snake's tail wrapped around his waist as fast as lightning, and it lifted him high into the air. Even the thinnest part of the snake's tail wrapped around the middle-aged man's chest and stomach.

The little princess screamed, rushed past her guards, and ran forward.

The middle-aged man struggled with all his might, and his body began to emit a faint white light. The light grew stronger and stronger, and the snake's tail around him slowly loosened. It looked like he was about to break free from the giant snake's grasp. But just then, the snake's head moved toward him with a ferocious expression. He urgently waved his hands, and a large expanse of white light smashed into the snake's head, but the snake's head quickly clamped down on him again.

The little princess ran quickly and stopped less than ten yards from the giant snake. Her voice choked with tears. "Master, boohoo..."

"Yuer, don't cry. Master is fine. This little snake can't take my life."

"Master, catch the Hou Yi's Bow!" With that, the little princess threw the Hou Yi's Bow and a feathered arrow into the air.

"Boohoo! Master, I'm sorry. I wanted to see your true strength, so I didn't give you the Hou Yi's Bow earlier. Boohoo!" the little princess cried again.

"Yuer, don't be afraid. This little snake really can't harm Master. Now that I have the Hou Yi's Bow, it's a dead snake!" the middle-aged man shouted. He used his power to pull the Hou Yi's Bow toward him, and the white light instantly pulled the snake's head back about three yards. He then stretched out his hands and, with a powerful voice, guided the Hou Yi's Bow and the arrow into his hands.

"Yuer, hurry back! Be careful not to get hurt."

The little princess was relieved when she saw that the middle-aged man had the Hou Yi's Bow. She turned and ran.

The giant snake indeed showed fear after seeing the Hou Yi's Bow, and its huge head moved back about twenty-four feet.

The middle-aged man's body shone with a powerful light. He nocked the feathered arrow and used all his strength to pull the bowstring. He shouted, "Open!" But to his surprise, the bowstring didn't budge.

"Yuer! Has someone used the Hou Yi's Bow before?" the middle-aged man yelled.

"Yes, old man. That wound on the wretched snake's body is from me. This bow is so good! I finally managed to pull it back!"

"What?! You silly girl! The Hou Yi's Bow can only be used once a year! You have ruined it for me!"

"Ah! Master! Boohoo!"

The giant snake seemed to realize that the middle-aged man couldn't use the divine bow. It viciously charged at him. The middle-aged man swung the Hou Yi's Bow to meet the attack. The dark bow slammed into the snake's bone-white fangs. Four or five fangs, each about a foot and a half long, were broken off and flew away with a spray of blood. The giant snake, in pain, thrashed its tail and threw the middle-aged man away.

The middle-aged man fell to the ground in a sorry state. He took a long breath and, with the divine bow in his hand, charged at the giant snake.

Chennan watched in astonishment. The little princess's master was using the Hou Yi's Bow as a club! His heart ached.

This madman is truly a destroyer of treasures!

The little princess watched with a huge smile. "Haha! The old man is so funny!"

The middle-aged man leaped high into the air, and a dark flash of light shot by. The giant snake's scales, as hard as steel, were blasted away by the Hou Yi's Bow, and a shower of blood rained down from the sky. The giant snake was enraged. Its entire body twisted furiously, and its huge tail swept and struck everywhere, making the earth tremble.

However, the little princess's master was as fast as lightning, dodging one deadly attack after another. He then repeatedly struck the giant snake with the Hou Yi's Bow, leaving it covered in blood.

Suddenly, the giant snake stopped. Its upright body began to emit a faint golden light. A shocking change occurred on the snake's body. Its multicolored scales turned into golden scales, four lumps appeared on its belly, and a pair of horns that glittered like diamonds sprouted from its head. A dragon's roar came from the giant snake's mouth, and the birds and beasts within a hundred-mile radius trembled in fear.

Everyone was stunned.

"A dragon! I saw a legendary dragon!" Chennan shouted excitedly.

The little princess screamed, "Oh, my god! We were fighting a dragon!"

While everyone was in a state of excitement, the little princess's master looked sad. Only he knew that the giant snake's transformation into a dragon had failed. Its dragon claws had not grown out of its belly, and there was only one outcome for a failed transformation: death.

He said softly, "I'm sorry, my serpentine friend. I thought you were just an ordinary snake demon. I never imagined you were so proud, spending ten thousand years cultivating a true dragon's body. If you hadn't reached the most critical moment of your transformation, you would have already transcended this world."

At this moment, the golden scales on the giant snake's body began to fall off. The exposed skin was a bloody mess. The giant snake let out a tragic dragon's roar and spit out a golden inner core. The inner core suddenly shattered in the air and turned into a shower of golden rain that vanished. The giant snake, having failed its transformation, turned into a streak of golden light and shot toward the volcano, disappearing into the crater in an instant.

The little princess's master was crestfallen. If he had killed a snake demon, he wouldn't have felt so sad, but he felt a heavy heart for killing a holy snake that had the potential to transform into a dragon.

"Was it right, or was it wrong? Perhaps there is no right or wrong in this world." He sighed.

With a heavy heart, the middle-aged man came to the crater. He flew to the Fiery Immortal Lotus, picked only one petal, and then wrapped it up and put it into the crater.

"My serpentine friend, perhaps this was fate. If the Fiery Immortal Lotus had ripened half an hour earlier, you might have already transformed into a dragon. That immortal lotus will surely preserve your spirit. May you cultivate into a true dragon in your next life."

At this time, the little princess and her group had run up the mountain. "Master, what happened just now? Why did that wretched snake turn into a dragon?"

The middle-aged man said, "You were mistaken. How could it have turned into a dragon?"

"It was a dragon! I clearly saw a dragon! You guys, did you see a dragon just now?" the little princess asked the guards.

"It was a dragon."

"It was a dragon."

"It was definitely a dragon. I saw it very clearly."

The guards confirmed.

The middle-aged man said calmly, "People can have hallucinations when they are under too much stress. You were all very nervous just now."

The little princess said, "Hmph, old man, you're acting strange today. You must be hiding something from me."

The middle-aged man laughed. "You little girl, you always overthink things. Here, this is the Fiery Immortal Lotus you wanted to pick."

"Ah? Why is there only one petal?"

"You're so greedy. It's already good enough to get one petal of such a magical plant. The other petals ripened and fell into the volcano."

"Sigh, what a pity," the little princess sighed.

"Hey, Master, where is that snake? Did you kill it?"

"It died under the Hou Yi's Bow."

"Oh, old man, you're so weird today. You killed a dragon, no, a giant snake, but you're not happy at all. You're so strange!" The little princess looked at him with her large, innocent eyes, looking as if she were wronged.

The middle-aged man pinched her nose and changed the subject, laughing. "You little girl, you ran away from the palace! Don't you know you almost killed your father with worry?"

"Ugh, stop that!" The little princess slapped away the middle-aged man's hand. "I came out to find the Fiery Immortal Lotus for my father. When I give him the immortal lotus for his sixtieth birthday, he'll be overjoyed."

"You are so crazy, little girl. Don't you know how dangerous what you did was? How could you not care..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're more of a nag than my grandmother. Master, I heard people say that you had a crush on my grandmother when you were young. Is that true?" the little princess asked mischievously.

"You... you... don't talk nonsense!"

The little princess giggled. "Yes, master. I will return to the palace immediately."

The middle-aged man looked helpless. "You're so mischievous. I really don't trust you to go back safely on your own."

The little princess was surprised. "Old man, aren't you coming back with me?"

The middle-aged man said, "I came to find you, and I should be taking you back, but on the way, I heard people say that a Qilin appeared in the Fallen Wind Mountains. This is no ordinary event. I have to go and see, but I'm worried about you."

"Isn't that a legendary magical beast? Are there really Qilins in this world?" The little princess's eyes lit up, and her face was filled with excitement. "I want to go too!"

"No. You've been away from the palace for more than half a month. Your mother has been worried sick about you and is already ill because of this. You must go back immediately."

"Ah! My mother is sick?! Then... alright. I'll go back right away." The little princess looked disappointed.

The middle-aged man returned the Hou Yi's Bow to the little princess and said, "Yuer, why did you steal the Hou Yi's Bow? You know this is a national treasure of the Chu Kingdom. Its main purpose is to intimidate the supreme masters of other countries."

"What's the big deal? I just borrowed it. I wasn't not going to return it," the little princess said carelessly.

"You don't know your own limits. The divine bow was sealed and can only be used once a year. How could you just take it and use it like that? Luckily, the Chu Kingdom doesn't have any major enemies right now and doesn't really need it."

"I know," the little princess said with a long, drawn-out tone.