He reached out his hand, and just as he touched her collar, a bolt of thunder suddenly struck down from mid-air. Although he reacted quickly and retreated several steps, his hand was still scorched black by the lightning.
The man's hypocritical gentle face was no more, his face slowly changed, and he opened his fanged mouth to let out a roar.
However, Wen Ran had long since run far away, taking advantage of the sudden change.
As she ran, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Now, using the Thunder Summoning Technique was very difficult for her; her Spiritual Power was almost exhausted, leaving her unable to use even a single bit of Magic.
For some reason, the passageway she came through didn't seem so long, but now she seemed to never reach the end. Under the flickering candlelight, a shadow swept over her head, and in front of her, a gigantic snake head descended from the upper stone wall.
"Cunning human, I originally wanted you to enjoy yourself before dying in happiness, but you just have to choose the hard way!"
It was a monster with a human head and snake body. To say it had a human head was only to describe its shape. Its face was covered with black snake scales, marred by a long scar across its right cheek, disrupting the neat scales.
Green vertical pupils and a red forked tongue; no matter how you looked at it, it was a terrifying sight.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Wen Ran said, "I know who you are."
"Oh? You know me?"
"You were subdued by our Master personally years ago. The scar on your face is from the Master's sword."
Master, with a merciful heart, was the first to propose setting up a Forbidden Land in the Ascension Immortal Mansion to imprison and reform demons. This Snake Demon was known for its high-level Sorcery, wreaking havoc in the Human World, causing many headaches, until the Master personally captured and imprisoned it in the Forbidden Land.
This story had become a bedtime tale for the little Daoist Children, known throughout the Ascension Immortal Mansion.
"The Master of the Ascension Immortal Mansion..." The Snake Demon spat out these words through clenched teeth, full of resentment for the one who captured and imprisoned it!
Wen Ran continued, "The Master once said that any demon who reforms can be released from the Forbidden Land and regain their freedom. You, as a Great Demon, and a former lord, don't you want to get out?"
"Regain freedom? Nonsense! Over the years, how many demons imprisoned here have ever gotten out!"
Indeed, demons are innately bloodthirsty; reforming them is not easy.
The Snake Demon coiled its body to the ground, only then did Wen Ran realize it was larger than she imagined, likely able to swallow ten of her without a problem!
The Snake Demon's greedy eyes roamed over the girl in white, "It's been a while since I've seen such a delicate girl. Tasting her must be exquisitely delicious."
In fact, even during its time of rampage in the outside world, the Snake Demon might not find a girl of better quality than Wen Ran.
Wen Ran had no idea how to stall for time; she only knew that the longer she stalled, the longer she would survive. As the giant snake approached incessantly, she was forced back to the spacious area surrounded by water.
"I am the Master's beloved junior. You should think it over clearly. If you dare touch me, the Master won't spare you!"
"Hmph, and what if he doesn't spare me? Seeing that old guy's pained face before dying would also be good!"
The Snake Demon closed in continually, and Wen Ran retreated step by step, "My father is the Second Elder of the Ascension Immortal Mansion. I am his only daughter, and he is surely worriedly searching for me right now. You still have a chance to stop!"
The Snake Demon sneered disdainfully, "What other backing do you have? Feel free to lay it all out."
After years of hunger, he was determined to enjoy this exquisite beauty before him no matter what.
Wen Ran was already backed onto the central stone platform, and with a resigned attitude, she declared, "My fiancé is the top disciple with the most potential at the Ascension Immortal Mansion. With his strength, he is destined to ascend to immortality. I warn you, he is deeply attached to me, and if you touch me, he will definitely tear you to pieces and scatter your bones!"
"That boy Shen Wu?" The Snake Demon laughed sinisterly. "A boy who left the girl behind to save himself - such a cowardly man, even if he came to me, I wouldn't bother eating him."
A laugh rang out, "You're wrong about that. Whether I am a coward or not should be for Ranran to judge, not you overstepping your bounds."
The voice came from above.
The boy sat on the beam, one foot dangling off the wood and swaying, the other casually placed atop it. His hand propped up his chin, head tilted slightly, hair ends fluttering, brimming with youthful laissez-faire.
Who knows how long he had been watching from wherever, his black eyes twinkling with laughter as his gaze fell on the girl, "Am I right, my Ranran, the one who has captivated my heart and soul?"
The playful lilt at the end of his words indicated that he was in a good mood having watched the scene.
Wen Ran, feeling socially dead again, slowly raised her hand to cover her face; she had just been talking nonsense to buy time, who knew it would be overheard by him!
No, she should say he had deliberately hidden just to enjoy watching her in such a disgraceful state for a while.
Wen Ran felt like a monkey; she stomped her foot, pointed at him, and fumed, "Shen Wu! You did it on purpose!"
He intentionally left her behind since it would lure out the Snake Demon. Sure enough, as soon as they separated, the Snake Demon actively came for Wen Ran.
Moreover, during this process, Shen Wu could see all the embarrassing, foolish things Wen Ran did to survive, offering him amusement and a good mood — wasn't that just the best of both worlds?
Shen Wu leapt down lightly, his hair ends flicking, landing just in front of Wen Ran. Seeing her red with anger, he tilted his head with an innocent look, "Didn't I come to rescue you? Why blame me?"
"If you really wanted to save me, why didn't you show up sooner?"
"Because you didn't call for me, did you?"
When she listed her backers, she mentioned the Master first, then her father, and finally him. When she brought him up, he appeared. Doesn't that just show that he's actually a nice guy?
Wen Ran was too angry to speak, puffing her cheeks and glaring at him, her hands hanging at her sides and clenched into fists, like an inflated pufferfish.
Shen Wu inexplicably felt an urge; he wondered what it would feel like to poke this "pufferfish's" face?
His fingers twitched slightly, about to give it a try, when the mood was abruptly shattered by the unwelcome interruption of the Snake Demon.
The Snake Demon's eyes turned scarlet, it asked menacingly, "How did you survive among my snake offspring?"