Chapter 117: The Reason

Before the Snake Queen departed, she had imparted many rules of the Magical Beast Forest to Zhou Tian. At the time, Zhou Tian had listened, but he was accustomed to acting on his own whims. Consequently, after he marked his territory with a few bouts of urination, he immediately incited the dissatisfaction of several local beast lords.

Initially, because of Zhou Tian’s remarkable performance during the territorial disputes and the deterrent effect of the Snake Queen’s reputation, the beast lords did not immediately confront him, even though he had encroached upon parts of their domains. However, once those lords reported their grievances to the superior Beast Kings backing them, Zhou Tian’s troubles began.

Due to a prior misunderstanding, those Beast Kings had long held a grudge against Zhou Tian, though they had been restrained by their respect for the Snake Queen. Now, however, Zhou Tian had foolishly provoked them himself. Faced with such behavior, how could those Beast Kings possibly tolerate him? After a private consultation, the Beast Kings issued orders to their subordinates to retaliate.

From the moment the magical beasts began their counterattacks, trouble plagued the capital incessantly. One day, a band of mercenaries would be wiped out by high-level magical beasts upon entering the forest; the next, supplies would be destroyed by beast raids.

Although it was not difficult for Zhou Tian to handle these beasts when they attacked, the problem was that they refused to engage him in direct combat. They would strike and immediately retreat before he could even arrive. No matter how powerful Zhou Tian was, he could do nothing if he could not find his targets. As he grew exhausted dealing with the constant harassment, the losses in the capital mounted.

At first, Zhou Tian gritted his teeth, determined to hold his ground. But as the beasts’ actions intensified, he eventually realized he could no longer sustain the situation. He was forced to enter the Magical Beast Forest to seek out the Snake Queen, hoping to understand why so many magical beasts were targeting him.

Following the route the Snake Queen had left behind, Zhou Tian traveled for about an hour until he reached her domain. True to her nature during the previous siege, the Snake Queen disliked other species; her territory was inhabited solely by snakes. Zhou Tian found the environment unsettling, as he felt constantly watched by the serpentine creatures. Had it not been for the urgent need for her assistance, he would have avoided this place entirely. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and pushed toward the heart of her lair.

Because Zhou Tian arrived in his true form, he did not provoke hostility from the resident snakes. In fact, his massive size intimidated many of them, causing them to slither out of his way, which saved him from unnecessary trouble. Thus, he reached the Snake Queen, who was resting in her domain, without incident.

Upon seeing him, the Snake Queen appeared delighted. She dismissed the snakes surrounding her and glided over to his side, asking with curiosity, "Zhou Tian, you have finally come to see me. I thought you had forgotten our agreement!"

"This..." Zhou Tian felt a wave of embarrassment at her words.

She was right; he had indeed promised to visit her when she left the capital. He had completely forgotten the matter until he found himself in need of help, and he felt a pang of guilt. The Snake Queen, ever observant, sensed his discomfort. Seeing his sheepish expression, she did not blame him but instead asked proactively, "Have you run into some trouble? Tell me about it. I have lived in this forest for many more years than you; I am sure I can help you find a solution."

Zhou Tian exhaled a sigh of relief and explained, "The capital has been facing significant trouble lately. I don't know what has gotten into the local beasts, but they keep causing destruction. They refuse to face me directly, and I am at my wit's end. I came to ask if, after the last territorial dispute, there was something I failed to do? Why are so many beasts still harassing me after I claimed that territory?"

"That shouldn't be," the Snake Queen replied. "Once you become the lord of a domain, other beasts should not act recklessly there without your consent." She paused, her eyes brightening as if struck by a realization. "When you marked your territory, did you encroach upon the lands of other lords?"

"This..." A flash of embarrassment crossed Zhou Tian’s face. "I am not entirely sure. I just marked the area around my city; I truly don't know if I overstepped into anyone else's territory."

"You!" The Snake Queen gestured at him with her tail, at a loss for words. After giving him an exasperated look, she sighed helplessly. "Didn't I tell you to be careful about that? How could you still make such a mistake?" She paused, then added, "I will ask around. If the situation isn't too severe, it shouldn't be difficult to smooth over." She summoned one of her snakes and began to inquire about the situation.

The number of snakes in the forest was vast, and as the Snake Queen of the outer regions, there was little information she could not obtain. Once she asked, her subordinate relayed everything it knew. After hearing the report, the Snake Queen waved the snake away and turned to Zhou Tian with a furrowed brow. "I fear this will not be easy to resolve."

"What is the situation?"

Giving him a sidelong glance, she replied helplessly, "It stems from that previous incident. You did indeed accidentally encroach upon the territories of several lords. Under normal circumstances, I could resolve this with a single word. But because of what happened before, those Beast Kings hold a grudge against you, and they are making it very difficult for me to intervene."

"Then... what is the current situation?" Zhou Tian asked, knowing he could not simply ignore the problem.

"Those lords are using your encroachment as a pretext to challenge you. You must face them individually and emerge victorious. If you win, not only will your troubles be resolved, but you will also officially claim their lands. Of course, if you are not confident in winning, I can find another way, though it would require you to apologize to the Beast Kings and offer them something of value. The choice is yours."

"That goes without saying—I choose to accept their challenge," Zhou Tian decided without a moment's hesitation.

Offering the Beast Kings a gift was easy for him; he had thousands of items in his system store that would surely tempt them. But he could not accept the demand to apologize. To the Beast Kings, an apology might be a lenient punishment for his "deception," but Zhou Tian refused to bow for such a ridiculous reason. Playing the pig to eat the tiger was enjoyable, but if one played the pig for too long, one might eventually become one. When he lacked strength, he could play the role of the subservient, but now that he had gained power, he would not easily lower his head.

Even though the Snake Queen offered a peaceful solution, Zhou Tian would rather fight a hundred times over than offer an apology. He did not know, however, that this decision only increased the Snake Queen’s favor toward him.

She rubbed her head against his chin and praised him with satisfaction: "A male snake should have such arrogance. You truly are the male I chose; you are far superior to those sycophantic cowards who only know how to fawn over me. Rest assured, although I cannot resolve this for you, with me here, they will not dare to play any dirty tricks. Go ahead and fight those lords. It would be best if you successfully annexed their territories and showed those who conspired against you just how formidable you are."