Chapter Thirty-Four: Revealing Oneself

Under the watchful gaze of countless venomous snakes, Zhou Tian never considered that he could slip into the snake-people’s tribe undetected. So, after making his final decision and leaving behind several elves, he boldly crawled straight toward the settlement of the snake-people.

Perhaps it was because Zhou Tian's current appearance was also that of a snake. Although he had not intended to conceal anything, when he crawled toward the snake-people’s tribe, there was no reaction at all, as if they were completely unaware of his approach.

Since the snake-people made no move, Zhou Tian saw no reason to reveal any hostility. He quietly slipped into the midst of the snake swarm, and while the snake-people paid him no mind, he surreptitiously released his treasured artifact—the Basin of Ten Thousand Serpents.

“Get in, get in, all of you, crawl inside!” Zhou Tian whispered as he watched hordes of venomous snakes being sucked into the basin. While carefully guarding against any sign that might alert the snake-people to the anomaly in his vicinity, he thrilled at the steadily growing number of snakes within the basin.

Yet, the venomous snakes outside the tribe numbered only so many. At first, perhaps because the snake-people were inattentive to the outside world, they failed to notice Zhou Tian’s actions. But as the basin drew away large numbers of snakes and the areas once thick with serpents began to empty, even if they hadn’t seen Zhou Tian, the snake-people could not help but notice the oddity outside.

“Look, the number of snakes is dwindling! Go notify the other tribesmen and the elders at once!” The guards at the gate, upon noticing the decrease in the snake swarms, immediately investigated the cause and sent one of their own back to inform the chieftain and elders.

Snakes were the greatest reliance of the snake-people, so when something went wrong with the swarm, their response was swift. Almost as soon as the news reached them, nearly the entire tribe rushed out in alarm.

Seeing the outside snake swarms diminish by the moment, the snake-people grew anxious. If all the snakes vanished, though they might gather more in the future, should enemies arrive during this vulnerable time, their tribe would be left defenseless.

What troubled them even more was that, from every angle, the disappearance of the venomous snakes seemed to be the work of their foes. If they could not devise a solution, when their enemy revealed its fangs, it would surely be their end.

Zhou Tian was cautious in his actions, and the Basin of Ten Thousand Serpents could expand or contract at will, making it difficult to detect. Despite their efforts to discover the cause of the snake swarm’s disappearance, the snake-people found nothing, and the true culprit remained unseen.

At last, when the diminishing swarms showed no sign of stopping and the cause remained elusive, the chieftain summoned the guards who had watched outside. Irritated, he questioned them, “Before the anomaly with the snake swarm, did anything happen nearby?”

“Well…” They searched their memories. Though Zhou Tian’s form flashed through the minds of several guards, the area outside the tribe attracted countless snakes daily, and it was hard to believe that the disappearance was caused by Zhou Tian alone. So, though they had seen him, when their chieftain asked, Zhou Tian’s image merely flickered in their minds, and they all shook their heads firmly. “There was nothing unusual at the time!”

“Damn it, what on earth is happening here?” The chieftain waved the guards away in frustration, punched the wall beside him, and began to rack his brain for a solution to the crisis.

“Must it truly come to this?” Though unwilling, when he glanced back at the young snake-people behind him, he gritted his teeth and summoned the elders. After a brief discussion, they made the decision to relocate the entire tribe.

Unable to discover the cause behind the vanishing snake swarms, and uncertain whether it was disaster or sabotage, the snake-people could only move away before the swarms disappeared entirely.

Yet, even after making this decision, if Zhou Tian refused to let them go, how could they safely retreat?

They swiftly gathered all their belongings, cast longing glances back at their homes, and, at the chieftain’s command, formed a line and began their slow march out.

If Zhou Tian had merely wanted to test his artifact’s power, he had already achieved his goal. By his own strength, he had forced a tribe of over a thousand snake-people to relocate, a result that was more than satisfying.

But Zhou Tian had come to deal with the snake-people. If he did not teach them a lesson or draw the attention of the Beast Empire, then even if he agreed to let them go, the elves watching from afar would not consent.

“What a bother!” Zhou Tian muttered, a hint of regret in his voice. As the snake-people prepared to leave, he stepped out from the shadows.

No longer hiding his presence, Zhou Tian intensified his control over the Basin of Ten Thousand Serpents. As its size rapidly expanded, its suction force grew as well. In the brief moment before the snake-people could react, nearly ten thousand more venomous snakes were drawn into the basin.

By the time the snake-people realized what was happening and began to steer the remaining snakes away from Zhou Tian, only perhaps less than a million remained of the billions that once swarmed outside the tribe.

“What is going on here?” The events of this day would surely be remembered by the snake-people for a lifetime. Living peacefully in their own tribe, their protective snake swarms vanished before their eyes, forcing them to relocate, and just as they were about to leave their homeland, a strange snake—Zhou Tian—emerged from the swarm.

Yes, to the snake-people, Zhou Tian was a most peculiar serpent.

Not only had they never seen an artifact like the Basin of Ten Thousand Serpents that could draw away their venomous kin, but a snake who would come to another’s territory and capture its own kind was something they had never even heard of.

No matter how strange Zhou Tian seemed, once they realized he was behind the disappearance of their snake swarms, the snake-people immediately launched a counterattack.