As night fell, moonlight slanted down, and with the rising mountain wind, the snake armies of Xishan began to retreat to their lairs.
Thirteen Golden Immortal Venerables stood before Qing Ling, all with reverence. To these newly emerged Golden Immortal Venerables, the Holy Son was indeed an unfathomably great figure within the clan.
Only Venerables Qi and Chi did not alter their attitudes towards him.
Qing Ling sighed faintly and said, "Esteemed Venerables, let this battle end here. Withdraw the great army and return to your respective posts."
A young-looking Venerable's face showed some difficulty. "But the clan's Four Peaks' resolution was to deal with the Dun Ling Mi Badger tribe. Retreating now might displease the elders."
Qing Ling nodded. "I had forgotten about this step. It's fine. You may all return. If the elders inquire, tell them it was I who ordered you to withdraw. I will explain myself then."
Venerable Chi asked with some confusion, "Holy Son, your strength has greatly increased. Our forces are fully capable of crushing them. Why not press the advantage and annihilate this tribe?"
"We cannot," Qing Ling waved his hand. "Although our strength surpasses theirs, we lack overwhelming suppressive power. Even if we win, we might not be able to retain any Golden Immortal Venerables. This would only make the hundred tribes west of the Eastern Wasteland wary.
Therefore, we must reduce their vigilance, conserve our strength, and hide our sharpness. Then, with our burgeoning power, we can directly suppress these minor tribes, leaving them no opportunity to unite."
Venerable Chi pondered for a moment. "That makes sense. We will return and inform the Clan Leader and elders. Does this place require further guard?"
Qing Ling replied, "It would be troublesome, but two Venerables staying behind would suffice. If too many are left, these eight tribes will still not feel at ease."
Venerable Chi looked at two younger-looking Venerables. "Gong Xi, Shao Ji, you two shall stay."
The two Venerables naturally nodded in agreement.
After further discussion, the Venerables returned to Xishan, leading their respective snake armies.
Qing Ling did not leave immediately. Instead, he took Qi to a mountain cliff, sat down cross-legged, and remained silent for a long while.
The vast difference in day and night temperatures on the Primordial World meant the night wind was never truly calm. Under the bright moonlight, a symbol of the snake clan's border battlefield, the Green Wood Great Wall, was erected. Ten thousand snakes lay silent. The tens of thousands of snake soldiers left behind were stationed within the Green Wood Great Wall. Insects and beasts, intimidated by the fierce aura of the myriad snakes, made no sound for miles, a rare sight in this wild land.
Qi sat casually beside Qing Ling, leaning back and gazing at the moon, his eyes gradually losing focus as he pondered something.
Qing Ling's voice, seemingly casual, flowed into Qi's ears like a gentle stream. "Qi, you've grown. You know how to worry and feel apprehensive now.
The carefree days when we two snakes frolicked in Xishan are long gone. I remember when you used to climb the vines to the mountaintop. You weren't even as tall as this mountain then, and you were so scared you lost your grip on the green vine, nearly falling to your death.
I recall the time you used the Profound Mountain snow water, painstakingly obtained by your father, to water the flowers in Spring Valley. Venerable Shu was so enraged he hung you at the peak of Mount Taichong for three months.
When you turned ten thousand years old, Venerable Shu took you to pay respects to our mother..."
As Qing Ling spoke slowly, the fragments of Qi's life, from childhood to adulthood, were recounted. Each event, whether joyous or sorrowful, was precious.
Qi's thoughts were pulled back by Qing Ling, immersed in a lifetime of memories.
The worry on his face gradually smoothed. The moon was high in the sky, and the night was deep.
Qi suddenly asked with a trace of sadness, "Brother, am I a monster? Why did I become double-headed and double-tailed?"
Qing Ling still wore a faint smile. He gently patted the precious child's head. "No, you are a god!"
"A god?" Qi's heart jolted. He murmured, "How could I possibly be a god?"
"Why not?" Qing Ling laughed. "You have a brother who is a god of auxiliary spring. What's wrong with you being a god?"
"But aren't gods born? Granny said that innate gods are those who had opportunities before the heavens and earth were formed; they are fated," Qi asked blankly.
"Those are innate gods. All beings in heaven and earth are divided into innate and acquired. Beings are divided into two, so why can't gods be divided into two?" Qing Ling chuckled. "You have two heads and two tails. Although it's a dragon-snake anomaly, you are still a snake.
As long as you always consider yourself a snake in your heart, then your spirit, your fortune, and your destiny will forever be tied to the Xishan snake clan."
A light flashed in Qi's eyes, but it seemed to dim again as he thought of something. "But after my mutation, the Great Beast of Wood said I carried calamity, was born inauspicious, stained the sky with blood, and was destined for heavy killing tribulations."
The smile on Qing Ling's face faded, replaced by solemnity. "To be born with ill omens, to carry calamity—this is your great fortune. Extend the ill omens beyond Xishan, and bring calamity to Xishan's enemies. Your ill omens and your calamity are blessings and opportunities for Xishan!"
He suddenly stood up, his pupils shifting. The sound of the Tai Xu Bell resounded in all directions, and Qi's eyes instantly turned blood-red.
Qi fell into a world of blood-red. The sky was crimson, the earth was red, mountains and rivers were all blood, and the heavens wept blood. Endless slaughter unfolded in the world: life and death, injuries, death, downfall, rebirth, combat, conquest, and bloody corpses were all that this world contained.
Qi's frail, tiny figure stood alone in the bloody expanse, lost and terrified, not godlike. Just as he became fearful and uneasy, his body was gradually enveloped in blood-red. A colossal dragon-snake appeared in the world, with a double head, a horned dragon's head but no horns, a single body, and two tails—a hybrid of snake and dragon.
Infinite killing intent was layered into his heart. A long blade, concealing endless killing intent, was gestured within him, capable of striking fear into heaven and earth once it emerged.
Just as Qi's mind wandered in a state of bloodlust, a figure appeared in his pupils.
A man in green robes, with his hair tied in a topknot and eyes like glazed glass, walked towards him amidst the blood and fire, the only point of clarity in the world.
Qi's terrified heart calmed the moment he saw him. The confusion, fear, ferocity, and cruelty within gradually receded.
He only heard the voice of the green-robed man resound through heaven and earth, the mountains and rivers revolving around him.
"Qi, you carry the bloodline of the Ba Snake, infused with the blood of the Red Dragon, filled with evil killing aura, one with dragon and snake. You carry calamity, born inauspicious, devouring all life, grown in purgatory, with a blade hidden in your belly, possessing supreme hidden sharpness.
Since you are born a dragon-snake, you shall be revered. The acquired gods of heaven and earth unite as one, the Eight-Headed Great Snake. Calamity and conquest follow you, endless death flows from you, and mountains of corpses and seas of blood are for you.
But I wish that even if you have eight heads and eight tails in the future—soul, ghost, demon, fiend, devil, butcher, spirit, death—you will always revere the spirit head as supreme, becoming the spirit of Xishan, becoming Qi of Xishan.
For in this vast heaven and earth, the four directions and six realms, only Xishan is home. I and Xishan are with you!"
In the bloody world, Qi suddenly awoke. The chaotic phenomena in his primordial spirit coalesced into one, transforming into eight heads. Among these eight heads, the spirit head was supreme.
The heavens wept, and blood rained down. The god of the Eight-Headed Great Serpent descended upon the mortal realm, wielding a blade to calm mountains and seas.
The Tai Xu illusion shattered in an instant. The thousand bells fell silent. The universe had not shifted, and the heavens and earth had not turned red.
Qing Ling opened his eyes and smiled with relief. "It's done!"