All things are imbued with spirit, and those with the right destiny can become immortals, living a life of unfettered freedom.
Within Heaven and Earth, countless mountains and rivers exist. Great mountains or swamps abundant in spiritual energy are often where immortals who have attained the Dao establish their sects, imparting the fruits of eternal life. Furthermore, there are also great mountains occupied by powerful demons, cultivating the Great Dao in seclusion.
Mountains lay like slumbering beasts, while rivers and lakes coiled like resting dragons.
On an unnamed peak within that cluster of mountains resembling giant beasts, a Kim Xà was coiled upon an azure rock, its head raised towards the moon, ceaselessly absorbing and exhaling the primordial energy of Heaven and Earth. It observed a faint blue light descending from the nine heavens, merging into the mountains and rivers. Yet, directly above it, the blue light seemed to be guided by a subtle force, altering its trajectory and slowly converging. Their point of convergence was precisely the Kim Xà's body on the rock.
The Kim Xà didn't know when it had begun to absorb spiritual energy. Perhaps it was a few years ago when it ate a fragrant persimmon, or perhaps it was after the battle between the Nam Sơn Hắc Hùng and the Bắc Sơn Đại Hổ concluded, when it consumed an alluring medicinal pill.
In any case, from then on, it no longer feared the cold, nor did it wish to hibernate. Its sense of danger grew increasingly acute, and it slithered through the mountains and forests with ever-increasing speed. As it slithered about, listening here and observing there, the more time passed, the more it learned.
This increased knowledge also made it realize it was in a perilous situation; a single misstep could lead to it being killed and its inner core seized.
Suddenly, a profound sense of unease welled up within it, a feeling that had saved it from ambushes on several occasions. It understood that something in a hidden spot nearby was intently watching it. Although it couldn't pinpoint the source of danger, it had already decided to leave this place, and the sooner the better. But the instant it began to move, a white shadow streaked down from the sky with lightning speed.
It raised its head in alarm, only to see a Bạch Hạc diving down, its body like an arrow. The Bạch Hạc's crown was crimson, its eyes golden – it was its natural predator. A feeling of inescapable doom arose within the Kim Xà. It understood the Bạch Hạc's formidable nature better than anyone, having narrowly escaped its sharp talons several times, and having witnessed its kin being caught, their inner cores extracted, and then devoured alive.
It coiled its golden body, preparing for battle, knowing full well that its chances of survival were slim.
“Oh, what a magnificent Bạch Hạc!”
Under the high moon, a cry of surprise rang out, followed by a soft chuckle. In the Kim Xà's eyes, a figure approached from afar, treading on air. It didn't seem particularly fast, yet in just a few steps, it was above the Bạch Hạc's head. The Bạch Hạc sensed danger and immediately soared into the sky, but the figure merely flickered and appeared on its back. It cried out, facing the sky, only for a flickering red light to appear in the person's hand, which then struck the Bạch Hạc's head. The Bạch Hạc ceased its cries, soaring straight up into the high sky, gradually becoming a small black dot in the moonlit night before vanishing.
At that moment, the Kim Xà remained coiled under the moonlight, resembling a golden rock.
Deep down, it was utterly terrified. Its great enemy had just like that become someone else's mount. Previously, it had heard that many powerful great kings were taken as mounts by others, but it hadn't believed it, feeling that there was no one in the world capable of taking those great kings as mounts. But just now, witnessing that person merely pat the head and effortlessly take Bạch Hạc as a mount, gave it a sense of unreality. It was deeply shaken, feeling as if it had been struck on the head.
"When will I also be like him, treading the void and chasing the moon, traversing the entire world..."
An indescribable thought that had just emerged in its mind was immediately discarded. It glanced around, then instantly slithered into the shadows, looking like a golden thread under the moonlight.
It decided it must cultivate even harder.
Spring passed and autumn arrived, flowers bloomed and withered, year after year.
Kim Xà felt itself becoming more sensitive and its speed increasing. With a single leap, it shot through the air like an arrow, covering several *zhang*, yet its body remained as slender as a chopstick. Its scales became even more lustrous, and at a glance, it looked like a golden ingot.
It didn't know when it had started to dislike eating animals; apart from absorbing spiritual energy, it only ate mountain fruits.
At this moment, Kim Xà was hidden in a rock crevice. Many years had passed, and it was quite confident in its ability to conceal its aura. It believed that while there were many beings in this mountain with greater magical power than itself, once it suppressed its aura, no one could detect it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to eavesdrop on other demon races' conversations, nor would it have known that today a bear demon and a leopard demon intended to rob Hổ đại vương.
Kim Xà also wanted that item. It had heard from the bear demon and leopard demon that the mountain's great king possessed a cultivation technique scroll. Over the years, it had long understood the importance of cultivation techniques, which was why it wanted one too. Although its magical power was far inferior to those three, it couldn't abandon the idea of seizing the technique.
Hổ đại vương had lived in this mountain for an unknown number of years, at least longer than Kim Xà. Ever since it gained sentience, it had heard legends of Hổ đại vương.
Weeds grew everywhere around the entrance to Hổ đại vương's cave dwelling, indicating that Hổ đại vương hadn't left for a long time. The cave was pitch black and evidently very deep.
Kim Xà hid in a distant rock crevice, but it waited from morning till night and saw no sign of the bear demon or leopard demon. It remained motionless. The sky gradually brightened, and morning mist enveloped the forest.
Suddenly, a dense surge of killing intent appeared in the distance, rushing towards Hổ đại vương's cave entrance.
It felt excited, because this was the aura of the bear demon.
Sure enough, in just a moment, an enormous bear demon slowly approached, its entire body exuding a powerful aura. This was an act of provocation, a challenge to the mountain's king. The lesser demons in the mountain all guessed what was about to happen and immediately fled. Challenges to the mountain's king happened frequently. Sometimes the challenger died, sometimes the great king died; in any case, it was very rare for both sides to survive.
The killing intent emanating from the bear demon continuously intensified. It roared incessantly, taking step after step towards Hổ đại vương's cave dwelling.
Suddenly, a tiger's roar echoed, and a foul-smelling gust of wind rushed out from the cave, followed by a golden shadow. Kim Xà couldn't see clearly, but when the foul wind appeared, its body recoiled. The thunderous roar that reached its ears made it tremble.
The thick, foul-smelling demonic aura permeated everywhere. The sound of trees snapping reached its ears, and rocks shattered. Kim Xà secretly felt lucky it had hidden far enough away. After a long while, when it sensed the battle had moved away, it slowly poked its head out, only to see that the lush forest had been transformed into a chaotic wasteland, with not a single tree left intact.
Just thinking about the cultivation technique scroll inside the Tiger King's cave filled it with intense excitement. It didn't know when it had started thinking about needing a cultivation technique. It must have been when it learned that cultivation techniques existed in the world, or perhaps even earlier, when it saw its natural enemy, the White Crane, easily taken as a mount by someone; that was when its heart began to devise ways to cultivate diligently.
But just as it was about to slither out, it suddenly stopped. Its mind instantly cleared.
The leopard demon hadn't appeared yet.
Kim Xà continued to wait. It resolved that if the leopard demon didn't appear, it wouldn't come out either.
After about a minute, a leopard as black as ink silently emerged from the forest. It leaped nimbly, as light as a cat. In just a few bounds, it reached the entrance of the Tiger King's cave, then slipped inside and vanished into the darkness.
Kim Xà still didn't move. Years of experience told it that this leopard demon would surely be lurking in the shadows, observing the movements outside. The fact that the leopard demon hadn't appeared for so long showed that it was a cunning and cautious hunter. Just like Kim Xà itself, if it were in the leopard demon's place, it would also surely hide in the shadows, watching for any activity outside.
A moment later, Kim Xà still couldn't determine if the leopard demon was secretly observing from somewhere, but it couldn't wait any longer. What if the leopard demon had already gone in to retrieve that Qi refining technique, and it was still here? It would lose its chance to seize it. So it retreated backward. This snake always left itself an escape route, for it had always been extremely cautious, never choosing a rock crevice with only one way out. From the crevice, it observed the entrance of the Tiger King's cave. Kim Xà didn't enter the cave but hid near the entrance. It focused all its attention on sensing the aura within the cave.
Silence. The mountain valley was eerily silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Kim Xà felt it could hear its own heart beating. It was both nervous and excited. Nervous because it was about to snatch something from the hands of the long-renowned leopard demon. Excited because it was about to obtain a cultivation technique.
Although the leopard demon possessed high magical power, Kim Xà was very confident in its venom and speed.
Suddenly, it sensed a faint killing intent emanating from the cave. It felt a little smug, because for a long time it had not eaten meat, only fruits. Even if other demons sensed its aura, they wouldn't pay it any mind, thinking it was merely the aura of plants and fruits.
The faint, foul-smelling killing intent drew closer and closer. Kim Xà remained hidden in the crevice near the cave entrance, motionless.
The Leopard Demon's footsteps were incredibly light, like the sound of falling leaves.
It came closer and closer, step by step.
The Leopard Demon appeared, still clutching a silk-bound book in its mouth. It stood at the mouth of the cave, looking around the valley with a hint of smugness, then lowered its body before springing straight up. Just as it was about to land, a streak of golden light shot out from a crevice in the rocks.
The Leopard Demon sensed danger, its heart seized with fright. The spiritual energy it had cultivated for countless years, forming its magic power, immediately surged forth to protect itself. But just as its magic power surged, the Leopard Demon felt a sharp, burning pain in its lower abdomen, as if it had been scorched. It quickly turned its head, and in its eyes, a flash of golden light appeared before vanishing into the tall grass, leaving it utterly terrified.
Before the Leopard Demon even touched the ground, the golden light had already burrowed into the grass and disappeared. Once it landed, the Leopard Demon had no intention of searching for the Golden Snake; instead, it immediately leaped away, swift as a gale, vanishing without a trace into the morning mist in the blink of an eye.