Chapter 135: Engaging the Snake-Woman

Old Ye exchanged glances with the few female snake-people for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand at Lu Zhe.

Seeing the gesture, Lu Zhe felt a flicker of confusion, yet he leaped down from the beams and approached Old Ye, saying, "Master."

Old Ye turned to face Lu Zhe, reached out to pat him on the shoulder, and said with a solemn and earnest tone, "Zhe'er, I have something of great importance that I must make clear to you."

At these words, Lu Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. *What is this?* Why was Old Ye, who was always fond of joking, suddenly so serious? And at such a tense moment, no less. Suppressing his curiosity, he asked, "What is it, Master?"

Old Ye looked back at the fierce-looking female snake-people and said in a low voice, "Do you see these female snake-people?"

"I see them," Lu Zhe replied with a frown, nodding grimly.

Old Ye nodded as well. Lu Zhe looked toward him and saw him standing there silently, his brows slightly furrowed. His deep, dark eyes were piercingly bright, like a ray of light cutting through an endless void. A sense of majesty and dominance emanated from him, so overwhelming that it was truly awe-inspiring. Was this what people often called an aura of absolute dominance?

Just as Lu Zhe was filled with admiration and anticipation for the important words to come, Old Ye turned his head slowly toward him and said with firm, grave certainty:

"They are yours now."

With that, Old Ye vanished from the spot.

"Huh?" Lu Zhe stood there blankly, stunned for a moment.

"Wait, what?!!!!" After a few seconds, reality set in. His surprised and bewildered voice echoed through the fragrant room for a long time.

"You old geezer! You talked so nicely when we arrived, but it turned out exactly as I feared! Why don't you just go die!" Lu Zhe cursed loudly, venting his frustration.

Just as he was shouting, a figure flashed behind him. The person extended their right leg in mid-air and kicked Lu Zhe heavily in the back.

Caught off guard by the kick, Lu Zhe went flying forward and crashed into the large pool in the center of the room with a splash.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! You're annoying! Are you a male wolf in heat?" A woman’s sharp, delicate voice rang in Lu Zhe’s ears. It was the same person who had kicked him into the pool.

Lu Zhe scrambled to stand up, wiped the water from his face, and looked back to see the female snake-person standing where he had been, glaring at him with fury.

"Everyone, this is a misunderstanding! Please, let me explain!" Lu Zhe raised his hands, but before he could finish, the female snake-person cut him off.

"Who are you people? How dare you break into our Snake-People Palace!" she snapped.

"No, we didn't intend to trespass," Lu Zhe hurriedly tried to clarify.

"Enough with the excuses! Take this!" Without intending to listen, the snake-woman leaped into the air, extended her right leg, and kicked toward him.

Watching the incoming attack, Lu Zhe hastily pulled out the Meteor Profound Mace from his back to block.

*Thud.*

A soft sound echoed as the snake-woman’s small, fair foot struck the mace. The power behind the kick was significant; Lu Zhe slid back about three feet before he could dissipate the force. He then thrust the mace forward, pushing her away.

The snake-woman performed an elegant backflip in the air and landed gracefully on the edge of the pool.

"Heh, you've got some skills," she said with a hint of admiration. She gestured to the other snake-women, who were moving to help, and said in a seductive tone, "Don't come over. I'll play with this little hunk myself." She then blinked at Lu Zhe, her expression alluring and full of charm. "Little hunk, what's your name?"

Lu Zhe looked at the woman, who was enchanting enough to captivate thousands of men. He steadied his mind and said coldly, "Why do you ask? What business is it of yours who I am?"

"Oh, what a cold little thing. And here I was asking out of the kindness of my heart—you're just bullying me," she replied, her voice meltingly sweet. It sounded as though it could dissolve one’s very bones, but to Lu Zhe, it only made his skin crawl.

Pointing his mace at her, he asked coldly, "What do you want?"

Watching him grip his weapon, the snake-woman gave a charming smile. She draped her silk shawl over her shoulder, reclined by the pool, and tapped a finger against her cherry-red lips. With eyes like silk, she cooed, "Oh, why must we fight? Why don't we sit down and have a nice chat?" Every movement was filled with temptation. If he were a man even slightly prone to lust, he would have pounced on her long ago, but fortunately, Lu Zhe was not that kind of man.

Lu Zhe closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking to himself, *I’ve heard that snake-people are ruthless, especially the females, who excel in the arts of seduction. Seeing it today, it’s all true.*

He opened his bright, deep eyes, his gaze unwavering, and said coldly, "Enough with the nonsense. Let's fight."

The snake-woman seemed slightly annoyed. She sat up from the edge of the pool, pouting with her red lips, and said, "What an unappreciative man. If you keep this up, big sister is going to get angry."

"Witch, it doesn't matter what you say!" Lu Zhe shouted. He took a step forward, lunged, and swung his mace at her.

The snake-woman’s seductive eyes turned cold, a trace of killing intent flickering within them. "You don't know what's good for you," she hissed. She caught the mace with her hand, then tapped a finger against his chest. Lu Zhe felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow; he flew backward, exited the pool, and slammed into the wall with such force that cracks appeared in the stone.

Lu Zhe spat out a mouthful of blood, braced himself with his mace, and knelt on the floor, gasping for air.

The snake-woman sat by the pool, crossing her legs, and looked down at him with disdain. "What’s wrong? The guy who was talking so big just now is already finished?"

Lu Zhe clutched his chest and looked up. *How powerful,* he thought. *To be that strong with just a single finger—among those I've met, probably only Master Ye and Doctor Lao could achieve this.*

Seeing his solemn expression, the snake-woman gave a bewitching smile. She stood up, flicked her silk shawl, and moved gracefully to stand before him.

Crouching down, she ran a slender, jade-like finger across his cheek and said with mock pity, "Oh, it's big sister's fault. Look at what I've done to my little hunk."

"Shameless!" Lu Zhe roared. He channeled his remaining strength into the mace and struck out, forcing her to retreat a few steps. He then seized the opportunity to charge at her.

The snake-woman remained calm. She reached out her right hand and effortlessly caught his mace, twisted it, wrenched it from his grasp, and kicked him away again.

*Thump.*

This time, Lu Zhe flew backward while vomiting blood, slamming into the same wall. The cracks widened significantly.

The woman toyed with the mace in her right hand; the impossibly heavy weapon seemed weightless to her. As she twirled it, she looked at the prone Lu Zhe and teased, "Little brother, looking at your skills, you must be at the Spirit Master level. To achieve this at such a young age makes you a rare talent. However..." Her voice rose, as if to emphasize her point, "...big sister here is a Spirit King."

Lu Zhe’s eyebrows twitched as he lay on the floor. He was shocked, but it was not unexpected; given how easily she had toyed with him, it was clear she held strength far beyond his own.

Suddenly, Lu Zhe heard her cry out in surprise, followed by a loud *thud*, as if something heavy had been dropped.

He looked up to see her staring at the fallen Meteor Profound Mace with bewilderment. "What in the world is this thing?" she muttered. "Not only is it incredibly heavy, but it actually suppresses the flow of spiritual energy in one's body!"

Lu Zhe smiled, wobbling as he stood up. "Not knowing even that? How ignorant."

Infuriated by his mockery, the snake-woman’s face flushed with rage. She strode over and swung her hand to slap him across the face.

*Smack.*

Just as her hand was about to strike, Lu Zhe reacted with lightning speed, grabbing her wrist. He punched her abdomen with his left hand and roared, "Collapsing Fist!"

*Thud.*

His fist connected with her lower abdomen, but nothing happened. She laughed, mocking him, "Is that supposed to tickle?"

Lu Zhe looked up. When the snake-woman saw the clarity in his bright, flawless eyes, a sense of unease rose within her. Seeing the hint of a smile on his face, she felt a terrible premonition.

Lu Zhe tightened his lips and whispered, "Boom!"

*BOOM!*

An explosion erupted from the snake-woman’s abdomen. Both she and Lu Zhe were sent flying in opposite directions.

This was the first time Lu Zhe had used the Collapsing Fist in real combat since learning it. The results remained to be seen; after all, she was a Spirit King, and for a Spirit Master to wound her with such a move was perhaps a pipe dream. Yet, to have successfully sent her flying was, for Lu Zhe, no small feat.

At the same time, in another part of the palace, the vanished Old Ye suddenly reappeared...