I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 697 The Flower Snake King
As night deepens, Rouge Lane in the west of Jiangling County presents a completely different world.

Strings of red lanterns hung from the eaves, their warm light reflecting off the damp cobblestone path. The scents of perfume and wine mingled, and the faint sounds of sheng and xiao (traditional Chinese wind instruments) could be heard throughout the air.

The pavilions were filled with people, laughing and talking, a stark contrast to the deathly desolation elsewhere in the city.

Jiang Wen used his transformation technique to become an ordinary-looking but richly dressed merchant, and followed the crowd into the most magnificent Xiaojin Pavilion.

As soon as you step through the door, a wave of hot air mixed with rich aromas of powder, wine, and meat hits you.

A flamboyantly dressed madam, still possessing a certain charm, immediately swayed her hips and approached with a fawning smile, saying, "Oh my, sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our brothel? Please come in! We guarantee you'll be very comfortable!"

Jiang Wen nodded slightly, casually tossed over a silver ingot, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Find a quiet private room and call a girl who can talk."

The madam took the silver, her eyes lit up, and her attitude became even more enthusiastic. She quickly led him to a private room by the window on the second floor.

Before long, a woman carrying a pipa and dressed in simple clothes walked in with her head down. She was young and had delicate features, but her brows were shrouded in a layer of sorrow that she could not shake off.

"This humble servant... Wan Niang greets you, young master." Her voice was weak and tinged with timidity.

Jiang Wen gestured for her to sit down and casually asked, "Judging from your accent, you don't sound like a local?"

Wan Niang trembled slightly and whispered, "I was originally from Liulin Village outside the city. Before the New Year, the county levied an additional tax to suppress bandits, and my family simply couldn't afford it, so my parents had no choice but to sell me here."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly, but she forced herself to hold back her tears.

Just as Jiang Wen was about to ask another question, his divine sense suddenly stirred, sensing a familiar aura. He discovered that Magistrate Zhou Fu had also brazenly appeared in the backyard of Xiaojin Pavilion.

His mind raced, and he took out a few pieces of silver and placed them in front of Wan Niang, his voice softening: "Take this silver. Listen to me, leave here early tonight, find an excuse to go back to your room and rest, and don't come out again."

Wan Niang looked up in astonishment, seeing Jiang Wen's calm yet unquestionable gaze, and then glanced at the silver on the table. Although she didn't understand why, she instinctively felt a sense of unease. She quickly nodded, picked up her pipa, and hurriedly left.

Jiang Wen's figure flickered, as if blending into the shadows, and he silently left the private room, concealing himself as he followed Zhou Fu. He used magic to shield his aura, making it difficult for anyone to detect him, no matter how skilled they were.

After passing through several corridors, we arrived at a secluded courtyard that appeared to be a dumping ground for miscellaneous items.

Zhou Fu stopped in front of a stone wall covered with vines, looked around, and then bit his fingertip, smearing a drop of blood on an inconspicuous protruding stone on the wall.

In an instant, the stone wall emitted a barely perceptible ripple, and a dark portal, just wide enough for one person to pass through, quietly appeared. Zhou Fu swiftly slipped inside, and the portal immediately closed, returning the stone wall to its normal appearance.

Jiang Wen's gaze sharpened. No wonder Jiang Su had only sensed the aura gathering here before, but had not been able to find the specific entrance. It turned out that a specific bloodline or method was required to open it.

His figure moved like smoke, and he slipped inside just as the door was about to close.

Behind the door was a narrow, downward-sloping stone staircase, dark and damp, with a strange, sweet yet rotten aroma wafting through the air.

The stone steps wound their way down into the earth, their depths unknown. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up before us.

Even though Jiang Wen was a man of great experience and knowledge, the sight before him made his eyes turn cold.

This is an extremely vast underground palace, with a high-hanging dome inlaid with pearls that emit a dim, eerie light, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

The palace walls were not made of rock, but of countless pale bones, with hollow eye sockets staring silently into the center.

Although the floor was covered with a brightly colored carpet, it could not conceal the eerie, deathly aura that emanated from between the bones.

Even more chilling was the sight of beds and pillows scattered throughout the palace, upon which lay many naked women.

Most of them were young and beautiful, but their skin was so pale it was almost bloodless.

His eyes were empty and dull, like a soulless doll, with a strange, vacant smile on his face, and he occasionally uttered unconscious mutterings.

Upon seeing this, Jiang frowned deeply. He had seen many heretical methods, but such a lewd scene was rare. He followed Zhou Fu into the palace.

Deep within the palace, atop a towering throne made of stacked human skulls, a man reclines in a slumped position.

He was shirtless, revealing his muscular chest. His face was devilishly handsome, but his vertical pupils were a cold, pale gold, and his narrow eyes had a captivating, eerie quality.

From the waist down, however, were not human legs, but a thick snake tail covered in dark blue scales, lazily coiled beneath the throne.

Several stunningly beautiful women, dressed only in thin, transparent gauze robes, knelt around the throne. Their figures were graceful, and their skin was faintly visible, like flying apsaras stepping out of a mural.

With extreme fear and humility on her face, she carefully massaged his legs and shoulders, offered him fine wine and fresh fruit, and moved gently, afraid of disturbing this demon.

The eerie young man, whom the maid called "Flower Snake King," lazily raised his eyelids when Zhou Fu entered, a hint of impatience flashing in his vertical pupils: "You lowly servants, what's the matter with your hurried manner, disturbing my peace?"

Zhou Fu knelt down with a thud, his obese body trembling: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Today, several people from the Tai Shen Palace came to the county and disrupted the river god's sacrifice. They even threw the sorceress and her two disciples into the river! I really don't know what to do, so I came to report to Your Majesty!"

"Tai Shen Palace?" The Flower Snake King scoffed, his snake tail swaying casually.

"Those stray dogs who can't even take care of themselves have the time to concern themselves with Jiangling County? They're probably just a bunch of charlatans pretending to be someone else."

His tone was dismissive, as if he didn't care at all.

Zhou Fu hurriedly kowtowed, flatteringly saying, "Your Majesty possesses boundless magical power and great supernatural abilities, so naturally you have no fear of them. However, those few people have extraordinary bearing, and I fear I possess some skill; what if..."

"What if what?" The Flower Snake King interrupted him, reaching out to hook the chin of a maid beside him. Seeing the fear in her eyes, yet unable to resist, he sneered, "Even if they truly possess some skill, do you think I'm afraid of them? It's been quite a while since I've tasted the essence of a cultivator..."

He licked his lips, a glint of greed flashing in his vertical pupils.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is incredibly powerful; crushing them is as easy as crushing ants!" Zhou Fu quickly flattered.

The Flower Snake King gave a satisfied hum and then asked, "Where are the offerings I asked you to prepare? The Wolf Lord's wedding is coming soon, and I need to prepare a generous gift. I need the Myriad Spirit Pill, refined from the souls of 100,000 living beings. This is of utmost importance. Have you taken care of this matter?"

Zhou Fu trembled, his face drained of color, and he said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, the sacrificial offerings were prepared according to plan, but today, because of those few people's disturbance, the people may have doubts. These 100,000 people are probably..."

"Useless!" The Flower Snake King lashed out with its tail, striking the carpeted floor with a dull thud, which silenced the surrounding maids.

"I don't care what method you use! If you can't gather 100,000 living souls within ten days, you can use your own soul to make up for it!"

"Yes! Yes! This humble official will certainly do it! He will certainly do it!" Zhou Fu kowtowed repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen, who was hiding to the side, already understood.

The so-called river god sacrifice was nothing more than an excuse for this snake demon to seize women's vital essence for cultivation, and those women who became stupid and died were all drained of their vitality by him.

Now, this demonic creature is even going so far as to sacrifice 100,000 souls to refine the extremely vicious Myriad Spirit Pill. This is truly inhuman and a demonic act.

"Hmph, you've certainly got a good plan."

A calm voice suddenly rang out in the empty palace, breaking the previous oppressive atmosphere.

The Flower Snake King suddenly raised his head, his vertical pupils shrank sharply, and his demonic aura surged instantly.

Zhou Fu was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Wen's figure slowly emerged from the void. He still looked like an ordinary merchant, but his eyes were as cold as knives as he stared directly at the strange young man on the white bone throne.

(End of this chapter)