Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 317 Unworthy Descendants
The Snake Worship Cult is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of any local.

This can be seen simply by looking at the Adventurers' Guild's bounty posters. The price of a member of the Serpent Cult is higher than that of a monster, and the Archbishop of the Serpent Cult has consistently ranked high on the bounty list, even reaching the top spot several times.

Clearly, in people's eyes, the Snake Worship Cult is a ferocious entity, as evil as a demon.

However, this is not the case for Du Yi, since he himself is a snake, and the so-called snake worship cult may very well be worshipping himself.

Just like now, this so-called archbishop, didn't he just kneel down when he saw him?

"It's not that troublesome."

While sensing the tonal changes in the language spoken by the other party compared to the Tatungbhu language of yesteryear, Du Yi flicked his long tail, signaling the so-called archbishop to stand up.

"It seems that while I was asleep, you all did some different things..."

At this point, Du Yi couldn't help but recall what the villagers had said.

They are utterly wicked, more ferocious than monsters, monsters, devils... almost every negative word has been used to describe the Serpent Worship Cult.

"So, speak up, tell us all your grievances."

Feeling the connection between their souls and blood, Du Yi's gaze towards the archbishop held a touch more kindness.

"Worshiping me must be tough for you, right? You've been misunderstood a lot over the years, haven't you? I've heard from the locals that you're now even forced to hide and run away... You don't want to live like this forever, do you?"

"You, you actually..."

Faced with the warmth and inclusiveness shown by Du Yi, the Archbishop of the Serpent Cult could not help but tremble with excitement, and even burst into tears!
"I knew it, I knew it... The Great Serpent God will understand us! The Great Serpent God will understand our good intentions!"

Suppressing his excitement, Archbishop Septimus took a deep breath and then stood up.

"Very well, now that the great serpent god has been resurrected, we should naturally celebrate... Let me personally perform a blood sacrifice for this village and contribute to our great cause!"

……

……

"……Um?"

After a moment of silence, Du Yi turned to look at Archbishop Septimus.

"Blood sacrifice?"

"Yes, blood sacrifice."

Archbishop Septimus nodded repeatedly.

"For our great cause..."

"A great cause?"

Du Yi didn't quite understand.

"What great cause requires blood sacrifice?"

"Of course, we should break free from our planet and head towards the distant stars!"

When he spoke of this, Septimus's face was filled with reverence, as if it were the cause he had pursued his entire life.

This made Du Yi even more puzzled.

The wish was indeed a good one; both he and the Tatunbuto people of that time shared this wish.

But here's the problem: what does the dream of space exploration have to do with blood sacrifice?

"That's a very big deal."

Septimus quickly began to explain.

As we all know, venturing into the stars requires immense resources, countless attempts, and endless investment—but the resources available on a planet are ultimately limited, and even need to be distributed among everyone. "Simply put, as long as these villagers are alive, they are sabotaging our great cause."

Archbishop Septimus pointed to the village not far away.

"Look, besides eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, they basically have nothing else to do. The biggest thing they can think of in their lives is building a big house and marrying a beautiful wife... It's such a waste to let these ignorant people use their precious resources to build houses. It would be better to save them all to build spaceships."

"So you're going to perform a blood sacrifice?"

Du Yi was speechless with astonishment.

How exactly did they come up with this bizarre logic?
But Archbishop Septimus believed it wholeheartedly and even nodded in agreement.

"That's why we need to perform a blood sacrifice. After all, every extra day they live is a further disruption to the great cause. But if we sacrifice them all... their resources, their property, their bodies, their consciousness, and even their souls can all contribute to the great cause!"

"……anything else?"

Du Yi was stunned.

He could sense that this archbishop probably still had something to say.

"As expected! I knew you would understand my thoughts!"

Archbishop Septimus turned his head and looked at Du Yi with eyes full of admiration.

"That's not enough, of course. The most important thing is to hear these ignorant people repent in their pain... When flesh is peeled off the skeleton, those wails are proof that they are atoning for their waste!"

At this point, Archbishop Septimus opened his arms to Du Yi!
"That's my favorite sound! It's the sound that leads to the starry sky! Great Serpent God! You must feel the same way!"

"I?"

Du Yi started scratching his head with his tail.

You mean me?

"...Isn't it?"

Archbishop Septimus's gaze held a hint of doubt.

"History records show you killed so many people... You must understand the pleasure you get from it, right? Killing them is like killing monkeys, it's like purifying the whole world..."

boom--

The giant hand, formed from compacted soil, clasped together in an instant, accompanied by a deafening explosion.

The violent tremors shook the entire village, and some flimsy roofs were even blown off by the impact. Everyone in the village was awakened on the spot, but they quickly retreated back into their blankets.

Their excessive fear of overwhelming power prevented them from even running away; all they could do was huddle up, trying to find a sense of security.

The four alien adventurers who were preparing to escape were terrified.

Looking at those muddy hands, still steaming, they dared not think about escaping anymore.

But at that very moment, the pair of giant, closed hands of earth loosened their grip.

"He runs fast."

Du Yi shook his head as he watched the ashes fall from the giant hand of earth.

Clearly, the one who spoke to him just now was not his true form, but merely an avatar woven from vines.

"But... do you really think you can escape?"

Du Yi closed his eyes.

That was a blood connection from the depths of their souls, a blessing the Tatumbutu people had for their descendants—but now, that blessing has turned into boundless rage!
With Du Yi's encouragement, this anger transformed into an invisible blade, following the bloodline connection deep within his soul, crossing the barriers of mountains and seas, and heading straight for the distance.

(End of this chapter)