Reborn as a Snake: Forging a Demon Court Starting from a Black Python

"Poor creatures..."

"It's freezing cold, and snowing heavily. You little rascal, you're frozen stiff here. I'm afraid you won't survive the night, will you?"

An old farmer, wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat and carrying a bamboo basket, was squatting in the snow.

He looked at the black snake by the roadside, its body covered in white frost and already stiff and motionless, his face full of simplicity and pity.

"To meet is to be destined."

The old farmer rubbed his hands, which were covered in chilblains, and sighed, "Alright, alright, I'm a kind-hearted old man and can't bear to see life being taken. I'll save your life this time."

As he spoke, he reached out and picked up the black snake, then tucked it into his warm embrace.

In a typical storyline, this would be a deeply moving scene of redemption.

however……

The black snake on the ground—that is, Lin Xuan, who had just transmigrated—sneered inwardly as it looked at the bright red blood bar above the old farmer's head and the fleeting greed in his eyes.

"What a kind-hearted farmer..."

"Isn't that the infamous fishing monster from the starting village, the Snake Catcher?"

"Under the guise of a farmer rescuing a snake, they use their body heat to revive the snake, then, taking advantage of its weakened state, they steal its gallbladder, skin it, and sell it for money."

"During the previous closed beta, countless newbies who chose the demon race as their starting character were tricked out of their first blood by this old man."

Just as the farmer's hand was about to touch the snake's body...

Lin Xuan did not suddenly attack, but instead cooperated perfectly by contracting his abdomen, pretending to have completely fainted.

He is waiting.

Waiting for a system-wide decision-making mechanism!

As Lin Xuan was placed in the farmer's arms, a warm current instantly enveloped his entire body.

【Ding! 】

[Affected by the farmer's body temperature, your stiff state is being relieved...]

[Thawing progress: 10%...50%...80%...]

It's now!

There's absolutely no need to wait until it reaches 100%!

"Hehe, what a fine black-scaled python! With this quality, its gall bladder will definitely fetch a good price..."

As the farmer walked, he secretly pulled a skinning knife from his waist, and the simple smile on his face instantly turned into a ferocious and terrifying one.

"You little beast, may you be reborn as a human in your next life... huh?!"

Before the farmer could finish speaking, the ferocity on his face turned into terror.

There was a soft hissing sound!

The black snake in my arms, which should have been as stiff as iron, defied the rules of the game and suddenly attacked before it was fully thawed!

Although Lin Xuan's snake body had not fully regained consciousness, its most deadly fangs were already poised to strike.

Instead of biting the farmer's arm, he struck the farmer's carotid artery with pinpoint accuracy, like a black lightning bolt!

Critical hit to the vital point!

"Uh...you...how come..."

The farmer clutched his neck, his pupils contracting violently.

He just couldn't understand it. Shouldn't a snake only wake up and bite when it's warmed up? Why is it moving now?!

Lin Xuan hung around the farmer's neck, his vertical pupils cold, his heart utterly unmoved.

"idiot."

Once more than 50% of the body has thawed, the character is considered to have escaped the "near-death" state.

"You're an NPC following the script, while I... am a player here for a speedrun."

The venom is injected, and it will kill instantly upon contact with blood.

The farmer convulsed, struggled only twice, and then fell straight backward.

boom!

The body lay in the snow, stirring up a flurry of snowflakes.

Lin Xuan loosened its fangs, slowly swam out of the farmer's embrace, and shook the blood droplets off its tail.

"The start went fairly smoothly."

"Although this [Black Scale Python] has a slow initial movement speed, its explosive power and venom are extremely high. It truly lives up to its reputation as a hidden character."

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations to player Lin Xuan for solving the classic Xianxia story "The Farmer and the Snake"!]

[Hidden Ending Achieved: 'The Hunter's Counterattack'!]

[Loot obtained: Rusty skinning knife (white), tattered cotton-padded coat (white), three taels of silver.]

[Defeat the 'Hypocritical Snake Catcher' to gain 80 experience points.]

Congratulations on reaching level 3!

"Is that all you have? What a penniless wretch."

Lin Xuan glanced disdainfully at the fallen items on the ground, then opened his mouth and swallowed the skinning knife (due to the demon race's backpack mechanism), preparing to log off and post a battle report on the forum to show off.

But the next moment.

His previously relaxed, snake-like face instantly froze.

The snake's entire body coiled up like a mosquito coil, frozen in place.

"etc……"

"Why can't I quit???"

After trying a series of unsuccessful attempts, including calling a GM, forcibly disconnecting from the internet, and even trying to knock himself unconscious, he had no choice but to accept this messed-up reality.

He...time traveled.

He traveled into the game "Myth".

Moreover, it became the hidden character he had just spent a fortune to unlock—a giant black-scaled python.

As a professional gamer living in 2046, Lin Xuan didn't have much of a problem with time travel.

After all, the real world is rife with competition, so being an immortal monster in this mythology might not be any worse than being a 996 office worker.

What's more, he came with a max-level strategy guide.

Although "Myth" is touted as the second world of humanity, in Lin Xuan's eyes it is just a collection of data and mechanisms.

Every game has bugs.

As long as there's a bug, you can speedrun it!

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it."

"Fortunately, the 'Black Scale Giant Python's' stats are still intact. As long as I can upgrade it, I can evolve from a snake into a jiao (a type of dragon), and eventually into a true dragon, or even the legendary Zhulong!"

Lin Xuan's mind stirred, and a semi-transparent panel that only he could see appeared on his retina.

[Player: Lin Xuan]

[Race: Black-scaled Giant Python (Rare Mutation)]

[Level: 3 (Lesser Demon)]

[Qi and Blood: 150 (Thick skin and flesh)]

Attack: 20 (Viper Fang Critical Hit)

[Special Abilities: Venom Spray (Basic), Death Coil (Basic)]

[Talent: Devouring Evolution (Evolution points can be obtained by devouring high-level flesh or magical artifacts)]

[Items: Skinning knife (white), a letter tainted with demonic energy (special)]

[Background: You are a highly intelligent black snake from the foot of Mount Qingcheng. Due to your exceptional talents, you have been regarded as a sworn brother by a powerful demon.]

"Fortunately, my core talent [Devour Evolution] is still intact."

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Without this talent, relying solely on meditation and cultivation, he would only be destined to be a housekeeper for the rest of his life.

Then, his gaze fell on the letter from home.

This is an initial perk for hidden characters, and it usually leads to a high-level storyline.

With a thought, Lin Xuan flicked his snake tongue and curled up the letter.

The letter paper had a faint bluish sheen, the handwriting was delicate, and it carried a pleasant lotus fragrance, clearly indicating that it was written by a woman.

[To my sworn brother Xuan'er:]

It has been decades since we parted ways at Qingcheng Mountain.

I have cultivated myself for seventeen hundred years, but recently I feel that my worldly ties are not yet severed, and my mind is unsettled.

I was once saved by a shepherd boy, and the debt of karma has not yet been repaid, so I fear it will be difficult to achieve enlightenment.

Therefore, my sister wishes to make a trip to West Lake in Hangzhou to end this earthly bond.

It was the third day of the third lunar month, and the West Lake was shrouded in mist and rain, making for a beautiful scene.

If you leave the pass, brother, please come to Hangzhou to find me as soon as possible. I've heard that the monks at Jinshan Temple have been quite restless lately. I'm outnumbered and outmatched, and I only hope that you can come and lend me a hand.

If we can obtain the "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon True Scripture" or the "Purple Gold Bowl" from that old monk, the day when you and I, brother and sister, transform into dragons will be just around the corner!

—Written by Bai Suzhen, the sworn sister.

"Bai Suzhen?!"

Lin Xuan's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, then burst forth with a sharp light.

Steady!

This start was absolutely incredible!

This letter contains a wealth of information:

First, his backer is Lady White Snake, a thousand-year-old demon with a level of over 40!

Secondly, the current timeline is when Bai Suzhen is just preparing to go down the mountain to repay a debt of gratitude, and has not yet met Xu Xian.

Third, and most importantly, the Jinshan Temple instance is not yet open!

"According to the original plot, Bai Suzhen will be dragged down by Xu Xian, that gigolo, and will eventually be imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda by Fahai."

"But since I'm here..."

Lin Xuan flicked his tongue and let out a cold, hissing laugh.

"Xu Xian? Go play in the mud."

"I'll eat that gigolo myself!"

"And all the treasures that old bald monk Fahai possesses... are mine!"

As long as they can latch onto Bai Suzhen's coattails and take advantage of the time difference of several hundred years, they can intercept all those unclaimed opportunities.

What havoc in Heaven, what flooding of Jinshan Temple?

The script for this life must be written by Lin Xuan!

"Objective confirmed: Head to Hangzhou and reunite with Bai Suzhen!"

Lin Xuan put away the letter, determined the direction, and then, dragging his black snake body, quickly disappeared into the vast snowfield.