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

"No, that's not a dragon! It's just a jiaolong!"

Suddenly someone shouted.

The other cultivators turned around and saw that the person who spoke was an old man, the temple keeper of the River God Temple.

It turns out that this temple keeper was not a creature of the sea, nor was he some kind of shrimp soldier or crab general; he was actually a human.

He only became a temple keeper because he received guidance from the river god when he was a child.

The temple keeper's eyes gleamed; he had been somewhat worried at first, but now he was completely calm.

After uttering that cry, he looked disdainful, flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said with a very calm expression:

"Don't be fooled by that guy. Although he is huge and has some dragon might, he is not a true dragon, but just a jiaolong."

With the temple keeper's reminder, the other cultivators looked at the black dragon-shaped creature again and indeed noticed something was wrong.

"The temple keeper is right! Look at its claws, look at its head and horns, this is definitely not a real dragon!" someone nodded in agreement.

But some people remain nervous:

"However, I have heard that there are also strong ones among the dragons, who may not be no match for the dragon race."

Upon hearing this, the temple keeper flew into a rage, glaring at the speaker with eyes blazing with fury: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Do you think of my river god as some ordinary nobody?"

"Let me tell you! The river god's name is Ao Quan, a righteous god under the command of the East Sea Dragon King! He is considered a powerful figure even among the dragons!"

When Ao Quan's name was mentioned, the temple keeper dared not be negligent. He stretched out his hands from behind and bowed to Ao Quan, who was in mid-air.

But his respect was only directed at Ao Quan. After bowing, he immediately reverted to his original expression, raised his head, and said arrogantly:

"If you don't believe me, just wait and see! This dragon... oh no, it should be Lin Xuan."

"This Lin Xuan is nothing but a clown compared to my River God!"

"I only managed to steal a little advantage because the river god hadn't seen through his true form. Once the river god gets serious, hehe."

Finally, the temple keeper chuckled coldly twice, not finishing his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

In a battle between a powerful dragon from the East Sea and a nameless, unknown dragon, the dragon would undoubtedly have the upper hand.

Beside the carriage, the steward stared blankly at Lin Xuan, his feelings very complicated, not knowing what to say.

He had already believed those claims and thought Lin Xuan was a charlatan who at most knew a few very rudimentary Taoist techniques.

But now it seems that Lin Xuan is actually a dragon!

"No wonder the prefect trusted him so much; I was blind to his worth!"

"I never expected my husband to have such discerning eyes! But... what a pity!"

The steward thought to himself that although Lin Xuan was indeed very powerful, the River God was not a false god, but a genuine dragon.

This island is incredibly large, almost like an independent continent.

But the butler knew that this was still just an island in the East China Sea.

Like a small boat, it sits on the boundless East Sea, and the surrounding tens of thousands of miles are all the territory of the Dragon King of the East Sea.

The title "Dragon" carries immense prestige, much like the sun in the sky—it's beyond question.

The steward shook his head slightly, patted the carriage with his hand, and whispered, "Master, it seems your luck isn't very good either, but things are much easier for us now."

His mind worked quickly, and he managed to find another way to survive.

"That Lin Xuan is, after all, a dragon. As long as we insist afterwards that you, sir, were bewitched by him, which is why you disrespected the River God, there will still be room for maneuver!"

Inside the carriage, Wei Wen was completely dumbfounded.

In the short span of a few dozen breaths, a series of events left his mind blank.

Even when the butler spoke to him intentionally, he did not react at all.

This puzzled the butler, who wanted to get into the car and compare statements with Wei Wen.

But just as he stepped one foot onto the carriage, Lin Xuan's voice rang out.

"Ao Quan, you really have no shame."

"Who do you think you are, daring to impersonate a dragon in front of me?"

These words were utterly contrary to the will of Heaven.

No, what exactly did Lin Xuan mean by that?

Even Ao Quan found it strange, and withdrew his dragon claw, asking in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Lin Xuan snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the shrimp soldiers and crab generals in the sky, and said meaningfully:

"Stop playing dumb."

"We both know perfectly well that only I am the true dragon!"

"Ridiculous!" Ao Quan curled his lip, taking Lin Xuan's words as mere ramblings on the verge of death, and did not take them to heart.

Since his birth, he has seen countless real dragons and jiaolong.

Even if one were to attend the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet and drink hundreds of pounds of fine wine, one could still tell the difference between the two with one's eyes closed.

Lin Xuan made up his mind without any real intention, claiming that he was the true dragon.

Ao Quan didn't even bother to refute such nonsense.

Ao Quan swung his body, but this time he didn't swing his dragon claws; instead, he lashed out with his tail.

Although he looked down on Lin Xuan, he knew that this guy was not easy to deal with, so he changed his attack methods.

[Dragon's Tail Swing!]

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up; this was the first time he had ever encountered a genuine dragon tail sweep from the dragon race.

During the last major battle with the Jinghai Dragon King, that dragon king happened to not know this skill.

"Alright, alright! So you know this trick too! Then I'll show you what a real dragon's tail sweep looks like!"

Lin Xuan laughed loudly, his body twisting in the same way as Ao Quan's movements.

The same amplitude, the same twitching, the same arc.

The two dragon tails lashed together violently, scattering countless scales and making a teeth-grinding sound.

"this……"

Everyone was stunned, unable to believe their eyes.

Lin Xuan is a dragon, so it's normal for him to survive a few moves against Ao Quan; there's nothing surprising about it.

But Lin Xuan was able to use the exact same Dragon Tail Sweep, which was a bit outrageous.

Countless people turned to look at the temple keeper, hoping he could offer an explanation.

But the temple keeper was actually the most surprised, his mouth agape as he stared blankly at Lin Xuan.

In his understanding, the Dragon Tail Swing was a unique skill belonging only to the dragon race.

How could Lin Xuan also use it? Could it be that he is a descendant of a powerful dragon clan, but his bloodline is impure, which is why he resembles a dragon?

Just as the temple keeper hesitated, Ao Quan came to his senses, retracted his tail, and used his magic to repair the injury on his tail.

New scales grew from the flesh and blood, covering all the wounds in the blink of an eye.

While casting his magic spells, Ao Quan stared at Lin Xuan and asked:

"Just who are you?"

He recalled his initial guess and, feeling somewhat uncertain, continued:

"Could you be Ao Bing's subordinate? It must be! Otherwise, how could you have so easily identified me!"

"Lin Xuan, go back and tell your Highness that this is not a place where he can run wild!"

"If he's truly coveting the incense offerings here, let him go to the Dragon King of the East Sea himself and see if the Dragon King will grant him this place! He's outwardly calm but secretly sending you here to cause trouble—what kind of behavior is that!"

Ao Quan's words were simple, and even the temple keeper didn't quite understand them, but to Lin Xuan, they were like a thunderclap.

[Ding! You have received a side quest: Internal Conflicts in the East China Sea!]

The East Sea is powerful, and its Dragon King, Ao Guang, holds a prestigious position; however, his princes are engaged in open and covert struggles.

You can choose your faction, either siding with Ao Jia or Ao Bing.

A glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes; he finally knew who the owner behind this island was.

"So this is the territory of the Crown Prince of the East Sea!"

"Moreover, the Third Prince Ao Bing is also eyeing this place covetously, and may have already used some means to infiltrate it."

"That's why Ao Quan felt something was off about me, suspecting I was also from the dragon clan, which is why he went directly to the Third Prince, Ao Bing."

"Also, this quest is quite good. If I choose a faction, I can find out the location of the faction leader, making it easier to go and accept the quest."

These words, though they would take a long time to say, flashed through Lin Xuan's mind in just one breath.

Lin Xuan calmed himself down, tossed the system notification aside, and instead of choosing a side, deliberately spoke mysteriously:

"Hmph, what's the point of telling me these things?"

"Besides, you fake dragon, how dare you spout such nonsense in front of me? I think you really don't want to live!"

"If you really want to die, I'll show you a clear path: go to Jambudvipa right now, find a child playing in the water at the beach, and cause him trouble. He can send you away in no time!"

Ao Quan, of course, didn't understand Lin Xuan's words and frowned, saying, "What kind of nonsense is this?"

But he didn't think much of it and quickly shook his head and sneered.

"So, Lin Xuan, you really want to settle things with me today?"

"Alright, I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

As soon as he finished speaking, golden light shone from Ao Quan's body, intertwining with his original blue body and emitting an inexplicable aura.

Lin Xuan had seen this scene many times before, and he knew what was happening almost without any system prompts.

This is blessed by incense!

And it's not just any ordinary blessing!

Since Ao Bing coveted this island, it was indeed not as simple as it seemed.

Even though Ao Quan wasn't the owner of this island, but merely a river god under the owner's command guarding a region, he still received a massive share of the benefits.

The countless offerings accumulated over the years were activated in an instant.

【warn!warn! 】

Your opponent, Ao Quan, has received a comprehensive upgrade!

[Attack and defense increased by 20%, HP increased by 20%]

Critical hit damage increased by 100%

Your chances of winning are rapidly decreasing!

Lin Xuan listened silently to the system prompts and nodded to himself.

Just as he thought, the incense was not so simple to use; the higher the amplification level, the stronger the buff.

Compared to the buff from the Serene Sea Dragon King, Ao Quan has an additional boost: increased critical hit rate.

100% critical hit rate means every attack is a critical hit, doubling the attack power.

"But that makes sense; offerings of incense are a form of prayer."

When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their support, and with the blessing of incense, everything you do will naturally go smoothly.

Lin Xuan nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Ao Quan raised his paw, pointing it directly at Lin Xuan, and said coldly, "Why are you nodding?"

"So, at this point, you're trying to curry favor with me?"

"It's too late to tell you!"