142. Between the White Snake and the Green Snake

Nearly everyone was astonished to see the Snake Fairy set aside her weapon.

Whispers about the two of them rippled through the crowd. With the Mountain Crushing Sect completely wiped out, the survivors were desperate to draw attention to themselves. One fellow remarked, "Look at that, it’s truly scandalous. Nine times out of ten, this Snake Fairy has some unspeakable secret with Xie Wuji. The way they’re making eyes at each other makes me insanely jealous. And who is she? The Snake Fairy is the woman with the highest chance in a millennium of achieving a perfect inheritance of the Abyss Flood Dragon from Snake Island!"

"You can say that again. A beauty like her is exactly what every man dreams of. Look at those breasts, that waist, those lips... tsk, tsk. Although Baili Qingyan of the Danxia Sect is a stunning beauty, she seems like the ascetic type, indifferent to everyone. But the Snake Fairy is from Snake Island. And what are the women of Snake Island best at? Isn't it seducing men? Hahaha!"

The foul language from the onlookers made Xie Wuji uncomfortable. He looked at the Snake Fairy and asked, "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Say what?" The Snake Fairy looked at the man before her, her eyes brimming with a smile.

Xie Wuji stepped forward. "I mean, are you deaf or what? They’re saying all these things about you, and you don’t have any reaction?"

"You must understand, what they say is the truth. The charm techniques of Snake Island are indeed an important branch of our sect's unique skills," the Snake Fairy replied. Her body began to shimmer with swirling, multicolored light, as if she were preparing to unleash a powerful technique.

Xie Wuji watched her vigilantly. Suddenly, a snake-woman manifestation appeared behind her—a creature identical in form to the one Baili Qingyan had once summoned.

However, upon closer inspection, Xie Wuji realized that while Baili Qingyan’s snake-woman was black, the Snake Fairy’s was green. He knew that Baili Qingyan’s manifestation possessed weak venom but immense attack power. He suspected the creature before him was the exact opposite.

This snake-woman had sharp fangs, clearly hiding a lethal, potent toxin. Xie Wuji, in turn, materialized one of his own spirit beasts.

Materializing a spirit beast was time-limited; since it had already been absorbed into his own body, maintaining its physical form consumed a great deal of his stamina and spiritual energy.

When the crowd saw Xie Wuji’s Fire Ape, they erupted into mockery.

"I thought Xie Wuji had some hidden ace up his sleeve, but it’s just a Fire Ape. To think he’s acting so smug over an Earth-tier Fire Ape—how amusing!"

"Haha! So, Xie Wuji is nothing but a paper tiger. Although he shone during the internal energy contest, it cannot be denied that he is far inferior in close-quarters combat. Such an obvious flaw must be clear as day to the Snake Fairy, the mistress of Snake Island."

"I’m betting that Xie Wuji will lose in a humiliating fashion!"

The Snake Fairy smiled. "For this round, why don't we have our spirit beasts duel each other? After all, you and I both harbor another spirit beast."

Xie Wuji was stunned. His expression froze. He had always prided himself on keeping his secrets well-guarded, yet the Snake Fairy actually knew about his other spirit beast?

Could it be that she had discerned his First-Grade Golden Core, and also realized that his other spirit beast was the Phoenix, one of the Twelve Divine Beasts?

As he hesitated, the Snake Fairy's snake-woman lunged forward.

Indeed, her snake-woman was superior. Xie Wuji recalled a rumor that Baili Qingyan’s snake-woman had been purchased from Snake Island by Ding Desheng at a high price. Snake Island was famous for its various venomous snakes, and these snake-women were as rare and precious to the island as giant pandas were to the Celestial Empire.

Legend had it that there was also a "Snake Queen" among the snake-women, a mysterious and elusive entity whose true nature remained one of the highest secrets of Snake Island.

The green-haired snake-woman before him, wreathed in poisonous mist, launched a peerless assault on the Fire Ape the moment they met.

The Fire Ape’s body suddenly surged in size. It pounded its chest, letting out a roar, and flames—Xie Wuji’s own Undying True Fire, which he had imparted to the beast—flared upon its fists.

While Xie Wuji and the Snake Fairy remained motionless in their respective corners of the arena, the Fire Ape and the snake-woman clashed. Despite her slender upper body, the snake-woman possessed immense strength. Their hands locked together, and they began a trial of brute force.

Neither would yield an inch. The stage erupted into a spectacle of raging flames, intense and breathtaking.

Suddenly, both beasts leapt apart and began circling the arena. Just as the spectators grew puzzled, the Fire Ape launched the first strike, springing into the air with fists clenched, hammering toward the snake-woman’s head.

The snake-woman flicked her scarlet tongue and emitted a strange, eerie smile. Xie Wuji knew that the intelligence of this snake-woman was among the highest of all spirit beasts. Just as humans have their ranks, so do beasts, and this creature was clearly a cut above the rest—powerful, fierce, and seemingly flawless.

Sure enough, as the Fire Ape dove down, the snake-woman’s tail suddenly lashed out like a spike from the earth, spiraling around the Fire Ape’s fists and dragging the beast into her embrace. The Fire Ape’s fists struck the ground instead, cracking the stage, and the beast found itself pinned against the floor.

The snake-woman took the opportunity to coil tightly around the Fire Ape, rendering it unable to move.

Seeing this, the onlookers gasped, many concluding that Xie Wuji was finished.

Yet, Xie Wuji only smiled. "Finally, face to face."

"What?!" The Snake Fairy felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

At that moment, the Fire Ape opened its mouth and blasted a massive fireball—an orb of Undying True Fire infused with ten-tenths of Xie Wuji's spiritual energy, a trap he had laid in advance.

Having dueled Baili Qingyan before, Xie Wuji knew the snake-woman’s combat style. Her greatest trump card was constriction—binding her prey until their bones were crushed. Xie Wuji had banked on this move; whether it was a venomous snake or a common one, it had to immobilize its prey before going for the kill. The trap was sprung.

As the snake-woman prepared to sink her fangs into the Fire Ape, she was hit point-blank by the fireball!

*Boom!*

The fireball exploded, and tongues of flame scattered in all directions. Having suffered a critical hit, the snake-woman dissipated into smoke. As a spirit beast, her form was composed of concentrated spiritual energy; once that energy was shattered, she vanished, and would require time to reform.

The physical toll on the Snake Fairy was immense. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she gave a faint smile. "Truly impressive. Although the quality of my spirit beast is far superior to yours, you used such a clever tactic. Tsk, tsk..."

"Does that mean I won?" Xie Wuji asked playfully.

"Regardless, I am the mistress of Snake Island. If I lose to you, how could I face the people of my home? You still have one more spirit beast. Do you dare to bring it out?" the Snake Fairy challenged.

Xie Wuji’s brows tightened. "I’m sorry, but that last spirit beast is my absolute limit. I don't want to use it, because it would end up hurting you, too."

Suddenly, the Snake Fairy drew a sword and tossed it to Xie Wuji, while she produced a different blade—a green one. "Come then! If that's the case, let one strike decide the victor!"

"The White Snake!" The other members of Snake Island were instantly stirred into a frenzy.

"Impossible. There is no one in this world who can draw the White Snake," one disciple exclaimed.

The Snake Fairy bit her lip, her chest rising and falling as she watched Xie Wuji with nervous intensity. She was taking a gamble. The duel was merely a pretext—she wanted to see if the one capable of drawing the White Snake was standing right before her.