Translator: CinderTL
"Miss," Song Wen said, his face filled with feigned confusion, "what is the Willow Serpent Clan?"
This time, it was Qing Lian's turn to be astonished.
"You've never heard of the Willow Serpent Clan?"
Song Wen nodded slightly, then launched into a series of elaborate lies.
"To be honest, I was being hunted by my enemies. In my desperate flight, I stumbled upon an Ancient Teleportation Array. With no other choice, I activated it. But instead of escaping, I was transported to this unfamiliar land, where there are no humans—only endless demon races."
"Though the demons possess considerable intelligence, their languages differ, making communication impossible. I've been wandering this continent, hoping to find a way back. You're the first half-human, half-serpent being I've encountered who speaks human tongue, allowing us to communicate. That's why I risked my life to save you."
"I see," Qing Lian said, gliding to face Song Wen directly, her eyes fixed on him. "The Willow Serpent Clan possesses the bloodlines of both humans and the divine beast Teng Snake, making us one of the most powerful races on this continent. If you travel west from the mountain valley where you saved me for about 150,000 kilometers, you'll reach the Cloudfall Plains. Deep within those plains, you'll find many Willow Serpent Clan members. The Cloudfall Plains are our ancestral home."
"What exactly is this 'King Jianglin' you mentioned earlier?" Song Wen asked.
"Jianglin is my elder brother's title," Qing Lian explained. "Within the Willow Serpent Clan, those who reach the eighth-tier of cultivation are entitled to be called 'King.'"
"Your brother is an eighth-tier powerhouse?" A hint of surprise flashed in Song Wen's eyes before he continued, "May I ask how many eighth-tier powerhouses the Willow Serpent Clan possesses?"
"Over a dozen," Qing Lian replied.
"So many! Are there any ninth-tier powerhouses as well?" Song Wen pressed.
Reverence filled Qing Lian's vertical pupils.
"Of course. Without a ninth-tier powerhouse to oversee us, how could we claim to be the strongest race on the Western Rong Continent? My elder brother's master is the clan's sole ninth-tier powerhouse, known as Venerable Bi Wu. However, Venerable Bi Wu spends most of her time in secluded cultivation, rarely intervening in clan affairs and seldom showing herself."
Song Wen's heart sank at this news.
The stronger the Willow Serpent Clan's forces, the more difficult it would be for him to obtain the Yaoguang Lotus.
With over a dozen eighth-tier Willow Serpents and a ninth-tier Willow Serpent guarding it, he dared not even entertain the thought of seizing it by force.
I wonder how highly the Yaoguang Lotus is valued within the Willow Serpent Clan? If it's not particularly useful to them, it might be easier to obtain, Song Wen mused.
To gather more information about the Willow Serpent Clan, he shifted the conversation.
"Earlier, you mentioned that the Willow Serpent Clan reveres the human form. I find this quite puzzling. Could you explain the reason behind it?"
Qing Lian replied, "Our clan members are born with strength ranging from the second to third tier. Upon reaching the fifth tier, we can transform into human form. However, these transformations are rarely perfect. Some retain serpentine tails instead of legs, while others cannot alter their vertical pupils or retain patches of scales. The perfection of the transformation improves with increasing strength; the stronger one becomes, the closer they resemble the human race."
Song Wen's eyes flickered with understanding.
Qing Lian's explanation seemed more plausible than Wang Qiuyue's notion that the Willow Serpents simply valued the human form for its beauty.
On the Western Rong Continent, demon beasts roamed freely, constantly vying for survival and territory. Just like cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation World who pursued the Dao of eternal life, strength ultimately determined one's fate. Only those with overwhelming power could secure their place in this brutal world.
"I wonder if I might see your transformed appearance, Miss Qing Lian?" Song Wen asked.
Qing Lian's delicate face flushed crimson, and she grew visibly flustered.
Seeing her awkwardness, Song Wen quickly added, "Please don't misunderstand, Miss. I'm simply curious and have no ulterior motives. If it's inconvenient, then forget I asked."
"Actually... it's not really inconvenient," Qing Lian murmured, her voice barely audible.
By the time she finished speaking, the blush on her cheeks had spread to the back of her ears, burning hot like a red-hot branding iron.
Suddenly, a cyan spiritual light erupted from her body, gradually enveloping her entirely, obscuring her form.
After a few breaths, the light dissipated.
The human-bodied, snake-tailed Qing Lian had vanished. In her place stood a woman over five feet tall.
Her upper body and face remained largely unchanged, except for her vertical pupils, which had transformed into human-like irises, and the addition of a few jade-green snake scales on her forehead.
The most striking transformation was her snake tail, which had become a pair of slender legs. However, from the thighs down, they were covered in snake scales, resembling a pair of custom-made leather boots.
At that moment, Song Wen finally understood why she had been so hesitant earlier.
Apart from the scales on her legs and the seashell covering her chest, she wore nothing else.
Song Wen froze for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze.
"My apologies. I was being presumptuous."
Qing Lian, however, seemed much more composed now.
"There's no need to blame yourself. We Willow Serpents are different from your human race; we don't wear clothes. But we usually only assume human form in front of our dao companions."
"I was being impetuous, unaware of the custom. Please, transform back," Song Wen said.
"You are my savior. If you wish to see me in human form, I... I would actually be quite pleased," Qing Lian said softly, her eyes burning with intensity.
Seeing that she wasn't transforming back, Song Wen found it difficult to maintain eye contact, his gaze drifting awkwardly.
"Do you Willow Serpents also have dao companions?"
"Of course," Qing Lian replied. "However, among Willow Serpents, females far outnumber males. Often, a single male will have several, even dozens, of dao companions. Yet despite this, our reproduction remains extremely difficult. The entire Willow Serpent Clan numbers less than a million."
Song Wen suddenly felt a dull ache in his lower back.
"Your clan is so small?" he asked, his tone surprised.
For a race with fewer than a million members to have produced over a dozen eighth-tier demonic beasts and a single ninth-tier one was truly remarkable. The Willow Serpent Clan lived up to its reputation as descendants of divine beasts, possessing extraordinary innate talent.
"By the way, I still don't know your name," Qing Lian said.
"Ji Yin," Song Wen replied, revealing his true daoist title.
In truth, his current appearance was also his true form.
Even before he began cultivating, his features had been considered handsome. Now, with his cultivation at its peak and years of nourishment from Spiritual Qi, his divine bearing and striking looks were even more pronounced.
He had adopted this appearance because Wang Qiuyue had mentioned that both male and female members of the Willow Serpent Clan were exceptionally beautiful. He reasoned that a more handsome appearance would make him more acceptable to Qing Lian.
"Ji Yin?" Qing Lian's eyes shimmered with a radiant light, like stars twinkling within them.
"Ji Yin, will you become my dao companion?"
"I am human. How could I possibly become your dao companion?" Song Wen asked, astonished.
Qing Lian raised her arms horizontally and spun in place, as if showcasing her delicate figure.
"My current form is nearly indistinguishable from humans. Why couldn't we become dao companions? Besides, I specifically desire a human."
Song Wen gave Qing Lian a strange look. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was overly fixated on his human identity. In fact, his earlier "hero saves damsel" act now seemed unnecessary; simply revealing his human status might have been enough to win her favor.
"Qing Lian, I don't know the customs or significance of dao companionship among the Willow Serpent Clan. But among humans, becoming dao companions means 'unwavering loyalty, companionship until death.' Therefore, I cannot give you an answer lightly. I hope you can understand."
(End of the Chapter)
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