WWWASTJWTCAT?

86-90

Chapter 86

After a period of time, Xu Nian regained her energy.

It could also be because she had successfully advanced to the thirteenth-rank. The surge in her power brought an overwhelming sense of joy, although it might just be a psychological effect.

Sadly, the recent “blood donations” have become more frequent, as if determined to drain her to the point of becoming a dry husk.

Xu Nian felt it was crucial to have a conversation with Elder Qing Lu about sustainable development. She believed in the principle that maintaining resources was vital for long-term prosperity, much like the concept that preserving the green mountains ensures a continuous supply of wood, and avoiding fishing by draining the pond to prevent resource depletion.

She walked ahead confidently and said to Qing Ye who followed behind, “No need to lead the way. I know the path. After all this time, are you still worried that I’ll run away?”

Qing Ye, swaying her snake tail, caught up and said, “Great Spirit Snake, we are heading to the ancestral hall this time.”

Usually, they went to the gloomy, empty council hall of the family head. Now, without a word, the location had changed. What was going on?

Xu Nian suddenly became vigilant.

It was amusing that the Qingxuan King Snake clan, clearly a clan of demon beasts, imitated humans by setting up an ancestral hall for their ancestors.

As usual, Qing Ye left her at the ancestral hall and departed. The large hall was empty except for Xu Nian. Having arrived, she aimlessly examined this uniquely styled demonic cultivators’ ancestral hall.

This hall was slightly different from human ancestral halls. After careful observation, Xu Nian realized they worshipped the ascended demonic cultivators of their clan. She counted over a dozen plaques, amazed at the high ascension rate within the clan.

If ascension was akin to passing the imperial examination, having one person achieve it in an ordinary family would be a matter of great pride. Yet, the Qingxuan King Snake clan had produced several ascendants over a thousand years. Based on the worldview from novels she read in her previous life, this was an event capable of creating a major stir.

Moreover, having stayed so long among the Qingxuan King Snakes, she found that despite their large territory, the clan wasn’t populous. Many who hadn’t fully transformed lived in caves within the mountains, and those who hadn’t completely transformed rarely met Xu Nian, except when summoned by the family head or the Elders.

By Xu Nian’s rough estimate, there were at most two to three hundred Qingxuan King Snakes, considering the extent of their territory. She couldn’t understand why such a pinnacle force in the demonic cultivation world, with a terrifying ascension rate of one every hundred years, was not only failing to grow but was weakening. Could it be due to the great war a hundred years ago mentioned by Elder Qing Lu, which led to the decline of the clan’s prime-aged demon snakes, preventing their recovery?

Xu Nian waited a long time in the ancestral hall. Instead of Elder Qing Lu, Qing Cheng and Qing Jin arrived.

She was puzzled. “Isn’t Elder Qing Lu coming this time?”

In the past, blood donations were made in front of Elder Qing Lu. She would be held down by the shoulders by two fourteenth-rank Qingxuan King Snakes, and another with swift knife skills would make the cut and attach a tube to her artery to draw blood.

This time, only two demons had come. Did they trust her enough to streamline the process?

Qing Cheng and Qing Jin exchanged glances, then Qing Cheng spoke, “The Elder had urgent matters to attend to and asked us to handle this.”