The death of General Salamander sent a shockwave through the murky depths of Black Water Lake, but the turbulence was short-lived. In the wake of the tyrant's demise, the hierarchy of the deep crumbled and reformed with terrifying speed. The vast majority of the beast subordinates, sensing the shift in the currents of power, wasted no time in bending the knee. They swore allegiance to Luo Zhen not out of loyalty, but out of the primal instinct for self-preservation.
Of course, "vast majority" implies exceptions. A handful of General Salamander's most fanatical loyalists—creatures too blinded by rage or perhaps too stupid to read the room—refused to surrender. Screaming for vengeance, they threw themselves at Luo Zhen, their weapons raised in a futile display of defiance.
It was a pathetic sight.
Luo Zhen didn't even bother to draw a weapon. With a casual flick of his wrist, he wove a series of basic elemental spells. The water boiled and compressed around the attackers. In seconds, the would-be avengers were reduced to drifting particulate matter, silenced before they could even close the distance.
With that minor annoyance liquidated, the transition of power was complete. Luo Zhen formally assumed control over the deceased General's territory, his armies, and, most importantly, his treasury.
Luo Zhen slithered through the water, his massive snake tail propelling him effortlessly toward the heart of his new domain. Before him stood a mansion of grotesque opulence. It was a sprawling estate that Salamander had spent decades constructing, bleeding the local populace dry of manpower and resources to build a monument to his own ego. It was gold-plated, pearl-encrusted, and utterly magnificent.
And now, it belonged to the Green Snake.
Inside the residence, Luo Zhen began the arduous but satisfying task of auditing his spoils. The wealth was staggering—piles of spirit stones, rare herbs, and artifacts. He sorted through the hoard with clinical efficiency, feeding anything useless to the System in exchange for Mall Points, watching his currency counter tick upward.
He was halfway through the inventory when his hand brushed against something cold and heavy.
It was an object that resembled a key, cast in a pale, sickly yellow metal. However, it was far too large for any normal lock—it was the size of a human forearm, radiating a faint, pulsating energy.
Intrigued, Luo Zhen narrowed his eyes. A translucent blue interface flickered into existence before his retina.
Scan.
[Item Name: Seal Key]
[Type: Special Magical Artifact]
[Function: One of the three keys required to unseal the Silver Flood Dragon within Black Water Lake. Collecting all three allows access to the sealed grounds.]
"A key to the Silver Flood Dragon's prison," Luo Zhen murmured, a slow smile spreading across his face.
The timing couldn't have been more serendipitous. The cyclical opening of the Silver Flood Dragon's seal was less than a month away. This event was the most significant opportunity for evolution in the region, a chance to absorb ancient, draconic power.
He pocketed the heavy key into his dimensional storage; his mood significantly brightened. After clearing out the remainder of the treasury—converting a fortune of spirit stones into personal power—Luo Zhen exited the vault and summoned his lieutenant.
"Ah Bao."
The leopard demon materialized almost instantly, bowing low. "Young Master? What are your orders?"
"Two things. Handle them immediately," Luo Zhen said, his voice smooth but commanding. "First, ensure the news of my victory is absolute. I want every creature in Black Water Lake, from the surface to the silt, to know that General Salamander is dead and that I have absorbed his territory."
"It will be done," Ah Bao said. "And the second matter?"
"Send two of your sharpest runners to General Green Frog and General Squid. Tell them I have matters of great importance to discuss regarding the future of the lake. Invite them here for a... parley."
"At once, Young Master!"
Ah Bao was as efficient as he was loyal. Within forty-eight hours, the geopolitical landscape of Black Water Lake had shifted. Luo Zhen was no longer an upstart; he was recognized as one of the Three Great Demon Generals.
It wasn't long before the other two arrived at Luo Zhen's stolen palace.
General Green Frog was a literal interpretation of his name—a hulking, bipedal amphibian with slimy, mottled skin and bulging eyes that twitched nervously. General Squid was a more grotesque hybrid. He maintained a humanoid upper body, but from the waist down, he was a mass of writhing, suction-cupped tentacles that seemed to have a mind of their own.
Both were veterans of the lake, hardened survivors at the Mid-stage of the Demon Core Realm—the same rank the late Salamander had held.
Luo Zhen played the gracious host, ushering them into the main hall. They took their seats, though the air was thick with tension.
General Squid glanced around the opulent room, his lip curling in a sneer. "It's funny," he rasped, his voice sounding like wet gravel. "I was a guest at this table just two days ago, drinking with Salamander. I didn't expect the decor—and the master—to change in the blink of an eye."
Luo Zhen leaned back in his chair, watching the squid demon with heavy-lidded eyes.
The dynamics of the lake were well known. Green Frog was an isolationist, keeping to himself. But Squid and Salamander had been close, thick as thieves. It was natural that Squid would harbor resentment toward the snake who had butchered his sworn brother.
That resentment was exactly why Luo Zhen had invited them. He needed to gauge their temperature. If they were willing to bend, they could live. If they harbored ill intent, he would turn this meeting into a funeral.
"I had a feud with Salamander," Luo Zhen said, his voice flat. "He lacked the strength to survive me. His death was the natural result of his own incompetence. He has only himself to blame."
"Incompetence?" Squid's face flushed a dark violet. He slammed a heavy hand onto the mahogany table.
BANG.
The force was excessive. The table, crafted from ironwood, didn't just crack—it exploded, sending splinters flying like shrapnel.
"A convenient excuse for murder!" Squid roared.
Seeing the atmosphere curdle into violence, General Green Frog jumped in, waving his webbed hands frantically. "Gentlemen, please! Salamander is dead. He is gone. Dwelling on the past benefits no one." He turned his bulging eyes toward Luo Zhen. "Brother Green Snake, you didn't summon us just to rehash old grudges. What is this 'important matter' you wished to discuss?"
Luo Zhen brushed a speck of sawdust from his robe. "The Silver Flood Dragon seal."
The room went quiet.
"I've reviewed the existing protocols," Luo Zhen continued, locking eyes with Green Frog. "As I understand it, the agreement among the factions is simple: common beasts with a pass get one day inside the sealed grounds to absorb the dragon's aura. The Demon Generals get three days. Is that correct?"
"That has always been the way," Green Frog nodded.
"It's a bad system," Luo Zhen said. "I'm changing it."
General Squid narrowed his eyes, his tentacles writhing beneath his chair. "Changing it how?"
"Three days is excessive," Luo Zhen said, as if commenting on the weather. "From now on, everyone—Demon Generals included—will be limited to two hours inside the seal. Everyone, that is, except me."
"You're cutting our time to two hours?" Squid stood up, knocking his chair over. "And you? How long do you get?"
"As long as it takes," Luo Zhen replied calmly. "Ideally, until I have drained the Silver Flood Dragon's corpse of every ounce of power."
Squid let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "You're talking about monopolizing the entire event! You want to swallow the dragon whole!"
"Is there a difference between monopoly and survival?" Luo Zhen asked, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. "The world is a simple place, Squid. The strong eat the weak. I am stronger than all of you combined. Therefore, I get the resources. I get the privileges." He looked back down, his eyes cold and reptilian. "Honestly, giving you two hours is an act of charity. I could have given you nothing."
General Squid shook with rage. He looked Luo Zhen up and down, sensing the aura of the creature before him.
"You arrogant hatchling," Squid spat. "I thought you were some ancient monster, but look at you. You're barely at the early stage of the Demon Core Realm! You only killed Salamander because he was unarmed and careless. Do you truly believe you can dictate terms to us?"
"I don't believe," Luo Zhen said softly. "I know. Killing you, for instance, would be easier than breathing."
"Big words for a small snake!" Squid bellowed. "I've hated your face since you walked in. Today, I'll teach you the price of disrespecting your elders!"
With a guttural roar, Squid opened his mouth and spat out a shimmering, metallic ring. The artifact hummed with lethal energy as it tore through the air, aiming straight for Luo Zhen's throat.
Luo Zhen didn't blink. He didn't even stand up.
He simply raised his right hand. A dark gold ring on his finger flashed, and the air pressure in the room dropped instantly. In his palm, the Thunder Cloud Knife materialized—a blade forged of storm and malice.
Luo Zhen slashed.
It was a casual, almost lazy motion, like swatting a fly.
BOOM!
A blade of pure condensed lightning, over sixty feet long, erupted from the knife. It cleaved through the air with the sound of a tearing sky.
The lightning arc hit General Squid before he could even register the flash. There was no scream, only the wet sound of disintegration. The blade energy obliterated Squid's defensive artifact, shattered his body, and reduced a veteran Demon General to a splatter of wet meat and mist against the far wall.
Silence descended on the hall.
Luo Zhen inspected his fingernails, then looked over at General Green Frog. The amphibian was frozen, his mouth hanging open, his skin pale and trembling.
"Too weak," Luo Zhen sighed, shaking his head. "Disappointingly weak."
He turned his gaze to the frog. "Do you have an opinion on the new schedule, General Frog?"
"No! No opinion!" Green Frog stammered, his voice cracking. "None at all! The schedule is perfect!"
The frog was terrified. He had just witnessed a peer—someone with the same cultivation level as himself—erased from existence in a single heartbeat. And Luo Zhen hadn't even left his chair. This wasn't a battle; it was an execution.
"Good," Luo Zhen smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes. "I appreciate a reasonable mind."
He glanced toward the door. "Ah Bao!"
The leopard demon entered, stepping carefully over the gore. "Young Master?"
"Clean this up," Luo Zhen gestured to the wet stain that used to be General Squid. "But don't throw it away. Collect the meat. Especially the tentacles. I'm in the mood for barbecue."
Ah Bao's eyes widened in delight. "Yes, sir!"
"Prepping is key," Luo Zhen instructed, acting like a chef dictating a recipe. "Wash the meat thoroughly. Marinate it with oil, salt, and plenty of chili powder. Set it up in the back garden. I'll roast it myself."
General Green Frog, watching the leopard scoop up the remains of his colleague to be seasoned and cooked, felt his stomach turn. This was a level of savagery he hadn't anticipated. It wasn't enough to kill; this snake wanted to consume.
"General Frog," Luo Zhen said suddenly, breaking the frog's paralysis.
"Y-yes?"
"Have you ever tried Dry Pot Bullfrog? It's a delicacy where I come from."
Green Frog went rigid. "Brother Snake... surely you jest. I... I am a frog. I couldn't possibly..."
Luo Zhen burst into laughter, the sound echoing off the walls. "Relax, my friend! It's a joke. Just a little dark humor."
"A joke. Right. Just a joke," Green Frog chuckled weakly, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "My heart isn't what it used to be, Brother Snake. Please, spare me the frights."
"Come," Luo Zhen stood up, clapping the frog on the back. "Let's go to the garden. I'll make you the best roast squid you've ever tasted."
An hour later, smoke wafted through the manicured gardens of the estate.
Luo Zhen and Green Frog sat on stone benches, tearing into skewers of perfectly charred meat.
"Incredible," Green Frog mumbled, his face smeared with grease. "I have to admit, Brother Snake... your culinary skills match your combat prowess. This is the best squid I've ever had."
"Eat up," Luo Zhen said, taking a bite of a tentacle. "There's plenty."
As he ate, Luo Zhen toyed with the massive brass key he had looted from Squid's remains. It was identical to the one he had found earlier. Two keys down. One to go.
He tossed the key into his storage ring. The board was set. He controlled the lake, he had the keys, and he had terrified the only remaining rival into total submission. Now, it was just a waiting game.
Twenty days.
However, while Luo Zhen consolidated his empire, forces were moving in the distance.
A thousand miles away from the bloody politics of Black Water Lake, a different kind of procession was cutting through the wilderness.
Eight figures moved with unnatural speed across the landscape. To the untrained eye, they were monsters—abominations that straddled the line between snake and dragon.
They possessed the elongated bodies of serpents, but beneath their bellies grew distinct, clawed limbs. Their heads were shaped like dragons, yet they lacked the majestic horns of the true lineage. They were the "Jiao-Snakes"—the Flood-Snakes. Biological contradictions. Mongrels.
Leading the pack was a Demon General at the Late-stage of the Demon Core Realm, flanked by two Mid-stage generals and five Heavenly Profound elites. They moved with a desperate, hungry urgency.
"Brother," one of the generals panted, slithering alongside the leader. "Are you certain? Are we chasing a ghost?"
"I am certain," the leader growled, his voice rasping like sandpaper. "We have scoured Silver Flood Dragon Island. We have turned over every stone. The corpse is not there."
He looked toward the horizon, where the dark clouds hung over Black Water Lake.
"The rumors are consistent. A Silver Flood Dragon failed its tribulation and fell from the sky, crashing into the Black Water. I am ninety percent sure that the Silver Flood Dragon Pupil King is rotting at the bottom of that lake."
The leader's eyes burned with a fanatical light. "If we find the Pupil King... if we can drain his corpse and assimilate his essence... we will no longer be mistakes. We will evolve. We will become true Silver Flood Dragons."
A ripple of excitement went through the group.
"To return to the clan..." one of the younger generals whispered. "To finally shut their mouths."
"Exactly," another hissed, venom dripping from his fangs. "For centuries, the purebloods have looked down on us. They mock us because our grandmother was a common snake. They call us 'Jiao-Snakes' as a slur. They deny us our heritage."
The hatred in their voices was palpable, a generational trauma passed down through blood. They were the unwanted children of the dragon lineage, powerful enough to terrify common beasts but too impure to be accepted by the royalty.
"No more," the leader said, picking up speed. "When we consume the Pupil King, our blood will purify. Our power will skyrocket. And when we return to the island, we will not be begging for acceptance."
He bared his fangs in a cruel smile.
"We will be demanding submission."
Unbeknownst to Luo Zhen, the storm was not over. It was just gathering strength, and it was heading straight for his front door.