Snake Island!
Located in the Gulf of Thailand, it took about an hour and more of sailing from North Kailport to see a massive island rise from the sea. At the same time, several watchtowers stood at the four directions of Snake Island, manned daily.
The ownership of Snake Island belonged to the Divine Serpent Tribe. This was the territory granted to the Divine Serpent Tribe by the Thai royal family back then, thus foreigners were forbidden to board Snake Island by boat. Unless they were invited guests of the Divine Serpent Tribe, even a prince of the Thai royal family had no right to land on the island without the permission of the tribe chief.
The Divine Serpent Tribe was a special ethnic group in Thailand. In the past, the Divine Serpent Tribe had helped the Thai royal family, and after the royal family gained control of the government, they granted special privileges to the Divine Serpent Tribe. At the same time, the Divine Serpent Tribe also supplied the royal family with exceptional talents!
After all, the Divine Serpent Tribe possessed the ability to control snakes, as well as abilities unimaginable to ordinary people. In the eyes of ordinary people, the Divine Serpent Tribe were divine beings!
The island was called Snake Island, not because it was renamed after the Divine Serpent Tribe arrived, but because the name Snake Island had been in existence for a long time, as the most prevalent animal on the island was the snake!
Furthermore, after the Divine Serpent Tribe landed, they protected the snakes on the island. As a result, the island was now teeming with all sorts of snakes. The Divine Serpent Tribe also bred snakes, but they had yet to encounter a single intelligent snake that was born with spiritual awareness!
As the ship slowly docked at the port, the Fourth Elder and Charoenphong led the welcoming party for Ji Ruxue to disembark. They were the first to step onto the port of Snake Island. The tribespeople of the Divine Serpent Tribe, already lined up in two rows, were all wearing identical green attire, with snake swords slung at their waists. They performed their tribal ceremony to Ji Ruxue: "Welcome, Divine Mother, back to the island..."
Ji Ruxue strode towards a waiting convertible, and Wan Yunting followed beside Charoenphong. As the island was vast, travel naturally relied on vehicles. Several convertibles were parked nearby, and Ji Ruxue naturally got into the first one.
"Chairman Wan, you can ride with me."
Charoenphong pointed to the last car. Wan Yunting smiled and nodded. However, Ji Ruxue, from the front, called out, "Come here!"
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. Charoenphong urged him to go quickly. The Fourth Elder, Zong Sheng, looked at Ji Ruxue with a hint of surprise, as if Ji Ruxue highly valued this Chinese person by allowing Wan Yunting to ride in her vehicle.
Wan Yunting unceremoniously sat beside Ji Ruxue. The driver was a young man from the Divine Serpent Tribe. As they drove towards the center of the island, Wan Yunting curiously observed the surrounding primitive island forests, coconut trees, and various plants, making it seem like a natural island. Snakes could be seen everywhere along the roadside; they were not afraid of people and lived peacefully on the island with the people of the Divine Serpent Tribe.
As the car drove towards the center of the island, buildings gradually appeared in Wan Yunting's sight. People in traditional attire were also seen along the roadside. Upon seeing Ji Ruxue's convoy, they all stopped and bowed in greeting. These seemed to be the residents of the Divine Serpent Tribe on the island. Their lives were very peaceful, relying on sea fishing and farming.
Of course, the Divine Serpent Tribe residents living on Snake Island generally had no worries about food or clothing, as the Divine Serpent Tribe was second to none in certain fields. For instance, they controlled Ouyang Liqun in drug trafficking in Mexico, and in the business world of Man Valley, the Snake Valley Group was an enterprise of the Divine Serpent Tribe, amassing immense wealth.
As the car entered the island's interior, a series of overlapping buildings immediately appeared in the mountains of Snake Island. The architecture was in the traditional Thai style, with villa-style buildings, and even ancient Chinese architectural styles, exuding great grandeur.
The convoy was heading towards a magnificent and opulent building, guarded at the entrance by members of the Divine Serpent Tribe, like sentinels. Seeing the Divine Mother's vehicle, they all bowed respectfully...
The convoy entered the gate and soon stopped in a small square. As the car doors opened, Ji Ruxue glanced at Wan Yunting and said with a smile, "Let's go, come with me to see the chief!"
Wan Yunting nodded and said nothing. He got out of the car with Ji Ruxue, accompanied by the Fourth Elder Zong Sheng and Charoenphong, and entered the magnificent building before them...
As Ji Ruxue stepped over the threshold, she saw chairs placed on both sides, occupied by tribespeople of the Divine Serpent Tribe. They were all dressed in uniform, luxurious attire. Upon seeing Ji Ruxue leading Wan Yunting in, all eyes were cast upon him as they looked him up and down, whispering and discussing among themselves.
Inside this magnificent hall, on every supporting pillar, there was a carved snake-like decoration. This snake had dark green scales, a triangular head, and a pair of horns on either side of its eyes, resembling dragon horns. It was unclear what kind of snake it was, but this snake was the very snake depicted on the totem of the Divine Serpent Tribe!
At the head of the hall, a throne carved in the shape of a snake was occupied by a man in a luxurious robe. He was about fifty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. His imposing demeanor, exuding solemnity and authority, gave the first impression of seriousness and majesty, and he possessed immense presence.
And he was the current chief of the Divine Serpent Tribe, named Xiao Yucuo!
"Greetings, Chief..."
Ji Ruxue, who had entered, bowed slightly to Chief Xiao Yucuo, who sat above with an imposing demeanor. Wan Yunting, following beside her, narrowed his eyes, also observing the chief of the Divine Serpent Tribe. Although he exuded a stern aura, Wan Yunting could sense that he was also a powerful martial artist!
Xiao Yucuo nodded slightly, his sharp, snake-like eyes fixing on Wan Yunting to Ji Ruxue's right. In a low voice, he said, "Divine Mother, is he the Chinese person you mentioned who possesses the bloodline of the divine serpent?"
Ji Ruxue nodded and said, "Indeed."
Immediately, Xiao Yucuo rose and walked directly towards Wan Yunting. The Divine Serpent tribespeople on either side, as well as the elders seated in front, were the Great Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder of the Divine Serpent Tribe.
There were also two young men, Xiao Lifu, Xiao Yucuo's eldest son, and Xiao Lun, his third son. They were also sizing up Wan Yunting...
Facing Xiao Yucuo's approach, the aura of a superior being startled Wan Yunting. He immediately sensed that this person's martial arts realm was extremely high, possibly above the Gang Jin realm!
"Extend your hand!" Xiao Yucuo said calmly to Wan Yunting.
Wan Yunting's expression faltered. He glanced at Ji Ruxue beside him, feeling wary.
Ji Ruxue cast a sidelong glance at him with her charming eyes and nodded slightly. Wan Yunting, trusting her for the moment, raised his left hand. Xiao Yucuo immediately grabbed his palm, and a golden snake-shaped dagger suddenly appeared in his right hand. Taking advantage of Wan Yunting's lack of preparedness, he swiftly cut a wound on his palm, drawing out bright red blood. A special aura caused Xiao Yucuo's expression to change drastically in an instant...
"You..."
Wan Yunting hadn't expected him to do this and was about to react. Xiao Yucuo released his hand and took a step back, his sharp eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Wan Yunting. He said with shock, "It truly is the blood of the divine serpent! How can your blood possess the aura of the divine serpent?"
At that moment, the Divine Serpent tribespeople seated on either side could no longer remain seated. They all stood up and came forward. The Great Elder, Second Elder, and the others also stepped forward. They grabbed Wan Yunting's left hand, which had a small cut bleeding from the scratch, and from the blood, they smelled a special blood aura, causing their old faces to change drastically. They began to discuss animatedly in Thai, and their gazes towards Wan Yunting all changed.
"Young man, your name is Wan Yunting, isn't it?" Xiao Yucuo asked, having calmed down slightly.
Charoenphong, beside him, was holding gauze to stop Wan Yunting's bleeding. The chief of the Divine Serpent Tribe looked at him with a changed expression.
"That's right."
Wan Yunting nodded.
Xiao Yucuo smiled and gestured with his thumb towards a chair beside him: "Please, have a seat."
Seeing this, Wan Yunting unceremoniously sat on the chair beside him. Ji Ruxue also went over and sat next to him. The members of the Divine Serpent Tribe also calmed down from their excitement and returned to their seats...
Xiao Yucuo also returned to his throne and looked directly at Wan Yunting, who was sitting in the second chair to his right. He smiled and said, "Young man, I wish to know why your blood possesses the bloodline of the divine serpent. Did you encounter some extraordinary fortune, or have you seen a divine serpent?"
Faced with the chief of the Divine Serpent Tribe's polite demeanor, and the respectful gazes of the surrounding elders towards him, Wan Yunting knew that they were concerned about the blood aura of the intelligent snake he possessed.
"I suppose so," Wan Yunting nodded in response.
Xiao Yucuo and his elders looked excited, asking, "Then can you tell us where you encountered the divine serpent? And how did you come to possess the bloodline of the divine serpent?"
Regarding the incident last year in Jiang Province, Lingyun County, during the disaster relief, where he encountered a large snake in a cave on Ling Mountain, Wan Yunting felt that it was not something that couldn't be said. He simply narrated the story of his encounter with the large snake to the chief of the Divine Serpent Tribe, which caused Xiao Yucuo and his elders' expressions to change continuously.
Upon hearing that Wan Yunting had almost killed the large snake, their expressions became tense, and some even had the impulse to kill Wan Yunting to avenge their divine serpent.
"So, you drank the blood of the divine serpent, which is why your blood now possesses the bloodline of the divine serpent?"
When Xiao Yucuo heard that Wan Yunting had consumed the blood of the divine serpent, he immediately understood why his blood now carried the aura of the divine serpent.
"More or less," Wan Yunting replied, not elaborating further.
"Then where is the divine serpent? Where is it now?" the Fourth Elder Zong Sheng couldn't help but ask.
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "It's gone!"
"Vanished?"
The Fourth Elder Zong Sheng and the other elders looked astonished. Chief Xiao Yucuo, seated above, nodded and smiled, saying, "So, it seems that the divine serpents in China are not just legends!"
"Yes."
The Great Elder of the Divine Serpent Tribe was a native Thai, but he also understood Chinese. He said, "We originally thought it was a legend of our Divine Serpent Tribe, but we never imagined that divine serpents truly existed in this world. This has solidified our faith in the divine serpent. Long live the divine serpent..."
Immediately, the people of the Divine Serpent Tribe present raised their voices in unison in Thai, chanting "Long live the divine serpent," which made Wan Yunting look at their devout and respectful postures with some confusion, wondering why they worshipped a snake as their deity.