Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 52: Imperative

As Tu Xiao’an stared, his Snake Pupils suddenly brightened. "Sister Meilin," he said in astonishment, "could this be the ancient Snake Species—the Supreme Profound Snake?"

"That’s right. A Snake Catcher took this photo on She Mountain yesterday." Sister Meilin put her phone away. "This picture is already spreading like wildfire all over Bai Town."

Tu Xiao’an was shocked. "You don’t mean someone’s already caught the Supreme Profound Snake?"

’If they got a picture, they must have tried to catch it.’

Meilin shook her head. "The picture was taken from a distance, but the snake got away. According to that Snake Catcher, it’s incredibly wary. At the slightest disturbance, it vanishes without a trace."

Tu Xiao’an grew excited. This meant there really was a Supreme Profound Snake on She Mountain, and it was still wild, uncaught.

Suddenly, he felt a pang of pity for the Snake Catcher who took the picture. To have an ancient Snake Species, unseen for centuries, slip away right under his nose... If he’d managed to catch the Supreme Profound Snake, he would have gained both fame and fortune.

’That guy must be kicking himself, probably wants to die,’ Tu Xiao’an thought. ’A snake like that is a once-in-a-lifetime find, a golden opportunity. Too bad he couldn’t seize it.’

But this was his chance. Tu Xiao’an’s only worry had been that the Supreme Profound Snake might not be on She Mountain at all. He wasn’t worried about his ability to catch it.

After all, he possessed the dominance ability over the Snake Race. Any creature with a lower Level than his had to submit unconditionally.

A thought suddenly struck Tu Xiao’an. "Sister Meilin, the Snake Market is so quiet today. Don’t tell me all the Snake Catchers are Ascending the Mountain?"

Meilin held the Silver White Snake in her arms, gently stroking its smooth Snake Skin. "I’d estimate half the Snake Catchers in Bai Town are already on She Mountain," she said softly, "and the rest are on their way to Ascend the Mountain now."

Tu Xiao’an’s snake-like mouth fell slightly agape. He was stunned. ’Half of all the Snake Catchers in Bai Town are on She Mountain?’

What did that even mean? Since ancient times, Bai Town had lived and breathed snakes. The profession of Snake Catcher might be unusual elsewhere, but in Bai Town, it was a household name. Back in the eighties, nearly every family had a Snake Catcher. It was only in modern times that their numbers had slowly dwindled. After all, they dealt with deadly venomous snakes. The risks were high, and one wrong move could cost you your life.

Even so, the number of Snake Catchers in Bai Town today still numbered in the thousands.

She Mountain had a history of producing many famous snakes. Surprisingly, one could even find Snake Species there that were native to other countries.

It was as if any venomous snake imaginable could appear on She Mountain.

According to records of captured Snake Species from ancient to modern times, nearly a hundred different types of venomous snakes had been documented on She Mountain—an absurdly high number.

But despite the sheer variety, few venomous snakes were capable of making all of Bai Town’s Snake Catchers swarm the mountain at once. The last time it happened was a few months ago, when a rumored Mutated Bloodsucker Snake appeared, triggering an all-out snake-catching frenzy.

It was like a walking treasure chest. One snake was worth a mansion. Who could resist that?

But people later discovered that this snake was too vicious, too terrifying. It was practically a demon. It was no longer a prize Snake Catchers could dream of. During that time, it’s estimated that every single day, Snake Catchers died at the Vampire Snake’s fangs, with the death toll rising to over fifty.

There’s a saying that money makes the world go round, but if you’re dead, nothing’s going anywhere. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The biggest sensation was when one of Bai Town’s most sought-after young Snake Catchers went after the Vampire Snake. Man and snake battled on the mountain for a day and a night. In the end, the Vampire Snake was wounded and escaped, but the young Snake Catcher died from its venom.

After that, no one dared to go after the Vampire Snake again. There was another reason, too: after being injured, the Vampire Snake seemed to lay low and was never seen again.

And that young Snake Catcher who had died from the venom... was none other than Tu Xiao’an.

The Vampire Snake incident passed. Now, after such a short time, a rare, ancient Snake Species had appeared on She Mountain, kicking off the snake-catching frenzy all over again.

She Mountain, rumored to be home to a hundred different snakes, truly lived up to its name.

Hearing that so many Snake Catchers were heading for the mountain to catch the Supreme Profound Snake, Tu Xiao’an grew anxious. ’Even though the Supreme Profound Snake is an ancient Snake Species, it shouldn’t be that powerful. It’s small and delicate, not very intimidating.’

’It’s not like the Vampire Snake. That was a mutated venomous snake, with intelligence possibly on par with a human’s. It became the stuff of nightmares for every Snake Catcher in Bai Town.’

’If an experienced Snake Catcher finds the Supreme Profound Snake, it’ll be doomed.’ Tu Xiao’an had to get up the mountain immediately. He couldn’t let someone else beat him to it.

"Sister Meilin, I have to go. I’m Ascending the Mountain," Tu Xiao’an said, preparing to leave.

But Meilin held him tight, her voice laced with worry. "Xiao’an, are you going to hunt the Supreme Profound Snake? Didn’t I tell you not to go? If something happens to you again, I’ll be the one to blame!"

"Sister Meilin, don’t worry. I’ll be fine."

But Meilin shook her head, her expression uncharacteristically firm. "Xiao’an, you can’t be Ascending the Mountain this time. She Mountain is crawling with Snake Catchers right now, and you’re a snake. If anyone finds you, you’ll just become another target for them to catch."

"Sis, say no more. I have a reason I absolutely must go."

At his words, Meilin seemed to realize something. "Could it be... for your wife’s health?" she asked quickly.

"My mom has late-stage lung cancer," he replied. "Medicine is useless. I have to try something unconventional."

"What?!" Meilin cried out, her lovely face instantly turning pale. She covered her lips with a hand. "How can that be? How could it be late-stage lung cancer?"

It was a terminal diagnosis, a ticking time bomb that would cost a life when it went off.

Meilin had only known that Wen Qiu wasn’t well; she never imagined it was this serious.

"So, Sister Meilin, don’t try to stop me. No one can. I, Tu Xiao’an, will have that Supreme Profound Snake."

Regardless of whether the snake was truly as miraculous as the legends said, Tu Xiao’an had to try. The Killer Bee honey could only suppress his mother’s illness temporarily. It was just a stopgap. Even the best Spirit Medicine would lose its effectiveness if taken continuously over a long period.

The honey was working wonders for his mother now; drinking it stopped her coughing. But, slowly, it was bound to lose its potency.

That was why Tu Xiao’an had to catch the Supreme Profound Snake in this window of time and use its Snake Gallbladder to treat his mother’s lung cancer.

"Xiao’an... I understand. I won’t stop you," Meilin said. "But I’m going with you."

Meilin had once been a famous Snake Catcher in Bai Town herself. But ever since she opened her snake shop, she had effectively retired from the Jianghu and no longer Ascended the Mountain to catch venomous snakes.

Tu Xiao’an wriggled free from her gentle embrace and hopped down. "Sister Meilin, a mere Supreme Profound Snake is nothing to me. Don’t worry."

"I’m worried about..."

"And you have even less reason to worry about the other Snake Catchers. They’re nothing to me."

A single rumored Mutated Bloodsucker Snake had been enough to make the Snake Catchers of Bai Town tremble with fear. With his current abilities, could he possibly be any less formidable than that Vampire Snake?

If anyone dared to come after him, this snake, Tu Xiao’an would not be merciful.

And if anyone tried to snatch the Supreme Profound Snake from him, he would unleash hell. This was about his mother’s life. The Supreme Profound Snake was something he was determined to obtain, no matter what.