The Primordial Bamboo Viper and Keke's Homeland

A ferocious beast that could command the gale! Xiao Chen cried out in alarm—if his guess was correct, it was a colossal serpent. Legend held that a serpent enlightened in the Way could part the grass and command its own path.

He snatched up Keke and spun on his heel to flee, the three skeletons following like wisps of smoke, vanishing from the area in the blink of an eye. Through the dappled canopy, he glanced back and saw a gigantic cyan serpent burst from the bamboo grove, its body thick as a house. The section that reared upright alone measured over ten meters, and each cyan scale shimmered with an eerie light, the size of a palm-leaf fan.

The massive serpent head hovered above the panicked elephant herd. Blood-red eyes, each the size of a basin, blazed with dreadful, murderous light. Its gaping maw revealed gleaming white fangs over half a meter long, like sharp blades, and a scarlet forked tongue five meters long flickered in and out, a horrifying sight. The serpent's body, of unknown length, lay directly across the riverbank bamboo grove like a cyan dike, blocking the elephants' escape.

All around the great snake, on the bamboo tips and among the grass, countless small cyan shadows writhed—legions of small bamboo vipers.

Xiao Chen sucked in a cold breath. This cyan serpent was a bamboo viper! A common bamboo viper was barely half a meter long, small but extremely venomous, and rarely exceeded two meters. Yet this one was as thick as a house, its immense body hidden among the bamboos, its true length unknowable. It was too horrifying to imagine how many years it had lived.

This was surely a primordial beast that had survived from antiquity, capable of contending with the ferocious dragons on the island.

The elephants were cut off from escape, their mournful trumpeting echoing through the region. Half of them turned and plunged into the river. At the same time, the gigantic bamboo viper moved. The huge head darted forward, the five-meter-long blood-red tongue lashing out to wrap around an elephant, drawing it in. The serpent's mouth—no longer describable as a mere 'gaping maw'—opened to its limit, gleaming white fangs flashing as it engulfed the elephant's head in a single bite.

The scene was bloody and terrifying. The viper's venom instantly paralyzed the elephant's body, and it began to swallow the creature bit by bit.

A snake swallowing an elephant! This ancient bamboo viper had actually devoured a wild elephant whole. The spectacle was shocking and dreadful.

The elephant herd fled in terror. Some charged into the river to be swept downstream; others charged at the serpent's body, which stretched across their path like a cyan rampart, trying to break through and escape.

The huge cyan body shifted. A gale stirred through the bamboo grove, carrying a nauseating stench. The ground trembled, the bamboos thrashed madly, and leaves flew everywhere. The great snake's body coiled around four wild elephants in an instant. The elephants brayed in despair and struggled weakly, but soon went limp and still.

Again the massive crimson mouth opened to the limit, swallowing the four elephants one after another. The bloody, brutal tableau left the surviving elephants trembling with terror. Finally they knelt, moaning in submission.

The primordial bamboo viper seemed not to want to kill every last one. Five elephants had satisfied its hunger. It slowly slithered back into the depths of the bamboo grove, gradually disappearing among the shadows.

The elephant herd, as if granted amnesty, fled in frantic panic. The ground rumbled, and trees along the riverbank shook violently, sending leaves spiraling into the air.

Xiao Chen's heart pounded. This encounter taught him that even a place that seemed peaceful and tranquil could hide great danger. This was an island that demanded constant vigilance, and the endless forests concealed too many primeval beasts.

Keke twisted free of Xiao Chen's hands and climbed a bamboo stalk like a nimble little monkey, perching at the top to watch the retreating serpent. Xiao Chen was used to this by now. Though Keke resembled a lion or tiger, it could also walk upright and sometimes acted like a little monkey—truly an odd creature.

"Ya-ya-ya..." it mumbled excitedly, as if expressing joy.

"What is it, Keke?" Xiao Chen asked in surprise.

Keke jumped down nimbly and pointed first at itself and the Sacred Sapling, then ahead into the forest. Xiao Chen was baffled at first; it took him a long time to roughly understand her meaning—ahead seemed to be the original home of the Sacred Sapling and Keke.

"You were born there, Keke?" Xiao Chen stared at her in amazement. He had long wanted to understand this little beast's origins, and a journey to her homeland might finally clarify the mystery.

Keke blinked her bright eyes and nodded vigorously, then pointed at the Sacred Sapling again. She was clearly very excited.

Xiao Chen felt a stir of excitement too. If the Sacred Sapling really had grown in Keke's homeland, might there be other such treasure trees there? The three skeletons gathered around as well, seeming eager to visit Keke's homeland.

"Ya-ya-ya..." This time Keke ran ahead, as if wanting to lead the way.

Xiao Chen smiled. This little thing was so eager to go home—she had probably gotten lost and wandered to the edge of Dragon Island. What a dizzy little creature.

Keke seemed utterly fearless, wanting to cut straight through the bamboo viper's territory. Xiao Chen quickly stopped her and took a detour. This made the little beast very dissatisfied; she kept up a stream of "ya-ya" sounds. He couldn't tell if she wasn't afraid of the serpent or if she was just a little scatterbrain.

The deeper they went, the more ferocious beasts they encountered. Xiao Chen seriously began to wonder if Keke's homeland might actually be a nest of primordial monsters. Along the way, they discovered many terrifying savage creatures, some even larger than ancient ferocious dragons and fully capable of contending with evil dragons.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose. The giant trees in the forest swayed, leaves flew, and many beasts fled in panic. Xiao Chen looked up and saw a colossal bird skimming over the forest. Its feathers were fiery red and bright, its body nearly the size of a Holy Light Dragon, at least ten meters long, with a wingspan of thirty meters.

Keke showed no fear at all. She curled up like a fluffy white ball and rolled excitedly in the grass—a sign that they must be nearing her homeland.

After advancing another li or so, they passed through a dark, gloomy swamp and spotted a golden centipede over ten meters long, as thick as a water barrel, coiled in the shadowy forest. It was astonishing to see a centipede so huge, almost beyond belief. This was definitely a primordial venomous insect that had survived from ancient times; even ferocious dragons would likely detour to avoid it.

The swamp was dark and foreboding. The colossal centipede gleamed with a sinister golden luster, its shell as hard as iron. Xiao Chen watched as it casually smashed an ancient tree with its body, like a metallic monster—unyielding. Its hundreds of golden legs were as sharp as blades, and with a slight twitch, they ground the swamp rocks into gravel.

Xiao Chen grew more and more convinced that Keke's homeland might indeed be a nest of primordial predators. The primeval beasts were increasing with every step.