Chapter 140: The Western Ruler, Demon Snake Naga, Arrives in Suspicion

*Rustle, rustle! *

*Swish! *

Deep within the Great Forest, thick vines coiled around trees of bizarre shapes. Dappled, fragmented light filtered through the canopy, falling upon the forest floor carpeted in dense leaves and moss.

In the dim, profound environment,

An ordinary Troll walked at the very front, its massive body effortlessly pushing aside the shrubs and branches, carving a path through the terrain.

Following behind this Troll was a Ghost Bear with brown-black fur, its physique comparable to the Troll ahead.

Its scarlet eyes and the ghost-face patterns in its fur marked its identity as one of the Great Forest's many apex predators!

Its powerful limbs pressed into the thick leaves, emitting a constant rustling sound.

"You called this old one over, Troll—what could have possibly happened?" A weathered, hoarse voice drifted from the Ghost Bear's back.

Indeed!

Riding on the back of the Ghost Bear following the Troll was a bizarre figure. Its lower half was that of a snake, the skin of its tail covered in a layer of fine, pale scales that shimmered with a faint emerald luster.

Its upper body appeared to be that of a gaunt old man, with withered, dark-green hair and a face etched with deep, tight wrinkles that looked somewhat ferocious.

This was none other than one of the three rulers, the Western Demon Snake Naga.

*Bang! *

The Troll in front swung a powerful arm, shattering a thick tree branch blocking the way with a dull thud, then continued to trudge forward without the slightest intention of answering.

The wrinkles at the corners of Naga's mouth twitched.

*A pile of brainless meat! *

He had already given up on asking further.

Trying to extract useful information from such an arrogant Troll, whose brain was filled with nothing but basic instincts, was harder than communicating with a beast.

Demon Snake Naga had no intention of guessing what was going on in the mind of a creature that was all muscle.

However!

Something must have happened on Troll Gu's side.

Naga speculated inwardly, though his primary emotion was curiosity.

As for worry?

He did not believe there was anything in this forest capable of threatening them. The only thing he needed to be wary of was if Troll Gu had suddenly lost his mind and decided to turn on him.

That was precisely why he had brought the Ghost Bear along; if Troll Gu truly went insane, the beast could hold him off long enough for Naga to make a graceful exit.

"I truly wish your brains were as developed as your muscles—though, if that were the case, this old one would likely have a headache."

Demon Snake Naga let out a hoarse, low chuckle and flicked his snake tail, striking the Ghost Bear's rump to urge it to speed up and catch the Troll.

The three rulers of the Great Forest.

Troll Gu was a foolish, brainless brute who possessed a massive army but had no idea how to utilize it.

The Forest Wise King was a beast who did nothing but eat and sleep, lazy to the extreme.

If either of those two possessed even a fraction of his own intellect, they would have conquered the entire Great Forest long ago.

"How truly vexing." Demon Snake Naga muttered in his raspy voice.

As they gradually approached the Forest Rift where Troll Gu resided, Demon Snake Naga could clearly smell the stench of blood thickening in the air.

*Here... *

Demon Snake Naga narrowed his snake-like eyes, observing that many of the tree trunks and the ground were stained with dark, dried blood.

These bloodstains had been there for quite some time!

The dense trees began to thin out, and the wide Forest Rift area came into view. Demon Snake Naga looked over, his eyes widening in shock. The area that should have been littered with animal carcasses and swarming with flies was now impeccably clean.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Demon Snake Naga found it inconceivable. "What on earth happened?"

He would rather believe that the Trolls had truly lost their minds than believe that these creatures, who preferred living in filthy, dark environments, would ever clean their own territory.

*Wait! *

A flash of suspicion crossed Naga's eyes as he noticed the soil in this area was tinged red.

Those were traces of residual blood!

The area covered by these traces was simply too vast; even though the blood had dried long ago, the foul, fishy stench of blood still lingered heavily in the air.

So, just how many living things had Troll Gu slaughtered?

"Faster!"

Demon Snake Naga lashed his tail against the Ghost Bear, urging it forward.

*Roar. * The Ghost Bear let out a cry, its powerful limbs driving it forward, quickly overtaking the Troll in front and rushing toward the cave entrance.

A wooden shed, crudely constructed from thick logs, was the first thing to enter Naga's field of vision. Inside sat a medium-sized Evil Spirit Dog, which was currently lifting its head to stare at him.

Troll Gu's food?

Or a pet he was raising?

Under normal circumstances, Naga would not have hesitated to dispose of such a lowly creature to demonstrate his power as a ruler.

But now!

Demon Snake Naga inexplicably sensed something eerie about this area. His nerves tightened, and his snake-like gaze darted around, filled with cunning and caution.

With the Ghost Bear's speed, the massive cave appeared ahead. Troll Gu's three-meter-tall frame stood at the entrance, his back turned toward them.

Seeing Troll Gu, Naga raised a withered arm to press against the Ghost Bear's head, signaling it to slow down, while his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

"Gu, you sent someone to call this old one—what is the meaning of this?"

"And what has happened here?" Demon Snake Naga raised his upper body, his voice raspy and aged.

Out of an intuitive sense of caution.

Demon Snake Naga kept a distance of about fifty meters from Troll Gu while remaining mounted on the Ghost Bear.

*Drip, drip, drip—*

A sound like splashing water came from in front of Troll Gu. It was not loud, so Naga hadn't paid it much mind at first.

"I know you don't care for etiquette."

"But doing such things outside your own cave still leaves this old one unable to comprehend." Demon Snake Naga's eyes widened, and his snake pupils filled with disgust.

Troll Gu still did not answer, standing there stiffly.

*9+Book_Bar*

Just at that moment.

A gentle voice drifted from in front of Troll Gu.

"My apologies, but I believe you have misunderstood."

It was not Troll Gu's voice, but a completely unfamiliar tone.

Demon Snake Naga froze.

*Bang! *

Troll Gu's massive frame shifted, revealing the figure in front.

*A weak human? *

Naga's snake pupils constricted, his face contorted in shock and disbelief.

It was a young human male wearing a white robe. Compared to Troll Gu's massive physique, he looked so insignificant he could almost be ignored.

The man was sitting on a wooden stump, a large wooden bucket placed before him. The "drip, drip" sound he had heard was not what he had imagined.

It was blood flowing from Troll Gu's body!

Indeed.

There was a fist-sized wound on Troll Gu's thigh, from which blood was continuously gushing, flowing into the bucket in front of the human.

Such a bizarre scene unfolding before his eyes caused Naga to grip the fur on the Ghost Bear's head even tighter.

With a wound of that magnitude, Troll Gu's regenerative abilities should have healed it in the blink of an eye. Why was it still bleeding?

*Wait! *

That question was irrelevant!

"Who are you? Human?"

Demon Snake Naga's wrinkled face twisted into a sinister expression as he glared at Tang Zheng, simultaneously scanning Troll Gu and immediately noticing his dazed state.

*Charm-type magic? *

*A human magic caster. *

Several thoughts flashed through Naga's mind in an instant.

"It was not he who invited you here, but I, Western Ruler Demon Snake Naga."

Tang Zheng looked up at Naga and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you..."

"Stop joking, human. Who do you think you are!" Naga's snake pupils flashed with contempt. Before Tang Zheng could finish, a magical glow flickered on his body. "This is a place ruled by us!"

"Human Charm!"

"Undead Spirit."

Tang Zheng raised his eyelids, neutralizing the charm magic, and chanted in return: "All-Race Charm!"

A layer of emerald light shimmered over Demon Snake Naga's body, but his gaze remained steady; he was completely unaffected.

The brief exchange ended in the blink of an eye.

"Do you see? Weak human."

"Your charm magic is useless against this old one." Naga's eyes flickered with cold mockery. "Even if you can control Gu, so what? You cannot kill him."

"This old one will make you understand the price of trespassing in our territory!"

A brilliant red light bloomed at the tip of Naga's finger.

"Fireball!"

A basin-sized ball of flame rapidly condensed, transforming into a fireball that shot toward Tang Zheng.

"Calling me a weak human at every turn—perhaps humans are indeed weak."

Tang Zheng faced the incoming fireball, raising the Magic Greatsword in one hand, a translucent, brilliant light condensing on the blade:

"But that is only because you haven't met me yet!"

"Magic Slash!"

(End of Chapter)

A fireball the size of a washbasin quickly condensed, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a fireball, shooting toward Tang Zheng's direction.

"Calling humans weak one by one; perhaps humans are indeed weak."

Tang Zheng faced the fireball shooting over, lifted the magic greatsword placed on the side with one hand, and a translucent bright light condensed on the blade:

"But, that's because you haven't met me!"

Mana Slash!

(End of Chapter)