Chapter 178: Subduing the Emerald King Snake!

The Emerald King Snake sensed that the Ice Lion's extraordinary level had already reached the high stage of the Calamity Realm.

"Are you still afraid I'll steal from you? What kind of snake am I?"

The Emerald King Snake thought to itself.

That Ice Lion must have been hiding somewhere before, secretly digesting the resources it looted from the Corrupt Green Dragon.

But after thinking, it realized it really was that kind of snake.

If the Ice Lion doesn't run, it will surely bring out the Corrupt Green Dragon's treasure!

After all, that's its spoils of war!

At most, it would give only a small portion to that Ice Lion.

Chen Mo felt no hostility from the Emerald King Snake.

Immediately after, a gentle, lazy voice sounded in his mind——

"Hng?" (You're back?) The voice carried a hint of joy.

Chen Mo looked at the Emerald King Snake and saw joy and a hint of affection in its eyes.

"?"

Chen Mo uncertainly glanced at his autonomous panel—he clearly hadn't equipped the Soft Rice Lion this time!

Why does the Emerald King Snake still look at me so strangely!? Shouldn't they be enemies? Earlier I could say I used the Emerald King Snake, sneaking away with the Green Dragon couple's treasure while they fought, then fled.

Chen Mo's purpose in returning to the Snow Region this time is clear: to become the ruler of the Misty Forest. But seeing that the Emerald King Snake shows no hostility toward him as he imagined, Chen Mo doesn't plan to kill it and make snake soup; instead, he intends to take it as his retainer.

Coincidentally, conquering and ruling the Misty Forest requires some capable retainers.

"You have two choices now: submit to me, or get beaten by me and then submit."

Through telepathy, Chen Mo said to the Emerald King Snake.

Upon hearing that, a flash of anger crossed the Emerald King Snake's originally delighted eyes.

Does this Ice Lion really think that after digesting the Green Dragon couple's treasures and advancing to high Calamity, it could defeat me?

Forget it, then I'll thoroughly beat it into submission!

Let this clueless Ice Lion recognize its strength! The Emerald King Snake's figure flashed away.

One second it was lazily basking on an ancient tree, the next it appeared before the lion-like beast.

【Viper Spirit Flash】

The Emerald King Snake launched with its killing move, preparing to defeat the Ice Lion at top speed! Deep down, it still felt some apprehension toward the Ice Lion.

Especially the Dharma Phenomenon power it had displayed earlier.

Now the Ice Lion has advanced to high Calamity; if it condenses that towering great Dharma Phenomenon again, it would be hard to cope.

Therefore the Emerald King Snake wants to end the battle at lightning speed, fully display its strength, and thus conquer the Ice Lion's heart!

However, just as the Emerald King Snake opened its maw to bite down, its movement oddly froze! Not only its body, but its blood and the spiritual power surging within were halted at that moment.

Like a movie frame paused.

【Absolute Zero】

This is an ability Chen Mo mastered after reaching the Calamity Realm, capable of dropping the temperature within a hundred-meter radius to near absolute zero in an instant.

Upon reaching absolute zero, everything in the area can be frozen! In terms of effect, 【Absolute Zero】 and 【Time Stop】 are almost identical! Previously Chen Mo's extraordinary level wasn't enough to long‑term imprison high‑Calamity beings, but after reaching high Calamity he has more than enough. Immediately, Chen Mo swung his claw and struck the frozen Emerald King Snake's head directly.

At the moment of explosive force, Chen Mo released 【Absolute Zero】.

Thus, the Emerald King Snake was blasted away.

After knocking over several towering trees in a row, it crashed heavily to the ground.

After seeing its miserable state, the Emerald King Snake stood dazed in place.

Because 【Absolute Zero】's stall affected not only the Emerald King Snake's body but also its spirit and mind!

Thus, to the Emerald King Snake, it clearly had used 【Viper Spirit Flash】 and was preparing to attack the lion-like beast.

As a result, the next second it didn't appear before the Ice Lion; instead, it oddly fell to the ground in a 'face‑flop' posture.

Moreover, obvious claw marks appeared on its head, and intense pain spread throughout its body.

Evidently, without fully realizing it, it hadn't harmed the lion-like beast but was wounded by it! "What's happening?"

A flicker of panic flashed in the Emerald King Snake's emerald vertical pupils.

Even a Calamity‑level being feels fear when confronting a power it cannot comprehend.

"Your Majesty Emerald King, it's Time Stop! That Ice Lion also wields the power of time!"

Not far off, the central head of the Poisonous Chimera roared.

It is 2 kilometers from the lion-like beast and lies outside the range of 【Absolute Zero】.

Thus it clearly saw the Emerald King Snake flash to the lion-like beast's front, then get swatted away! Witnessing this, the Poisonous Chimera was outright terrified.

Know that the Emerald King Snake's combat power is already the ceiling of Calamity‑level beings—it had easily defeated the Corrupt Dragon Mother, immensely powerful! Yet now it sees the Emerald King Snake being soundly beaten by that Ice Lion of unknown origin, meaning this Ice Lion possesses power beyond the Calamity Realm.

After reminding the Emerald King Snake, the Poisonous Chimera swiftly flapped its wings, bursting forth at its greatest speed, trying to flee the battlefield.

Help the Emerald King Snake fight? Impossible.

Although the Emerald King Snake is decent toward me, I'm not about to sacrifice my life for it.

Treasures may be valuable, but life is pricier—my own life comes first.

Earlier, the several Calamity‑level beings that had surrounded the Emerald King Snake likewise scattered and fled.

"Interesting!"

Seeing that, the Emerald King Snake without hesitation tried to forcibly activate its viper bloodline.

A colossal serpentine phantom over a kilometer long appeared in the air, its jade‑green scales covered in golden sigils, sacred and awe‑inspiring! "Heaven‑Earth Dharma?"

Seeing the huge phantom, Chen Mo felt somewhat surprised.

I didn't expect this Emerald King Snake to also master the "Dharma Phenomenon" power—no wonder it bears the bloodline of a mythic creature.

But it was useless.

"Cease Strife!"

Chen Mo thought to himself.

Spiritual power surged within his body, and before the giant serpent phantom in the distance could fully solidify, in the next second it dissipated abruptly like a bubble! "How is this possible!?"

Seeing this, the Emerald King Snake simply could not believe it.

Yet before it could think any faster, it found the Suanni already before it.

After Chen Mo used 【Cease Strife】 to dispel the Emerald King Snake's True Spirit Revival, he released 【Absolute Zero】 once more, then slapped the Emerald King Snake on the head again.

Boom! The Emerald King Snake was blasted away once more.

Its scales shattered, and blood slowly dripped down.

Its serpent eyes revealed disbelief along with a trace of dejection.

It was simply dazed from the beating.

Wait, wasn't this ice lion just one rank higher in the Transcendent realm — had its combat power increased this much? And the abilities it commanded, each one was stranger and more terrifying than the last! It was actually being completely crushed!

"Submit, or die."

At this moment, the Suanni's calm yet powerful voice rang in the Emerald King Snake's mind. Because this Emerald King Snake's talent and intelligence were both decent, Chen Mo gave it a second chance.

No third chances.

If the Emerald King Snake still insisted on fighting it, then he would grant its wish and turn it into a steaming snake soup!

"Worthy of the beast I adore, I am willing to submit to you!"

The Emerald King Snake coiled and twisted its body, lowering its head slightly, choosing to submit.

The excitement revealed in its eyes grew ever more intense.

Almost all Transcendent creatures possessed a psychology of admiring the strong.

The powerful strength displayed by this Suanni instead made the Emerald King Snake even more excited.

This was a beast truly worthy of it! The Emerald King Snake believed that with its own charm, this ice lion would ultimately be willing to be together with it!

Moreover, in this Misty Forest, it was one of only two Transcendent creatures possessing a mythic bloodline.

Chen Mo naturally had no idea what was going through the Emerald King Snake's mind.

He glanced at the Emerald King Snake's Faith Value.

Good heavens, it had directly reached 85! Among newly subjugated kin, this was already a very high number!

At this moment, large patches of scales on the Emerald King Snake's head were still completely shattered, leaving a mangled, bloody mess.

He had struck a bit hard just now, but not only did the Emerald King Snake not harbor any resentment, it instead wore a delighted expression.

"This fellow wouldn't happen to be a masochist, would it?"

Chen Mo could not help but wonder inwardly.

Seeing the Emerald King Snake's pitiful state, after a moment's thought, he took out a King-grade highly toxic roasted meat from the backpack behind him and tossed it in front of the Emerald King Snake.

"This is... so fragrant!"

Smelling the aroma of the roasted meat, the Emerald King Snake bit down without hesitation, not worrying at all whether there was poison in the meat.

To it, deadly poison was the best nutrition!

The next second.

The Emerald King Snake's emerald vertical pupils suddenly dilated.

After the fragrant roasted dragon meat was chewed, the juices burst forth, and accompanied by the aroma of Soulsever Grass, it formed a marvelous flavor.

As a creature that had grown up in the Misty Forest, the Emerald King Snake had always eaten its food raw.

It had never tasted such delicious food! This roasted meat instantly conquered its taste buds and its heart! After finishing the roasted meat, the Emerald King Snake subconsciously narrowed its eyes.

A sense of satisfaction welled up in its heart.

Right now, nothing would be better than lying on a tree branch basking in the sun.

But since it had now become the "captive" of the ice lion before it, naturally it could not leave on its own before the latter spoke.

After wolfing down the roasted meat, the Emerald King Snake found that its injuries were rapidly healing.

This delicacy actually had a restorative effect as well.

"Hiss?"

After finishing, the Emerald King Snake looked at Chen Mo with fervent eyes.

It was still not quite full.

Seeing the Emerald King Snake's Faith Value rise by another 3 points, Chen Mo suddenly realized that the effect of fine food seemed even greater than he had imagined! Mind you, this roasted meat was still only his "practice work."

Both the taste and the effect were quite ordinary.

Once he completed the "Chef Lion" self-discipline challenge and his culinary skills became more refined, while also being able to imbue food with special effects, he could achieve even more astonishing results! Who knew how many Transcendent creatures would be won over by his cuisine then!

"Suanni, hurry and ask it whether it has found the Evil God statue!"

While Chen Mo was daydreaming, the "pendant" Little Ice Spider above his head suddenly spoke up.

The Canopy Ice Spider had eyes only for that centipede Evil God! "Emerald, after you defeated that Corrupted Dragon Mother earlier, did you see the statue of the Poison Mother?"

Chen Mo asked.

The Emerald King Snake first nodded.

"That Corrupted Dragon Mother did indeed use the power of the Poison Mother's statue, and precisely because of that, it managed to escape."

The Emerald King Snake said with some regret, then fixed its gaze on Chen Mo and said in a serious tone:

"Little lion, do you want to use the Poison Mother's statue to increase your own strength? Although this method raises your strength quickly, there are enormous hidden dangers."

The Emerald King Snake had once obtained a statue of the Poison Mother as well, but it considered this a crooked path — only those beasts whose bloodline power and talent were insufficient would choose to offer sacrifices.

So it had simply discarded the statue.

Don't call me Little Lion; you can call me Lion King, or Your Majesty.

Chen Mo glared at the Emerald King Snake.

The Emerald King Snake showed a smile:

All right! But Your Majesty, you're not yet an adult, are you?

Chen Mo didn't want to discuss with this stinky snake whether he was an adult, so he continued: "I know the Deadly Toxic Mother Goddess Statues are dangerous, so I prepared to collect them."

If you find similar statues in the future, you must turn them in. Of course, I will give you a reward, such as the food just now.

Hmph!

Hearing this, the Emerald King Snake nodded vigorously.

Fight for food!

At this moment, its craving for food even surpassed the Ice Lion itself.

Of course, if it could obtain the Ice Lion, it would naturally be able to have it make food for it every day.

At this moment, the Emerald King Snake only hated itself for not being strong enough!

At the same time, it also regretted not having watched over that Ice Lion back then, which gave it the chance to snatch the Corrupt Green Dragon's treasure and successfully escape.

Go summon the lords of all regions of the Mist Forest!

Chen Mo spoke.

After defeating the Emerald King Snake, he had actually become the overlord of this Mist Forest.

Next, as long as he subdues these lords, he can roughly control the entire Mist Forest.

The Mist Forest covers about 10 million square kilometers, roughly the same as Dongxia's territory.

To humanity, this is an incredibly vast land.

If one were to travel solely on foot, they might spend a lifetime and still not finish all its areas.

But for Chen Mo now, it's no different.

He can burst forth at over Mach 20, crossing the entire Mist Forest in just a dozen minutes.

In his eyes, the Mist Forest is no different from a small town.

However, under the effect of Lord Lion+, this territory can grant him an additional 1,000 units of primal energy.

Moreover, the Mist Forest's poisonous spiritual energy is extremely rich, making it ideal for cultivating poisonous spiritual plants and divine medicines.

Even a catastrophe-level divine medicine, under the catalysis of the Great Spirit Rain Technique, needs only about a month to mature! (End of chapter)