The white snake, seeing this scene, was clearly panicked and tried to dive back into the water. But the Demon-Snaring Bowl hovering in midair had been waiting all along—several bands of golden light shot down and instantly wrapped around the snake.
Though the white snake had already become a demon, with the courage to face a thousand foes, its panic made its qi run wild, making escape impossible for the moment.
At that critical instant, Ryan Ling raised his blade—Red Dragon Slash came down right along its neck. It was like slicing through solid steel, sparks flying everywhere. The sight left everyone watching utterly stunned.
On the shore, Brandon Feng was so shocked he could barely process what he was seeing, as if this was something out of a dream.
With a piercing screech, the powerful serpent body was finally cut open, blood spraying like a fountain. Granny Soul was right—Red Dragon Slash really is a demon-slaying technique, especially for cutting through serpent flesh.
At that moment, the white snake let out one last, heart‑rending scream. Its truck‑sized head crashed into the water, and the rest of its massive body toppled over with a thunderous rumble, like a four‑ or five‑story building collapsing.
But this white snake was a treasure from head to tail—even more so now that it had become a demon. Inside, it should have a precious inner core unique to spirit beasts.
At that moment, Ryan Ling willed it—and the Demon-Snaring Bowl didn’t hesitate. It flared with golden light and sucked the entire white snake in, head to tail, all at once.
"Master, your power is boundless! Warren Yuan is in awe—it's the greatest honor of my life!" As Ryan quietly returned to the speedboat, Warren Yuan immediately dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with excitement.
And it wasn’t just him—everyone on the boat knelt down as well.
If you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, who’d believe there could be a teenager this powerful in the world?
"Come on, guys—we’re all brothers here, no need to kneel! Get up, get up! Tonight we feast on snake meat and drink snake blood. Demon meat like this is the ultimate tonic!" Ryan Ling laughed heartily and helped everyone to their feet.
Everyone exchanged smiles. The battle had been hair‑raising, but the rewards were huge.
Just slaying this demon for the folks near Grand Bay Town was a massive act of merit.
If that demonized white snake had been left unchecked, it could’ve ruined a thousand families in a single night. The merit from this deed was off the charts.
But aside from saving the townsfolk and the value of the white snake itself, Ryan Ling was even more excited about the reward from the demon-slaying System.
His last 10,000 Merit Points had been scammed away by Granny Soul, but now the Special Item Store was about to reopen, supposedly with lots of new stuff. Ryan was determined to splurge and enjoy himself this time.
What really got him hyped was that the reward seemed huge—the System even paused its usual game-time overlay and focused on calculating his payout, its eyes bulging like a cow’s.
Looks like this time he’s really going to cash out!
And there was one more thing—by killing the white snake, Ryan had eliminated the crisis at Greencrest Garden. Tiffany Tian had promised him a villa there. With Clearwater Lake’s top-tier feng shui and Greencrest Garden sitting right at the dragon’s head, it really was a treasure spot. No wonder the snake could absorb heaven and earth essence and become a spirit.
If Ryan set up his Hell Court here, it would be the perfect spot.
Lord Yama had promised him—once he built his own Hell Court and recruited a team, he’d stop meddling in Ryan’s relationship with Sophie Su. At that point, Ryan could hook up with her whenever and however he wanted.
Just thinking about finally getting to sleep with Sophie Su made Ryan dizzy with excitement.
With the crisis over, everyone was riding high. Thanks to today’s battle, not just Ryan—anyone present could be worshipped as a living god by the locals.
Back on shore, the rain had cleared and a beautiful rainbow arched over Clearwater Lake. Peachvale County’s deputy chief and other officials were already waiting—they’d seen the whole demon-slaying spectacle. Several burly, brave local men saluted Ryan with full military honors.
"Master, thank you! Thank you for ridding Peachvale County of this menace. On behalf of 1,300 local households, I present you this banner!" The deputy chief, face full of admiration, hurriedly took a silk banner from his aide. Emblazoned on it were four bold characters—Demon-Slaying Master.
"No need for thanks! This is just what we cultivators ought to do." Ryan Ling laughed heartily—he was absolutely over the moon.
But on the other side, Brandon Feng was in a foul mood. He’d been sure Ryan would die at Clearwater Lake, leaving the white snake and the artifact for him. With the Demon-Snaring Bowl, he could show off at every nightclub back in the provincial capital.
But now, not only had Ryan survived—he’d killed the white snake and instantly become the hero of Peachvale County. That Demon-Slaying Master banner had been made in advance for Brandon.
Now, not only had someone else stolen the spotlight and the artifact, even the banner meant for Brandon had gone to Ryan. Brandon’s spoiled rich-kid temper flared up—never mind that Ryan’s demon-slaying skills were terrifying. When a young master’s brattiness kicks in, logic goes out the window.
"Young Master Feng, where are you going?" Seeing Brandon Feng storm off toward the crowd, his loyal attendant hurried to grab him.
"None of your business!" Brandon snapped, looking ready to erupt like a volcano.
"Young Master Feng, let’s just go out the back!" His attendant was more sensible. They’d already lost face today—no point stirring up trouble.
"Out the back? Are you crazy? We’re with the Azure Dragon Society! Who does he think he is? So what if he killed the snake demon? If I say ‘Azure Dragon Society,’ he’ll be scared to death!" Brandon was on a rampage, barreling toward the crowd.
"Not bad—slaying the snake demon. Congrats, young hero!" The attendant couldn’t hold Brandon back and now eyed Ryan Ling with a sarcastic sneer.
Ryan was taken aback—he hadn’t expected this spoiled brat to still be hanging around. His skin was thicker than a concrete wall.
Ryan didn’t bother with him. In his mind, this kind of guy wasn’t even worth talking to. If not for Brandon, slaying the white snake wouldn’t have been nearly so complicated.
The crowd wasn’t thrilled about Brandon’s swagger either. Even Deputy Chief Wang’s face darkened, but when he remembered the Azure Dragon Society, he gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master Feng, if you’re done here, I’ll have a car take you home."
"What, you begged me to come and now you want to send me away? Who do you think I am—a beggar?" Brandon snapped back, making Deputy Chief Wang’s face turn even uglier. He glared at this flashy, rotten rich kid, remembering how many times he’d been bossed around these past few days. Now, seeing Brandon’s smug grin, he wanted to kick him right into Clearwater Lake.
But Brandon didn’t even look at him. Instead, he shot Ryan a sideways glance and sneered, "Young hero, since you’ve killed the snake demon, shouldn’t we settle accounts?"
"Settle accounts? What accounts?" Ryan was baffled. This clown was really asking for a beating.
"You really don’t get it, or are you just playing dumb? Killing the snake demon wasn’t all your doing. If I hadn’t poured the realgar wine and knocked out the snake, you wouldn’t have killed it so easily. So I deserve a share of the spoils. Tell you what—take the banner and the honor, I’ll settle for the white snake, skin and meat included. Someone like you wouldn’t know how to use it anyway; you’d just ruin it. Give it to me and I’ll put it to good use!"
Ryan was so stunned he almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
This guy actually wanted a cut? Ryan wanted nothing more than to beat him senseless...