Immortal Clan: I have a Tree of Creation

As dusk settled, a somber gray veil draped over the dense forests of Anshan.

A burly, triangular viper with dark, rust-like scales slithered silently along the mountain path strewn with decaying leaves.

In his cold, vertical pupils burned a pain and obsession that bordered on madness.

The familiar yet soul-crushing scent in the air, like an invisible thread, pulled it along, meandering downwards.

Avoiding the bustling, crowded paths of the day, they stealthily move through the shadows and the night.

After several days of searching, hunger and anxiety nearly exhausted its strength, but its deep-seated hatred sustained it.

Finally, as yet another dusk fell.

The source of the scent clearly pointed to the foot of the mountain, to the farmhouse courtyard enclosed by a low wall.

—The Zhou Family Residence.

It quietly perched on the branch of an old tree outside the courtyard.

A cold gaze pierced through the sparse branches and leaves.

The items drying in the courtyard swayed gently in the evening breeze.

Several dark red, dried strips of material instantly stung its snake eyes.

It's snake meat, the remains of a viper!

That shared aura became incredibly pungent at this moment, like the most vicious mockery.

"Hiss—hiss hiss—"

A low, hoarse, painful, and distorted hiss was squeezed out of its throat, a roar and a lament.

Its cold, vertical pupils were fixed on the pieces of snake meat, then suddenly turned to the mud-brick houses with smoke rising from their chimneys.

Deep within his pupils, only pure, venomous ruthlessness remained.

Inside the house, the presence of living people acted like the brightest light, guiding the direction of revenge.

......

In the Zhou family's courtyard, the twilight was gentle, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys—a typical evening scene in a rural village.

The eldest brother, Zhou Yuanshan, rarely returned home from his break at the Jingang Martial Arts School. He changed out of his martial arts attire and wore only a thin, coarse cloth jacket.

Even when on vacation at home, he didn't slack off at all.

Taking advantage of this rare free time, I practiced my martial arts on the ridge behind the house.

Zhou Yuanshan is almost eleven years old. Although his body has not fully developed, he is already showing signs of being strong.

At the first level of martial arts, the Skin Refining Realm, each palm strike carries a subtle gust of wind, striking a thick burlap sack filled with straw in front of him with a dull "plop plop" sound.

Sweat streamed down his young, resolute face, dripping into the soil beneath his feet.

Inside the main room, mother Wang Shuzhen and daughter Zhou Yuanyu were doing embroidery by the last rays of daylight streaming through the window.

Wang Shuzhen's fingers flew as she skillfully sewed a new garment on a piece of indigo homespun cloth, the stitches fine and even.

Zhou Yuanyu was intently embroidering a small apricot blossom on a plain handkerchief, her expression serious.

The room was filled with the scent of cotton thread and a calm, cozy tranquility.

Near the window, eight-year-old Zhou Yuanqing was gently rocking the small wooden bed with his feet to coax his younger brother, Zhou Yuanyi, who was babbling and waving his little hands inside.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, I held a thick book of "Annotations on the Thousand Character Classic" and read it intently.

However, the tranquility of the Zhou family was instantly shattered by a sudden act of malice!

The Wood Spirit Root endowed Zhou Yuanqing with a calmness and keenness far beyond his peers.

He immediately sensed intense malice and a nauseating, foul stench.

The wind was cold and menacing, carrying pure, undisguised malice.

A huge snake head emerged, its dark red body sending chills down one's spine.

It was starving, and its target... was Zhou Yuanyi on the small wooden bed!

Zhou Yuanqing jumped up almost instinctively, and the thick book in his hand slipped from his grasp.

Following the direction from which that malice was coming, he smashed it with all his might!

"Ugh—!"

The thick book landed squarely on the side of the giant snake's snout, which was striking like lightning.

Caught off guard, the giant snake's head snapped to the side, disrupting its attack trajectory.

The sharp fangs grazed past the hem of Zhou Yuanqing's fluttering clothes.

"Snake! There's a big snake!" Zhou Yuanqing's heart nearly jumped out of his throat. His terrified shout, sharp and shrill like a child's, shattered the tranquility of the courtyard.

"Mother, elder brother, come quick!"

He didn't have time to think; his body acted faster than his mind.

He scooped up his younger brother Zhou Yuanyi, who was lying on the wooden bed, looking bewildered and on the verge of tears from the sudden shaking, and ran wildly towards the main room.

Wang Shuzhen and Zhou Yuanyu were startled by the scream, and the needle and thread in their hands fell to the ground.

"Qing'er..." The mother and daughter rushed out of the main room, and the horrifying scene in front of them made their blood run cold.

A massive, dark red snake, thicker than an arm, was raising its menacing triangular head.

Its cold, vertical pupils were fixed on Zhou Yuanqing, who was fleeing with his younger brother in his arms. Its forked tongue flickered, emitting a chilling hissing sound.

Zhou Yuanyu screamed in fright, and Wang Shuzhen trembled slightly as well.

But her maternal instincts overcame all fear.

She staggered towards the wall, frantically grabbing a hoe leaning against the corner, and held it tremblingly in front of her: "Beast! Get away!"

The giant snake was enraged by being hit by the book and by Zhou Yuanqing's escape.

It ignored Wang Shuzhen, who was wielding a hoe and posed almost no threat.

The enormous snake body twisted violently, and its thick tail, covered with tough scales, lashed out like a heavy steel whip, accompanied by a whistling sound, towards Zhou Yuanqing, who was blocking its way.

"Qing'er, be careful!"

boom!

Zhou Yuanqing had no time to dodge; his small body was struck hard by the snake's tail, and he cried out in pain.

He fell heavily onto the muddy ground a few steps away, curled up in pain, and couldn't get up for a while.

But he still held onto his younger brother tightly, not letting go, to prevent him from getting hurt.

Having succeeded in its attack, the giant snake did not pause. Its massive head, like an arrow released from a bow, opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Zhou Yuanqing, who was holding his younger brother and unable to move.

The stark white fangs gleamed eerily in the twilight.

"Qing'er! Yi'er!" Wang Shuzhen cried out in despair, and rushed forward with a hoe in hand.

Zhou Yuanqing felt the chilling killing intent coming from behind her, her face turned pale, and the shadow of death instantly enveloped her.

He instinctively hugged his younger brother tighter, using his thin back to meet the deadly fangs.

In that critical moment...

"You beast, shut up!"

A furious shout, like a thunderclap, rang out, accompanied by the clear voice unique to a young man.

Zhou Yuanshan, who was practicing his martial arts on the ridge of the field, heard the shouts from inside the house and rushed over at an astonishing speed.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his blood was surging through his body.

The strength of the muscles and bones at the Skin Refining Realm erupted without reservation at this moment.

He had no weapons, only a pair of hardened, fleshy hands!

The Vajra Palm, a unique martial art of the Vajra Martial Arts School, is incredibly powerful and instantly repelled the snake's head.

Zhou Yuanshan was just a beginner in the Skin Refining stage of martial arts, and he was still a child before reaching adulthood.

Logically speaking, it would be difficult to defeat such a large snake.

However, the fighting power that Zhou Yuanshan unleashed was exceptionally astonishing.

He managed to block the giant snake with his Vajra Palm technique, seemingly holding his own against the snake.

The giant serpent was quite intelligent, and seeing that it could not be defeated after a long period of attack, it came up with a different idea.

The snake's head turned, gliding from a tricky angle, pointing directly at Zhou Yuanqing to the side.

Zhou Yuanqing, carrying Xiao Yi'er, couldn't run fast at all, and his face turned deathly pale.

Zhou Yuanshan was furious, but his strength was limited and he couldn't match the speed of the giant snake.

Seeing that the venomous fangs were about to bite his younger brother in the back of the heart, he did not hesitate for a moment.

With a roar, he lunged forward, brazenly meeting the man-eating snake's jaws with his left arm!

*Pfft*...

The giant snake's sharp fangs pierced deeply into the flesh of Zhou Yuanshan's left forearm.

The intense pain made Zhou Yuanshan's vision go black, veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

But he clenched his teeth so tightly that he didn't utter a single groan of pain.

He knew he absolutely could not back down!

If we retreat, it will be the third and youngest brothers who get hurt.

"Big brother!" Zhou Yuanqing turned around and saw this scene.

The excruciating pain ignited Zhou Yuanshan's ruthlessness and instinct to protect his family.

He endured the excruciating pain and rapidly spreading numbness in his left arm.

The muscles in his right arm were bulging, his five fingers were pressed together like iron, and a faint golden light flashed in his palm.

The Vajra Palm manifested a faint light, a sign that could only be displayed by those who had reached the Great Perfection of External Cultivation... yet it was now manifesting in a martial artist at the Skin Refining Realm.

Zhou Yuanshan used all the remaining strength in his body, and all his anger and fear were concentrated in this furious strike.

"You beast, get out!"

The snake bit down hard on his arm, and he didn't have time to dodge.

—Click!

A muffled thud was mixed with a faint cracking sound.

The giant snake's head was struck solidly, and it sank heavily, its hard skull seemingly cracking.

A little dark red snake blood slowly oozed out.

The intense pain and the sudden, heavy blow made it dizzy, and its strong survival instinct instantly overwhelmed its vengeful madness.

It suddenly released its venomous fangs that were tightly gripping Zhou Yuanshan's arm, and the huge snake body writhed in pain, emitting a hoarse wail.

The cold, vertical pupils cast a final, venomous glance at Zhou Yuanshan, who was swaying precariously from the excruciating pain and poisoning.

Without hesitation, it turned around and, like a dark red ghost, darted through the gap in the courtyard wall and disappeared into the increasingly dark twilight forest.

The crisis seems to have been averted.