“What? You little scatterbrain, the Hou Yi Bow can only be used once a year, you’ve really gotten us into trouble.”

“Ah… Master… wuwu…”

The giant serpent seemed to realize that Middle-aged Man could no longer use the divine bow. It lunged viciously at Middle-aged Man, but Middle-aged Man swung the Hou Yi Bow up to meet it. The dark bow struck the serpent’s gleaming white fangs, snapping four or five of its half-meter-long venomous teeth, which flew out in a spray of blood. The serpent, enraged by the pain, lashed its tail and sent Middle-aged Man flying.

Middle-aged Man tumbled awkwardly from the air and landed on the ground. After taking a deep breath, he gripped the divine bow and charged at the giant serpent.

Ethan Brooks was dumbfounded. Little Princess’s Master was actually using the Hou Yi Bow as a club, and his heart ached at the sight.

“This crazy man… what a waste of a treasure!”

Little Princess beamed with delight. “Haha, the old man is really something!”

Middle-aged Man leapt high, a streak of black light flashing by. The Hou Yi Bow shattered the serpent’s steel-hard scales, sending them flying in all directions as blood rained from the sky. The serpent went berserk, its massive body writhing wildly, its huge tail sweeping and smashing, shaking the very earth.

But Little Princess’s Master moved like lightning, dodging round after round of deadly attacks. He struck again and again with the Hou Yi Bow, leaving the giant serpent covered in blood.

Suddenly, the serpent stopped. Its body, upright in the air, began to emit a faint golden light. An astonishing transformation took place: its multicolored scales turned to gold, four protrusions appeared on its belly, and a pair of golden, deer-like antlers sprouted from its head. A dragon’s roar burst from its mouth, shaking the heavens. A powerful dragon aura radiated from the serpent, causing all animals within a hundred miles to prostrate themselves.

Everyone was stunned.

“A dragon, I saw a legendary dragon!” Ethan Brooks shouted excitedly.

Little Princess cried out, “Oh my god! We’re fighting a dragon!”

While everyone was overwhelmed with excitement, Little Princess’s Master looked despondent. Only he understood that the serpent’s transformation had failed—the dragon claws on its belly had not emerged. There was only one outcome for a failed transformation: death.

He said softly, “Brother Serpent, I’m sorry. I thought you were just a snake demon who failed in cultivation. I never imagined you were so proud, spending countless ages striving to become a true dragon. If you hadn’t reached this critical moment of transformation, I think we would have all perished long ago.”

At that moment, the golden scales on the serpent began to fall off, revealing bloody flesh beneath. The serpent let out a tragic dragon’s cry and spat out a golden, glowing inner core. The core exploded in midair, turning into a shower of golden rain that vanished. The failed serpent, now a streak of golden light, shot toward the volcano and disappeared into its crater in the blink of an eye.

Little Princess’s Master was left feeling empty. If he had killed a mere demon serpent, he would not have felt such loss. But to have slain a holy serpent on the verge of becoming a dragon weighed heavily on his heart.

“Right or wrong? Maybe there is no such thing in this world.” He let out a long sigh.

Middle-aged Man, heavy-hearted, approached the mouth of the volcano. He leapt to the blazing immortal lotus, picked just one petal, then uprooted the entire plant and tossed it into the volcano.

“Brother Serpent, perhaps this is fate. If the blazing immortal lotus had ripened just half an hour earlier, maybe you would have become a dragon. That lotus will surely preserve your spirit. May you become a true dragon in your next life.”

By now, Little Princess and the others had run up. “Master, what just happened? Why did that stinky snake turn into a dragon?”

Middle-aged Man replied, “You’re mistaken. How could it have turned into a dragon?”

“It was a dragon! I clearly saw a dragon. Didn’t you all see it too?” Little Princess asked the guards.

“It was a dragon.”

“It was a dragon.”

“It was definitely a dragon, I saw it clearly.”

…

The guards all confirmed it.

Middle-aged Man said calmly, “When people are overly tense, they can experience hallucinations. You were all just too nervous.”

Little Princess said, “Hmph, old man, you’re acting so strange today. You must be hiding something from me.”

Middle-aged Man laughed, “You little rascal, always letting your imagination run wild. Here, this is the blazing immortal lotus you wanted.”

“Ah, why is there only one petal?”

“You’re so greedy. To get even one petal of such a celestial herb is already quite lucky. The rest of the petals fell into the volcano when they ripened.”

“Sigh, what a pity,” Little Princess sighed.

“Hey, Master, what about the snake? Did you kill it?”

“It died under the Hou Yi Bow.”

“Oh, old man, you’re really acting strange today. You clearly slew a dragon—no, a giant serpent—so why are you so downcast?” Little Princess blinked her big eyes, looking at Middle-aged Man with a meaningful gaze.

Middle-aged Man pinched her nose and changed the subject with a smile, “You little rascal, sneaking out of the palace like that. You nearly worried your father to death.”

“Annoying!” Little Princess brushed away Middle-aged Man’s hand and said, “I only came out to find the blazing immortal lotus for Father. When he turns sixty, I’ll give him the lotus as a birthday present. He’ll be absolutely delighted.”