The thousand snakes surrounding him bowed to the red snake, as if in the presence of royalty. Seeing this, Liu Xing realized the red snake was their true ruler. The red snake slithered across the bridge and soon reached its beginning, positioning itself a few meters from him as if guarding the passage.

Liu Xing prepared for a fight. However, suspecting the red snake might be intelligent, he clasped his hands and spoke. "My name is Liu Xing. I am a disciple from the Purple Moon Sect. May I cross the bridge?"

After all, if the red snake did not attack, he wouldn't either.

The snake's eyes widened in surprise. Then, it answered in fluent human language, its voice surprisingly melodious. "What a polite cultivator! In my long life, you are the only one who hasn't attacked instantly. You can call me Emerald Fang, and yes, you may cross the bridge."

Liu Xing's eyebrows rose. "You would let me pass that easily? Why?"

Emerald Fang glanced at the snakes surrounding Liu Xing. "Because you didn't kill any of my kin. If you haven't noticed, we're not normal beasts, but we're not too special either. We're underlings of the Emerald Fox and ordered to hinder anyone from meeting it."

"That's the opposite of what you're doing here. Not only did no snake attack me, but you're also letting me cross the bridge."

The snake smiled, its forked tongue flicking out briefly. "Well, let's just say we aren't fond of our current master. The situation would be wildly different if you had attacked one of my kin, but since you did no harm, there's nothing I can do."

Liu Xing still found it suspicious but nodded nonetheless. Since he was allowed to cross, he would.

Emerald Fang slithered to the side, and Liu Xing walked onto the bridge. When he stepped onto the weathered planks, he paused and turned, checking for any potential sneak attacks. But Emerald Fang only smiled, and the rest of the snakes remained still.

He began walking again. Halfway across the bridge, he glanced back and saw Emerald Fang still watching. When he finally reached the other side, there was still no attack. Then, the snakes began to disperse, some tunneling into the ground while others slithered into the lush bushes nearby, as if returning home. The red snake kept its head up, still smiling.

Liu Xing turned and continued on his path. Before him stretched a narrow passage between two enormous rocks, appearing as if split by a giant's blade. As he walked between the imposing rocks, he pondered Emerald Fang and its kin. He knew they were underlings of something called the Emerald Fox, which was likely the spirit beast guarding the Diamond Pills.

The red snake had spoken normally, like a human, but its cultivation was low, only around the Lock Opening realm second stage, which was unheard of. Gaining intelligence wasn't guaranteed for spirit beasts. Even if they became immortal, there was a chance they would remain creatures of instinct. Yet, most intelligent spirit beasts possessed high realms. This meant the red snake was either talented or concealing its strength. Since it had said it didn't attack Liu Xing because he hadn't harmed its kin, Liu Xing thought perhaps it would gain strength if he had attacked.

"Restriction," Liu Xing muttered.

In this world, cultivators known as saints possessed tremendous power in their realm. Liu Xing had heard that there were five saints in the entire world, but he only knew of one, a cultivator named Lin Fan, a loose cultivator who was highly respected in the Purple Moon Sect, and a master swordsman who lived for his craft. He was only at the Sun Collapsing Realm, but he had heard that even the Twelve Elders, who were at least in the Black Sun Realm, respected him. It was said each saint was unique and avoided fights like the plague. But when they did fight, they would display power that defied common understanding.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Rumors about Lin Fan claimed he couldn't point his sword at others. The other saints similarly had weird and seemingly ridiculous peculiarities, and from these stemmed the idea of restriction—a way for saints to gain strength by limiting themselves.

But these were only rumors, and Liu Xing had never seen someone with a restriction. It might be nonsense, but what if it wasn't? He remembered how confident the snake had been. It was a spirit beast with low cultivation, yet it had spoken to Liu Xing as if he posed no threat.

"Am I overthinking?"

Deciding he probably was, Liu Xing shook his head and refocused on his quest.

Soon he passed the split rocks and came to a small clearing. In the center, a humanoid red fox sat cross-legged as if in meditation. Wearing a green cultivator's robe, it looked muscular; Liu Xing suspected that if it stood up, it would tower over him.

As Liu Xing approached, the fox opened its eyes. Its gaze shone with contempt, as if seeing a maggot crawling before a king.

Liu Xing understood the fox's disdain. He was a cultivator at the Lock Opening realm sixth stage, but the qi emanating from the fox was so dense and vast that Liu Xing felt he stood before an ocean of power. This was his first encounter with a being at the Core Splitting realm. Though his heart raced, with the Ethereal Pearl and the necklace similar to the Red Wings of Stability, Liu Xing still believed he had a chance if they fought.

"Who dares disturb me?" its voice boomed across the clearing, scattering nearby birds.

Liu Xing didn't answer. Instead, he looked past the fox to a tree covered entirely in moss—from its roots to its branches and leaves. In the center of this modest tree was a hole containing a glass box. Inside the box, Liu Xing saw five red pills the size of chocolate balls, each emitting a whitish hue as if reflecting moonlight. These were the Diamond Pills he sought.

The Diamond Pills were known for their great effects, and additional information had made them irresistible to Liu Xing.

Additional info 3: There are five Diamond Pills remaining. Disciples can claim they retrieved these pills as long as they give three to the sect.

This information blatantly suggested Liu Xing could consume two of these pills, which had motivated his quest.

"I said, who dares disturb me?" the fox shouted, its piercing eyes locked on Liu Xing.

Liu Xing clasped his hands respectfully. "My name is Liu Xing, a disciple from the Purple Moon Sect."

The fox snorted. "A brat from the Purple Moon Sect? Since you arrived here, that damned snake must finally be dead. Good. He was annoying, and even in death, he still gives me trouble by letting you pass."

Liu Xing remained silent. Emerald Fang had let him pass, but he wouldn't reveal this to the Emerald Fox. This spirit beast was of a higher realm and possessed intelligence. Though Liu Xing believed he had a chance in a fight, he wouldn't act recklessly.

"What do you want here? To extract my beast core? Grind me into an elixir? Create a robe from my fur? Steal my treasures?" The fox's voice dripped with anger and contempt. Its eyes bulged, turning red as veins pulsed around them. "You humans are all the same. Despicable, cowardly, and weak. Yet you claim this world is yours! I'll do this world a favor by reaching the pinnacle and getting rid of all of you! You are foolish to come here. You are courting death!"

The fox's body began to grow, its muscles and fur writhing until the green robe ripped. Its snout elongated, fangs jutting out as saliva dripped from its mouth. In an instant, the fox transformed into a four-meter monster that looked like it could tear a giant boulder apart with its bare hands. The torn remains of its robe hung from its massive frame, revealing bulging muscles beneath its red fur.

Liu Xing felt every single hair on his body stand on end, his heart pounding, and his brain screaming for him to run. It seemed this fox truly hated humans, and seeing Liu Xing made it want to tear him apart. But Liu Xing would not back down. Although it was a spirit beast in the Core Splitting realm, it didn't feel too overwhelming. Most likely, this fox had recently advanced.

Liu Xing still thought he could win this fight. It was a chance for him to test himself against a cultivator of a higher realm. As long as he remained cautious and fought smart, he could probably win.

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