Out in the wilderness, two groups of snake people faced each other in a tense standoff.

One side numbered only a few dozen, but they were all rugged, powerful males wielding crude weapons. Their coordinated movements betrayed practiced combat skills – these were nomadic herding tribes from the north and west.

The other side appeared more numerous, but only half were able-bodied adults. The rest were elderly or weak. Their weapons were little more than rotting pieces of wood, some clutching mere stones.

Often, combat isn’t decided by numbers alone. The elite warriors’ eyes blazed with killing intent as they taunted their opponents with arrogant laughter. Despite their superior numbers, the larger group’s faces had turned ashen pale under their enemies’ intimidation.

Though clearly terrified, the larger but weaker group refused to retreat. Their village and tribe lay behind them, and they wouldn’t let these raiders enter, fearing they would reduce their homes to ashes. Some had witnessed such devastation visited upon other snake people villages.

When a battle cry rang out from an unknown source, the two sides finally clashed.

As expected, the village defenders’ formation instantly shattered before the raiders’ assault. The attackers moved with perfect rhythm, coordinating their strikes against the villagers.

After losing over a dozen men, many defenders lost their nerve and fled toward the rear. Once the retreat began, everything fell apart.

When some started running, others followed. No one dared stand their ground anymore.

They exposed their backs to the enemy’s butchering blades.

The herding tribe warriors erupted in bloodthirsty cheers and hisses at this sight, pursuing with weapons raised, hunting the villagers like they would drive their toothed beasts.

They knew that once this happened, their prey would be helpless before them.

The village snake people, subjects of the city-state, were being slaughtered.

The enemy stormed their homes, seizing women and valuables, setting buildings ablaze.

Chaos, wailing, screams and death descended upon the village simultaneously. It seemed no one could resist these raiders from the northwest.

“Kill!” the raiders cried, faces twisted and eyes blood-red as they anticipated their laden return.

“Hold them back! Kill these herding tribe warriors!” A few snake people who had fled like startled beasts now charged back recklessly upon seeing their kin and families being butchered.

But having lost all formation and unity, their attempted counterattack came too late.

The raiders cut them down, and the remaining villagers lost what little fight they had left, fleeing toward the village outskirts.

“Weak city-state people!” The raiders laughed uproariously, mocking these cowards without restraint.

“Plunder!” They stormed into homes, stealing everything in sight.

“Hiss!” The excited raiders hissed at their wailing victims, utterly unrestrained.

At this moment, a group appeared in the distance – numerous soldiers carrying wooden shields and short spears emerged on a distant hillside.

At a command from the man at their center, they all charged down the slope and joined the battle.

Their leader was a tall, imposing man who charged into the crowd of raiders wielding a short sword.

Of several dozen raiders, he personally slew more than half.

He possessed powerful muscles, thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, with somewhat primitive features. His bronze skin seemed to emit a metallic gleam in the sunlight that should only belong to metal.

He swung his bronze sword like a storm devouring his enemies.

His companions followed in his wake, advancing steadily.

Those fierce raiders, encountering an existence more powerful and terrifying than themselves, immediately turned tail with loud cries.

But the man’s speed was incredible – he caught the raiders one by one, cutting them down.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the raiders’ leader ran at the front, his speed also considerable. In moments he had covered over a thousand meters.

The heroic snake man pursued, but having to cut down other raiders let the leader pull several dozen meters ahead.

Just as the leader was about to dive into a small grove, the pursuing warrior threw his sword.

“Whoosh!”

The blade pierced accurately through the raider leader’s chest, and he immediately collapsed.

The heroic snake man walked forward and easily retrieved his sword.

Then he cut off the raider leader’s head.

Carrying the enemy’s head, he returned to the snake people village.

He held the dripping head high – the face forever frozen in that moment of terrified backward glance.

The man let out a thunderous roar: “Victory!”

His voice exploded through the village like a thunderclap.

His followers and subordinates joined in the hissing roar, producing sounds that shook snake people souls.

The man stood on high ground and asked all in the village:

“Who among you is the Fire Bearer?”

The Fire Bearer was a village’s leader, responsible for distributing food.

This tradition stretched back to Snake Mother Sermos’s time, continuing to the present. Though the position was once called Fire Guardian, now Fire Guardian had become the symbol of supreme power among snake people.

And now, the position was no longer merely about distributing food, but had become one managing all village affairs.

After a long while, someone from the village finally dared step forward to answer, while also inquiring about their identity.

“The previous Fire Bearer is dead.”

“According to city-state law, I am now the new Fire Bearer.”

“Who are you?”

The man descended from his high position and told them: “I am Alpens.”

The village’s new Fire Bearer immediately stared at Alpens in disbelief: “You’re that divine blessed one, the warrior who climbed the Mountain of Life’s Origin?”

They had all heard Alpens’s name – recently this warrior’s fame had spread far and wide in these parts.

He was a warrior of the City of Fire Protection who rose to captain of the guard through his great strength despite common birth. He led his soldiers defending the city in chaos until the Fire Guardian’s death, then led his men in breaking out of the city.

He had climbed the Mountain of Life’s Origin alone, dodged the deadly petrifying beams, and received a deity’s blessing on the mountain.

Some said he was actually a hybrid possessing divine blood, explaining his incredible physique and fearless courage.

Others said he was extraordinary from birth, divinely blessed among mortals.

But regardless of which legend, all were filled with wonder.

Clearly, Alpens was a figure of great renown, though what brought him fame was not his status, but his superhuman valor and grandeur.

When the village snake people learned Alpens’s name, they immediately burst into exclamations. None had imagined such a warrior would come to their village to save them.

Soon, Alpens explained the reason.

“Recently large groups of herding tribe snake people have been attacking surrounding villages. We’ve rescued many villages along our way – some of my followers are brave warriors from those villages.”

At this point, Alpens addressed all the snake people present:

“Though the City of Fire Protection is gone, and the Fire Guardian died at rebel hands,”

“We are all descendants of Alcina, we are all people of the city-state.”

“Now the northwestern herding tribes continuously raid southward, while we are scattered like loose sand, letting them plunder our wealth and steal our women and children.”

Alpens grew more passionate as he spoke, his face flushed and eyes filled with fury.

“Look at the dead! Look at the burned villages and cities! This is what becomes of us when we are divided.”

“We must unite to protect our villages and families.”

Since leaving the Mountain of Life’s Origin, Alpens had witnessed numerous large and small herding tribes beginning to migrate south en masse.

This was no good sign – previously herding tribes had given the City of Fire Protection a wide berth.

The collapse of the city-state alliance had shown the herding tribes an opportunity.

The Stone Demon tribe’s plunder of the City of Fire Protection’s wealth had made them envious beyond measure – moreover, with even the Fire Guardian dead, what could stop them?

One tribe after another formed alliances, beginning to raid city-state villages, towns, and even attacking cities.

Order had collapsed; everything had fallen into chaos.

The rebels thought killing the Fire Guardian would usher in their era.

Yet what came instead was endless war.

The herding tribes of the central plains invaded southward, and this village was one of their victims.

Alpens’s words resonated deeply with the village snake people who had just experienced disaster. One after another, they voiced their agreement.

They were stirred to passion, releasing soft sobs as they gazed upon their dead family and friends.

Alpens formed an alliance with the village snake people, swearing oaths before God.

From that day forward, they would receive Alpens’s protection, but they must also pledge loyalty to him.

Strong young snake people from the village eagerly volunteered to join Alpens’s force, hoping to become his followers and subordinates.

After testing their physical capabilities, Alpens accepted over a dozen able-bodied youth into his ranks.

“Excellent!”

“All fine young men!”

Alpens slapped their chests, laughing heartily.

The other soldiers immediately joined in the laughter, while the newly recruited youngsters stood with chests proudly puffed out.

The young men had just witnessed Alpens’s divine valor and strength. They eagerly anticipated joining his ranks, becoming his followers.

Then they would follow him in protecting their homeland, perhaps even achieving great merit.

Alpens didn’t linger long here, departing after making some arrangements.

They began moving toward the next village.

As chaos and war descended, Alpens established new order amid the turmoil, using alliances and divine oaths to forge pacts with village after village and town after town.

The followers and subordinates he led grew ever more numerous.

He became known as the Protector.

Alpens’s rise alarmed the surrounding powers.

The first to move against Alpens and his followers was the ruler of Moonlight city.

When Alpens formed another village alliance, the Moonlight city ruler flew into a rage, feeling betrayed. He ordered his soldiers to massacre that village, simultaneously warning Alpens.

Yet Alpens showed not the slightest fear. Filled with righteous anger, he gathered able-bodied men from village after village.

He laid out the bodies of the innocent dead and spoke to everyone in fury:

“What did they do?”

“Why did they meet such a tragic end?”

Alpens’s voice was powerful, his eyes blazing with strength: “They did nothing – they only wanted to protect themselves, defend their village and families.”

His words ignited everyone’s anger, stirring the gathered snake people to passionate fury.

Alpens immediately seized the moment to fully kindle this fire, completely expressing the discontent and rage in his heart.

“Those worms in Moonlight city couldn’t protect them, so we must protect ourselves.”

“Yet those contemptible worms, unable to protect their own people, won’t let us unite for self-preservation.”

Alpens continued: “It was these people who conspired with the herding tribes to breach the City of Fire Protection and kill the Fire Guardian.”

“They brought us disaster, they led the herding tribes into our homeland, they betrayed us.”

“All our disasters and suffering stem from them.”

“These are the traitors – the ruler of Moonlight city, his soldiers, the Stone Demon tribe, and the people of Sains City.”

Alpens pointed toward Moonlight city: “They were the ones who brought the herding tribe raiders, yet now these rebels only cower trembling within their cities, letting raiders plunder our homes.”

“We cannot continue like this.”

“We must defeat them – we must protect ourselves.”

Finally, Alpens announced the action he would take.

“Take Moonlight city.”

“Restore the city-state’s order and glory.”

Alpens’s mobilization filled more and more snake people with righteous indignation. They blamed all their pain and suffering on those who had launched the rebellion.

As their ranks swelled, Alpens led his warriors toward Moonlight city, their battle cries echoing across the land.

The rebel forces of Moonlight city hadn’t anticipated Alpens’s rise would be so swift, his counterattack so sharp, nor his strength so overwhelming.

Alpens led over ten thousand snake people to surround Moonlight city, their dense crowds surging across the plains like ants.

They came bearing fury.

“What is that?” A snake person on the city wall spotted the sight.

“People, they’re all people – quick… quick… close the city gates!” The guards panicked at seeing the dense crowds, running and shouting loudly.

“No, drop the blocking stones too!” He immediately issued another order.

Moonlight city’s defenders immediately moved to close the gates upon seeing the charging crowds, while also dropping giant stones to block the entrance.

These were measures originally prepared against herding tribes, now used against Alpens and his followers.

However, Alpens activated the Life Artifact: Proof of Blood Kinship. He charged alone to the city gates, killing the soldiers trying to close them.

Then, single-handedly, he bore the weight of the falling stone.

His mighty frame bore incredible strength as he caught and lifted the massive stone.

“Now!”

“Charge in!”

“Make these cowardly, contemptible worms pay!”

He called his followers and subordinates to charge into the city while he held up the stone.

Soldiers poured through in an endless stream as sounds of killing erupted within the city.

“Kill!”

“Make these cowardly, contemptible worms pay!”

Alpens extended one hand, and a shield appeared in his grasp.

He struck the giant stone forcefully with his shield, instantly shattering it.

With this, Moonlight city’s gates stood fully open.

Freed from his burden, Alpens joined the killing in the city. The streets were packed with Moonlight city soldiers, both sides pressed together in mutual slaughter.

Moreover, Moonlight city had powerful Wisdom Ability users who commanded terrifying fire demons and stone demons.

But Alpens had arrived.

He wielded his weapons like a war god descended from heaven.

His shield shattered stone demons, while fire demons’ flames left him completely unharmed.

Mighty ability users were torn apart under his spear, releasing desperate screams.

His scale armor was impenetrable – none could harm him.

The city’s rulers grew terrified of Alpens’s power, too frightened to face him directly.

Alpens cut through the city’s defenses like a sharp spear, causing Moonlight city’s soldiers to flee in panic before him.

At this moment, many snake people within Moonlight city rushed out to join Alpens’s forces.

Together they stormed the ruler’s mansion, killing Moonlight city’s ruler.

Alpens had seized the city.

He stood before the ruler’s mansion, gazing at the wave-like crowds.

Everyone looked up at Alpens – in the sunlight, he seemed to emanate radiance.

His powerful physique and chiseled features made Alpens appear like a deity fallen to earth.

“Divine Blessed One!”

“Divine Blessed One!”

The entire city called out Alpens’s title.

Facing their cheers, Alpens laughed heartily, embracing his followers with strong arms.

He looked upon the crowd, seeing one brave warrior after another gazing at him in worship.

Alpens finally understood what he wanted, and why he had climbed that Mountain of Life’s Origin.

He yearned for glory.

He yearned to conquer peak after peak with his friends and subordinates.

He wanted his name to be cheered and shouted by all, remembered by all future generations.

The guards and able-bodied men of Moonlight city were thoroughly infected by this emotion. The guards cast aside their weapons while the snake people surged forward to rally around Alpens.

“We wish to follow you,”

“Divine Blessed One.”

After Alpens became ruler of Moonlight city, he began an unstoppable rise to power.

The herding tribes, fearless of death, continued raiding city-state alliance villages in groups.

Though Alpens possessed great power and physique, his strength was his alone.

The herding tribes split into countless raiding parties, never engaging Alpens in direct battle.

This greatly troubled Alpens.

“We need to find a solution to this problem.”

“We must strengthen our defenses, make it impossible for herding tribe raiders to easily breach our villages and towns, ensure they not only fail to plunder but suffer losses each time.”

“Moreover, we need good weapons, suitable for both defense and pursuit.”

He suddenly recalled how he often liked to throw his spear and sword to kill enemies – this ranged attack method was incredibly effective and efficient.

Just then, inspiration struck Alpens’s mind, as he remembered something he had never seen before.

He saw a tall building completely different from snake people cities – a Trilobite people ritual workshop.

As the figure arranged materials upon the stone slab, its patterns came alive with flowing energy, manifesting a special creation before them.

Alpens experienced this from that person’s perspective, though he couldn’t see their appearance, just as one cannot directly see their own face.

He could only focus his gaze on that special creation, and its name immediately surfaced in his mind.

A bow and arrow.

He watched as the person crafted arrows, then nocked one to the bow.

The moment these two items came into being, beams of light descended from the sky, falling upon the bow and arrow.

The arrow was released.

“Boom!”

Alpens watched as that single arrow split the sea in two, the divide extending for hundreds of meters before stopping.

He activated the Proof of Blood Kinship again, donning his armor as the blood-red cape unfurled behind him.

His shield instantly transformed into the shape of a bow.

He went outside and drew the bow, shooting a sharpened piece of wood.

Alpens’s natural talent was undeniable. He hit his target accurately with just a wooden stick, which remained firmly embedded in a tree.

His eyes immediately lit up.

Though his bow wasn’t as powerful as the one in his vision, he could still sense this weapon’s potential.

However, this bow transformed from the Proof of Blood Kinship’s shield wouldn’t work for other snake people besides Alpens. They would need to find another way to craft them.

“How should we make it?”

Alpens immediately gathered the city’s craftsmen, asking them to consider how to manufacture bows and arrows.

The snake people craftsmen tried many times before finally using toothed beast tendons for bowstrings to create the weapon Alpens envisioned.

Thus began the age of archery among the snake people.

Unexpectedly, snake people seemed naturally gifted in archery. Their gaze and pupils were incredibly sharp, able to precisely detect the presence of living beings.

As the season approached for herding tribes to invade southward again, Alpens had villages large and small establish solid defense systems, using smoke signals to communicate.

If they could hold out briefly, preventing the herding tribe raiders from breaching the villages, they would soon face reinforcements from both inside and out.

Alpens deployed his archers against the powerful herding tribes. These tribes were caught completely off guard, their warriors falling before they even saw their attackers. The tribal leaders fled in panic, facing these unprecedented tactics.

Alpens even had his soldiers scatter and set ambushes, luring herding tribe warriors into towns before closing the gates and raining arrows upon them.

From their elevated positions at such close range, Alpens’s archers were untouchable. The enemy could only await their doom, their rage and howls powerless against the deadly rain of arrows.

Time and again, Alpens repelled and annihilated the herding tribe raiders, until they trembled at the mere mention of Alpens and Moonlight city.

Gradually, the herding tribes began abandoning their raids on villages belonging to Moonlight city, turning instead to raid other city-states’ territories.

Alpens seized this opportunity to further develop his strength before beginning his next plan.

He prepared to reclaim the City of Fire Protection, which had fallen into herding tribe territory.

Being the northernmost city, it served as a crucial gateway for the herding tribes’ southern advances.

Only by reclaiming it could they stop the herding tribes’ raids southward.

When several large tribes agreed to raid southward together, Alpens led his soldiers back there.

The former heart of the city-state was now filled with herding tribe encampments, its once-cultivated fields lying fallow.

Alpens led his men in driving out and killing these herding tribe people, reclaiming the land.

He cut off the herding tribes’ retreat, utterly destroying several large tribes that had raided the city-state year after year. Most survivors surrendered and became their slaves.

He called back those who had fled the City of Fire Protection, rebuilding it to restore its former prosperity and vitality.

With this crucial southern passage blocked, the situation changed completely.

The snake people’s inland cities and villages no longer lived in daily fear of herding tribe raids.

This time, Alpens’s name truly resounded throughout the snake people and every city-state large and small. As his fame grew, so did his army of soldiers and followers.

One after another, city rulers and village Fire Bearers came to the City of Fire Protection to pay respects, acknowledging Alpens as their overlord.

People said:

“He is God’s favored one.”

“He is unstoppable.”

“Divine Blessed Alpens, he is a born leader.”

Though Alpens had rebuilt the City of Fire Protection, he did not wish to become Fire Guardian.

In the palace of the City of Fire Protection, followers questioned Alpens.

“Not become Fire Guardian?”

“Then what will you become?”

Suddenly, a word surfaced in Alpens’s mind: “King!”

“I will become king.”

Though unfamiliar with the word “king,” they sensed its inherent majesty.

“King?”

Alpens nodded, declaring grandly to everyone:

“A Fire Guardian distributes food, but a king rules over all.”

None dared question Alpens’s decision. They bowed to him one after another, honoring him as king.

Thus, Alpens was revered as overlord of the city-states, called the Divine Blessed King by the snake people.

He became the first King of the Snake People.

In the City of Fire Protection, a temple was built behind the ancient bonfire altar. Though modeled after the Temple of Life, it was far smaller than that magnificent sanctuary, with fewer interconnected chambers and no winding passage leading to a heaven-reaching tower.

The temple required no specific name; its purpose was its identity.

However, being in the City of Fire Protection, it became known as the Temple of Fire Protection.

Within the temple, the Mother of Life Shelly was enshrined as the primary deity, with the Scarlet Witch standing at her side.

The bonfire flickered before the temple.

At the foot of the steps, beautiful snake people maidens danced with graceful movements, singing hymns of praise, praying to the deities in the snake people’s way.

The temple priests had gathered early before the temple, awaiting the Divine Blessed King’s ascent of the steps.

Alpens, recently become the Divine Blessed King, entered the newly constructed temple with solemn dignity.

He recalled the Blood Progenitor’s words.

“Remember this.”

“This world contains many things beyond your imagination. What you call power and strength is like a grain of sand in the soil, and beyond the land lies the ocean, and above the great sea stretches the infinite starry sky.”

“Alpens!”

“To exist in this world, one must first have reverence.”

On the divine platform, the Mother of Life’s form was considerably larger than in legend.

She appeared as a majestic young woman wearing magnificent robes, wielding the origin tool of all life: the Mother Conch of All Things.

Alpens prostrated himself before the Mother of Life’s statue, pressing both hands to the ground.

“Supreme Sovereign of Life, Creator of All Things.”

“The world and all spirits forever prostrate at Your feet.”

After his prayer, he raised his head to look at the statue beside the Mother of Life.

Another sculpture stood upon the platform.

This was the Mother of Life’s servant, another deity.

“Blood Progenitor.”

The Ruler of the Blood Kingdom of the Deep Sea, the Scarlet Witch, also known as the Blood Progenitor and Queen of the Most Ancient Race.

The snake people worshipped the Mother of Life as their primary deity, believing Her to be their creator.

But while the Creator no longer easily descended to this world, new deities actively appeared before mortals.

While worshipping the Mother of Life, they also venerated Her other servants, this harmonious devotion strengthening their original faith.

In the Dream Realm.

Shelly suddenly sensed something and ran to fetch the Spirit’s Magic Mirror.

Through the mirror, she saw a brand new temple and the shadows of bonfires outside it.

She also saw Alpens praying to her statue.

However, she paid no attention to him, instead turning the view to examine the temple’s other arrangements, looking for anything novel.

After looking her fill, she immediately ran to God Yinsai with the magic mirror to show off.

“God Yinsai.”

“Look quickly!”

“I have another temple!”

Yin Shen took the mirror, looked briefly, then handed it back to Shelly.

“That’s nice.”

“They have their faith, and you have your joy.”

Shelly pouted: “But no one remembers you anymore.”

Yin Shen showed little reaction: “If they don’t remember, they don’t remember!”

“It’s enough that you all remember me.”

Hearing Yin Shen’s words made Shelly very happy, and she wanted to blow her little conch horn again.

But when Yin Shen glanced at her, she immediately pursed her lips and put the Mother Conch of All Things away.

She attached the Mother Conch behind her back with both hands, pouting at Yin Shen.

“Wuu wuu wuu.”