Countless serpents—are they delicious?

The lamp spirit spoke with certainty, full of conviction, leaving Orochimaru half in doubt. Still, even if things were as the lamp spirit claimed—that the three great serpent princesses would offer him some convenience—they would hardly dare to openly go against the will of the White Snake Sage or divulge the secrets of Ryuchi Cave’s forbidden arts. This was, after all, just a casual attempt. If he truly wished to master sage arts swiftly, he would ultimately have to find a way to win the support of the White Snake Sage.

Orochimaru licked his lips and strolled leisurely through the labyrinthine underground passages, choosing a shortcut that led directly to the domain of Manda.

It did not take long before he arrived at a vast subterranean cavern. Here, stone pillars rose like a forest, and countless enormous shapes coiled upon them—giant snakes hissing, exuding a terrifying aura. At the center of the cavern, upon the largest pillar, Manda rested, king of the serpents, guarded by the throng.

Through the vision granted by the lamp spirit, Orochimaru could clearly see Manda’s current state. Its once-swollen belly had returned to normal; the two wild boars it devoured half a day ago had been fully digested, leaving no trace on the outside.

As Orochimaru stepped into the cavern, several giant pythons, previously slumbering with closed eyes, stirred. One massive serpent slithered forth in the blink of an eye and stopped before him. It lowered its body, lifting Orochimaru up.

Sweeping his eyes over the serpent’s scarred body, Orochimaru recognized it as one of the two surviving contract pythons from the Battle of the Hidden Cloud. The blood pact mark allowed it to sense his presence.

“Excellent. I like obedient children. There will be rewards for you in the future,” Orochimaru said, seating himself atop the python’s head, brushing the scabbed wound and smiling. “Take me to Manda.”

The giant python hissed in obedience, its massive body weaving through the stone pillars, and all other snakes slithered out of their path. This was not only due to Orochimaru’s dominant aura, but also out of fear of the python beneath him. Though a rung below Manda, there were perhaps only a handful in the cavern who could rival it.

“Orochimaru, I didn’t expect you would actually come,” Manda opened its eyes, glaring down from its perch atop the pillar. It snorted coldly. “Where’s the tribute you promised? Bring it here, now.”

Within Ryuchi Cave, where arrogance was the norm, Manda was even more overbearing than usual.

Orochimaru smiled, unconcerned by the attitude. He summoned a massive scroll, pressed his hand upon a sealing inscription, and broke the seal.

In an instant, a colossal wild boar, over twenty meters long, appeared out of thin air and crashed to the stone floor with a thud. Though such a sight was unremarkable here, the scent of fresh blood—not that of cold-blooded creatures—quickly spread. The horde of serpents, as if provoked, began hissing and converging toward Manda’s pillar.

“Hiss!” Manda raised its head and roared, silencing the commotion in the cavern with a single bellow, before fixing its gaze upon the wild boar. Its eyes gleamed with pride and greed in the darkness. “Very good. You’re much more sensible than before.”

Saying this, Manda darted down from the pillar before Orochimaru could make any request, and with jaws agape, began devouring the boar.

“Tsk tsk… Still as shameless as ever, Manda. But go ahead, eat quickly—consider it my treat,” Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, his gaze tinged with hidden meaning. Suddenly, he turned and tossed another, slightly smaller wild boar from the scroll.

“There’s one for you all as well—but only one. Only the strongest among you may claim it…”

The cavern fell silent for a moment, then the tumult resumed, louder than before. Every giant serpent was roused by greed, slithering toward the wild boar. Battle broke out at once, fiercer than usual—for this was not a game, but a struggle for delicious meat.

Even the wounded python beneath Orochimaru grew restless, and if not for his restraint, it would have joined the fray.

“Orochimaru, you bastard! Those should all be mine!” Manda roared, its mouth full of wild boar, voice muffled with anger and dissatisfaction. The boar, which had seemed a windfall when it alone possessed it, suddenly lost its appeal upon learning the others had a share too.

But, with the prey already in its mouth, Manda would not spit it out to stop the others. To do so might risk losing both. Unlike those foolish wretches, it knew the priority was to devour the boar before their fight ended.

Orochimaru glanced at the hastening Manda, a faint smile curling his lips. His gaze drifted over the battling serpents, quickly selecting a suitable target.

“Very well. This boar is yours,” he said.

The gray python, entangled in the melee, revealed a human-like joy in its narrow eyes at his words, and began to slip free from the others’ grasp.

The serpents hissed, some at the gray python, others at Orochimaru, venting their displeasure.

“Hm!?” Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, and a surge of chakra burst forth, his overwhelming presence spreading through the cavern, cold and smoldering with suppressed violence. Instantly, the hissing ceased. The snakes remembered this was the lord above even Manda. Driven by instinct, they slowly withdrew.

One scarred python remained, coiled in place, refusing to leave—another survivor of the Battle of the Hidden Cloud. It licked its wounds, its gaze fixed on Orochimaru, eyes hinting at grievance.

The chosen gray python, however, let out a joyful cry, pounced on the smaller boar, and eagerly began devouring the blood-rich flesh.

The process was short. Because the boar was smaller, the gray python finished devouring it even before Manda, its thick belly now distended. The snake’s face betrayed a human-like satisfaction as its massive body lazily coiled, muscles contracting slightly to quicken digestion.

Glancing at the gray python, now lost in bliss, Orochimaru’s lips curled in a strange smile.

When Manda finished swallowing its boar, Orochimaru formed hand seals and detonated the reagent vials hidden inside both boars’ bodies. The boars’ innards and flesh began to dissolve.

Manda was first to sense the change. It glared at Orochimaru. “You bastard! What did you do to me?”

“Tsk tsk… You looked like you were having trouble digesting, so I lent you a hand,” Orochimaru licked his lips. “Don’t worry, I’m always careful with dosage. Your delicate stomach won’t be harmed.”

“You bastard! I don’t need your help!” Manda bellowed, lunging at Orochimaru, but collapsed midway, its voice growing weak and acidic. “What is this…”

“Just a little something to let me do as I please,” Orochimaru replied with a smile, turning his gaze to the gray python.

It fared even worse than Manda—its belly had flipped, tongue lolling, the great body sprawled limply on the cavern floor, utterly powerless to resist.