Sweeping across the heavens, starting with the first emperor of the ancient times.

From then on, the three snakes watered the crops at night and secretly observed how the farmers tended to their crops during the day.

When the three snakes were carrying water, they were discovered by other demons, who all mocked them. The second snake, who had turned into a carrying pole, felt too ashamed and wanted to quit.

The snake leader quickly advised, "Don't care too much about what others think. Whether you are in other people's eyes or they are in yours, it's not that important."

The second snake thought about it and realized that it made sense. Why care about what others think? It won't make you stronger. So the third snake continued to work!

A few days later, when the villagers brought offerings to the mountain god temple to worship, their eyes held a more complex expression.

Fat Third Brother hid on the roof beam, looking at the dried food and fruit, his stomach rumbling, but he didn't dare to go down and get them.

"They'll hate us now that they know we're not the Dragon King, but three snakes," it whispered.

The snake leader didn't speak; it looked outside the temple.

"Tonight," it suddenly said, "let's play for big stakes."

……

The snake boss's so-called "big move" was going to the source of the Wulong River.

The small pool formed after the boulder blocked the entrance to the pond was where Fatty the Third Brother frantically swallowed water to water the plants.

The third fat man has a very large belly that can hold a thousand pounds.

"Third brother, it's up to you now!" the eldest and second eldest snakes encouraged each other.

"Hmm!" The fat third brother nodded vigorously, his chubby snake-faced face beaming.

It swallowed for a full hour, its belly swelling into a bulge, almost transparent.

"I can't take it anymore..." the fat third brother groaned.

"Hold on!" The eldest snake and the second eldest snake supported it from both sides and climbed to the top of the mountain behind the village.

"Open your mouth and spray downwards!"

At the eldest brother's command, the third brother exerted force, while the second brother helped him squeeze. Instantly, water mixed with fish and shrimp gushed down.

And just like that, it really rained, and it even brought a field full of live fish.

"It's raining! It's raining!" A villager rushed out and was both surprised and delighted to see the fish jumping on the ground.

"It's the Dragon God! The Dragon God sent rain and even gave us fish!"

The cheers woke the whole village.

Seeing the villagers' happy faces, the three snakes smiled too.

Especially the third fat dog, although it was very tired, it felt that it was all worth it.

It, which had always been a burden, is now playing a role, which makes it very happy and satisfied.

Inside the mountain god temple, the incense and prayers instantly intensified several times over, surging in like a tidal wave.

The people of Baishi Village were overjoyed, and the offerings they made became increasingly better.

The incense burned ever brighter, and the three snakes fed on it day and night, gradually changing their bodies.

First, tender horns sprouted from the top of its head, and then fine claw tips grew from its belly.

Later, it actually grew hands and feet, and its scales shimmered with a faint golden light, making it look somewhat like a dragon.

"It's grown horns! It's grown legs!" The fat third brother was overjoyed.

"Are we... really going to transform into dragons?" Snake Brother's voice trembled.

The snake boss looked at the hands and feet that had grown out, trembled with joy, and happily made a peace sign!

The fat third brother looked at it with a face full of admiration, giving the snake boss plenty of emotional value!

Its chubby face is very cute, and it's always like that, never a spoilsport.

The little girl had long realized that the temple was not home to the real Dragon King; she had clearly seen the appearance of the three snakes when she was watering the fields that day.

But seeing the crops in the field come back to life and the smiles on the villagers' faces, she was no longer afraid.

That day, the little girl, clutching a newly opened wild chrysanthemum, quietly slipped into the temple, placed the flower on the stone tablet, and whispered to the three snakes that were beginning to take the shape of dragons:

Thank you.

The three snakes gazed at the tender yellow wild chrysanthemum, and then at the villagers outside the temple busy harvesting crops, and a strange warmth welled up in their hearts.

The snake leader touched the dragon horns on its head and suddenly felt that whether or not it became a real dragon didn't seem so important anymore.

After some time, the villagers' lives got better and better.

Not only did they double the offerings, but they also banged drums and gongs to rebuild a majestic golden statue for the Dragon King Temple.

The three snakes trembled with excitement, and tears streamed down their faces without them even realizing it.

"This...this is for us?" The fat third brother couldn't believe that he would one day be given a golden statue.

Can I be this useful myself?

But this warmth didn't last long; suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky, and thunder rumbled.

A golden light pierced through the clouds, and the Dragon King descended riding on thunder and fire, his dragon eyes wide open, his roar shaking the mountains and the earth.

"You audacious fiend, how dare you impersonate the Dragon King and swindle offerings!"

The lightning struck the Dragon King Temple immediately, shattering the golden statue, turning incense and candles to ash, and causing the roof tiles to fall down with a crackling sound.

The Dragon King, still enraged, summoned lightning to strike the village, and flames instantly engulfed the houses and fields of Baishi Village.

The villagers fled in all directions, crying out, and the wild chrysanthemum turned to ashes in the fire.

Three snakes, carrying the temple plaque cracked by lightning, desperately fled towards the Black Rock Cliff outside the village.

Behind him raged flames, and in front of him were boulders blocking the waterway. The snake leader turned around and looked at the wailing villagers and the village that had been burned into a sea of ​​fire.

Seeing the villagers running around crying and shouting, and seeing a woman fall down while holding a child, the child crying loudly in fright, the snake boss suddenly stopped.

The second snake hesitated for a moment, then clenched its claws: "Boss, run! What are you doing?"

"Don't run away," Snake Boss said hoarsely.

"Boss, are you crazy?" Snake Brother Two and Fat Brother Three looked at it.

"We started the fire," the snake leader said, staring at the crack in the boulder.

"They've run away, what will happen to these mortals? What will happen to this village? We accepted their offerings, so we have to be responsible for them, even if we were tricked into coming here."

The snake leader turned to his two brothers: "After years of cultivation, all you've learned is to run away at the first sign of trouble. That won't do. To transform into a dragon, it's not enough to just have long arms and legs!"

The second snake and the third fat snake were stunned.

They looked at the raging fire, at the crying villagers, and at the snake leader's resolute gaze.

"Damn it!" Snake Brother Two gritted his teeth, "I'll risk it all!"

"I...I'll give it my all!" the fat third brother stammered, but he didn't back down.

"The huge rock blocked the waterway and set the village ablaze; only the mountain stream could extinguish it."

"Alright!" The snake leader looked at the giant rock. "Lightning can split rocks. Let's attract lightning, split that rock, and release the water to extinguish the fire!"

"Um!"

"Uh-huh!"

Three snake-like shadows rushed against the flow of people towards the upper reaches of the river deep within the sea of ​​fire.

The snake leader leaped to the top of the boulder and roared at the sky, "Bald-tailed dragon, come at me if you dare!"

A bolt of lightning was deflected and struck straight down!

The snake leader kept dodging.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from behind the snake leader, leaving him no time to dodge.

"Boss, watch out!"

The fat third brother roared and suddenly sprang up, using his round body to block the way!

"boom!"

Most of the lightning struck it.

Its scales burst open, turning it charred black, and it rolled off the boulder, falling into the puddle below.

"Third brother!" Snake Boss's eyes widened in fury.

"Boss, why aren't you leaving..." came the faint voice of the fat third brother.

"Because you've pinned me down," Snake Boss said, wiping away his tears and pretending not to be sad.

"Oh, then I'll eat less from now on." The fat third brother chuckled sheepishly and fell silent.

"Third brother!"

The eldest and second eldest snakes were filled with grief and indignation.

The two snakes glared fiercely at the so-called Dragon King in the sky and shouted, "Come on then!"

The so-called Dragon King was furious; who would have thought that a mere little demon would dare to provoke him!

"You are sentenced to death!"

The second bolt of lightning followed immediately.

The second snake, its eyes red, clung desperately to the crack with its nascent forelimbs, wedging its body inside: "Boss, draw lightning into the crack!"

"Second brother!"

"Boss, hurry!"

The snake leader, with tears streaming down its face, roared as it guided the lightning.

"Crack!" Lightning shot into the crack!

The second snake trembled violently in the lightning and was instantly charred, but its body stuck in the crack caused the crack to double in size, and more water gushed out.

"It's done..." Snake Brother's voice faded away.

Only the snake boss remained. He wiped away his tears and continued to dodge the lightning bolts.

It raised its head and, with all its might, let out a shriek that was a mixture of demonic power and boundless grief and indignation!

The sound had a faint, deep, dragon-like roar.

The lightning bolt transformed into a blinding pillar of light, striking straight down!

Just as the lightning was about to touch the snake boss!

"Boom!"

A deafening roar!

The lightning struck the snake boss, and it also struck the boulder!

The boulder shattered with a deafening roar!

The river water, which had been accumulating for a long time, roared and rushed out like an angry dragon breaking free of its cage, rushing downstream!

The floodwaters rushed into the burning forest, and the water and fire met, bursting forth with billowing white vapor.

P.S.: This is a transitional chapter. To make reading more comfortable, I'm adding an extra chapter today to speed up the pace. Please encourage me to update more and leave positive reviews.