Hidden genius: Black belly snake

No one including Tang Yue knew if they were going to survive this ordeal or not. 

The entire network of underground tunnels shivered and trembled under the dragon's immense power.

It repeatedly rammed its body against the barrier and shot out powerful orbs of thick swirling energy from its mouth.

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it." Tang Yue cursed under her breath. Here she was once again running from the same damned dragon again!

The barrier will hold! The old man had declared with such conviction but right this moment, it was a little hard for her to take his words to heart.

Sand, dust, and rocks drizzled as the dragon continued assaulting the tunnels relentlessly, while Tang Yue and the other snakes ran for their lives.

Though the others were a lot slower than her, it only took Tang Yue a few seconds to zoom through the tunnels and reach the main palace, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Because this time they might have escaped but she had a feeling that the next time might not be so simple.

Moreover, now the dragon even knew that she was alive and exactly where she was located. 

She had seen it flying around the island, trying to find her. It was an arrogant and vindictive beast.

It was the uncrowned Emperor of the island and there was no way it was going to let this slip by.

It was now probably going to spend every minute trying to break the barrier around the palace.

Even if she returned the eggs now, it probably wouldn't stop until the entire palace was blown to smithereens and scattered on the ground.

Against a beast like that… at the top of the food chain… at the peak of its strength and power… just how long could the barrier around the palace even hold?

Only a matter of days at most? Or perhaps a few weeks?

Tang Yue gripped the sword in her hand as she trembled. Her emerald eyes gazed at the mess of snakes that were pouring in from the tunnel onto the palace.

"No… no… this is not enough. I need to become stronger. The stakes are too high. I need more strength and power." She muttered absentmindedly.

"Your highness." Jin Nuhen stepped forward breaking Tang Yue's thoughts. 

Behind him, thousands of snakes squirmed and coiled on the ground, all bowing in respect to Tang Yue.

They couldn't shift to their lamia or human form as the small underground basement at the entrance of the tunnel network wouldn't be enough space for everyone to stand.

Tang Yue gripped her sword tighter. 

The weight of their respect was too heavy for her to bear, but without her, they had no one.

"The palace is big enough. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable. We will be here for a while." She hissed, her voice cracking and her gaze fixated on the floor in front of her.

She then turned around to leave, without saying anything to anyone else. The old man's ghost as well silently followed behind her.

He looked at her with worry, but Tang Yue didn't bother chatting with him and directly dove into the training grounds.

The next couple of days went by quickly with Tang Yue spending even more time than usual inside the training grounds.

While everyone else got comfortable and settled in the enormous palace, she barely took a second as a breather before she dived into the training grounds again and again.

That too the toll it took on her body was very obvious. 

Her long silky black hair had already become grey and pale. Her eyes had huge circles, her skin looked shriveled and her face was hollow.

She looked as if she had aged an entire century in this short span of time, but it didn't seem like she was stopping any time soon.

Just like the old man, even Eleana, Little Blue, and Little Plum looked at her with worry but no one could bring themselves to talk to her.

She had an aura about her that commanded absolute submission and her beautiful emerald eyes now shone with madness and craze.

It was the result of repeatedly undergoing arduous training that could even bend and break one's mind if one was not too careful.

But it didn't look like Tang Yue was losing her mind.

Because after the two days, she called Jin Nuhen over.

"Search the palace. There should be some records for rune crafting." Tang Yue commanded him.

"Your highness." Jin Nuhen obediently bowed, surprised at the fact that the Empress was handing over such an important task to him.

Did she trust him enough to handle priceless knowledge?

But Tang Yue's next few words shocked him even more. "Go through all the records and master the art of crafting runes." 

She took off one of her spatial rings and emptied it out, pouring all sorts of dazzling gems and minerals onto the marble floor that clinked and dinged as they formed a heap.

Jin Nuhen was almost blinded by their brilliance.

"Feel free to use these materials for practice. I will check on your progress a bit later." Tang Yue patted the stunned snake and walked away.

She had poured priceless gems and treasures in front of him and then walked away as if it was not a big deal.

Jin Nuhen literally drooled, his jaw lying on the floor. What the hell just happened?

But little did he know that Tang Yue actually did not do this on a whim. 

Just like her, these snakes also had their fates sealed.

Their lives were condemned for all eternity, generations after generations because of a curse placed by an immortal. 

But so what? One must make their own luck and rewrite their fate!

Given the chance, she wanted to see if any of these snakes had the guts, the willpower, and fighting spirit to break out of their curse on their own.

Jin Nuhen might not have realized why Tang Yue did what she did but the old man surely did.

As she dove into the training grounds once again, he dazedly stared at her disappearing figure.

This woman had not lost her mind after such cruel torturous training and was even willingly going for more of the same.

He turned to look at the huge portrait of Medussa and shook his head helplessly.

It was now clear to him, more than ever, that the world was once again to plunge into a new era.