“There he isss, big sisssster! It’sss that ugly bull that humiliated ussss and called you fat, along with that little twerp, Lu Jade."

Lu Pin pointed a venomous fang towards Raphael while smiling slyly. His twin, Lu Pan, slithered to his side, backing up the lie with an eager nod. For them, truth held no importance, only the sweet taste of vengeance.

Lu Lingxue’s entire form crackled with raw, yellow electricity upon hearing this outrageous accusation. The air around her sizzled, and her golden crown pulsed with a brilliance that had even the mightiest beasts cowering. She stared first at the imposing golden bull, then shifted her gaze towards the trembling form of Lu Jade; her gaze was cold and sharp like a winter's frost.

"Foolish baby brother. Get your tail over here now, and I’ll make your punishment light. Perhaps I'll just yank out a few of those unsightly green sssscalessss. "

But Lu Jade stood firm. This wasn’t like the bullies he usually encountered, these were snakes with a bite far deadlier than mere venom.

He hissed with a defiance he’d rarely shown before, “I won’t let you harm Big Brother Raphael! Lu Lingxue please listen, we did nothing wrong. Whatever you heard from Lu Pin and Lu Pan are liesssss.”

"Silence you twerp!" Lu Pin hissed. “Big sister, hurry up and punish them both! Teach that ugly cow a lessson for humiliating our honorable Venom Tail Vipersss gang!"

To his surprise, and to Lu Pan’s, their plea was met with icy wrath.

“Dare you command me, Lu Pin? I will have your tongues for breakfast.”

Immediately, both twins coiled backwards as their faces paled. This wasn't a scolding from a worried older sister. This was an elder’s command, one they couldn't ignore.

“F-forgive me, big sissster! We were simply… excited by your arrival.” Lu Pin stammered, regretting his earlier boldness.

They knew what disrespecting Lu Lingxue meant. She wasn't just their older sister; she was their clan’s rising star, handpicked by their father, the Bronze Serpent Emperor – Lu Ignis, to become the next ruler of Ho Eastern. To challenge her authority was akin to spitting in their father's face! There was a pecking order of power, even in Yama Yaguai, and for serpents, size definitely mattered, along with cunning.

“While those fools busy themselves, little Lu, tell me more about this… Lu Lingxue.” Raphael’s words carried a hint of fear but a growing sense of respect.

"Ssshe’s powerful, Big Brother,” Lu Jade hissed softly, intimidated but loyal. "Lu Lingxue has been cultivating for over 700,000 years. Her Solar Consciousness is nearly a million years old… a Calamity level! She mastered countless techniques, and those lightning strikes of hers, Big Brother? Deadly! They can pierce through even the thickest armor with ease. The Emperor chose her as one of his heir because of her prowess and her merciless efficiency at squashing those who dare question our lineage. She commands thousands of soldiers and even those who hate her, well, they wouldn’t dare insult her to her face! No, not at all…”

As Lu Jade shared this knowledge, Raphael's gaze inadvertently shifted back towards the powerful serpent before him. It was true. Her bronze scales practically roared with power, and that golden crown on her head sparked ominously with yellow lightning that could melt steel, judging by how charred those rocks were around her massive form.

“A force to be reckoned with,” Raphael muttered to himself, unable to help but be impressed by Lu Lingxue’s achievements.

Unfortunately for him, those words and slight nod of approval were seen by Lu Lingxue with new lens. "You damned bull, you dare to glare at me? I’ll end you right here, right now!”

Before Raphael had a chance to defend himself against such accusations, a blinding white-golden orb, infused with yellow electric currents shot forth from Lu Lingxue's jaws. It was aimed directly at Raphael!

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Without missing a beat, a counterattack flared into existence:

“Helios Stream!”

WHOOSH!

A brilliant stream of pure golden energy erupted from between Raphael’s horns and slammed against the electric ball with a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of that ancient mountain.

BOOM!

Energy billowed out in a chaotic shockwave that momentarily obscured their vision.

"What?!”

The twins screeched in disbelief. Their elder sister, their powerful and undefeated big sister, had been matched, countered, halted by a newcomer, a golden bull no less! They trembled with indignant rage as they watched on.

Seeing her attack neutralized sent a jolt of annoyance through Lu Lingxue, she had been undefeated for over 500,000 years! The only one capable of withstanding her electric ball attacks had been their father and those elder serpent Calamities! But now this! How dare this bull?!

“He can actually resist Big Sister? What kind of bull is that?!” They turned toward each other in confusion and disbelief.

They then started whispering more lies to Lu Lingxue while pointing at Raphael with venomous accusations as they encouraged her to slaughter him before leaving their section of the territories with his hooves behind, “Big Sister! Finish him! We can’t let him escape with his smelly ass!”

Those taunts fueled their sister’s ambition and anger to new levels. And within a blink…

RUMBLE!

Lu Lingxue’s body pulsed with immense power. The ground below her crackled and split!

But before she could unleash a deadly attack, Raphael shouted defiantly. “You three worthless snakes! Don't blame me if your precious hides end up as fertilizer beneath my mighty hooves!”

Spitting these audacious words of defiance caused even more sparks and golden flames to billow forth from those horns of his. He was getting comfortable inhabiting a powerful beast.

“I will raze this entire mountain and crush every single pathetic serpent within my radius.” Those words and memories he'd heard countless time from Shao Jin’s thoughts were now being used to express his newfound bravado. What a thrill. He laughed.

But even as he laughed, an enormous golden sphere was materializing between his horns; growing with even more radiant power and darker sparks of lightning.

The spectacle shocked the twins!

“What is that attack?!” Even Lu Lingxue was a little surprised. She was prepared to simply subdue this annoying newcomer. But this arrogance… it demanded annihilation.

“Such arrogance! How dare this beast! I shall end it now and claim his Solar Consciousness.”

WHOOSH!

Before Raphael’s sphere of pure energy could launch, Lu Lingxue whipped her massive tail forward.

With incredible precision and the speed of lightning, the strike hit Raphael and sliced through the stone beneath the massive bull’s feet with such efficiency. It resembled a scalpel piercing the heart of an apple.

“Crap!” Raphael’s exclamation came out sounding more like a grunt, then with a terrifying RUMBLE! That massive bird-beak mountain peak fractured, causing them to fall backward into the bottomless valleys below.

“Hahaha! They’re dead meat! No creature has ever survived a fall from Cloudpiercer Beak Peak!”

“Yeah! What an idiot! Challenging Big Sis!”

“Silence!” Their laughter and arrogant pronouncements were quickly squashed by Lu Lingxue’s hiss of command as she peeked over that broken ridge with interest, hoping those cocky bastard met their demise.

But alas…

"WHOA!" Raphael’s cry was laced with both terror and exhilaration. Then a dark flapping noise echoed across those valleys.

WHOOSH!

Within seconds, he was soaring skywards. Those magnificent black wings were beating effortlessly.

Lu Jade, scooped up by the bull’s powerful tail, felt his heart leap to his throat as they hovered back to the ledge. Raphael stared down at the stunned serpents below with a defiant glare.

“You really need to chill, little sister. Anger only leads to a narrow path.”

Seeing him alive, seeing him escape that terrifying fall without a scratch had Lu Lingxue’s temper soaring! “Sstinking bull! I’ll crush your sssskull! My tail… it cut you in two! You're supposed to be dead!”

"Oh! Those were love taps sister. I barely felt them,” Raphael laughed arrogantly before boldly proclaiming, “You’re no match for me. You are a little snake compared to my immense power. If you kneel and kowtow before me 7 times while screaming, 'Raphael is the mighty Bull of Yama Yaguai!', I'll consider letting you off with a slap on the ass for this transgression."

Lu Jade gasped! He had misjudged this Golden Bull Thork. This bravado was insane!

His brother Lu Pin coiled behind Lu Lingxue’s monstrous tail as he trembled with fear before releasing a soft and panicked whisper, “You’ve angered her! Thisss iss bad! Big sissster always finishes her targetsssss!"

"She's even stronger now that the Emperor has blessed her! Our plan has backfired!” Lu Pan’s sobs carried fear and defeat which mirrored their impending doom now. They knew Lu Lingxue well. Her patience, her anger, and above all her methods of punishment.

And the confirmation they dreaded so much came ringing in a furious hiss as that terrifying crown pulsed erratically and smoke escaped her nostrils that instantly blackened those precious scales.

She had been humiliated in front of her baby brother and those annoying gnats by this cocky bull! That wasn’t acceptable. Not today!

“YOU DAMNED COW!” She unleashed another blast of electric fury, however…

Raphael was already soaring through the clouds, leaving behind only a fading echo of his laughter.

His arrogance was real now.