The Serpent Buddha Chronicles

Late at night.

A red glow shone faintly from a hollow in the ancient locust tree in the temple courtyard. Then a long crimson snake slithered out.

It climbed the towering locust tree all the way to its hundred-meter-high crown, where it came to a halt. Raising its head, it gazed into the distance at the nameless mountains.

After a while, a sudden gust howled and red mist spread through the air. A flash of crimson flickered in the haze, and the long snake transformed into a monk nine feet tall.

His robes fluttered as he pressed his palms together. From within the mist came a sigh, almost too faint to hear: “Amitabha! The path of cultivation is hard. Why insist on choosing evil? Beast! It seems I can no longer let you live.”

With that, his figure blurred, and a wisp of crimson smoke sped toward the mountains on the gusting wind...