Seven-Day Tribulation

Seven-Day Tribulation

Yang Sheng's hand suddenly sank—it was Su Yun, having released Tong Fan, backing away while facing him.

Yang Sheng let go of Tong Fan's legs and gave chase. The other Scholars also closed in, only to see Su Yun's footwork turn uncanny, like a Crocodile Dragon retreating into the water and diving into an abyss. Using the Scholars' bodies as cover, he evaded Yang Sheng's pursuit.

"His cultivation isn't high, but his movement technique is exceedingly ingenious. He calculates everything with terrifying precision. So precise it sends chills down one's spine..."

Yang Sheng only vaguely caught glimpses of Su Yun's face flashing several times amid the Scholars flooding forward before he retreated into the shadows of the Ghost Market, vanishing one after the other with a Fox Demon!

Meanwhile, the Scholars rushing toward him blocked both Yang Sheng's path and his sightline.

What shocked Yang Sheng even more was that as the Little Blind Person backed away, several Scholars reached for his shoulders, trying to hold him back, yet every one of them grasped at empty air.

Even when the Scholars circulated their vital qi to attack him, before their moves could be unleashed, Su Yun had already slipped beyond their range.

"The Little Blind Person seemed to be passing through the crowd, but his calculations were extraordinarily exact. Not only did he evade me to avoid facing my attack head-on, he also happened to avoid everyone else's attacks! And those attacks became precisely the obstacles hindering my pursuit of him."

Yang Sheng's expression was grave.

"Something's wrong!"

A Scholar cried out behind him, "Tong Fan is dead!"

Yang Sheng turned around and said heavily, "Fellow classmates, this is Tianmen Ghost Market. No clamor is permitted! Haven't you heard enough of the Ghost Market's legends?"

He swept his gaze around, and the Scholars gradually calmed down.

Yang Sheng continued, "Brother Tong Fan was murdered by a Tianshiyuan mob. This is a grave matter, and we all bear responsibility for Brother Tong Fan's death! The Tong Family is one of Shuofang City's Great Aristocratic Families. Once dawn breaks, return at once to Shuofang City and report this to the Tong Family. I will remain here to search for that mob. I must capture him and deliver him to the Tong Family, so they may personally stain their blades with the enemy's blood and avenge Brother Tong Fan. Only then will we not betray the bond between classmates!"

The Scholars all voiced their agreement.

Yang Sheng sighed in relief, thinking, If I tell them I'm staying behind to capture the Little Blind Person and deliver him to the Tong Family, they won't dare place all the blame on me. It's just as well that Tong Fan is dead. Tong Fan and I were merely classmates, but the bond between fellow students runs deep. If I spare no effort to avenge him, the Tong Family will surely be moved! A pheasant turning into a phoenix—success or failure rests on this one move!

Elsewhere, Su Yun led Flower Fox down from the Ghost Market along the Immortal Rope. Once they reached the ground, Su Yun gave the rope a shake, and it detached on its own and fell down.

Su Yun coiled up the rope and slung it over his shoulder. "Hua Erge, go bring Xiao Fan, Bu Ping, Xiao Yue, and the others to Tianmen Town. Huqiu Village can no longer be lived in... Wait. We have to pass through Snake Ravine. I'll go with you."

Flower Fox was still reeling from Su Yun's killing of Tong Fan. He had also learned Crocodile Dragon's Roar, yet in that battle, Su Yun's use of Crocodile Dragon's Roar had shown him applications he had never considered before.

Su Yun had charged into a tight encirclement and killed Tong Fan to avenge Qiu Xiaomei of Huqiu Village. It made Flower Fox's blood boil even more.

He gradually steadied himself and followed Su Yun toward Snake Ravine, thinking, Xiao Yun wants to return to Huqiu Village with me. He must have seen that I'm somewhat absent-minded and is worried that when I pass through Snake Ravine, that Village-Eating Snake will poison me to death.

A warm current rose in his heart. This was his fellow student, his classmate. Though they were not of the same kind, they were closer than kin, as intimate as brothers.

They arrived at Snake Ravine. Su Yun carefully led the way, while Flower Fox peered ahead in the dim starlight and moonlight. The Great Black Snake was still coiled atop a reef in the ravine, breathing in and out toward the seventh-night moon and the stars overhead.

With every breath, the Great Black Snake's body rose and fell. As its body swelled and contracted, its scales spun around it with crackling pops, as though they were about to fly off. It was a startling sight.

From afar, Flower Fox saw the starlight and moonlight in the sky seemingly gathered by some strange force, turning into specks of radiance that fell straight down from above and were drawn into the Great Black Snake's body with each inhalation and exhalation.

Above the Great Black Snake's eyes, on its forehead, two pointed horns seemed to have grown out.

"This Village-Eating Snake is afraid it's about to turn into a dragon!" Flower Fox was startled.

The black serpent danced beneath the moonlight. At times, its body reared over a person's height into the air and writhed; at others, it lowered itself and rubbed its head against the reef. Its dance was exceedingly strange, carrying a peculiar and eerie charm.

Suddenly, the black serpent seemed to spot them. It stopped drawing in the moonlight and starlight, then slipped into the water.

Flower Fox's heart jolted. Ripples suddenly rose across Snake Ravine, and the water in the ravine began rising at a frightening speed, soon reaching their calves.

The next moment, the waves had already submerged Su Yun to the waist. Flower Fox was short, and the sudden flood had swallowed him whole.

Yet the water in Snake Ravine kept rising, about to engulf Su Yun as well.

Within the waves, Flower Fox heard Su Yun's voice. "Hua Erge, Dragon Roaming the Winding Marsh."

He hurriedly performed Dragon Roaming the Winding Marsh. At once, he gained control over his body posture and the currents around him, steadying himself.

"Erge, the water knocked me off course. I'm lost." Not far from Flower Fox, Su Yun swam through the raging current like a great crocodile, his expression calm.

In his mind was a map of the terrain around Tianmen Town. Coupled with Yellow Bell's constant operation, he had always been able to determine his exact location.

But the flooding of Snake Ravine had been beyond his expectations. Swept along by the floodwaters, he did not know how far he had been carried and could no longer determine where he was on the map.

Flower Fox activated the movement technique of Dragon Roaming the Winding Marsh and pulled him onto a huge reef jutting above the water.

Su Yun had some impression of this reef. The youth took a South-Pointing Spoon from his robes, felt the spoon handle, confirmed the cardinal directions, and only then found his position on the map again.

Splash!

The water's surface suddenly split apart. The Great Black Snake's head rose more than a person's height above the water, looking down at them. Its snake eyes glimmered darkly, and an incomparably thick stench rushed toward them.

Flower Fox summoned his courage and stepped sideways in front of Su Yun. Looking up at the Great Black Snake, he thought, We can't escape. Village-Eating Snake used the flood to block our retreat. I can't get away, but when Village-Eating Snake kills me, Xiao Yun can seize the chance to escape!

"Senior."

Su Yun's voice came from behind him, calm enough to inspire an inexplicable sense of security. "Senior, why have you stopped us? What guidance do you have for us?"

Flower Fox's heart quivered uneasily. He clenched his fists and looked upward. "Village-Eating Snake, eat me first!"

The Great Black Snake suddenly opened its mouth and lowered its head, bringing with it a howling gust of wind.

Flower Fox shut his eyes in fright and cried, "Xiao Yun, run while it's eating me!"

After a while, Flower Fox realized he was still perfectly fine and had not been eaten. He cautiously opened his eyes, only to see the great snake's mouth open and spread before him.

Inside that mouth were dense rows of hook-like teeth!

And behind him, Su Yun was still standing there unharmed. He had neither fled nor been swallowed by the great snake.

Flower Fox was baffled. The Great Black Snake still had its mouth open, utterly motionless.

"Could it be waiting for me to walk into its mouth myself?"

Flower Fox was furious and was about to stick his head into the snake's mouth. "It's humiliating foxes too much!"

Su Yun turned his head and asked, "Hua Erge, what do you see?"

Flower Fox stopped. He too sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly told Su Yun what he had seen.

Su Yun pondered. "Village-Eating... Senior must have some use for us, which is why it stopped us. Erge, look carefully and tell me what you see."

Flower Fox carefully examined the Great Black Snake. Its mouth was lined with hook-like venom fangs. Ordinary venomous snakes generally had two to four fangs, but it had as many as eight.

Besides the venom fangs, it had other nonvenomous teeth as well, over thirty in all.

There was nothing else unusual. Then suddenly, Flower Fox noticed that the Great Black Snake's forked tongue was curled around a sword, with the hilt pointed toward him.

"There's a sword in its mouth! Could Village-Eating Snake have stopped us because it wants us to help pull out this sword?"

Flower Fox came to his senses and stepped forward to grasp the hilt. How did this sword get stuck there? Could it be that Village-Eating Snake swallowed the sword while eating someone, and accidentally stabbed its own mouth?

He pulled hard, yet it came out with astonishing ease. The Great Black Snake practically delivered the sword from its mouth itself.

Flower Fox froze again, unable to understand why the Great Black Snake had stopped them when it could clearly have pulled it out on its own.

"Erge, what did you find?" Su Yun asked.

Flower Fox explained about the sword and handed its hilt to Su Yun.

Su Yun ran his fingers over the hilt. The sword felt warm and smooth to the touch. It did not seem to be forged from iron or bronze, but rather ground from bone.

A sword ground from bone was instead extraordinarily sharp!

Su Yun gave a light swing, and a huge chunk of the reef beneath his feet was sliced clean off!

The youth pondered for a moment, then looked up with a smile. "I understand now."

He raised his arm and held the sword steadily aloft, its tip pointing toward the Great Black Snake.

The Great Black Snake lifted its head with a whoosh, its eyes turning vertical as it watched him darkly.

Flower Fox was startled and blurted out, "Xiao Yun, what are you doing? Village-Eating Snake will eat you!"

Su Yun's expression did not change. He said in a deep voice, "Senior, I'm ready!"

The Great Black Snake slowly lowered its head until it touched the sword tip. With a series of hissing sounds, the sword tip pierced the snake's snout and traced along both its upper and lower lips!

Su Yun bent down and presented the Bone Sword with both hands.

The Great Black Snake extended its forked tongue, wrapped it around the Bone Sword, and took the sword back into its mouth before swimming into the ravine water.

"Seven days from now, at midnight, when yin qi is at its strongest, will be the auspicious hour for me to shed my form and become a Flood Dragon."

A somewhat shrill voice suddenly sounded in Su Yun's mind. "You helped me transform. You may come and observe."