Zheji Xie'e was a warrior among the monk soldiers. His combat prowess was extraordinary.
Iron Rod Lama, meanwhile, was one of the monk soldiers' elite.
Yet Zheji Xie'e had actually been injured, and of the two hundred Iron Rod Lamas he had brought up the mountain, thirty or forty had been lost. It seemed that fierce beast truly was formidable.
A young lama said that earlier, the mountain had been a chaotic battlefield. The monk soldiers and those savage beasts had been locked in a melee. They had been responsible for chanting scriptures and had little combat ability to begin with, so once the beasts scattered them, they fled down the mountain.
I asked whether they had seen the Nine-headed Serpent. They all said they had not even seen what it looked like. In other words, Zheji Xie'e and the monk soldiers had suffered heavy losses merely fighting the strange beasts summoned from the various peaks.
What exactly were these strange beasts? It seemed we had to go up the mountain and see for ourselves.
I wanted the Dawa sisters to stay at the foot of the mountain, but the moment I saw the stars in their eyes, I knew they would never agree. They even seemed excited, their gazes brimming with fighting spirit.
I was somewhat speechless. These twin sisters really were different from everyone else.
There was even less need to mention Erha. I had no idea why it still carried such hostility after following the Bodhisattva for so long.
Just as we were preparing to head up the mountain, a figure appeared before us.
Deer antlers, a camel's head, cat ears, donkey lips, a lion's mane, a snake's neck, scales covering its entire body, front claws like a dragon's, and hind claws like a tiger's.
A Houn!