Snake Stirs

"Zhong Shan, how did you know Senior Brother was here?" Tian Ling'er asked as she walked, glancing at Zhong Shan.

For some reason, Tian Ling'er no longer seemed quite as eager to meet Senior Brother. Along the way, she kept trying to convince herself. I have to see Senior Brother. I absolutely have to see Senior Brother. Besides, I'm already at the Innate Tenth Stage and will soon reach the Golden Core Stage. Once I reach the Golden Core Stage, I'll hear Senior Brother call me Junior Sister, and in Senior Brother's eyes, I won't be a little girl anymore.

"Hao San has been found. We'll reach him after passing through this canyon. A large number of Immortal Sect disciples are surrounding him, so our Kaiyang Sect people must be there too." Zhong Shan thought for a moment before answering.

"Oh." Tian Ling'er nodded, then lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought. As she walked, she kicked the small stones along the road.

Seeing Tian Ling'er's actions, Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled.

At last, the two of them emerged from the canyon and reached its mouth. There, they happened to see a hill completely shrouded in White Mist. On all four sides, however, a ring of towering mountains surrounded it.

Scattered across the peaks of that ring of mountains stood countless figures. Every one of them stared gravely at the White Mist Mountain in the center.

Seeing this scene, Zhong Shan's heart tightened, and he immediately analyzed the situation.

"Senior Brother! It's Senior Brother—and Third Senior Sister too." Tian Ling'er suddenly pointed excitedly at a mountain peak to the north.

What Tian Ling'er failed to notice was that this time, her eyes no longer held only Senior Brother. Bei Qing Si had also entered her field of vision. In the past, no matter how many people stood around Senior Brother, Tian Ling'er would see only him.

The moment Tian Ling'er saw Senior Brother, her heart suddenly felt unburdened. Perhaps it was simply a conditioned reflex. Her figure shot out of the canyon, and she ran toward the mountain peak where the Kaiyang Sect was in the distance.

"Wait..."

By the time Zhong Shan shouted, it was already too late. Tian Ling'er had already run off. Seeing this, Zhong Shan let out a soft sigh and chased after her.

Two people suddenly ran out of the valley, instantly drawing the attention of every onlooker.

Everyone stared at White Mist Mountain while waiting for Hao San to reveal himself, but they were also wary of the various forces present. Unless one possessed overwhelming strength, whoever charged out first would certainly not be the one to obtain the fruit.

Tian Ling'er and Zhong Shan's sudden appearance made all the onlookers pause. Could these two be trying to seize Hao San?

Some people grew guarded, but then discovered that the two were not running toward White Mist Mountain. After emerging from the canyon, they had headed straight for the northern mountain peak.

What were they trying to do?

On a mountain peak to the east.

"Qian You, those two have made the first move." Gu Lin immediately called out to the young woman beside him.

Hearing Gu Lin, Princess Qian You furrowed her brow and cast him an irritated glance.

"Young Master, those two are only at the Innate Stage. And they're running north. They should not be the ones making a move against Hao San." Mister Shui Jing explained.

"Innate Stage?" Gu Lin naturally believed Mister Shui Jing's words.

To the north, where the Kaiyang Sect disciples stood.

"Senior Brother, it's Ling Er, and that new disciple of the sect." Yun Qian recognized Tian Ling'er and Zhong Shan below at a glance.

Seeing the two rushing toward the northern mountain peak, Senior Brother Tian Sha first paused, then glanced at Bei Qing Si beside him and slightly knitted his brows.

Tian Sha was no fool. Naturally, he knew of Tian Ling'er's feelings for him. But Bei Qing Si was beside him at this moment. If some misunderstanding arose, that was the last thing he wanted to see.

At that moment, Bei Qing Si was also staring at the two below—or, more precisely, at Zhong Shan. Upon seeing him, she subconsciously recalled the enchanting scene of their last encounter at the hot spring, and a warmth rose through her body.

Such a man... Zhong Shan? Why had he appeared again? During the meeting at Kaiyang Hall, she had deliberately stayed away because she feared an awkward encounter with him. How had they met again after such a short time?

Bei Qing Si also faintly creased her brow, a trace of embarrassment flashing through her eyes. She did not know how she would face Zhong Shan later.

However, Tian Ling'er was rapidly approaching from that direction, so Tian Sha and Bei Qing Si naturally could not pretend not to see her.

Zhong Shan followed closely behind Tian Ling'er. From the eyes of the experts atop the surrounding mountain peaks, he sensed that something was wrong. The crowd's gazes were not very friendly; his appearance had clearly touched upon some taboo in their hearts. And that White Mist Mountain in the center—could it be Hao San?

Just as Zhong Shan accompanied Tian Ling'er toward the northern mountain peak, a sudden thunderous boom erupted from behind them, from White Mist Mountain.

"Roaaaaaaaaaar!"

The thunderous roar made Tian Ling'er, who had been running ahead, suddenly stop. She turned around and stared blankly toward White Mist Mountain.

Likewise, everyone on the surrounding peaks shifted their gazes away from Zhong Shan and toward White Mist Mountain, because White Mist Mountain was what they had all come for. Even the Kaiyang Sect members turned their eyes toward it.

After the thunderous roar, the white mist slowly dispersed. The crowd saw that the ground beneath the mountain no longer resembled earth. It had turned golden yellow. Clearly, while the formation was defending, even the earth beneath it had become as hard as steel.

The formation had been withdrawn, and the golden earth slowly faded back to its original color. Yet countless white flags were planted all around the entire mountain.

A flag formation.

An old man in black, holding a horsetail whisk, flipped his hand and struck out a Magic Seal. All the white flags flew into his grasp.

Snakes. Fifty-one giant snakes, each thirty meters long, raised their heads and hissed furiously atop the mountain. Their appearance was utterly terrifying. One snake, no—a dragon, one hundred and fifty meters long. It was a Horned Dragon, with a single horn on its head pointing skyward like a dull blade. It was horrifying beyond words.

A Horned Dragon?

The people atop the surrounding mountain peaks all stirred. How could this be? How could it be a Horned Dragon?

The Horned Dragon was one hundred and fifty meters long, with one-third of its body raised into the air. It towered fifty meters high, its eyes glinting coldly. Its enormous body looked incomparably terrifying, radiating an overwhelming presence.

At the base of its immense horn stood a white-robed, white-haired man. His eyes gleamed with indifference, and he possessed an aura that seemed ready to defy Heaven itself.

"Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"

The Horned Dragon once again threw back its head and roared, as though showing its might to all the experts.

But as the Horned Dragon's roar shook the heavens, the fifty-one giant snakes swiftly slithered down the mountain. They split into three groups and headed in three different directions.

One group consisted of sixteen giant snakes, and the direction they took happened to be north.

While Tian Ling'er was still stunned by the shocking sight, Zhong Shan felt every hair on his body stand on end.

"Run!"

Zhong Shan roared with bloodshot eyes. He grabbed Tian Ling'er and ran toward the distant mountain peaks, quickly veering away from due north and heading northeast instead.

The giant snakes were terrifyingly fast. Before long, they had slithered down the mountain. Some even raised their bodies, then plunged their heads into the ground, bursting straight into the earth and vanishing beneath it.

As he dragged Tian Ling'er into a desperate run, Zhong Shan saw what was happening behind them, and his heart grew even more frantic. The giant snakes were drawing closer. Worse, they seemed exceptionally bloodthirsty, and their path gradually began to angle toward Zhong Shan.

On the mountain peak where the Kaiyang Sect stood, all the disciples' hearts jolted. Bei Qing Si and Tian Sha swiftly rushed downward, and the disciples behind them followed.

On the eastern mountain peak.

Princess Qian You furrowed her brows. She looked at the numerous giant snakes slithering ahead, then at the Horned Dragon atop the mountain peak.

"A Horned Dragon? It's actually a Horned Dragon?" Gu Lin stared at the scene with a frown, a powerful sense of trouble showing in his eyes.

Mister Shui Jing waved his feather fan, his eyes narrowing slightly. After giving the Horned Dragon and Hao San atop its head only a brief glance, he shifted his gaze to the black-robed Lao Wei.

Gu Lin frowned at the Horned Dragon, then shifted his gaze back to Princess Qian You. When he saw the grave expression on her face, his mind suddenly heated up, and he said, "Qian You, I'll send people to capture Hao San for you."

After saying this, Gu Lin turned around and prepared to order his subordinates. "You..."

"Shut up." Princess Qian You shot Gu Lin a sideways glance.

Beside her, Mister Shui Jing continued waving his feather fan and gave a slight shake of his head. Clearly, even he felt a pang of helplessness toward Gu Lin, that burden.

Below, the giant snakes moved with terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, they were about to catch up with Zhong Shan and Tian Ling'er.

Tian Ling'er had also come to her senses. Knowing that the situation was dire, she and Zhong Shan ran toward the slope. They had reached the foot of the slope, while Bei Qing Si and Tian Sha above were about to fly down. They were almost there. But the dozen-plus giant snakes behind them were faster than the people above.

"Step on that boulder and jump!" Zhong Shan shouted.

Right in front of them was a huge black boulder. If they jumped onto it and then leaped again with all their strength, the people flying over from above could catch them and Tian Ling'er on their Flying Swords, then carry them rapidly upward. They would be saved.

Tian Ling'er could already smell the fetid stench from the giant snakes' mouths behind her. As soon as Zhong Shan finished speaking, she immediately did as he said. Perhaps it was the pressure of the giant snakes, or perhaps it was the blind worship she had accumulated toward Zhong Shan recently. At that moment, Tian Ling'er did not hesitate in the slightest.

The two of them stepped onto the boulder almost simultaneously and unleashed their greatest strength at the same time. With a backward kick, they shattered the boulder beneath their feet, yet their bodies shot into the air in parallel.

"BOOM!"

At the side of the shattered boulder, the earth suddenly shook. Endless dirt and shattered stones blasted into the sky. A snake's head—a gigantic red snake's head—drilled out of the cavern, its mouth yawning wide like a blood-filled pool. At a terrifying speed, it lunged toward the airborne bodies of the two.