The Horned Dragon was still on the mountain, unmoving, with Hao San standing atop its head and watching. The black-robed Eunuch Lao Wei stood beside the Horned Dragon, gripping his horsetail whisk.
Hao San swept a cold gaze across the surroundings, as though waiting for something. He watched the three colossal snakes swiftly swim into the valley, preparing to escape the notice of these powerful figures.
Princess Qian You found it increasingly strange. Her eyes never left the colossal snakes. All three were racing along, but only the northern one had something new and curious about it. As it swam, it was even foraging—a pair of mandarin ducks?
The red snake opened its jaws and bit toward Zhong Shan and Tian Ling'er. It was far too fast, clearly faster than Bei Qing Si and Tian Sha, who were above them and rushing to reach Tian Ling'er and Zhong Shan.
Extreme anxiety showed in Bei Qing Si and Tian Sha's eyes. Faster, faster! The two flew rapidly down the mountain. Yet compared to the red snake's gaping maw, they still seemed a little too slow. That enormous mouth had already arrived before them.
As Zhong Shan leaped upward with Tian Ling'er, he heard a tremendous boom. Turning his head, he happened to see the red snake coming toward him and Tian Ling'er with its blood-filled maw wide open. In the next moment, they would certainly be swallowed into its belly.
Seeing this tense scene, Zhong Shan's thoughts spun wildly. What should I do? What should I do?
The more critical the danger, the calmer Zhong Shan became. Looking at that gaping maw, he swiftly made a decision.
Zhong Shan suddenly thrust out both hands and grabbed Tian Ling'er by the buttocks. He tightened his grip, lifted her in his arms, and fiercely pushed her toward the sky. Tian Ling'er's speed suddenly doubled, shooting upward twice as fast as before. Zhong Shan himself, however, slowed sharply; after that powerful push, his body was even plunging rapidly downward.
Only by doing this could he dodge the red snake's bite. As long as he bought a little time, Bei Qing Si and Tian Sha above could descend. As long as he won that tiny sliver of time, he could survive. This was the only way.
Tian Ling'er shot upward while Zhong Shan plunged downward. Sure enough, the red snake snapped at them and missed, winning him that sliver of time.
But the red snake was no mere decoration. Its speed was astonishing. After missing with its first bite, it turned its head and swallowed Zhong Shan, who was sinking downward.
Zhong Shan stared at the scene in disbelief. The snake's speed had exceeded his expectations, and its choice had left him no chance to resist.
It was simply too fast. The people above had no time to hurry down, and after the two separated, the snake had actually chosen him. With unwillingness and vexation in his heart, Zhong Shan only felt the surroundings go dark as the red snake swallowed him into its belly.
After Tian Ling'er leaped clear of the boulder, she did not sense the red snake behind her. She only knew that danger was closing in and that she had to quickly leap onto Senior Brother's or Third Senior Sister's Flying Sword.
Just then, Tian Ling'er suddenly felt a pair of large hands appear on her buttocks. Zhong Shan? Zhong Shan? Tian Ling'er widened her eyes. Why was Zhong Shan here at a time like this?
While Tian Ling'er was utterly astonished, those hands suddenly tightened. The immense force seemed about to tear apart and crush her tender buttocks. Intense pain swiftly jolted Tian Ling'er's nerves, and under the agony, tears suddenly sprang into her eyes.
What is Zhong Shan trying to do? Tian Ling'er did not know whether it was grievance or pain, but tears actually streamed down her face.
But in the next moment, she only felt Zhong Shan push.
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Tian Ling'er's speed soared.
"Ha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
A savage hiss came from behind. At that moment, Tian Ling'er finally realized what was happening. Zhong Shan was saving her, pushing her out of the snake's jaws.
Her speed surged, bringing her closer to Bei Qing Si. Bei Qing Si only had to reach out to seize Tian Ling'er's arm.
Taking advantage of this moment, Tian Ling'er swiftly turned her head to look down. She happened to see the red snake swallow Zhong Shan, who was falling and utterly unable to resist.
"Zhong Shan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Tian Ling'er suddenly cried out hoarsely. Zhong Shan—had he died for her? Had he died to save her? Seeing Zhong Shan swallowed into the red snake's belly, Tian Ling'er suddenly felt something inside her get fiercely struck. Disbelief, unwillingness, reluctance, and refusal all mixed into that scream. The few tears she had shed now burst forth like a mountain spring, streaming from her eyes.
Tian Sha charged toward the red snake, but the red snake was an expert at tunneling. After swallowing Zhong Shan, it plunged headfirst into the earth with a crash and burrowed underground again. In the blink of an eye, it vanished. The other colossal snakes also swam over, and seeing that nothing could be done, Tian Sha quickly flew upward.
Bei Qing Si caught Tian Ling'er with one hand, staring incredulously as Zhong Shan was swallowed by the snake. The tangled feelings she had held toward Zhong Shan suddenly turned into an empty hollowness for some unknown reason. Yet she still gripped Tian Ling'er and flew upward.
Tian Ling'er twisted and struggled constantly, as though she wanted to rush down and save Zhong Shan. She seemed almost deranged, shouting his name and clawing frantically, wrinkling Bei Qing Si's specially made clothes.
"We can't save him. Go up," Tian Sha said as he flew closer.
"No! Zhong Shan isn't dead! Save him, hurry and save him!" Tian Ling'er wailed, staring at the cavern in the ground.
In the distance, Princess Qian You had witnessed the entire scene as well. When she saw Zhong Shan push Tian Ling'er away, her previous confusion over Hao San's actions suddenly changed into an inexplicable emotion, and a trace of envy flashed in her eyes.
"Zhong Shan? In the face of death, who would sacrifice himself for me?" Princess Qian You murmured wistfully.
Seeing Princess Qian You like this, Mister Shui Jing shook his feather fan and smiled faintly. When he looked at Princess Qian You, a trace of benevolent love flashed in his eyes.
"Qian You, if it were me, I would certainly do the same as that man," Gu Lin immediately declared with great loyalty.
Hearing Gu Lin's voice, Princess Qian You shot him a sideways glance. A trace of disdain flashed in her eyes before her expression once again returned to contemplation of Hao San's actions.
Countless people had seen the scene of Zhong Shan sacrificing himself to save Tian Ling'er, but that scene could only serve as a brief interlude.
On the mountain, Hao San stood atop the Horned Dragon's head. When he saw the red snake swallow Zhong Shan and then burrow underground, a trace of desolation flashed in his eyes.
"Did you think I was about to die, and feel sorrow for me?" Hao San asked softly. Clearly, he had found a reason for the red snake's sudden unusual behavior.
"Let's go west. Take me wandering around until the Hai Hour," Hao San said softly.
"Roar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The Horned Dragon raised its head and let out a thunderous roar. Its body swayed, and its tail struck the ground, smashing out a five-meter-deep trench as it swiftly swam westward. Eunuch Lao Wei followed close behind.
In an instant, the Horned Dragon reached the valley. Its speed was more than ten times that of the colossal snakes. As it traveled, the earth split and soil flew, kicking up towering clouds of dust. It charged toward a distant gorge leading into the depths of the endless mountains.
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Atop the western peak, a streak of Blue Light let out a tremendous sound as it tore through the air, shooting toward the Horned Dragon—or rather, Eunuch Lao Wei beside it.
The arrow carried an immense and boundless power. Seeing this, Lao Wei's eyes widened, and he raised his horsetail whisk toward the divine arrow.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Lao Wei was blasted backward.
"Lao Wei!" Hao San shouted from atop the Horned Dragon.
"I only care about you. He has nothing to do with me." In response to Hao San's shout, the Horned Dragon merely dropped this sentence before carrying Hao San onward.
Seeing Hao San trying to escape, the gathered experts swiftly gave chase.
"Qian You, let's pursue them!" Gu Lin shouted at once.
"Shut up." Princess Qian You snapped irritably. She ignored Gu Lin and, together with Mister Shui Jing, looked toward Lao Wei, who had been shot back by the divine arrow.
"Poof~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The horsetail whisk in Lao Wei's hand came apart and shattered. Under the impact of the tremendous force, he vomited a great mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward with a trace of tragic laughter on his face.
On the western side, more than a dozen people suddenly flew out from the mountain peak where the arrow had been fired, charging toward Lao Wei.
"Seize that old fellow!" Princess Qian You shouted.
After Princess Qian You spoke, the group behind her rushed toward Eunuch Lao Wei. Not only that, another force from the south also charged toward Lao Wei.
Flying through the air, Lao Wei sensed three forces closing in. A fierce, tragic resolve appeared on his face. He flipped his hand and took out a black sphere.
"Hahahaha~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Amid Eunuch Lao Wei's wild, tragic laughter, a huge amount of lightning suddenly shot from the black sphere.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The black sphere exploded, carrying Lao Wei's body with it as he was blown to pieces in midair. Blood rained down across the sky.
The enormous shock wave from the explosion forced everyone rushing over to retreat and evade.
When Princess Qian You saw Lao Wei take out the black sphere, she suddenly shouted, "This is bad!"
The old Eunuch had died. A vexed look appeared on Princess Qian You's face, and she angrily stamped one of her long, beautiful legs against the ground in a fit of temper.
"Go!" Princess Qian You cried furiously.
Then everyone followed Princess Qian You and rapidly pursued in the direction the Horned Dragon had gone.
The other forces did the same, quickly giving chase.
After Bei Qing Si pulled Tian Ling'er onto the mountain peak, this entire series of upheavals unfolded. Seeing Hao San escape, Tian Sha instinctively said, "Pursue them."
The other members of the Kaiyang Sect immediately followed Tian Sha into the air, flying in the direction the Horned Dragon had gone. In midair, Tian Sha saw that Bei Qing Si had not come. He turned his head and looked back at her.
Bei Qing Si was pulling Tian Ling'er along. She glanced faintly in the direction the Horned Dragon had gone, then looked at Tian Ling'er, who was in a frenzy, and frowned.
"You go ahead," Bei Qing Si said softly.
Seeing that Bei Qing Si refused to leave, Tian Sha frowned and immediately said, "Yun Qian, stay here with Qing Si. We'll meet at Emerald Cloud Mountain in five days."
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