Yan Chihuo's heart stirred as he recalled the fortune-teller's words. "The innkeeper means well. Besides, a snake over ten zhang long is nothing to take lightly—and this one is highly venomous." Qu Wuxing had nothing more to say.
After they finished their meal, everyone retired for the night. Nothing happened. Early the next morning, they set off east. Seeing that Yan Chihuo and the others had paid no heed to his warning, the attendant could only shake his head and sigh.
When the four reached the foot of the mountain, Yan Chihuo reached out and tapped Yun Zaitian and Tong Huaibing twice each. Their bodies shuddered, and they felt their acupoints had been unsealed. Yan Chihuo then took out the Purple Gold Blade and a folding fan and handed them over. "These are your weapons. Since a giant snake has been spotted on this mountain, you'll need to defend yourselves. If you die here, I won't know how to answer to Second Master. But if you want to take this chance to run, by all means, try." With that, he tugged his reins and rode ahead.
Yun Zaitian and Tong Huaibing said nothing. They took their weapons and followed Yan Chihuo into the mountain, with Qu Wuxing bringing up the rear. Though it was late autumn, the plants were still green. They rode on in single file for some twenty or thirty li, until Yan Chihuo suddenly pulled on his reins and stopped.
The other three looked ahead. A cave had appeared before them. Within several dozen zhang of its entrance, not a blade of grass grew. Even Qu Wuxing, bold as he was, felt a chill in his heart at the sight. "What is this place?" he murmured.
Yan Chihuo dismounted and flicked his whip backward. The horse cried out in pain, wheeled around, and galloped away. The other three immediately understood: something was wrong here, and it was likely connected to the giant snake. If a fight broke out, the horses would be in danger. They hurriedly did the same. These fine steeds had been trained at Cloud Sun Manor, so there was little chance they would get lost.
A fierce wind suddenly rose. A gust of black wind burst from the cave, and a giant snake charged out of it. Its scales were black, its eyes red, and it was about ten zhang long, with a body as thick as a vat. It opened its mouth and sucked in. The group felt a tremendous force pulling at them. Fortunately, they had been prepared: they linked hands and planted their eight feet on the ground as if they were nailed there.
One horse had been too slow to get away. Its body lifted into the air and was sucked into the snake's mouth. The snake swallowed with all its might, taking most of the horse's head into its jaws.
Qu Wuxing and Yun Zaitian leapt into the air and swung their sword and blade at the snake's vulnerable spot, seven inches behind its head. The snake drew back, and their weapons struck its head instead. A flash of black light rang out with two metallic clangs, and both blade and sword bounced away.
Everyone's faces changed. They had known the snake could not be hurt by arrows, but Qu Wuxing's treasured sword could slice through iron, and Yun Zaitian's Purple Gold Blade weighed fifty-six jin. Yet neither had left so much as a mark. It was truly astonishing.
The snake refused to spit out the horse. Its tail swept toward Yun Zaitian. Midair, Yun Zaitian saw a dark blur and hastily raised his Purple Gold Blade to block. A tremendous force slammed into him, sending him flying more than ten zhang as if borne on clouds and fog. He crashed heavily to the ground and could not get up for a moment.
Yan Chihuo had not expected the snake to be so formidable. Yun Zaitian's martial arts were no weak; even though he was injured, the fact that he could not withstand a single blow was almost beyond belief.
But the snake's tail lashed back toward Qu Wuxing. Having seen what happened to Yun Zaitian, Qu Wuxing dared not take the blow head-on. He twisted aside and dodged it.
Just then, a boulder the size of a millstone suddenly dropped from the sky and struck Qu Wuxing in the back. With a bang, he fell from the air and spat out a great mouthful of blood.
Yan Chihuo and Tong Huaibing stared in stunned disbelief. There were no cliffs nearby—how could a boulder have fallen out of nowhere? There was only one explanation: the giant snake had conjured it from thin air.
Tong Huaibing sucked in a breath. "The snake's become a spirit! It knows demonic magic!"
Yan Chihuo sighed inwardly. This time, fortune had truly turned its back on him. He had killed the Golden Sword Gang's leader, encountered a cultivator, and been sent to escort two men back to Tiger Roar Manor—only to run into a monster as well.
The giant snake swallowed again, and half the horse's body disappeared into its mouth. Yan Chihuo understood that once the demon snake swallowed the horse whole, it would be able to spew poisonous mist, making it even harder to handle. Without hesitation, he sprang forward and thrust the White Jade Short Sword at the snake's vulnerable spot, seven inches below its head.
The demon snake arched its body and dodged the strike to its vulnerable spot, exposing its chest and belly instead. With a metallic ring, Yan Chihuo's sword struck its body. Another flash of black light appeared. Now that he was close, Yan Chihuo saw clearly that a layer of black scales had covered the snake. They looked so much like its natural scales that no one had noticed them before.
Yan Chihuo's sword pierced through the layer of scales and sank more than two inches into the flesh, but could go no farther. He hurriedly pulled it back, and snake blood began to flow.
The wound was slight, but ever since the demon snake had gained power, not even a patch of its hide had been harmed. Now it was both hurt and enraged. Its tail swept at him, but Yan Chihuo pressed his left palm against it and sprang swiftly backward.
The giant snake swallowed again, and the horse disappeared into its belly. It opened its mouth and sprayed a cloud of poisonous mist at Yan Chihuo. He held his breath and dodged. But Tong Huaibing, standing nearby, caught a whiff of the foul stench and fainted. He knew he had been poisoned. His body swayed twice before he fell to the ground. Fortunately, his inner strength was considerable and the poison had only affected him mildly. Though he could not move for the moment, he was not in danger of dying.
Yan Chihuo had never expected that in a single exchange, three of the four of them would be down, leaving only him to struggle on alone. He flicked his hand and sent four Flying Locust Stones streaking out. Midair, they burst with a bang, shattering into more than a dozen fragments that flew toward the giant snake.
The snake had not thought much of the Flying Locust Stones, never imagining they would change course like that. It failed to dodge in time, and a shard pierced its eye. It let out a furious roar and charged at Yan Chihuo. The snake had been even harder to deal with than Gao Kun, and Yan Chihuo had never expected to blind it in one eye. He hurriedly turned and fled.
As he ran, the snake's long tail swept through the air, snapping seven or eight saplings in two. Ever since practicing the Spirit Jade Vajra Art, Yan Chihuo had found he could run even faster on the ground. He leapt again, and a cloud of black mist covered the spot where he had just been. The plants there withered at once, then turned to ash.
Yan Chihuo was still in midair when a flash of black light appeared. The snake's long tail coiled tightly around his waist. Fortunately, his arms were spread wide and had not been caught, so he could still move. He swung his sword at the snake. Black light flashed across its body again, and another layer of black scales formed. The strike only gave it a minor wound.
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