Snake Demon (Part 2)

Yan Chihuo's heart stirred as he recalled the fortune-telling old man's words. "The innkeeper means well, and besides, a snake over ten zhang long—we have to be careful. It's also highly venomous." Qu Wuxing said nothing more.

After the group finished their meal and drink, they retired for the night. Nothing happened. The next morning, they set out eastward. The shop assistant, seeing that Yan Chihuo and the others paid his warning no heed, could only shake his head and sigh.

The four arrived at the foot of the mountain. Yan Chihuo reached out and patted Yun Zaitian and Tong Huaibing twice. Both men's bodies trembled as they felt their acupoints unsealed. Yan Chihuo then took out the Purple Gold Blade and a folding fan, handing them over. "These are your weapons. Since this mountain has a giant snake roaming about, if you can't defend yourselves and die here, I won't be able to explain it to Second Master. But if you think you can take the chance to escape, feel free to try." With that, he tugged the reins and led the way forward.

Yun Zaitian and the other said nothing, accepted their weapons, and followed Yan Chihuo into the mountains, with Qu Wuxing bringing up the rear. Though it was late autumn, the grass and trees were still green. They advanced in order for about twenty or thirty li when Yan Chihuo suddenly reined in his horse and stopped.

The other three looked ahead and saw a cave. Within several dozen zhang of the entrance, not a single blade of grass grew. Even bold as Qu Wuxing was, his heart tightened at the sight. He muttered under his breath, "What kind of place is this?"

Yan Chihuo dismounted and struck his horse with the back of his whip. The beast neighed in pain, turned, and bolted. The other three immediately understood—the situation here was unusual, likely connected to that giant snake. If a fight broke out, the horses would be in danger, so they all did the same. These horses were fine steeds trained at Cloud Sun Manor, so there was no fear of them getting lost.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose. A black gust flew out of the cave, and from within it charged a giant snake—black scales, red eyes, about ten zhang long, its girth like a vat. It opened its mouth and sucked. The group felt a tremendous force pulling at them. Fortunately, they were prepared. Clasping hands, they planted their eight feet as if nailed to the ground.

But one horse, moving a little too slowly, was lifted into the air and sucked into the snake's mouth. The great snake gulped, swallowing most of the horse's head in one go.

Qu Wuxing and Yun Zaitian leaped into the air, sword and blade slashing straight at the snake's vital spot seven inches below the head. The snake recoiled, and the sword and blade struck its head instead. Black light flashed. Clang! Clang! Both weapons were deflected.

Everyone's faces changed drastically. They had known arrows and blades were useless against this snake, but Qu Wuxing's treasured sword could cut through iron like mud, and Yun Zaitian's Purple Gold Blade weighed fifty-six jin—yet neither had left a scratch. This was truly extraordinary.

The great snake refused to spit out the horse in its mouth. Its long tail swept toward Yun Zaitian. Midair, Yun Zaitian saw only a black shadow. He hurriedly blocked with his Purple Gold Blade, felt a massive force slam into him, and was sent flying over ten zhang like a cloudborne wraith. He crashed heavily to the ground and couldn't get up for a time.

Yan Chihuo hadn't expected the snake to be this formidable. Yun Zaitian's martial arts were far from weak, and even wounded, he hadn't been able to withstand a single blow—it was hard to imagine.

But then the snake's long tail whipped back and struck at Qu Wuxing. Having seen what happened to Yun Zaitian, Qu Wuxing dared not meet it head-on. He twisted his body and dodged.

At that moment, however, a millstone-sized rock suddenly fell from the air, striking Qu Wuxing square in the back. Bam! Qu Wuxing tumbled from the sky, spitting a mouthful of blood.

This time, Yan Chihuo and Tong Huaibing were utterly stunned. There were no cliffs or precipices nearby—how could a boulder fall out of nowhere? There was only one explanation: the snake had conjured it out of thin air.

Tong Huaibing sucked in a cold breath. "This snake has become a spirit! It knows sorcery!"

Yan Chihuo sighed inwardly. This time, his luck had truly run foul. He had killed the Golden Sword Gang's leader, encountered cultivators, been tasked with escorting these two back to Tiger Roar Manor—and now he had run into a demon.

The great snake swallowed again, and half the horse's body disappeared into its mouth. Yan Chihuo understood that once the demon snake finished devouring the horse, it could spew poisonous mist, making it even harder to deal with. He immediately leaped, stabbing his White Jade Short Sword at the snake's vital spot seven inches below the head.

The snake reared back, avoiding the vital spot but exposing its chest and belly. Ding! Yan Chihuo's sword struck the snake's body. Another flash of black light appeared. Up close, Yan Chihuo saw clearly: with the emergence of this black light, a layer of black scales covered the snake, so similar to its natural scales that no one had noticed at first.

Yan Chihuo's sword broke through this scale layer, sinking two inches deeper before it could go no further. He quickly pulled it out. Snake blood flowed from the wound.

Though the injury was light, this demon snake, ever since it had grown in power, had not even scraped its hide. Now wounded, it was both pained and enraged. Its long tail swept. Yan Chihuo pressed his left palm against the tail and shot backward.

The great snake swallowed again, and the horse disappeared into its belly. It opened its mouth and sprayed a cloud of poisonous mist at Yan Chihuo. Yan Chihuo held his breath and dodged. But beside him, Tong Huaibing caught a whiff of the stench, grew dizzy, and knew he had been poisoned. He swayed twice and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, his internal energy was strong and the poison shallow; though he couldn't move for the moment, he wasn't about to die.

Yan Chihuo had never imagined that in a single exchange, three of his four men would fall, leaving him alone to struggle on. He flung his hand, and four Flying Locust Stones shot out. Midair, they burst with a bang, splitting into over a dozen stone shards that flew at the snake.

The great snake had dismissed the Flying Locust Stones at first, never expecting this change. Caught off guard, a shard pierced its eye. It let out a furious roar and charged at Yan Chihuo. This snake was even more troublesome than Gao Kun, and Yan Chihuo hadn't expected to blind it in one eye. He turned and fled at top speed.

He had barely run past when the long snake tail swept through, snapping seven or eight small trees in two. Since practicing the Spirit Jade Vajra Art, Yan Chihuo had found that running on the ground was actually faster. He leaped again, and a cloud of black mist enveloped the spot where he had just stood. Instantly, the grass and trees there withered and turned to ash.

Yan Chihuo was still in the air when black light flashed. The long snake tail coiled tightly around his waist. Fortunately, his arms were free and not caught, so he could still move. He slashed with his sword. Black light flickered on the snake's body, and another layer of black scales formed. This strike only inflicted a light wound.