A rank wind suddenly rose, and spray pounded the reed beds like a torrential downpour.
The enormous phantom alligator shrank violently the instant it swallowed Xuanzang.
It turned back into that burly human form.
"Shhk-"
A glint of cold steel tore through the night.
Little White Dragon's Silver Spear arrived in a flash, its tip piercing Tuo Jie's neck and sinking deep into his flesh.
Tuo Jie raised a hand and clamped it around the icy shaft, while his other hand covered the bloody hole in his neck.
Blood gushed wildly between his fingers, dripping into the black mud along the bank with faint, sticky pattering sounds.
His punctured windpipe gave off a hideous, leaking hiss with each breath, and bloody froth spilled from the corners of his mouth.
He did not scream. He did not struggle. He did not even retreat half a step.
Holding the spear shaft, he raised his eyes and looked at Little White Dragon, whose eyes were bloodshot just inches away.
The corners of his mouth slowly spread.
"Ha... haha... hahahaha!"
He laughed.
First came a muffled chuckle trapped in his throat, then his shoulders shook violently, and finally he let his voice loose. It was a savage exhilaration, suppressed and disguised for far too long, finally unleashed as he tore away all pretense.
"Cousin~"
Tuo Jie spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze mocking and cruel.
"Don't get so angry~ The holy monk is doing just fine in my belly! My innate divine ability is this Belly Naraka. He dies whenever I want him to."
Utterly unconcerned by the agony in his neck, Tuo Jie released the spear shaft and spread his blood-covered hands as though embracing the night wind.
"Don't believe me? Try it."
He licked his lips, brazen and cruel.
"I