The snake eggs covered the cliff face in dense, tightly-clustered masses. Xingzhi Zhenren’s expression shifted. Even Ye Tian couldn’t help but exclaim: “This snake has done nothing but… lay eggs this whole time?” A moment later she realized what she’d said, and her face reddened.
Zhuang Shaoqin’s focus was elsewhere: “So the main snake is female? I wonder what she looks like…” His peripheral gaze drifted toward He Bang’s rather spectacular figure. The licentious thought had barely formed before that three-eyed snake swimming ahead shattered it completely — one look at the size and shape of those eggs, and what beautiful female snake could have produced them?
He indulged in his fantasy, then indulged again, and in the end concluded that human-beast combinations were too extreme a taste. He reluctantly abandoned the idea.
The group pressed close to the cliff face and passed by. The three-eyed snake in front even offered commentary: “Don’t be deceived by the sheer number of eggs — very, very few will actually have the right conditions to hatch! Because the Master has been separated from the cycle of reincarnation for too long and lacks living energy. After the eggs take form, they must draw vital breath from a host — or parasitize within a human body. And the same person cannot provide vital breath more than once, so the vast majority of these eggs simply cannot hatch.”
Rong Chen Zi’s gaze stirred faintly. “Drawing vital breath — I have heard of it before, though I only thought it legend. I did not imagine it truly existed.”
The three-eyed snake raised its head with a haughty air: “Hmph. Our Master carries the bloodline of an ancient divine beast. There is much you know nothing of.”
Before it could finish preening, He Bang spoke: “Ancient divine beast?” The three-eyed snake let out a smug snort — and before that, the great river clam had already leaped with delight: “Oh! Is an ancient divine beast better steamed, or fried?”
The three-eyed snake snapped its mouth shut immediately and uttered not another sound. He Bang continued to chase after it: “What about braised? Surely not eaten raw — the flesh would be too tough… Hey, don’t walk away! What about roasted? Or pan-fried? Braised in soy sauce would work too…”
From that moment on, the three-eyed snake never again mentioned its master’s bloodline, of which he was once so proud.
From ahead came the faint sounds of iron chains and the beating of wings. The three-eyed snake in front came to a stop and refused to go any further. “Just ahead.”
It spoke in a low voice, then looked up at He Bang. Rong Chen Zi’s expression turned solemn. He reached out and touched one of the iron chains — as thick around as an adult’s lower leg. “This is a spirit artifact refined through secret techniques. By the style alone, this is likely something from at least the Han dynasty.”
He Bang showed no fear. At that moment she remembered Chunyu Lin: “Chunyu Lin, are you a snail? Get over here!”
Chunyu Lin came over supporting Liu Qinfang. He surveyed the terrain, then set Liu Qinfang beside the cliff wall where the iron chain disappeared into the rock. His voice was very low: “Wait here. Don’t wander.”
Liu Qinfang gave a small nod. Her palms were already cold with sweat. She looked at Chunyu Lin as if she wanted to say something, then stopped herself. Chunyu Lin returned to He Bang’s side and took his customary place in front of her. Here and there, white jade pillars were visible around them, carved with relief images — but covered in dust and grime, the details were impossible to make out. Before Rong Chen Zi had even spoken, Qingxuan and Qingsu had already stepped forward and wiped one pillar clean with their sleeves.
Rong Chen Zi studied it for a long moment, his expression grave: “This is the legendary Minghe Serpent.”
At those words, more than a few hearts sank. The Minghe Serpent appeared only in the Classic of Mountains and Seas — who knew how much difference there might be between the illustrations and the real thing? Rong Chen Zi was also somewhat puzzled: “Why are certain scenes carved twice on this pillar?”
From the far end of the iron chains came a distant, muffled roar. Everyone began to ready themselves. Rong Chen Zi had no time to dwell on it further and began to give his instructions: “Xingzhi Zhenren, Yuyang Zhenren, Shaoqin — the three of you will engage it directly alongside me. Xuaner, Suer, Haotian, Haoyu — your cultivation is insufficient; you four need only follow behind. Protect the spirit artifacts, and when necessary, protect… Her Majesty the Sea Emperor — buy her as much time as possible. Little Ye, stay with Xuaner and the others. Look out for each other.”
Ye Tian and the rest acknowledged this. Rong Chen Zi had given no instructions to the river clam — she knew her own role.
The great river clam stood beneath the black iron chains, feeling only delighted: “The big snake is definitely worth more than three liang! A Minghe Serpent — has to be at least three to five jin of flesh! And if we cook it together with a celestial being’s flesh…” She drooled onto the iron chain. The three-eyed snake silently swam forward. It had finally begun to understand what kind of creature stood at the top of the food chain…
They followed the chains forward. The air grew hotter and hotter; the light grew brighter and brighter. When they reached the center, everyone stopped in stunned speechlessness. Before them, in a section of ground that had sunk deeply inward, a column of flame was burning. Coiled within the heart of those flames was a snake — the size of a small mountain, with four great black wings unfurled from its back. As it saw the newcomers, it half-narrowed its eyes. Those eyes were each as large as a winnowing basket: “Who comes?”
When it spoke, its voice rang clear and bright — a woman’s voice. He Bang shrank behind Chunyu Lin, staying as far back as possible: “A genuine Minghe Serpent!”
Chunyu Lin said nothing. He Bang spoke to herself: “The Minghe Serpent’s nature aligns with fire. When the battle starts, don’t stand on the iron chains.” She scanned the surroundings. “Whoever sealed it here must have constructed fire-safe dead zones along the perimeter of this terrain — otherwise there would have been enormous casualties.”
Ignoring Rong Chen Zi and the others who were already engaging the Minghe Serpent in conversation, she took Chunyu Lin by the hand and leaped up to the highest point of the iron chains. From here, not only she but Chunyu Lin could see it clearly: the entire cliff had been carved into the shape of a four-pointed star, with the corners extremely narrow. Thanks to the protection of the ancient formation array, the shape remained clearly discernible even now.
He Bang spoke quietly in his ear: “In the five-element directional system, east belongs to wood, west to metal, south to fire, north to water, and center to earth. If danger comes, we fall back to the northern corner. The Minghe Serpent is at the center, and its nature is fire — it fears water. The northern corner is the safest place.” She glanced toward Liu Qinfang, who was standing by the iron chains, and after a long moment said, very reluctantly: “Have Liu Qinfang go to the northern corner first. She’ll only draw the serpent’s attention once everyone else is dead.”
Rong Chen Zi naturally would not compete with He Bang. He drew on his full cultivation to position himself and Zhuang Shaoqin in the southern corner — the most dangerous position. Without someone holding the center, the serpent would attack the area most aligned with its own elemental nature first. The eastern and western corners were also positions where one could take damage just by being present — both metal and wood were easily consumed by fire, but wood was more vulnerable than metal. And so Ye Tian, Qingxuan, Qingsu, Zhuang Haotian, and Zhuang Haoyu were placed in the eastern corner, while Xingzhi and Yuyang Zhenren were placed in the western corner. And the northern corner would come last.
The advantage of this arrangement was that the serpent could not attack all corners simultaneously — no matter which it struck, the others would have time to react. The disadvantage was that those in different corners would have difficulty coming to one another’s aid. Still, Rong Chen Zi’s arrangement was clever — each corner guarded by their own people.
The Minghe Serpent watched all of this with cold, calm eyes, undisturbed: “Provisions have arrived — and there’s actually a true god and a great demon among them. Hahaha, what a fine day, when everything one wishes for comes true…”
Everyone: =_=
(River clam, this one is a kindred spirit of yours…)
Before they had even finished their silent commentary, the Minghe Serpent — locked in layer upon layer of iron chains — beat its wings. Its cry rang out like a great bell: “Offer your blood and souls, and beneath my wings you shall be reborn.”
As its cry rang out, the mountain echoed in response, and the snake eggs in the cliff walls all began to tremble. Rong Chen Zi took the vanguard. Xingzhi Zhenren and Yuyang Zhenren moved between him and Zhuang Shaoqin in fluid formation.
He Bang suddenly darted to stand behind Rong Chen Zi, voice very low: “I suspect Xingzhi Zhenren may be compromised. You should have placed those two brothers in the southern corner — only under real danger will they give their all.”
Rong Chen Zi’s expression did not change: “He may have his own difficulties. This poor Daoist cannot plunge two people into mortal peril on the basis of a momentary suspicion.”
He Bang thought this man was impossibly rigid and pedantic, utterly beyond reason. She muttered: “It’s utterly absurd that someone like you never dies.” The moment the words left her mouth, the Minghe Serpent spat a jet of flame that nearly caught her long hair. Her body could not withstand such heat and she had no choice but to quickly retreat behind Chunyu Lin.
Chunyu Lin shielded her from the heat at the front while she tried several times, finding that every ice spike she conjured melted before it could reach the serpent. All she could do was use her ice-condensing technique to lower the temperature in the ravine to within a range the human body could tolerate.
After several attempts, He Bang finally grew anxious: “If this drags on, they’ll exhaust their spirit energy too quickly. They won’t hold out.”
Chunyu Lin still did not answer. She stood on the iron chains. All the other chains had already been heated to glowing red by the flames — only hers was still laced with a thin layer of ice. Despite her best efforts to control the temperature, the brows of Rong Chen Zi and the others were already beaded with fine sweat.
The serpent’s skin was nothing like that of the smaller snake — it was on an entirely different scale of thickness. Water, fire, blade, and spear had virtually no effect. After a prolonged battle, the group had managed to goad it into breathing fire a few times, but had not managed to remove so much as a single hair from its body.
The expressions of the assembled group grew grimmer by the moment. From her waist, He Bang produced a large sea conch, smooth and luminous from end to end, like jade. She gently blew the conch. Water flowed in like threads and thin streams toward the great serpent, the currents churning and roiling, causing the temperature in the formation to drop sharply. In the same instant He Bang condensed three ice spikes, along with two red pearls apiece, and sent them shooting toward the mother serpent at the center of the formation, swift as arrows.
The great serpent had been somewhat contemptuous, paying insufficient attention. It merely expelled a jet of raging flame, intent first on swallowing Rong Chen Zi whole. But then the ice spikes closed in, and it let out a great bellow. The serpent’s skin was too tough — the ice spikes did not penetrate deeply. He Bang dared not be careless. She closed her right hand — and the ice spikes shattered with a resounding crack.
The great serpent roared and immediately spewed a stream of venom directly at He Bang.
He Bang used the wind-transference technique and floated lightly back to the entrance of the northern corner with Chunyu Lin in tow. The venom spent itself before it could reach them. Chunyu Lin brandished the Sun-Moon dual wheels and deflected it.
A thin rivulet of blood had begun to seep from the serpent’s neck and back. Rong Chen Zi seized the opportunity immediately, hurling a silver talisman into the fray. Zhuang Shaoqin guarded Rong Chen Zi’s flank, warding off the serpent’s venom. Xingzhi Zhenren and Yuyang Zhenren exchanged a glance, and both simultaneously unleashed their full power, releasing their flying swords.
The great serpent let out a long howl. Its four wings swept outward, and dozens of figures appeared from the cliff walls — fishermen, hunters, women — people whose vital breath had been borrowed for the eggs, still carrying dormant snakes parasitizing their bodies.
He Bang cursed under her breath and grabbed Chunyu Lin. “Clear the small snakes first!”
She sent ice spikes flying in rapid succession. Chunyu Lin stepped in front of her, keeping the cluster of snakes from getting close. The ice spikes exploded repeatedly, sending blood and severed limbs scattering across the floor of the formation. The great serpent had enough intelligence to quickly identify the weakest point among its opponents — and then sent a jet of fire directly at Zhuang Haotian and the others. He Bang hurled herself forward and used the water-displacement technique to pull them more than three zhang away, barely clearing the flames.
Even Ye Tian had never witnessed a battle like this. She had always thought herself a cultivator of considerable standing, but now found she couldn’t even get close. He Bang displaced the group of them again to the entrance of the western corner: “Get inside. Form a defensive formation.”
Ye Tian glanced at her, then ultimately said nothing and led her four fellow disciples into the western corner.
Now the great serpent was intent on putting He Bang to death. Without warning it spat another mouthful of venom — Rong Chen Zi formed a hand seal and used a talisman-barrier to block it. He Bang was simultaneously maintaining the lowered temperature, clearing the smaller snakes, and barely managing to keep herself together. Right in the middle of this chaos, Ye Tian burst out from the side. She was after all the prized disciple of the Purple-Heart Daozhang, and could at least buy a little time holding off the smaller snakes.
He Bang crouched behind her and Chunyu Lin, the pressure on her immediately lifting: “Is the formation set?” Ye Tian was too occupied to work up any of her usual petulance: “Done. The rest Qingxuan and the others can manage.”
He Bang nodded and used water currents to shield the three of them. She blew the sea conch again. The three-eyed snake howled in fury. The venom it spewed ate through the edges of their robes, dissolving holes of all sizes in the fabric. Zhuang Shaoqin’s arm was also grazed by the venom. Without hesitation, he sliced away a chunk of skin and flesh, then applied a hemostasis incantation to stop the bleeding.
Ye Tian tried to charge forward again and again. He Bang pulled her back each time: “Don’t go. You’d only be dead weight.”
Ye Tian — usually so impulsive and quick to anger — did not flare up. She stood quietly in front of He Bang, teeth clenched, blocking the three-eyed snake. Ice spikes pierced it, and snake blood spattered across her face and hair. She pressed her lips together and did not retreat a single step.
At last the mother serpent in the center of the formation was also beginning to flag. The flames were growing lower and weaker. He Bang sounded the sea conch and a wash of ice-blue seawater completely suppressed the fire. Rong Chen Zi unleashed a golden talisman, and a burst of golden sparks exploded in the air. The mother serpent in the formation let out a screech of agony — one of its eyes burst open, black liquid spraying in all directions. Filled with absolute fury, it opened the third eye at the center of its brow. Its foundation was in an entirely different league from the smaller three-eyed snake. In an instant, both Rong Chen Zi and Zhuang Shaoqin were stunned rigid.
Ye Tian cried out in alarm. He Bang vaulted up from behind, stepping on Ye Tian’s shoulder to use her as a springboard and landed behind Rong Chen Zi. She closed her eyes, steadied her breath and gathered her mind — then opened them suddenly and locked her gaze with the three-eyed serpent.
For a moment, everything froze. When Rong Chen Zi and Zhuang Shaoqin came back to their senses, they saw the mother serpent staring blankly at He Bang. He Bang’s mouth could no longer form words — she could only faintly curl her right hand. Rong Chen Zi understood in an instant. He called out at full volume: “Fall back to your corners!”
Everyone followed the earlier arrangement, withdrawing to the east, south, west, and north corners. He Bang stared at the mother serpent. It was torment. The pressure bore down from all sides, crushing her spirit and consciousness. No one dared let their focus slip — to do so would shatter the primal spirit, and the soul would scatter and perish.
In the southern corner, Zhuang Shaoqin’s eyes widened: “This Minghe Serpent must be a creature of several thousand years’ cultivation. And she can actually hold her own against it? Who on earth is this person?”
Rong Chen Zi had no mind to ponder that now: “She’s actually attempting to cultivate an anomalous eye!” He drew out another golden talisman. His face had already gone pale. The golden talisman consumed spirit energy at a ruinous rate. He furrowed his brow, but brought it forth nonetheless and drove it forward by sheer will.
The talisman struck like a streak of flowing light and plunged directly into the three-eyed snake’s damaged eye socket. The three-eyed snake convulsed all over, so overwhelmed by pain that it couldn’t even make a sound. He Bang was drenched in sweat from head to toe, her protective water currents dissolving entirely. Her spirit energy was spent, but outside the sea creatures had been storing water on her behalf — she borrowed the water to use a displacement technique and retreated slowly into the entrance of the northern corner.
Outside, the firelight was already fading. She gasped for breath, sweat pouring down her face. Though the mother serpent had failed to fully develop the anomalous eye, it had wounded her spirit consciousness.
“Blast it all — Chu…” Her voice cut off abruptly.
Behind her, a gleaming short knife drove straight through her back and out through her chest. She looked down slowly. The tip of a bloodied blade protruded from her chest. She turned around slowly. Chunyu Lin stood with his head bowed, in red robes, black hair falling loose, not saying a word. Liu Qinfang pulled the short knife out and plunged it into her chest again. Blood soaked through the water-colored fabric of her garment. Her expression was one of wild, ecstatic joy.
“I’ve heard there is a spirit treasure inside you called the Celestial Water Essence,” Liu Qinfang said with a faint smile. “I want it very much.”