Chapter Thirty-Five: The Serpent of Transformation

“Saintess, are you all right? Qin Yue stayed outside, he didn’t come in…” Hu Jiuyan hurriedly seized the chance to ask.

A few blood-red snakes slithered swiftly toward her, their eyes icy, attempting to coil around her body. Hu Jiuyan swung her sword, but when the blade struck their bodies, sparks flew as if she were cutting through metal, and her arm went numb from the shock.

“As long as he’s not here, get out, quickly! Something big is about to happen! Now!” Feng Qianning urged from inside.

Taking a deep breath, Hu Jiuyan gritted her teeth, flashed away in an instant, and, unnoticed, dodged the writhing mass of venomous snakes now covering the ground, making a rapid escape.

…

Inside the formation.

Feng Qianning’s expression was grave. She hadn’t expected that in the final stage of refining the small cauldron, she would inadvertently break some kind of seal within the underground palace.

The owner of this place was by no means benevolent. In the depths of the underground palace, they had left behind countless sealed vicious worms and poisonous snakes. As the seal broke, they began to emerge.

But these were minor threats. The truly terrifying thing slumbered beneath the ground where she stood.

Something even more dangerous was awakening!

Now, at the most critical moment, such an accident had occurred. The cauldron contained unimaginable energy, anchoring it to this place—impossible to move. She was unwilling to give up, but to do so would invite devastating backlash from the energies she had used to suppress the cauldron.

So Feng Qianning persisted, striving to refine it.

Suddenly, a terrifying surge of energy erupted from the depths of the underground palace.

Rumble!

The entire Yandang Mountain shook as if struck by an earthquake, trembling violently.

A terrifying demonic aura surged skyward, and the clear sky darkened as heavy clouds rapidly gathered, spreading for dozens of miles in the span of a breath. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a torrential rain poured down.

In an instant, the temperature across the Yandang Mountains plummeted, darkness engulfed everything—one could not see a hand before their face.

In such dire conditions, even a master of the Dongwei Sect would be unable to tell east from west.

As Hu Jiuyan fled, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the fading daylight. There was no sign of Qin Yue. She immediately drew out her message stone.

By now, more people were fleeing the underground palace, none daring to linger, all retreating in terror.

Ordinary underground palaces were usually ancient relics, manageable for those at the art realm, but with a situation like this, only a true Dao Realm master would dare approach.

No one knew what horrors lurked below.

“Qin Yue, where are you? Answer me, now!” Hu Jiuyan sent a frantic message as she retreated.

The entire valley had become a scene of apocalypse. Torrential rain fell in utter darkness, thunder and lightning splitting the sky, and through it all came ever more piercing, inhuman howls.

…

Within the mausoleum.

The tremors grew worse; huge stones crashed from the ceiling, as if the entire place would collapse and sink into the earth at any moment.

Feng Qianning frowned deeply. The small cauldron before her writhed violently, radiant light bursting from its surface, runes flying out of its mouth.

The energy she’d expended refining the cauldron now rebounded upon her many times over.

She could not suppress it—her efforts had come to nothing, and she suffered a fierce backlash.

Blood gushed from her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

She had always sensed this cauldron was extraordinary—a treasure—but she had never imagined such a terrifying power was sealed within.

Feng Qianning quickly swallowed several pills and forced herself to steady her breath. No matter her reluctance, she had to abandon her efforts.

Suddenly, an eerie infant’s wail echoed through the chamber.

The sound was chilling to the marrow!

A deafening crash boomed in her spiritual sea, as dozens of blood-drenched, arm-thick snakes and golden-striped vipers went mad, leaping through the air to attack her.

Hidden among them were nearly invisible, sinister black threadworms!

A flying sword, hidden in her spiritual sea, shot forth in an instant—a black dragon shape briefly manifesting—cutting down the venomous snakes and worms as they attacked.

Clang!

A piercing metallic shriek rang out within the underground palace; sparks leapt from the great snakes, but the flying sword sliced them cleanly in two.

The invisible black threadworms fared no better, falling swiftly to the blade.

Forcing Dao-level divine powers while only in the art realm, Feng Qianning spat blood again.

She knew she had to leave at once.

Suddenly, a tremendous force erupted from deep underground, hurling her into the air.

As the dreadful infant’s wail rang out once more, an indescribably bizarre creature shot toward her as a mere shadow.

Swish!

The black flying sword darted out again, slashing at the monstrous being.

The Wind-Fixing Pearl and the Transformation Gourd hovered in the air, the former unleashing a unique energy to try and freeze the assailant, while the latter shot a beam of light from its mouth, striking the bizarre creature.

Feng Qianning, though startled, kept her composure, using her movement technique to float lightly to the ground, blood at her lips and her face growing paler by the moment.

Suddenly—

Water surged from every crack and crevice, gushing madly from floor to ceiling. The monstrous being was immobilized by the Wind-Fixing Pearl, then struck by the gourd’s beam, emitting an even more harrowing infant wail.

The sound was so demonic it shattered boulders.

Snakes and black threadworms fled in terror. The cry echoed out from the underground palace, reverberating through the pitch-black, flood-swamped valleys.

A wave of dizziness swept over Feng Qianning; her body swayed on the brink of collapse. Twice in quick succession she had forced the flying sword—her strength was nearly spent!

Now she could see clearly what this fiend looked like:

A human face, the body of a jackal, and the tail of a snake. That face, especially, sent chills down her spine—a grotesque, horrifying visage radiating a demonic aura.

It was a Chimeric Serpent of ancient myth!

She never would have imagined that, after finding nothing amiss in the North Sea Dragon Palace ruins, she would meet such a thing here.

The Chimeric Serpent wailed, the underground palace continued to collapse, and floodwaters rose rapidly.

Only now did Feng Qianning realize what she had done—she had misunderstood both the owner of this place and the small cauldron.

The cauldron had been used to suppress this Chimeric Serpent and the countless evil snakes and sinister worms!

Not knowing the truth, she had begun refining it, unwittingly undoing the seals on these monsters.

Regret was now too late.

The Chimeric Serpent launched another attack. Gritting her teeth, Feng Qianning used her movement technique to dodge, swinging her sword in counterattack.

In the darkness, the Chimeric Serpent’s human face twisted in a mocking smile and darted aside, continuing to wail, the sound now tinged with derision.

It circled the shattered mausoleum at high speed, waiting for its chance.

Swish!

It darted behind Feng Qianning, its talons like blades, slashing at her enchanted robe.

She forced herself to teleport away, but behind her came a muffled, wet thud.

The Chimeric Serpent’s wail changed pitch!

Where before it had been a grating, mind-shattering cry, now it sounded as if it were truly in pain.

Then a voice called out nearby: “What are you waiting for? Run!”

Feng Qianning trembled. Her injuries were so severe and her focus so intense that she hadn’t noticed someone arriving.

In an instant she recognized the voice, and was shocked: “You?”

Qin Yue, who had landed a powerful Sky-Splitting Claw on the Chimeric Serpent, unleashed a ghostly evasion art to tangle with it.

He raised the sword Hu Jiuyan had given him and executed the most powerful of the six Falling Leaf Sword Sutra techniques, slashing fiercely at the Chimeric Serpent.

A pale violet radiance exploded from the sword qi; the force and speed shattered the air with a sonic boom, drowning out Feng Qianning’s voice.

He was so fast that the Chimeric Serpent couldn’t evade and took the blow full on its grotesque, human-like face.

Qin Yue had thrown all his strength into this, using the strongest move he knew.

“Die!”

Buzz!

In that instant, a vaporous mist burst from the Chimeric Serpent, twisting the very air.

Though it looked as if the sword had struck home, the blow was blocked.

It was as if he had struck a mass of soft flesh—such a fierce attack, yet it could not cut through.

The sword shattered instantly, and the Chimeric Serpent was sent flying, its piercing wail now full of rage.

It was too hard to kill!

Just from that one exchange, Qin Yue knew he was no match for this monstrous being.

Rumble!

The underground palace continued to collapse.

Countless venomous snakes and black threadworms were buried beneath the rubble.

Fortunately, the Chimeric Serpent’s presence kept them from approaching; otherwise, things would have been even worse.

By now, the palace entrance had completely caved in, and water was rising fast. Escape was only possible through his evasion art.

Feng Qianning had never fully recovered from the injuries she’d suffered when she first met Qin Yue in the Beast Valley. Now, after forcibly using Dao-level power while suffering backlash, her beautiful face was bloodless, her condition dire.

“Let’s go!”

Qin Yue strode forward, grabbed her wrist, preparing to flee with his art.

“The cauldron—”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Of all times, she was worried about the cauldron? He was tempted to tell her exactly what he thought.

As the Chimeric Serpent attacked again, Qin Yue channeled his spiritual power, the faint violet pearl in his dantian spinning rapidly.

Rumble!

The underground palace collapsed completely.

As the Chimeric Serpent’s attack missed and its wail turned vengeful, Qin Yue vanished from the ruins with Feng Qianning.

…

Hu Jiuyan stood atop a mountain dozens of miles away, watching the Yandang Valley now utterly shrouded in black clouds. She crouched, powerless, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Qin Yue had never answered her messages. If he had truly left early, there would have been some sign. Even if he had joined the Radiant Sun Sect, he couldn't possibly have cut ties so heartlessly.

At last, with a pang of hindsight, she realized she must have misunderstood.

Most likely, her brother, like her, had found another way to save the Saintess.

“How could I not have realized he’d do this? The Saintess asked me to watch over him, so they must have a connection. Knowing my brother, when I was taken by Wind Li, he dared return alone—how could he possibly leave the Saintess to die? Why did I ever think he wanted to join the Radiant Sun Sect…I’m such a fool!”

Tears fell in torrents, her heart wracked with guilt. She had led him into the Beast Valley, now to Yandang Mountain… Qin Yue had wanted to come, but she hadn’t tried to stop him.

She’d thought the Saintess would never harm him, and the other great sects were all trying to recruit him—how could there be any real danger?

Yet now her brother was in mortal peril.

“I must truly be cursed. Fine—if I must die, let it be with him!”

She stared at the region swallowed by black clouds, resolve hardening in her eyes.

Just then, the message stone in her hand pulsed softly. She froze, then activated it.

“The small town inn.”

Qin Yue’s voice was muffled and distant, as if echoing up from the earth’s depths.

Yet to Hu Jiuyan, it pierced the clouds like a ray of light, filling her eyes with hope.