Chapter Thirty-Four: The Nine-Headed Serpent

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh”—pillars of fire, like those from an oxyhydrogen torch, blazed toward the Vajra. In no time, half of Vajra’s body glowed red-hot from the burning, and wherever the water jets struck, they produced billowing steam with a hiss, shrouding the scene in a dense, misty fog that rendered everything invisible.

Vajra pressed forward, bracing against the force of the water, each step firm and determined, though his feet slipped time and again in the muddy water, nearly causing him to fall several times. The wet earth, scorched by the intense heat, turned continuously into tiles and bricks, which rained down until they formed a thick layer on the ground.

Wu Ming propped himself up on his hands, anxiously watching Vajra’s movements. He coughed up blood twice more, his spirit growing noticeably weaker.

“This water pressure is intense!” he gasped.

“Vajra, let me help you!” Music called, leaping lightly onto Vajra’s shoulder. She pulled out a brush tipped with cinnabar and began inscribing symbols on Vajra’s shoulder. Moments later, she hopped down from his body.

As she descended, three dimly glowing, crimson arrays flared beneath her feet, supporting her as she landed. No sooner had she touched the ground than she formed a hand seal and uttered, “Swift.”

A transparent energy shield immediately shimmered around Vajra's entire body, cutting him off from the onslaught of water and fire in an instant. The streams were deflected and split by the shining barrier.

Sweat beaded on Monk Luokong’s forehead as he wiped it away. It had taken all his strength to break the stalemate, and even with the ancestral spiritual power passed down from his sect, he could barely sustain it any longer.

Suddenly, the water jets and tongues of fire from the other side faltered, perhaps because the serpent creatures were pausing to catch their breath or had exhausted their spiritual energy.

“A perfect opportunity!” Monk Luokong planted his staff into the ground, forming seals with both hands, and directed Vajra to charge toward the source of the water and fire.

“Maximum spiritual output, Vajra Manifestation!”

“Understood!” Vajra’s deep, resonant voice replied. He slammed his massive foot into the ground and, with surprising agility for his size, leapt into the river.

“Be careful!” “Don’t go!” “It’s dangerous!”

With a splash, thick mud flew everywhere, splattering Wu Ming’s face and hair. Cleanliness was the least of his concerns now; he forced his weakened body to the riverbank, straining to see what was happening in the muddy fray.

Director Tyrannosaurus hurried over to help Wu Ming and, craning his neck over the riverbank, peered into the mire. All they could hear was the clashing of battle, but only indistinct, shadowy figures were visible. The luminous mist that had once illuminated the area had been obliterated by the recent water and fire assaults, leaving not a single glimmer behind.

Wu Ming squinted, struggling to make out the battle in the river’s depths, but his efforts were in vain. Just as he was about to give up, a cool sensation surged through his eyes, and suddenly the fight between Vajra and the monstrous serpent became clear. It was like watching an old black-and-white television: at first, the scene was grainy and colorless, then the brightness gradually increased, until finally, it looked much like daylight—though with duller hues and less vibrancy. Wu Ming remembered the first time he’d been in the underground chamber of the One Qi Sect; he must have acquired night vision.

The creature battling Vajra was not merely a few serpent monsters, but a vast and bizarre being. It had nine serpent heads, its body was horse-like but covered in scales, and a thick, lizard-like tail was wrapped tightly around Vajra, rendering him immobile. Its four limbs, clawed like a dragon’s, gripped Vajra’s arms and legs with fierce strength. The two colossal forms were locked together, rolling and tearing at each other in the muddy riverbed.

Wu Ming noticed that two of the nine-headed monster’s heads were smaller and a different color than the others—clearly the ones that had previously been bitten off by Lord Dog and burned away by himself, now regrown. If this creature could endlessly regenerate its heads, wouldn’t it be invincible? How could they possibly defeat it?

“This beast has nine heads! Even if you destroy one, it just grows back. What are we going to do?” Wu Ming, draped over Director Tyrannosaurus’s shoulder, asked weakly, anxiety gnawing at his heart.

“What? Nine heads? And they grow back?” Director Tyrannosaurus was so startled he nearly dropped Wu Ming.

“Could it be the Nine-Infant?”

Lingmei’s expression grew grave. “The Nine-Infant was born at the dawn of heaven and earth, when the world’s spiritual energy was as thick as substance itself, spawning countless formidable spiritual beasts and monsters. This ancient fiend made its home in the remote mountains and vast marshes, where the mingling of yin and yang energies brought it forth—a nine-headed, serpentine body, calling itself the Nine-Infant. Each head is a life of its own. Born directly of heaven and earth, it has neither soul nor spirit, its body is incomparably resilient and immortal. With nine lives, so long as even one remains, it can draw spiritual energy from the world and recover.

The Nine-Infant, proud of its nine heads and nine lives, feared not the great archer of the northern campaign. It opened all nine mouths wide, spewing poisonous flames and foul torrents that wove a perilous net of water and fire, seeking to ensnare Yi. Knowing its secret, Yi loosed a chain of arrows, nine in all, striking each head almost simultaneously, leaving not a single life behind.”

“What? It’s that powerful? Then we’re no match for it!” Director Tyrannosaurus looked at the two indistinct black figures in the mud, stomping his feet in frustration. “We don’t have Hou Yi’s skills!”

“Sister Lingmei, how can we destroy that hideous nine-headed serpent? Little Vajra looks like he can’t last much longer!” Music, who seemed to also possess night vision, could see that Vajra was now at a disadvantage, completely overwhelmed by the Nine-Infant.