Chapter Thirty-Five: Hou Yi

“Pfft!” Monk Luokong spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed into unconsciousness. Without his spiritual support, the Vajra slowly faded, dissolving into the air.

Seeing the Vajra disappear, the Nine-Headed Serpent let out an excited howl, its nine heads swaying wildly in all directions. In an instant, its monstrous eyes flashed with a chilling gleam as it caught sight of Monk Luokong by the riverbank.

“Run!”

“Go!”

Director Baolong, supporting Wu Ming with one hand and carrying Monk Luokong with the other, broke into a desperate sprint. The Nine-Headed Serpent leapt from the river, pursuing him; its nine necks stretched forward like geese, snapping at Director Baolong.

“I’ll do it! You’re not strong enough!”

“What?” Lingmei flicked her whip, and Wu Ming felt himself tugged upward, dizzy, and then found himself sprawled on Lingmei’s back, hands landing perfectly on her slender waist.

A heady fragrance enveloped him; through her clothes, Wu Ming could sense the warmth and comfort of Lingmei’s back. He rubbed against her contentedly, humming softly in his haze.

Delighted, Wu Ming mused that Lingmei truly treated him well. He even secretly forgave her for tossing him into the foul water before. As his mind wandered into endless fantasies, Lingmei’s cold voice pierced his reverie.

“Don’t move! Hold tight. If you dare grope, I’ll castrate you!”

Wu Ming jolted, instantly sobered, and dared not move his hands around her waist.

“Seal! Trap!” The young musician, fleeing as she went, tossed talismans onto the ground, casting spell formations to hinder the Nine-Headed Serpent’s pursuit.

“Help! I don’t want to die!” Old Dog cried the loudest and ran the fastest, vanishing in a flash.

“What now?” Wu Ming felt his chest had healed and no longer ached.

“What else? Run!” Director Baolong, breathing heavily like an ox, was clearly near his limit.

“Put me down!” Wu Ming remembered his mysterious Mountain and Sea Mirror might be useful. At this rate, running would lead them all to ruin.

“Don’t be foolish. What are you planning? Do you really think you can stop the Nine-Headed Serpent?” Lingmei’s breathing remained steady; it was obvious that this exertion meant little to her.

“Then run steady. Let me try my mirror and see if it can capture it!”

“You think your shabby mirror is some divine artifact? I knew all about it when you captured the drought demon last time, just wasn’t interested! Do you think my strongest Spirit Absolute of the One Qi Gate is for show?”

“Uh...” Wu Ming was struck dumb.

“You should sense that my injuries are mostly healed. Put me down, I can run on my own! Go help Baolong, he’s barely keeping up with Luokong!”

“Alright!” With a sudden jolt, Wu Ming was tossed down by Lingmei, landing face-first in the mud.

She definitely did that on purpose! If I ever get the chance, I’ll torment you a hundred times over, Wu Ming thought, flashing her a rude gesture.

A stench wafted over. Wu Ming turned to see the Nine-Headed Serpent’s heads mere inches away and immediately broke into a sprint.

“We can’t run any farther—there’s a village ahead. As Dream Spirit Stewards, our duty is to protect ordinary mortals!” The musician, abandoning her usual playful demeanor, stood firm, resolutely facing the Nine-Headed Serpent as she began to lay out a defensive formation.

“Master, you and Baolong take Luokong and go. Leave this to me and Music!”

“Heh heh heh, none of you are leaving!” “Be good and let us eat you!” “I like pretty girls best!” Voices, male and female, old and young, echoed as the Nine-Headed Serpent began to speak.

“It can talk? Why didn’t it say anything before?”

“Since you’re about to become our snack, we’ll kindly answer. After Hou Yi shot us dead, we lost consciousness. Recently, we awakened, but our wounds were too severe, and our minds muddled. Slowly, we recovered by absorbing the world’s malice. Earlier, your companion unleashed powerful spiritual energy, which we absorbed in a flash. Now, at our peak, even Hou Yi wouldn’t be our match! In a world full of malice and devoid of spiritual energy, we grow stronger—eventually, not even the Heavenly Emperor will be our equal!” The middle head of the Nine-Headed Serpent fixed its gaze on Wu Ming.

Wu Ming felt a chill down his spine, certain the creature could swallow him whole at any moment.

“Little one, do you have any other questions? I’ll grant you three more!”

Clearly, the Nine-Headed Serpent had slept too long and was eager for conversation.

“Yes!” “Hurry, ask!” The other heads urged him on.

Wu Ming glanced at Lingmei, who discreetly signaled him to keep questioning, buying time for Music to set up a stronger formation to trap the creature.

“How did you revive here?”

“That, we don’t know. After Hou Yi killed us, we lost all sense. One day, in endless darkness, a voice called out to us, and our second head bit off the head of a foul-smelling man. Then we awakened here!”

A flash of insight struck Wu Ming—was the bitten, foul-smelling man the widow’s husband? Could his corpse have something to do with the Nine-Headed Serpent’s awakening? Was someone feeding it corpses?

“Hey, little one, aren’t you going to ask?” The Nine-Headed Serpent poked Wu Ming with a claw, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Damn, Wu Ming felt as if a sledgehammer had struck his chest. Had his constitution not improved, his ribs would surely be broken; the creature’s strength was terrifying.

“Wu Ming, get out of the way! Music is about to strike!” Lingmei whispered in his ear. Instantly, Wu Ming’s inner fool was awakened—her warm breath sent him dizzy, dazed and motionless.

Lingmei grabbed his collar and leaped back. Director Baolong, cradling Monk Luokong, and Music also retreated swiftly to either side.

“Hahaha, adorable little ones, did you think I wouldn’t notice your tricks? A mere Soul Lock Array won’t stop me! I let you set it up on purpose!” “Boss, it’s been ages since we played cat and mouse!” “Ha, teasing little bugs is such fun!” The Nine-Headed Serpent’s heads conversed while watching Wu Ming and the others closely.

Music formed a spell seal, chanting, “Lock!” A net of light poured down from the sky onto the Nine-Headed Serpent.

Before the net could reach its heads, all nine devoured it, then looked thoroughly satisfied.

Yet, in the midst of their triumph, the Nine-Headed Serpent froze, its nine grotesque heads locked in a single moment.

“What happened? Did you seal it?” Wu Ming was puzzled—the creature had suddenly become immobile.

“Only ten seconds—move quickly!” Music held a yellow talisman, smoke curling from its base.

“Baolong, send a distress signal—call the elders for help!” Lingmei whipped her leather cord, now lengthened, weaving it swiftly between the heads and claws, binding the Nine-Headed Serpent like a stuffed dumpling.

“What do we do now?” Wu Ming asked.

“You carry Monk Luokong and run!” Baolong sent out a jade rescue talisman and quickly transferred Monk Luokong onto Wu Ming’s back.

“I respectfully invite the Divine General to descend!” Director Baolong, solemn, formed a spell sign and stomped the ground, but after several attempts, no god descended.

“Pfft!” The talisman in Music’s hand turned to ashes.

“Heh heh heh, clever little girl! You tricked us into devouring the energy net, which secretly contained so many petrification talismans. They were parent-and-child talismans, undetectable until activated, and you used them on all nine of us—managed to freeze us for an instant! Not bad, little girl!” “Even the boss got caught!” The Nine-Headed Serpent slowly advanced, shaking off Lingmei’s bindings.

“Bold Nine-Headed Serpent, how dare you! Behold the arrow!” Baolong’s palms radiated white light, forming a bow and nine luminous arrows aimed at the creature. A heroic aura surged forth!