Li Yundong was suddenly startled to see the golden python lunging to swallow him; a mix of shock and anger flooded his heart, but relying on the astonishing speed of his Out-of-Body Spirit, he instantly dodged.
Li Yundong saw the golden snake move so fast it was like a yellow streak of lightning; if he hadn't been in the form of his Yin Spirit, he likely would have been devoured by the python in that moment of surprise.
Just as he was about to roar in anger, another golden form slithered out of the stone cave, transforming into human shape—it was the yellow-clothed woman who had led Li Yundong there earlier. She anxiously shouted to the colossal golden python beside her, “My husband, this is our benefactor! What are you doing!”
The gigantic golden python halted its movement, its eyes, the size of bronze bells, fixed chillingly on Li Yundong as it snarled with icy malice, “So what if he is a benefactor? He came to help us, was it not for selfish reasons! Hmph, these humans are the most greedy and malicious, utterly self-serving. By what right do you say it’s unforgivable when we kill them, but when they kill us, it’s 'acting on behalf of Heaven'? By what right!”
Li Yundong snapped back angrily, “You brute, unable to distinguish good from evil, blind to right and wrong—have you spent a hundred years of cultivation just to throw it all away into a dog’s belly!”
The giant golden python roared with laughter, “Heaven gives birth to all things, all beings are equal—isn’t that one of your human slogans? But what is the outcome? Aren’t you people just butchers on one hand and saints on the other, singing your own praises? Who believes that nonsense! I see you coming here playing the good guy, nine times out of ten you’re just coveting my inner core and my wife’s, you’re no better! You want my inner core? Fine, come into my belly and take it!”
Saying this, it recoiled slightly, then flashed like lightning once more, lunging towards Li Yundong.
Li Yundong noticed a fleshy, reddish growth on the python’s crown, its upper and lower jaws were immensely wide, and its gaping maw could swallow a fierce tiger whole in an instant; moreover, it spewed a cloud of toxic gas, the stench hitting him long before it reached him.
Li Yundong knew that even though he was a Yin Spirit, if he were swallowed, his spirit would likely be instantly refined by the creature. Filled with alarm and rage, he was about to dodge when he saw the yellow-clothed woman beside him also transform into a giant golden python, though slightly smaller and shorter, anxiously coiling around the larger one: “Husband, calm down, this is our benefactor!”
The giant python shuddered, its tail whipping out, flinging the golden python form of the woman aside, and it roared furiously, “Get lost! Let me swallow this fellow first before we talk!”
If Li Yundong had his Seven Treasures Spirit-Lifting Fan in hand, he could have battled this golden python, but in his current state of Out-of-Body Spirit, he was no match for it. He had tried to help these two snake demons out of kindness, only to be bitten back—the rage in his heart was beyond measure. He considered dissolving into a streak of green light and leaving, but then he heard Ziyuan’s telepathic message: “Li Yundong, lure them toward the cave entrance! You are in the form of a Yin Spirit; you can slip into the mountain.”
Li Yundong’s heart stirred, and he immediately flew toward the cave entrance.
As soon as the thought formed, his figure shot to the mouth of the cave, his entire body slipping inside. Although the entrance was narrow, the interior was vast. At first, Li Yundong’s vision was obscured by rock and soil, but soon he realized the cave was incredibly large, giving a feeling of sudden, wide-open space.
The moment Li Yundong slipped into the cave, he saw the giant golden python pursue him like a shadow, menacingly following. It was extremely long, perhaps forty to fifty meters, and its girth was about one and a half meters thick, truly resembling a golden dragon slithering across the earth!
Li Yundong gasped, thinking: No wonder they say snakes are the offspring of dragons; there must be a reason for that saying.
Yet, despite its immense size, the golden python still seemed small once inside the tunnel. Soon after, the golden python formed by the yellow-clothed woman chased in. The two snakes and one person maneuvered and dodged within the cavern, yet the cave still felt remarkably spacious.
Li Yundong seized the exact moment the two golden snakes were tangled together again and his figure instantly shot toward the outside of the cave entrance.
Seeing Li Yundong attempt to flee, the giant golden python let out a massive roar, “Where do you think you’re going!” The sound shook the stone walls of the cave, causing pieces of rock to rain down.
Li Yundong saw the cave mouth narrowing, the golden python behind him closing in, so he abruptly darted forward, leaping out of the opening. Just as the python was about to burst out after him, Ziyuan suddenly appeared at the entrance; her hands flashed to form an intricate hand seal, which she struck against the cave mouth.
With a deafening boom, several strangely patterned characters rapidly ignited near Ziyuan’s palm, coalescing into a purple barrier that securely sealed the golden snake within.
Trapped inside, the golden python struggled frantically, slamming against the barrier, causing the entire mountain to tremble faintly. Its pair of cold, golden pupils sent chills down the spine of anyone who looked upon them.
Ziyuan shouted urgently to Li Yundong, “Go quickly, return to your physical body!”
Li Yundong nodded once, and the two instantly dissolved into twin streaks of blue light, flying back.
When they returned to their respective physical bodies, the eastern horizon was beginning to show the pale color of fish belly—it was getting faintly light. Su Chan and the others guarding Li Yundong’s body saw his Yin Spirit return and immediately leaped up, raging, “That son of a bitch, I’m going to skin it alive!”
Ziyuan also stood up, her face grave, stating, “We must get to the cave entrance immediately. This barrier can only last a day. If we are late, those two golden snakes might break through and harm innocent people.”
Su Chan, Ruan Hongling, and Zhou Qin, unaware of what had transpired, stared at the pair with confused expressions. Su Chan rarely saw Li Yundong this furious; she timidly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Yundong, what’s wrong?”
Li Yundong snorted heavily and recounted the events. Instantly, both Su Chan and Ruan Hongling, as well as Zhou Qin, showed looks of rage. Su Chan exclaimed loudly, “There are actually people in this world so ungrateful! How hateful!”
Ruan Hongling glanced sideways at her and sneered coldly, “Ungrateful demons!”
Seeing Ruan Hongling look her way, Su Chan snapped back, “Why are you looking at me!”
Ruan Hongling retorted, “If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you? Or perhaps you’re feeling guilty?”
Su Chan was furious and was about to roll up her sleeves to argue with Ruan Hongling, but Li Yundong shouted, “Stop squabbling! Su Chan, you stay here, I’ll go with Ziyuan to subdue those two bastards and be right back!”
Su Chan absolutely refused, crying out, “No, I’m coming too!”
Ruan Hongling chimed in, “Me too! Ziyuan sister, I can be of help!”
Li Yundong knew that Su Chan and Ruan Hongling were not weak and could protect themselves even if they couldn't offer much aid. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement.
Li Yundong then looked toward Zhou Qin, only to see her gazing intently at him, her eyes full of hope. Li Yundong felt conflicted and said gently, “Zhou Qin, you haven’t officially started cultivating yet—you haven't even passed the First Heaven, let alone reached the Foundation Establishment stage. You must stay here and wait for us.”
Disappointment flickered in Zhou Qin’s eyes, but she still managed a slight smile and nodded, saying, “Alright then, I’ll wait for you here.”
Li Yundong gave Zhou Qin an apologetic smile and nod, then, with a grim expression, he swiftly flew out with Ziyuan, Su Chan, and Ruan Hongling.
Zhou Qin watched the four of them depart, leaving her alone in the stone chamber, feeling suddenly empty and disheartened. However, her naturally strong and determined will soon asserted itself; after a short while, she clenched her fists and vowed inwardly: Sooner or later, I, Zhou Qin, will surpass Ziyuan and become the foremost female cultivator under Heaven!
Li Yundong was unaware of Zhou Qin’s secret oath and her resolve to dedicate herself fully to cultivation. He flew at top speed, fueled by his anger. As the sky began to brighten fully, they arrived at the place where the golden snakes were trapped.
The tempest summoned by Ziyuan had arrived quickly and departed just as fast. When Li Yundong reached the area, although the sky was still overcast, the thick, heavy storm clouds from the previous night were gone.
Before Li Yundong and the others could land, they saw the foot of the mountain already surrounded by people. Li Yundong’s heart skipped a beat, and he exchanged a look with Ziyuan. Ziyuan whispered quietly, “They look like ordinary folks from the secular world. Let’s land and assess the situation.”
Li Yundong nodded, and the group found a secluded, uninhabited spot to descend. They quickly approached the foot of the mountain. Before they got too close, they saw a construction crew busy at work. Due to the large number of civilians, most cultivators remained out of sight.
Near an excavator stood two men; one wore a yellow hard hat, and the other wore the white gloves often sported by drivers.
The man in white gloves spoke loudly, “Foreman Zhang, it’s not that I’m making excuses, but I really dreamt last night that two golden snakes were fighting. And when I took a late nap this morning, a snake even warned me not to come here.”
As he spoke, the nearby villagers chimed in, “Yes, yes, I dreamt it too!”
“Exactly! Last night, the ground was shaking violently here, and then there was wind and thunder—it scared us to death!”
“Foreman, maybe we shouldn't dig. This is ominous!”
Foreman Zhang shouted harshly, “Are you the ones in charge, or am I? Get back to work now!”
The villagers grew anxious upon hearing this and rushed forward, arguing noisily to persuade him otherwise.
As they were arguing heatedly, a voice suddenly came from nearby, “What’s going on here?”
Foreman Zhang turned to see his superior clutching a briefcase, looking at him. Standing next to the manager was a handsome old man with the countenance of youth, and next to the old man stood a tall, exquisitely beautiful woman—it was Zheng Yuan and Ding Nan.
Foreman Zhang’s eyes greedily scanned Ding Nan before he turned back to his superior with a fawning smile, “Manager Shen, why are you here?”
Manager Shen grunted, “Why aren’t you starting work? Can’t you see my guests standing next to me are urging you on?”
Foreman Zhang smiled ingratiatingly, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offering a few to Zheng Yuan. Zheng Yuan raised his hand slightly, shaking his head, and stated calmly, “Hurry up and start working. I paid for this, I didn't pay for you all to stand around here chattering.”
Foreman Zhang’s smile only grew wider despite the rejection of his offer of cigarettes. He bowed and scraped, “Yes, yes, we’ll start immediately!” As he turned around, his face became vicious and tyrannical, and he roared, “Everyone get back to work for me! If you don’t work, you won’t get paid this month!”
His roar instantly intimidated the construction workers, who sullenly began to move. The driver in the white gloves reluctantly climbed into the excavator and started the engine.
At this point, Li Yundong, Ziyuan, and the others watching from a distance understood the situation. If this excavator dug near the entrance, it would immediately breach the barrier, the golden snakes would escape, and innocent villagers would surely be harmed.
The usually composed Ziyuan’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up in anger, and she cursed, “Zheng Yuan, as the sect leader of the Wuhua Mountain Yin-Yang Sect, how can his actions be so sinister and venomous!”
Su Chan’s face was filled with rage, “This man is so insidious, driving the villagers to dig and drive the golden snakes out!”
Li Yundong smiled coldly, “He who commits many injustices will meet his end; he will get his retribution!”
Ruan Hongling also spat angrily, “With Zheng Yuan being so treacherous, can we just sit back and watch a tragedy unfold?”
Li Yundong snorted coldly, “I’ll go stop him!”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, the excavator roared, and as it dug down one scoop, there was a massive rumble, and a beam of golden light shot out from the mountain!
The excavator driver felt a rush of foul air hitting his face, and a sharp light pierced his heart with agonizing pain, making him scream wretchedly and fall out of the machine.
Not only him, but all the villagers present clutched their chests, their faces contorted in pain.
Zheng Yuan took advantage of the moment when everyone’s attention was diverted; he raised his hand and released a row of silver shuttles, each the size of a thumb. Although these shuttles emitted a silver light, they were virtually invisible in the daylight. In the blink of an eye, they pierced through the fleshy growth on the crown of the escaping golden snake’s head.
The golden snake shuddered violently, then collapsed heavily onto the ground. But immediately after, the other golden snake transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished from sight.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present. Some villagers were so terrified they lost control of their bowels, their trousers soaking wet. Even the previously arrogant Foreman Zhang and Manager Shen stood frozen, water dripping from the cuffs of their trousers, unable to utter a single word.
Only the excavator driver lay on the ground, shaking, clearly dead.
Li Yundong and the others stared at the scene in shock. Li Yundong and Ziyuan exchanged a look and said in unison, “Chase!”
Sorry, sorry, I truly drank too much last night. I got to my room well past nine and found the internet connection was completely gone! This post is yesterday's second update; today’s two updates will still be posted.