Chapter 105: Slay Demons, Shed Form
That Snake Demon seemed to sense something amiss, a trace of fear flickering in its vertical pupils.
But it had no time for much reaction.
Rumble!!
Flames burst forth, accompanied by a massive explosion that made the mountain tremble.
In that Cave, smoke swirled, Sand and Stone flew about, Chen Shun’an retreated a few steps to dodge the shot Iron Sand poison fire.
The Lame Rat had long been scared stiff, hiding behind a rotten wooden stump and trembling.
“Roar roar roar!!!”
The beast’s hissing echoed out, only to see a massive black shadow rolling and struggling in the flames, its ferocious snake head raised to the sky in a long howl, slamming the Cave until it shook on the verge of collapse.
This Great Black Snake had some brains, trying to roll on the ground to extinguish the fire.
But it was useless; the more it rolled, the bigger the flames grew, with even more fire clinging to it.
To increase his chances of victory, Chen Shun’an had soaked the Cloth bag in oil beforehand, saturating it thoroughly.
It saw the figure standing outside the Cave, and in its one remaining eye, burned raw, a bone-deep hatred emerged.
The Great Black Snake finally reacted at this point, realizing the fire could not be put out, so it abruptly shot forth, burrowing toward the Cave entrance.
Splash!
The surging Flying Immortal Strength was like a tangible force, crashing down like mountains and seas, and in the next instant, the Great Black Snake’s originally hard head emitted cracking sounds as it shattered, as if slamming into an invisible wall, its head smashed and bleeding, half its body embedded in midair.
It had nowhere to escape, nowhere to dodge!
At this point, a flicker of incredulous shock and Fear passed through its vertical pupils.
In the end, who was the Monster?!
Moments later.
The flames gradually died down, the air filled with the smell of charred flesh and a thick aroma of roasted meat.
Chen Shun’an felt the time was about right, standing outside the Cave and carefully examining by the dying firelight.
This Cave was not deep, a simple linear structure, with Bones that were hard to digest scattered on the ground and embedded in the walls, along with bits of clothing, iron tools, and farm implements not yet burned to ash.
Chen Shun’an even saw several slender child Corpse remains.
Further in, there seemed to be something else, but it was hard to make out.
Even so, Chen Shun’an’s gaze turned icy.
The Great Snake was in utter misery, half its body charred, curled into a ball, flames flickering uncertainly on it.
Its belly was bulging, as if it had just feasted.
“Die, die, human, eat, eat… Martial Arts, tasty…”
A muffled, low voice came from the Great Snake’s mouth, bloodthirsty and mad.
It could actually speak human words?
Chen Shun’an’s eyes lit up, somewhat surprised.
He said softly,
“You Monster, where did you come from? Are there any great Immortals or old Monsters in your family? Do you know Cultivation Methods or spells? Do your kind have Immortals and Gods coming to trouble you? Do you Monsters have countries or sects?”
“Human, eat, human, eat… cannot eat, cannot cultivate…”
The Great Black Snake’s voice came again, monotonous and repetitive, as if it only knew these words.
“If you confess honestly, I can save you and let you live.”
Chen Shun’an continued, “I have an excellent reputation, I’m extremely trustworthy, and my friends all praise me—rest assured.”
Whoosh!!
No sooner had the words fallen than the barely breathing black snake turned into an arrow off the string, suddenly lunging from its spot straight at Chen Shun’an.
Chen Shun’an sidestepped leisurely, dodging unhurriedly.
The Snake Demon’s momentum carried it forward, seizing the chance to burrow out of the Cave, crawling madly, knocking flying Rocks and trees along the way, and plunging headfirst into the Mountain Stream river!
Chen Shun’an was unhurried, not engaging in a trapped beast fight, holding his Short Knife and trailing behind it.
Gurgle…
Once in the water, the mud and sand clouded it; sensing the Snake Demon’s aura, the fish and shrimp hiding in the water weeds and pebble crevices fled in panic.
Chen Shun’an’s awareness always locked onto this Snake Demon.
Gradually, the narrow river widened, with fields and crops appearing along the banks, early-rising farmers hoeing the wilds, and empty barge boats drifting on the surface, rocking gently.
Chen Shun’an faintly caught a thick, foul bloody Fishy Smell, diluted and washed by the river water, wafting from afar.
This was…
The blood of that injured Demonic Fish?
And that Snake Demon, opening its mouth to swallow the diluted demon blood in the water, actually began recovering its wilted aura, its charcoal-like body rapidly shedding skin and growing Scales.
A guess suddenly surfaced in Chen Shun’an’s mind.
Could this Snake Demon have consumed the Essence Blood scattered from that injured Demonic Fish, thereby greatly increasing its Strength?
This was not good news for the fishermen and common folk of Banye Ferry Crossing.
Because this Snake Demon was neither the first nor the last.
“Forget it.” Chen Shun’an sighed.
This Desolate Mountain stream flowed eastward all the way to the Grand Canal, with more signs of human habitation along the banks.
Chen Shun’an stopped playing with the snake, lips closing lightly: “Stop.”
The voice was faint, almost inaudible, but the water flows from all directions responded in unison, conveying Awe and submission.
The Snake Demon immediately felt the previously smooth river water turn heavy as a mountain, sluggish and rigid.
Nearby swimming fish, turtles, and clams only dared to open and close in place for air, not daring the slightest other movement.
Anything that entered the water was under Chen Shun’an’s control.
It was just a matter of how much he controlled.
In the Snake Demon’s despairing, terrified gaze, a Short Outfit wrapped in water waves came slashing diagonally, piercing through the skull from below the jaw and out, bringing up a huge spray of viscous blood, leaving only a smooth, fresh knife mark clearly across the Snake Demon’s head.
The Short Knife flew more than ten zhang away, slowing under the water’s resistance before drifting to a halt.
The Snake Demon’s massive body slowly sank.
But in the next instant, its body began to melt, sprouting masses of flesh buds from Scales, Flesh and Blood, and Bones, writhing and collapsing like out-of-control maggots.
In the blink of an eye, it turned into an unbearably foul sludge that even the water flow could not dilute or wash away, sinking heavily to the riverbed.
Chen Shun’an swam vigorously, retrieved the Short Knife, and watched the scene with shock and doubt.
“This is… Form-Scattering Demon?”
Chen Shun’an recalled what Golden Needle Li had said about ‘form-gathering’ and ‘form-scattering’ demons, the latter leaving no body upon death, turning into a pool of Blood Water, utterly unusable for medicine.
Chen Shun’an looked deeply at the sludge on the riverbed, then his eyes suddenly brightened, as if discovering something.
He was extremely cautious, grabbing a Grandson Fish.
“Go, fetch the item.”
This was a round-headed bream, flat-bodied with a blunt snout, mouth sharp as a hook, a pair of clear Fish Eyes, which quietly looked at Chen Shun’an.
Compelled by the overwhelming might, it flicked its tail and dove into the sludge.
Moments later, it swam back to Chen Shun’an with several items in its mouth.
Two pieces of rotten, hole-ridden Clothing and shoes, undoubtedly from innocent commoners who had ended up in the Snake Demon’s belly.
Besides that, there was a scroll made of insect-repellent, preservative porcelain-blue paper.
Chen Shun’an patted the round-headed bream’s plump belly, digging out several sand worms.
The round-headed bream joyfully swallowed the sand worms and swiftly swam away.
Splash…
Chen Shun’an took the retrieved items and swam back the way he came, sleek and slippery, even more agile than fish, soon vanishing from sight.
With Chen Shun’an’s departure, the Divine Might dissipated.
The nearby swimming fish, turtles, and crabs then fled like smoke, as if cleared out, not daring to approach for a long time.
Chen Shun’an swam back to the Desolate Mountain Mountain Stream and climbed ashore.
Dark Strength circulated, steaming dry his Clothing, dust and sand shaking off like Snowflakes.
Only then did Chen Shun’an examine the items in his hand.
Though the Clothing and shoes were tattered, the workmanship was fine, stitches tight, superior Cloth, not like from an ordinary household.
And this scroll…
Chen Shun’an unrolled it and took a glance, his pupils contracting sharply, a rare look of horror on his face.
“This is…《Golden Snake Coiling Silk Hand》 True Cultivation Manual, Mysterious Snake Transformation Manual? Though it’s just a copy, not the original.”
Chen Shun’an suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.
Killing a demon, how could it drop a human Martial Arts Manual?
And 《Golden Snake Coiling Silk Hand》 at that?
Could it be that this Great Black Snake had killed a Martial Artist practicing Golden Snake Coiling Silk Hand before death, and hadn’t fully digested them?
Zhang Mansion’s 《Ròufēi Xiān》 came from observing Stone Tablets and comprehending six True Cultivation Manuals, splitting out the cultivation of severing the Six Thieves.
While Li Mansion’s 《Golden Snake Coiling Silk Hand》 has only one True Cultivation Manual, the Mysterious Snake Transformation Manual.
It depicts a blind, scaleless Mysterious Snake, head slightly raised, half its body clear and half fading into mountains, waters, and clouds.
During Visualization, a thousand people see a thousand forms, with varying results, differing efficiencies in tempering and gazing of one’s own consciousness.
Some visualize only a common cauliflower snake in their mind, the Intent tempered thereby as slow as a turtle, one month of practice equaling mere days for others, twice the effort for half the result.
Others visualize a coiling heavenly pillar in their Sea of Consciousness, blotting out the sky, like an Immortal or God serpent.
No less than Chen Shun’an’s Six Sceneries Rotation True Cultivation Manual, Intent tempering at Extreme Speed, the resulting Strength possessing profound abilities.
Regardless, as Li Mansion’s hereditary True Skill, even if sold cheaply many times, 《Golden Snake Coiling Silk Hand》 is no common street-level Cultivation Method.
Those who Grasp and cultivate it are all notable figures with backgrounds.
How could one just casually appear and end up in a snake’s belly?
Chen Shun’an’s expression flickered uncertainly.
Suddenly, the lightweight scroll in his hand felt as heavy as lead.
He first doubled back to the Desolate Mountain Cave.
The Lame Rat had long fled to who-knows-where; Chen Shun’an ignored it and entered the Cave.
The Cave reeked foully; besides dry Bones and charred corpses, there were no other usable items.
But in one corner of the Cave wall, there was a simple fire pit built of black stones, with thick white ashes inside, faintly showing remnants of pine wood burned a few days prior.
Beside the fire pit were a chipped coarse clay bowl, a polished stone mortar, and strips of Dried Meat smoked dry and hung on the wall.
Even the walls were covered in scratches of varying depths, densely packed, faintly forming words like ‘human’ ‘eat’ ‘hungry’ ‘Martial Arts’…
Strange and ferocious, some scrawled, some clear.
It seemed the inhabitant of this Cave was not a single Snake Demon.
But a wild man.
Chen Shun’an’s gaze shifted slightly; formless Dark Strength like a felt cloth wiped away all the writing on the walls.
His palm sank, sending a surging blast of air that overturned the fire pit, shattering the clay bowl and stone mortar to powder.
Finally, he moved a large stone to seal the Cave, cleaned the site traces, extinguished the remaining fire, and destroyed the snake path thoroughly.
Only then did he quickly leave.
Great Accomplishment Ape, Spider Poison Hand, Flesh Ganoderma… these martial world nicknames.
Lin Shou Zhuo, Zhao Guangxi, Master Li—these Martial Artists who had mastered their arts with deep Cultivation, bearing more or less bird- or beast-like traits.
He suddenly couldn’t tell whether what he killed today was truly a Snake Demon, or…
A human.
Clutching the Mysterious Snake Transformation Manual, Chen Shun’an pondered darkly.
The Li Mansion, Master Li there, might be able to resolve his doubts.
