Red-scaled Horned Python

The figures of Yang An and Li Yan on horseback gradually disappeared into the depths of Yunling Mountain.

Beneath a canopy of trees, four dark shadows silently drew together.

Four men emerged from the shadows. Their appearances bore a three- or four-tenths resemblance to one another—they were four brothers.

All four had vicious expressions and carried deadly weapons. One wore a long saber at his waist, another carried a spear, the third had a spiked mace strapped to his back, and the last stood at the rear with a shield in hand.

The shield-bearer was named Chen Xiaosi.

He was the youngest of the four brothers.

He moved over to the eldest, Boss Chen, and asked, “Big Brother, Li Yan was just promoted recently and received a reward from the imperial court. He has no worries about food or drink now, so what has he come to Yunling Mountain for?”

Boss Chen replied coldly, “Why bother about that? We have our young master’s orders to take Yang An’s head. We simply do as we’re told.”

Chen Xiaosan, who carried the spiked mace, spoke in his rough voice. “Since that’s the case, and there’s no one around, why don’t we rush over and kill him? Then we can send both Li Yan’s and Yang An’s heads to the young master. Perhaps he’ll be pleased and reward us with a few extra coins. Why are we hiding here?”

“You’re the only one who talks too much!”

Before Boss Chen could say anything, Second Brother Chen, who carried the spear, kicked Chen Xiaosan in the backside.

“You brainless brute! Use your head. Li Yan managed to kill Wang Gou’er and Zheng Huaiyi overnight. Do you think he’s easy to deal with?”

“What’s more, he cultivates a Yellow Mortal Aspect and is at the eighth-grade level. Of the four of us brothers, only Eldest Chen is on par with him. The three of us have only miscellaneous aspects, so it won’t be easy to kill Li Yan quickly!”

“What if he protects that brat surnamed Yang and escapes, exposing the young master’s involvement? What will we do then?!”

“That brat from the Yang family is no longer what he used to be. Not only does he hold a noble title, he also has a fourth-grade official protecting him. If this assassination causes too much trouble, won’t the young master throw the four of us out as scapegoats to settle the matter?!”

Second Brother Chen’s explanation was perfectly logical.

Chen Xiaosi nodded in a daze.

After hearing all that, Chen Xiaosan felt that his brain was simply too small to contain it all. He shook his head and asked, “Then what do you say we should do, Second Brother?”

A glint flashed through Second Brother Chen’s eyes. He turned to Boss Chen and said, “The road we’re on is the quickest route down from Yunling Mountain. Eldest Brother, you’re planning to set a trap here and wait for them, aren’t you? We’ll let Li Yan and Yang An walk right into it themselves.”

Boss Chen glanced at Second Brother Chen, the cleverest of the four, and nodded. “That’s right.”

As he spoke, he flipped his wrist. Four small flags appeared in his palm as if by magic.

He kept one for himself and distributed the other three among his brothers.

Chen Xiaosi asked, “Big Brother, what are these flags for?”

Boss Chen replied, “These are called the Fourfold Righteous Flags. They’re eighth-grade magic treasures. The young master gave them to us specifically because he was afraid we might botch the job.”

“The Fourfold Righteous Flags have two abilities.”

“The first is simple. We only need to place the flags around this area. Once the four of us use our true essence to activate them, they will transform into a barrier. Anyone trapped beneath the barrier won’t be able to escape, not even a peak seventh-grade martial artist.”

“The second ability is to link our true essence together. When we combine our strength, we’ll be no weaker than a seventh-grade martial artist!”

Second Brother Chen was overjoyed. “With these flags in our hands, Li Yan and Yang An certainly won’t escape their deaths today. This day next year will be their death anniversaries!”

Chen Xiaosan laughed loudly. “When the time comes, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother, don’t try to fight me for them. I’m going to smash their heads to pieces with my weapon!”

Chen Xiaosi said excitedly, “Once we kill Li Yan and Yang An, the young master will surely reward us generously. Maybe the four of us brothers will have enough to live comfortably for the rest of our lives—and even build our mother a three-story house back home.”

Eldest Chen said in a deep voice, “Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and plant the flags to cover this area. Be careful. Don’t let anything go wrong.”

The three men cupped their fists and answered, “Yes!”

At that moment, Li Yan and Yang An had no idea they were being watched.

They were still riding toward the depths of Yunling Mountain.

As the sun gradually climbed higher, the thick snow piled between the trees began to melt into streams of gurgling water. Their horses’ hooves splashed through it with a steady patter.

The two men traveled through the woods for a while.

By the time they emerged, most of their clothes were soaked, and steam rose from their bodies.

Li Yan reined in his horse and pointed ahead. “Erlang, do you see that lake? It’s called Cloud-Perching Lake. Hunter Zheng said the Red-Scaled Horned Python is hiding in the lake, shedding its skin.”

Yang An followed the direction of Li Yan’s finger.

Ahead lay a vast stretch of water. Vapor rose from its surface, drifting and swirling like misty clouds. It looked as though a cluster of clouds had come to rest upon the lake.

Seeing the strange and beautiful scene, Yang An smiled. “No wonder it’s called Cloud-Perching Lake. The Red-Scaled Horned Python certainly knows how to choose a place.”

Li Yan swung down from his horse and handed the reins to Yang An. “That beast doesn’t yet realize its death has arrived. You keep an eye on the horses, Erlang. I’ll wake it up.”

The moment he finished speaking, true essence erupted from Li Yan’s body like a blazing inferno. The snowmelt beneath his feet was sent spraying in every direction by the waves of energy he stirred up.

Yang An led both horses several steps back.

He avoided the windblown snow and heard Li Yan shout, “Heavenly Soldier Aspect—activate!”

The true essence, as tangible as flames, gathered behind Li Yan and transformed into a bright yellow halo.

As the light flashed, golden armor covered his entire body. A red plume swayed atop his helmet, while iron boots stamped into the snow beneath his feet.

His aura was several times stronger than before!

He bent his knees, lowered his body, and kicked off the ground. With a thunderous boom, he soared twenty or thirty yards into the air.

He flew over Cloud-Perching Lake.

The force of Li Yan’s leap nearly knocked Yang An to the ground. He hurriedly gripped the reins of the two curly-maned, blue-coated horses beside him.

Looking up, Yang An saw Li Yan suspended in midair. Blue-green true essence gathered around his right fist, resembling a small ball of flame—or a shooting star.

Then the fist crashed into Cloud-Perching Lake.

The sound was like an artillery shell exploding.

The previously tranquil surface of the lake suddenly erupted into waves dozens of yards high. The clouds and mist hovering over the water were instantly torn apart by the surge. As the water crashed back down, it struck the lake and sent another curtain of rain pouring through the air.

The lake had already been veiled in mist.

After this attack, it appeared even more hazy and dreamlike, shrouded in smoke and rain.

As the force of Li Yan’s punch dissipated, a furious roar rose explosively from the bottom of the lake. It sounded both like a serpent’s hiss and a beast’s bellow, and it contained a terrifying impact.

When the sound wave swept across the shore, Yang An abruptly raised both arms and shielded the two startled horses behind him.

The force of the roar alone ripped both of his sleeves to shreds. The moss-covered boulders beside him were also shaken until cracks spread across their surfaces.

“Is this the Red-Scaled Flood Python?”

“One roar alone has such destructive power!”

Yang An was deeply startled.

Li Yan tore through the mist and descended beside him like a streak of light, standing protectively in front of him.

At the same time, within the hazy vapor, a mass of murderous crimson light appeared. It continuously evaporated the rain, mist, and clouds around it.

The water vapor in the sky parted like curtains being drawn aside.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python finally revealed its true form!

Yang An had imagined its appearance countless times, yet his pupils still contracted sharply when he saw it.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python was roughly thirty yards long, and its body was six or seven yards across.

Its entire body was wrapped in crimson scales.

Two bulges had sprouted from the top of its head.

Each bulge was already as long as an adult’s arm and translucent, faintly revealing the twin horns growing within. The snake’s originally smooth head had also become rugged and vicious, its former sinister coldness gone.

Long whiskers grew from both corners of its mouth.

If not for its smooth body and the lack of claws, Yang An would have thought that the Red-Scaled Horned Python had already transformed into a jiao!

It tore through the mist.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python raised its body and stood atop the surface of the lake, glaring at the two insignificant creatures who had interrupted its transformation.

Its eyes burned with flames of hatred.

It let out a furious roar. Its zhenyuan, already on the verge of transforming into spiritual power, suddenly erupted into billowing flames that surged forward with a thunderous howl.

The flames lunged toward Li Yan and Yang An!

Before they even reached them, the tremendous heat rolling off the flames had already scorched the surface of Yunqi Lake, producing a loud sizzling sound. Even the surrounding ice and snow rapidly melted under the crimson glow.

Watching from behind Li Yan, Yang An grew nervous.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python had gone berserk.

“Brother-in-law, are you sure you can withstand it?”

“It’s seventh-grade, and so am I. What do I have to fear?”

“Erlang, take the horses and get as far away as possible. Don’t get caught up in this!” Li Yan said with a bold laugh.

Yang An knew that he was nowhere near strong enough to survive even one bite from the Red-Scaled Horned Python.

So he did not waste another word.

He grabbed the reins of the two curly-maned blue horses and ran a hundred meters away. Then he hid behind a huge boulder, took out his iron bow, and prepared to fire cold arrows in support.

Yet the moment he had hidden himself, Li Yan’s aura suddenly surged even more powerfully than before, building upon the force he had already unleashed.

The radiance behind him suddenly split into three.

Each halo represented one turn of cultivation. As a seventh-grade martial artist, Li Yan possessed three turns.

All three halos blazed open!

They rose behind him like three suns. As his surging zhenyuan gathered around his body within their radiance, Li Yan shouted, “Heavenly Soldier Aspect—Mountain-Shaker!”

His body abruptly swelled until he stood ten feet tall.

A pair of eight-petaled silver hammers, blazing like scarlet dawn, appeared out of thin air in his empty hands. Each one was as large as a millstone.

As the Red-Scaled Horned Python lunged at him with its jaws wide open, Li Yan gripped both hammers and charged straight at it without dodging.

The silver hammers glittered like stars scattered across the night sky as he raised them high overhead.

Li Yan tightened his waist and back.

Like a heavenly god, he brought the hammers crashing down upon the Red-Scaled Horned Python, whose entire body was wrapped in flames. Golden light spilled from his eyes as he bellowed, “You beast! Your time has come!”

Watching this scene, Yang An’s blood boiled. His eyes were filled with admiration as he gazed at Li Yan.

“Brother-in-law is so cool!”

A moment later—

“Erlang, run! That beast is too fierce! Brother-in-law can’t beat it!”

Yang An: “...”

Li Yan was covered in soot, smoke rising from the top of his head. Half his clothes had been burned away. With no time to explain, he abandoned even the two curly-maned blue horses and, with half his buttocks bare, grabbed Yang An and fled downhill like the wind.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python pursued them relentlessly.

Its enormous mouth continuously sprayed torrents of flame toward the two men. The Red-Scaled Horned Python possessed the bloodline of a jiao. Though the bloodline was exceedingly thin, it was still no creature that an ordinary seventh-grade martial artist could fight.

It beat Li Yan and Yang An so thoroughly that they could not fight back at all.

After a fierce chase, wave after wave of scorching, crimson fire clouds bombarded them. Not only was Li Yan nearly naked, but most of Yang An’s clothes had also been burned away. In another moment, they would be running around bare-bottomed.

“The Red-Scaled Horned Python is transforming into a jiao!”

“It doesn’t dare show itself in front of everyone. Brother-in-law, once we leave the outskirts of Yunling Mountain, we’ll be safe!”

Yang An and Li Yan ran toward the fastest route out of the mountains!

At that moment, the four Chen brothers had already set up the Four Directions True Banner Formation along the nearest path. Eldest Chen was eating with Second Brother Chen and Third Brother Chen, replenishing their strength.

Fourth Brother Chen was keeping watch.

Perched on a tree branch and yawning with a twig between his teeth, Chen Xiaosi suddenly heard a series of thunderous explosions. He immediately perked up.

When he looked up, he saw two men with faces and bodies blackened as though they had crawled out of a coal pile. One of them was running stark naked in broad daylight, while the other was barely clothed. Both were racing toward him in terror.

At that moment, Yang An and Li Yan were so blackened that Chen Xiaosi failed to recognize them.

He paid them no attention, merely stretching and shaking himself awake.

It was only after the two men shot past him like the wind that Chen Xiaosi sensed something strange.

Their builds looked exactly like those of Li Yan and Yang An.

What were the odds?

Damn it, could they actually be Li Yan and Yang An?!

Chen Xiaosi slapped his thigh and hurriedly turned around, only to see that Li Yan and Yang An were already about to run out of the area covered by the Four Directions True Banner Formation.

He hastily blew his whistle!

At the sound of the piercing whistle, Eldest Chen and the other three brothers, who had been eating, suddenly raised their heads. They too saw Yang An and Li Yan, blackened all over like they had been smoked, about to escape the range of their formation.

Eldest Chen smashed the bowl in his hand.

“Brothers, move!”

Before the four of them could react, a crimson fire cloud came surging toward them. Its tremendous heat instantly burned every tree in its path to ash and even melted the rocks.

The four Chen brothers froze for a moment beneath the searing flames.

When they came to their senses, their eyes were red from the heat, and they could barely see anything. Afraid that Yang An and Li Yan would escape, they had no choice but to activate the Four Directions True Banner Formation.

As the barrier closed, the fire cloud dissipated.

Once their vision returned, the four Chen brothers hurriedly looked inside the formation. Yang An and Li Yan were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a serpentine monster ten zhang long was coiled within the formation.

Crimson clouds swirled around its entire body. Fiery strands dripping from the corners of its mouth fell to the ground like molten lava, scorching the earth black.

What the hell was this thing?!

Eldest Chen was horrified. He hurriedly searched for Yang An and Li Yan, only to see that the two men had not paused for even a moment. They were already several dozen zhang away, running behind the formation.

Damn it!

The duck they had practically cooked was about to fly away!

Eldest Chen shouted, “Brothers, ignore this monster! Hurry and go after Li Yan and Yang An! Take down the formation!”

But as the four of them began withdrawing the banners, the Red-Scaled Horned Python trapped inside the formation assumed that the Chen brothers were allies of Yang An and Li Yan.

It flew into a rage.

Gathering all its strength, it slammed into the barrier formed by the Four Directions True Banner Formation. The impact was evenly reflected back through the barrier and into the four men, leaving their chests tight and their mouths filled with the coppery taste of blood.

Second Brother Chen clutched his chest and nearly burst into tears.

“Big Brother, we can’t withdraw the formation! That beast has its eyes on us. If we take down the banners, it’ll tear us apart!”

As he spoke, the Red-Scaled Horned Python slammed into the formation several more times, but failed to break through.

Once it realized that it was trapped, its ferocity erupted. Crimson clouds gathered in its mouth, gradually filling with flowing fire.

Then it spat out a torrent of flames like a waterfall!

The flames surged toward the four men.

The Chen brothers were forced to keep the formation active. They could only hold their ground and pour all their strength into maintaining the Four Directions Formation.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python was simply too powerful.

Even with the four men sustaining the formation, cracks still began to appear along its edges.

Chen Xiaosi, the weakest of them all, was nearly being roasted into a dried corpse by the python’s scorching heat.

After running far away, Yang An and Li Yan suddenly realized that the Red-Scaled Horned Python was no longer chasing them.

Curious, they turned around and saw four kind-hearted people blocking the monster behind them.

Yang An was overjoyed.

“Brother-in-law, look! There are still plenty of good people in this world!”

Li Yan nodded deeply in agreement.

With his voice deliberately lowered and roughened, he shouted at the four men, “Brothers, much obliged!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Da was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood. Struggling to withstand the Red-Scaled Horned Python’s assault, he shouted, “Thanks my ass! Get over here and help already!”

The torrent of flames spewed by the Red-Scaled Horned Python surged toward them.

The battlefield erupted with a deafening roar.

Yang An hadn’t heard what Chen Da had shouted. Puzzled, he asked Li Yan, “Brother-in-law, did you hear him? What did that kind-hearted fellow say?”

Li Yan hadn’t heard him clearly either.

After thinking for a moment, he guessed, “It sounded like he was urging us to leave as quickly as possible.”