Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 2 Snake Demon
The waterspout, with its powerful force, approached from afar and crashed straight into the main ship, immediately causing chaos on board.

"Stop that thing!"

someone exclaimed.

"Where's the helmsman? Move the boat!"

"It's too late."

People ran around shouting for help, while others were so frightened that they stood frozen in place, unable to move.

"Get back to the cabin."

At this moment, an old man with half-white hair and beard soared into the sky. With a wave of his Taoist robe, the mortals on the boat could not stand and fell down one after another.

This action injured many people, but it also alerted everyone, who scrambled into the cabin.

In a short time, only a dozen or so people remained on the six cargo ships.

"It is Wen Zhengju of the White Dew Sect, an inner sect elder, with a late Foundation Establishment cultivation level."

The gray-robed Taoist said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming's heart sank. The inner elder of Bailu Sect was considered a prominent figure in Pu County.

What exactly is on the ship?
Amidst the suspicion, a middle-aged monk wearing a turban flew to the old man's side.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced warily at the waterspout not far away, then looked down.

Those who remained on the deck were all monks.

Perhaps to avoid attracting attention, only a few of these people were wearing the robes of the Bailu Sect; the majority were hired helpers by the Bailu Sect to guard the ships.

Those who can be hired are basically cultivators who have chosen to attach themselves to the White Dew Sect or have worked for the White Dew Sect for many years.

Of course, there were also outsiders like Li Xiangming and the gray-robed Taoist who borrowed the boat.

"Gentlemen, evil spirits are causing chaos. You must all work together to protect the ship. Do you understand?"

The middle-aged cultivator said in a deep voice.

The group exchanged glances and remained silent. No one was stupid; the one who could cause this commotion was most likely a demon cultivator at the Bone Fusion stage.

Demon cultivators are different from demon beasts. Although demon beasts can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves, they have not developed intelligence and have no cultivation methods. They cannot convert spiritual energy into demonic power and are ultimately just stronger wild beasts.

However, once a demon beast awakens its intelligence, it can recall its own unique inherited cultivation techniques in its dreams based on its origins, thus embarking on the path of cultivation and becoming a demon cultivator.

The demon cultivators at the Bone Fusion stage correspond to the Foundation Establishment stage of human cultivators, while everyone on the ship is at the Qi Refining stage.

Using the Qi Refining stage to fight against the Bone Fusion stage? Isn't that a joke?
Seeing this, Wen Zhengju snorted coldly and said, "I won't let you die in vain. When a demon goes on a journey, it must have subordinates. You just need to stop those beasts. As for the main body, Elder Ma and I will suppress it."

After a pause, Wen Zhengju looked at the middle-aged cultivator: "This is a newly promoted elder of my Daoist sect, named Ma Houchen, whose status is equal to mine."

Another inner sect elder?
Everyone was watching.

Ma Houchen said at the right moment, "You have a duty to defend the ships, which you cannot shirk. If you protect the ships, Bailumen will reward you tenfold."

After speaking, the middle-aged cultivator looked at Li Xiangming and a few others and said, "I shouldn't force you, but in extraordinary times, we must do extraordinary things. Those who stay to help my Bailu Sect will be given one hundred spirit stones."

Ma Houchen used the word "gift" instead of "reward" to show great respect. Coupled with such a large sum of money, everyone who looked at the offer was inevitably tempted.

A young man with a pockmarked face stepped forward first: "If the two seniors stop the demon cultivators, we ten or so people are willing to do our best to ensure the safety of the ship."

The pockmarked youth spoke on behalf of the crowd, immediately drawing disapproving glances, but due to the prestige of the White Dew Sect and the generous rewards, no one objected.

Only Li Xiangming gently touched the gray-robed Taoist—daring not to transmit his voice for fear of being discovered.

He had just been granted permission to return to his family and refused to serve the Bailu Sect under any circumstances.

Can a hundred spirit stones buy the same fragrance as the spirit vein incense in your home?
As for whether leaving now would offend the Bailu Sect, Li Xiangming also had his own considerations.

If the White Dew Sect can successfully resolve this difficulty with the help of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, then his departure is nothing. For the sake of the Li family, the White Dew Sect will not cause him any trouble.

If the situation cannot be resolved, all six cargo ships will fall into enemy hands, and in extreme cases, both Foundation Establishment cultivators will die in battle. The White Dew Sect will surely be furious.

In this situation, Li Xiangming would definitely be held accountable for fleeing, but if he didn't flee, what would he be doing staying?
Waiting to die?
The gray-robed Taoist was also a seasoned veteran. He glanced back discreetly, and when he saw the intention to retreat in Li Xiangming's eyes, he nodded to himself.

By this time, the waterspout had come within a hundred feet of the main ship, and its twisting body could be vaguely seen at the center of the vortex.

"It's a snake demon."

Only then did everyone see the origins of the attacking demon cultivator, and they couldn't help but hold their breath.

With Pu County still unsettled, boats on the Pu River are frequently attacked by demonic beasts. Even a major sect like the White Dew Sect needs to hire cultivators to protect their ships. But this is the first time they've been targeted by a monster at the Bone Fusion stage, like today.

Li Xiangming even pulled out a small flag, striking a pose as if facing a formidable enemy.

Although he was determined not to get involved in this mess, leaving now would surely be unacceptable to Wen Zhengju and Ma Houchen. He needed patience.

Soon, a waterspout roared in, and Wen and Ma could no longer hold back, finally making their move.

One of them held a three-foot-long sword, while the other held up an ancient bronze bell.

The longsword transformed into a white rainbow, slicing the waterspout in two. The bronze bell spun continuously, growing from the size of a fist to a sky-covering entity in an instant. The lower half of the waterspout was sucked into the bronze bell, while the upper half, unable to continue, became a thick curtain of water that crashed onto the river surface with a deafening roar, creating countless waves.

"not good."

Ma Houchen's expression changed. Although he had destroyed the waterspout, the overwhelming mist obscured everyone's vision.

The most crucial snake demon, however, has vanished.

"This way."

Wen Zheng shouted, and with a flick of his sword, he unleashed three sword energies—his divine sense was the first to locate the snake demon.

The snake demon emerged from the mist with its golden pupils, its massive body withstanding three sword strikes from Wen Zhengju before slamming towards Ma Houchen.

Ma Houchen retreated repeatedly, but he could not escape the snake demon's attack range. He had no choice but to recall the bronze bell and cover himself with it.

The snake's tail struck the bronze bell, creating a deafening roar, and the mortals still remaining in the cabin immediately began to wail in agony.

Even cultivators like Li Xiangming were suffering greatly; some with lower cultivation levels were already crouching on the ground, clutching their ears and crying out in pain.

At that moment, all the boats on the river began to rock violently.

One by one, brightly colored snakes, large and small, crawled up from the bottom of the boat and, under the cover of the mist, pounced in front of the group.

Even more striking were the white snakes, as thick as water buckets, floating on the river surface, constantly tapping the hull of the boat with their tails.

The cultivators left on the ship were both shocked and furious. Someone reacted and a fireball flew out, instantly filling the air with the smell of burnt snakes.

Most of these densely packed snakes were wild beasts with weak fighting power; only a few could be considered demonic beasts. They all used their supernatural abilities, and soon the deck was covered with snake corpses.

Despite this, the snakes did not back down at all; instead, they rushed onto the boat in a frenzy.

The fierce offensive put immense pressure on everyone. Although they managed to hold their ground, the wooden boats were becoming increasingly damaged.

"Kill those white snakes first!"

Someone shouted that more than thirty huge white snakes were attacking the bottom and hull of the boat on the river.

"I come."

Li Xiangming volunteered and jumped into the river. He was a very good swimmer and had also learned water magic from the Green Cloud Cave. He was like a dragon swimming in the Pu River.

Although the white snake was large, it couldn't survive more than three moves against him.

Moreover, when the gray-robed Taoist saw Li Xiangming go into the water, he rushed over to help. The two worked together and killed most of the white snakes in just a quarter of an hour.

"Oh no, the ship is wrecked!"

On a cargo ship not far away, a monk guarding the ship shouted loudly.

Li Xiangming hurriedly looked over and found that the ship had indeed sunk considerably, and that there were not only white snakes in the river, but also other monsters attacking the bottom of the ship.

Everyone panicked. Without a boat, how could they fight off the swarm of snakes on the Pu River?

Even if we manage to resist, what reward will we get if the ship is lost?
The fight grew increasingly silent, with some already conserving their mana and shrinking their defensive range.

From the depths of the mist, the occasional sound of magical explosions could be heard, gradually fading into the distance.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators found themselves locked in a fierce battle at some point.

"Taoist Priest!"

Li Xiangming let out a low shout, casually blasted away several vicious snakes that were coiling around him, and retreated to the stern of the boat.

The situation was beyond imagination. The reason why everyone was willing to stay was that two Foundation Establishment elders from the White Dew Sect were also present.
Even with two against one, they were still unable to defeat the snake demon.

Li Xiangming didn't think Wen and Ma were still in the mood to negotiate; something was definitely wrong. If they didn't leave now, it would be difficult to leave later.

The gray-robed Taoist understood, glanced at the figures fighting on the boat, sighed, and followed closely behind.

Taking advantage of the fog, the two continued to make their moves on the river surface, and for a time no one noticed.

Just as they were about to swim out of the snakes' encirclement, a pockmarked young man appeared from around the corner and blocked their way.

"You deserted your post in the face of battle, aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the Bailu Sect?"

(End of this chapter)