Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

Thick, leaden-gray clouds pressed down on the mountains, and torrential rain poured down from the sky like a raging waterfall.

A thunderclap ripped through the gloomy sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated the fear on the faces of the uninvited guests who had stepped into the mountains.

Beneath the rain curtain, the will of the mountains locked away all his magical power.

Shen Yan's clothes were completely soaked as he watched helplessly as the giant snake raised its head and came right in front of him.

The word "kill" completely shattered the last vestiges of courage in his heart.

"Snake, snake god...!" The scholar in white loosened his folding fan and knelt down in a daze.

The giant serpent showed no mercy to a human who had lost all hope, and its massive tail crashed down from the sky.

Shen Yan didn't even have time to scream before he was crushed into a pile of minced meat. The torrential rain and floodwaters washed him away, flowing into the depths of the mountains.

The tail tip is raised, using the torrential rain to wash away the filth sticking to the scales.

The red serpent moved close to the ground, carrying a torrent of water straight out of the mountains, chasing after the remaining man and woman.

"Candle!" Bloodhound suddenly appeared, blocking Red Serpent's path.

It looks very much like Huai Nian, with its whole body red and its fur like scales clinging to its body. It also breathes, exhaling hot steam from its mouth and nose.

But Huai Nian had nothing to say to it.

The giant snake hissed, and with a sweeping motion of its tail, its immense power ripped through the rain curtain.

"That's how it should be!"

"Candle, you should have been like this from the moment you were born!"

The bloodhound howled, gathering all its strength in its front paws, which flashed with red light as it slashed a blood-red cross against the wind. The sharpness even leveled the trunks of all the surrounding trees.

The sharp edges formed by blood collided with the snake scales, producing a piercing metallic roar.

The stalemate lasted only a moment before the snake's tail exerted its power once more, violently shattering the blood-red cross.

The snake scales burst open, and fragments flew everywhere.

Ignoring its injuries, the giant snake broke through the rain and, before the bloodhound could even pull away, suddenly closed in and tightly coiled around it.

Its crimson scales stood upright, its white bones were stark, its muscles bulged with blood and twisted like a giant dragon, unleashing unimaginable power.

The enormous snake body instantly engulfed the bloodhound, coiling around it layer by layer.

The sounds of scales cutting through flesh and bones breaking echoed one after another, dense and crisp, almost drowning out the thunderous roar of rain pounding the ground.

Lightning struck from the sky, and the red snake writhed, squeezing the air out of its prey's lungs inch by inch.

The snake's body embedded itself directly into the bloodhound's flesh, and its energy surged inward, wrapping around the spine that supported the bloodhound's entire body.

"Crack." A sharp pain struck, and the bloodhound's vision went black; he nearly fainted.

The shadow of death loomed over its heart, but its entire body was locked up by the giant snake, with only its mouth able to open, emitting a hissing wail.

Struggling again is futile.

The last breath of air was squeezed out of the bloodhound's lungs, its tongue lolled out of its mouth, its eyes glazed over, awaiting death.

But the snake, which was about to break its spine, suddenly loosened its grip.

"You..." Bloodhound opened his eyes and glimpsed a magnificent golden ape emerging from the rain.

Like itself, it was covered in wounds inflicted by the large snake's scales.

"It hadn't come down Zhongshan before I arrived." The giant snake released the bloodhound, letting the rain soak its body. "So I never intended to kill it; you don't need to ask."

"You've changed a lot since the Awakening of Insects."

The Golden Ape King stepped forward, held up a curtain of rain for the Bloodhound, and said in a deep voice, "It's no longer the weak worm it used to be."

"I have always been the weak worm that you all thought I was." The serpent spoke in a distant tone, as if it were narrating something completely unrelated to itself.

Transforming from a human into a snake, thirty years of arduous cultivation and meditation have calmed my heart, which was originally restless and anxious due to the troubles of the world.

In the mountains, Huai Nian personally experienced what it means for the heart to be like a deep pool reflecting the moon.

When faced with noise, remain calm and composed; when dealing with change, remain composed and unperturbed; when gaining or losing, remain neither arrogant nor discouraged; when maintaining tranquility, remain untainted and uncontested.

This is Zhongshan, my dear friend who is both my teacher and my friend.

Life is born from nature, but it is by no means a subservient entity to nature; the two depend on and respect each other.

"I have indeed changed, but not in the way you think."

"Take it away and imprison it in your valley. You will guard it yourself. Release it whenever it comes to its senses."

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant snake turned around and snaked downwards.

The Golden Ape King remained rooted to the spot, silent.

Just as the red serpent was about to disappear from its sight, the Golden Ape King suddenly called out, "Need help?"

"Once we leave Zhongshan, we might not get rain like this again!"

"No need."

Flames ignited in the serpent's eyes, and a battle intent as molten as lava flowed through its veins. Wherever it passed, the water hissed and steamed.

"It's better if it doesn't rain."

"I need to shed my skin."

*

*

*

Huo Yufeng and Meng Heng fled in a sorry state.

The two fled all the way, their minds still unable to calm down.

They couldn't figure out what kind of being was lurking in Zhongshan.

A single gust of wind seemed to blow away all the warmth from their bodies.

The once tranquil mountains now cast shadows, pressing down on their hearts and making it difficult for them to breathe.

As the two approached the new village, the disciples of the Crimson Immortal Sect immediately stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said, "We have confirmed the location of all the people in the new village and are ready to act at any time."

"The situation has changed!" Huo Yufeng exclaimed in surprise. "Gather everyone from Xincun and Wenshushan Haige immediately!"

"Form ranks! Form ranks to defend against the enemy!"

"Huh?" The disciple was puzzled.

Meng Heng raised his hand and gestured, connecting the energy at his fingertips with the silk scarf used to seal the secrets of heaven.

The great formation vibrated and transformed in an instant. Countless tiny specks of light fell from the void and accurately entered the bodies of every Crimson Immortal Sect cultivator.

The next moment, their energy channels opened, and the two members of the Crimson Immortal Sect and their fifteen disciples became one with their lives.

Even ordinary people like villagers from Xincun and merchants from Wenshushan Haige were included in the formation.

However, their existence is neither the core of the formation nor its foundation.

It's fuel.

Seeing the great formation successfully close, and the lingering chill in their hearts dissipating, Huo Yufeng and Meng Heng breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

The two did not linger; they soared into the air, transforming into two streaks of light, and landed in the new village.

Village chief Zhong Yan, Wen Shuyan, and the villagers were still wondering about the light that had just entered their bodies.

Huo Yufeng stepped forward, grabbed Zhong Yan, and demanded, "Besides the Bloodhound Golden Ape, the Prison Wolf Mountain Lord, and the Black Bear, what other demonic beasts exist in Zhongshan?"

"And...and the Serpent God!" Zhong Yan replied immediately.

"Besides the Serpent God!" Meng Heng swiftly drew his longsword and pressed it against Zhong Yan's throat. "What else?"

"My lords, how would I know!"

"The people of Xincun have always worked from sunrise to sunset," Zhong Yan said, his voice trembling with fear. "We've never even encountered any spirits or monsters, let alone something so ferocious!"

"Senior sister, we found this in a villager's house!"

At this moment, a monk kicked open the door, holding a crimson wooden carving in his hand.

The sculpture depicts a large serpent, with eyebrows and eyes that are extremely similar to those of the Black Serpent God, but its size, color, and eyes are completely different.

It actually has heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one silver!

"When did such a monstrous beast come into being in Zhongshan?!" Huo Yufeng exclaimed in surprise.

As he met the snake's gaze for a moment, a chilling gaze pierced through the wood carving and fell upon him, gripping his heart tightly with the cold light that this gaze transformed into.

"Speak!" Meng Heng thrust his longsword into Zhong Yan's skin. "Who is it?!"

"Zhongshan God!" Zhong Yan gritted his teeth, facing the sword's edge and offering it directly to his own neck.

"boom--!"

Just like when the insects awaken from their slumber, thunder roars in the sky.

The great formation surrounding the new village was suddenly enveloped by something deeper and more magnificent.

The air felt refreshed, birdsong and animal roars filled the air, and the fragrance of flowers and grass filled everyone's hearts.

Huo Yufeng suddenly turned his head and saw that the leaden-gray rain clouds covering Zhongshan had already spread to their heads.

"How is that possible!"

"Isn't the new village a human settlement?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the rain began to fall.

All the villagers of Xincun and all the merchants of Wenshushan Haige were melted away by the rain and disappeared without a trace.

The crimson, winding shadows silently enveloped the village.