Fan Debiao widened his eyes and said, “Damn it, this evil creature is blocking our way. What should we do?” Ge Shuanwa brandished his cleaver and asked, “The five of us, can’t we just gang up on it? If not, I’ll chop its head off first!”
Liu Dashao shook his head. “I’ve heard these creatures can spit toxic fog after living for centuries. Look at its size—it’s probably much older than any of us!”
As the group debated, Su Yougui suddenly whispered, “Oh no… it’s spitting something out…”
Liu Dashao turned and saw the giant centipede open its jaws, exhaling two thin streams of black mist. Moments later, it spat out a small pearl, rolling it between its fangs as if playing with it under the moonlight.
Fan Debiao widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Damn it, this evil thing is blocking the road. What should we do?” Ge Shuanwa, holding a broadsword horizontally, asked, “If the five of us join forces, can we take it down? If not, I’ll chop its head off first!”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “I’ve heard that this creature, after living for many years, can spew poisonous mist. Judging by its posture, it’s probably much older than us!”
As they were discussing, Su Yougui, who was watching from the side, suddenly whispered, “Oh no, it’s spitting…”
Liu Dashao turned around and saw the giant centipede moving its mandibles, emitting two faint black smokes. Shortly after, it spat out a small bead, rolling it between its mandibles, seemingly playing with it under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao broke into a cold sweat, “This thing, it’s exactly what we feared! It’s formed a core, it’s become a demon!”
Fan Debiao hurriedly asked, “What’s forming a core?”
Liu Dashao frowned, “I heard from my master that some creatures, after living for a long time, can form a core. Ordinary practitioners dare not touch such things; if they do, it’s a sure path to death!” Everyone was terrified, their faces pale. Just as they were in a dilemma, they heard something moving in the grass. Looking up, they saw a half-naked young man staggering from the other side of the valley. Under the moonlight, it was clear—it was Huang Peng.
But he was covered in scars, his eyes wide open, yet no pupils were visible.
Huang Shitou was immediately anxious and was about to shout. Fan Debiao, recognizing Huang Peng, anticipated Huang Shitou’s reaction and quickly pulled him into his arms, covering his mouth, whispering, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your brother isn’t alive anymore, don’t you know that?” Tears fell from Huang Shitou’s eyes. It was obvious to everyone that Huang Peng wasn’t walking with his eyes.
Liu Dashao felt that this was definitely not a case of a corpse pretending to be alive. He sensed that the place was filled with strangeness. He racked his brains but couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Huang Peng slowly walked up to the centipede, his face expressionless. The centipede circled around him a few times, then raised its body, probing Huang Peng’s belly with its head. It then turned around, raising its metallic shimmering tail. Watching the centipede’s bizarre movements, everyone felt parched and inexplicably irritable.
Suddenly, the centipede moved a few more times, then opened its mandibles and bit down on Huang Peng! Huang Shitou immediately broke free from Fan Debiao’s embrace, crying out, “Brother!”
The commotion was loud, and the centipede quickly crawled off Huang Peng, its long antennae probing the air, then it swiftly moved towards the rock where everyone was hiding. Before it even arrived, two streams of black gas were sprayed towards them.
Liu Dashao shouted, and everyone was already pale with fear. They started running wildly, the sound of their footsteps was astonishing. Fan Debiao, who had been at the back, turned around and led the charge, running as fast as a tiger or a bull, quickly leaving the others behind by more than ten meters. Liu Dashao lamented, “These guys haven’t practiced any light-footed kung fu, how can they run so much faster than me?”
Su Yougui was running second, the wind whistling past his ears. Suddenly, he remembered something—there was a maze in this forest. Should they go in or not? While he hesitated, Fan Debiao had already disappeared ahead. Caught in a dilemma, he couldn’t think much and rushed forward.
Suddenly, a black figure collided head-on with Su Yougui, scaring him out of his wits. He shouted “Ouch!” as they crashed into each other. The three behind caught up and saw, “Oh, it’s Fan Debiao!” He was holding his chin, and Su Yougui was rubbing his head, both gasping in pain, tears welling up in their eyes.
Fan Debiao, with a sore chin, gestured incoherently, shouting, “Water… water…” Huang Shitou quickly handed over a water bottle. Fan Debiao, sweating profusely, said, “Oh, not water… retreat… retreat!”
Liu Dashao urgently asked, “Why?”
Fan Debiao, gasping for breath, scrambled to the side, mumbling, “Something worse is coming from behind!”
The five of them froze, instinctively looking down the valley, where the centipede had already crawled past the big rock and was heading towards them. Looking ahead, they suddenly heard the sound of grass being trampled in the forest, accompanied by a noise like a broken bellows. They looked at each other, their hearts sinking. At this moment, they truly didn’t know what to do, life and death were uncertain!
Just as they were at a loss, a green triangular snake head emerged from the grass in front of the forest. The snake’s head was as big as an adult’s fist, with a colorful crest on top, resembling a cockscomb. Ge Shuanwa exclaimed, “Damn, a cockscomb snake! And it’s huge!”
At this point, the five of them didn’t need any command; they all stumbled towards Fan Debiao. The snake, about three meters long and as thick as a man’s arm, slithered out with an air of indifference, not even glancing at them.
Ge Shuanwa muttered, “I heard that a cockscomb snake grows an inch every year. Damn, how many years has this one been growing?” Liu Dashao felt bitter inside; tonight, they had encountered all sorts of strange things. When he was a child, he heard the elders say that there was a kind of snake with a cockscomb on its head that liked to climb high and look up at the sky. If someone passed underneath, it would think you were lower than it and would dart down to bite you, its venom was deadly. It was said that if you encountered such a snake and had to pass under it, you had to take off your shoe and throw it higher than the snake. The snake would then get angry and crawl away.
Whether this was true or not, to be on the safe side, Liu Dashao quietly took off one of his shoes and held it in his hand.
The snake didn’t pay any attention to them. It was breathing heavily, like a bellows, and slithered straight into the valley. Fan Debiao, who was most afraid of snakes, was so scared he didn’t dare to breathe. He grabbed Liu Dashao’s sleeve and said, “Mr. Liu, this snake looks so fierce, is there any explanation for it? Also, this snake really stinks, damn it, it’s worse than my sweaty feet!”
Su Yougui also said, “Damn, just the smell is enough to kill someone, it must be very poisonous!”
Liu Dashao blushed, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly put his shoe back on. He turned around and said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t after us, let’s follow it and see what’s going on!” Seeing the others’ reluctance, Huang Shitou, who was worried about his brother who might be dead, also said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t scary at all!” Fan Debiao asked in surprise, “How do you know? Have you seen it before?”
Huang Shitou mustered his courage and said, “This snake has asthma, listen to how loudly it’s breathing, it definitely can’t run fast…” Everyone was dumbfounded.
They heard the sound of grass being trampled as the snake descended into the valley. Summoning their courage, they quietly followed.
Under the moonlight, the giant centipede was lying on the big rock, its mandibles open. Hearing the snake approaching, it lowered its head and started crawling back. The snake, however, went straight for the centipede, gradually speeding up, flattening the grass on both sides like the wind.
Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up, “There’s a chance, this cockscomb snake might be going after the centipede! Let’s not be afraid, let’s follow!”
The five of them felt a surge of hope, remembering an old saying: When a snake and a centipede fight, we benefit!
Seeing the approaching threat, the centipede raised the front half of its body, its mandibles wide open, emitting a faint black smoke, full of fighting spirit. For some reason, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered the steam locomotives he had seen years ago.
The cockscomb snake, upon getting closer, didn’t dare to attack immediately. It coiled several times, its head nodding constantly. The inch-long crest on its head suddenly opened up, like a fan. As the crest opened, the snake hissed and raised its body nearly a meter high, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Liu Dashao secretly felt relieved, glad he hadn’t acted on the impulse to throw his shoe at the snake’s head, or he wouldn’t dare to think about the consequences now.
The snake coiled on the ground, its upper body swaying back and forth, hissing continuously. The centipede, seeing the aggressiveness of its opponent, didn’t dare to take it lightly. Its dozens of legs moved, and it spat out the bead again, suspending it in the air, moving it in and out. The bead rolled between the centipede’s mandibles, emitting an eerie red light under the moonlight. The snake’s raised body softened, and it slithered to the side, as if avoiding the bead.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “This snake is probably going to lose, that demon centipede has used its demon bead!”
Fan Debiao immediately started trembling in fear, “Will it retreat from here? Should we move aside first?… As the saying goes, a good man doesn’t fight with a snake…”
The cockscomb snake was breathing rapidly, its neck thickening as if swallowing eggs one after another. The hissing sound was continuous. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a green bead, glowing green under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao immediately squatted down, “Oh my god, this one is also a demon… How did we run into two demons at once?”
Hearing this, Fan Debiao’s eyes widened, “Damn it, is… is… this life still livable?”
Huang Shitou suddenly burst into tears, “Brother Biao, Brother Ge, Brother Gui, Mr. Liu, maybe we should go back?” Everyone turned to look at him, only to hear Huang Shitou crying softly, “I think my brother is probably beyond saving… even if we save him, he might be a monster… This, this, for a dead person, to have you all so worried… I… I really feel bad…”
Under the moonlight, everyone felt a mix of fear and sorrow. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth and suddenly said, “I have an idea!”
Everyone perked up their ears. Liu Dashao whispered, “No matter which of these two demons wins, it won’t be good for us. Why don’t we take advantage of their fight and I’ll set up a formation to confuse them, so they won’t have the mind to trouble us. Then we’ll wait until morning and take Huang Peng out. What do you think?”
Fan Debiao gritted his teeth and said, “Whatever you say, we’ll do it!”
Liu Dashao, while watching the snake and centipede battle, said to Huang Shitou, “Come, Little Stone, let’s draw a few more talismans…” Huang Shitou thought to himself, “If this goes on, I’ll be bled to death before the demons get me!” But since everyone was here for his sake, how could he refuse?
Liu Dashao drew a few talismans on some newspaper, then crouched and slipped out from behind the rock. Fan Debiao and the others nervously watched the fierce battle. The cockscomb snake, having spat out its bead, was invigorated. It raised its triangular head high, looking down at the giant centipede, its tail slapping the ground loudly. The centipede, not to be outdone, opened its mandibles, spewed poisonous mist, and then moved its legs swiftly, attacking the snake’s coiled body.
The snake, having raised its body too high earlier, was caught off guard by the attack on its lower body. It twisted its body hard to the side, almost losing the bead in its mouth. This setback enraged the snake even more, and it hissed deafeningly. It lowered its body and darted its head like an arrow, biting at the centipede. The bite was as fast as lightning. The centipede couldn’t dodge in time and was bitten on the top of its head. The sound of scraping bones was ear-piercing, making everyone’s teeth ache. The bite didn’t pierce the centipede’s shell, and in its panic, the centipede quickly moved to the left, its dozens of legs trampling the grass.
Liu Dashao held his breath and slowly approached the edge of the battlefield where the snake and centipede were fighting. He listened to the commotion while placing a talisman under a small rock. He thought smugly, “With this talisman around, no matter how powerful you are, you’ll be confused for a while!” This talisman, also known as the ghost-leading talisman, was used to guide ghosts. It was said that ghosts and demons of a certain level didn’t use their eyes to navigate. To lead a ghost, one had to artificially change the flow of yin and yang energy in a place, making the ghost follow the path you wanted. Liu Dashao had placed the talismans haphazardly, deliberately making it difficult for the ghost to find its way. The ghost would be confused by the sudden change in the surrounding yin and yang energy and would be trapped for the night. Liu Dashao was confident in his plan.
Liu Dashao placed the talismans one by one, only missing one spot that was too close to the cockscomb snake. He didn’t dare to take the risk and carefully watched the battlefield. At this moment, the cockscomb snake was gaining the upper hand. Its head struck repeatedly, each time aiming for the centipede’s vital points. The centipede couldn’t withstand the attacks, and even its bead was dimming. It could only retreat continuously!
The cockscomb snake was moving further and further away from that spot.
Liu Dashao was overjoyed and quickly crouched and ran, not paying attention to his feet. He tripped over something and fell into the grass, hitting his forehead on a small rock. The pain made Liu Dashao curse silently… He didn’t dare to make a loud noise, listening carefully, the snake and centipede were still fighting fiercely, not noticing him. He sighed in relief and went to see what had tripped him.
He was shocked to find it was Huang Peng! His body was pitch black, no wonder he hadn’t noticed him while running. Huang Peng had been brushed by the centipede earlier, how had his skin and flesh turned like this? But now he was definitely dead, as Liu Dashao kicked him with his toe and found his muscles stiff, unlike the lively feeling when they had fought that night.
Liu Dashao let out a long breath, somewhat grateful to the centipede for solving this troublesome matter. To be honest, dealing with something that was neither dead nor alive gave Liu Dashao a headache.
Liu Dashao turned to place the talisman. Suddenly, he felt a movement behind him. Before he could turn around, a tremendous force pulled him backward from his belt, flipping him over. Liu Dashao panicked and turned his head to see Huang Peng’s face right next to his, his blackened eyes with white pupils staring motionlessly at him. Before Liu Dashao could react, Huang Peng opened his mouth and bit straight at Liu Dashao’s throat!
Liu Dashao let out a pig-like scream, unleashing a tremendous force. He pushed Huang Peng’s head away and his body sprang up like a bow. With a ‘snap’, he felt his belt loosen. Looking back, he saw that a small part of his belt had broken off in Huang Peng’s blackened claws. He pulled up his pants, tore off a few talismans from his body, and slapped them onto Huang Peng without caring if they would work.
Huang Peng let out a mournful cry, stood up, and ran straight to a large rock behind the stone wall, then suddenly disappeared. Seeing this bizarre scene, Liu Dashao didn’t dare to chase. Holding up his pants, a thought flashed through his mind: “Oh no, I forgot about the two ancestors in the battlefield!”
The cockscomb snake, having struck repeatedly, was feeling triumphant when it suddenly heard a loud noise behind it. It froze, not knowing how to react. The centipede, having waited for this opportunity, didn’t give it a chance to recover. It raised its head and bit the snake’s seven-inch spot. A foul-smelling snake blood gushed out, drenching the bead on the centipede’s antennae. The bead brightened again. The snake, having been attacked at its vital point, was in great pain. It twisted its body and tightly coiled around the centipede. The centipede didn’t loosen its bite, and as the snake blood continued to flow, the snake gradually lost its strength, and its coiled body loosened.
Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa, being loyal, had already run over from behind the rock to help Liu Dashao.
At this moment, they saw the centipede slowly crawl to the snake’s head and swallow the dim green bead. It shook its head and legs excitedly, its long antennae swaying with satisfaction. The snake had been its mortal enemy, often challenging it, with victories and defeats on both sides. Tonight, it had finally killed the snake and swallowed its bead! The centipede was extremely pleased with itself, but suddenly remembered the earlier noise. It raised its antennae and stood up again, trying to locate the source of the noise. As it raised its head, it suddenly felt the surrounding energy was chaotic, and the once familiar valley had become completely different.
Liu Dashao said, “I dropped my talisman, help me find it!” At this moment, Huang Shitou and Su Yougui saw the centipede circling endlessly in the battlefield, knowing the talisman had taken effect. They calmed down and ran over to Liu Dashao. Fan Debiao turned on a miner’s lamp and searched in the grass, but couldn’t find it. Huang Shitou asked, “Isn’t the centipede already lost? Why do we still need the talisman?” Liu Dashao said, “There’s still one missing, this old demon won’t be trapped for long!” Huang Shitou timidly asked, “Mr. Liu, was that my brother earlier?”
Liu Dashao jumped three feet high, “Oh no!” Scaring Hu Beikang and Su Yougui, who turned to run, thinking another ghost had appeared. Fan Debiao was sweating profusely, “Mr. Liu, why are you always so jumpy? We haven’t been scared by the ghosts, but we might be scared to death by you!”
Liu Dashao slapped his forehead, “I think I might have slapped the talisman onto Huang Peng earlier!”
Huang Shitou, hearing that it was indeed his brother, turned red-eyed, “How did my brother turn into a black man again…”
Fan Debiao widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Damn it, this evil thing is blocking the road. What should we do?” Ge Shuanwa, holding a machete horizontally, asked, “If the five of us join forces, can we take it down? If not, I’ll chop its head off first!”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “I heard this thing has been around for a long time and can spit poisonous mist. Judging by its posture, it’s probably much older than us!”
As they were discussing, Su Yougui, who was watching from the side, suddenly whispered, “Oh no, it’s spitting…”
Liu Dashao turned around and saw the giant centipede moving its mandibles, emitting two faint black smokes. Soon after, it spat out a small bead, rolling it between its mandibles, seemingly playing with it under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao broke into a cold sweat, “This thing, it’s really a case of ‘what you fear comes true’! It’s already formed a core, it’s become a demon!”
Fan Debiao hurriedly asked, “What’s forming a core?”
Liu Dashao frowned, “I heard from my master that some creatures, after a long time, can develop a core. Such creatures are usually avoided by practitioners, as encountering them means certain death!” Everyone turned pale with fear. Just as they were in a dilemma, they heard something moving through the grass. Looking up, they saw a young man with a bare upper body staggering towards them from the other side of the valley. Under the moonlight, it was unmistakably Huang Peng.
But he was covered in scars, his eyes wide open, yet no pupils could be seen.
Huang Shitou was immediately anxious and was about to shout. Fan Debiao, recognizing Huang Peng, anticipated Huang Shitou’s reaction. He quickly pulled Huang Shitou into his arms, covering his mouth, and whispered, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your brother isn’t alive anymore, don’t you know that?” Tears fell from Huang Shitou’s eyes. It was clear to everyone that Huang Peng wasn’t using his eyes to walk.
Liu Dashao felt this was definitely not a case of a corpse pretending to be alive. He sensed that this place was filled with strangeness. He racked his brains but couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Huang Peng slowly walked up to the centipede, his face expressionless. The centipede crawled around him a few times, then raised its body, probing Huang Peng’s belly with its head. It then turned around, raising its metallic tail. Watching the centipede’s bizarre movements, everyone felt an indescribable discomfort.
Suddenly, the centipede opened its mandibles and bit down on Huang Peng! Huang Shitou immediately broke free from Fan Debiao’s embrace, crying out, “Brother!”
The commotion was loud, and the centipede quickly crawled off Huang Peng, its long antennae probing the air, and it swiftly moved towards the rock where everyone was hiding. Before it even reached them, two streams of black gas were already spewing towards them.
Liu Dashao shouted, and everyone was terrified. They started running wildly, the sound of their footsteps startling. Fan Debiao, who had already moved to the back, turned and ran ahead like a tiger, quickly leaving the others behind by more than ten meters. Liu Dashao lamented, “None of these guys have practiced lightness kung fu, how can they run so much faster than me?”
Su Yougui was running second, the wind whistling past his ears. Suddenly, he remembered something, “There’s a maze in this forest, should we go in or not?” While he hesitated, Fan Debiao had already disappeared ahead. Caught in a dilemma, he couldn’t think much and just rushed forward.
Suddenly, a black figure collided head-on with Su Yougui, scaring him out of his wits. “Ah!” he shouted as they crashed together. The other three caught up and saw, “Ah, isn’t that Fan Debiao?” He was holding his chin, and Su Yougui was rubbing his head, both gasping in pain, tears welling up in their eyes.
Fan Debiao, with a sore jaw, gestured and called out, “Water… water…” Huang Shitou quickly handed over the water bottle. Fan Debiao, sweating profusely, said, “Oh, not water… retreat… retreat!”
Liu Dashao urgently asked, “Why?”
Fan Debiao, gasping for breath, scrambled to one side, his words unclear, “Something worse is coming from behind!”
The five of them froze, instinctively looking down the valley, where the centipede had already crawled past the big rock and was heading towards them. Looking ahead, they suddenly heard the sound of grass being trampled in the forest, accompanied by a noise like a broken bellows. They looked at each other, their hearts sinking. At this moment, they truly didn’t know what to do, life and death were uncertain!
Just as they were at a loss, a green triangular snake head emerged from the grass in front of the forest. The snake’s head was as big as an adult’s fist, with a colorful crest about a foot long on top, resembling a cockscomb. Ge Shuanwa exclaimed, “Damn, a cockscomb snake! So big!”
At this point, the five of them didn’t need any command; they all stumbled towards Fan Debiao. The snake, about three meters long and as thick as a man’s arm, slithered out with an air of indifference, not even glancing in their direction.
Ge Shuanwa muttered, “I heard a cockscomb snake grows an inch every year. How many years must this one have lived to get so big?” Liu Dashao felt bitter inside, “Tonight, we’ve encountered all sorts of strange things.” He remembered hearing from elders as a child that there’s a type of snake with a cockscomb on its head that loves to climb high and look up at the sky. If someone passes below and it thinks you’re not as tall as it, it will dart down to bite you, its venom being extremely deadly. It’s said that if you encounter such a snake and must pass under it, you should take off your shoe and throw it higher than the snake. The snake, feeling insulted, will then crawl down and leave.
Whether this was true or not, to be on the safe side, Liu Dashao quietly took off one shoe and held it in his hand.
The snake paid no attention to them. It was breathing heavily, like a bellows, and slithered straight into the valley. Fan Debiao, who was most afraid of snakes, was so scared he didn’t dare to breathe. He grabbed Liu Dashao’s sleeve and said, “Mr. Liu, this snake looks so fierce, is there any significance to it? Also, this snake really stinks, damn it, even worse than my sweaty feet!”
Su Yougui also said, “Damn, just the smell is enough to kill someone, it must be very poisonous!”
Liu Dashao blushed, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly put his shoe back on. He turned around and said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t after us, let’s follow it and see what’s going on!” Seeing the others’ reluctance, Huang Shitou, who was worried about his brother who might be dead or alive, also said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t scary at all!” Fan Debiao asked in surprise, “How do you know? Have you seen it before?”
Huang Shitou mustered his courage and said, “This snake has asthma, listen to how loud it’s breathing, it definitely can’t run fast…” Everyone was dumbfounded.
They heard the sound of grass being trampled as the snake descended into the valley. Gathering their courage, they quietly followed.
Under the moonlight, the giant centipede was lying on the big rock, its mandibles open. Hearing the snake approaching, it lowered its head and started crawling back. The snake, however, went straight for the centipede, gradually speeding up, flattening the grass on both sides like wind.
Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up, “There’s a chance, this cockscomb snake might be going after the centipede! Let’s not be afraid, let’s follow!”
The five of them felt a surge of hope, remembering an old saying: “When the snake and the centipede fight, we benefit!”
Seeing the snake approaching with ill intent, the centipede raised the front half of its body, its mandibles wide open, emitting a faint black smoke, full of fighting spirit. For some reason, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered a steam locomotive he had seen years ago.
The cockscomb snake, upon getting closer, didn’t dare to attack immediately. It coiled several times, its head nodding, and the foot-long crest opened up like a fan. As the crest opened, the snake hissed and raised its body nearly a meter high, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Liu Dashao silently thanked his luck, glad he hadn’t acted on the impulse to throw his shoe at the snake’s head, or he wouldn’t dare to think of the consequences now.
The snake coiled on the ground, its upper body swaying back and forth, hissing continuously. The centipede, seeing the snake’s aggressive posture, didn’t dare to take it lightly. Its dozens of legs moved, and it spat out the bead again, suspending it in the air, moving it in and out. The bead rolled between the centipede’s mandibles, emitting a strange red light under the moonlight. The snake’s raised body softened, and it slithered to the side, as if avoiding the bead.
Liu Dashao silently thought, “This snake is about to lose, that demon centipede has used its demon bead!”
Fan Debiao immediately started trembling with fear, “Will it retreat from here? Let’s get out of the way first… as the saying goes, a good man doesn’t fight with a snake…”
The cockscomb snake was breathing rapidly, its neck thickening as if swallowing eggs one after another. The hissing sound was continuous. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a green bead, glowing green under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao immediately squatted down, “Oh my god, this one is also a demon… how did we run into two demons at once?”
Hearing this, Fan Debiao’s eyes widened, “Damn it, this… this… is life still bearable?”
Huang Shitou suddenly shed tears, “Brother Biao, Brother Ge, Brother Gui, Mr. Liu, should we go back?” Everyone turned to look at him, only to hear Huang Shitou crying softly, “I think my brother is probably beyond saving… even if we save him, he might be a monster… this, this, for a dead person, to have you all so worried… I… I really feel bad…”
Under the moonlight, everyone felt a mix of fear and sorrow. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth and suddenly said, “I have an idea!”
Everyone perked up their ears. Liu Dashao whispered, “No matter which of these two demons wins, it won’t be good for us. Why don’t we take advantage of their fight and I’ll set up a formation to confuse them, so they won’t have the mind to trouble us. Then we’ll wait until morning to… get Huang Peng out. What do you think?”
Fan Debiao gritted his teeth and said, “Whatever you say, we’ll do it!”
Liu Dashao, while watching the snake and centipede battle, said to Huang Shitou, “Come here, Little Shitou, let’s draw a few more talismans…” Huang Shitou thought to himself, “If this keeps up, we’ll be bled dry before the demons get us!” But since everyone was here for his sake, how could he refuse?
Liu Dashao drew a few talismans on some newspaper, then crouched and slipped out from behind the rock. Fan Debiao and the others nervously watched the fierce battle. The cockscomb snake, having spat out its core, gained momentum and raised its triangular head high, looking down at the giant centipede, its tail slapping the ground loudly. The centipede, not to be outdone, opened its mandibles, spat out poisonous mist, and then moved its legs swiftly, attacking the snake’s coiled body.
The snake, having raised its body too high to show off, was caught off guard by the attack on its lower body. It twisted its body hard to the side, almost losing the bead in its mouth. Taking this hit, the snake’s anger grew, its hissing deafening. It lowered its body, and its head shot out like an arrow, biting at the centipede. The bite was as fast as lightning. The centipede couldn’t dodge in time and was bitten on the top of its head. The sound of scraping bone was ear-piercing, making everyone’s teeth ache. The bite didn’t penetrate the centipede’s shell, and in its panic, the centipede swiftly moved to the left, its dozens of legs trampling the grass.
Liu Dashao held his breath and slowly approached the edge of the battlefield where the snake and centipede were fighting. He listened to the commotion while placing a talisman under a small rock. He thought proudly, “With this ‘Stop Talisman’ around, no matter how powerful you are, you’ll be confused for a while!” The Stop Talisman, also known as the Ghost Guide Talisman, is a spell used to guide ghosts. It’s said that ghosts and demons of a certain level don’t use their eyes to navigate. To guide a ghost, one must artificially alter the flow of yin and yang energy in a place, making the ghost follow the path you want. Liu Dashao had placed the talismans haphazardly, deliberately making it hard for the ghost to find its way. The ghost would be lost due to the sudden change in the surrounding yin and yang energy. Liu Dashao was confident he could trap the demon for the night.
Liu Dashao had placed all the talismans except one, which was too close to the cockscomb snake. He didn’t dare to risk it. He carefully watched the battlefield. At this moment, the cockscomb snake had the upper hand. Its head struck repeatedly, each time aiming for the centipede’s vital points. The centipede couldn’t withstand the attacks, and even its bead was dimming. It could only retreat continuously!
The cockscomb snake was moving further away from that position.
Liu Dashao was overjoyed and quickly crouched and ran, but he didn’t notice something underfoot. He tripped and fell into the grass, hitting his forehead on a small rock. The pain made Liu Dashao want to cry out… He didn’t dare to make a loud noise. He listened carefully; the snake and centipede were still fighting fiercely and hadn’t noticed him. He silently thanked his luck and went to see what had tripped him.
He was shocked to find it was Huang Peng! His body was all black, no wonder he hadn’t noticed him while running. Huang Peng had been swept by the centipede earlier, how had his flesh turned into this? But now he was definitely dead, as Liu Dashao kicked him with his toe and found his muscles stiff, unlike the lively feeling he had when they fought that night.
Liu Dashao sighed in relief, somewhat grateful to the centipede for solving this troublesome matter. Honestly, dealing with something that was neither dead nor alive gave Liu Dashao a headache.
Liu Dashao turned to place the talisman. Suddenly, he felt a movement behind him. Before he could turn around, a tremendous force pulled him backward by his belt. Liu Dashao panicked and turned his head to see Huang Peng’s face right next to his, his blackened eyes with white pupils staring motionlessly at him. Before Liu Dashao could react, Huang Peng opened his mouth and bit straight at Liu Dashao’s throat!
Liu Dashao let out a pig-like scream, unleashing a tremendous force. He pushed Huang Peng’s head away and his body sprang up like a bow. With a ‘snap’, he felt his belt loosen. Looking back, he saw that a small section of his belt had broken off in Huang Peng’s blackened claws. He pulled up his pants, tore off a few talismans from his body, and slapped them onto Huang Peng without caring if they worked.
Huang Peng let out a mournful cry, stood up, and ran straight to a large rock behind the stone wall, then suddenly disappeared. Seeing this bizarre scene, Liu Dashao didn’t dare to chase. Holding up his pants, a thought flashed through his mind: “Oh no, I forgot about those two ancestors in the battlefield!”
Meanwhile, the cockscomb snake, having scored several bites, was feeling triumphant. Suddenly, it heard a loud noise behind it and froze, not knowing how to react. The centipede, having waited for this opportunity, didn’t give the snake a chance to recover. It raised its head and bit the snake’s vital spot. A stream of foul-smelling snake blood gushed out, drenching the bead on the centipede’s antennae. The bead glowed again. The snake, having its vital spot attacked, was in great pain. It twisted its body and tightly coiled around the centipede. The centipede didn’t loosen its grip, and as the snake’s blood continued to flow, the snake gradually lost strength, and its coiled body loosened.
Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa, being loyal, had already run over from the rock to help Liu Dashao.
At this moment, they saw the centipede slowly crawl to the snake’s head and swallow the dim green bead. It shook its head and antennae excitedly, feeling triumphant. The snake had been its arch-enemy, often provoking it. They had fought many times, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. Tonight, it had finally killed the snake and swallowed its core! The centipede was very pleased with itself. Suddenly, it remembered the earlier noise and raised its antennae, standing up again to find the source of the noise. As it looked up, it suddenly felt the surrounding energy was chaotic, and the once familiar valley had become completely different.
Liu Dashao said, “My Stop Talisman fell, help me find it!” At this moment, Huang Shitou and Su Yougui saw the centipede circling the battlefield, knowing the talisman had taken effect. They calmed down and ran to Liu Dashao’s side. Fan Debiao turned on his miner’s lamp and searched the grass, but where could he find it? Huang Shitou asked, “Isn’t the centipede already lost? Why do we still need the talisman?” Liu Dashao said, “There’s still one missing, this old demon won’t be trapped for long!” Huang Shitou timidly asked, “Mr. Liu, was that my brother earlier?”
Liu Dashao jumped three feet high, “Oh no!” This scared Hu Beikang and Su Yougui, who turned to run, thinking some ghost had appeared again. Fan Debiao was sweating profusely, “Mr. Liu, why are you always so jumpy? We’re not scared by the monsters, but we might be scared to death by you!”
Liu Dashao slapped his forehead, “I think I might have slapped the talisman onto Huang Peng earlier!”
Huang Shitou, hearing that it was indeed his brother, turned red-eyed, “How did my brother turn into a black man again…”
Fan Debiao widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Damn it, this evil thing is blocking the road. What should we do?” Ge Shuanwa held his machete horizontally and asked, “If the five of us join forces, can we take it down? If not, I’ll chop its head off first!”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “I’ve heard that this thing has been around for a long time and can spit poisonous mist. Judging by its posture, it’s probably much older than us!”
As they were discussing, Su Yougui, who was watching from the side, suddenly whispered, “Oh no, it’s spitting…”
Liu Dashao turned around and saw the giant centipede opening its mandibles, releasing two faint black smokes. Shortly after, it spat out a small bead, which rolled between its mandibles, seemingly playing with it under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao broke into a sweat, “This thing, it’s really a case of fearing what comes! It’s already formed a core, it’s become a demon!”
Fan Debiao hurriedly asked, “What’s forming a core?”
Liu Dashao frowned, “I heard from my master that some things, after a long time, can grow a core. Such things are usually avoided by practitioners, because encountering them means certain death!” Everyone’s faces turned pale at this. Just as they were in a dilemma, they heard something moving in the grass. Looking up, they saw a half-naked young man staggering towards them from the other side of the valley. Under the moonlight, it was clear—it was Huang Peng.
He was covered in scars, his eyes wide open, but there was no sign of pupils.
Huang Shitou was immediately anxious and was about to shout. Fan Debiao, recognizing Huang Peng, anticipated this and quickly pulled Huang Shitou into his arms, covering his mouth, and whispered, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your brother isn’t alive anymore, don’t you know that!” Tears fell from Huang Shitou’s eyes. Huang Peng was walking without using his eyes, and everyone had already noticed something was wrong.
Liu Dashao felt that this was definitely not a case of a corpse pretending to be alive. He sensed that this place was full of strangeness. His head was about to burst from thinking, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Huang Peng slowly walked up to the centipede, his face expressionless. The centipede slowly crawled around him a few times, then raised its body, probing Huang Peng’s belly with its head a few times. It then turned around, raising its metallic glowing tail. Watching the centipede’s series of bizarre actions, everyone felt their mouths dry and an indescribable sense of unease in their hearts.
The giant centipede moved a few more times, then suddenly opened its mandibles and bit down on Huang Peng! Huang Shitou immediately broke free from Fan Debiao’s embrace, crying out, “Brother!”
This commotion was quite loud, and the centipede quickly crawled off Huang Peng, its long antennae probing the air a few times, then it swiftly moved towards the rock where everyone was hiding. The sound of rustling grass was continuous, and the vegetation on both sides fell over. Before the centipede arrived, two black smokes were already spewing towards them.
Liu Dashao shouted, and everyone was already pale with fear. They started running wildly, the sound of their footsteps was astonishing. Fan Debiao, who was already at the back, turned around and led the way, running as fast as a tiger or a bull. He quickly left everyone else behind by about ten meters. Liu Dashao was in distress, these people hadn’t practiced any light-footed skills, how could they run so much faster than me?
Su Yougui was running second, the wind whistling past his ears. Suddenly, he remembered something—there was a maze in this forest, should they go in or not? While he was hesitating, Fan Debiao had already run out of sight. In this dilemma, he couldn’t think too much and just rushed forward.
Suddenly, a black figure came head-on, scaring Su Yougui out of his wits. He shouted “Oh no!” and collided with it. The other three caught up and saw—oh no, it was Fan Debiao! He was holding his chin, and Su Yougui was rubbing his head, both gasping in pain, tears welling up in their eyes.
Fan Debiao, with a sore chin, couldn’t speak clearly, just waved his hand, shouting, “Water… water…” Huang Shitou quickly took out a water bottle and handed it over. Fan Debiao, sweating profusely, said, “Oh no, not water… retreat… retreat!”
Liu Dashao urgently asked, “Why?”
Fan Debiao, gasping for breath, scrambled to one side, shouting indistinctly, “Something worse is coming… behind… us!”
The five of them were stunned, instinctively looking down the valley, where they saw the centipede had already crawled over the big rock and was coming towards them. Looking ahead, they suddenly heard the sound of grass falling in the forest, and a sound like a broken bellows. Everyone looked at each other, their hearts filled with dread. At this moment, they truly didn’t know what to do, life and death were uncertain!
Just as they were at a loss, a green triangular snake head emerged from the grass in front of the forest. The snake’s head was as big as an adult’s fist, with a crown-like growth on top, about a foot long, colorful like a cockscomb. Ge Shuanwa exclaimed, “Damn, a cockscomb snake! So big!”
At this point, the five of them didn’t need any more instructions, they all stumbled towards Fan Debiao. The snake, about three meters long and as thick as a man’s arm, swam out with its head held high, completely ignoring the people around it.
Ge Shuanwa muttered, “I’ve heard that a cockscomb snake grows an inch every year. How many years must it have taken to grow this big?” Liu Dashao was in despair, tonight they had encountered all sorts of strange things. When he was a child, he heard the elders say that there was a kind of snake with a cockscomb on its head, which liked to climb high and look up at the sky. If someone passed underneath, it would think you were not as tall as it and would jump down to bite you, its venom was extremely deadly. It was said that if you put down your bowl in the morning, you would be in the coffin by noon. If you encountered such a snake and had to pass underneath, you had to take off your shoe and throw it higher than the snake. The snake would then get angry and crawl away.
Whether this was true or not, to be on the safe side, Liu Dashao quietly took off one of his shoes and held it in his hand.
The snake didn’t even notice these people, it was breathing heavily, like a bellows, and swam straight into the valley. Fan Debiao was most afraid of snakes, at this moment he was so scared he didn’t dare to breathe, grabbing Liu Dashao’s sleeve, he said, “Mr. Liu, this snake looks so fierce, is there any explanation for it? Also, this snake really stinks, damn it, it’s even worse than my sweaty feet!”
Su Yougui also said, “Damn it, just the smell is enough to kill a person, it must be very poisonous!”
Liu Dashao’s face turned red, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly put his shoe back on. He turned around and said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t looking for us, let’s follow it and see what’s going on!” Seeing that everyone looked hesitant, Huang Shitou, who was worried about his brother who was in an unknown state, also said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t scary at all!” Fan Debiao asked in surprise, “How do you know? Have you seen it before?”
Huang Shitou mustered up his courage and said, “This snake has asthma, listen to how loudly it’s breathing, it definitely can’t run fast…” Everyone was speechless.
They heard the sound of grass falling, the snake had already gone down the valley. Everyone gathered their courage and quietly followed it.
Under the moonlight, the giant centipede was lying on the big rock, its two mandibles open. Hearing the sound of the snake approaching, it lowered its head and started crawling back. The snake, however, went straight towards the centipede, gradually speeding up, pressing the grass on both sides like the wind.
Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up, “There’s something going on, this cockscomb snake might be going to cause trouble for the centipede! Let’s not be afraid, let’s follow it!”
The five of them looked at each other, their spirits lifted, and they all remembered an old saying: when the snake and the centipede fight, we brothers will benefit!
The centipede, seeing that the snake was not friendly, swung its long antennae and raised the upper half of its body, its two mandibles wide open, releasing a faint black smoke, full of fighting spirit. For some reason, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered the steam locomotive he had seen years ago.
The cockscomb snake, when it got close, didn’t dare to go up immediately, it coiled several times, its head kept nodding, the foot-long crown suddenly opened up, like a fan. As soon as the crown opened, the snake hissed and raised its body nearly a meter high, scaring everyone into a cold sweat. Liu Dashao secretly felt lucky, fortunately he hadn’t had the idea of throwing his shoe at the snake’s head earlier, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to think about it now.
The snake coiled on the ground, its upper body swaying back and forth, hissing continuously. The centipede, seeing the aggressiveness of the snake, didn’t dare to take it lightly. Its dozens of legs moved, and it spat out the bead again, suspending it in the air, swallowing and spitting it out. The bead rolled between the centipede’s two mandibles, emitting a strange red light under the moonlight. The snake’s raised body softened, and it swam to the side, as if avoiding the bead.
Liu Dashao secretly thought, “This snake is probably going to lose, that demon centipede has already used its demon bead!”
Fan Debiao immediately started trembling in fear, “Will it retreat from here? Let’s get out of the way first… as the saying goes, a good man doesn’t fight with a snake…”
The cockscomb snake was breathing rapidly, its neck bulging as if it had swallowed one egg after another, the sound of hissing and panting was continuous. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a green bead, which glowed green under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao immediately squatted down, “Oh my god, this is also a demon… how did we run into two demons at once?”
Hearing this, Fan Debiao’s eyes widened, “Damn it, this… this… is life still bearable?”
Huang Shitou suddenly shed tears, “Brother Biao, Brother Ge, Brother Gui, Mr. Liu, should we go back?” Everyone turned to look at him, and they heard Huang Shitou crying softly, “I think my brother is probably beyond saving… even if we save him, he might become a monster… this, this, for a dead person, you all have to worry so much… I… I really feel sorry…”
Under the moonlight, everyone’s hearts were filled with half fear and half sorrow. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth for a while, then suddenly said, “I have an idea!”
Everyone pricked up their ears. Liu Dashao whispered, “No matter which of these two demons wins, it won’t be good for us. Why don’t we take advantage of their fight and I’ll set up a formation to confuse the demon, so it won’t have the mind to trouble us. Then we’ll wait until morning and take Huang Peng out, what do you think?”
Fan Debiao gritted his teeth and said, “Whatever you say, we’ll do it!”
Liu Dashao, while watching the battle between the snake and the centipede, said to Huang Shitou, “Come, Little Stone, let’s draw a few more talismans…” Huang Shitou thought, if this continues, we’ll die from blood loss before the demons get us! But everyone came to this ghostly place for my sake, how could I refuse?
Liu Dashao drew a few talismans on some newspaper, then crouched and slipped out from beside the rock. Fan Debiao and the others nervously watched the fierce battle in the field. The cockscomb snake, having spat out its core, was in high spirits, raising its triangular head high, looking down at the giant centipede, its tail slapping the ground loudly. The centipede, not to be outdone, opened its mandibles, spat out poisonous mist, then moved its legs swiftly, attacking the snake’s coiled body.
The snake, having raised its body too high earlier, showing off its might, was caught off guard by this attack from below, and twisted its body to the side, almost losing the bead in its mouth. This setback made the cockscomb snake even angrier, its hissing was deafening. It lowered its body, and its head shot out like an arrow, biting at the centipede. This bite was as fast as lightning. The centipede couldn’t dodge in time and was bitten on the top of its head. The sound of scraping bone was ear-piercing, making everyone’s teeth ache. This bite didn’t pierce the centipede’s shell, and the centipede, in shock, quickly moved to the left, its dozens of legs trampling the grass.
Liu Dashao held his breath, slowly moving to the edge of the battlefield where the snake and the centipede were fighting, listening to the commotion while pressing a talisman down with a small stone. He thought proudly, “With my talisman here, no matter how powerful you are, you’ll be confused for a while!” This talisman, also known as the ghost-leading talisman, was a spell used to guide ghosts. It was said that ghosts and demons that had cultivated to a certain level didn’t use their eyes to move around. To guide a ghost, one had to artificially change the flow of yin and yang energy in a certain place, making the ghost go where you wanted it to go. Liu Dashao had placed the talisman upside down, deliberately making it difficult for the ghost to find its way. The ghost would be confused by the sudden change in the yin and yang energy around it and wouldn’t be able to find its way. Liu Dashao believed that he could trap the demon for a night without any problem.
Liu Dashao placed the talismans all around, only missing one spot that was too close to the cockscomb snake, he didn’t dare to take the risk. He carefully watched the commotion in the field. At this moment, the cockscomb snake was gaining the upper hand. Its head kept attacking, each time aiming for the centipede’s vital points. The centipede couldn’t withstand it, even its bead became somewhat dim. It could only retreat continuously!
The cockscomb snake was getting further and further away from that spot.
Liu Dashao was overjoyed, quickly crouching and running slowly, but he didn’t pay attention to his feet, tripped over something, and fell into the grass, hitting his forehead on a small stone, making Liu Dashao cry out in pain… He didn’t dare to make a loud noise, listening carefully, the snake and the centipede were fighting fiercely, not paying attention to him. He secretly felt lucky. Then he went to see what had tripped him.
He was shocked to the point that his hair stood on end—it was Huang Peng! His body was all black, no wonder he didn’t notice it when running. Huang Peng had been swept by the centipede earlier, how did his skin and flesh become like this? But now he was definitely dead, because Liu Dashao kicked him with his toe and found that his muscles had already stiffened, not at all like the living person he had fought with that night.
Oh, Liu Dashao let out a long breath, really thanking the centipede for solving this troublesome matter. To be honest, dealing with something that seemed dead but wasn’t was really a headache for Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned around to place the talisman. Suddenly, he felt a movement behind him, before he could turn around, a huge force came from his belt, pulling the unprepared Liu Dashao backwards. Liu Dashao panicked and turned his head to see Huang Peng’s face right next to his, his black eyes with two white eyeballs staring at him motionlessly, before Liu Dashao could react, Huang Peng opened his mouth and bit straight at Liu Dashao’s throat!
Liu Dashao let out a pig-like scream, bursting out with tremendous strength, pushing Huang Peng’s head away, his body springing up like a bow, he heard a ‘snap’, feeling a looseness at his waist, looking back, he saw that a small part of his belt was broken in Huang Peng’s black claws. He pulled up his pants, tore off a few talismans from his body, regardless of whether they were useful or not, and slapped them all on Huang Peng.
Huang Peng let out a wail, stood up and ran, straight to a big rock behind the stone wall, then suddenly disappeared. Seeing this bizarre scene, Liu Dashao didn’t dare to chase, just holding up his pants, a thought flashed in his mind: Oh no, how could I forget about those two ancestors in the field?
The cockscomb snake, having made several successful bites, was feeling proud, when it suddenly heard a huge commotion behind it, it was stunned, standing there without any reaction. The centipede, having waited for this opportunity, didn’t give it a chance to realize, it raised its head and bit the cockscomb snake’s seven-inch spot. A stream of foul snake blood gushed out, drenching the bead on the centipede’s antennae. The bead brightened again. The cockscomb snake, having its vital point attacked, was in great pain. It twisted its body, tightly coiling around the centipede. The centipede didn’t loosen its bite, as the snake blood gushed out, the snake gradually lost its strength, and its coiled body loosened.
Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa were very loyal, they had already run over from the rock and helped Liu Dashao up.
At this moment, they saw the centipede slowly crawl to the snake’s head, swallowing the dim green bead, its head and legs shaking excitedly, its long antennae swaying happily, this snake was its mortal enemy, often provoking it, both sides had wins and losses, but tonight it had killed it and swallowed its core! The centipede was extremely proud, suddenly remembering the earlier commotion, it raised its antennae and stood up again, wanting to find out what had caused the commotion. As it raised its head, it suddenly felt the surrounding energy was chaotic, the once familiar valley had suddenly become very different.
Liu Dashao said, “I dropped my talisman, help me find it!” At this moment, Huang Shitou and Su Yougui saw the centipede circling in the field, knowing the talisman had taken effect, they calmed down and ran over to Liu Dashao. Fan Debiao turned on the miner’s lamp, searching in the grass, but where could he find it? Huang Shitou asked, “Isn’t the centipede unable to find its way out? Why do we still need the talisman?” Liu Dashao said, “We’re still missing one, this old demon won’t be trapped for long!” Huang Shitou timidly asked, “Mr. Liu, was that my brother earlier?”
Liu Dashao jumped three feet high, “Oh no!” scaring Hu Beikang and Su Yougui, who turned around to run, thinking some ghost had appeared again. Fan Debiao was sweating profusely, “Mr. Liu, why are you always so jumpy? We haven’t been scared by the monsters, but we might be scared to death by you!”
Liu Dashao slapped his forehead, “I was thinking, I might have slapped the talisman on Huang Peng earlier!”
Huang Shitou, hearing that it was indeed his brother, his eyes turned red, “How did my brother become a black man again…”
Just as they stood frozen in panic, they heard rustling in the bushes. Looking up, they saw a shirtless young man staggering toward them from the other side of the valley, swaying unsteadily. Under the moonlight, it was unmistakably Huang Peng.
His body was covered in scars, his eyes wide open, yet completely devoid of pupils.
Huang Shitou panicked and opened his mouth to shout. But Fan Debiao had anticipated this, grabbing Huang Shitou and covering his mouth. “Are you trying to get us killed? Your brother isn’t human anymore, you know!” Huang Shitou’s tears rolled down. Everyone had noticed Huang Peng’s strange movements long ago.
Liu Dashao felt certain this wasn’t just a corpse walking. The whole place felt eerie beyond comprehension. He racked his brain but couldn’t make sense of it.
Huang Peng slowly approached the centipede, expressionless. The centipede circled him a few times, then suddenly reared up, touching its head against Huang Peng’s belly. It turned, raising its metallic, lustrous tail. Watching the centipede’s bizarre behavior, the group felt dry-mouthed and uneasy.
Suddenly, the centipede lunged forward and bit Huang Peng! Huang Shitou broke free from Fan Debiao’s grip, crying out, “Brother!”
The commotion startled the centipede, which dropped from Huang Peng and turned toward the hiding place of the group. A hissing sound filled the air as the grass and bushes on both sides flattened. Before the centipede even arrived, two streams of black mist shot toward them.
Liu Dashao shouted, and the group, already pale with fear, took off running. Fan Debiao, always the fastest, turned and bolted like a tiger or a charging bull, leaving the others ten meters behind. Liu Dashao groaned, “Why are these guys so fast? They’ve never trained in lightness techniques!”
Su Yougui ran second, wind whistling past his ears, when he suddenly remembered something—the forest had a maze of illusions. Should they go in or not? As he hesitated, Fan Debiao had already disappeared ahead.
Just as they were caught between choices, a dark shadow suddenly appeared head-on. Su Yougui nearly jumped out of his skin, yelling “Oh no!” as he collided with it. The others rushed over—“Oh no! It’s Fan Debiao!” He clutched his jaw while Su Yougui rubbed his head, both wincing from the pain.
Fan Debiao, his jaw injured, waved frantically, shouting, “Water… water…”
Huang Shitou quickly handed him his water bottle. But Fan Debiao, sweating with frustration, cried out, “Not water… retreat… retreat!”
Liu Dashao asked, “Why?”
Still in pain, Fan Debiao rolled aside, mumbling, “Something worse is coming from behind!”
The five stood stunned, instinctively looking down the valley. The centipede had already climbed over the big rock and was heading their way. Further ahead, the forest echoed with the sound of grass being flattened and a rasping wheeze. They exchanged glances, hearts sinking. They had no idea what awaited them—life or death.
Just as they stood clueless, the grass parted in front of them, revealing a green triangular snake head. The head was as big as a man’s fist, with a fleshy crest on top about a foot long, colorful like a cockscomb flower. Ge Shuanwa gasped, “Oh my god, a cockscomb snake! So big!”
No one needed commands anymore. They stumbled toward Fan Debiao. The snake slithered forward proudly, nearly three meters long, thick as a man’s arm, and completely ignoring them.
Ge Shuanwa muttered, “They say a cockscomb snake grows an inch a year. How many centuries must this one have lived?”
Liu Dashao felt bitter inside. He had heard legends as a child: a snake with a cockscomb crest loved climbing high, looking up at the sky. If someone passed below, it would feel superior and strike, its venom deadly—“morning chopsticks, noon coffin.” If you had to pass under it, you had to throw your shoes higher than the snake, so it would angrily slither away.
Whether true or not, Liu Dashao quietly took off one shoe and held it.
The snake paid no attention to them, wheezing like a bellows, and slithered into the valley. Fan Debiao, terrified of snakes, whispered to Liu Dashao, “Master Liu, this snake looks so evil. Is there any trick to it? And damn, it stinks worse than my sweaty feet!”
Su Yougui added, “Its stench alone could kill a man. Must be super poisonous!”
Liu Dashao blushed, and seeing no one watching, quietly put his shoe back on. He turned and said, “Let’s go. This snake isn’t after us. Let’s follow it and see what happens.”
Everyone hesitated. Huang Shitou, worried about his brother, said, “Let’s go. This snake isn’t scary at all!”
Fan Debiao asked, surprised, “How do you know? Have you seen it before?”
Huang Shitou bravely replied, “It has asthma. Listen to how loud it wheezes—it can’t run fast!” Everyone nearly collapsed laughing.
Then came the sound of rustling grass—the snake had already descended into the valley. Gathering courage, the group quietly followed.
Under the moonlight, the centipede was still on the big rock, its jaws open. Hearing the snake approach, it lowered its head slightly and began crawling back. The snake, however, moved straight toward the centipede, accelerating, flattening the grass like wind sweeping through.
Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up. “This is interesting! The cockscomb snake might be after the centipede! Let’s follow!”
The five men felt a flicker of hope, recalling the old saying: “When snakes and centipedes fight, we benefit!”
The centipede, sensing danger, raised half its body, jaws wide open, exhaling a faint black mist. Liu Dashao suddenly thought of a steam locomotive he had seen years ago.
The cockscomb snake approached cautiously, coiling several times, its head bobbing. The crest suddenly fanned out like a peacock’s tail. With a loud hiss, the snake reared up nearly a meter high, sending chills down everyone’s spines. Liu Dashao secretly thanked the heavens he hadn’t tried throwing his shoe.
The snake swayed its upper body, hissing. The centipede, not daring to underestimate, waved its dozens of legs and spat out the pearl again. Suspended in the air, it glowed eerily red under the moonlight. The snake, intimidated, lowered itself slightly and moved sideways, avoiding the pearl.
Liu Dashao whispered, “This snake might lose. The centipede has brought out its demon pearl!”
Fan Debiao trembled, “What if it comes back this way? Let’s hide!”
The snake wheezed violently, its neck swelling like swallowing eggs. With a hiss, it spat out a green pearl glowing under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao immediately crouched, “Oh my god, this one’s a demon too! How did we end up meeting two demons tonight?”
Fan Debiao’s eyes widened, “What the hell kind of life is this?”
Huang Shitou burst into tears, “Brother Biao, Brother Ge, Brother Gui, Master Liu, maybe we should go back?” They turned to him, and he whispered, “I think my brother is beyond saving… Even if he survives, he might be a monster. It’s not worth your lives for a dead man… I’m so sorry…”
Under the moonlight, they all felt a mix of fear and sorrow. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth and suddenly said, “I have an idea!”
They all leaned in. Liu Dashao whispered, “No matter who wins between these two demons, we won’t benefit. Let’s set up a formation to confuse them while they’re fighting. Then, at dawn, we can retrieve Huang Peng. What do you think?”
Fan Debiao clenched his teeth, “Fine, let’s do it!”
Liu Dashao, watching the battle, said to Huang Shitou, “Come on, Xiao Shitou, help me draw some talismans…” Huang Shitou thought bitterly, “If I don’t die from the demons, I’ll die from your bloodletting!” But he couldn’t refuse.
Fan Debiao widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Damn it, this evil thing is blocking our path. What should we do?” Ge Shuanwa, holding a broadsword horizontally, asked, “If the five of us charge together, can we take it down? If not, I’ll chop its head off first!”
Liu Dashao shook his head, “I’ve heard that this thing has been around for a long time and can spew poisonous mist. Judging by its posture, it’s probably much older than us!”
As they were discussing, Su Yougui, who was watching from the side, suddenly whispered, “Oh no, it’s spitting…”
Liu Dashao turned around and saw the giant centipede opening its mandibles, emitting two faint black smokes. Soon after, it spat out a small pearl, rolling it between its mandibles, seemingly playing with it under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao broke into a cold sweat, “This thing, it’s really bringing our worst fears to life! It’s already formed a core, it’s become a demon!”
Fan Debiao hurriedly asked, “What’s a core?”
Liu Dashao frowned, “I heard it from my master. Some creatures, after a long time, can form a core. Ordinary practitioners dare not touch such things; if they do, it’s certain death!” Everyone’s faces turned pale with fear. Just as they were caught in a dilemma, they heard something moving in the grass. Looking up, they saw a shirtless young man staggering towards them from the other side of the valley. Under the moonlight, it was unmistakably Huang Peng.
His body was covered with countless scars, his eyes wide open, but with no pupils visible.
Huang Shitou was immediately anxious and opened his mouth to shout. Fan Debiao, recognizing Huang Peng, anticipated this and quickly pulled Huang Shitou into his arms, covering his mouth, whispering, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your brother isn’t alive anymore, don’t you know that?” Tears fell from Huang Shitou’s eyes. It was clear to everyone that Huang Peng wasn’t using his eyes to walk.
Liu Dashao felt that this was definitely not a case of a corpse coming back to life. He sensed that this place was filled with strangeness. His head was about to burst from thinking, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Huang Peng slowly walked up to the centipede, his face expressionless. The centipede circled around him a few times, then raised its body, probing Huang Peng’s belly with its head a few times. It then turned around, raising its metallic tail. Watching the centipede’s bizarre movements, everyone felt their mouths go dry, an indescribable unease in their hearts.
The giant centipede moved a few more times, then suddenly opened its mandibles and bit down on Huang Peng! Huang Shitou immediately broke free from Fan Debiao’s embrace, crying out, “Brother!”
The commotion was loud, and the centipede quickly crawled off Huang Peng, its long feelers probing the air a few times, then it rushed towards the rock where everyone was hiding like the wind. Before it even arrived, two streams of black gas were already spewing towards them.
Liu Dashao shouted, and everyone was terrified. They started running wildly, the sound of their footsteps was astonishing. Fan Debiao, who had already moved to the back, turned and led the charge, running as fast as a tiger or a galloping bull, quickly leaving the others behind by more than ten meters. Liu Dashao lamented, “These guys haven’t practiced any lightness skills, how can they run so much faster than me?”
Su Yougui was running second, the wind whistling past his ears. Suddenly, he remembered something—there was a maze in this forest. Should they go in or not? As he hesitated, Fan Debiao had already run out of sight. Caught in a dilemma, he couldn’t think much and just charged forward.
Suddenly, a black shadow collided head-on with him, scaring Su Yougui out of his wits. He shouted, “Ah!” and they crashed together. The other three caught up and saw, “Ah, isn’t that Fan Debiao?” He was holding his chin, and Su Yougui was rubbing his head, both gasping in pain, tears welling up in their eyes.
Fan Debiao, with his injured chin, couldn’t speak clearly and just waved his hand, shouting, “Water… water…” Huang Shitou quickly handed over the water bottle. Fan Debiao, sweating profusely, said, “Oh, not water… retreat… retreat!”
Liu Dashao urgently asked, “Why?”
Fan Debiao, gasping for breath, scrambled to one side, shouting indistinctly, “Something worse is coming from behind!”
The five of them were stunned and instinctively looked down the valley. They saw the centipede had already crawled over the big rock and was heading towards them. Looking ahead, they suddenly heard the sound of grass being trampled in the forest, along with a sound like a broken bellows. Everyone looked at each other, their hearts filled with dread. At this moment, they truly didn’t know what to do, life and death were uncertain!
Just as they were at a loss, a triangular green snake head emerged from the grass in the forest ahead. The snake’s head was as big as an adult’s fist, with a crown-like growth on top, about a foot long, colorful like a cockscomb. Ge Shuanwa exclaimed in shock, “Damn, a cockscomb snake! And it’s so big!”
At this point, the five of them didn’t need any command; they all stumbled towards Fan Debiao. The snake, about three meters long and as thick as a man’s arm, slithered out with its head held high, completely ignoring them.
Ge Shuanwa muttered, “I heard that a cockscomb snake grows an inch every year. How many years must this one have lived to be so big?” Liu Dashao felt bitter in his heart; tonight, they had encountered all sorts of strange things. He remembered hearing from elders when he was young that there was a type of snake with a cockscomb on its head that loved to climb high and look up at the sky. If someone passed below, it would think you were lower than it and would dart down to bite you, its venom being extremely deadly. It was said that if you encountered such a snake and had to pass under it, you should take off your shoe and throw it higher than the snake. The snake would then get angry and crawl down and leave.
Whether this was true or not, to be on the safe side, Liu Dashao quietly took off one of his shoes and held it in his hand.
The snake didn’t pay any attention to them. It was breathing heavily, making a sound like a bellows, and slithered straight into the valley. Fan Debiao, who was most afraid of snakes, was so scared he didn’t dare to breathe. He grabbed Liu Dashao’s sleeve and said, “Mr. Liu, this snake looks so fierce, is there any significance to it? Also, this snake really stinks, damn it, it’s even worse than my sweaty feet!”
Su Yougui also said, “Damn, just the smell is enough to kill someone, it must be very poisonous!”
Liu Dashao’s face turned red. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly put his shoe back on. He turned around and said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t looking for us, let’s follow it and see what’s going on!” Seeing that everyone looked hesitant, Huang Shitou, who was worried about his brother who was in an unknown state, also said, “Let’s go, this snake isn’t scary at all!” Fan Debiao asked in surprise, “How do you know? Have you seen it before?”
Huang Shitou mustered his courage and said, “This snake has asthma, listen to how loud its breathing is, it definitely can’t run fast…” Everyone was dumbfounded.
They heard the sound of grass being trampled as the snake went down the valley. Gathering their courage, they quietly followed behind to see.
Under the moonlight, the giant centipede was lying on the big rock, its mandibles open. Hearing the sound of the snake approaching, it lowered its head and started crawling back. The snake, however, went straight towards the centipede without deviating, gradually speeding up, pressing the grass on both sides like the wind.
Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up, “There’s something going on, this cockscomb snake might be going to trouble the centipede! Don’t be afraid, let’s follow!”
The five of them looked at each other, their spirits lifted, and they remembered an old saying: when a snake and a centipede fight, we brothers will benefit!
Seeing that the approaching snake had no good intentions, the centipede raised the upper half of its body, its mandibles wide open, emitting a faint black smoke, full of fighting spirit. For some reason, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered the steam locomotive he had seen years ago.
When the cockscomb snake got close, it didn’t dare to attack immediately. It coiled several times, its head constantly nodding, the foot-long crown suddenly opened up like a fan. As the crown opened, the snake hissed and raised its body nearly a meter high, sending chills down everyone’s spines. Liu Dashao secretly felt fortunate that he hadn’t acted on the idea of throwing his shoe at the snake’s head earlier, otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to think about the consequences now.
The snake coiled on the ground, its upper body swaying back and forth, hissing continuously. The centipede, seeing the aggressiveness of the opponent, didn’t dare to take it lightly. Its dozens of legs moved, and it spat out the pearl again, suspending it in the air, moving it in and out. The pearl rolled between the centipede’s mandibles, emitting a strange red light under the moonlight. The snake’s raised body softened, and it slithered to the side, as if avoiding the pearl.
Liu Dashao secretly thought, “This snake is probably going to lose, that demon centipede has already used its demon pearl!”
Fan Debiao immediately started trembling in fear, “Will it retreat from here? Let’s get out of the way first… as the saying goes, a good man doesn’t fight with a snake…”
The cockscomb snake was breathing rapidly, its neck thickening as if swallowing one egg after another. The hissing sound was continuous. The snake opened its mouth and spat out a green pearl, glowing green under the moonlight.
Liu Dashao immediately squatted down, “Oh my god, this one is also a demon… how did we run into two demons at once?”
Hearing this, Fan Debiao’s eyes widened, “Damn it, this… this… can people still live like this?”
Huang Shitou suddenly shed tears, “Brother Biao, Brother Ge, Brother Gui, Mr. Liu, maybe we should go back?” Everyone turned to look at him, and they heard Huang Shitou softly crying, “I think my brother is probably beyond saving… even if we save him, he might be a monster… this, this, for a dead person, to make you all worry so much… I… I really feel bad…”
Under the moonlight, everyone’s hearts were filled with half fear and half sorrow. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth for a while, then suddenly said, “I have an idea!”
Everyone perked up their ears. Liu Dashao whispered, “No matter which of these two demons wins, it won’t be good for us. Why don’t we take advantage of their fight, I’ll set up a formation to confuse the demon, so it won’t have the mind to trouble us. Then we’ll wait until morning and take that… Huang Peng out, what do you think?”
Fan Debiao gritted his teeth, “Whatever you say, we’ll do it!”
Liu Dashao, while watching the snake and centipede battle, said to Huang Shitou, “Come, Little Stone, let’s draw a few more talismans…” Huang Shitou thought, if this continues, we’ll die from blood loss before the demons get us! But everyone came to this ghostly place for my sake, how can I refuse?
Liu Dashao drew a few talismans on some newspaper, then crouched and slipped out from beside the rock. Fan Debiao and the others nervously watched the fierce battle in the field. The cockscomb snake, having spat out its core, was in high spirits, raising its triangular head high, looking down at the giant centipede, its tail slapping the ground loudly. The centipede, not to be outdone, opened its mandibles, spewed poisonous mist, then moved its legs swiftly, attacking the snake’s coiled body.
The snake, having raised its body too high earlier to show off, was caught off guard by the attack on its lower body. It twisted its body to the side, almost dropping the pearl from its mouth. Having suffered this setback, the snake’s anger intensified, hissing loudly. It lowered its body, its head darting like an arrow, biting towards the centipede. The bite was as fast as lightning. The centipede couldn’t dodge in time and was bitten on the top of its head. The sound of scraping bones was ear-piercing, making everyone’s teeth ache. The bite didn’t penetrate the centipede’s shell, and the centipede, in shock, quickly moved to the left, its dozens of legs trampling the grass.
Liu Dashao held his breath, slowly moving to the edge of the battlefield where the snake and centipede were fighting. He listened to the commotion in the field while placing a talisman under a small rock. He thought proudly, “With this cessation talisman around, no matter how powerful you are, you’ll be confused for a while!” The cessation talisman, also known as the ghost-leading talisman, is a charm used to guide ghosts. It’s said that ghosts and demons of a certain level don’t use their eyes to move. To guide a ghost, one must artificially change the flow of yin and yang energy in a place, making the ghost go where you want it to. Liu Dashao placed the guiding talisman upside down, deliberately making it difficult for the ghost to find its way. The ghost would be unable to find its way due to the sudden change in the surrounding yin and yang energy. Liu Dashao believed he could trap the demon for the night.
Liu Dashao placed the talismans all around, only missing one spot that was too close to the cockscomb snake. He didn’t dare to take the risk and carefully watched the commotion in the field. At this moment, the cockscomb snake was gaining the upper hand. Its head kept striking, each time aiming for the centipede’s vital points. The centipede couldn’t withstand the attacks, and even its pearl became somewhat dim. It could only retreat continuously!
The cockscomb snake was moving further and further away from that spot.
Liu Dashao was overjoyed and quickly crouched and ran, but he didn’t notice something under his feet, tripped, and fell into the grass, hitting his forehead on a small rock. The pain made Liu Dashao want to cry out… He didn’t dare to make a loud noise, listening carefully, the snake and centipede were fighting fiercely and didn’t notice him. He secretly felt fortunate. He then went to see what had tripped him.
He was shocked to see it was Huang Peng! His body was all black, no wonder he didn’t notice it while running. Huang Peng had been swept by the centipede earlier, how did his skin and flesh turn into this? But now he was definitely dead, as Liu Dashao kicked him with his toe and found his muscles had stiffened, nothing like the living person he had fought with that night.
Liu Dashao let out a long breath, somewhat grateful to the centipede demon for solving this troublesome matter. To be honest, dealing with something that was neither dead nor alive was a headache for Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao turned to place the talisman. Suddenly, he felt a movement behind him, and before he could turn around, a huge force pulled him backward from his belt. Liu Dashao, unprepared, was flipped over. He panicked and turned his head to see Huang Peng’s face right next to his, his black eyes with white pupils staring motionlessly at him. Before Liu Dashao could react, Huang Peng opened his mouth and bit straight at Liu Dashao’s throat!
Liu Dashao let out a pig-like scream, bursting with tremendous strength, pushing Huang Peng’s head away, his body springing up like a bow. With a ‘snap’, he felt his belt loosen, and looking back, he saw a small piece of his belt broken in Huang Peng’s black claws. He pulled up his pants, tore off a few talismans from his body, and slapped them onto Huang Peng, regardless of whether they would work or not.
Huang Peng let out a wail, stood up, and ran straight to a large rock behind the stone wall, then suddenly disappeared. Seeing this bizarre scene, Liu Dashao didn’t dare to chase, only holding up his pants, a thought flashing through his mind: Oh no, how could I forget about those two ancestors in the field?
The cockscomb snake, having scored several bites, was feeling proud when it suddenly heard a loud noise behind it, froze, and didn’t react. The centipede, having been waiting for this opportunity, didn’t give it a chance to recover. It raised its head and bit the snake’s seven-inch spot. A stream of foul snake blood gushed out, drenching the pearl on the centipede’s feelers. The pearl brightened again. The snake, having its vital point attacked, was in great pain. It twisted its body, tightly coiling around the centipede. The centipede didn’t loosen its bite, and as the snake blood continued to flow, the snake gradually lost strength, its coiled body loosening.
Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa were quite loyal, having already run over from the rock to help Liu Dashao.
At this moment, they saw the centipede slowly crawl to the snake’s head, swallowing the dim green pearl in one gulp. It shook its head and legs excitedly, its long feelers swaying happily. The snake was its mortal enemy, often provoking it, with victories and defeats on both sides. Tonight, it had finally killed the snake and swallowed its core! The centipede was extremely proud, but suddenly remembered the earlier noise. It raised its feelers and stood up again, trying to find the source of the noise. As it raised its head, it suddenly felt the surrounding energy was chaotic, the once familiar valley now seemed completely different.
Liu Dashao said, “My cessation talisman fell, help me find it!” At this moment, Huang Shitou and Su Yougui saw the centipede circling in the field, knowing the talisman had taken effect. They calmed down and quickly ran to Liu Dashao’s side. Fan Debiao turned on the miner’s lamp, searching in the grass, but where could he find it? Huang Shitou asked, “Isn’t the centipede already lost? Why do we still need the talisman?” Liu Dashao said, “We’re still missing one, this old demon won’t be trapped for long!” Huang Shitou timidly asked, “Mr. Liu, was that my brother earlier?”
Liu Dashao jumped three feet high, “Oh no!” Scaring Hu Beikang and Su Yougui, who turned to run, thinking some ghost had appeared again. Fan Debiao was sweating profusely, “Mr. Liu, why are you always so jumpy? We haven’t been scared by the monsters, but we might be scared to death by you!”
Liu Dashao slapped his forehead, “I was thinking, I might have slapped the talisman onto Huang Peng earlier!”
Huang Shitou, hearing that it was indeed his brother, his eyes turned red, “How did my brother turn into a black man again…”
The snake, caught off guard, twisted its body sideways, nearly dropping its pearl. Enraged, it hissed loudly and lunged like an arrow, biting the centipede’s head. The sound of scraping shell made their teeth ache. The centipede dodged left, legs kicking up grass.
Liu Dashao crept to the battlefield, placing a talisman with a stone. He smirked, “This ‘Rest Talisman’ will confuse even the strongest demon!”
He placed talismans carefully, except one too close to the snake. Suddenly, he tripped, falling into the grass, hitting his head. He groaned silently. Looking down, he froze—it was Huang Peng, his body blackened. Liu Dashao kicked him, finding his muscles stiff. “Thank you, old demon,” he thought.
Suddenly, a force yanked Liu Dashao from behind. He turned to see Huang Peng’s face, eyes white and motionless, lunging at his throat!
Liu Dashao screamed, pushing Huang Peng away. His belt snapped, half the strap in Huang Peng’s claw. He grabbed his pants, slapping talismans on Huang Peng. Huang Peng screamed and fled behind a rock, vanishing.
Liu Dashao thought, “Oh no, I forgot the two demons!”
The snake, triumphant, suddenly heard the commotion. The centipede seized the chance, biting the snake’s vital spot. Blood spurted, reviving the pearl. The snake, in pain, wrapped around the centipede, but weakened, eventually loosened its grip.
Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa rushed to help Liu Dashao.
The centipede swallowed the green pearl, shaking joyfully. It suddenly sensed the chaotic energy, the valley unrecognizable.
Liu Dashao shouted, “My Rest Talisman is missing! Help me find it!”
The group searched, but couldn’t find it. Huang Shitou asked, “Won’t the centipede be lost without the talisman?”
Liu Dashao replied, “One talisman missing—the old demon will escape soon!”
Huang Shitou asked, “Was that my brother just now?”
Liu Dashao jumped, “Oh no! I must’ve slapped the talisman on Huang Peng!”
Huang Shitou’s eyes turned red, “Why did my brother turn black again?”
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