Chapter 424: Demon Snake

Amid the gasps of the crowd, Han Li, who had been on guard all along, flicked his other hand. The Green Glow Sword shot out, clashing with the black shadow.

Instantly, the shadow was knocked back to the edge of the pool, where it raised its head, flicking its tongue as it coldly stared at the group.

“A Crown Serpent? But why does the crown on its head look like a Sevencolor Lotus?” Hu Yue stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief as he recognized the true form of the black shadow.

The shadow by the pool was indeed a bizarre, jet-black snake, three to four feet long, with a fleshy horn on its head. The snake flicked a crimson tongue, and the upper part of the fleshy horn bore a tri-colored bud, resembling a delicate little flower growing from its skull—an almost ludicrous sight.

As for the rainbow, it was actually a series of mesmerizing, lingering seven-colored demonic qi exhaled by the snake. It looked exactly like a real rainbow, fooling the eyes of so many cultivators.

When Shi Die clearly saw the snake’s true form, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Without a word, she raised her hand and released a purple cloud handkerchief. The artifact shot toward the demon snake with a roaring sound.

“Be careful! This snake is extremely venomous. You’re no match for it!” Jin Qing exclaimed, his face paling as he urgently spoke. He then released a large white seal, which transformed into a streak of white light to assist in the attack.

The demon snake’s eyes were icy cold. Seeing the two artifacts coming at it, it opened its mouth and spat out a seven-colored pearl, emitting a dazzling radiance that blocked the large seal and the purple handkerchief, preventing them from advancing even an inch.

At this moment, Hu Yue finally snapped out of his despair over the sudden loss of the treasure. After a brief hesitation, he sent two flying swords, transformed into long rainbows, joining the battle.

Instantly, three streaks of white light, one purple glow, and a mass of seven-colored radiance intertwined before the demon snake.

The snake showed no fear! With a few strange croaks, it spat out several mouthfuls of colorful mist. As soon as the group’s magical treasures and artifacts touched the mist, they immediately dimmed.

“How can this fiend be so powerful? Could it be a mutated demon?” Jin Qing said, somewhat horrified at the sight.

But as soon as his words fell, a blood-red streak shot from one side, flashing through the colorful mist and striking the fleshy crown of the demon snake.

A thumb-sized hole appeared there in an instant.

The demon creature let out a strange cry, writhing in pain on the bluestone ground. Then, coiling its body, it shot toward the jade pool.

But at that moment, an emerald-green flying sword descended from the sky, piercing the snake’s head into the bluestone ground with lightning speed. The snake thrashed its tail wildly but could no longer move an inch.

This was Han Li and Qu Hun suddenly making their move from the side.

Apart from Qu Hun using a Blood Spirit Drill, Han Li deliberately suppressed the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning in the Emerald Swarm Sword to prevent anyone from recognizing that the sword was forged from Heavenly Lightning Bamboo.

Seeing the demon snake subdued by Han Li, Jin Qing and the others finally relaxed.

They used their magical treasures to slowly force the seven-colored demon pearl down. After a brief discussion, Shi Die stored the pearl in her storage pouch.

Then, the group cautiously approached the demon snake.

“This is indeed a Crown Serpent, but its crown seems to have been deliberately crafted to resemble a Sevencolor Lotus. It’s definitely not natural,” Hu Yue remarked, eyeing the snake still struggling desperately under the small sword, a look of confusion on his face.

“Clearly, this Sevencolor Lotus was a trap, likely set specifically for the skeletal figure. We’ve just fallen for it again,” Jin Qing agreed with a bitter smile.

Han Li stood silently to the side, glancing at the demon snake and then at the skeletal figure’s damaged right hand.

He couldn’t help but imagine the scene: someone, overjoyed, reaching to pick the Sevencolor Lotus, only for the venomous demon snake to suddenly leap from the pool, biting their finger and dragging them into the poisonous waters.

A chill ran down Han Li’s spine! Looking at the small arrow on the skeleton, it was clear the mastermind had further contingencies. This schemer had truly been meticulous!

With a “thud,” the Crown Serpent’s head and body were severed by a cold gleam. Shi Die, her expression dark and cold, stood nearby holding a short sword.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly.

He knew that her hatred for the snake stemmed from her ruined appearance. Even if this Crown Serpent wasn’t the direct cause, it was certainly one of the culprits. For a woman, her appearance was likely as precious as her life.

Han Li shook his head lightly, beckoned with his hand, and the small sword flew back into his body, unstained.

Then, his gaze returned to the arrow on the skeleton.

The foot-long arrow’s emerald color, at first glance, closely resembled Han Li’s Emerald Swarm Sword, but upon closer inspection, there were slight differences.

Han Li’s flying sword had a bright, gleaming emerald hue, while the arrow carried a faint black aura, as if tainted or refined by some evil art.

“Fellow Daoist Han, should we check elsewhere? Perhaps there are more discoveries to be made?” Hu Yue asked, seeing Han Li still intent on studying the skeleton. Clearly, he was unwilling to return empty-handed.

“Feel free to go ahead, Fellow Daoists. Qu and I will remain in the hall,” Han Li replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

Hearing this, Hu Yue was somewhat surprised. After glancing at the skeleton and the emerald arrow, he hesitated but ultimately didn’t move.

Jin Qing and Shi Die, seeing this, also remained silent and did not leave.

After their earlier encounter, who knew if there were other dangers in the cave dwelling? Naturally, staying together felt safer.

Moreover, they had begun to suspect that the arrow was no ordinary object. Otherwise, Han Li, who already seemed somewhat mysterious to them, wouldn’t be examining it so intently.

“Fellow Daoist Han, do you think this place might not be an ancient cultivator’s site at all, but a trap set up by someone?” Jin Qing suddenly asked in a grave tone.

“No, this should indeed be an ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling. Otherwise, it would be too coincidental for the two of you to find the pearls and locate this place. It’s just that someone else got here first and used it to set up a trap,” Han Li replied, shaking his head.

“So, does that mean there are no treasures here?” Shi Die’s voice was icy.

Han Li showed a hint of regret. Though he said nothing, his silence was an admission.

Jin Qing and Hu Yue exchanged glances, their expressions shifting slightly.

Especially Hu Yue—not only had he gained nothing from this trip, but one of the two he had invited had her face ruined, and the other had perished. By all measures, this treasure hunt had been a failure.

Just as everyone fell into silence, a faint, almost imperceptible moan came from the direction of the pool.

Hearing this, all the cultivators were startled and turned to look.

The corpse of Cultivator Jian, who should have been dead for some time, was slowly climbing out of the pool, limbs flailing, while indistinct moans issued from its skeletal mouth.

Everyone was dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances.

As cultivators, they wouldn’t be too surprised if some malevolent spirit appeared—they’d likely immediately set about vanquishing it. But this was the body of a companion who had entered the cave with them not long ago. How could his spirit remain, even with his body in such a state?

Uncertain whether they were facing a man or a ghost, Hu Yue and the others hesitated.

As Cultivator Jian’s corpse slowly crawled out of the pool and began moving straight toward them, Hu Yue seemed to sense something amiss and shouted urgently, “Whether you’re human or ghost, don’t come any closer. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite.” With a flick of his sleeves, his pair of flying swords shot out, hovering around him.

Jin Qing and Shi Die also grew wary, staring intently at the approaching figure.

As soon as Hu Yue finished speaking, Cultivator Jian’s corpse halted, standing motionless in place. Hu Yue and the others breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But Han Li, watching coldly from the side, had a bad feeling. He quietly flipped his palm, gripping something tightly.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

Cultivator Jian’s corpse suddenly pushed off with its feet, its skeletal body lunging fiercely toward the group.

Hu Yue and Jin Qing’s expressions changed drastically. Without thinking, they unleashed their magical treasures. Two white streaks and one white light simultaneously struck the corpse, causing it to explode instantly—it was astonishingly fragile!

Hu Yue felt a moment of relief, but then a breeze brushed past him, followed by a chill in his back. A pale bony hand emerged from his abdomen, clutching a pea-sized, brilliant blue pellet.