Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The moment it touched the water, brown flesh suddenly began to grow from the severed end of that head. The skin and meat writhed as they spread backward, gradually extending until they formed a complete lizard body.

Staring at the monster before me-a lizard’s body with a human head-I was on the verge of a breakdown.

“What the hell is that thing?!”

The lizard man opened his mouth, and an eighteen-meter-long tongue shot out.

Kidding. It was a bright red tongue about half a meter long, with rows of sharp white teeth growing along both sides like a steel saw. It swept straight toward my calf.

I immediately jumped in place.

But I forgot that I was standing in water. My pants were soaked and clinging to my legs, and with the surface tension of the water, my jumping power was cut by at least half.

That jump wasn’t enough to dodge in time. My pants were instantly sliced open, and blood snaked down my calf.

The tongue’s momentum didn’t stop. It carved an arc through the water and swept toward me again. I had no time for any other reaction, so I planted my feet in a firm horse stance, clenched my fist, and slammed it down hard just as it came within reach.

With that punch, the man let out a shrill scream.

I distinctly felt the back of my hand hit something sticky. The next second, the tongue split down the middle into two strands, separating left and right. Like vines, they wrapped around both of my calves, then yanked hard.

A tremendous force pulled me forward. I instantly lost my balance and fell into the water.

The lizard man dragged me through the water at high speed. Instinctively, I flailed my arms and struggled wildly. Water that reached my thighs was already deep enough to drown me.

The more critical the situation, the less I could afford to panic. I held my breath and forced my eyes open.

The surface of the water was murky. A dark shadow suddenly appeared in my vision.

I immediately tightened my thighs, then bent forward with all my strength, thrusting both hands out and grabbing hold of that shadow.

It was one of the wooden pillars beneath a stilt house.

Using it, I managed to get my body above the water. I clung tightly to the pillar with one hand, while the other reached into my bag and pulled out a dagger. Then I swung it hard at the lizard tongue between my legs.

“Skree-”

The tongue was cut in two. The lizard man screamed and swiftly retracted the remaining half of it.

Standing in the water, I pressed myself tightly against the wooden pillar and gasped for air in great mouthfuls.

The lizard man had disappeared to who knew where. The water’s surface was completely calm. Cautiously, I swept my gaze around.

Dark clouds filled the sky overhead, rolling in layered masses. Everything was shrouded in a gray haze.

Realization struck me.

We were still in the Mirror World. This was definitely not the village outside!

Damn that Wei Wuyang. He actually dared to trick us.

But when we came in just now, this was exactly how we’d entered. Why couldn’t we get out the same way? I stared blankly at the reflection in the water, looking up one moment and down the next.

A thought seemed to flash through my mind, but when I tried to grasp it, it scattered like a wisp of smoke.

Forget it. I had to find Lu Lingzhu and the others first.

“Lu Lingzhu-Jiang Haoyan-”

I shouted their names as I walked forward. This time, however, I was even more cautious than before. I held the Peach Wood Sword in one hand and the dagger in the other, using the Peach Wood Sword like a walking stick to probe the water ahead of me, just in case any lizard men were hiding below.

After walking for about ten minutes, the sound of splashing grew louder up ahead.

I narrowed my eyes and saw Lu Lingzhu and the others wading through the water, arms spread wide, charging toward me with great enthusiasm.

“Qiao Moyu-”

A wave of disgust rolled through me.

“What are you doing with this act? Are you crazy? Don’t even think about hugging me!”

Lu Lingzhu snapped, “Hug my ass! Run!”

I turned sideways and looked. Behind the three of them was a dense swarm of human heads.

I immediately turned and ran.

“Why is your luck so bad? How do you run into this many monsters every single time?”

The words had barely left my mouth when Song Feifei let out a scream. Several tongues wrapped around her body and dragged her away.

I had no choice but to turn back and save her. I lunged over and hacked those tongues apart with my dagger. But that brief delay was enough for the lizard men to surround us on all sides.