Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I leaned against Jiang Haoyan’s solid chest, hearing the rapid thumping of his heart within. A shiver ran through me, and goosebumps broke out across my arms.

“Ugh, who are you trying to gross out?”

I am the dignified Feng Sect Master, the only contemporary Earth Master successor, and he calls me cute?

Barf.

I slapped Jiang Haoyan’s back in annoyance, but my hand brushed against the canvas bag he was carrying. I froze for a moment.

I fumbled with the zipper and pulled out a flashlight. I clicked the switch, and instantly, light flooded back into my vision.

“You had a flashlight and didn’t take it out sooner!”

I gripped the flashlight and swept it around. My line of sight still revealed a vast, empty palace without even a wall in sight. The southeast corner was particularly dark, as if it could swallow the light itself.

For some reason, my scalp began to tingle.

“Jiang Haoyan, let’s head back first.”

Jiang Haoyan shook his head, hesitating. “Qiao Moyu, there’s someone sitting over there.”

Jiang Haoyan pointed toward the southeast corner. I swung the flashlight over, but it remained a mass of thick darkness. However, from within that darkness came a “crunch, crunch” sound of chewing, as if some animal were gnawing on cartilage.

This was the first time he could see something that I couldn’t.

My heart hammered against my ribs, and I grabbed Jiang Haoyan’s hand.

“Whatever it is, we’re leaving now.”

But Jiang Haoyan seemed possessed. He shook his head stubbornly and even started dragging me toward the corner.

“It’s a woman. We have to save her.”

Jiang Haoyan was incredibly strong. Being dragged along by him, I couldn’t break free at all. In my desperation, I pulled out the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman and aimed it at the southeast corner.

A bolt of lightning crashed down, splitting the dense darkness in two. Finally, I saw her.

A woman with long hair cascading over her shoulders was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her profile turned toward us.

She was surrounded by countless Man-eating Snakes. She held a snake in her hand, unhurriedly stuffing it into her mouth and chewing.

She bit down on the fleshy growth on the snake’s head, sending black pus splattering everywhere. The entire body of the snake instantly turned to ash. Her cheeks bulged as she ate the Snake Crowns one by one, the ground around her covered in foul-smelling fluids.

As if sensing our gaze, she suddenly stopped. She slowly wiped her mouth and then let out a girlish, trilling giggle.

While laughing, she reached out a hand toward Jiang Haoyan, though her face remained turned away in profile.

“Come here.”

As if under a spell, Jiang Haoyan wrenched his hand from mine and walked toward her.

“Jiang Haoyan, don’t go over there! Don’t go!”

No matter how much I shouted, Jiang Haoyan remained indifferent. In my panic, I took out the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman and blasted the woman again.

But when the lightning fell, it only dispersed the black mist surrounding her. She remained sitting on the ground, completely unharmed, and shot me a contemptuous look.

Jiang Haoyan had already reached her and was half-kneeling on the ground. The woman smiled, reaching out to stroke Jiang Haoyan’s face.

Her fingers were long and slender, but each finger was actually a Man-eating Snake, flicking its tongue and licking Jiang Haoyan’s face in a frenzy.

Jiang Haoyan closed his eyes, an intoxicated expression appearing on his face.

The woman giggled again.

“Good boy. Stay here with me.”

I flew into a rage.

“To hell with that! He’s mine!”

Even though I didn’t want to take him as a disciple yet, the kid was brave and willing to risk his life. Keeping him around as a backup disciple was fine-who knew, maybe he’d have an epiphany one day?

I gripped the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman tightly, bit the tip of my finger, and smeared the blood onto the token while chanting under my breath.

“Heavenly Emperor’s Decree, Summon the Thunder God. Reach the Infinite above, suppress the Netherworld below.”

“Come to the Altar and Heed the Command, Slay Evil Spirits. Where the Talisman’s Order Reaches, Urgently Obey.”

“Go!”

I thrust the token forward. Suddenly, countless bolts of lightning rained down from above, forming a net of electricity that enveloped the woman.

The entire hall was illuminated. Only then did I realize the woman was actually pregnant, her belly looking about eight or nine months along.

She clutched her stomach, tilted her head back, and let out a shrill, piercing scream.

All the surrounding Man-eating Snakes instinctively swarmed toward her, coiling around her body. They were blasted to ash by the lightning, only for another layer of snakes to cover her.

Soon, more and more snakes entwined themselves, forming a massive ball of serpents that shielded the woman within.

As lightning continued to crackle and fall, I rushed over, pulled Jiang Haoyan up, and turned to run. After a few steps, I looked back. In the deep darkness of the hall, a giant python was slowly crawling out from the shadows.

Its head was even larger than the python in the pit from before. Its vertical pupils were larger than car headlights, staring at me with pure malice.

I immediately raised the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman.

The giant python paused, seemingly lost in thought for a second, before slowly crawling toward the woman. It used its massive body to coil around the ball of snakes layer by layer, completely ignoring the fact that the lightning was tearing its flesh open.

I breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed Jiang Haoyan’s hand, and ran as fast as I could.