Chapter 119: Stay and Pay with Your Life

After Ao Xuan was swallowed alive, Zhou Qing and Long Aotian continued to slay countless giant pythons and smaller snakes outside the formation. Then the red python that had devoured Ao Xuan appeared on the sloping mountain wall above the formation.

Suspended from an ancient tree on the mountainside, the red python opened its maw toward the formation and spat out a human figure, who flew from its mouth and landed against the pale yellow barrier outside the formation.

Seeing the figure emerge from the python’s mouth, there was no doubt who it was. Witnessing this, Long Aotian hurled his longsword toward the top of the formation, piercing straight through the python’s body.

Yet even pierced by the blade, the giant python did not die; it merely bled onto the formation and then vanished along the mountain wall, clinging to the old tree.

Having thrown his sword, Long Aotian dashed to the edge of the formation and caught Ao Xuan, whom the red python had expelled. He carried him to the boundary of the formation.

Within the formation, Jing Yun and Jing Xue, seeing this, performed strange hand seals and tapped a few times on the flags that composed the array. Long Aotian was thus able to cross the boundary, carrying Ao Xuan inside.

Though Ao Xuan’s body was intact after being swallowed and spat out, it was covered in a layer of viscous white stomach fluids.

Long Aotian laid Ao Xuan's corpse against the mountain wall, let out a roar, and drew from his spatial pouch a paper sword, one foot long and covered in runes. He charged out toward the formation once more.

At this moment, Zhou Qing stood at the edge, having just severed a serpent’s head. He saw Long Aotian emerge from the formation, his face full of sorrow, and wanted to offer words of comfort. Yet remembering Long Aotian’s temperament, he ultimately remained silent.

Once Long Aotian left the formation, he made a hand seal and tapped the rune-covered paper sword. Then he flung it into the air, where it burst into flames. After three breaths, the paper sword vanished, and the firelight condensed into a ball of red glow that landed in Long Aotian’s hand. He squeezed it, and the glow transformed into a faintly luminous, phantom longsword.

As the phantom sword formed, a giant snake lunged at Long Aotian. He cast the sword through the air, and it became a streak of red light, plunging straight into the serpent’s body.

Moments later, the red glow emerged from the snake’s belly and returned to Long Aotian’s hand, once more taking the shape of the longsword, while the serpent collapsed, barely alive.

Under Zhou Qing and Long Aotian’s relentless slaughter, the pile of serpent corpses at the edge of the formation grew ever higher—soon nearly a foot deep. Within the formation, the ground was already awash in bright red snake blood.

Meanwhile, countless small snakes continued to slither toward their position from the surrounding woods, seemingly endless.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing began to weigh their options. The mountain forest by the gorge seemed to be a veritable serpent’s den. Though many snakes had appeared, none as powerful or large as the one whose shed skin they’d seen before nightfall, when they first arrived. Given the inexhaustible swarm, it would not be surprising if there were serpent demons here who had taken human form.

If they lingered any longer, the situation would only deteriorate.

As Zhou Qing was about to speak, from the distant woods came the sound of splitting trees, accompanied by a low, menacing hiss.

At that sound, the endless stream of small snakes halted, raising their heads and flicking their tongues toward the group.

Thousands upon thousands of snakes, both small and giant, were silenced by the hiss as if they had all received a command, stopping in unison.

Zhou Qing retreated to the edge of the formation, watching the direction from which the disturbance came, while Long Aotian, holding his phantom sword, joined him.

After a moment, the sound grew louder—the crack of an old tree breaking. Behind it, two blood-red eyes, as large as lanterns, appeared in the darkness of the forest.

In the blink of an eye, a giant snake, thick enough that three or four people could barely encircle it, emerged from the shadows.

Atop its head stood a human figure.

Zhou Qing saw at once that this serpent was even larger than the dragon they had encountered at Ghost King Lake.

As the giant snake appeared, several smaller, but still formidable, serpents also emerged at the edge of the forest.

The giant snake stopped in plain sight, and the figure atop its head leaped to the ground, walking toward the foot of the mountain.

Drawing near, Zhou Qing saw it was a woman dressed in white. Tears glistened in her eyes as she gazed at the piles of snake corpses, her face etched with grief.

Though she appeared human, Zhou Qing could sense a powerful demonic aura emanating from her even at a distance.

Seeing the tearful woman in white, Zhou Qing and the others simply watched her silently.

“You…you are far too cruel,” she said, her voice trembling with anger.

“Demon, we are merely passing through. Had these snakes not attacked us first, this would never have happened,” Long Aotian replied, his own voice laced with fury. He glanced at Ao Xuan within the formation and continued, “Tonight my junior brother was killed here. Even if I slaughter every demon among you, it will not ease the hatred in my heart.”

With those words, Long Aotian hurled his sword through the air at the woman in white.

The phantom blade became a streak of red light, shooting toward her. As it neared, she simply raised her hand and touched the red glow with her fingertip. The sword’s image dissolved into countless sparks and faded. Long Aotian spat blood and collapsed onto the mound of serpent corpses.

The sword Long Aotian had used was forged from his own spiritual blood, manifesting as a spiritual blade. Now that the sword was destroyed, he suffered backlash and was left in dire straits.

Seeing this, Yun Ruo rushed from the formation, lifting Long Aotian from the ground and placing a white pill, the size of a thumbnail, into his mouth.

“None of you will leave here alive today. All of you shall pay with your lives,” the woman in white shouted fiercely. Her figure flickered, ghost-like, and in the blink of an eye, she was at the edge of the formation, seizing Long Aotian by the throat.

“Stop—” Yun Ruo managed to utter a single word before the woman in white swept her sleeve, sending Yun Ruo crashing against the mountain wall.

“Yun Ruo—” Lin Yunxi hurried to her side, helping her up from the ground.

Zhou Qing moved swiftly, rushing to join Lin Yunxi and her fellow disciple.

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