Fear Beneath the Scales

The azure serpent-dragon poked its enormous head out of the cave, though the rest of its massive body remained hidden within.

"What's that serpent-dragon waiting for outside the cave?" Chen Jinshu furrowed her brows in confusion.

"It must be afraid of something," Du Yi answered.

"Afraid? After devouring an entire village?" Jiang Daoyu frowned at Du Yi's reasoning.

If the serpent-dragon truly feared anything, it wouldn't have slaughtered thousands of people from the village.

"Maybe it's afraid of heavenly punishment—for having consumed too many humans?"

"I've heard my master say that while this hidden realm is a small world of its own, its laws of heaven and earth are incomplete. There is no heavenly punishment here," Jiang Daoyu shook his head. "What it fears isn't heaven—it's the senior cultivator who once protected this village."

"That makes sense! The two serpent demons must've been connected. One of them was suppressed by that human senior, and its soul was obliterated—something the surviving serpent sensed. That's probably why it's afraid."

"Then we should take advantage of that fear and leave now!" Chen Jinshu proposed quickly.

The demon had already absorbed the life force of so many humans that its cultivation had reached an overwhelming level. None of the three had even formed their Foundation yet—if they fought it directly, they wouldn't stand a chance.

"You're right, Junior Sister! Let's—"

Before Du Yi could finish, a heavy breath rolled over them, followed by Jiang Daoyu's warning:

"We're too late!"

All three turned to see the serpent-dragon's enormous head looming right in front of them. Its scarlet eyes gleamed with hunger, drool pooling beneath its mouth and trickling down the mountain like a stream.

"Scatter!" Jiang Daoyu shouted, hurling the pearl in his hand straight at one of the serpent's eyes.

Boom!

A heavy thud rang out. The demon roared in pain, momentarily blinded.

Chen Jinshu leapt first onto the back of Xiao Yin, her spirit bird. She flicked two golden ribbons from her sleeves, pulling her two senior brothers up in a flash. If Xiao Yin pushed its escape technique to the limit, maybe—just maybe—they could shake the demon.

Whoosh!

The bird shot northward like a streak of blue light.

The northern regions had more resources. If they could meet up with other disciples, maybe they'd stand a chance against the beast. Otherwise, a brutal battle awaited.

ROAR!

The serpent let out a deafening howl and surged into the sky after them. The air ripped apart with a thunderous rumble like rolling storms. The bird managed to pull ahead by hundreds of miles, yet they could still see a dark speck chasing from behind—only minutes away from catching up.

"Senior Brother! This can't go on much longer!" Chen Jinshu called, voice grim. "The bird's fast, yes—but it can't outpace a demon that's nearly reached Foundation Establishment!"

She could feel the spirit bird's energy draining rapidly.

"Then we'll have to fight." Jiang Daoyu clenched his fists. "Thankfully, this hidden realm suppresses all beings—no beast or cultivator can break through to Foundation. Otherwise, we'd be finished."

"Du and I are both at the ninth level of Qi Refining. If we add your illusionary music techniques, Junior Sister… we might just stand a chance."

"Then let's do it!"

The three descended toward a nearby mountain peak.

"Can you two hold it off for sixty breaths?" Du Yi suddenly asked. "I have a sword formation—it might just land a killing blow. With enough time, it can unleash twenty percent of a Foundation cultivator's power. That should be enough against a peak Qi Refiningt demon."

"Understood!" Chen Jinshu and Jiang Daoyu nodded.

Exchanging a glance, the two flew into the air to confront the approaching demon. Chen Jinshu seated herself on the back of her bird, laying her fingers atop her green zither.

"Close your hearing, Senior Brother," she warned.

With a flick of her ring finger, the strings trembled, releasing a wave of sound within a five-zhang radius. Ethereal cranes formed from the music, their mournful cries like insects gnawing at one's soul. Anyone who heard it would feel their heart being torn apart.

"Fools! Just more arrogant human cultivators!" scoffed the serpent-dragon, its voice a rough, raspy female tone.

Now it all made sense.

The two serpent demons must've cultivated together—they were a pair. The male had emerged too early and been struck down by local human cultivators. Once the threat was gone, the female emerged, consumed the entire village, and pushed her cultivation to the extreme limit of Qi Refining. But the realm's suppression stopped her from breaking through to Foundation.

Otherwise, she would've become the tyrant of this hidden realm.

Ignoring her, Chen Jinshu's fingers danced across the strings, shifting between "gong," "shang," and "jue" notes.

The spectral cranes transformed into tens of thousands of snow geese, racing forward like a blizzard toward the serpent-dragon. Each goose carried frosty sword energy, their cries sharp enough to pierce eardrums. The demon conjured a glowing green shield to block the snow-colored blades. Meanwhile, Jiang Daoyu activated the pearl once more. Frost began to form around the serpent's eyes.

ROAR!

"You damned humans—what did you do to me!?" the serpent howled.

Its shield wavered.

Seizing the chance, Chen Jinshu flicked the strings again—her music now manifesting as blue fire sparks.

Boom! Boom!

The green shield shattered under the force of the fire. Jiang Daoyu's longsword ignited with crimson light. He sent it spinning through the air toward the demon's eyes.

Clang!

The serpent's massive tail swatted it aside, slicing a green blade of energy through the sky. Xiao Yin retaliated, releasing a volley of shimmering blue feathers like a thousand arrows.

Clang! Clang!

The serpent was overwhelmed, unable to block every attack. Several feathers pierced through its scales.

"If I could just form my Foundation—you insects wouldn't even touch me!" the serpent shrieked in rage.

"Blame yourself—for the slaughter you caused," Du Yi's voice echoed from below.

Whish! Whish!

A chorus of tearing sounds filled the air. Seven golden sword beams shot upward from the base of the mountain, forming a massive glowing ring that surrounded the serpent entirely.

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister—leave the rest to me!" Du Yi said calmly, his hands forming rapid seals.

From the ring, a colossal golden sword burst forth, rocketing through the sky.

It pierced straight through the demon, and into the heavens above...