Even now, standing in this abyss with You Ji, with Bi Yao nearby and the Ghost King somewhere close to the Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats....he couldn't afford to show his hand.
If the Ghost King discovered he was already Shangqing at sixteen… there was at least a fifty percent chance the man would strangle him immediately, no matter how much Bi Yao pleaded.
The Ghost King was not someone who left threats alive.
And Zhang Xiaofan only had one life.
Patience. Endure. Grow quietly. Play the pig until the tiger shows its fangs.
That was his strategy. Even Daoxuan had hidden his realm, and still nearly died under the betrayal of Cangsong and the encirclement of the demonic sects. That was the cruelty of this world.
But Xiaofan knew things were different now. Once he got his hands on the Heavenly Book inside the Bleeding Cave, his power would soar.
With that, and later the Mysterious Fire Mirror from the six-tailed fox, he could reforge his firestick into the Blood-Drinking Sword.
When that day came, he would no longer need to hide.
Then he would return to Liupo Mountain. Then Nian Laoda would pay....with blood.
He was not a saint. He did not forgive easily. Nian Laoda had tried to kill him, and the debt could only be repaid one way.
Death.
"Zhang Xiaofan," a cold voice snapped him back.
You Ji's eyes, sharp beneath her veil, narrowed. "
The enemy is right in front of you, yet you dare to be distracted? Do you not take me seriously?"
Xiaofan blinked. He didn't reply. Instead, his gaze shifted....to something behind her. His expression grew tense.
You Ji frowned. "What? So young, yet already staring at a woman's back....
Her words cut off.
A chill ran down her spine. Her instincts screamed.
At that moment, Bi Yao's small hand tugged at her sleeve. The girl pointed behind her, face pale.
You Ji turned.
Her breath caught.
The earth shuddered. From the darkness ahead, a black mist surged outward, thick and foul, carrying with it an aura that made even the rocks tremble.
A shadow stirred within the mist....massive, ancient, terrifying.
Then it emerged.
A monstrous serpent slithered into view, its immense body coiling like a moving mountain.
Its scales were black as night, its belly pale as bone. Its eyes glowed a poisonous green, burning through the fog like lanterns from hell.
The creature was as thick as a three-story tower, and its body stretched on and on, vanishing into the shadows....easily hundreds of meters long.
The Black Water Mystic Serpent.
Ancient beast of legend. Born in swamps, drinking divine elixirs, living for ten thousand years.
The records said it haunted the seas and the Four Great Marshes.
But here it was.....deep inside the Necromancer's Abyss.
Zhang Xiaofan's breath hitched. His mind recalled the texts: thick as a building, long as three hundred meters… A modern skyscraper would be dwarfed by this creature. It was not merely a beast. It was a calamity given form.
The clash between human and demon paused instantly. No one dared move.
Even You Ji, usually fearless, froze. The arrogance in her eyes vanished, replaced by solemn caution.
The serpent slithered closer. Every movement was slow, yet because of its sheer size, it crossed the distance like a thunderclap.
Its massive head rose, looming over Bi Yao and You Ji. Shadows swallowed them whole.
The serpent's jaw parted slightly. Its green eyes fixed upon them....curious, patient, cold.
Bi Yao's body tensed. Her fingers brushed the Heartbreak Flower bracelet on her wrist. The treasure pulsed, green light flickering, ready to strike.
But before she could unleash it, You Ji's hands pressed hers down. Her voice was low, urgent.
"Don't move. It's searching. If you act, it will strike."
Bi Yao froze. Sweat dampened her back.
Zhang Xiaofan, watching closely, spoke in a steady voice:
"Snakes don't see the way we do. They sense the heat of living flesh. In this dark abyss, the two of you glow like lanterns to its eyes."
He gestured faintly toward the monster.
"It's pretending to watch you. ..
But really, it's playing...savoring the fear of its prey before the kill. At any moment, it may lunge."
Bi Yao shivered. She had never heard of such a thing, but something in Xiaofan's words rang true. His calm steadied her heart.
Still, the beast's presence was unbearable. Her grip tightened on the Heartbreak Flower.
Then light flared.
The green beam of the Heartbreak Flower shot upward, striking the serpent's head with the force of stone-shattering power.
Bang!
The sound was heavy, muffled, like stone against stone. The serpent's skull didn't even scratch.
But its anger… ignited.
"ROAR!"
The Black Water Mystic Serpent bellowed, a sound so loud it shook the ground.
Its maw opened wide, a cavern of jagged teeth dripping venom. With terrifying speed, it lunged straight at Bi Yao.
The Dead Abyss trembled as the Black Water Mystic Serpent lashed out.
Its body was like a mountain, scales glistening with cold light.
The beast had slept for centuries beneath this cursed land, yet even in slumber it radiated terror.
Now awakened, every strike carried the might to split earth and crush stone.
Bi Yao's figure darted like a streak of green light, narrowly avoiding the serpent's snapping jaws.
She twisted in mid-air, her robes billowing, the Heartbreak Flower on her wrist pulsing with eerie brilliance.
"You dare harm me?" the serpent's roar shook the abyss. Its massive tail swept across the cavern.
Boom!
Wind like a hurricane blasted through the gorge. Boulders the size of houses shattered into dust.
Even You Ji, ever composed, felt her heart pound. She summoned her weapon....the crimson Suzaku Seal.
It streaked like a fiery star and smashed into the serpent's skull.
Bang!
The blow would have reduced a human cultivator to ash, but against this ancient beast?
The serpent merely froze for a heartbeat before shaking its head, scales rattling like iron plates.
Then it surged forward again, fury multiplied.
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