Chapter 471: Chapter 400: Reversal_2
The crowd was actually a bit uneasy, fearing that the Fire Cloud Snake might suddenly wake up.
After making all sorts of defensive preparations, Ye Jinxiu also let out a sigh of relief. This snake was too big, making it difficult to transport directly.
The Fire Cloud Snake, such a rare creature, was full of treasures. If discovered by other noble families, it would also pose a big problem. It had to be properly dealt with here, with its flesh segmented, starting by extracting the most valuable Snake Pearl.
A master from the Ye Family approached to pull the short sword from the top of the Fire Cloud Snake’s head. The skin of the Fire Cloud Snake was impervious to swords, guns, and fire, making it not easy to skin.
First, a slit had to be made at the white mark on the Fire Cloud Snake’s head, then the snake skin could be peeled off entirely, much like pulling down pants.
This master carefully pulled out the sword, and even after removing it, the Fire Cloud Snake showed no reaction, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. This snake was truly dead.
Ye Ying was still dragging Liu Ying, standing in front of the Fire Cloud Snake’s head, pointing and boasting about how amazing he was.
He had lived over twenty years, and this was the first time he did something so glorious. Naturally, he was exceptionally proud.
Liu Ying was also very pleased; after all, Ye Ying succeeded in a big task. Wouldn’t the lady of the Ye Family reward them this time?
The two were rejoicing, failing to notice the Fire Cloud Snake’s tightly closed eyes suddenly opening, followed by an abrupt contraction of its entire body’s scales.
The other Ye Family people sensed something amiss and hurriedly retreated.
The Fire Cloud Snake suddenly opened its huge mouth, spewing a mass of intense flames. The blazing flame instantly engulfed Ye Ying and Liu Ying.
The two screamed as they fell rolling over, and then there was no more sound from them.
The enormous flame, however, surged backward and spread, covering the entire underground chamber in red flames.
Gao Xuan, in the upwind passage, felt a heat on his face, and his breathing became stifled; he even smelled a pungent fishy odor.
He immediately sensed something wrong and expelled all the air he inhaled.
Though Gao Xuan was still at the Bone Refining level, he had exceptionally strong breathing control. His reaction was swift, expelling all the fishy odor before it entered his airway.
He immediately held his breath and used a face cloth to cover his mouth and nose. Even so, he felt slightly dizzy.
He was somewhat surprised; generally, giant snakes weren’t poisonous. The Fire Cloud Snake not only spewed fire but also released toxic gas within the flames. This thing was truly formidable.
Due to his distance and quick reaction, Gao Xuan came through unharmed.
The others in the underground chamber weren’t so lucky; as the flames swept through, they fled in disarray. Hastily, some accidentally inhaled a mouthful of toxic gas.
By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Several fell to the ground, their faces turning black instantly.
This Fire Cloud Snake had lived for who knows how long, cultivating into a spirit. Though it didn’t have high intelligence, its life force was extremely resilient. Its innate divine technique was incredibly formidable.
With a single breath, it sprayed out the poisonous flame, giving the Ye Family an enormous surprise.
By the time the flames dissipated, five Ye Family members were already lying on the ground, either poisoned or burned to death.
The flame’s temperature was exceptionally high, making it difficult to extinguish once it touched the body. Not to mention the poison.
All the wood in the underground chamber caught fire from the Fire Cloud Snake’s toxic flame, yet amidst the roaring flames, everything fluttered and swayed as if the entire cave was moving.
Ye Jinxiu’s face turned pale, her three-foot-long Flowing Light Sword in her hand flickering like flowing light, its edge sharp. Yet she was utterly at a loss.
Just as success seemed within grasp, they suddenly encountered a reversal. Though she was clever and capable, she had never faced such a situation before. She was momentarily taken aback.
Aunt Xia comforted, "It’s okay, we captured it with the Ice Silk Net."
The nets they used were specially made, woven from ice silk from the far north, claimed to be impervious to water and fire and exceptionally tough.
Ye Jinxiu calmed down slightly, loudly declaring, "Everyone don’t panic. This snake’s brain was injured by the sword and won’t live for long."
The Ye Family people were quite frightened, but hearing these words reassured them somewhat.
In truth, Ye Jinxiu herself was uncertain, unsure what the condition of the Fire Cloud Snake really was.
At that moment, the Fire Cloud Snake twisted its body suddenly, breaking free from the Ice Silk Net. Its strength was immense, and its smooth body made it hard to contain. The net anchored to the ground couldn’t restrain it.
The Fire Cloud Snake couldn’t discern who was the leader, randomly choosing the nearest person and lunging forward with its mouth open to bite.
This simple motion was as quick as lightning, swallowing its target whole before they could react.
In the blink of an eye, the Fire Cloud Snake devoured three people, causing the remaining Ye Family people to flee in a mad scramble.
Full of passages leading throughout the cave, nobody had time to care about Ye Jinxiu at this point, just wanting to escape as far as possible.
Aunt Xia grabbed Ye Jinxiu, saying, "Miss, let’s go."
Instead, Ye Jinxiu calmly reasoned, "We can’t go into the tunnels. The tunnels are narrow; charging in there leaves no room for resistance, only to be eaten."
She spoke while forming hand seals, "Buy a little time, I’ll use the sword to kill it!"
The Flowing Light Sword in Ye Jinxiu’s hand was a Spirit-Connected Treasure Sword. She could combine her Divine Soul to control the sword to strike enemies.
However, her cultivation was lacking, at best capable of controlling the sword from a hundred paces away. Each time, she had to focus with all her might.
At this critical moment, she had to make a gamble.
Aunt Xia hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly, "I’ll go hold off the Fire Cloud Snake."
While the two were discussing, the Fire Cloud Snake suddenly darted into one of the tunnels, followed by a scream from within.
In these narrow corridors where one couldn’t stand up straight, escaping quickly meant crawling. But no matter how fast someone crawled, they couldn’t match the speed of the Fire Cloud Snake.
The Fire Cloud Snake darted back and forth in the tunnels, ignoring Ye Jinxiu and Aunt Xia still in the main hall.
Seeing an opportunity, Aunt Xia urged, "Miss, let’s go."
Ye Jinxiu shook her head, "This snake is very clever; once we run, it’ll chase us down. We must fight now!"
The Fire Cloud Snake made several circuits within the tunnels, swallowing all who had fled there.
Only after devouring over twenty people did the Fire Cloud Snake slowly crawl to the center of the cave, its pupils like two red dots fixed upon Aunt Xia and Ye Jinxiu.
Seeing things go awry, Aunt Xia swiftly dodged while deploying her hidden weapon.
Two flying sabers struck the snake’s head, just missing its eyes.
In reality, the Fire Cloud Snake slightly shook its head. Its movements were too swift, chilling Aunt Xia’s heart. She somersaulted toward another tunnel.
The Fire Cloud Snake thrust its head, attempting to swallow Aunt Xia, but she cleverly feinted, changing direction instantly to the other side of the Fire Cloud Snake.
The Fire Cloud Snake missed Aunt Xia but quickly responded, its long tail whipping fiercely across her.
Aunt Xia was flung like a cannonball, smashing into the cave’s rock wall. Blood gushed from her mouth as she immediately passed out.
Ye Jinxiu, having been casting incantations all the while, finally finished her preparations, her Divine Soul abruptly merging into her Flowing Light Sword.
The three-foot-long Flowing Light Sword transformed into a chilling streak of light, piercing directly into the Fire Cloud Snake’s head.
This sword, with Ye Jinxiu’s Divine Soul control, was incredibly swift and precise, striking accurately at the white mark on the Fire Cloud Snake’s head.
The Fire Cloud Snake’s head was penetrated clean through by the sharp blade of the Flowing Light Sword. Suffering this severe wound, its tail lashed out again, flinging Ye Jinxiu into the air.
Mid-air, Ye Jinxiu spat out blood, feeling a heavy sense of doom in her heart—this was the end...
Next, she saw a figure flash across the air—Gao Xuan actually leapt out from a passage.
"This person didn’t run; he even dares to make a move..."
Ye Jinxiu felt a glimmer of hope, but her injuries were too severe, and as she collided violently with the stone wall, her vision went black, and she fainted outright. (Third section, please show support~)