Chapter 2208: Heavenly Snake General

Besides Yu Zhen, Qin Sang also noticed many gazes fixed on him. Some were scrutinizing and probing, while others held apprehension.

Qin Sang frowned inwardly, guessing that the black-robed cultivator had revealed his exploits. In his opinion, this was not a good thing; being noticed by too many people would restrict his actions. He preferred to remain hidden in the shadows, quietly observing how the situation unfolded.

He scanned the crowd, looking for the black-robed cultivator and the two female cultivators beside him. They were also staring at him, their expressions very complex.

At this moment, their differing backgrounds and various other reasons had naturally split the two groups into opposing factions. Now, these two factions were in a standoff. Personal grievances were insignificant, and neither Qin Sang nor the black-robed cultivator would choose to step forward at this time.

After a brief discussion between the Winged Prince and the Merfolk Queen, the Merfolk Queen stepped forward, pointed at the storm, and declared loudly, "We certainly dare not disrupt the grand plans of our Ancestors. Therefore, fellow Daoists, please proceed first!"

Qin Sang observed coldly, guessing the Merfolk Queen's intention: she wanted the disciples of the Ancestors from the Other Races to go first and complete the tasks assigned by their Ancestors. Even if any troubles arose afterward, as long as they didn't affect the Ancestors' grand plans, they would be insignificant. Of course, if conflict between the two sides could be avoided, and they could each pursue their own goals while still completing the trial and obtaining treasures, that would be ideal.

However, since Hong Tian and the others had sent everyone here, they would have a way to ensure everyone acted according to their will. The Merfolk Queen's scheme would likely not succeed.

As a human, Qin Sang naturally didn't need to concern himself with these intricacies. Regardless of how these various parties maneuvered, he only needed to proceed according to his own plan.

Thinking this, Qin Sang looked up at the sky. He wondered if Hong Tian and the others could see what was happening here now, but no one spoke up to stop the Merfolk Queen.

Upon hearing this, the Ancestors' disciples' expressions fluctuated. They could tell the Merfolk Queen had confidence, and they could guess the source of her assurance. She couldn't be deterred by mere words, and if it came to a fight, they weren't sure they could win.

Just then, a cultivator flew into the storm. The ethereal glow had not fully dissipated, but no grey figures emerged.

"Let's go, no need to get entangled with them," someone whispered.

Many were restless. Ultimately, they weren't a monolithic group and each had their own calculations.

Soon, several figures broke from the crowd, rushed into the storm, and vanished in an instant. Subsequently, more and more Ancestor disciples surged into the storm. Eventually, everyone left, and the area outside the storm became empty.

Everyone had waited patiently until now. They flew together to the storm's edge, having just witnessed the experiences of the Other Races' disciples. Besides its considerable destructive power, the storm had no other strange characteristics, so there was no need to send someone to scout ahead.

"Fellow Daoists who wish to accompany me, follow me!"

The Winged Prince let out a soft whistle and led the Winged Tribe experts into the storm first. Many cultivators immediately responded, including Yuan Jian, who followed the Winged Prince.

A similar situation unfolded on the other side. In a flash, the group had divided into numerous teams of varying sizes, entering the storm from different directions, without interfering with one another.

Qin Sang shook his head at the sight. The current situation was too chaotic: the struggle between new and old powers among the Saint Realm experts; the overt and covert struggles between the Water and Sky tribes; and the internal and external conflicts within the sacred land. Some people, clearly of the same race, were split into two factions and might even collude in secret later. He was utterly clueless about how the situation would unfold.

"It's time for us to go too," Patriarch Yuan Xiang said.

Their team consisted of Qin Sang, Liuli, Ji Xia, Patriarch Yuan Xiang, Yuan Ren, and several other cultivators, including some from the Zhuyan Tribe (Yu Zu and old friends), as well as those who temporarily joined them, drawn by the Zhuyan Tribe's reputation.

Numbering over ten people, their team was not weak among the various groups. The largest and strongest teams in terms of overall power were undoubtedly those of the Merfolk and Winged Tribes.

'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'

The wind was like a cutting knife.

As they activated their True Essence for protection, their skin still felt a faint prickling sensation, as if the wind could erode True Essence itself.

Inside the storm, their vision was filled with violent winds and turbulence. The ground had already become a wasteland, with countless large and small ravines carved by the storm, shaping the earth into patterns of wind.

Qin Sang and Liuli exchanged glances. Before the anomaly, the secret realm wasn't like this. However, records indicated that the scenery within the secret realm was not constant, so what they saw might not be its true state, nor did it necessarily mean the realm was destroyed.

After traveling for a while through the monotonous landscape, Qin Sang stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoists, we will go on ahead now."

Some matters didn't need to be kept secret. Before coming, Qin Sang had already revealed some details to Patriarch Yuan Xiang and the others, indicating that he and Liuli had other important business.

Their primary concern was Liuli's tribulation and the restoration of Daiyu Immortal Mountain; the trial rewards were secondary. Therefore, Qin Sang planned to separate from the group first and rejoin them later.

If Liuli could successfully pass her tribulation, they would have much more freedom in their movements, whether advancing or retreating.

However, this place was completely different from what was described in records. There was no exact meeting point, so they could only agree on a general direction and both move towards it.

"Just the two of you? Why not have two other Daoists accompany you for mutual support?" Patriarch Yuan Xiang asked with concern.

"No need."

Qin Sang shook his head, refusing. Liuli's tribulation was not the main issue; he needed to secretly extract the immortal mountain essence from Yuanjiao Immortal Mountain, which required utmost discretion.

Patriarch Yuan Xiang guessed it might be Ning Zhenren's intention and did not ask further. After bidding each other farewell, Qin Sang and Liuli left the team.

The fierce wind howled.

The world was a vast expanse.

Two streaks of light, Qin Sang and Liuli, traversed the storm, their speed varying.

They were trying every method to find remnants of the secret realm as a reference point.

If they followed the records, the place that could help Liuli overcome her tribulation was directly ahead of them. When the secret realm was intact, it would have taken three days' journey even if everything went smoothly. Now, without arrays blocking the way, it should be faster.

However, the secret realm was now completely unrecognizable. If even the direction had changed, they might end up going in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, Qin Sang and Liuli flew for two consecutive hours but found no useful clues. They could only continue flying along their original route.

Their observations along the way made them increasingly pessimistic; it seemed the secret realm might truly have been completely destroyed.

Regardless, they certainly wouldn't give up easily until they saw solid evidence.

The area was vast enough that they flew for another hour without encountering anyone else.

Suddenly, Qin Sang paused, signaled Liuli to stop, and listened intently.

The fierce wind carried an unusual aura.

A moment later, both Qin Sang and Liuli faintly heard roars, sharp and mournful, like wolf howls.

"Demonic beasts!"

Qin Sang said softly. As expected, there were indeed demonic beasts here.

"Be careful."

Qin Sang sensed the group of demonic beasts approaching them. Their numbers weren't large. He prepared to test their strength to see if they were like the beast tides outside.

However, they needed to guard against the elusive grey figures. Qin Sang told Liuli to be prepared, as he alone would be enough to handle this.

The roars grew clearer, wolf howls rising and falling.

They continued flying forward. Before long, a dense cluster of black silhouettes appeared at the edge of their vision: a pack of wolf demons.

These wolf demons roamed the wasteland. They were tall, with bluish fur. The strongest among them was like a small mountain, its huge eyes emitting a chilling, faint light.

The wolf demons also spotted Qin Sang and Liuli and turned their gaze in unison. In the dim storm, their pairs of wolf eyes appeared sinister.

"Awoo!"

The alpha wolf let out a long howl, filled with fury and madness, as if Qin Sang and Liuli were its sworn enemies.

'Boom! Boom! Boom!'

The wolf pack charged, the ground shaking violently, creating a powerful impact.

Qin Sang remained unperturbed. The strongest alpha wolf was only equivalent to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and this small group of wolf demons couldn't form a full-fledged beast tide.

'Crack!'

A bolt of lightning illuminated the earth, striking the wolf pack, and instantly, nearly half of the wolf demons evaporated into thin air.

The death of their companions made the wolf demons even more frantic, but as the electric light spread, none could escape their demise.

Like the beast tides outside, these wolf demons left nothing behind after death, indicating they weren't truly corporeal beings.

"We'd best get out before a full beast tide forms," Qin Sang said.

Before he finished speaking, Qin Sang's expression suddenly changed. He looked up at the sky and saw a vast expanse of crimson high above, where a gigantic fireball, like a meteor, was descending from the heavens.

The sky was almost ignited by the fireball, red flames obscuring the vast expanse.

'Swoosh!'

'Boom!'

The fiery meteor slammed into the earth, causing the ground to shake violently and producing a deafening roar.

The fiery meteor landed not far in front of them. The two activated their Spirit Eyes and saw that the meteor had struck a mountain, instantly obliterating its peak and leaving a massive crater.

An endless stream of flames erupted from the huge crater, a raging inferno capable of scorching the very earth.

Qin Sang and Liuli's expressions both turned serious. They sensed a powerful aura emanating from the deep pit. The fiery meteor was actually a living creature!

'Whoosh!'

Flames shot skyward.

A figure burst out of the fiery pit: a gigantic crimson-scaled python.

The giant python stretched its body, nearly a thousand zhang long, a colossal beast. Its body coiled and undulated like a mountain range, its scales fine and shimmering with an unusual luster, completely unharmed by the surrounding flames.

'Whoosh!'

The giant python writhed in the sky, its tail swinging, effortlessly shattering two mountain peaks.

It seemed to be in pain, its expression filled with struggle, letting out repeated hisses and roars.

The aura emitted by this giant python was comparable to a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator. Qin Sang did not wish to engage it and was about to retreat when he suddenly saw the python's eyes and stopped.

Because he discovered that this giant python's gaze was different from the demonic beasts they had encountered earlier; its eyes weren't solely filled with madness, they seemed to possess sentience!

Qin Sang and Liuli exchanged surprised glances. The previous demonic beasts were clearly illusions, mere superficial appearances. This giant python seemed different.

If the giant python could communicate, it might be able to resolve many of their uncertainties!

Immediately after, the giant python also noticed them. Its snake eyes glared fiercely, their gaze cold and intimidating.

"Hiss... Roar!"

The giant python roared furiously, its serpentine body suddenly coiling into a ball, and the same madness as those other demonic beasts appeared in its eyes.

However, unlike those other demonic beasts, it was struggling against the madness.

Each time it fought for a flicker of lucidity, the giant python would stare intently at the unwelcome guests beside it, uttering fragmented sounds.

"You... are... humans..."

Qin Sang was slightly taken aback. He understood the meaning of the other party's words, but what puzzled him was the giant python's choice of words and tone.

After entering the Grand World, Qin Sang had, in his leisure time, reviewed the development of language and script in the Grand World, discovering that it was divided into two phases, with the Jade Emperor as the demarcation point.

Currently, humans throughout the Grand World, whether in the Eight Great Heavenly States or not, used the same language and script, with only dialectal differences.

The Other Races, Witch Tribe, and even the Demonic Tribe had all drawn inspiration from human language, adding their own racial characteristics. Therefore, communication between different races was not a significant obstacle. In fact, for cultivators, language and script posed no barrier; not only were there various secret arts, but spiritual sense was the most direct form of communication.

It could be said that human language and script were the most widely used in the Grand World, a credit to the Jade Emperor.

Before the Jade Emperor, in ancient times, there were countless ancient languages, and different races had their own ways of communication. It was not until the Jade Emperor led the rise of humanity that he drew upon these ancient languages to create what was widely considered the most perfect language and script. This was not only for communication but also incorporated ancient spiritual scripts like the Cloud-Thunder Scripture, which contained potent power. Many talismans and runes evolved from these characters.

The prosperity of the human race was not unrelated to this.

However, this snake demon was speaking an ancient language.

Qin Sang could understand it because this ancient language was prevalent during the era of demonic rule, before the Jade Emperor's rise, and it was recorded in ancient texts!

"Could this snake demon be from ancient times? Traveled through time from antiquity?"

Qin Sang found it somewhat strange. He cupped his hands and said, "We are indeed human cultivators. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"I am Yi... Yixiu... Heavenly Snake... General..."

The giant python's voice was intermittent and unclear.

The more Qin Sang listened, the stranger he found it. Why was this snake demon connected to the constellations?

"This... General... was patrolling here..."

Suddenly, the giant python seemed to remember something. Its eyes widened, erupting with monstrous rage, and it roared furiously.

"Wretches!"

"...Presumptuous... Despicable!"

The giant python suddenly plunged into a fit of rage.

'Rumble... '

Mountain peaks were swept by its tail, collapsing one after another, sending dust and smoke everywhere.

After the wolf demons died, their essences dissipated, leaving no corpses. This implied the snake demon must have witnessed that scene when it fell from the sky.

Qin Sang and Liuli's hearts tightened, and they felt a tinge of annoyance. Humans were now the masters of the Grand World; this snake demon was far too arrogant.

'Whoosh!'

A scorching aura washed over them.

The giant python, blinded by rage, completely lost its rationality. Anger and madness consumed its eyes.

It reared its upper body, opened its mouth, and spewed a ball of intense fire.

The fierce fire shot towards them, distorting the void with its flames. The violent power it contained made Qin Sang and Liuli's expressions subtly change.

At the same time, a larger shadow appeared behind the giant python, engulfing the mountain range.

It was a demonic python Dharma Idol, towering between heaven and earth, looking down upon its enemies from above. In front of this demonic python Dharma Idol, Qin Sang and Liuli seemed like two insignificant insects.