As they left the private room of the tavern, Bai Ziyue’s gaze instinctively scanned the surroundings, quickly locking onto something.
For a martial artist, listening and observing all directions was commonplace, but this time, as his eyes swept over, he suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure walking out of the tavern.
Even though he had only glimpsed it briefly at first, he remembered the face distinctly.
If his guess was correct, the figure he had just seen might very well be one of the culprits who wiped out the Li Family three years ago, the Third Village Chief of Ghost Head Stronghold, Vajra Body Wu Yong.
For someone like him, a major bandit leader near Qinghe Town, to appear in Qinghe Town, it could certainly not be a good sign.
Just then, the Sect Leader and others also stepped out, and Liu Dong asked curiously.
Bai Ziyue shook his head, his gaze returning to calm.
Whatever the other party’s intentions, they had nothing to do with him, and he didn’t want to waste his energy on it.
The next day, the entire Sunburst Gang started to get busy.
Almost all available members were assigned tasks to evacuate the crowd near the South Street Liugang Temple.
Fortunately, the Liugang Temple had been gradually declining, and since the Sunburst Gang was the largest gang in Qinghe Town, naturally, no one foolish enough would dare resist.
"Brother Bai, is there really a snake demon in this Liugang Temple?"
Qin Shaoping curiously looked at the now desolate temple and asked.
Bai Ziyue looked at the dry well not far from Liugang Temple, his face twitching slightly, feeling somewhat conflicted and even a bit scared.
*Back then, he had engaged in a fight here with Wu Hao, a disciple of Daoist Wutong, and had thrown Wu Hao’s corpse into that dry well.*
*Had he known earlier that a snake demon was hiding in the well, even with his bravado, he wouldn’t have dared meet Wu Hao here, let alone throw the corpse inside.*
*What scared him the most was that if memory served, he’d blocked the well with a giant rock after discarding the body.*
The rock weighed around three hundred pounds, making it difficult for an ordinary person to move. But now, that rock had rolled about four or five meters away.
*Whether it was man-made or the demon inside the well pushed it out was unpredictable.*
"I wonder what the snake demon looks like. With the Sect Leader and Elder Nie’s strength, they should be able to get rid of that demon, right?"
Qin Shaoping said with mild excitement.
"That’s hard to say. Who knows how strong the snake demon is? Just make sure not to get too close, or a slight touch could mean the end for us here."
Bai Ziyue frowned and gravely reminded him.
*Although he had not witnessed the power of demons, he had seen the horror of spirit monsters.*
*Moreover, this snake demon had once escaped from Immortal Master Wu, implying extraordinary means, unlikely to be so easily slain.*
Solemnly nodding, Qin Shaoping certainly wouldn’t joke around with his life.
"The dry well is intact. It seems like the snake demon hasn’t managed to break free yet."
Left Guardian Liu Yang looked at the ancient well at the entrance of Liugang Temple, nodded slightly, and said.
"That’s not necessarily true."
A middle-aged man who accompanied Elder Nie this time had a serious expression and shook his head, saying, "From what I can see, Immortal Master Wu used Array Dao to seal the snake demon back then, leveraging the abundant incense and fire energy in Liugang Temple to keep the demon from escaping.
But now, look, the temple is completely desolate, making any talk of incense energy irrelevant."
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed.
They didn’t doubt the man’s words because they’d learned from previous introductions that this man named Xiang Shang was an immortal cultivator. Though his strength was unknown, his knowledge in this field certainly far surpassed theirs.
"Is the snake demon still in the dry well?"
Liu Yang asked anxiously right away.
"It probably is. The snake demon seems to have made this dry well its lair."
Xiang Shang held a disc in his hand, a needle spinning rapidly inside, making him speak with a strange look.
"As long as it’s still here, we can start preparing."
Liu Dong heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He valued this operation greatly, not only employing the gang’s elite but also promising to guard Yang Zhengling to gain the government’s approval for their action.
Instantly, four martial artists of the Inner Cultivation level each carried a large bag and quickly moved forward.
The contents of the bags were swiftly emptied.
In an instant, countless amounts of sulfur powder scattered into the dry well.
The four of them each accelerated to the maximum, quickly retreating behind the Sect Leader and others.
"Sect Leader Liu’s idea is ingenious, using sulfur to drive the snake demon out," Elder Nie praised, holding a long sword.
"Though the snake demon is strong, its dislike for the taste of sulfur is inherent. I’m just using it to our advantage.
Whether we can slay the snake demon will depend on Elder Nie’s action."
Liu Dong did not claim the credit, yet his eyes remained fixed on the well’s mouth, his body tense and slightly nervous.
Gurgle! Gurgle! Gurgle!
It seemed like an eternity had passed, yet it also seemed like just a moment, when a series of violent sounds of the water surface rolling suddenly rang out.
A violent splash echoed.
A massive snake head suddenly burst out from the dried well, a giant snake with its entire body pitch black, resembling a flood dragon emerging from the sea. Accompanied by its charging force, it carried hundreds of pounds of well water with it.
Water splattered everywhere, soaking the area within tens of meters around.
Some of the water even splashed onto many disciples of the Sunburst Gang, and the icy well water made them shiver all over.
However, at this moment, not a single disciple paid any attention to the droplets on their bodies, as they all stared dumbfounded at the colossal snake.
The terrifying snake head was as large as a water tank, with eyes as big as copper bells, coldly watching everyone around. The protruding tongue flashed quickly like lightning on its nearly twenty-meter-long body covered with orderly scale armor, showcasing its resilience to anyone who laid eyes upon it.
But what truly shocked everyone was the surge of killing intent emanating from the giant snake.
*Being watched by it, almost everyone felt a sense of fear in their hearts.*
*Some timid people trembled between their knees.*
Qin Shaoping’s face turned pale.
Bai Ziyue’s expression was equally uneasy; even separated by a distance of over a hundred meters, he too couldn’t help but think about turning and fleeing.*
Bai Ziyue forcibly suppressed his discomfort and tightly gripped the handle of his knife.
A sharp shout rang out.
Immediately after, Nie Yunhao’s sword flashed and swiftly dashed toward the giant snake.
Beside him, Liu Dong silently said nothing, yet he too quickly rushed out.
Following closely behind were Left Guardian Zhao Jing, Right Guardian Liu Yang, and a middle-aged martial artist who had reportedly reached the Inner Qi Realm and had come with Elder Nie.
*Even though the giant snake seemed invincible, those capable of cultivating inner strength were not simple figures and undeterred.*
Meanwhile, the remaining five managers at the peak of inner cultivation, awakened by Elder Nie’s shout, nervously surrounded the snake.
The giant snake’s tongue protruded rapidly, and its bell-like eyes flashed with anger, its body twisting as its mouth opened.
Instantly, a jet of pitch-black poison was spat out.
Elder Nie moved like a swallow, swiftly leaping into the air to dodge, stepping into mid-air, soaring another meter high.
The sword light turned into rain, resembling blooming lotus flowers, which quickly closed after blossoming.
Cyan Lotus Sword Technique!
The long sword fiercely stabbed into the giant snake’s neck, and with slight resistance, it was pierced under Elder Nie’s inner force drive and deeply embedded.
*Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!*
The sound of violent corrosion rang out.
The originally smooth bluestone slab on the ground was instantly corroded in a large area, and the surrounding weeds were bent and withered.
Liu Dong and others swiftly dodged the area corroded by the poison and attacked the snake with their weapons.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Imbued with inner force, martial techniques were incredibly powerful. However, the snake’s orderly scale armor was not just for show.*
*Aside from Elder Nie’s initial sword piercing, only the Sect Leader’s weapon, resembling a spike, deeply embedded itself into the snake’s body.*
*Others merely shattered the scales on the snake’s body, penetrating shallowly, having little effect against its massive size.*
The giant snake bellowed, seeming to burst with boundless anger, whipping its tail like a whip.
Yinm Zhixing, the External Affairs Supervisor, couldn’t dodge in time and was struck by the snake tail.
*Even though he hurriedly used his long knife to block in front, he couldn’t withstand the immense force and was flung over ten meters away, crashing violently to the ground.*
*He spewed a mouthful of blood like mist, already severely injured.*
Suddenly, everyone felt the void turning extremely cold, the air seeming to solidify as an inexplicable aura spread.
"Not good, demon technique!"
Xiang Shang’s face changed as he stood afar, intently channeling magic. With a sharp shout, he finally launched a long arrow that seemed entirely formed from green stone.
Magic, Stone Arrow Technique!
The stone arrow, over two meters long, shot out like lightning, hitting the giant snake heavily, causing its scales to crack, blood and flesh to burst open, and its body to momentarily stiffen, arching up.
However, his strike ultimately failed to thwart the giant snake’s spellcasting.
Suddenly, countless sharp ice pillars rapidly formed in the void.
*As soon as the innumerable ice pillars appeared, they shot out like raindrops.*