The black shadows burst through the thick fog—they were several abnormally thick anacondas!
Their scales no longer had a healthy luster but were covered in a layer of sticky, dark substance.
Their vertical pupils were crimson, radiating chaotic demonic energy and a strong stench.
Clearly, they had been polluted and controlled by Xiangliu’s residual aura.
“Holy crap! What do the snakes here eat to grow like this?!” Bai Jimu yelped, but he still stood at the very front, a low, threatening growl rumbling in his throat.
Ming Shu’s gaze sharpened. With a flip of her wrist, several cold lights shot out, aiming straight for the vital point (seven inches down) of one of the anacondas!
The anaconda reacted extremely fast. Its thick body twisted bizarrely, dodging most of the silver needles.
Only one or two are pinned onto its hard scales with a light ding.
Enraged, it opened its foul-smelling maw and lunged at Ming Shu with a gust of fishy wind!
“Meow—!” A sharp cat cry rang out.
Coal Ball’s small figure shot out like black lightning. His claws, wrapped in ominous black qi, slashed viciously at the anaconda’s eyes.
The anaconda roared hoarsely in pain, its attack slowing instantly.
Xiao Duchuan kept shielding Bai Yanzhou behind him, not even looking back at the battle.
His gaze was locked coldly on the other anacondas trying to encircle them.
He raised his hand seemingly casually.
A heart-palpitating force instantly choked the neck of the anaconda injured by Coal Ball.
With a faint crack, the massive snake’s body collapsed limply, lifeless.
“Teacher,” he turned his head. Speaking to Bai Yanzhou, he instantly switched back to that gentle tone, even sounding like he was asking for advice. “These polluted things have lost their intelligence; keeping them alive is a scourge. Should we dispose of them directly, or…”
Bai Yanzhou frowned slightly, not only because of the evil anacondas but also because of Xiao Duchuan’s ruthlessness in taking lives while chatting and laughing.
He swept his gaze over the battlefield and made a quick judgment. “They are completely eroded. They can’t be saved. End it quickly to avoid attracting more trouble.”
As he spoke, Bai Yanzhou’s fingers seemingly inadvertently brushed past the small pouch he carried.
A few wisps of pale yellow powder, almost invisible, drifted with the wind, enveloping the other two restless anacondas with precision.
Inhaling the powder, the two anacondas immediately became sluggish and wobbly, as if drunk.
Even their crimson vertical pupils clouded over.
“Good move, Teacher.” Xiao Duchuan chuckled, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation.
His fingers moved slightly, and the other two anacondas not affected by the powder were instantly strangled by an invisible force.
With the aid of Bai Yanzhou’s powder, the pressure on Bai Jimu and Ming Shu lessened significantly.
Relying on his agility, Bai Jimu attacked the anacondas’ joints and eyes.
Ming Shu’s silver needles seemed to have eyes of their own, finding gaps in the scales and vital points.
Coal Ball weaved through the battle to deliver finishing blows, his movements swift and ruthless.
The battle ended quickly.
Several massive anaconda carcasses lay across the misty forest, emitting a nauseating smell.
Bai Jimu transformed back into human form, panting, still shaken. “These snakes are too weird! Their strength is terrifying!”
Ming Shu avoided the filth on the ground with disgust, checking her silver needles. “Dumb dog, react faster next time. But… Dr. Bai’s powder is really powerful.”
She looked at Bai Yanzhou with admiration.
“Just some paralyzing powder targeting the nerves, mixed with realgar and a few herbs that suppress evil spirits,” Bai Yanzhou explained lightly. His gaze, however, fell on the anacondas lying dead at Xiao Duchuan’s feet.
Xiao Duchuan’s power was even more unfathomable and… decisive than it had been a thousand years ago.
As if reading his mind, Xiao Duchuan walked to his side, his tone carrying a hint of appropriate helplessness. “Teacher, desperate times call for desperate measures. Leaving these things be would only harm more living creatures in the mountain.”
He paused, lowering his voice, which carried an imperceptible stickiness. “Besides, just now, they wanted to hurt you.”
Bai Yanzhou didn’t respond.
Instead, he squatted down to examine the giant rock covered in blood sacrifice patterns.
His fingertips lightly touched the dark red lines, feeling the cold, evil energy remaining within.
“The frequency of blood sacrifices is increasing, and the power is growing stronger. The situation at Black Dragon Pool is probably worse than we thought.”
“So we must get there as soon as possible,” Xiao Duchuan interjected immediately, his attitude proactive. “I looked into it beforehand. I know a relatively safe path; we should reach the outskirts of Black Dragon Pool by this afternoon.”
As he spoke, he naturally took a water flask from the side pocket of his backpack and handed it over. “Teacher, drink some water. You used a lot of mental energy just now.”
This time, Bai Yanzhou looked at the flask, was silent for a moment, and took it.
When their fingertips touched, he felt Xiao Duchuan’s fingers pause slightly.
Bai Yanzhou uncorked it and took a sip.
The water was warm, carrying a faint sweetness—it seemed honey had been added.
This was the drink the young Xiao Duchuan often prepared for him when he reviewed memorials late into the night a thousand years ago.
Watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed the water, the turbulence deep in Xiao Duchuan’s eyes seemed to settle slightly, and the gentle smile returned to his lips.
After a short rest, the group continued.
The deeper they went, the taller and more ancient the trees became.
Thick moss and epiphytes hung from many trees, and fog lingered in the forest, reducing visibility.
Underfoot was a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated over who knows how many years, soft to walk on.
Occasionally, they saw brightly colored but strangely shaped fungi, but Bai Yanzhou warned them not to touch.
On the way, Bai Yanzhou stopped in front of a plant with dark purple veins on its leaves that shimmered with a silver light. He carefully collected a few leaves.
Xiao Duchuan walked quietly by his side. Watching his skilled movements, he suddenly spoke softly, “Teacher is still the same, unable to walk past useful herbs. Did you gather all the herbs in the clinic yourself like this?”
Bai Yanzhou put away the leaves properly, his tone flat. “Most of them. Some were given by villagers or traded.”
“Opening a clinic in a small county town, healing the sick…” Xiao Duchuan repeated slowly, his voice emotionless. “Indeed, it is much freer than being trapped in the court, working day and night.”
Bai Yanzhou paused his movements and looked up.
Xiao Duchuan was smiling, but his eyes were like bottomless cold pools, clearly reflecting a thousand years of estrangement and the unwillingness of being left behind.
“Just living in a different way.” Bai Yanzhou looked away toward the depths of the gloomy forest.
Xiao Duchuan smiled and said no more. He just reached out, extremely naturally, to brush away a vine hanging down in front of Bai Yanzhou, almost touching his cheek.
“Slippery path, Teacher, be careful.”
His movement was natural and practiced, as if he had done it thousands of times.
Bai Yanzhou looked at his well-defined hand, eventually just nodding slightly and continuing forward.
The faint smell of blood in the air seemed to have grown stronger, and the muffled sound of flowing water could be faintly heard from deeper in the mountains.
The Black Dragon Pool was nearby.
“These fallen leaves feel like a carpet. It’s quite comfortable!” Bai Jimu bounced twice on the thick leaves heartlessly, trying to dispel the tension of the battle.
Ming Shu rolled her eyes at him. “Watch out for pits underneath that could twist your dog leg!”
Although her words were sharp, she also lightened her steps, listening carefully to the movement underfoot.
Xiao Duchuan continued to walk slightly ahead of Bai Yanzhou, seemingly leading the way but actually blocking any frontal danger with his body.
Coal Ball on his shoulder constantly scanned the foggy surroundings with his golden vertical pupils, occasionally emitting a very low growl, as if assessing potential risks.
Bai Yanzhou put away the purple leaves. His gaze swept over a cluster of dull grey, unassuming mushrooms, and he stopped.
“Dr. Bai, is there something wrong with these mushrooms too?” Ming Shu noticed his gaze and immediately became alert.
“No,” Bai Yanzhou squatted down and carefully picked a few. “This is Amanita griseofarinosa (Gray-scaled Amanita). It looks ordinary, but it’s an important ingredient for several antidotes. Very rare.” His tone held the relief of finding a treasure.
Xiao Duchuan watched his focused profile and eyes slightly bright from discovering rare herbs.
His gaze softened for a moment, but quickly returned to calm.
He simply adjusted his position silently, ensuring Bai Yanzhou’s back was in a relatively safe position while he gathered.
As they moved forward, the terrain began to slope gently downward.
The moisture in the air grew heavier, almost condensing into droplets on their eyelashes.
The muffled sound of flowing water became clearer, rumbling like some giant beast growling nearby.
The shapes of the surrounding trees became even more bizarre, their branches twisted as if desperately fighting for limited sunlight.
More slippery dark moss appeared on the rocks, requiring extra caution when stepping.
“Everyone be careful, it’s more slippery here,” Xiao Duchuan warned, simultaneously reaching back naturally to offer Bai Yanzhou a hand.
Bai Yanzhou looked at the hand in front of him, knuckles distinct, carrying a warmth both familiar and strange.
He hesitated for a second, didn’t touch it, and instead held onto the rough trunk of an old tree nearby to steady himself.
“I’m fine, I can manage.”
Xiao Duchuan’s hand paused in the air for half a second before withdrawing nonchalantly. That faint smile remained on his lips, but a trace of very pale shadow flitted across the depths of his eyes.
He pointed to the front left. “The sound is coming from over there. Once we go around that dense patch of Parashorea trees ahead, we should be there.”
Sure enough, after carefully navigating around the dizzyingly tall Parashorea forest, the view opened up.
A black water pool, unimaginably huge, appeared at the bottom of the valley.
The water was black as ink, bottomless.
The surface was calm without a ripple, like a giant, smooth obsidian mirror, reflecting the surrounding steep cliffs covered in slippery moss and the lingering fog, giving off an eerie, suffocating feeling.
That strong, nauseating stench was emanating from this water.
Near the innermost cliff wall of the pool, there was a cave entrance half-hidden by thick vines and dense mist.
The cave was deep and dark, seemingly leading straight underground. That muffled, heartbeat-like pulsing sound, along with heart-palpitating waves of evil energy, was continuously radiating from inside.
“Oh my god…” Bai Jimu’s mouth hung open.
Looking at the terrifyingly black water, he instinctively shrank back. “This water looks creepy. Nothing’s gonna jump out, right?”
Ming Shu also frowned tightly, subconsciously moving a step closer to Bai Yanzhou. “This place… feels very uncomfortable.”
Coal Ball’s fur bristled slightly. He jumped down from Xiao Duchuan’s shoulder, landed on a relatively dry rock by the pool, and issued a continuous, threatening low growl at the cave entrance.
Bai Yanzhou stared at the dark cave, his expression grave to the extreme. “It seems we found the place. Xiangliu’s residual power, and the evil qi gathered by those blood sacrifices—the core is in that cave.”
Xiao Duchuan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. His gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over the black pool and the cave. His voice was low and certain. “The core altar for the resurrection ritual must be inside. We don’t have much time left.”
He turned his head to look at Bai Yanzhou. His eyes were complex, but his tone carried an unquestionable resolve. “Teacher, this time, we go in together.”