Junior Sister is skilled in subduing demons.

Chapter 192 Clues to the Black Python General

The village of Yading was shrouded in the deep darkness of night, with only the cold moon shining down from the snow-capped mountain peaks.

Standing beside the barley racks at the village entrance, Shen Anzhi gazed at the endless stream of people, his heart filled with mixed emotions. On the stone-paved road, torches blazed like dragons, illuminating countless resolute faces. There were barefoot doctors carrying medicine baskets, the herbs inside releasing a bitter aroma as they bounced; there were Ba people hunters riding ponies, their bone quivers jingling softly with each sway of their horses; and most were ordinary people dressed in coarse linen, carrying farm tools and sticks.

"Hurry, hurry, demon soldiers have appeared at the village entrance again!" The urgent shouts broke the silence of the night.

Everyone got up and headed over, and Shen Anzhi, realizing what was happening, quickly followed.

……

In the poisonous fog of the ruins of Daocheng, the Minotaur Demon General's spiked club, which was covered in corpse poison, slammed into the ground. Shen Anzhi dragged Ge Wensong and rolled on the spot, with gravel grazing their cheeks and drawing blood.

Zi Lingxuan's Emei dagger traced an arc in the poisonous mist, but was deflected by the barrier of rotting flesh surrounding the demon general. The foul-smelling liquid splashed onto her sleeve, instantly corroding it and creating charred holes.

"Form the formation!" Xuanfeng Yichen of Qingcheng Mountain formed hand seals, and eight bronze pillars suddenly rose up, with the Bagua diagram appearing on the ground, trapping the demon general in the formation.

The Shu Mountain swordsman, Mo Jianchen, soared into the air on his sword, his sword light falling like a rain of stars, but upon touching the demon general, it was melted into green smoke by the poisonous mist. The Cihang Temple monk, Tongda, brandished his vajra, the relic at its head emitting a blinding light: "Female benefactor, use your treasure gourd to absorb the source of the poison!"

Shen Anzhi bit his tongue to unleash his spiritual power, and the Demon Refining Gourd flew up, forming a vortex above the demon general's head. The demon general roared in terror, and strands of black smoke were torn from his poisonous mist, but at that moment he swung his staff and shattered a corner of the Bagua formation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zi Lingxuan threw out the Emei Dagger, the tip of which pierced the demon general's brow, and dark green blood gushed out, sizzling on the ground.

"Break!" Mo Jianchen seized the opportunity, his sword light piercing the demon general's throat. The bull-headed demon general let out a dying roar, his body crashing to the ground, turning into pus that seeped into the earth, leaving only a domino engraved with demonic patterns.

After the battle ended, Monk Tongda wiped the poisoned blood off his vajra and suddenly spoke: "Do you all know that a troublesome figure has arrived in Qiang City ahead, General Black Python?"

The demon-refining gourd in Shen Anzhi's hand clattered to the ground, and her face instantly turned deathly pale. Ge Wensong hurriedly supported her trembling shoulders, only to see her eyes suddenly turn cold, her nails digging deeply into her palms: "The black python? The black python from Sanqing Mountain?"

Monk Tongda nodded: "Yes, this python was originally a tenth-order demon king of Sanqing Mountain. Now it has surrendered to the Demon Lord, slaughtered all the villages at the foot of the mountain, and is now leading demon soldiers to attack the north gate of Qiang City."

Memories cut open the wounds like a sharp blade. The tragic scenes of Kui Ran, Kang Qing, and others flashed before Shen Anzhi's eyes. She staggered and grabbed the barley rack beside her, the words of Master Tian Lei before her departure echoing in her ears.

"I will kill it." An Zhi's voice was low, his fingertips gathering trembling spiritual power, "For Sanqing Mountain, for Kui Ran, for Kang Qing..."

Ge Wensong and Zi Lingxuan looked at each other, and the former gently pressed the back of her hand: "Sister Anzhi, have you forgotten what Senior Lingjizi said? The Demon-Slaying Sword is the key to restraining the ancient demon beasts."

As dusk fell, an eerie orange-red hue appeared on the distant horizon.

Zi Lingxuan suddenly pointed towards the snow-capped mountains and exclaimed, "That's not the sunset, it's Qiang City!" Everyone looked over and saw thick smoke billowing from the northwest, with firelight illuminating half the sky.

Shen Anzhi gripped the magic mirror tightly, the reflection of the snow-capped mountains on its surface stained crimson by the firelight. Zi Lingxuan pressed down on her shoulder: "The demonic soldiers have already attacked the city, but if you go now, you'll only be throwing your life away. Senior Lingjizi said that only if the Demon-Slaying Sword reappears can the tide of battle be turned."

“She’s right.” Mo Jianchen sheathed his sword. “I’ve seen records in the Shu Mountain scriptures that the Demon-Slaying Sword can slay all evil spirits in the world, including the Black Python’s reverse scale.” Shen Anzhi felt a sharp pain in his heart, and he seemed to hear Tuantuan’s sobs as she left. Shen Anzhi took out a bamboo shard from his pocket, the rough edges of the shard digging into his palm. “Sister Lingxuan, please pass on a message to Senior Lingjizi: If I cannot obtain the Demon-Slaying Sword, I, Shen Anzhi, swear I will not set foot in Qiang City again.”

Zi Lingxuan nodded solemnly, then suddenly took out a jade slip from her bosom: "This is the Emei secret transmission talisman. When you reach the depths of the sacred mountain, you can use this to contact me."

Shen Anzhi took it and put it into the ring.

As night deepened, the campfires in Yading Village gradually went out.

Shen Anzhi sat alone under the barley trellis, and Ge Wensong gently handed him a baked flatbread.

“Sister Anzhi, actually… I’ll go to the sacred mountain with you.” She looked up and saw the faint light of the snow-capped mountains reflected in the boy’s eyes. Ge Wensong scratched his head: “Huangshan and Sanqingshan both belong to the Daoist sect, so I’m practically a fellow disciple. Besides, you’re carrying the Demon-Refining Gourd alone; what if you encounter demon soldiers again…”

"Silly boy." Monk Tongda patted Ge Wensong's shoulder as he passed by. "The sacred mountain is full of dangers. I'll give you this string of Buddhist beads. It can ward off evil spirits." As he spoke, he took off the eighteen Buddhist beads from his wrist, strung them into a bracelet, and handed it to Ge Wensong.

Mo Jianchen walked over and slipped a jade slip into An Zhi's hand: "The third level of the Shu Mountain Sword Technique, Star Chasing, might come in handy." Xuan Feng Yichen left behind a protective talisman, saying it would protect the two of them from the severe cold on the snow mountain.

At dawn, Shen Anzhi and Ge Wensong set off on the snow-covered mountain path. Looking back, the outline of Yading Village was already shrouded in the morning mist, and the figures of Zi Lingxuan and the others gradually became blurred.

Ge Wensong suddenly pointed to the claw marks on the snow ahead: "Look, they look like the footprints of an iron-eating beast."

Anzhi's heart skipped a beat. She knelt down and touched the marks, some deep and some shallow. A few bamboo leaves lay scattered beside the claw marks. She picked one up and found the word "Mom" crookedly carved on the back with claw marks. "Tuantuan..." she whispered, the cold wind swirling snowflakes blurring her vision.

Ge Wensong turned his face away, pretending not to see her reddened eyes, and just gripped the sword in his hand tightly: "Once you find the Demon-Slaying Sword, we'll go to Mount Emei to bring it home."

Late at night, snow began to fall along the way, and the two set up a makeshift tent at the foot of a snow cliff. Shen Anzhi stroked the magic mirror, and suddenly a cluster of images appeared on its surface. Its left front paw was wrapped in bandages, and it was following its monkey cousin through the dense forest, with fragments of the diamond armor on its chest gleaming faintly.

“So you really are alright…” Anzhi murmured to himself, his fingertips touching the mirror, but the image turned into snowflakes and vanished.

Ge Wensong added a piece of dry food to the fire and suddenly asked, "Sister Anzhi, why do you think the Iron-Eating Beast is called 'Iron-Eating Beast'?"

Shen Anzhi was taken aback, recalling the ancient records in the bamboo forest: "Legend has it that the Iron-Eating Beast was the mount of an ancient war god, which feeds on refined iron and can refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Perhaps... Tuantuan's background is more complicated than we thought."

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the howling of wolves echoed outside the tent. Anzhi gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, but in the instant he closed his eyes, he saw the colossal shadow of a black python coiled around the summit of Sanqing Mountain. With each breath, the black python swallowed up the entire cloud, while Kui Ran, Kang Qing, and the others ran helplessly down the mountain.

She suddenly opened her eyes and found Ge Wensong holding her hand, his palm covered in cold sweat.

"Don't be afraid." Ge Wensong's voice was firm: "Once we get the Demon-Slaying Sword, we'll kill the Black Python together."

Anzhi nodded, suddenly remembering Zi Lingxuan's words: "The immortal mountains are different, but their methods are the same." She looked at the snow-capped mountains outside the tent, the moonlight gilding the ice peaks with silver edges, as if foreshadowing the approaching dawn.