Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 243 Escape from the Snake's Mouth
The moment Ye Tinglan entered the throat of the black serpent, she summoned a small lotus lantern.

The warm lighting created a protective shield, enveloping the two of them.

When faced with an extremely large monster, many people think of the tactic of crawling into its belly, but this is actually an extremely dangerous trap.

Because of their enormous size, their digestive capacity is also on a completely different level. If a human were to try to enter the body of such a monster that is tens of meters long, they would only be instantly corroded and digested.

Many people's magical artifacts are strong at withstanding direct damage, but they may not be able to withstand corrosion and digestion, which are completely different damage patterns. Many people underestimate the power of this digestion, thinking they are clever enough to enter the bodies of strange beasts, only to meet a gruesome end.

Especially for high-grade life forms, digestion is no longer passive; they can actively absorb nutrients, making them countless levels stronger. Just like cultivators actively digesting medicinal power, the efficiency is dozens of times faster than passively waiting for the pills to be digested and absorbed.

They love it when humans presumptuously crawl inside their bellies.

Fortunately, the one who went into her stomach this time was Ye Tinglan. Her combat experience and the all-around protection of her magic weapon are second to none in the world.

All I could hear was the sizzling sound of stomach acid hitting the lotus lantern's protective cover, yet it couldn't even corrode a single dent. The feeling inside was like a torrential downpour outside, while inside, the candlelight was warm, and my older sister held me in her warm embrace—a comforting warmth no matter the storm.

But there are two problems.

Firstly, it's inconvenient to attack outwards through this shield; we'll have to wait for an opportunity.

Secondly... the protective range of this light is so small, the two people have to hold each other tightly.

At first, Ye Tinglan didn't sense anything amiss, but after going a little further in, she suddenly realized that this was a bit too ambiguous...

She glanced at the puppy in her arms; the puppy was staring blankly at her profile, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Tinglan was quite annoyed. He could tolerate being hugged and rolled around in his arms when he saved him before; in the urgency of saving someone, everyone acted expediently, and no one really felt anything. But now it was different. Squeezing together to squeeze into such a long passage, the feeling was just...unpleasant.

His arms were still wrapped around her waist, and she didn't know whether she should tell him to let go. It didn't seem to make much difference; if he didn't hold her, she would have to hold him even tighter to keep from slipping away, which felt even more awkward.

This mere few dozen feet of snake-belly distance felt more arduous than walking dozens of miles on a normal day.

All you did was bring a male apprentice out for a "trial," how did the trial turn out like this?

Lu Xingzhou's dazed state was, of course, due to the many memories he had of Yuan Muyu. Frame by frame, the past when he was unable to walk properly and was carried around by Yuan Muyu, flashed through his mind, overlapping with the strikingly similar face before him, making him feel uneasy and disturbed.

What made Lu Xingzhou feel even more complicated was that the past images were becoming increasingly blurry, while Ye Tinglan's mature and intellectual older sister-like protection felt so real, and the refreshing fragrance was invigorating.

Ye Tinglan is Ye Tinglan, not Yuan Muyu.

Regardless of her previous intentions in approaching him, her kindness towards him now feels so genuine.

"Sir, there's something there." Lu Xingzhou suddenly noticed a light ahead and called out to warn him.

The voice was right next to my ear; I could even feel his breath, a tingling sensation.

Ye Tinglan's earlobes turned bright red without her noticing, but she forced herself to ignore it and gritted her teeth as she looked ahead: "You don't need to tell me, I can see it."

The two quickly reached the center of the snake's belly, where they could see a huge pearl lying there, its soft light faintly emanating from it.

In addition, there were some bone fragments.

These bones have been swallowed for who knows how many years, yet they haven't been completely digested. This shows how powerful the owner of these bones was in life. He was even much stronger than Ye Tinglan, a true "ancient immortal."

“This is not something this snake can devour. It must have died in battle here and its corpse was swallowed by it.” Ye Tinglan made a judgment: “The fact that this snake can grow protection beyond its own capabilities is largely related to the fact that it devoured the corpses of these ancient immortals.”

Lu Xingzhou said, "Then this is an ancient realm, from which we should be able to glimpse the creations of ancient immortals."

Both of their eyes were fixed on the precious pearl.

In truth, the Tianyao Holy Land has encountered many such opportunities, and there's never too much of them. In the exploration of the ancient immortals, every clue is valuable, as it might lead to even more connections.

"This bead is the source of its survival to this day. It contains extremely strong longevity effects and is the most desired treasure for cultivators whose lifespan is about to end. If it is ground into powder and extracted for alchemy, it may become the core ingredient of the Longevity Pill."

There is a kind of elixir that may not increase one's cultivation, but it can grant immortality.

Compared to a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir that grants ascension, this Longevity Elixir, though not as powerful, is still a coveted treasure.

It's perfectly normal for people to die because of the struggle for such a treasure. Lu Xingzhou could already imagine the ancient grudges and fierce battles that took place here, as well as an ordinary water snake that lurked at the bottom of the lake, eventually picking up scraps, eating corpses, and swallowing the treasure, growing into its current state.

Ye Tinglan took a deep breath: "Be careful, if we take this, the Xuan Snake will be enraged and will immediately unleash all its power to devour us. My lotus lantern shield may not last long."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "I understand, I'm prepared."

Ye Tinglan slightly opened her protective barrier, and with a thought, she pulled the precious pearl to her face. Corrosive stomach acid seeped in through the opening, but Ye Tinglan expelled it all with her aura. At the same time, Lu Xingzhou tossed out the last of the highly poisonous pills he had refined but hadn't yet thrown into the lake, along with the stomach acid.

Ye Tinglan glanced at him and thought to herself that this little puppy was so reliable that she wanted to pat his head.

"You...you're courting death!"

The black serpent roared, its entire body went berserk, and its stomach acid, driven by its own will, surged wildly, constantly scouring the lotus lantern's protective barrier. The sizzling sound grew more and more intense, and the barrier began to shake and thin.

Some areas already have potholes.

At the same time, the snake's entire body rolled violently, and the two people, embracing each other, were thrown about in a chaotic and turbulent manner, bumping and knocking around like a small boat swaying in a raging sea.

Ye Tinglan remained calm and composed, carrying Lu Xingzhou as they charged back towards the snake's mouth amidst the turbulent chaos. Despite the snake's writhing and the raging waves, their small boat would never capsize.

I absolutely refuse to go out from the back... what would that look like...?

Within a mere few dozen feet, the snake's violent writhing turned to weakness, clearly indicating that the highly poisonous pill Lu Xingzhou had thrown out had taken effect. The black snake actively used its gastric juices to digest, which naturally allowed the poison to be digested rapidly as well. The toxin instantly invaded its entire body, causing the black snake excruciating pain.

The hissing sound grew closer, indicating that the lotus lantern's defenses were reaching their final stage.

But ahead was a tightly closed snake mouth. The black snake knew that the two people inside were trying to escape, and it also knew that the lotus lantern's protection had reached its limit. As long as it sealed it off and wouldn't let them out, the two people would die inside.

If they die here, the fallen pearl can prolong the life of the Black Serpent.

You die, I live.

Ye Tinglan's expression was grim as she considered whether a full-force attack, after dispelling her defenses, could blast open the snake's mouth without being corroded by its saliva. She herself could manage it, but she wasn't sure if she could protect Lu Xingzhou at the same time…

In any case, we have to give it a try now.

The light of the lotus lantern suddenly disappeared, replaced by a dazzling sword light that pierced the darkness and cleaved the heavens and earth.

Lu Xingzhou took out the dragon bone.

Basic witchcraft curse - doubles the pain.

Half snake and half dragon, yet possessing dragon veins, this curse technique using dragon bones as a medium is naturally effective against the Xuan Snake.

A blood-curdling scream rang out. No matter how big a gash Ye Tinglan's sword could create, the snake's mouth was already wide open...

Ye Tinglan grabbed Lu Xingzhou and leaped away, successfully escaping.

The snake saliva covered their bodies. Ye Tinglan used her magic to shield them, and Lu Xingzhou took out his wheelchair and used its protective shield to shield them as well. However, their skills were not quite right, and the saliva was quickly neutralized and corroded, but it did block most of the snake saliva.

Only a few drops of water mist remained on my body, leaving my clothes tattered and torn, a scene of pure springtime beauty.

"Bang!" Lu Xingzhou landed on the ground in his wheelchair, but instead of holding Ye Tinglan in his arms, the momentum caused the wheelchair to keep moving backward.

Not far away, the black serpent was writhing in agony on the ground, pressing the earth so hard it looked like it had been plowed, leaving deep pits everywhere.

Not long after, on the verge of death, he uttered: "Humans... are so wicked..."

"Holy crap." Lu Xingzhou laughed in anger: "You want to digest both of us? That's not malicious. But if I throw you a pill, it's malicious? Who knew that such a venomous snake like you would be afraid of poison? I thought it was a sugar pill for you."

Ye Tinglan listened with a strange expression as he and a snake exchanged insults. The wheelchair stopped reversing, and the black snake also stopped rolling.

The Xuan Snake, whose lifespan was unknown, was poisoned to death by a mere poison pill after losing the precious pearl; it was already dead.

The air was quiet for a moment.

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "When will you let go of my hand?"

Lu Xingzhou's hand remained wrapped around her waist, and she sat on his lap, nestled close to his chest. Their clothes were almost completely worn away.

In this dark, secret realm, her snow-white skin shone like moonlight.

Lu Xingzhou noticed, and the boat instinctively straightened up.

Ye Tinglan noticed this too, and a hand seal had already formed. She sneered, "Tell me, if I silenced you, wouldn't nothing have happened?"

(End of this chapter)