White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 49 Dragon Emerges from the Marsh
"Whoo~"

A night breeze blew in, and everyone drifted into a deep sleep. The embers on the ground flickered and sparked a few scattered embers. The snores of the constables rose and fell. One man wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, turned over, and continued to sleep.

Those "experts" sat cross-legged, facing the river, lined up in a row, looking quite intimidating.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that these masters have also fallen asleep, but they are still in a quivering position.

"Wow~"

The wild grass in the swamp parted, a ripple spread across the water, and a huge snake's head emerged from the swamp. The black python twisted its long body and crawled ashore.

The scales on the python's belly rubbed against the pebbles on the beach, making a soft rustling sound. The terrifying python crawled to the side of the "experts".

The long-bearded, fair-skinned Taoist priest swallowed hard in his dream, as if he had sensed something. Then, he opened his eyes groggily, only to find everything pitch black.

He was jolted awake and turned his head to look. To his horror, he found that Master Wen was being coiled around by a terrifying giant python, and the sound of bones breaking could be heard from within the layers of the snake's body.

"Ah! The snake demon! The snake demon is here!"

He screamed in terror, trying to wake everyone around him.

Unexpectedly, none of the unconscious people were awakened; instead, the noise startled the giant python that was feeding.

A huge snake head looked back at him from above, then leaped up, abandoning the limp Wen Xianshi, and pounced on the awakened Daoist Qu!
Master Qu scrambled into the deep forest in terror, but the giant python swiftly blocked his path and bit him.

Unexpectedly, a jade pendant at the other party's waist suddenly burst out with a blue light, causing the snake to suffer greatly and hastily retreat.

Upon seeing this, the python quickly reacted, took off the jade pendant from its waist, and held it tightly in its hand, not daring to let go.

The blue light emanating from the jade pendant grew stronger and stronger, gradually illuminating an area of ​​more than ten feet in radius, waking up everyone who had been under the spell and fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin, the head constable, stood up in shock, staring at the horrifying scene before him: a giant python, about ten zhang long, was confronting a Taoist priest. The priest held a jade pendant in his hand, which emitted bursts of green light, keeping the giant python demon at bay.

The other "experts" were so frightened by what they saw that they scurried behind the constables, showing no semblance of their former status.

"This...this really is a snake demon!"

The constables were all terrified and turned pale. They had seen snakes and pythons before, but this snake and python was enormous. It was as long as a dozen adults and its body was thicker than an ox. It was quite possible that it could swallow an old ox whole!
"Taoist priests, immortal masters, what should we do now? It's time for you to show your skills!" Officer Lin turned to the group of Taoist priests and said.

Such a terrifying giant python was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people like them.

"Well, Master Qu seems capable of handling this alone. We should stay on the sidelines to support him and avoid disrupting his magic!"

A thin Taoist priest kept stalling for time.

"Yes! Yes! If we act rashly and interrupt Master Qu's magic, it will ruin everything!"

The other experts also declined, leaving Constable Lin with no choice but to stand by and wait for the magistrate's support.

Before he set off, the county magistrate had told him that they had recruited a true master this time, and all he needed to do was lure out the snake demon; he wouldn't need to get involved in the rest.

Everyone watched with curiosity, but Master Qu, who was standing at the front of the group, was extremely anxious. This jade pendant was a relic left by his master, who said it was the only protective magic weapon left to him.

Unexpectedly, it actually proved to be of great use. However, seeing the faint cracks appearing on the jade pendant in his hand, he had no choice but to plead, "Fellow practitioners, please come and help me! I can't hold on much longer!"

His shout didn't bring anyone to help; instead, it reminded the giant python of something. It turned around and stopped fighting the blue light, instead bypassing him and attacking the others.

This startled everyone, who scattered in terror, while Master Qu caught his breath and hurriedly clutched the jade pendant, retreating to hide.

"Master Qu! Come here!"

Just as he was fleeing in panic, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind him.

Behind a huge rock sat a slightly plump Taoist priest, with array flags and talismans stuck around him, emitting a faint glow. He looked like a true master, and Master Qu was delighted.

He quickly hid in the formation, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and panted, "I was terrified! This is the first time I've ever seen such a huge snake demon!"
Master Wang, do you have a method for exorcising demons?

"Well, I do have some tricks up my sleeve." Wang Fengyuan pondered for a moment, then took something from his waist and held it in his hand, smiling as he said, "This is what snake demons fear most. Fellow Daoist, take a look!"

Curious, Master Qu reached out to look. When the Taoist priest opened his palm, it was a pool of dark yellow powder. He suddenly blew on it, and a burning pain immediately covered his eyes, making it impossible for Master Qu to open them.

"Pfft~"

A sharp sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, and Master Qu clutched the wound in his heart, letting out a painful scream before dying.

Wang Fengyuan kicked him with a cold laugh, bent down and pried open the jade pendant tightly held in the other's hand. After examining it, he said with delight, "It really is a good treasure. There should be a magic restriction left by a master of the Yuanzhen Realm inside. However, it looks very old and doesn't have much spiritual power left."

Such a treasure wasted in the hands of a charlatan like you is truly a waste!

At this moment, chaos reigned at the edge of the swamp, with everyone fleeing in panic, while the giant python chased and devoured them.

At that very moment, a golden light suddenly shone in the dark sky, and a sword filled with the righteous energy of Taiyi descended from the sky, slashing towards the giant python.

The giant python was displaying its might when it suddenly encountered this terrifying sword energy. Unable to control its killing intent, it stubbornly pushed its head forward, channeling the last of its demonic energy into its head, and rammed it hard against the sword.

"Bang~"

The sword light sliced ​​through the giant python's body as if cutting through the air, splitting it in two.

Such a huge python died so easily!
Seeing that the giant python was dead, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Still shaken, they watched as the golden light returned to the hand of a middle-aged Taoist priest. He slowly descended from mid-air, sheathed his sword, and reassured everyone, "Don't panic, the snake demon has been slain!"

Upon seeing that it was indeed the master the magistrate had spoken of, Lin, the head constable, said with admiration, "So it's Mr. Hua! Thank you so much for saving our lives! You not only saved our lives, but you also avenged the people of Zhangyang!"

"Immortal Master, your divine power is awe-inspiring! Immortal Master, your divine power is awe-inspiring! We have been blind and have never seen a true master!"

Only two Taoist priests remained, still shaken, bowing in gratitude, their former airs completely gone.

"It's nothing, no need to be polite." Hua Yi waved his hand. "Take this snake demon's body back to the county office. I'll go report to the magistrate first!"

"Yes, sir, please rest assured," Lin, the head constable, hurriedly replied.

Watching this scene from dozens of miles away by the water, Bai Wuxiang was slightly startled. He had forgotten that the Black Dragon was no ordinary demon beast, but a giant python demon that had been supported by the mountain people for a hundred years, and whose intelligence was already close to that of a human. Now that it had transformed into a dragon, its intelligence was probably even deeper!
The snake demon in front of them was not the Black Dragon at all; the other party was deliberately using this snake demon to pretend that the snake demon was dead.

It also knew that human cultivators were not to be trifled with; once the younger ones were beaten, the older ones would come, causing endless trouble.

Therefore, he used this substitution trick to fake his death and escape.

After all, Hua Yi couldn't stay in Zhangyang forever. Once the local people had lowered their guard and thought everything was peaceful, and the demon hunters had all left, the black dragon would be able to unleash its evil power again and devour blood.

With a thought, Bai Wuxiang caused countless specks of green light to rise from the grass by the marsh, drawing everyone's attention.

Even Hua Yi, who had only taken a few steps, stopped and looked at the fireflies with curiosity.

Thousands upon thousands of fireflies gathered together, transforming into the shape of a green dragon, and suddenly plunged into the depths of the swamp.

"Om~"

A green light wave spread out from the surface of the swamp, and the deathly aura enraged the creatures deep within the swamp.

"roar~"

A terrifying roar filled with rage reverberated in all directions, causing everyone to drop to the ground in fear, unable to stand up.

Only Hua Yi, his heart filled with shock, gripped the trembling sword in his hand and shouted, "What kind of demon are you? I am a disciple of Master Yi Geng of Jin Guang Cave on Qian Yuan Mountain!"

Hua Yi was not a naive newcomer to the mountain. When faced with terrifying demons, he first introduced himself. Even if the other party was highly skilled, they would be wary of his sect and thus refrain from killing him.

If even the Taiyi Golden Light Sword, personally forged by his master, is afraid of it, then it must not be an ordinary little demon or monster!

Hua Yi stared intently at the surface of the swamp, but after looking left and right without noticing anything unusual, he turned his gaze elsewhere.

Looking up, they were horrified to discover that a colossal dragon, as large as a mountain, had somehow taken up residence above the swamp. Its body was half-hidden in the thick, inky clouds, and its two dragon eyes looked down upon all living beings.

"Jiao... Jiaolong..."

Hua Yihai's body went limp. He almost lost his Dao heart and fell to the mortal world after being looked at by the dragon's eye.

In the critical moment, fortunately, the sword at his waist suddenly emitted a shocking sword cry. The ear-piercing metallic clang shook the dragon's might, and the Taiyi Golden Light Sword burst out of its sheath and soared into the sky, transforming into a straight golden sword light that fiercely slashed towards the Xuanjiao in the clouds.

"roar~"

The black dragon in the dark clouds raised its head and let out a roar. Waves of black sound vibrated and spread out like ripples on water, engulfing the golden sword light.

The clash between gold and black resulted in a stalemate for a time.

Seeing this, the Xuanjiao emerged from the clouds with a giant claw over ten zhang long, which descended from the sky and struck down the golden sword light.

"Woo~"

The sword energy and precious light on the Taiyi Golden Light Sword shattered one after another, and with a mournful cry, it fell to the mortal world, falling diagonally and embedding itself in the soil in front of Hua Yi, revealing half of the broken hilt.

“Mortal, I do not wish to entangle with your Qianyuan Mountain, and have already retreated three-tenths of the way.”

But since you've forced me to reveal my true form and expose my aura, then I can no longer let you live!

Having said that, a bolt of black lightning suddenly shot from Xuan Jiao's eyes, striking Hua Yi's body directly.

Fortunately, a golden magic rune appeared between Hua Yi's eyebrows, protecting him in a ray of light woven from golden magic characters.

Seeing this, the Xuanjiao was not surprised. It once again extended its dragon claws and pressed down, crushing the golden magic patterns layer by layer. The suffocating feeling made Hua Yi unable to move at all, and he couldn't even say a word.

It wasn't that he was weak-willed, but rather that any living being would instinctively submit to the might of a dragon. The fact that he could face the dragon's pressure without kneeling was already quite remarkable.

Just as the layers of golden patterns shattered completely in a few breaths, a strange laugh suddenly rang out.

"Snake, you've grown into a dragon-like creature in just a few days."

Xuanjiao's heart trembled. Its dragon eyes looked in all directions and saw snow falling from the sky. A tall figure walked out from the snowstorm. The shadows of the mountains behind him turned into tiger heads, spotted faces, and kings with hundreds of patterns. The sound of the wind and snow turned into tiger roars, shaking the heavens and the earth.

"Tiger!"

Xuan Jiao was extremely surprised and couldn't help but blurt out, "How could you leave Yunze Mountain!"

But it quickly realized what was happening, and anger flashed in its eyes. It suddenly raised its head and roared, shattering the swirling snow.

The tiger's shadow and the towering mountains vanished without a trace.

"What a brilliant illusion! You're asking for death!"

When Xuan Jiao looked down again, he found that the human cultivator had disappeared.

"Who is plotting against me in secret?" Although the Xuanjiao was furious, it still suppressed its anger. It had not yet fully transformed into a dragon and could not easily reveal its aura, otherwise countless experts in the world would want all the treasures it possessed!

Yunze Mountain can no longer be hidden!
The grudge against the bone demon of Black Stone Village can only be settled in the future!
Thinking of this, the Xuanjiao twisted its body and shrank back into the thick, dark clouds. Then, this cloud of mist fell into the swamp like a wisp of air.

But at that moment, a clear yet gentle wooden fish sound came from afar, shaking the swamp waters and causing them to ripple.

In the blink of an eye, lotus flowers bloomed on the water's surface, supporting the cloud and preventing it from falling into the swamp.

A bald monk dressed in tattered clothes, holding a wooden fish, came from afar, travel-worn, with a kind smile on his face, and said softly, "Amitabha! Excellent! Excellent! It really was just a hair's breadth away from missing it!"

Once a dragon enters the water, it becomes impossible to find it!

The clouds above the swamp drifted about, increasingly eager to sink into the water. However, with the arrival of the yellow-robed monk, more and more lotus flowers bloomed on the swamp, transforming it into a lotus world and making it impossible for the clouds to merge into the water.

Left with no other choice, the clouds rose into the sky once more, quickly transforming into a thick fog that covered hundreds of miles, obscuring the sun. The black dragon, hidden within the dark clouds, said coldly, "Monk! I do not wish to antagonize you. Quickly release me!"

(End of this chapter)