Chapter Forty-Three: Sniper

A low, muffled grunt escaped Old Stone as he curled his body carelessly upon the ground. In an instant, he transformed into a lifeless, unremarkable boulder. Upon his back, the Old Tree Demon stood, dozens of thick roots driving deep into the earth. Soon, the demon became nothing more than an inconspicuous old tree, leaning askew against a towering giant whose trunk soared a hundred yards high.

Lord Hengluo patted the fiery red leopard beneath her. The great beast moved like a weightless specter, carrying her swiftly away. It leapt lightly from treetop to treetop, covering miles in a few agile bounds. With a gentle sweep of her fingers across a branch, she and her mount vanished into the shadows, like a drop of water dissolving into the sea—leaving no trace to be found.

The black-furred giant ape thumped its chest, glancing about warily. With heavy, snorting breaths, it hefted a massive wooden beam and slipped into a vast hollow in one of the trees. Like all spirits born of the mountains and forests, the giant ape drew in a deep breath, merging its presence with the woodland around it until it was impossible to discern.

Jihe drew near, long spear in hand, leaping swiftly from branch to branch. In a few nimble movements, he landed beside Jixia, where he stood silently at his father’s back, gazing into the pitch-black forest where not even an outstretched hand could be seen.

Qingfu and the altar were now shrouded in a faint mist. Soon, the mist grew transparent, and both Qingfu and the altar vanished entirely. Whirlwinds, drifting fog, and eerie, twisted shadows all melted into the night of the deep forest. The woods grew utterly silent, suffused with a most peculiar and profound stillness.

Without a sound, a metallic centipede over thirty yards long burst from the dense forest. Atop its head stood Diro, muttering curses through clenched teeth. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Jixia and Jihe, father and son, standing at the entrance to Cold Creek Valley. Diro, along with Toba and Toao behind him, stared in dumbfounded astonishment.

“Damn it… Don’t you people ever sleep?” Diro growled in a low voice, pointing at Jihe in frustration.

Dozens of Bloodfang warriors crept from the forest like thieves, sneaking forward in clear attempt at a night raid. Yet, upon unexpectedly seeing Jixia and Jihe standing there, they too froze in shock, just like Diro.

This was not how their plan was meant to unfold.

According to Diro’s scheme, the ‘well-trained’ elite warriors of the Bloodfang were supposed to ambush the Fire Crow sentries, then storm into Cold Creek Valley, luring Jixia into the forest amid the ensuing chaos—where everyone would spring the trap together.

But why were Jixia and Jihe wide awake in the dead of night, standing here as if expecting them?

“We’re waiting for you,” Jihe said coldly, glaring at the stunned Diro. “Hey, those hiding in the woods—don’t bother skulking, come out!”

The forest was silent as a grave. Jihou and Jixiao exchanged uneasy glances, uncertain whether Jihe had truly detected them or was merely bluffing to draw them out.

A thick black-horned serpent, as wide as a water vat, was coiled around a towering ancient tree. Its huge head slowly descended, deep eyes fixed intently on Jishu and Jihou. Atop the serpent’s head stood the Blackwater Dragon Eel, gripping Jiang Xue’s delicate neck tightly with his left hand.

Jiang Xue knelt upon the serpent’s enormous head, her face drained of color, eyes brimming with tears as she gazed pleadingly at Jihou and Jixiao.

“Well, what are you hesitating for? Do it! We all want Jixia dead, don’t we?” The Blackwater Dragon Eel sneered at Jixiao. “Kill him, and nothing will threaten your power again… Kill him, and we of the Blackwater Serpent tribe rid ourselves of our greatest foe. What could be better?”

Hundreds of warriors from the Blackwater Serpent tribe emerged, clad in tight-fitting black armor made from snake skin, their slender forms as lithe as vipers. They gripped poisoned daggers in one hand, and in the other, razor-sharp swords laced with venom.

The Blackwater Dragon Eel traced Jiang Xue’s smooth cheek with his finger. “For the sake of this girl, someone betrayed Jixia’s whereabouts. I’ve brought my clansmen here for one purpose—to kill Jixia. Once he’s dead, you can take the girl back with you!”

Jihou squinted at Jiang Xue, a feverish gleam in his eyes. “Of course we’ll take her back—she’s Elder Jiang Shu’s daughter. Xiao, my brother, since we can’t lure Jixia into the woods for the Blackwater Dragon Eel’s ambush, let’s attack directly!”

The massive black-horned serpent shot from the forest like a bolt of black lightning, bearing the Blackwater Dragon Eel atop its head.

The Blackwater Dragon Eel threw back his head with a wild laugh, pointing imperiously at Jixia. “Jixia, long time no see. Do you remember the Blackwater Python you killed? Today, I've come to avenge my elder brother!”

“Blackwater Python?” Jixia shook his head with a disdainful smile. “I’ve killed so many stinking snakes, I can’t possibly remember them all.”

With a cold laugh, Jixia pointed toward Diro. “So your Blackwater Serpent tribe has sunk so low as to ally with these fiends? Do you not know how many of our people they’ve kidnapped and sold from the Southern Wilds? Not just from our Fire Crow tribe—your own vassal clans have lost countless people to them!”

The Blackwater Dragon Eel let out a furious, derisive laugh. “Of course I know these fiends are the enemy of all our tribes. But if it means killing you, what does it matter? Remember my name—I am the brother of the Blackwater Python, the Blackwater Dragon Eel. And by the way, Jixia, your father was trapped and killed by my clan!”

The black-horned serpent opened its jaws wide and unleashed a gale of icy black breath. Wherever the chill swept, the ground froze beneath a thick sheet of ice, and great boulders shattered in its deadly cold. Even from a distance, Jihe felt his body grow numb, a thin layer of frost quickly forming on his skin.

At that moment, the Blackwater Dragon Eel drew his sword and slashed it forward. “What are you all waiting for? Attack together—kill Jixia! I’ll make his head a drinking goblet; the ancestral spirits will delight in such a sacrifice!”

From the depths of the forest, three high priests of the Blackwater Serpent tribe cackled in unison. The black-horned serpents coiled about their waists surged forth, swelling in size until they spanned many yards, charging forward with their riders.

But in that instant, less than thirty yards away, the Old Tree Demon snapped open his eyes and let out a thunderous roar. Countless vines, thick as fists, shot forth like arrows. The Blackwater Serpent priests, caught unawares, shrieked in alarm as the vines struck them head-on.

With dull thuds, the three priests were sent flying by the tree demon’s sudden assault. Vines whipped and lashed at them in a relentless storm, the impacts raining down as the soft armor on their bodies began to split and tear.

Jihou reacted instantly. As soon as the tree demon attacked, he leapt forward and swung a heavy axe at its trunk. But the earth beneath the demon exploded, and a massive white arm shot out, crashing into Jihou’s chest. He let out a muffled cry as he was hurled into the air, crashing through two giant trees before landing far off in the forest.

Jixiao shouted in panic, thrown into confusion.

Before he could act, a rain of cold, gleaming arrows whistled down from above, more than a hundred shafts filling the air with the intoxicating scent of herbs and wood.

***

How I wish I had a pet like the Stone Monster or the Old Tree Demon! The fat cat at home is hopelessly inferior!