Chapter 47：Snake movement

"Zhong Shan, how do you know Senior Brother is here?" Tian Ling'er asked as she walked alongside Zhong Shan.

For some reason, Tian Ling'er no longer seemed as eager to meet her Senior Brother. Along the way, she kept convincing herself that she must see him. She was now at the tenth level of the innate stage and was about to reach the Golden Core stage. Once she reached the Golden Core stage, she could no longer be seen as a little girl in his eyes when he called her Junior Sister.

"Hao San has been found. After this canyon, we'll be there. Many disciples from various immortal sects are gathered around. Our Kaiyang Sect members must be there too," Zhong Shan said after some thought.

"Oh," Tian Ling'er nodded and then lowered her head, lost in her thoughts, kicking small stones along the way.

Seeing her actions, Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled.

Finally, the two emerged from the canyon and reached its mouth. They saw a hill completely shrouded in white mist, surrounded by a ring of high mountains.

On the surrounding mountains stood numerous figures, all solemnly gazing at the center of the white mist-covered mountain.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhong Shan's heart tightened as he quickly analyzed the current situation.

"Senior Brother, it's Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister," Tian Ling'er suddenly pointed excitedly towards a northern peak.

What Tian Ling'er didn't notice was that this time, her eyes didn't only focus on her Senior Brother but also on Bei Qingsi. In the past, no matter how many people were around her Senior Brother, she would only have eyes for him.

As soon as she saw her Senior Brother, Tian Ling'er's heart felt lighter. Perhaps by reflex, she quickly darted out of the canyon and headed towards the distant peak where the Kaiyang Sect members were gathered.

"Wait..." Zhong Shan called out, but it was too late; Tian Ling'er had already run off. Seeing this, Zhong Shan sighed and followed her.

Their sudden appearance in the valley instantly attracted the attention of all the onlookers.

Everyone was focused on the white mist-covered mountain, waiting for Hao San to show up while also being wary of the various forces present. Unless one had absolute strength, the first to charge would not be the one to seize the prize.

Tian Ling'er and Zhong Shan's sudden appearance caused a stir among the onlookers. Did these two intend to snatch Hao San?

Some people grew cautious, but then noticed the two weren't heading towards the white mist mountain but were instead running towards the northern peak after emerging from the canyon.

What are they doing?

On the eastern peak.

"Qianyou, those two moved first," Gu Lin immediately called to the young woman beside him.

Hearing Gu Lin, Princess Qianyou frowned and glanced at him with some annoyance.

"Prince, those two are only at the innate stage and are heading north. They probably aren't going after Hao San," Mr. Shui Jing explained.

"Innate stage?" Gu Lin believed Mr. Shui Jing's words.

On the northern peak, where the Kaiyang Sect disciples were gathered.

"Senior Brother, it's Ling'er and that new disciple from the sect," Yun Qian immediately recognized Tian Ling'er and Zhong Shan below.

Seeing the two figures rapidly approaching from the northern mountain peak, the senior brother Tian Sha paused momentarily. He glanced at Bei Qingsi beside him, his brow furrowing slightly.

Tian Sha wasn't a fool; he naturally knew about Tian Ling'er's affection for him. However, with Bei Qingsi by his side at this moment, any misunderstanding arising from this situation was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

At the same time, Bei Qingsi was also watching the two figures below. More specifically, her gaze was fixed on Zhong Shan. Seeing Zhong Shan brought back memories of their encounter at the hot spring, making her feel a sudden rush of warmth.

This man, Zhong Shan? Why has he appeared again? She had avoided the Kaiyang Hall meeting precisely to avoid the awkwardness of seeing him, and now, so soon after, they were meeting again?

Bei Qingsi's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her eyes. She was unsure how to face Zhong Shan in a moment.

However, Tian Ling'er was rapidly approaching, making it impossible for Tian Sha and Bei Qingsi to pretend they hadn't seen them.

Zhong Shan followed closely behind Tian Ling'er because he had sensed something ominous from the gazes of the powerful individuals atop the surrounding peaks. Their looks were not friendly, suggesting his presence had triggered some taboo. Moreover, at the center, there was a mountain shrouded in white mist—could it be Hao San?

As Zhong Shan and Tian Ling'er ran towards the northern peak, a sudden explosion erupted from behind them, from the direction of the white mist-covered mountain.

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~"

The thunderous roar made Tian Ling'er stop abruptly and turn her head in astonishment towards the source.

Similarly, all eyes shifted from Zhong Shan to the white mist-covered mountain, as that was everyone's ultimate objective. Even the members of the Kaiyang Sect were now focused on the white mist-covered mountain.

After the deafening roar, the white mist began to dissipate slowly. Everyone saw that the base of the mountain was no longer the color of earth but a gleaming golden hue. Clearly, the defensive formation had not only protected the mountain but had turned the ground beneath it as solid as diamond.

As the formation retracted, the golden ground gradually faded, revealing numerous white flags planted around the mountain.

It was a flag array.

An elderly man dressed in black, holding a horsetail whisk, made a hand gesture, and the numerous white flags flew into his hands.

On the mountain, fifty-one gigantic serpents, each thirty meters long, raised their heads and hissed menacingly. Among them, a colossal serpent, no—a dragon, stood out. This creature was a Chi Dragon, one hundred and fifty meters long, with a single horn on its head like a blunt blade pointing skyward, exuding a terrifying presence.

A Chi Dragon?

The powerful figures atop the surrounding peaks were astir. How could it be a Chi Dragon?

The Chi Dragon, standing fifty meters tall with a third of its body lifted into the air, had icy, piercing eyes. Its massive form exuded an overwhelming aura.

At the base of the enormous dragon horn stood a man in white robes, his hair also white. His eyes gleamed with a cold indifference, a defiant spirit challenging the heavens.

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Chi Dragon roared again, as if to intimidate all the powerful figures present.

With this roar, the fifty-one giant serpents quickly slithered down the mountain, splitting into three groups and heading in different directions.

One of these groups, consisting of sixteen giant serpents, was heading straight north.

While Tian Ling'er was still in shock from the terrifying scene, Zhong Shan felt his hair standing on end.

"Run~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

With his eyes blazing red, Zhong Shan let out a loud roar, grabbing Tian Ling'er and dashing towards the distant mountain peak. Their path veered swiftly away from due north, heading instead towards the northeast.

The speed of the giant serpents was terrifying. In no time, they slithered down the mountain, and some of them even reared up, thrusting their heads downward into the earth and disappearing underground.

As Zhong Shan dragged Tian Ling'er along, he also glimpsed the scene behind them, feeling a growing sense of urgency. The giant serpents were closing in, and what's more, their erratic movements seemed to be gradually veering towards Zhong Shan's direction.

On the mountain where the Kaiyang Sect was located, the disciples were alarmed. Bei Qingsi and Tian Sha rushed downwards swiftly, followed by the other disciples.

On the eastern mountain peak, Princess Qianyou frowned as she watched the many serpents prowling about. She then glanced at the Chi Dragon at the summit.

"A Chi Dragon? It's actually a Chi Dragon?" Ancient Lin exclaimed in surprise, his eyes revealing a strong sense of difficulty.

Mr. Shuijing, shaking his feather fan, squinted his eyes. After casting a brief glance at the Chi Dragon and the figure of Hao San on its head, he shifted his gaze to the black-robed Old Wei.

As Ancient Lin looked at the Chi Dragon and then turned his gaze to Princess Qianyou, seeing her grave expression, he suddenly felt a surge of determination. "Qianyou, I'll send someone to capture Hao San for you," he said, his mind racing.

Before he could finish his sentence, Princess Qianyou shot him a stern look. "Silence," she snapped.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shuijing shook his head slightly with his fan, clearly feeling resigned about Ancient Lin's meddling.

Down below, the speed of the giant serpents was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, they were about to catch up to Zhong Shan and Tian Ling'er.

Tian Ling'er, now realizing the gravity of the situation, ran alongside Zhong Shan towards the slope ahead. Bei Qingsi and Tian Sha were also descending from above, approaching quickly. But the dozen or so giant serpents behind them were even faster.

"Leap onto the boulder, jump!" Zhong Shan shouted.

Because right in front of them was a large black stone. By jumping onto it and then giving another powerful leap, the people flying above on swords could catch them and Tian Ling'er, and then swiftly ascend to safety.

Tian Ling'er had already caught a whiff of the foul odor emanating from the serpents behind them. Without hesitation, she followed Zhong Shan's instructions, driven perhaps by the urgency of the situation or by her blind admiration for Zhong Shan accumulated over time.

Almost simultaneously, the two stepped onto the large stone and exerted their utmost strength. With a kick from their legs, the boulder shattered beneath them. But their bodies soared upwards in parallel.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~"

From the shattered side of the boulder, the earth suddenly trembled as an endless stream of soil and rocks shot into the sky. A gigantic red serpent head emerged from the gaping hole, opening its bloody maw and hurtling towards the airborne figures at terrifying speed.