A Name Reverberates – The Twin-Tailed Snake

Chapter 744: A Name Reverberates – The Twin-Tailed Snake

A cold light flashed in Han Li’s eyes. The hands manipulating the golden arcs of lightning abruptly jerked. Golden light erupted, and the net of electricity exploded.

Countless arcs of lightning jumped and rebounded, and a net of electricity far denser than before suddenly appeared. In an instant, it contracted sharply.

As a result, the black threads that shot out naturally collided with the golden arcs.

A loud crackling sound erupted. Under the brutal assault of the golden arcs, the black threads dissolved into plumes of black smoke rising within the net, accompanied by intermittent, extremely shrill wails of agony.

Soon, the black threads recoiled in fear, retreating to the center of the golden net and coalescing into a pitch-black, glossy, demonic-looking infant. Its face was a mask of shock and terror. Then it opened its mouth, spewing forth wave after wave of inky Yin energy, which wrapped around it layer upon layer in a desperate attempt to resist the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning now pressing in on all sides.

Han Li’s expression was cold. A flicker of mockery passed across his lips. The golden arcs surging from his hands abruptly thickened by a third. The arcs were blindingly bright, impossible to look at directly.

The screams from within the light rose again. Amidst a tremendous peal of thunder, they gradually subsided, and within moments, all was silent.

Seeing this, Han Li felt a quiet relief. The golden arcs in his hand rolled and contracted, wrapping themselves around a black storage pouch, which then flew into his grasp.

He looked up at the sky, his expression impassive. His form flickered slightly. Azure light flared again, and he transformed into a streak of azure light that shot back.

From the moment Han Li exchanged his few brief words with the black-robed man to the moment he released the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning and destroyed his opponent, the entire process had taken only a blink of an eye.

Not only were the men below—the bald-browed man and Old Surname Ma—stunned speechless, but even the gaunt Dharma Warrior and Ku Yao, two of the Moulan Grand Dharma Masters above, stared with four wide eyes, still unable to believe what had just happened.

It must be understood that while the Heavenly South cultivators did not know the black-robed man’s background, these two Grand Dharma Masters knew a fair amount.

These mysterious cultivators hailed from the vast empire on the other side of the Moulan Grasslands. Although they did not know exactly why they had suddenly come to the grasslands or what conditions they had reached with the Divine Masters of the Moulan’s three great tribes to warrant their aid, there was no doubt that these people surpassed the same-rank cultivators of the Heavenly South in both technique and supernatural power.

Before the true war had even begun, two Heavenly South Nascent Soul cultivators had been killed by them in succession. This had made the two Moulan Grand Dharma Masters quite deferential toward the black-robed men.

The reason they had let the black-robed man take the field in this second confrontation was precisely because they felt there were too many Nascent Soul cultivators guarding this restriction array. It would be best to catch them off guard and eliminate or grievously wound one of them first.

Who would have guessed that the opposing side would send out a youth who appeared to be of ordinary cultivation, yet who would dispatch a black-robed cultivator in just a few moves—and even the Nascent Soul was unable to escape? How could this not give the two men a massive shock!

The gaunt Dharma Warrior and Ku Yao finally snapped out of it. They exchanged a glance of shock and alarm, their expressions hesitant. They did not know whether to continue sending challengers or simply command the Dharma Warriors behind them to swarm forward.

At that moment, a few faint, almost inaudible words suddenly entered their ears.

“We’ve lost our momentum for today. Retreat for now. We will return tomorrow. By then, this formation… heh heh! As for Tian Ku’s death, it is troublesome to be sure, but I will offer an explanation to the Divine Masters. For now, withdraw.” The voice was neither male nor female, but carried an unmistakable note of command.

Hearing this, the gaunt Dharma Warrior and Ku Yao were taken aback, but they obeyed without comment, turning to issue loud orders to the Dharma Warriors behind them.

After a brief stir, no one raised any objection. The front ranks became the rear, and they slowly began to retreat.

The two Grand Dharma Masters naturally took up the rear. Before flying off, however, both turned their heads, their faces dark, to glare at the gathered cultivators. They gave Han Li a particularly venomous stare before turning away.

“Should we pursue?” Gu Shuang-pu asked, watching the retreating Dharma Warrior army with some uncertainty.

“Forget it. The Moulan are retreating, not defeated. If the few of us charge over, we risk being surrounded and trapped by them. Better to rely on the grand formation and conserve our strength. The Yellow Dragon Mountain’s ‘Thousand Sounds Illusory Transformation Formation’ is not so easily broken. Even if the Moulan can take it, they’ll have to sacrifice at least half of these Dharma Warriors.” The bald-browed man shook his head after a brief moment of consideration.

But as he said this, he couldn’t help turning his head to glance at Han Li.

The scene of Han Li killing the black-robed man had been too shocking for the gathered cultivators. As a result, when Han Li flew back, a moment of awkward silence had fallen among them, as no one knew what to say.

Now, as the bald-browed man looked over, Han Li’s expression was as calm as ever. He simply put away the black storage pouch he had been toying with and offered the group a faint smile.

Previously, when Han Li had smiled like this, the others hadn’t thought much of it. But now that they had witnessed him personally slay a Nascent Soul cultivator, that same smile gave them all a strange, inscrutable feeling. Any lingering sense of contempt they might have held for him vanished without a trace.

“Fellow Daoist Han, killing a high-ranking Dharma Warrior of the enemy in one fell swoop is truly a cause for celebration. I will be sure to report this to the Alliance upon our return. The Alliance will surely reward you richly.” The bald-browed man offered a smile in return, his words carrying a congratulatory tone.

Old Surname Ma and Gu Shuang-pu also snapped out of their daze at this point. They, too, forced smiles and offered a few words of praise. However, their demeanor toward Han Li had subtly shifted from before. A hint of awe and respect was now faintly discernible in their speech.

Han Li seemed to be completely oblivious. He returned their courtesy with the same polite bearing. But as he spoke, his gaze casually lingered on one of them for a moment longer than the others. When he was sure no one was watching, a faint, barely perceptible sneer touched his lips.

Only after the Dharma Warrior army had completely vanished from sight did the bald-browed man part the sea of mist to open a passage. The group quickly entered and disappeared, and the misty sea closed over the entrance once more.

Everything near Yellow Dragon Mountain fell silent again. The endless green mist lay motionless, a silent, unchanging shroud.

…

Once Han Li and the others had returned to the great hall, there was little to be said. After a brief discussion of the day’s great battle, everyone took their leave, each heading back to their own quarters to rest a little.

Old Surname Ma, in particular, had lost a treasure and a great deal of his vitality. He needed to take his medicine and meditate in order to recover his mana.

In the blink of an eye, the hall had emptied. Only the bald-browed man remained.

He sat in the main seat, his head bowed, a contemplative expression on his face as he sank into thought. No one knew what he was thinking.

After a while, his brows suddenly twitched. A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he barked in a low voice:

“Who’s there? Come out.”

“Heh heh! Brother Lu, your cultivation is truly profound. I was discovered the moment I entered. No wonder the Nine Nations Alliance saw fit to place you in sole command of this front.” At the entrance to the otherwise empty hall, light flashed, and a figure appeared, a smile on his face.

“You? Brother, why aren’t you resting? Why conceal your form and return?” The bald-browed man frowned, a strange look on his face.

“It’s nothing. I’ve just happened to discover a secret, and I felt it was something I should discuss with you.”

“A secret? What secret?” The bald-browed man was taken aback. He looked the other man up and down, a trace of suspicion on his face.

“This Fellow Daoist Han of the Fallen Cloud Sect… he is very likely a spy for the Moulan!” The man stated without the slightest hesitation, slowly walking forward.

“A spy? Brother, you must be out of your mind. Fellow Daoist Han just now personally eliminated a Nascent Soul stage Dharma Warrior. These words are simply ridiculous.” The bald-browed man’s face twitched, and he couldn’t help but burst into derisive laughter, his face full of disbelief.

“I knew you wouldn’t believe it, Brother Lu, but I have proof. Take a look at this, and you’ll see that I’m not speaking idly.” The man sighed, a bitter smile on his face. With a flip of his hand, light flashed, and a green jade slip appeared in his grasp. He took a few more steps forward, closing the distance.

The bald-browed man’s eyes betrayed his surprise. After a moment’s hesitation, he rose to meet the other, extending an arm to receive the slip.

Seeing this, the man opposite seemed to casually raise his hand, as if to hand it over.

Just as the big man’s fingers were about to touch the jade slip, the other man’s expression changed abruptly. A flash of savage intent, gone in an instant, flickered across his face. The jade slip shimmered green and suddenly transformed into a vibrant green snake. With the speed of a thunderbolt, it sank its fangs into the big man’s wrist.

A look of utter astonishment filled the Lu-named big man’s face. He opened his mouth as if to cry out, but his face instantly flushed blackish-purple. Then, he silently went limp, collapsing to the ground without moving a muscle.

“The Double-Tailed Jade Snake truly lives up to its reputation. In terms of pure toxicity, it probably isn’t much inferior to the legendary Ten Extreme Poisons. Once bitten, the target doesn’t even have the strength to escape with their Nascent Soul. If only it had wings to fly, it would be an absolutely lethal killer of cultivators.” Joy flashed across the man’s face as he muttered to himself. He stepped forward, gazing intently at the corpse, which was already beginning to dissolve.

The emerald snake released its fangs from the body. With a flick of its rear, two slender, identically-sized tails were revealed. It then tapped the ground with both tails, shot back onto its master’s palm with a whoosh, coiled its neck, and raised its head, its tongue flickering with a purple-black tip, its eyes an utterly chilling, deep green.

At this moment, the one who had launched the surprise attack held the small snake in one hand while gesturing lightly with the other.

The corpse’s storage pouch flew directly into his hand. Slightly agitated, he sank his spiritual sense into it, as if searching for something specific.

(There will be another chapter tonight!)