Chapter 67: Giant Snake Part 1

The group ate their fill, recovered their strength, packed their bags, and prepared to continue onward.

Huang Qi had already used her Heart-Eye Vision Talent to probe the situation beneath the deep pool. The ink-green pool, calm as stagnant water, appeared far from peaceful in her “sight.” A faint layer of yin-evil Demonic Aura rippled across the surface, while dark undercurrents surged below. The subtle water flows created by stones sinking into the pool revealed a channel just a few meters below the entry point.

While Old Tang and the others wrapped their bags in waterproof cloth, she had squatted down and sketched a rough map on the ground with pebbles. Once they finished packing, she called them over and said, “This is the deep pool. About three or four meters down near the cliff wall, there’s a slanted channel. I couldn’t probe how deep or wide it is, but I sensed echoes from the stones’ ripples. It’s safe to check it out first.” She paused, then added, “Best to dive at high noon when yang energy is strongest. Don’t try reaching the bottom—I have a bad feeling about it.” Her vacant, lifeless eyes turned toward Wang Ya as she asked, “Wang Ya, do you have anything to add?”

Wang Ya’s brows twitched slightly. “No.” She recalled the Dragon-Seeking Formation-Breaking Art’s record on the Illusory City Labyrinth: Array amid thorny thickets, dragon gate beneath mountain streams; hundred-foot deep chill pool with waves of green, malignant flood dragons by day, demons by night… After a brief hesitation, she said, “This pool is about a hundred feet deep. Poisonous Snakes or malignant flood dragons are likely bred at the bottom. Be careful.” She then shouldered her waterproofed backpack, called to Wang Cheng’an, and entered the water.

Wang Cheng’an dawdled, reluctant to go in. He dragged out his words: “Yaya, do we really have to go down? Can we not go?”

Wang Ya asked, “Do you still want to find Grandma?”

Wang Cheng’an let out a heavy “Oh” and grudgingly squatted to untie his shoelaces, preparing to strip down.

Wang Ya stopped him and made him enter fully clothed. Swimming in clothes was inconvenient, but if snakes lurked in the water, going in barefoot and bare-chested would be far more dangerous.

With dozens of pounds on their backs, sinking was inevitable once in the water—like being tied to a boulder. Wang Ya tied a climbing rope to a nearby thorn root, took a deep breath, held it, and slid into the pool.

As soon as Wang Ya entered, the icy water flooded her clothes. She circulated her demonic aura to ward off the cold while intimidating the “malignant flood dragons” lurking below. Since this place was built by the Feng Family, and she bore the Feng Family Inheritance while exuding the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Demon’s aura, those “malignant flood dragons” might not recognize their master but would surely fear a millennium great demon’s presence. Wang Ya admitted she had ulterior motives. The deep pool reeked of yin evil, harboring yin evil creatures. Her demonic aura would surely alarm them. Her dad carried a protective treasure that countered yin evil; even subterranean evils would sense fortune and avoid him. As for the three trailing behind… that was another story. Hadn’t they suffered a sleepless night of hauntings already? And with Huang Qi afflicted by the Yin Fiend curse, anything from below would target them.

Wang Ya dove down. Though she held her breath and couldn’t smell the water, her open eyes clearly revealed the underwater scene. Everywhere she looked, faint green yin evil Demonic Aura glowed, swirling like mist permeating the water. Gripping the climbing rope to control her descent, she sank about four meters and spotted a large open arch-shaped stone gate on the pool wall ahead. The gate was about two meters wide and over two meters high, peaking at three meters in the center. Carved into the wall, it extended outward to a one-square-meter platform. She landed on it and peered into the passage beyond, seeing it extend four or five meters inward before turning into steps. The muddy floor bore chaotic footprints—some like chicken claws the size of human palms—interspersed with snake-like slide marks. Judging by their width, Wang Ya determined the snake was at least as thick as her thigh.

Wang Ya quickly scanned ahead, then pulled the closely following Wang Cheng’an into the passage. She pointed inward, urging him to hurry, and quickened her pace into the channel herself. Though she lacked Huang Qi’s sensitivity to subtle water flows, she saw massive Demonic Aura billowing up from below. With dozens of pounds weighing her down, she couldn’t swim and had to wade. Fortunately, the footprints meant no traps on the ground—anything there would have been triggered already.

Wang Cheng’an’s mouth puckered as if he might cry. He needed no urging and scrambled forward on hands and feet.

Moments after Wang Cheng’an entered, Huang Qi appeared at the passage mouth and rushed in. Despite her heavy load, she moved faster than him.

In the three or four seconds Wang Ya was stunned by Huang Qi’s arrival, the woman overtook Wang Cheng’an and surged to the front. Wang Ya stared blankly at Huang Qi’s nimble figure leading the way, wondering inwardly, This agile form—does it belong to someone with only years left to live?

After Huang Qi appeared, Zhang Qingshui and Old Tang arrived almost simultaneously at the arch gate, charging into the passage desperately. Seeing their frantic rush, Wang Ya’s mind flashed: Charge, charge, charge—run, run, run— She gaped as they brushed past her toward the front.