Chapter 118: Snake Five and Snake Six

Plop, plop, plop—a crowd of people fell into the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Some had barely hit the surface when they were kicked back under by those falling right on top of them. The poor wretches below didn’t even have a chance to curse; their voices were swallowed by the water, leaving only a trail of bubbles in their wake.

"What is surrounding me?" Something in the depths had suddenly gathered, salivating over these fresh, warm, and fragrant morsels of meat.

"Ouch, a piece of my flesh was bitten off! Argh, what on earth is this?" Finally, black shadows with gaping maws began to surface.

"Ah! Something is biting me! It feels like a fish, but maybe something else..."

"Help! I'm being surrounded and bitten by a bunch of slippery things..."

"Good heavens, my backside has been bitten open!"

Splashing and thrashing, the "dumplings" descended into chaos. Their frantic, aimless movements only stirred up more of the black shadows lurking at the bottom of the water. These densely packed shadows swarmed in layer after layer, surrounding the fresh, fragrant meat.

"Help! Help!"

"Oh god, I’m finally out!"

"Save me! Save me! I can’t go on—something is pulling me down with all its might!" One person kicked and struck at the things biting him, trying desperately to escape the water. But the more he struggled, the more black shadows latched onto him, dragging him downward.

Gurgle, gurgle—with one last string of bubbles, the poor fellow vanished entirely.

"Why did you hit me?" someone suddenly shrieked.

"When did I hit you?"

"Then why are you stabbing me with a knife?"

"Why would I stab you? Can't you see I'm killing the things biting me?"

"It’s so dark, how could I possibly see?"

"Look up! There’s light on the surface!" the man replied, feeling like he might vomit blood from frustration.

"Ah, you jerk! You’re a dog, and you actually stabbed me!"

"What 'stabbed'? How could a snake like you not handle a little poke? I just accidentally nicked you with a dagger. It was definitely an accident—I was killing the things biting me, not trying to skewer you!"

"That’s no excuse! It hurts like hell—you’ve made a bloody hole in me! You jerk, I’m going to poke a hole in you too!"

"Goodbye."

"You jerk, don't you dare run!"

"Only a fool would stay."

"Help me! Help me! I’m done for, they’re going to gnaw all the meat off my thighs!"

"Someone pull me up! Pull me up! I want to get to the surface; I don’t want to stay in this water anymore!"

Above the water and below it, it was pure bedlam.

Just then, two sources of cyan-white light suddenly appeared, hovering in mid-air and illuminating the entire space. Qing Hu was riding a flat, unsharpened flying sword as wide as a bench, swinging her little legs back and forth, looking perfectly at ease.

Attached to the hilt of her sword was a cyan-white orb the size of a child's head—this was one of the light sources. It shimmered with a clear, crystalline glow, lighting up the pitch-black space nearby. Below was water, and surrounding them were stone walls; they were clearly in a water cavern.

She Shiyi stood haughtily on another long sword, which also featured a shimmering orb on its hilt. He looked down at the struggling group of weaklings, not even wanting to speak.

"Jump up! Jump up! Are you still waiting down there to be dinner?" Qing Hu called out, leaning over her flying sword.

"Coming! Coming!" The black dogs were the first to pilot their flying swords, reaching Qing Hu’s side. Next came the Fire Lions, who conjured up a fiery red long blade.

Then came the trio of Fire-Tailed Pheasants; being few in number and sticking together, they hauled each other up while piloting a single long zither, flying over to She Shiyi’s side. Soon, other members of the Snake Clan, Fire Lions, and dogs followed.

With the leaders waiting in mid-air, the subordinates below began desperately trying to escape. Many produced their own flying swords or various flight artifacts, leaping out of the water and into the air. If a comrade was nearby, they would reach out to pull them along.

As they climbed out, they found their bodies—necks, faces, backsides, arms, legs, hands, and feet—covered in foot-long, steel-toothed fish. These creatures had fat, round bodies and massive mouths filled with dense, long teeth. These small fish ate almost anything, even chewing through magical weapons with a crunching sound, let alone human flesh.

Sure enough, by the time everyone was pulled onto the flying swords, each had suffered varying degrees of injury. Some had chunks of flesh bitten off, while others had minor wounds. Three people, however, had simply vanished: two from the Snake Clan and one black dog—all were among the physically weakest.

These steel-toothed fish were truly intelligent, specifically targeting the weaklings.

She Shiyi’s expression was notably grim. The highest number of losses was from the Snake Clan—it was a total embarrassment.

"What is wrong with you lot? Look at the Fire Lions—not a single one missing. Look at those dogs—only one missing. And you? You lost two! You usually strut around acting so high and mighty, but when it comes down to it, you’re the ones getting picked off the most!" She Shiyi lashed out at his kin.

The young snakes looked sullen and deeply frustrated.

"We were just careless," one snake muttered.

"Careless? I think you did it on purpose! The Fire-Tailed Pheasants can't swim, yet they lost no one. The Fire Lions can't swim, and they lost no one. Even the dogs, who only know a crude, back-country dog-paddle, only lost one. And you? Every one of you has known how to swim since you were hatchlings, yet you’re so arrogant that you thought you could dominate everything in the water—only to get eaten by some steel-toothed fish. You have some nerve!" She Shiyi continued his tirade.

"The clan leader is right. If we rely on a new generation like you, our Rattlesnake Clan will be wiped out sooner or later." She Shiyi narrowed his eyes dangerously. These kids needed serious training. Even though he didn't usually care for clan affairs, if the whole tribe grew weak, he wouldn't have any peace for his own cultivation later.

"From now on, you’d better pull yourselves together! I will train you strictly. If anyone doesn't care about living, I can send you to see our ancestors early. Do you hear me?" She Shiyi shouted.

"We hear you!" the young snakes replied in unison. Clearly, She Shiyi held a position of immense authority within the Rattlesnake Clan.

"Your Rattlesnake Clan may be good at using poison, but you are naturally physically frail. It’s normal to have a few eaten, so why are you so angry?" Qing Hu asked, puzzled by his expression.

"I’m not angry because they’re frail. I’m angry because if they knew they were going to die, why didn't they release their toxins to kill everything around them? If you’re going to die, you shouldn't die in vain—you should take the enemy down with you!" She Shiyi said with cold, ruthless indifference.

The young Fire Lion, who had been secretly relieved that his own kin hadn't lost anyone, had his expression shift instantly. *Damn it, I need to stay away from this psychopath.*

If those rattlesnakes had released their toxins before dying, the steel-toothed fish might have died, but wouldn't they—still huddled in the water—have been poisoned too?

"Releasing poison on a large scale? Who knows if it would kill the fish, or the dogs, the lions, and the other snakes and chicks? If you poison them all, are you going to explore the surrounding area yourself? You might be willing, but I’m not!" Qing Hu threatened, giving him a look that said, *Go ahead and try making me scout the path.*

If She Shiyi insisted on poisoning the cannon fodder, she would have to break ties with him. There was no value in teaming up with someone who would pull such a moronic stunt. She, the Empress, had no patience for training an idiot. Wasn't it much better to just grab a lackey to do the work?

She Shiyi rubbed his temples, realizing he had been a bit impulsive. Otherwise, Shen Qing Hu wouldn't be looking at him like he was a fool.

"I'll be careful in the future. We should save the cannon fodder for when it's really needed."

Qing Hu nodded in agreement. "That’s the spirit. We should focus on finding treasure; having issues with the cannon fodder is just brainless."

The surrounding lions, dogs, chicks, and snakes all had darkened expressions. *That jerk She Shiyi—whoever bothers to team up with him for treasure hunting again is a fool. He is officially on the blacklist. Of course, Shen Qing Hu isn't any better either! Hmph!*

"Well? Are you all going to go scout the area?" She Shiyi barked.

The three young Fire-Tailed Pheasants were unhappy. One of the older youths spoke up: "You invited us here as allies. Now what are you doing? Using us as cannon fodder? This is completely different from what you said before. Your attitude has changed entirely—you weren't like this with us before. You’re not showing us any courtesy at all. This is not how you treat an ally."

"An ally? What kind of ally are you now? Do you deserve the title? I was the one who broke the Seven-Colored Barrier, I was the one who exhausted my pills and mental energy, and I was the one who fought the spirit beasts until they were so lethargic they haven't recovered yet. What have you done? Did you smash the barrier with your backsides? If you want to be allies, you need to make some contribution! If you don't want to be cannon fodder, fine—if you had the ability of Shen Qing Hu to break the barrier in one strike, then you’d be qualified to stand by my side and call yourselves my allies. I’d acknowledge that. But do you have any idea what you’ve actually done? You’ve been freeloading on our efforts to enter this spirit cavern. Did you think that by playing dumb, you could just skip out on the effort?"

"Go scout! If you want to reap rewards without sowing, you’ll have to see if I, She Shiyi, am willing to let you. If you don't obey, I’ll just leave the three of you here to fend for yourselves."

She Shiyi’s sharp, cruel words left the youths looking pale and grim. They wanted to leave, but they were reluctant. After all, this was a powerful spirit cavern, and they hadn't gained anything yet. How could they just walk away?

But if they didn't leave... that little jerk She Shiyi had such a poisonous tongue; he hadn't left them a shred of dignity. They could feel the mocking gazes of the others. *Damn it, those snakes, those dogs, and those lions aren't any better! Hmph, just wait until we leave this cavern—we’ll show that bastard She Shiyi.*

Thinking they could just call for backup, the Fire-Tailed Pheasant youth huffily gathered his kin and headed in one direction to scout, not even bothering to properly treat the wounds on their bodies. *Hmph, let's go then. Maybe we’ll find plenty of good things while we’re out scouting!*

Once they left, the other young snakes whispered amongst themselves before departing in groups of three or five. It wasn't really scouting—they were just trying to scavenge treasures ahead of the others. The dogs and lions, seeing everyone else leave, looked toward Shen Qing Hu.

With the air of a big sister, she waved her hand, signaling them to get lost and scout as well. "Go on, you too. Remember to group up; this spirit cavern might have more than just treasures—there could be danger."

The lions and dogs had no choice. With Big Sister Hu saying so, they could only comply. They roughly bandaged their wounds and split into several teams to go scout—or rather, to moonlight as treasure hunters.

Once they were all gone, She Shiyi frowned. "Your dogs and lions don't seem very obedient."

"They were just grabbed for the occasion. As long as they can be ordered around, that's enough. I don't demand much." Qing Hu then added, "By the way, aren't you worried that those kin of yours will find treasure and keep it for themselves instead of sharing it with you?"

"Not worried. Little things? Let them have them. As for the real treasures, they might find the location, but they certainly won't be able to get their hands on them," She Shiyi replied.

"It seems you have great confidence in this place. Since you’re so confident, I’ll trust you this once. I’m going to start cultivating to recover. You should do the same. I don't have much faith in their scouting, so we’ll wait for our Light-Sword Fish and Black-Spotted King Snakes to recover before we move out."

"That’s true. I don't have much faith in them either. My own snakes are much more reliable," She Shiyi nodded.

Qing Hu looked at him and decided to stop worrying, switching from riding her sword to sitting cross-legged upon it to cultivate. She had a Earth Essence Pearl in her stomach, and since she had used so much energy, it was the perfect time to absorb and refine it.

As she began to cultivate, a yellowish spiritual light enveloped her entire body, pulsing in rings that constantly surged from within her to cleanse and strengthen her physique. She Shiyi watched with astonishment for a while before sitting down on his own sword, closing his eyes to recover.

However, not long after, he opened his eyes again. His thoughts were unsettled; he couldn't concentrate. With a fierce snort, he pulled out a small porcelain bottle and personally poured its contents into the water. A thin stream of black venom bled into the depths.

As soon as the poison hit the water, the blackness spread rapidly. Suddenly, any aquatic creature that swam into or neared the tainted water flipped over and died. Their corpses, large and small, began to float to the surface. There were steel-toothed fish, along with transparent small fish and shrimp. Even more bizarre were the transparent, foot-long worms, which pulsed with a faint red glow from within.

Seeing the mass of poisoned aquatic life floating on the surface, She Shiyi curled his lips in satisfaction. *You want to eat my kin? Hah!*

He closed his eyes again.

After he did, the venom continued to spread at high speed, flowing into deeper waters. Countless aquatic creatures, including swarms of transparent worms and tentacle-like vines that had been hiding in the water to prey on small fish, were poisoned to death. The transparent vines withered, their tentacles going limp and sagging to the floor.

Soon, a massive underwater grotto, previously blocked by these creatures, was revealed—a passage large enough for several people to pass through. The vines that had clogged the entrance and the cavern walls fell away, no longer a threat.

Four hours passed. Suddenly, deep within the water cavern, came several loud booms, the sound of sluice gates rising and falling, and human voices. A dozen or so human youths were fleeing wildly, their presence drawing nearer as bubbles churned in the water.

"Oh no, there's poison in the water!" one realized as he felt his body going numb, and he immediately sent a telepathic warning.

The others hurriedly produced antidote pills, taking them or feeding them to their companions. Even so, two who were severely wounded were nearly killed by the toxin; even after taking the pills, they remained at death's door, collapsing onto their companions, unable to move on their own. Fortunately, their pursuers hadn't caught up yet.

"Hurry! We can't last long in this poisoned water," someone warned.

Everyone gritted their teeth and pushed forward again. As they rushed out of the water cavern, they sensed a change in the water. "Above! There seems to be light above! Light means there might be an exit," someone transmitted excitedly.

"An exit! Finally, an exit!"

"Everyone, give it one last push!"

"Those who can't walk, help your companions—we’re getting out of here!"

The group rallied their remaining strength and headed resolutely toward the surface.

*Splash, splash, splash...*

One by one, the human youths leaped out of the water. But this was not the exit they had hoped for; it was merely another water cave. And the light they had seen from below was now hanging right over their heads—two enormous orbs attached to two giant flying swords.

Sitting cross-legged on those swords were a young boy and girl. They opened their eyes simultaneously, looking down with expressions of mild surprise.

"Where did you come from?" one of the human youths asked, looking up at them.

"Isn't that the question we should be asking you?" She Shiyi replied, his voice chillingly cold.