The two young men responded, exchanged a look, and walked to the left side of the stone wall. They each formed a ritual seal with their hands and began to chant under their breath.
Yuwen Junan had never witnessed witchcraft before, so he couldn't help but steal glances.
Catching Yuwen Junan’s furtive movements from the corner of his eye, Jiang Siyu felt a surge of pride. "Your Majesty," he explained, "the Beast Trapping Array is set within the mountain, creating its own pocket dimension. By using the arts of the Wu Tribe, we can manifest an entrance from the very earth and enter or exit any part of Holy Maiden Mountain at will."
Yuwen Junan nodded slightly. Jiang Siyu turned his head to look at him, quite satisfied with the envy he saw in the young man's eyes. He was about to share more tales of the Wu Tribe when Yuwen Junan cried out urgently:
"Uncle, look!"
Jiang Siyu looked back at the Phantom Wall.
In that brief moment, the man from before had already climbed onto the serpent’s head. He had discarded his broken sword and was now hanging upside down, hooking his feet behind a sharp horn atop the Ba Serpent’s crown. His body bent into an impossible arc as he hung from the beast's head.
He drew a short blade from his boot and, aiming for the Ba Serpent’s half-open eye, struck with all his might!
"No—" Jiang Siyu shrieked almost the instant the blade pierced the serpent's eye. "You fool! Once the Ba Serpent wakes, the world will be thrown into chaos!"
At that moment, Jiang Shen and Jiang Hai finished their incantations. They withdrew their hand seals, and an arched gateway, wide enough for only one person to pass through, suddenly erupted from the level ground.
Yuwen Junan glanced at Jiang Shen, then at the gateway, his eyes darting frantically. "Uncle, the Ba Serpent has awakened," he warned. "These two brothers are still young; I fear they won't be enough. Shouldn't we send more men inside?"
Jiang Siyu shook his head in defeat. "The Ba Serpent is awake; sending more people now is useless. Jiang Shen, Jiang Hai... come back."
As Jiang Shen pulled his foot back, Yuwen Junan breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his back and continued to watch the scene at the bottom of the cliff, completely forgetting the blood-red writing behind him.
The crimson chains rattled violently as the black serpent’s body thrashed.
The dim light within the chains grew ever brighter amidst the sudden tremors. The ground at the base of the cliff buckled and shook incessantly. Old vines and rotten branches attached to the cliff face peeled away in layers, raining down with a stench of mold and decay. The entire cliff floor looked like a churned-up mud pit, murky and chaotic.
Pei Hengyu struggled to stand as the earth pitched beneath him. He braced his body and shouted, "Did you hit it?"
An Ming gripped the handle of his blade tightly. His arm was numb from the vibrations, his legs floating uncontrollably. A metallic taste flooded his throat as blood surged upward. He heard the Emperor’s cry, but his tongue refused to obey, and he could not utter a word.
"You hit it! You hit it!" Little White Dragon shrieked in excitement. "Go help him! A mere wooden guard can't kill a fierce beast on his own!"
Seizing the moment, Pei Hengyu leaped up. He stepped onto the flying iron chains, vaulted over the pitch-black scales, and charged straight for the serpent’s head.
Mid-air, the Ba Serpent suddenly whipped its head around. Its gaping maw loomed, threatening to swallow Pei Hengyu whole.
Before Pei Hengyu could even draw his Holy Emperor Sword, he swung the scabbard with all his might, slamming it against the serpent's razor-sharp fangs.
*Bang...*
The violent impact echoed across the cliff floor. Pei Hengyu lost his balance and tumbled down in a heap.
*That hurts!*
His back slammed hard into the earth, sinking him into the mud. Before he could catch his breath, the massive serpent tail lashed out toward his waist.
Ignoring the pain in his back, Pei Hengyu twisted his torso and rolled three times, barely evading the strike.
"ROAR—!"
The beast was fully awake now. It let out an enraged roar that shook the very foundation of the cliff.
An Ming clung tightly to the sharp horn on the serpent's head. Looking past the protrusions of the beast's crown, he saw the poisonous fang that had been knocked loose by the Holy Emperor Sword; it was embedded in a stone crevice near Pei Hengyu’s feet, gleaming with a chilling, ghostly light.
*That was close!*
Yuwen Junan thought to himself. He glanced at Jiang Siyu, who was almost pressed against the Phantom Wall, and began plotting how to send him away.
The gale-force wind whipped up by the roar left Pei Hengyu’s cheeks burning red. He tore off his tattered outer robe, crouched down to pull the fang from the stone, and hurled it with all his might at the serpent’s golden eye.
Having learned its lesson, the Ba Serpent had become exceptionally sharp. It dove downward, plunging into the deep pool. Its thick, massive body churned up water waves several yards high.
The waves, laden with thick, black Malicious Qi, crashed toward An Ming, who was still clinging to the serpent’s horn.
"Quick, use the chains!" Little White Dragon screamed in panic from above.
*All you do is shout! Didn't you say you had half of the Judge's power? Why can't you help at all?*
Pei Hengyu cursed silently, though his hands moved quickly. He grabbed the end of a chain as it whipped past, used his shoulder to propel his forearm, and threw it toward An Ming.
An Ming reached out, caught it, and used the momentum to spin, rolling onto the bank just before the water touched him.
He pressed his hands into the mud, panting heavily as he asked, "Your Majesty, did it escape?"
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence after the serpent’s tail, dragging its crimson chain, vanished completely into the water.
Pei Hengyu walked slowly to the bank. The pool was still—no ripples, no waves—as calm as a stagnant pond, pitch black and devoid of all color.
***
"The Ba Serpent... it’s hiding?" Yuwen Junan muttered.
"No," the space beneath their feet began to tremble. Jiang Siyu looked around in terror as cracks appeared on the Phantom Wall. "The Ba Serpent is attacking the barrier! Your Majesty, once the Beast Trapping Array breaks, this space will collapse! We cannot stay here!"
Yuwen Junan did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on the Phantom Wall, lost in thought. In his hand, the light of the Holy Spirit Jade flickered erratically.
Invisible forces squeezed against each other in the intermittent light, and the space, which had once seemed endless, began to crumble under the strain.
"The Beast Trapping Array is fighting back," Jiang Siyu said, his legs unsteady. He leaned on two attendants for support and grabbed Yuwen Junan’s wrist, frowning. "Your Majesty, the Ba Serpent has consumed human souls and is exceptionally fierce; the array can no longer suppress it. If the barrier breaks, not only this space but the entire Holy Maiden Mountain will be razed to the ground. We must leave!"
Yuwen Junan tore his gaze away from the Phantom Wall. He looked at Jiang Siyu holding his wrist and followed his cue. "You are right, Uncle. Perform the rite now, let us leave the mountain."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Jiang Siyu turned immediately to Jiang Shen and Jiang Hai. "Activate the array! We leave!"
The Wu Tribe clansmen standing nearby gathered around, shielding Yuwen Junan from the Phantom Wall. They supported one another, waiting for Jiang Shen and Jiang Hai to trigger the array.
In an instant, the two brothers conjured a shimmering portal opposite the Phantom Wall.
Seeing the two brothers withdraw their hand seals, Yuwen Junan pressed his hand against Jiang Siyu’s grip on his wrist, pulling it away with effort. "Uncle, take the clansmen and go first. I will hold the light and follow shortly."
"Your Majesty—"
Jiang Siyu wanted to say more, but Yuwen Junan held the Holy Spirit Jade high. His gaze swept over Jiang Shen and Jiang Hai as he barked, "What are you standing there for? Take your tribe leader and go!"