The Magus Era

Snakes and serpents, not to mention their thick scales, strong powers, sharp, poisonous teeth, and terrifying venoms, one should take note of the nimblest movement of these creatures, which were with great agility. The moment they had their eyes locked on their targets, they would suddenly pounce.

Dark Water Yao Yao was a dark water serpent. Naturally, he had all abilities and features of serpents and snakes.

His upper body suddenly transformed back to his original serpent form and pounced. Ji Hao sensed the strange power vibration from him before he attacked, but except for him, no one managed to react timely.

Poor Qiong Sang Shuang. A young man who had just shown his talent to Qiong Sang Sheng and was about to earn his first military credit, fell into Dark Water Yao Yao’s trap, gradually relaxing his vigilance. He thought he had launched the final strike at Dark Water Yao Yao, after which, he turned around and glanced at Qiong Sang Sheng. He actually did that!

Ji Hao had the chance to save him, but Qiong Sang Sheng stopped Ji Hao. Qiong Sang Sheng thought that Ji Hao was going to take Qiong Shang Shuang’s credit. Therefore, he hurriedly cast a magic spell and disabled Ji Hao from moving.

In the one-tenth of a second, when Ji Hao failed to rush out and rescue Qiong Sang Shuang, Dark Water Yao Yao swallowed the latter.

Blood was dripping down from Dark Water Yao Yao’s mouth corners. With a twisted, ferocious face, he grinned at Ji Hao, then mumbled while chewing to Qiong Sang Shuang, ”Tender and juicy, delicious! Oi, give me a couple of more tasty boys like this to fill my belly, can you?”

A loud, deep hissing noise could be heard. On the dark cloud above the Kui Gate, the mountain-like Dark Water Serpent proudly reached out his fork tongue towards the sky. Tens of strong dark-skinned men stood on a wave, unhappily waving their fists towards Dark Water Yao Yao. The few bald men yelled, ”Yao Yao, don’t eat too much. Leave some tender meat for us!”

Dark Water Yao Yao laughed out loud. He straightened his neck and swallowed Qiong Sang Shuang down along with his precious feather cloak. Then, he proudly twisted his ugly serpent body and squirmed, transforming back into the human shape.

”The Kui Gate is guarded by us. None of you can approach!” Dark Water Yao Yao proudly picked up his blade, pointed back, and said, ”You human beings should obediently soak in the flood. When your backbones are softened by the water, you will bend your bodies willingly and be our slaves!”

Ji Hao didn’t say anything. He twisted his body and caused a series of creaking noise. Next, a translucent, crystal-like screen around his body shattered suddenly. Qiong Sang Sheng’s spell was violently broken by Ji Hao. Taking two steps backward, Ji Hao helplessly shook his head.

Si Wen Ming sighed, turned around, and swung up his right hand. The large clay bowl was thrown hundreds of miles away. It drew a beautiful arc in the air and then fell accurately into a large clay pot filled with water on the mountainside.

A few drops of water splashed out from the pot, and the clay bowl sank into the water, perfectly undamaged.

Having sent back the bowl, Si Wen Ming turned around, cupped his hands towards Qiong Sang Sheng, and said, ”Qiong Sang Master Magus, these spirit creatures are brutal…”

Qiong Sang Sheng discourteously interrupted Si Wen Ming, waved his hand, and yelled, ”Do I need a lesson from you kids? Staying in the army means staying in dangers. Which battle costs no life?”

Grinning proudly, Qiong Sang Sheng held his hands behind his body, covering them with his long sleeves. In his sleeves that nobody could see, he clenched his fists tightly, such that blood veins had even bulged from the backs of his hands.

He wanted to chop Dark Water Yao Yao into a thousand pieces, but he tried to act carelessly and calmly. He chuckled and said, ”Our Qiong Sang Family has countless talented young men, every single one of them a hundred times more gifted than Qiong Sang Shuang. Qiong Sang Shuang, he was insignificant, he…”

Breathing deeply, Qiong Sang Sheng continued word by word through tightly gritted teeth, ”He was an insignificant boy. He died, that’s fine. What loss did our Qiong Sang Family suffer?”

Si Wen Ming couldn’t see Qiong Sang Sheng’s tightly clenched fists, but Ji Hao had spread his spirit power and clearly saw every move of his. He laughed in his head, then cruelly poured a handful of salt onto Qiong Sang Shuang’s wound by saying, ”What a shame. Master Magus, if you didn’t stop me just now, Qiong Sang Shuang wouldn’t end up being…eaten by the enemy.”

Sighing heavily, Ji Hao held his hands behind his body, looked at the sky, and continued blandly, ”Pitiful, so pitiful. I heard that the souls of people eaten by dark water serpents will never be free. Is that true? Hm, I wonder how does that feel like. I mean, having your soul becoming a puddle of serpent dung.”

Si Wen Ming’s mouth corners twitched. He looked at the Kui Gate, and seemed to sink in his own thoughts while remaining absolutely silent.

Qiong Sang Sheng’s face twitched intensely. He stared at Ji Hao for long, then slowly raised his right hand and said in a bland tone, ”He was not strong enough. He died miserably indeed, but he had no one to blame but himself. Qiong Sang men, which one of you will come down to easily cut this spirit creature?”

From nearly a hundred young men who stood in a straight line on the back of the golden-winged roc bird, five young men wearing the same white phoenix feather cloak stepped out, then impatiently rushed to Dark Water Yao Yao.

Dark Water Yao Yao smirked, ”Eh? Are you Qiong Sang boys going to beat me together? So shameless?”

Qiong Sang Sheng’s look changed slightly. Pointing at the five young men, he cursed out loud. The five impatient young men paused together, glancing at each other with complicated, changing facial expressions. Judging by their looks, they all wanted their brothers to step away and leave the opportunity to themselves.

While Qiong Sang Sheng was infuriated and the few young men were striving to be the first, a cyan and yellow cloud approached speedily from far away. On the hundred-miles-wide cloud, a miles-tall mountain stood in the middle. On the mountain were towering ancient trees and oddly-shaped giant rocks. Between those trees and rocks were over a thousand strangely styled buildings.

”These people…Why are they here?” Qiong Sang Sheng popped out his eyes in surprise, pointed at that cloud, and stutteringly shouted.

”Eh? You Chao Family?” Si Wen Ming exclaimed with surprise, ”You Chao Family people are good at construction. They are all the greatest architects. They build all kinds of palaces, mansions, but fighting? They are never good at that, are they?”

Dark Water Yao Yao raised his blade and laughed loud out, ”Haha, more came to die? Right before this Kui Gate, let me drain the blood of you human beings!”

Dark Water Yao Yao’s laughter lingered in the sky. From the mountain on the cloud, a ninety-meters-squared small fort made of white stone flew up into the sky, stirring up a fierce gust of wind while darting towards Dark Water Yao Yao.

From inside the mountain, a deep and strong voice could be heard, ”Qiong Sang Sheng, even you are here too? Human beings are facing dangers and disasters, so our You Chao Family have to make our contributions too. This Kui Gate…Leave it to me! I am You Chao Yu”

Before Qiong Sang Sheng responded, that You Chao Yu laughed resonantly out, ”People all say that our You Chao Family people are not good at fighting. Today, let me show the world that we do have heroes too!”

That tiny fort flying in the air shone with a blinding light as it smashed at Dark Water Yao Yao like a shooting star. Dark Water Yao Yao burst with a scream while wielding his blade and launching a hack towards the fort.