The Immortal Maiden Battles the Serpent

Two flowers bloom, each with its tale.

After seeing Bai Ling and Zhao Liang off, Bai Xian soared into the sky, her spirit focused and her vigilance taut as she fixed her gaze on the every movement of the Teng Serpent.

The Teng Serpent, having forced the flying sword from its left eye, also rose into the air. Its venomous eyes glared at Bai Xian above, seething with fury and hatred.

Man and serpent hovered in the sky, locked in a standoff for the time it takes incense to burn.

Suddenly, the Teng Serpent moved. Its giant maw opened, dark as a black blade, lunging straight for Bai Xian.

Its speed was so great that it left a faint shadow in the air.

Earlier, when pursuing Zhao Liang and Bai Ling, the serpent had not used its full strength, toying with them like a cat with mice. Now, at last, it revealed the true power of an ancient divine beast.

Bai Xian, motionless, was as tranquil as a maiden; yet when she moved, she was as swift as a startled hare. In the split second before the serpent struck, she narrowly evaded its assault.

The Teng Serpent, missing its mark, whipped around and lunged again.

Seeing the renewed attack, Bai Xian dodged in midair once more, skirting past the serpent’s gaping jaws.

Realizing that such attacks could not hope to catch Bai Xian, the serpent prepared to fight in earnest.

It inhaled deeply. With a loud rush, a foul, acrid torrent of black venom shot toward Bai Xian like lightning.

Startled, Bai Xian hadn’t anticipated such a magical power. There was no time to invoke any spell. She twisted midair with great difficulty, barely evading the attack—she had come within a hair’s breadth of being struck.

Though she escaped, her sleeve was splattered, a gaping hole burned through by the black venom.

Below, where the toxic fluid had landed within a hundred-pace radius, all vegetation instantly withered to ash.

Even the colossal trees, thick as several men’s embrace, were all but obliterated, only their roots left behind, smoldering and hissing with white smoke.

Bai Xian’s face changed imperceptibly; she drew a sharp breath. The snake’s poison was truly formidable.

Clearly, mere evasion would not suffice. She must now reveal her true skills.

With a sharp cry, “Moonfire Glass Sword, appear!” a gleaming immortal sword materialized in her hand.

This sword shimmered with iridescent light, dazzling and vibrant, brimming with spiritual energy.

Bai Xian called out once more, “Divide!”

The sword split in two, two became four, four became eight, until in a moment, sixty-four flying swords filled the air.

These sixty-four swords, forged from moonfire glass, were neither gold nor silver, neither copper nor iron—yet they were extraordinarily hard and flexible.

Seeing Bai Xian summon her flying swords again, the Teng Serpent was furious.

With a hissing roar, another torrent of black venom sprayed forth.

Bai Xian shouted, “Heavenly Moon Mystic Fire, form the array!”

The sixty-four swords merged, weaving a ring of mystic fire that encircled and protected her.

Boom, boom, boom.

The black venom struck the fire sword array, erupting in violent explosions.

Hiss, hiss, hiss.

The poison was scorched dry by the fire, turning into green smoke that rapidly dispersed.

Within a mile, every bird fell from the sky like rain, lifeless upon the ground.

Truly, when immortals do battle, mortals suffer the consequences.

All the venom was blocked outside the Heavenly Moon Mystic Fire Sword Array; not a trace seeped through.

Though the poison did no harm to the swords, Bai Xian sensed a faint disturbance in her mental link with them.

“What potent venom!” she thought in awe.

“This won’t do. I have to take the offensive.”

She cried, “Heaven and Moon as One—Strike!”

The sixty-four swords fused into a single giant blade, over twenty yards long, and slashed at the Teng Serpent.

The serpent showed no fear. Its tail whipped toward the Moonfire Glass Sword with tremendous force.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Thunderous crashes shook the heavens as serpent tail and giant sword collided, sparks flying, the very air vibrating violently.

The Teng Serpent felt searing pain—though its bones were not broken, the agony was immense. It recoiled, hissing, body thrashing wildly.

The Moonfire Glass Sword was flung dozens of yards away. Bai Xian felt as if struck by lightning, her throat sweet with blood, and nearly coughed up a mouthful.

The Teng Serpent bore a long gash, but only an inch deep—hardly a serious wound.

“This Moonfire Glass Sword is a true immortal weapon, brimming with spiritual energy and razor-sharp, yet it cannot cut through this creature—what thick hide! I cannot defeat it by force,” Bai Xian realized.

After several fierce exchanges, both adversaries recognized each other as worthy opponents and abandoned any trace of contempt, preparing for a grueling contest.

The Teng Serpent, seeing its venom could not threaten Bai Xian, opened its jaws and spewed forth a torrent of flames, so hot the air itself seemed to ignite.

Bai Xian felt the searing heat surge toward her. Unwilling to meet the flames head-on, she darted aside at lightning speed.

Below, within hundreds of yards, the forest was set ablaze, crackling fiercely.

Within a mile, all was reduced to scorched earth; not a sign of life remained.

“What immense magical power this beast commands. Defeating it will be exceedingly difficult—I must look for a chance to escape,” Bai Xian thought.

“Moonfire Scorches the Heavens—form the array!”

Bai Xian transformed the Moonfire Sword back into an array; sixty-four swords instantly arranged themselves in the pattern of the Fuxi Eight Trigrams, trapping the Teng Serpent in the center.

With another clear cry, “Burn!” the sixty-four swords ignited into a blazing inferno, spinning rapidly, closing in on the serpent.

This was the essence of Moon Spirit Ether Fire, far beyond ordinary flames.

Common fire burns the flesh; this fire scorches the spirit, setting the heart ablaze and racking the soul with agony.

Trapped within, the Teng Serpent writhed in torment, struggling desperately.

For a time, it twisted and darted, trying to break free from the mystic fire array, but the array shadowed its every move, leaving no escape.

Realizing the peril, the serpent grew frantic. Raising its head high, it let out a thunderous roar, its body swelling larger, its skin gleaming like polished steel.

It reared, tail lashing, and hurled itself furiously at the fire sword array, hoping to shatter it by force.

Just as its massive head and tail were about to strike the array, Bai Xian shouted, “Withdraw!”

In an instant, all sixty-four swords vanished.

Unable to halt its momentum, the serpent’s head and tail collided with an earthshaking crash.

Even Bai Xian’s eardrums ached at the blast.

Dong! Another tremendous boom.

The Teng Serpent, stunned by the impact, plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground and leaving a massive crater.

Seeing her plan succeed, Bai Xian’s lips curled in a faint smile as she hovered above. “Such brute power—merely a laughingstock.”

With that, she soared away. As she passed the serpent’s lair, she saw a white rabbit trembling at the entrance. Moved by pity, she swept her sleeve, drawing the rabbit into her arms, and sped away toward Yulan Valley.