The crowd moved upon hearing the sound, parting the dense grass and vines, and a massive stone sculpture in the shape of a snake came into view.

The stone carving is a type of art sculpture, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult, so very few people engage in it.

The stone sculpture before them, with the snake’s body coiled for seven or eight meters, was incredibly lifelike, undoubtedly the work of a master.

Especially those snake eyes, crystal clear...

Hmm?

"Gemstones!"

Someone in the mercenary team spoke with a trembling voice:

"The snake eyes are gemstones!"

Even without being a jade expert, one could see the extraordinary nature of those snake eyes, surely worth a high estimate.

After all, fist-sized gemstones are extremely rare, and even if they have impurities, they could be divided and sold in parts.

"Go up."

Two mercenaries nimbly climbed onto the snake’s head, knives in hand, prying at the two snake eyes.

Master Ji opened his mouth but then said nothing.

"Heh..."

Crippled John observed and whispered:

"The mercenaries Master Ji hired can’t even be restrained, don’t mess things up."

Elder Gou nodded slowly.

Mercenaries do the job for money.

In theory, their payment is fixed, and any findings on the way should belong to Master Ji.

Even if they see treasures, they shouldn’t act on their own accord.

Yet now,

This group of mercenaries ignored Master Ji, who hired them, climbing directly onto the snake’s head to pry the gemstones.

Clearly against the rules.

"Crack!"

The snake eyes loosened, and the mercenary with a knife was overjoyed, carefully grabbing the gemstone and taking it down.

"Got it!"

He held up the gemstone high, showing off to his companions below, completely unaware of the horrified looks from the crowd.

"Hiss..."

"Hiss, hiss..."

As the snake eyes, now empty and dark, a swarm of gray snakes emerged from within.

In the blink of an eye, the snake head was covered.

The snake eyes seemed to have been a seal, now broken, releasing the demon inside.

"Watch out!"

Someone among the mercenaries shouted, startling the emerging long snakes, which swarmed in, flying through the air.

Yes, flying!

Each long snake had a pair of wings, thin as cicada wings, spreading behind them as they dove into the crowd.

They came like lightning, with astonishing speed, and the scene was filled with screams.

The two men on the snake’s head were the first to be covered by the emerging snakes, crashing heavily to the ground.

Amidst the frantic biting, their screams abruptly ceased.

"Bang!"

"Bang, bang!"

Gunshots rang out.

The mercenaries were armed and, in their panic, drew their guns and opened fire.

However, the flying snakes were slender and fast, making them hard to hit, and knives proved to be more effective.

"Ah!"

"Bang..."

"Sizzle..."

Amid the screams, gunfire, and flapping sounds, chaos ensued.

The winged gray snakes, with sharp mouths and swift speed, would tear off a piece of flesh with each bite.

Fortunately, they were non-venomous,

as long as vital parts were protected, one wouldn’t die immediately. But their numbers were overwhelming, making them impossible to defend against as more snakes emerged continuously from the snake eyes, seeming infinite.

"Swish!"

"Swish, swish!"

Crippled John, with narrowed eyes, swung his knife back and forth, killing a snake with every swing.

Saber Technique?

And quite skilled at that!

Elder Gou employed some unknown method, as the flying snakes ignored his presence, passing by without stopping.

It seemed he wasn’t a living person at all.

As for Fang Zheng...

With a three-meter radius around him, the flying snakes instinctively avoided him, and those that intruded retreated rapidly.

As if there was an invisible forbidden zone.

"Let’s go!"

Master Ji, with a wave of his long sleeve, shouted angrily:

"Charge forward, just push through!"

With that, he led the charge, and Scar appeared nearby, also charging ahead.

Soon after,

Having lost nearly a third of their men, the remaining managed to escape the swarm of flying snakes.

"Remember."

With a gloomy face, Master Ji shouted at the remaining mercenaries:

"Without my word, don’t touch anything here, you almost got us killed!"

"We didn’t know so many monstrous snakes were hidden inside the sculpture." The mercenary leader replied gruffly.

"Still talking!"

Master Ji angrily retorted:

"Would this have happened if you hadn’t acted on your own?"

"Phew..."

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and said gruffly:

"Let’s rest for now."

"It’s getting late, find a place to rest for the night. Tomorrow we’ll continue, and this time listen to me."

"Alright."

This time, the mercenary leader did not argue.

Crippled John glanced at Master Ji, then at Scar, who remained expressionless, his eyes flickering slightly.

......

Meanwhile.

Two teams of fully armed special forces rappelled into the valley.

"Team one, team one, do you copy?"

"Sizzle..."

"Communications are abnormal, proceed with the plan and maintain radio silence, advance!"

With a wave from the captain, seven men followed the traces left by Fang Zheng and the others, heading deeper into the valley.

A moment later.

"Hiss, hiss..."

"There are snakes!"

"Bang!"

"Bang, bang!"

"Ah!"

The forest returned to quiet after a series of screams, with only faint rustling sounds occasionally breaking the silence.

This place is a forbidden zone for humans.

The hidden dangers here, not even the heavily armed special forces can resist.

Elsewhere.

Members of Team One pressed tightly against the trees, their faces pale, holding their breath, not daring to move.

Behind them, a massive figure slowly slithered along.

How can this be?

Sweat beaded on the captain’s forehead, eyes wide with fear, as he caught a glimpse of the terrifying figure, a chill ran down his spine.

’How can such a thing exist in this world?’