Zhang Yan had already learned of that Forbidden Land from the letter, yet as a Disciple of the Mingcang Sect, he was bound by the Ancestor master’s decree and could not make a move ahead of time.

This was no matter to jest about; just like the Su Clan in years past, they had secretly schemed to seize the Ancestor master’s Sealing for themselves, and thus suffered annihilation of their entire clan.

Zhang Yan pondered for a while. The contents of the letter did indeed catch him somewhat off guard, yet thinking it over carefully, it was not without the flavor of a fortuitous chance.

However, the one capable of breaking that Sealing might very well be some Great Sect in the East Splendor Continent. He had no foundation in the East Victory Continent; to attempt such a thing would be extremely difficult. Thus, he considered that he would have to first make a trip to that other residence established by Shen Baishuang.

Just at this moment, a sharp screech suddenly came from outside the cabin, and then, halfway up in the sky, a mass of seven-colored Rainbow Light burst open. This was what Cultivators used nowadays to summon their peers to gather.

Zhang Yan’s brows lifted. He gathered his power into his eyes and looked off into the distance, and saw that over a hundred li away there were several dozen large boats forming a ring, encircling in the middle a White Python with whiskers under its jaw and a body over ten zhang long. Outside of that, there were still over a hundred small boats, the people on them bare-armed and bare-chested, shouting loudly there.

Though this python’s body was mottled with blood, it still held its head high and howled fiercely, its baleful might undiminished. At this moment it suddenly lashed its tail; with a loud crack, it smashed a large boat to pieces, sending several people who failed to evade in time into a pulp on the spot, while the rest all fell into the water.

Yet those people were incredibly fierce and fearless; not one of them retreated. Instead they ordered the boats behind to come forward and plug up the breach.

On the deck, Wang Caiting watched with her bright eyes shining. All along this journey, all she had seen was seawater, which had long since grown dull. Now that she saw such a spectacle, she found it interesting. Pointing, she said, "Sister, look at those people. They are not Cultivators, yet they dare to provoke this White Spirit Demon Python. For this Demon to have grown so large, it must have at least a hundred years of Cultivation."

Wang Caiwei focused her gaze for a while, then said, "Sister, look. Those flying forks and nets they use are Magic Artifacts refined by our sort of Cultivators, not common mortal goods."

Wang Caiting curled her lips and said, "The Spiritual Energy in them is mixed and impure. The one who did the Sacrificial Refinement of those Magic Artifacts may not even have higher Daoist Cultivation than I do."

Wang Caiwei smiled faintly and said, "Judging from those Sacrificial Refinement methods, they truly are inferior to you. But to deal with this Python Spirit that has yet to undergo Transformation, they are still adequate."

Wang Caiting blinked her bright eyes, but shook her head and said, "Sister, you are mistaken. Don’t be fooled by how those people seem to have the Python Spirit surrounded; they still can’t do anything to it. That Python Spirit is exceedingly cunning—though it looks bedraggled, in truth it is gathering and nurturing its strength, waiting until it catches its breath. Just you watch, Sister; those people will not have a good time of it."

Wang Caiwei was taken aback. She looked more carefully and was startled in turn. While the two were speaking, that Python Spirit smashed two more boats in succession, forcing those people into disorder for quite a while. Yet it showed not the slightest sign of seeking an opportunity to flee. Her own younger sister’s words were indeed not far from the mark.

Zhang Yan was also paying attention to the actions of those people. After hearing Wang Caiting’s words, he nodded and said, "Caiting’s aptitude truly surpasses Caiwei’s by a margin, and she is also keen in observation. If only her mind were not so flighty and she put it all into Cultivation, her Daoist Cultivation should already be able to glimpse the threshold of the Hua Dan Sect path."

He thought it over slightly. Since those people were using Magic Artifacts, they were likely connected in some way to Cultivators. So he spoke out, "Caiwei, Caiting, those people are by no means a match for that Python Spirit. You two go lend them a hand, and while you are at it, ask what territory this place is."

The Wang Sisters heard his transmitted voice and did not dare disobey. They answered in unison, then each rode a streak of Xuan Guang and flew over.

At this moment, on those several dozen large boats, a burly, broad-shouldered man was issuing commands, ordering the men on both sides to continuously hurl Flying Forks at the Python Spirit. Yet his expression was grim, and there was a faint hint of anxiety in his eyes. He turned his head and asked an elder, "Elder An, has Second Uncle’s fleet not yet arrived?"

That elder, though somewhat advanced in years, was full of vigor. The front of his robe was open, revealing a chest dark as iron. He let out a loud laugh and replied in a voice like a great bell, "All the better if they don’t come. With my more than three hundred boats and several thousand lads, you mean we still can’t take down a White Spirit Python already heavily wounded? Once we carve up these fine tendons, we’ll be sure to fetch a good price for them in Xianluo City."

The burly man glanced left and right, then lowered his voice and said, "Elder An, there is something you do not know. Half of those Flying Fork Magic Artifacts were somehow swapped out by someone. What’s left in the hold are but mundane items."

Elder An’s expression changed drastically. He grabbed the burly man’s arm and said, "What’s going on? When did you discover this? How is it I knew nothing of it? Why did you not say so earlier?"

The burly man said apologetically, "I only learned of it just now when Little Yi came to report. For fear of unsettling the lads’ hearts, I did not speak of it plainly."

Elder An said angrily, "Someone is trying to get you killed!"

The burly man, however, shook his head and said, "Elder An, now is not the time to dwell on that. What this younger nephew is thinking is how to bring the lads back safely."

Elder An’s expression grew incomparably grave. Without sufficient Magic Artifacts to assist them, not only would they be unable to take down this Demon Python, they might very well lose all these Disciples here.

He snatched up the leather flask at his waist, gulped down a few mouthfuls of wine, and said decisively, "Give all the Flying Forks to me. I will hold this Demon in check. You lead the men away; take as many as you can. I’ll entrust that little grandson of mine to you."

The burly man was stunned and was just about to speak when a startled cry suddenly sounded ahead. They saw the Demon Python once more lash out with its tail as thick as a water bucket. In an instant, another large boat was smashed apart. This time, however, it did not draw its tail back, but instead twisted it along the way, tearing through two more large boats in succession. Its remaining momentum unspent, it swept horizontally toward where the two of them were.

Their expressions changed sharply. They no longer spared a thought for anything else and were just about to leap into the water when, right at that moment, they heard a clear, girlish shout. A strip of bright, crystalline radiance fell from above and, with a crisp hiss, cleanly chopped that python tail into two segments.

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)