Chapter 496: Chapter 495: Spare me
Standing from a distance, Xiahou Que and the others were still smiling as they watched Wang Yan surrounded by the Ten Thousand Headed Serpent, waiting for him to be bitten to death by the snakes.
But suddenly, the situation changed dramatically. The massive Ten Thousand Headed Serpent shattered with Wang Yan’s few loud shouts, its body disintegrating and scattering everywhere.
The serpent was so large that, after breaking apart, its remnants filled the entire valley, blocking Wang Yan and the Snake Soul.
In the eyes of everyone, they could only see that the Ten Thousand Headed Serpent actually had no flesh or blood, and what surged out of its remains were plumes of black smoke.
Amidst the smoke, severed heads continued to screech, struggling and perishing within the fog.
As the smoke from the shattered Ten Thousand Headed Serpent continued to spread, Snake Soul saw through the fragmented serpent and rolling smoke, a gleaming point growing larger in its sight.
Though he could only see a glimmer, Snake Soul was utterly terrified, as he knew this gleam very well.
It was precisely this gleam that appeared once earlier, leading to the death of the Ten Thousand Headed Serpent; it was the glow emitted from the tip of the Soul-Breaking Spear.
Now that the gleam appeared a second time, could it mean his fate would be the same as the serpent’s?
Fear gripped Snake Soul’s heart, and he hurriedly retreated.
But as he moved back, the gleam advanced, and just as it continually pushed forward, Snake Soul saw Wang Yan rushing out of the rolling black fog with an icy expression.
At this point, Snake Soul was already scared out of his wits; he lacked the courage to fight Wang Yan.
Unable to stand, he fell to his knees before Wang Yan with a soft “thud.”
Charging fiercely forward, Wang Yan hadn’t anticipated Snake Soul would actually kneel and beg for mercy, causing him to pause and stop.
Meanwhile, all those standing on the surrounding peaks remained ignorant of what had happened in the valley, their view obscured by the voluminous black smoke.
Time slowly passed; Wang Yan and Snake Soul were yet to emerge. Though it hadn’t actually been long, Beiming Xue and Ouyang Feiting felt as if years had passed.
Seeing Beiming Xue’s anxious expression, a sense of revengeful delight unexpectedly surged within Xiahou Que’s heart, prompting him to coldly say to Beiming Xue, “Xue’er, don’t worry. Your Wang Yan must have been swallowed by the black smoke transformed from the serpent.”
Already concerned, Beiming Xue became frightened upon hearing Xiahou Que’s words, her snow-white face instantly losing its color, looking extremely pale.
Ouyang Feiting immediately bit her lip and said, “Impossible, this black smoke appeared because Wang Yan killed the Ten Thousand Headed Serpent.”
Xiahou Que coldly replied, “Ridiculous, with that little spear, how could he possibly kill the gigantic serpent? This is merely a fog intentionally released by Lord Snake Soul. Otherwise, why hasn’t Wang Yan appeared yet?”
Already fearful, Beiming Xue and Ouyang Feiting found Xiahou Que’s words somewhat convincing, growing even more afraid, their bodies swaying. If Roy hadn’t stepped forward to support them, they might have tumbled off the mountain top.
Xiahou Que was immensely pleased, laughing loudly, “Hahaha, if you don’t believe it, just wait until the black smoke disperses entirely. You’ll surely see that Wang Yan was killed by Lord Snake Soul.”
With Snake Soul’s words, the rolling black smoke in the valley quickly began retracting into the valley, appearing as though a massive wind inlet at the valley’s center was drawing in the fog.
Seeing this, Xiahou Que felt even more triumphant, saying, “Look, the smoke is disappearing so quickly, it must be controlled by Lord Snake Soul. Soon you’ll see; Lord Snake Soul is about to appear.”
Just as Xiahou Que said, the disappearance of the black smoke seemed exceedingly peculiar, almost as if controlled by someone. Since the smoke originated from the serpent, its controller must be the serpent’s master. This means Snake Soul isn’t dead, which implies Wang Yan is.
Beiming Xue and Ouyang Feiting increasingly convinced themselves of this explanation, trembling all over, approaching the edge of the cliff despite their wobbling bodies, striving to peer into the valley.
Everyone joined Beiming Xue and Ouyang Feiting, staring into the valley, eyes unblinking.
Everyone wanted to know who survived the confrontation in the valley, Snake Soul or Wang Yan.
As the black smoke reduced further, it shrank to a size of an approximate foot, revealing most of the valley.
At this moment, a silhouette emerged from the smoke—thin stature, sunken cheeks, a face devoid of emotion; none other than Snake Soul.
Upon seeing Snake Soul appear, Xiahou Que and the others cheered immediately.
As Snake Soul hadn’t died, it indicated that Wang Yan must have perished.
Upon hearing the cheers from the opposite mountain, Beiming Xue and Ouyang Feiting’s hearts sank instantly, crying out in anguish, “Brother Wang Yan!”
Xiahou Que laughed, “Your brother Wang Yan is dead—”
Then, Ma Jun suddenly exclaimed, “No, why is this Snake Soul kneeling?”
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly looked toward Snake Soul. With the smoke further dissipating, Snake Soul’s body was entirely visible.
They saw clearly; Snake Soul was indeed kneeling on the ground.
Hope surged in the hearts of Beiming Xue and the others, their eyes fixed upon the remaining tufts of smoke.
The smoke continued thinning, revealing the sharp tip of the black spear pointed at Snake Soul’s forehead.
“It’s Brother Wang Yan’s Soul-Breaking Spear!” Beiming Xue shouted excitedly.
“Brother Wang Yan is fine!” Ouyang Feiting echoed.
“Seeing his spear doesn’t mean Wang Yan is fine!” Xiahou Que stubbornly responded.
At that moment, the spear shaft slowly revealed itself, and following the shaft forward, they saw the spear was tightly gripped by a hand.
As the smoke continued to dissipate, the owner of the hand finally emerged.
It was none other than Wang Yan, face cold, eyes grim.
Finally, everyone saw the full picture.
They observed Snake Soul kneeling before Wang Yan, who held the Soul-Breaking Spear with its point aimed at Snake Soul’s forehead.
All the black smoke was swiftly being absorbed into the black cherry of the Soul-Breaking Spear.
With all the smoke absorbed, the black cherry emitted a faint black light, for a split second appearing as the shadow of the Ten Thousand Headed Serpent.
However, both the black light and serpent shadow only flashed briefly before the black cherry returned to normal.
Seeing this, Beiming Xue and the others cheered, for the scene clearly indicated Wang Yan’s victory.
“Long live Brother Wang Yan!”
“Bravo, boss!”
…
Observing Beiming Xue and the others’ excitement, Xiahou Que grew both angry and fearful, yet he felt jealousy welling up when he saw Beiming Xue’s admiring gaze towards Wang Yan. He shouted, “This proves nothing; Lord Snake Soul is preparing to counterattack!”
Before Xiahou Que finished speaking, Snake Soul, kneeling on the ground, begged Wang Yan, “Spare me—”