Chapter 1432: Qingqiu Marsh

The three women beside them stared in shock, having never expected such a turn of events. This terrifying monster was actually being tormented so badly by Zu An with the Huantian Scarf.

However, as they were all masters, they attacked without the slightest hesitation, seizing the opportunity while the Nine-Headed Serpent was weak.

The Nine-Headed Serpent was clearly both startled and enraged, its nine heads roaring furiously at them. However, its overall state was clearly much weaker than before.

It couldn't defeat them even earlier, and now it was even less of a match. It was quickly beaten back, and one by one, its heads exploded.

Blood splattered from the severed necks, and they did not grow back.

Seeing it swaying precariously, Zu An teleported directly to its side, holding the Dagger of Poison, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

However, just as he was about to thrust the dagger, a warning image suddenly appeared in his mind from the Luoshu Diagram.

Remembering the previous sneak attack by the Demon Emperor, this time he dared not hesitate for a moment. He quickly changed his move mid-way and teleported about a zhang away.

Almost instantly, a hideous head suddenly emerged from the Nine-Headed Serpent's abdomen. It was much smaller than the other nine snake heads, but its grotesqueness surpassed that of all of them combined.

This sudden lunge was as fast as lightning, extremely sinister, and almost guaranteed to hit its target.

The Nine-Headed Serpent had never expected Zu An to anticipate its move and dodge in advance!

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue secretly wiped away cold sweat. They hadn't expected the Nine-Headed Serpent to be so insidious and cunning; it had just feigned weakness to lure them into attacking.

Even with their cultivation, this sneak attack could have caused them great harm, or even reversed the situation.

Sure enough, when the Nine-Headed Serpent saw its plot fail, its nine snake heads grew back again. Together with the hideous head on its abdomen, it demonstrated its power to the group, seemingly trying to make them retreat in the face of difficulty.

"It seems the head in its abdomen is its true brain," Yu Yanluo said quickly. As a fellow snake-kind, she had a natural intuition in this regard.

The others suddenly understood. No wonder they had shattered these nine heads at least once already but could never inflict a fatal injury.

The true head was hidden in its abdomen.

Probably no one had known this secret before; those who did were likely victims of its sneak attack. It was fortunate that Zu An reacted quickly, which exposed the Nine-Headed Serpent. With a clear target, the group then launched their attacks toward the head in its abdomen.

The Nine-Headed Serpent desperately used its nine snake heads to protect its abdomen, but the people it faced were formidable. Their coordination had grown increasingly skillful through many encounters. Soon, Zu An found an opening and, exploiting the long reach of the Blazing Spear, delivered a soul-piercing strike!

That hideous head was pinned to its abdomen, and as it was pierced and exploded, the nine heads, which had been thrashing wildly, instantly drooped. Its massive body crashed to the ground.

"This monster should be dead, right?" Yu Yanluo asked with some concern. After all, the monster had deliberately tricked them once before.

"It's dead. There's not a single trace of life left in it," Yun Jianyue stated with certainty. With her discernment, she naturally wouldn't be mistaken.

The group finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to say something, they suddenly noticed the Nine-Headed Serpent's corpse beginning to writhe.

Yun Jianyue was startled. Was she about to be proven wrong right after declaring it dead?

How could the dignified Demonic Sect Master bear such an embarrassment?

The group quickly moved to the side, in case the creature underwent any transformation or launched a counterattack.

However, the Nine-Headed Serpent did not revive. Instead, its entire body began to dissolve. Its enormous form gradually shrunk, eventually transforming into a fist-sized lump of flesh that slowly writhed, as if alive.

Yan Xuehen said, "The Nine-Headed Serpent's ability to regrow severed limbs quickly might be due to this flesh."

Zu An went over and picked up the lump of flesh. It was inanimate, yet seemed to possess vitality; it seemed to possess vitality, yet was inanimate.

"In that case, let's each take a bite," he suggested. "Even if it doesn't grant immortality, it should at least enhance our healing abilities. Do you prefer it steamed, braised, or perhaps grilled?"

Yu Yanluo looked disgusted. "Ugh~ I wouldn't eat something so disgusting!"

Yan Xuehen also said coldly, "I don't want it either."

"I certainly don't want to turn into a monster like the Nine-Headed Serpent," Yun Jianyue said, frowning deeply. "Little An'zi, don't say I didn't warn you: if you eat it and become demonic, don't blame us for ignoring you."

Zu An gave an awkward smile. "Don't worry, my recovery ability is already strong; I don't need to eat this."

However, in the end, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. He had a feeling that it might be a valuable medicinal ingredient in the future, or perhaps needed by some goddess for her breakthrough, so he put it into the Glazed Jewel. As the Nine-Headed Serpent was slain, the turbulent, ominous waters before them became much calmer.

The group crossed the ominous waters. Yu Yanluo asked curiously, "What should we deal with next?"

Zu An's expression was a little strange. "The Great Wind!"

The reason for this was that "Great Wind" was the first ability he learned from the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. He had saved his life countless times using this teleportation skill, and thus, among all the skills in the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, his feelings for "Great Wind" were the deepest.

Yet this time, their target was precisely the Great Wind!

Although he didn't know what connection the Great Wind they were about to face had with the "Great Wind" skill from the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, he still felt a weight in his heart.

At this moment, Yun Jianyue looked at Yan Xuehen. "Ice Maiden, do you remember how Shun described the Great Wind earlier?"

Yan Xuehen was clearly accustomed to Yun Jianyue's address and couldn't even be bothered to retort. She simply replied, "It resembles a dog with a human face, laughs when it sees people, and moves like the wind. Its appearance portends great wind disasters. Yi slew the Great Wind in the Marshes of Qingqiu."

Zu An's heart stirred, and only then did he realize the problem: the description of the Great Wind's appearance seemed different from the "Great Wind" he knew.

However, Yun Jianyue's attention was on something else. "Hmm, the Marshes of Qingqiu, could it be related to that woman Tu Shan Yu?"

Zu An's heart fluttered. He couldn't help but recall Tu Shan Yu's enchanting allure that night. Right, he had even bound her with the Huantian Scarf then...

His gaze unconsciously fell upon Yan Xuehen's waistband.

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat. This fellow was getting increasingly presumptuous; if others really noticed something, how would they ever face anyone again?

Yu Yanluo, unaware of the myriad thoughts between the two at that moment, mused aloud, "Qingqiu... could this place be connected to Sister Tu Shan's Qingqiu Nation? Was it the ancient Fox Clan's kingdom?"

This doubt was soon resolved, because as the group continued forward, they gradually began to see various foxes in the wilderness. These foxes were completely unafraid of humans, some even pausing to observe them, much like when they first entered Tu Shan Yu's Qingqiu Nation.

Looking at the foxes that had stopped by the roadside to observe them, Yun Jianyue suddenly wondered aloud, "'Resembles a dog with a human face, laughs when it sees people' — isn't that just describing a fox?"