Chapter 204

Chapter 204: The Tamed Demon Beast

What appeared before Lou Yun’s eyes was a giant snake approximately six or seven meters long. The snake floated in the center of the water, its six long tails trailing below, a picture of perfect calm. The countless bubbles churning around it weren’t caused by fighting; they were being expelled from the giant snake’s mouth. Moreover, judging by its constantly heaving body, it was clear this giant snake was in a state of great agitation—much like a person gasping for breath when overwhelmed!

Tie Sha and Wen Hou stood about four or five meters away from the giant snake. Both were encased within giant bubbles of water, just like the two people Lou Yun saw yesterday in the accessory shop’s basement. However, unlike those two, Tie Sha and Wen Hou wore expressions of utter composure, clearly because the bubbles provided ample spiritual energy.

None of that truly startled Lou Yun. What shocked him most was the figure standing atop the giant snake’s massive, scaly head—Shui Lingluo!

No bubble surrounded Shui Lingluo’s body. She appeared just as if she were on land; even her clothes seemed perfectly dry, without a single trace of moisture. At that moment, she was leaning down, gently stroking the six-tailed giant snake’s head with her hand.

Shui Lingluo, who had practically never fought anyone, let alone dealt with demon beasts, was somehow soothing this six-tailed giant snake into quiet obedience like coaxing a child. This utterly bewildered Lou Yun. He simply couldn’t comprehend what had happened in the few minutes he’d arrived late!

Everything in the sea had seemed peacefully serene. But then, the six-tailed giant snake suddenly turned its head, fixing its gaze directly in Lou Yun’s direction. Immediately afterward, its massive body began to writhe. It was clear that its previous docility had been replaced by agitation.

Evidently, it had discovered Lou Yun and recognized him as the person who had wounded it yesterday, triggering an instinctive hostility!

As the giant snake’s head shifted, Shui Lingluo, standing atop it, was jostled and nearly fell off. Seeing this, Tie Sha and Wen Hou almost simultaneously drew their magical weapons, ready to confront the six-tailed giant snake.

But Shui Lingluo, desperately trying to regain her balance, frantically waved her hands at the three men, signaling them not to intervene!

At the same time, Shui Lingluo pointed a finger directly at Lou Yun. Instantly, a huge bubble appeared in the water and shot toward him.

Lou Yun felt a strong pulling force, and the next moment, the bubble enveloped his body. However, almost simultaneously, flames erupted around him, instantly incinerating the water bubble!

Clearly, the bubbles surrounding Wen Hou and Tie Sha had been conjured by Shui Lingluo, and she had intended to create one for Lou Yun too. But she forgot that Lou Yun possessed the Heavenly Fire Fusang. Spirit-infused water was an enemy to him, and the Fusang Fire spontaneously counterattacked.

Seeing this, Shui Lingluo had no time to worry about Lou Yun. The six-tailed giant snake beneath her was already thrashing its six long tails, clearly preparing to attack.

Shui Lingluo’s hands suddenly formed several hand seals in rapid succession. Immediately afterward, the seawater around the six-tailed giant snake seemed to go berserk—boiling violently and rapidly splitting into numerous thick currents. Like chains, these currents swiftly wrapped around the giant snake’s body. The force of the water was immense; constrained by these aquatic bindings, the snake’s previously agitated body slowly calmed again.

Shui Lingluo then released the hand seals, her knees buckling as she knelt down. She resumed stroking the giant snake’s head with her hands, her lips moving as if chanting something under her breath.

Just then, the phenomenon of the parting seawater finally reached them!

First, the water beside Lou Yun rapidly split apart. He once again smelled the familiar scent of air, though he couldn’t help but glance down nervously at the pitch-black space beneath his feet. Luckily, a swirling mass of water surged up just in time to support him.

The seawater continued its retreat. Wen Hou and Tie Sha were lifted clear of the water, and the protective bubbles around them dissolved into splashes that gathered beneath their feet, supporting them.

Finally, the retreating seawater advanced until even the six-tailed giant snake’s colossal body was exposed. The countless watery currents that had bound it moments before automatically released, flowing together to form a massive pedestal of swirling water that bore its immense weight too.

Strangely, despite the absence of surrounding water and the release of its bindings, the six-tailed giant snake became perfectly calm once more. It simply lay there obediently, not moving a muscle.

Lou Yun was utterly confused by what he saw. Unable to contain himself, he used a spirit sound transmission to ask Wen Hou what was going on. Wen Hou chuckled and replied, "Miss Shui is truly formidable. Not only can she control water, but she also seems able to communicate through it with creatures that live within the water! When we pursued the snake, we arrived to find Miss Shui standing directly in front of it, her palm pressed against the center of its forehead, right between its eyes—and the snake was completely still! In short, Miss Shui intends to subdue this six-tailed giant snake using her own power!"

Wen Hou’s answer made Lou Yun gasp audibly in shock. This girl who had broken her water contract barely half a month ago was trying to tame a legendary King of Snakes? And judging by the current situation, Shui Lingluo seemed to be having remarkable success! It wouldn’t be long before she truly subjugated the six-tailed giant snake!

Now, Lou Yun fully and unreservedly believed the saying about the Shui Family’s near-invincibility within the water’s domain!

However, this also made Lou Yun ponder another point: the existence of the Shui Family seemed profoundly unfair to virtually every other creature. Possessing an innate talent for water control, they scarcely needed cultivation. They were essentially born powerhouses!

…No!

Lou Yun shook his head. If the Shui Family had formed a covenant with water, the source of all things, then obtaining their water control ability must surely have come at a price—though what that price was remained unknown to outsiders.

Finally, as time slowly passed, the six-tailed giant snake subsided into complete stillness. It even actively began nuzzling Shui Lingluo’s hands with its massive head. Its demeanor was now as docile and affectionate as a pampered pet fawning over its master!

After a moment of this affectionate nuzzling, the giant snake suddenly flicked all six of its tails—a motion that suggested it was about to start moving. This abrupt movement instantly caused Lou Yun, Wen Hou, and Tie Sha’s hearts, which had just settled, to leap back into their throats. Simultaneously, they tightly gripped their magical weapons.

Shui Lingluo again waved her hand urgently at them. And then the six-tailed giant snake truly moved. Its six tails suddenly rose high and slammed down forcefully beneath its body. Propelled by this motion, its entire form shot like an arrow directly towards the shore, covering a distance of thirty or forty meters in an instant. This sudden burst of speed left Lou Yun and the others far behind!

As the colossal serpent surged past where they stood, the three men felt a fierce gale sweep over them. The force of the wind nearly knocked them off their feet. They staggered for a moment before regaining their balance, only to see the giant snake was already dozens of meters further ahead.

The three exchanged glances and immediately activated their movement techniques, chasing after the snake at breakneck speed. And behind them, the seawater that had just receded began closing back together again with terrifying speed!

If anyone had been watching from the sky, they would have seen the seawater closing several times faster than it had parted. It almost appeared as though the ocean itself was pursuing Lou Yun and his comrades!

Though they didn’t look back, the briny scent of seawater filled the air, and the thunderous roar of the collapsing walls of water behind them was deafeningly clear. Driven by this terror, the three men pushed their movement techniques to the absolute limit. The slightest delay meant being instantly engulfed by the sea!

Thus, a scene unfolded: a giant snake racing ahead, chased by three figures, while a collapsing wave of seawater chased them all from behind!

Suddenly, Lou Yun and the others heard a cacophony of screams erupting in front of them. After a shared glance, they realized the sounds must be coming from the villagers of Xinghai Village!

The tremendous disturbance earlier, though emerging from the sea over a hundred meters offshore, had carried across the open space with ease, waking the villagers. Undoubtedly, they had risen to investigate the commotion.

Now, they must have caught sight of the six-tailed giant snake surging toward the shore!

Indeed, as the trio neared the shore, they saw the flailing outlines of six massive tails up ahead. Redoubling their efforts, they gathered all their strength and raced towards the spot. The roaring seawater crashed shut completely behind them with a final deafening clamor, settling back into its natural state.

At that moment, the six-tailed giant snake’s entire body lay sprawled along the shore, the receding tide having submerged more than half of it. Lou Yun and the other two stood near the massive snake’s head, looking towards the terrified villagers of Xinghai Village nearby. The villagers screamed incessantly and scattered in panic.

Only a handful of individuals stood their ground, confronting the giant serpent. Leading them was none other than Cai San Gong!

Lou Yun knew he had to quickly explain the situation to the villagers. But first, he urgently needed to understand Shui Lingluo’s plan. Why had she brought the six-tailed giant snake ashore in the first place?

His mind racing, Lou Yun turned his head to look at Shui Lingluo. What he saw shocked him to the core. Shui Lingluo remained standing atop the serpent’s head, yet her face was as white as a sheet, and her body was swaying unsteadily, looking as though she might collapse at any moment!