Chapter 1044 It’s a Jiao, Not a Dragon

Ye Wanxi picked up the delicate lotus lantern and glanced at it, her brows furrowing slightly: "There's nobody here anymore, why is someone releasing a river lantern around here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions on their faces changed drastically.

"Something's wrong with these lights!"

Many people call the Ghost Festival the Hungry Ghost Festival, which adds a sinister and terrifying connotation to the festival, making people feel fear and repulsion.

In fact, the Ghost Festival was originally one of the four major festivals for ancestor worship, along with Qingming Festival, Double Ninth Festival, and Lunar New Year's Eve.

Many people choose to pay homage to their ancestors on this day to express their longing for them, and they also release lotus lanterns near water.

Firstly, it is to offer salvation to the souls who have passed away in the river. Secondly, it is to let this lantern carry their longing for their loved ones, and at the same time, they hope that their loved ones can return from the underworld to the world of the living on the day when the gates of hell open on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, and follow the trail of the lotus lantern back home to visit their relatives.

Many people died in this city due to natural disasters, and now the city is deserted. These river lanterns could not possibly have been released by the relatives of those who unfortunately passed away.

The only possibility is...

"He wanted to use the river lanterns to summon the spirits, and open the gates of hell here to let all the ghosts out!"

"So what do we do now?" Qi Yingxuan squinted at the tens of thousands of river lanterns that stretched to the horizon. "Should we knock them all down, or burn them?"

Neither method seems very reliable.

But if they join forces, it might not be impossible.

"It's too late, there's less than a minute left until midnight." Xiang Yueqi pursed her lips. "This person deliberately chose this time to put the lights out, so they wouldn't give us a chance to cause trouble."

As soon as Xiang Yueqi finished speaking, everyone saw a black hole suddenly appear on the sea not far away. The black hole was initially only the size of a football, but it would expand by one size every second.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Lin and Feng Tianyu acted decisively, drawing their swords and rushing forward, hoping to seal the Ghost Gate before it was fully opened.

Unexpectedly, just as they got close, a dark shadow leaped out from underwater, opening its blood-red maw and lunging at the two of them.

"Watch out!" Ye Wanxi gasped for breath and instinctively cried out in alarm.

Feng Tianyu and Jiang Lin were also caught off guard by the sudden appearance of this behemoth, but neither of them were ordinary people, so how could they be injured so easily?

He immediately slashed his sword at the dark figure's wide-open mouth, then leaped up and kicked it in the nose, taking a few steps back before hovering above the water.

The shadowy figure struck by the longsword was not injured. Instead, it was enraged that its prey had escaped. It opened its mouth wide and roared to the sky.

Under the moonlight, everyone was finally able to see what this thing truly looked like.

Qi Yingxuan stared wide-eyed in surprise, frozen for a long moment before finally managing to utter only one sentence: "Wow!"

On the vast sea, an enormous, unmistakable figure loomed on the horizon, its towering head raised as it roared.

Above it was a bright full moon, which, from a distance, looked as if the huge figure had opened its mouth wide and was about to fly up and swallow the full moon.

The hazy moonlight shone on the strange beast, illuminating its glossy and intimidating black scales and its distinctively racial head.

It has a sharp, lizard-like mouth, slightly bulging, shrimp-like golden eyes, sharp beast teeth, a long, thick body like a snake, and webbed dorsal fins like a fish.

"This is... a dragon?" Xiang Yueqi's expression changed upon seeing the beast's appearance. "How could there be a dragon in this place?"

“That’s not a dragon.” Jun Wuduan was also a little unsettled when he suddenly saw this thing, but he still carefully examined the strange beast and confirmed its identity. “It should be a Jiao.”

"Jiao?"

"That's right, dragons are legendary mythical beasts. Among all things in the world, only two kinds can transform into dragons: carp and snakes. Carp can transform into dragons by leaping over the Dragon Gate, while snakes are known as little dragons, but it is more difficult for them to transform into dragons. Before that, they need to transform from snakes into pythons, pythons into boas, and boas into jiao. Once they pass the jiao test, they may be able to transform into dragons."

"In other words, before they transform into dragons, whether they are pythons or jiaos, they are just snakes that have not yet transformed into dragons. It's just that the higher the level of evolution, the more similar they are to dragons in appearance. Therefore, jiaos are the most similar to dragons in appearance, but there are also some subtle differences."

"Legend has it that dragons have five claws, while jiaos only have four. Dragons have horns, which are shaped like deer antlers, but jiaos have no feet. Moreover, dragons' eyes should be in front of them, but the jiao in front of us has eyes on the sides. This is also related to the fact that it has not yet transformed into a dragon and cannot go to heaven or earth, but can only stir up trouble in the water."

Jun Wuduan's explanation did not reassure the group: "Even if it is not a real dragon, this jiao does not look like a benevolent creature. Moreover, compared to a dragon, a jiao is more wild and untamed. Its sudden appearance here today, even if it was not summoned by the other party, is still a troublesome threat."

“We have no time to waste. The Gate of Hell will open in an instant. Whether the appearance of this dragon is accidental or someone deliberately lured it here to hold us back, we cannot let it succeed. Second Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Brother, you two try to go and distract the dragon. Third Senior Brother and I will escort Eldest Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother to close the Gate of Hell.”

The group had no objections to Ye Wanxi's suggestion and immediately got to work.

Meanwhile, Feng Tianyu and his companion, who had been forced back by the dragon, were also taken aback when they saw the appearance of the strange beast, especially Feng Tianyu.

This dragon felt so familiar to him that even though its appearance had changed drastically, Feng Tianyu recognized it at a glance.

“Wu-Ye-Quan!”

"What?" Jiang Lin turned to look at Feng Tianyu in surprise upon hearing these three words, his eyes filled with question.

"This beast is Wu Yequan's pet."

Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly.

Seemingly noticing his shock and confusion, Feng Tianyu sneered: "It's normal that you don't remember. Back when he was still in the sect, this little beast was just a tiny snake, as thick as a finger, that could be coiled around your wrist."

However, as Wu Yequan's power increased and he was fed all sorts of rare and precious herbs, the little snake gradually transformed into a terrifying giant python.

Feng Tianyu was able to recognize it at a glance because he had fought with this thing when he went to kill Wu Yequan.

At that time, it was already a fearsome, bloodthirsty python that everyone dreaded, and countless souls had died unjustly in its jaws.

Wu Yequan trusted it greatly, but when Wu Yequan died, it betrayed him and escaped in the chaos.

Feng Tianyu did try to find it after that, but it seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

I never expected to run into you here again after so many years, and under such circumstances!

(End of this chapter)