Xiao Cheng crashed heavily to the ground. The impact was so great that her vision went black for a moment, and she felt as if her internal organs were about to be displaced.

Fang He then landed right next to her. Despite being more experienced, he did a quick roll before landing, dissipating most of the force. Although he looked disheveled, he was actually not seriously injured.

The combined monster and the giant did not fall down, but were tightly bound by the charred vines, floating in mid-air as if weightless, looking like two kites that had been released into the sky.

The giant must have known what had happened, for it let out a series of dejected whimpers, then collapsed there in despair, letting the vines pull it up and down.

Completely oblivious, the combined monster frantically flapped its two tails and turned its three heads around, trying to break free from the vines.

A burst of intense heat shot out, but it was to no avail. The flames went out instantly with a hiss, leaving only a wisp of pale gray smoke.

After repeated failures, it finally accepted the reality, but still refused to give up, shouting at Xiao Cheng and Fang He, "Help me! Help me!"

But its cries for help were quickly drowned out by the rumbling thunder.

A terrifying black hole appeared in the torn sky, and a pair of enormous eyes suddenly opened, staring at them with a chilling gaze.

Then the eyes drew closer and closer, and the black hole slowly receded, revealing the face hidden behind it.

He was a gaunt old man with wrinkles and age spots on his face. His hair and beard were all white, and he was almost emaciated. Loose skin hung down from his cheekbones, making his expression look even more solemn and cold.

"What the heck... what is this?" Xiao Cheng stared wide-eyed in shock, even forgetting that she was still lying on the ground.

"Snake spirit, old man, what can you think of in this sealed space?" Fang He casually pulled her up, noticing no obvious injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Uh... you've mastered the Calabash Brothers?" Xiao Cheng looked up at the fused monster floating around.

Fang He paused for a moment, then said, "Do you really have to go against the gourd?"

In other words, it has nothing to do with Calabash Brothers.

A sudden inspiration struck Xiao Cheng. Looking at that wrinkled face again, a name slipped out.

"Holy crap, it's Fahai!"

Who would have thought that mythological stories would be mixed into dark fairy tales?

The old man behind the black hole had clearly heard Xiao Cheng's voice. He lowered his eyelids with a particularly dignified air and replied in a solemn tone, "Who is below, and why do you address this old monk by his name?"

Before Xiao Cheng could figure out how to answer, the fused monster suddenly began to sway and show signs of splitting. Many distinct phantoms appeared in turn, but were eventually twisted together by the vines.

Suddenly, one of the serpentine phantoms burst forth with a blinding white light, then expanded rapidly, instantly engulfing the other phantoms.

A shrill scream rang out in the air, and a bolt of lightning exploded directly above its head. Immediately afterward, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck down on its head.

A blinding white light completely engulfed it, and the phantom of a huge, ferocious snake head slowly emerged, becoming clearer and eventually solidifying.

With a flick of its thick forked tongue, it suddenly coiled around the giant beside it, then opened its mouth wide and swallowed him whole.

The giant struggled symbolically for a couple of moments at the beginning, then fell completely still, as if he were truly dead.

The giant snake shook its head contentedly, let out a loud burp, and then leaped up, passing through the ball of light, extending its sharp fangs to bite at the human face in the darkness.

Its body stretched longer and longer until it became complete and real, its body snow-white and robust, leaping and twisting like a white streak on the crest of a wave.

And then the waves really did rise.

The white snake let out a mournful roar, and the surging tide hung high in the air, wave after wave, lifting it up and forward, and the monstrous waves instantly swept towards the black hole.

Fahai, seemingly having anticipated this situation, didn't even lift his eyelids, and gently opened his mouth to utter a mysterious, golden symbol.

The symbol spun leisurely, calmly blocking the black hole before the tide could crash in. A faint golden light began to flow, and a barely visible barrier quickly took shape.

The waves were completely blocked and rushed down with a whoosh. Under the enormous impact, the white snake was instantly dispersed, leaving only a faint phantom. In the end, it transformed into a white-clad woman the size of a palm, who fell weakly and helplessly to the ground.

As she fell into a coma and completely lost consciousness, the tide evaporated before it even touched the ground. Fahai closed his eyes slightly and began to chant sutras silently, and one different golden character after another floated down.

The surrounding environment gradually became ethereal and illusory, but only for a moment, before solidifying again.

But Xiao Cheng still saw it: hidden behind those illusions was a circular stone wall. The golden characters were attached to the stone wall, a dense, large patch, like constantly reinforcing shackles.

“It’s a bowl,” Fang He said. “We’re trapped inside Fahai’s bowl.”

As more and more runes entered, the surrounding temperature began to rise slowly. At first, it wasn't noticeable, just a little hot, but when they realized it, they were shocked to find that the temperature was almost unbearable.

The ground began to crack, almost all the moisture had evaporated, and the air was thick with unbearable heat.

The woman in white was the first to react. She collapsed on the ground and was left unattended for a while. At this point, her whole body began to melt.

It was truly melting, starting with the skin, then the flesh, which hung wet and clinging to the skeleton, almost unrecognizable as human.

Fahai coldly watched this scene, then stopped reciting the scriptures, remained silent for a moment, and then uttered a soft "Excellent, excellent."

"Knock, good cudgel!"

Xiao Cheng was going crazy from the heat. She felt like she was trapped in a steamer, her whole body was drenched in sweat, and her lips were severely cracked due to dehydration, with blood seeping from the cracks, but they dried up quickly as well.

Through the sweltering, distorted air, she looked at the woman in white, whose fate was uncertain, and felt as if she were seeing her own death in the near future.

Having finally achieved his goal, Fahai's face began to slowly recede, his expression gradually disappearing into the black hole, leaving only a pair of empty eyes that numbly cast one last glance before vanishing completely without a trace, as if he had never existed.