Chapter 356 The Secret No One Knows

Yu Sui suddenly pushed the door open and saw that the door of the opposite room had burst open due to the airflow, and countless hideous black shadows were reflected on the walls and the ground, densely surrounding everyone in the room.

Mei Liangyu and Wan Qi had already stood up and activated their protective aura, looking at Wei Ren, who was standing in the room with his hands forming a seal and covered in sweat.

Those ferocious, spike-like black shadows covered the shadows of everyone in the room. Even when Yu Sui came out, his shadow reflected on the ground was bitten by the spike-like snake-like black shadows.

Wei Ren's face was covered with dense, snake-shaped curse marks, his expression was extremely serious, and his eyes were fixed on Ji Meng, who was lying on the ground.

At this moment, only the shadows of Wei Ren and Ji Meng remained in the room, untouched by the enchanting snake.

"Wei Ren?" Wan Qi asked in confusion, only to be scolded by Wei Ren, "Quickly get out of the way, or your shadow will be eaten by the Enchanting Serpent!"

Wan Qi looked down and saw a sharp, serpentine shadow, swift as lightning, lunging at him. Mei Liangyu quickly pulled him back and saw the shadows of the tables and chairs on the ground merge with the serpent, becoming even larger before biting at the two of them.

Lightning crackled around Mei Liangyu, and several blue death talismans stood before him and Wan Qi, blocking the serpent's advance.

"You can't control the Enchanted Serpent?" Wan Qi asked in surprise. "You've been attacked by its backlash?"

Wei Ren stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. All his strength was being used to fight against the Enchanting Serpent. The color drained from his face in a few moments, and he said palely, "Isn't this what I'm doing? If you don't get swallowed by the Enchanting Serpent and strengthen its power to fight me, I'll... thank God."

He spoke the last few words through gritted teeth, and then gradually became strained.

Mei Liangyu raised her hand and threw several death talismans at Yu Sui, still speaking venomously to Wei Ren: "If you can't afford to raise a demon snake, don't raise one. It will only harm others and yourself."

Wei Ren was seething with anger. The more Mei Liangyu said that, the more he gritted his teeth and insisted, refusing to admit defeat.

At this moment, the Five Elements Light Cores within his body were rapidly circulating, mobilizing every trace of energy within his flesh and blood to resist.

The Enchanted Serpent was born from his body and knows Wei Ren intimately, including his limits and weaknesses. Its power can seduce others, and also its own master.

The serpentine curse markings spreading across Wei Ren's face began to expand and separate from his skin, converging in the shadows to transform into a long, serpentine phantom covered in sharp spikes, raising its head and staring intently at the bloodless young man before it.

The serpent breathed, its bright red forked tongue lightly licking Wei Ren's cheek. Where the forked tongue licked, flesh and blood peeled away, revealing a slender, long wound that was deep enough to expose bone.

Wanqi, watching from behind, gasped in shock and pinched her palms in pain for Weiren.

Faced with the serpent's provocation, Wei Ren cursed inwardly, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. The room was plunged into complete darkness, with no light visible, and even the death talisman light released by Mei Liangyu disappeared.

The boy's pupils beneath his eyelids transformed into golden vertical pupils, the eyes of a bewitching serpent. It wanted to steal its eyes from Wei Ren and devour its master.

Wei Ren and the Enchanting Serpent engage in a battle of wits, vying for power.

Yu Sui probed Wei Ren's Five Elements Light Core and could feel that all of his Five Elements Qi were concentrated in the light core, running at high speed, and fighting and battling with each other, causing the Five Elements Light Core to be consumed rapidly.

When the power of the Five Elements Light Core within Wei Ren's body dissipates and weakens, that will be the time for the Enchanting Serpent to take the lead.

Yu Sui estimated that at the earliest, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Five Elements Light Core within Wei Ren's body would reach a state of exhaustion, rendering him unable to fight against the Enchanting Serpent.

"What can we do?" Wan Qi shouted to Wei Ren in the darkness.

We can't just watch him die from the backlash of the phantom beast!

Mei Liangyu unleashed a dark blue lightning bolt from his fingertips, which transformed into walls of runes to block the way in case the serpent suddenly attacked. He seemed indifferent to Wei Ren's life or death, whether he thought Wei Ren was doomed or believed that Wei Ren had a way out.

Yu Sui did not make a move immediately. She wanted to see where Wei Ren's limit was and also wanted to test the state of the Five Elements Light Core in his body.

The serpent gently opened its mouth, and in the darkness, even with his eyes closed, Wei Ren could clearly see its enormous figure, its jet-black, reflective scales, its rounded and elegant jaws—noble and mysterious, cold and majestic.

Its cold forked tongue licked its face, bringing a burning pain. The smell of blood filled its nostrils, its vertical pupils trembled, and a thin mist shrouded its eyes.

Wei Ren saw the woman's weeping face through the thin mist before him.

The woman cried as she hugged the young boy and sent him into the departing caravan, handing him over to another kind-faced woman.

In the days and nights that followed, he could never forget that scene.

It seems that beyond the instinct for survival, there was another emotion driving him, giving him strength, and enabling him to live tenaciously.

The boy wanted to go back to his mother alive.

Wei Ren's defenses suddenly crumbled, and the sound of carriage doors opening and closing repeatedly filled his ears. He seemed to finally remember his original goal:

Taiyi's residence disappeared, and he found himself inside a caravan carriage about to leave his home. The two carriage doors were painted with images of red plum blossoms in a snowy night. The young man sat upright in the carriage and could vaguely see the flickering firelight and shattered wine bottles outside. He could hear men cursing and women crying and pleading.

The car door opened and closed faster, the sound became more urgent, and countless slender black snakes climbed up the red plum branches in the picture, swallowing the blooming red plums and turning into open snake mouths.

The hoarse, incoherent voice sounded like the whispers of a demon in Wei Ren's ears:

"Why are you the only one who ran away?"

"Is it enough if only you are freed?"

"Ungrateful wretch."

"Have you forgotten your reason for killing to survive?"

"Even if she's been beaten to death by that man, you still have to go back and avenge her, don't you?"

"You're clinging to Nangong Sui because she can give you complete freedom, isn't that the reason?"

"You see hope in Nangong Sui, but Nangong Sui doesn't care about your mother's life or death."

"You must go back and save her."

"It's too late."

The car door shattered with a bang, and the dilapidated hut was engulfed in flames. The drunken, enraged man was still kicking the already dead woman in the fire.

The boy's pupils transformed into a bewitching thin line, cold and sinister like a snake, turning into a sinister snake face as it looked out of the car door at the world.

Yu Suigang lit up the room with a Heartfire Talisman. The firelight was bright, and the boy's half-face, which had been invaded by the demon snake, slowly turned to look at the other three.

The black snake scales stretched out, and its slightly elongated mouth revealed sharp teeth.

After seeing Wei Ren's face clearly, Wan Qi took a deep breath: "It's over, he's been turned on by the Enchanted Serpent!"

The boy raised his hand as if to make a hand seal, but Mei Liangyu and Yu Sui intervened only after seeing that Wei Ren had been defeated.

Mei Liangyu used the Death Talisman to clear a path, preventing the sharp, serpentine shadows crawling on the ground from approaching. In a very short time, he arrived in front of Wei Ren, grabbed his hand that was about to form a hand seal, and folded it behind his back.

A crisp cracking sound.

A furious expression appeared on the boy's serpentine face. His vertical pupils were bright, and he opened his mouth to let out a sharp howl. His long, thin snake tongue moved swiftly like the wind, flicking towards Mei Liangyu's eyes.

Mei Liangyu dodged to the side, his snake tongue coiling around the umbrella Yu Sui threw from behind. Yu Sui formed a hand seal, and a spell spell fell.

The umbrella, heavy as a thousand pounds, plummeted downwards, its tip piercing the snake's tongue and slamming it to the ground, dragging Wei Ren's body forward as well.

Before the serpent could fully take control of the body, its right hand was broken off by Mei Liangyu and tied behind its back. It then raised its left hand to grab the umbrella, but Yu Sui, who was standing in front of it, stomped on it, crushing the eighteen Five Elements Light Cores that had been released along with it.

The shattered, ownerless energy then poured into Wei Ren's body, connecting with the Five Elements Light Core within him.

At this moment, the Five Elements Light Core within Wei Ren's body was taken over by Yu Sui.

The force injected caused Wei Ren's limbs to tremble violently. The serpent sitting in the car was shocked to see Yu Sui standing in front of the car door. Yu Sui reached out her hand to it. The serpent knew what she meant, but it could not move and could only hiss.

Yu Sui gouged out the eyes of the serpent.

The snake-faced boy covered his eyes and howled, while Wei Ren opened his eyes, covered in sweat. He gasped for breath and turned his dark eyes to meet the two people in front of him.

Yu Sui looked down at the boy's eyes, which were darting with fear: "Wei Ren?"

Wei Ren answered in a trembling voice, "Yes, it was me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a belated, excruciating pain made him groan, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing that he had returned to normal, Yu Sui took two steps back.

Wei Ren struggled to move his left hand, which was being held down by Yu Sui. His right hand was completely immobile. In the midst of the excruciating pain, he turned his head to look at Mei Liangyu.

Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow: "Will you take him back?"

Wei Ren gritted his teeth and said, "No need."

As he spoke, his face contorted in pain, and he winced as the snake's tongue licked the spot. Wan Qi, who was hiding at the back, couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped forward, saying, "Let me take a look. Are you sure you're alright?"

"He should be fine now, you should take a look at him first," Yu Sui said.

Wei Ren didn't say anything, looking listless; he had really lost face this time.

Wan Qi stepped forward to help Wei Ren treat his injuries.

Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu left the room.

Pei Daiqing and Shen Tianxue were strolling through the bustling streets of Yandu. Shen Tianxue was looking for the tavern from back then, carrying Pei Daiqing's notebook, and plunged into an alley filled with the aroma of wine.

Pei Daiqing, still carrying a medicine basket, followed behind her with a smile in his eyes.

“Found it, it’s here.” Shen Tianxue looked at the crowded tavern with satisfaction, then turned to look at Pei Daiqing, only to find him holding out his hand with a slender, blue snake hanging from his wrist, its tongue flicking as it whispered to him.

"What's wrong?" Shen Tianxue asked, taking two steps back.

“Wei Ren has been devoured by the serpent.” Pei Daiqing rubbed the cyan serpent’s head with his thumb and laughed. “I told you he couldn’t do without the two of us.”

Shen Tianxue said indifferently, "He's dead already?"

Pei Daiqing observed for a while, then exclaimed, "He's not dead."

Shen Tianxue then showed some interest: "He tamed the serpent?"

Pei Daiqing shook his head: "It doesn't seem like Wei Ren tamed it himself. It's more like a demonic serpent that was invaded and suppressed by external forces, just like us, except..."

"But what?" Shen Tianxue was patient with Pei Daiqing, and did not get angry when he paused for a long time.

Pei Daiqing spread his hands to Shen Tianxue and said, "We can only suppress them, but Wei Ren can damage the Enchantress Serpent. For example, right now, Wei Ren's Enchantress Serpent seems to be dead."

Wei Ren was helped to sit down at the table by Wan Qi. His gaze swept over Ji Meng, who was lying unconscious on the floor in the room, and he recalled the scene of his boasting. His pale face became a little hot.

He was still hesitating whether to say thank you, but he froze when he checked the power.

Wei Ren suddenly grabbed Wan Qi's hand as she applied medicine, startling Wan Qi, who quickly hid behind Mei Liangyu: "Are you going to mutate again?!"

Mei Liangyu glanced over calmly, while Wei Ren asked with a strange expression, "How...how did you save me?"

"Didn't you defeat the Enchanted Serpent yourself?" Wan Qi asked doubtfully. "I think they only stopped you from using hand seals to attack when you were in your Enchanted Serpent form. You regained your senses on your own after a while."

Wei Ren couldn't believe it: "You didn't do anything else?"

Wanqi said, "It's gone. I didn't see it."

Mei Liangyu also asked, "Is there anything you want us to do?"

"How did that serpent die?" Wei Ren, ignoring the pain in his face that made him sweat profusely, asked, "It couldn't possibly..."

"Didn't you kill him?" Yu Sui turned her head to look at him.

These words instantly awakened Wei Ren, reminding him that the Five Elements Light Core within his body was given to him by Yu Sui, who could still control his Five Elements Qi within a certain distance.

“I… oh, it’s me.” Wei Ren licked his dry lips and released his grip on Wan Qi’s hand.

Wan Qi said to Yu Sui, "He may have just recovered and his mind is not very clear yet."

Yu Sui nodded.

Wei Ren's eyes twitched as he listened.

Mei Liangyu glanced at Yu Sui, knowing that she was probably the one who did it, but didn't say anything. She only said to Wei Ren, "It's good that the beast that could devour its master is gone. You can train a new one yourself."

Yu Sui also asked, "Did the two farmhouse directors help you train the Enchanting Serpent?"

"Yes," Wei Ren replied truthfully. "He's right. It's better that this enchanting snake is gone. I'll have to train a new one myself."

As he said this, he recalled what the serpent had said before.

He had never forgotten the woman's crying face.

That remained a secret hidden deep within his heart, unknown to anyone else.

"What about Ji Meng?" Wan Qi asked. "Aren't you still going to the Abyss of No Return?"

Before Yu Sui could speak, Wei Ren said, "Wait for me for two days."

He looked up at Yu Sui, his expression more serious than ever before: "I will definitely do it."