"Bang!"
The earthenware jar shattered on the python's body, and the paste-like white phosphorus inside coated its entire body, instantly bursting into flames.
"hiss--"
The python, in pain, flung Song Laosan out of its mouth and turned to crawl toward me.
I don't know where I got the strength, but I threw the remaining pottery jar, hitting it right on the head.
When the white phosphorus came into contact with the air, white smoke rose instantly. Startled, the beast not only didn't run away, but instead pounced on me even more fiercely.
"Monkey! Help!"
When I saw Song Laosan being abandoned by the giant python, I shouted something to the monkey and then turned and ran, but I underestimated its speed.
"Buzz!"
I had only taken two steps when I heard a whooshing sound behind me.
Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force struck me, sending me flying.
I felt like I'd been hit by a truck; my vision was spinning.
This state of being in flight and having my soul chasing after it has made me lose control of my body.
When I calmed down, I found myself entangled by the snake's tail, hanging upside down in mid-air.
"hiss!"
The giant python defiantly opened its mouth at me, and a foul stench emanated from its breath.
"You son of a bitch!"
I let out a roar, drew the stick from my waist, and stabbed it in the body with the sharp end.
The python's scales were extremely hard, and my full-force attack had no effect; the stick slid to the side along the patterns on the scales.
Immediately, the giant python began to contract its body, and the immense force twisted my limbs, causing my bones to crack and pop.
As the beast contracted its body, its scales also changed. I used my last bit of strength to raise my hand again and finally managed to embed the stick into the flesh through the gaps in the scales.
Immediately afterwards, a clay pot also shattered on it, and flames shot out.
I don't know if it was my attack that triggered the fire, or if the python couldn't stand the heat and started whipping its tail wildly.
I was gripping the stick with both hands when it was swung twice before I finally fell to the ground.
I landed on my left shoulder, and the impact caused pain in my internal organs.
My body was so sore and numb that I couldn't move at all, so I rolled down the slope.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my clothes.
After Qu Ruilin pounced on me and grabbed me, his body slid down the slope with me, his other hand gripping the dagger and stabbing it into the ground, making a screeching sound.
After sliding for about three or four meters, Qu Ruilin's dagger got stuck in a crevice in the rocks, finally allowing us to regain our balance.
Qu Ruilin's hands were covered in blood from the dagger cuts, and he roared at me, "Grab my arm and get up!"
I opened my mouth wide to speak, but my vision gradually went black, and I vomited blood.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the giant python had stopped chasing us and was now attacking Wei Shengnan. She and the monkey were guarding the cave entrance, constantly throwing jars filled with white phosphorus.
Those who are interested in military matters have probably heard of a weapon that is banned worldwide: napalm, commonly known as white phosphorus bombs.
When soldiers are attacked by napalm, the gasoline sticks to their skin and cannot be removed. They should not try to extinguish the fire by rolling on the ground, as this will only make the fire bigger.
The fuel inside a petrol bomb will burn continuously once it gets on a person's body, penetrating deep into the skin, flesh, and bone marrow. The only solution is to cut that piece of flesh out.
Napalm contains a large amount of white phosphorus in its fuel.
At this moment, the giant python had transformed into a fire snake, its body sizzling and crackling like meat being fried, and the air was filled with the smell of roasted meat.
As the monkey accidentally tossed a pottery jar into the python's mouth, the beast finally stopped attacking people. Instead, it began to writhe violently, whipping its body wildly at everything around it before sliding off the cliff.
Qu Ruilin saw the python rolling towards us and dragging my body to the side to dodge.
For the next while, my vision flickered like a movie playing in the background.
First, it went dark for a moment, and then I realized I had changed positions.
It got even darker, and then we moved to another location.
I could vaguely hear the monkeys shouting: "The altar has exploded! The mountain is collapsing! This cave is going to collapse!"
Then came Qu Ruilin's roar: "The snakes are swarming in! We only have four canisters of white phosphorus left, we can't stop them!"
Old Song, who was injured, groaned and said, "Didn't you come from the tomb passage? Can't you go back the way you came?"
Wei Shengnan replied irritably, "No! The stone door to that tomb passage has a quicksand trap and has already collapsed. Qu Ruilin and I were almost buried inside!"
"It's over! Let's all just wait to die!"
"I'll go out and hold them off!"
"What good will it do you go? It's just a matter of who dies first and who dies later!"
"Stop arguing! Everyone, let's figure out a way out and see if there's another way!"
"..."
I heard several people arguing. I opened my mouth to speak, but the blood in my throat made me cough repeatedly.
The monkey had been watching my every move. When it saw me cough, it quickly turned me over, patted my back, and brought its head close to my side: "Young Master Duan, is there something you want to say?"
"Snake cave...cough cough cough!"
I uttered two words, feeling like my lungs were about to pop out, and unbearable pain shot through my entire body: "The snake caves on this mountain are likely not naturally formed, but rather designed by the cold of the ice to attract snakes... cough cough... the snake caves were previously frozen, preventing these snakes from foraging underground, so they came to the surface. They are very likely the ones we saw in the forest when we first entered Hengji Mountain... that giant python must have had a passage to get down from the surface..."
I was halfway through my sentence when I felt blood blocking my trachea, and I experienced an unbearable feeling of suffocation.
"Duan Shenxing?"
"Help!"
"The mountainside has collapsed!"
"Boom!"
"...!"
The feeling of suffocation made me feel like I was drowning in the deep sea. The sounds around me seemed very far away, and I could feel someone tapping on my back. Then I lost consciousness.
...
I had a very long dream.
In my dream, I returned to the tomb of the demon monk and stood in front of the thirteen pottery jars on the horizontal stone.
Suddenly, the pottery jars shattered, and the corpse puppets inside, dragging long chains, charged towards me with howls.
To avoid their attack, I turned and ran towards the entrance of the main hall.
This time, the chains failed to hold them back, and I was knocked to the ground by a corpse puppet, but it did not harm me.
At the crucial moment, a hand reached out and pulled me aside.
Seeing that familiar face, my eyes widened: "Grandpa?!"
Grandpa pointed at the corpse puppet and asked me, "Do you know why he didn't hurt you?"
I turned my head, looked at the corpse puppet's face covered in insects, and shook my head.
Grandpa sighed: "He's your father!"
"roar!"
The corpse puppet suddenly turned ferocious and lunged at me.
I woke up from a nightmare, gasping for breath, with unbearable pain all over my body.
The monkey beside the bed, seeing that I had woken up, excitedly stood up: "Young Master Duan, you're awake!"
I looked around and realized I was lying in a dilapidated room receiving an IV drip: "Where are the others?"
The monkey, its eyes red-rimmed, grabbed my hand: "They've all left, only the two of us are left here. It's so good that you've woken up."
I looked at myself and found that my chest was wrapped in thick bandages, and my clothes had been changed into a hospital gown. My heart sank: "Where is the magic scripture I was carrying with me?"
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