Volume 2, Chapter 126 – Reporting to Big Sister, Target Spotted

The terrifying scene was first noticed by a disciple. At his exclamation, everyone rushed out of the courtyard to look. At this moment, the temperature in Panshan Village had risen unusually, and the fog had mostly dissipated, so visibility was no longer obstructed.

Qi Huang raised her gaze and saw a towering mountain to the west of the village, its peak piercing the clouds, forcing one to crane their neck just to glimpse its full height. Above the summit, a mass of dark clouds hung heavily, tinged with an eerie blue—what appeared to be a massive coiled serpent.

The snake was so blue it verged on green, terrifyingly enormous, with each scale the size of a horse-drawn carriage, glistening with an oily sheen. Coiled atop the clouds, it blotted out the sky like a suspended mountain, pressing down on everything below with an oppressive dread.

At this moment, the serpent raised its head, its upper body rearing up like a cobra, its neck flaring wide as its forked tongue flicked in and out, as though declaring war against the heavens.

The disciples of the Honghua Sect exchanged glances, their faces filled with horror.

Qi Huang was no exception. Initially, like most, she had assumed the villagers were exaggerating. But witnessing this with her own eyes, she realized their descriptions had been understated.

A serpent of this size was less of a mere monster and more of a mythical creature. The Incarnation Realm was the most conservative estimate—it wouldn’t be surprising if it had reached the Divine Realm or even the Heavenly Retribution Realm.

“My heavens! How… how could such a massive snake exist in this world?”

“Never mind a snake, I doubt any living creature of that size exists! If it were to fall, it could crush an entire city in an instant.”

“Sect Leader, are we really going to provoke this thing?”

The disciples finally snapped out of their daze, trembling all over.

“Ah! A Blue-Scaled King Snake of this size must have a nest full of Blue Scale Stones. If we could obtain them and forge weapons, it would be a tremendous boost for our sect… but… we can’t afford to provoke it!”

Qin Quan’s face was ashen, unsure of how to proceed. He knew rashly provoking such a monstrosity could very well lead to the annihilation of their entire sect.

“Indeed. Especially for Hongling—if she could wield a fine sword alongside her Thunder Cry Sword Technique, her lack of offensive power would be completely remedied.”

Xu Mei glanced at her beloved disciple beside her, her expression full of regret.

Hearing this, Qi Huang looked at Cheng Hongling and felt an inexplicable urge—an intense desire to help her. In her dreams, she had seen her main body fall time and again on the Evergreen Conference’s stage. If they didn’t seize this chance to strengthen now, she would surely die when the time came to act as bait.

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“I find it strange. If this snake is truly so enormous, why are there no traces of its presence in the surrounding forests?”

Cheng Hongling, however, scrutinized the colossal Blue-Scaled King Snake with skepticism.

“There’s only one explanation—it has already reached the Heavenly Retribution Realm. To evade divine retribution, it cannot move about frequently.”

Qin Quan’s expression was grave as he made this deduction.

At these words, the disciples’ faces grew even more fearful. The Heavenly Retribution Realm! What kind of power was that? Not just their humble Honghua Sect—even the entire Western Radiance Dynasty could be annihilated with a mere flick of its tail.

“But a great demon of the Heavenly Retribution Realm doesn’t just appear overnight. Every single one is a known entity—so why has this serpent never been heard of until now?”

Cheng Hongling shook her head thoughtfully.

The others also fell into contemplation. There was indeed logic to her words.

“Then let me fly up and scout it out. If it truly is as terrifying as it seems, we’ll give up.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Qi Huang spoke up, seeing the reluctance in her main body’s eyes.

“This… is that wise? Isn’t it too dangerous? What if it notices you?”

Xu Mei was uneasy.

“Master, don’t worry. I won’t get too close. And even if it does notice me, remember—I can return in the blink of an eye.”

Qi Huang then gave a meaningful glance at her main body beside her. She couldn’t outright explain, of course—after all, she was currently playing the role of the main body, and only a select few close to them knew the truth.

“Let’s do it this way.”

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Cheng Hongling was the first to make the decision.

Qin Quan and Xu Mei exchanged glances, both sighing helplessly. When it came to this genius disciple’s decisions, no one in the sect dared oppose her—not even them. In the world of cultivation, strength dictated authority.

“Go. But don’t get too close! At the first sign of danger, I’ll summon you back immediately.”

Cheng Hongling transmitted her thoughts to the doppelgänger beside her.

Qi Huang nodded firmly. Taking a deep breath, she slowly levitated into the air, flying resolutely toward the massive serpent, her robes and hair fluttering behind her with an almost tragic grandeur.

The others watched her slender figure—so delicate compared to the distant behemoth—and wiped cold sweat from their brows.

Qi Huang was as swift as lightning, reaching the vicinity of the Blue-Scaled King Snake in half a quarter-hour. But as she drew closer, confusion flickered across her face—the serpent’s form grew indistinct, like a reflection in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water.

What’s going on?

Unable to make sense of it, she cautiously pressed forward, scanning it with her divine sense.

The Honghua Sect members, watching from afar, couldn’t discern the truth. Seeing Qi Huang edge ever closer, their hearts pounded in terror.

“That’s close enough! Don’t go any further!”

Cheng Hongling immediately tried to stop her doppelgänger—this girl had done far too many reckless things before, and she had to rein her in early.

But Qi Huang seemed not to hear, diving straight toward the serpent.

“Is she insane?”

The Honghua Sect disciples exchanged horrified looks, their faces pale.

Cheng Hongling was equally terrified, but at this distance, she couldn’t forcibly recall her doppelgänger.

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Qi Huang soon reached the “serpent”. She reached out toward its terrifying scales—and her hand passed straight through without resistance. The great snake didn’t react at all. Now she was certain—this was nothing more than an illusion.

“Relax! This isn’t a real snake! Just a shadow!”

She relayed the message to her main body.

“A shadow? How could there be such a massive serpentine shadow in the sky?”

Cheng Hongling was caught off guard.

“What shadow?”

Qin Quan pressed urgently.

Cheng Hongling quickly explained what her doppelgänger had seen. The others finally let out sighs of relief.

“How could there be a snake’s shadow in the sky? And it clearly looks alive.”

Xu Mei was baffled.

“No, that’s not a shadow—it’s a mirage!”

Cheng Hongling suddenly realized.

The others’ expressions cleared momentarily, only to tense again. If it was a mirage, then the serpent did exist—and it might be lurking somewhere nearby.

“If it’s a mirage, then the snake is real, just not necessarily that large. After all, mirages aren’t always proportional to the actual object.”

Qin Quan explained.

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“If that’s the case, everything makes sense. No wonder we couldn’t find any traces—the real snake might not be as big as the mirage suggests.”

Cheng Hongling added her own deduction, then continued, “Of course, this is just speculation. But at least it means we still have a chance.”

“But where do we even begin searching for this snake?”

Ruan Lingyu asked curiously.

“Mirages are caused by refracted light. Have your main body check where sunlight is shining through nearby, then investigate those areas one by one.”

Thanks to his age and experience, Qin Quan offered this advice to Cheng Hongling.

Understanding, Cheng Hongling relayed the instructions to her doppelgänger.

Upon receiving the order, Qi Huang hovered high in the air, scanning her surroundings. The only place where sunlight pierced the clouds was a deep, shadowy valley not far away.

Without delay, Qi Huang flew toward the valley, soon arriving above it.

Peering down, she saw that the valley was unnaturally deep, as though man-made. The rocky walls were pockmarked with mining tunnels of varying sizes, while the basin was flooded, forming a lake. At its center stood a massive rock, upon which a blue-green serpent lay coiled, basking in the sunlight.

Not daring to approach too closely, Qi Huang relied on her naked eyes to observe. The snake’s body was roughly two feet ¹ 尺 (chǐ), 33 cm/13.1 inches thick, its scales glossy as polished jade, coiled like a small hill. Though not as terrifyingly massive as the mirage in the sky, it was still a true giant.

Qi Huang glanced up at the mirage, then back at the serpent below. They were identical—this was undoubtedly their target.

No wonder the Heyi Sect couldn’t find it. Without the fog clearing, there’d be no way to see inside from outside.

Finally understanding, she reported to her main body:

“Reporting to Big Sister! Target spotted!”