Chapter 59: Like Fire, Like Dragon

Ji Yuan's roar was powered by his spiritual energy, utilizing the "Decisive Shout" technique from the Iron Punishment Battle Post – a sonic ability originally intended for constables to intimidate petty criminals and evildoers.

In essence, it was simply a technique to amplify one's voice, but when Ji Yuan roared, it resonated with the grandeur of a thunderous, whistling sound.

Not only did the sound reverberate in the river below, but many villagers who were still disoriented or had just emerged from their houses were startled. Some merely trembled with fright, while others were so terrified they collapsed to the ground.

All the dogs in the village were silenced by the shock.

Ji Yuan could clearly see the large snake in the river flinch, causing the water's ripples to undulate wildly. With this jolt, a faint but discernible demonic aura rose from the snake, far less potent than Lu Shan-jun's.

'Excellent, it hasn't fully matured yet!'

Ji Yuan could even discern a hint of panic in the snake's gaze. This further steadied his resolve, as momentum is a give-and-take: if an opponent fears him even slightly, he gains triple the courage.

Meanwhile, the merchant, who had been entranced by the illusion of beauty, was instantly jolted awake by the roar. Although he couldn't see through the demon's transformed body, he could clearly behold its terrifying serpentine lower half.

"Ahhhhh! A monster!"

The explosive power of a person struggling for their life should never be underestimated. Taking advantage of the snake's shock from Ji Yuan's roar, the merchant kicked his legs furiously in the water, like a young girl stepping on a large rat, and pushed off the snake's body to leap onto the bank.

"Hiss..."

Out of apprehension for Ji Yuan, the large snake surprisingly didn't pursue. However, it seemed unwilling to give up completely; its tail swept onto the bank, knocking the merchant down. The merchant, rolling and scrambling, still tried desperately to escape.

"Help! Help me!"

Only then did Ji Yuan and the terrified merchant truly perceive the snake's enormous size: its body was as thick as a water bucket and at least four zhang (approx. 13 meters) long.

Ji Yuan didn't care if this was a test or not; he was already bubbling with excitement and anticipation. Seeing what was almost an act of provocation, he immediately sprang into action.

He wouldn't fight the large snake in the water, but its onshore presence was a different matter entirely.

With a wave of his hand, a pile of dry firewood from outside a nearby house floated up to Ji Yuan. He grasped the firewood as if it were a sword. His figure, a blur of green, leaped from the rooftop, descended outside the wattle fence, and with a stomp, his speed surged. His movement technique was pushed to its limits, reaching the riverside almost instantly.

He brandished the Wandering Dragon Sword-form, enhanced by an accompanying illusion spell, making his figure glide like a winding, elusive afterimage.

Compared to directly casting an illusion in front of the demon, this blend of reality and deception should prove more effective.

"Hiss... hiss..."

The snake's tail, cutting through the air, swept past Ji Yuan's body, but merely passed through the afterimage as if breaking through a layer of foam. This deliberately enticing movement further confirmed to Ji Yuan that while the large snake was intimidating, its reaction speed was no match for his.

In the next instant, after two evasions, Ji Yuan's true form flashed behind the snake's tail, as if teleporting. Inside the sleeve of his right arm, which held the wooden 'sword,' a pea-sized flame pulsed vigorously under the impact of spiritual energy.

'Snakes are creatures of yin. I shall wield the common folk's lamp-fire, drawing upon the flames of human life. Let's see if you can withstand this sword strike!'

Ji Yuan, who had been concealing his true abilities until this moment, revealed his true form as he transitioned from rapid motion to sudden stillness, seemingly emerging from the overlapping afterimages behind him. The instant he swung the wooden 'sword,' the entire log burst into flames with a resounding 'boom~.' Yet, the fire seemed to have no effect on Ji Yuan, not even scorching his sleeves.

The tip of the largely burning firewood was now as sharp as a sword point. With the momentum of his charge, he pressed forward relentlessly, his sword-speed incredibly swift, his sword-intent like a dragon.

Wandering Dragon Delivers Fire!

He recalled the final move from his sword dance in the courtyard.

"Strike!"

He let out a fearsome roar.

"Sizzle~"

The flaming tip pierced through a gap in the snake's scales, sinking into its flesh. At the same moment, with a loud whoosh, the entire burning wooden sword turned to ash. Countless fierce flames, imbued with sword-intent, surged like a wandering dragon, instantly penetrating the great snake's body through the newly opened wound.

Having successfully landed the blow, Ji Yuan simultaneously stomped the ground with a 'thud,' creating a small crater, and rapidly retreated backwards. As he swiftly moved away, his left arm extended, grabbing the merchant by his waistband.

The two of them, one like a soaring roc retreating and the other like a dead dog clutched by an eagle, instantly put dozens of paces between themselves and the great snake.

"Hiss..."

"Thump... thump thump..."

The great snake could no longer maintain its illusion. Most of its serpentine body thrashed wildly. Many villagers, who had gathered near the wattle fence, could clearly see fiery red light emanating from the scales at the sword-struck tip of the snake's tail, steadily ascending higher up its body.

"Hiss~~~~~~~~~" "Thump... thump thump..."

As its body thrashed in the water, the surface began to steam with white mist, and its struggles churned the river into rolling waves.

With a 'boom,' a small boat by the river was snapped in half by the distressed snake's thrashing.

This sight made Ji Yuan gasp with a shiver of post-fear, silently thinking that his current body wouldn't fare well if struck by such a blow.

"Hiss~~~ Roar~~~"

Amidst its pain, the snake's hiss transformed into a hoarse roar. Realizing that the fire within it could not be extinguished even in the river, and facing an extreme threat to its life, the great snake ferociously opened its mouth and savagely bit its own body just above the tail-end...

"Thud... Crunch~~"

The sound of scales, blood, bone, and flesh tearing apart sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, including Ji Yuan. The great snake had ferociously bitten off at least a quarter of its own body, including its tail.

The river immediately turned crimson with snake blood, and the great snake, not daring to linger, frantically churned the water as it fled downstream.

This entire scene unfolded in mere seconds, catching even Ji Yuan, the instigator, by surprise.

"You wretched creature! To sever your own tail to survive!"

Just as he considered pursuing, Ji Yuan paused. The creature was now more cornered than a cornered beast, and it was in the water, plus Ji Yuan himself had expended considerable energy...

Two seconds later, Ji Yuan's thunderous roar erupted once more.

"Where are the day and night patrols under the jurisdiction of the Suiyuan County City God?"

The enormous roar boomed, echoing across the vast, open sky of the wilderness.

"A demon has appeared in the county, wreaking havoc and harming people! I urge you to appear swiftly and apprehend it!"

The immense roar carried far, its echoes whistling like the wind.

"Appear swiftly and apprehend it... apprehend it..."

Ji Yuan clutched his chest, calming the remaining spiritual energy depleted by his strenuous exertion, and suppressing his frantic heartbeat. He had already surpassed his usual limits; there was little more he could do!

***

At this moment, apart from the sounds of the great snake's frantic escape, only the segment of its tail, still glowing red and sizzling with white steam on the water's surface, remained.

All around, from chickens and dogs to the villagers who had just gathered by the wattle fence to witness the end, fell silent. It took a long time for them to recover from the immense shock.

"It's a monster..."

"A beautiful snake demon!"

"Oh dear! Right by the river..."

"That merchant just escaped with his life!"

"Good thing a master was passing by, otherwise our village would have been in danger!"

"Passing by? He stayed overnight here; Old Xu welcomed him!"

"Was that master just calling for the City God's underworld constables?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Hey, hey, don't go out, don't disturb the master's ritual!"

"Woof woof woof... Woof woof woof..." "Woof woof woof..."

At this point, the village dogs, however, scrambled out, squeezing through the gaps in the half-open wattle fence gates and running to the riverside, barking furiously at the river.

Ji Yuan slowly adjusted his state, suppressing his excitement, and looked at the dogs with a mix of amusement and exasperation. 'Where were you just now?' he silently wondered.

A moment later, perhaps sensing that the fight was truly over, brave villagers finally opened their wattle fence gates and emerged.

Just as the village chief, pulling the roused Old Xu, intended to approach Ji Yuan for a conversation, Ji Yuan's expression shifted as he looked across the river. Two chilling, ethereal figures glided over the water and arrived nearby.

Their official constable robes finally brought a sigh of relief to Ji Yuan.

As the two underworld constables passed, the dogs by the river whimpered and fled, and others present felt a bone-chilling cold.

The underworld constables stopped about one zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) in front of Ji Yuan and bowed to him in unison.

"Night patrols under the jurisdiction of Suiyuan County City God greet this immortal master!"

The segment of the snake's tail, still glowing red, was so conspicuous it was impossible to ignore, and they couldn't ascertain what kind of miraculous immortal technique had caused such injury.

Ji Yuan didn't wait for them to ask questions; he immediately and swiftly explained the situation.

"A snake demon appeared in the river before this village tonight, attempting to absorb men's vital essence through a deceptive sacrificial ritual. I happened to be staying in the village and, upon discovering this, intervened indignantly. However, I didn't expect this demon, after being struck by my sword, would sever its own tail to escape. I hope you will quickly report this to the Suiyuan County City God, requesting his immediate action to eliminate this fiend!"

The two underworld constables bowed again, clasping their hands and bending ninety degrees.

"Many thanks to the immortal master for saving the people of Suiyuan County, and also for providing us with an opportunity to atone for our past shortcomings. We vow to slay this demon before it escapes the jurisdiction of Suiyuan!"

Having spoken, the two underworld constables instantly vanished like smoke. One headed downstream, and the other towards the distant riverbank, presumably in the direction of Suiyuan County City.