Chapter 217
Chapter 217 Conferment of Demon
“Dragonification? What is that?” Xiao Ma asked .
Before anyone could reply, another loud blast was heard . Water splashed up again like a pillar and was followed by an earthquake .
“Holy s.h.i.t, is it an earthquake?” Xiao Ma was nervous now .
The water pillar swept away the cars within its range and crashed into the bridge, causing the quake .
Everyone on the bus was terrified, but the driver managed to keep his cool . He evacuated all the pa.s.sengers off the bus and instructed them to kneel with their heads covered .
“It’s a dragon!”
“A dragon is flying across the sky!” Yelled some of them .
“What is going on here?” Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Ma looked at each other in confusion .
Tan Xiaohui, on the other hand, was quiet . She closed her eyes and started to pray .
The water pillar continued to rage and let out sounds that resembled a roar of a beast . In no time, the water level rose a few more meters .
Soon, a loud blast was heard, and the bridge collapsed . The water rushed along the river, and the water level slowly dropped leaving everyone stuck between the road and the collapsed bridge because the bridge was the only route .
Everyone was devastated, but n.o.body complained . The driver made some phone calls to inform the local authorities about the damage and instructed the pa.s.sengers to wait patiently on the bus . He informed everyone that since they were located deep in the mountainous area, it would take at least two hours for the authority to arrive, let alone repair the bridge . To make things even more complicated, it was the only direct route up the mountain . The other route out of the area would take an additional three hundred kilometers .
The pa.s.sengers discussed among themselves, and they soon agreed to patiently wait for the authorities to arrive . Then, they would be able to find out how long it would take for the authority to rebuild the bridge and decide whether or not to take the other route .
“What an unlucky day . Now we are trapped for another day,” Xiao Ma whined .
Tan Xiaohui suggested, “How about we walk? This is the Green Dragon River . Our destination is actually located downstream of the river . If we walk, it would be a few dozen lis, so we would arrive by evening . ”
“But a few dozen lis,” Xiao Ma hesitated .
“Let’s walk then,” Ye Shaoyang decided, since he had some other plans too .
He reminded the driver to send the body back to his hometown . Then, the trio took their bags and walked away from the bus while the rest of the pa.s.sengers watched . The driver warned them not to go near the river as dragonification was dangerous .
The trio thanked the driver and walked along the river .
Xiao Ma couldn"t stand his curiosity anymore once they started walking .
“Xiaohui, what exactly is dragonification?” Xiao Ma asked .
Tan Xiaohui watched the rapid current and answered, “Don"t you know the legend of dragonification? According to the legend, there are giant snakes that cultivate in the jungle . During storms, the snakes will attempt to swim through the rushing water . If they manage to travel a long distance without harming any living things, they will pa.s.s the tribulation and become a dragon . ”
She pointed at the river bank, “Didn’t you notice that the mud was oddly neat? These are the tracks left behind by a snake… Hey, why are there two different tracks?” She raised her voice, “Is it possible that there were two snakes just now?”
“It doesn’t matter if there were one or two snakes,” Xiao Ma said, “I still can’t believe it . Are there really dragons in the world?”
Ye Shaoyang said, “Let me repeat myself . There really are dragons! However, in this case, there are no dragons involved here . I don"t know about dragonification, but it seems like it is the process of snake demons undergoing a heavenly trib . If the demon manages to survive it, it will become a demon deity,” Ye Shaoyang looked again at the two tracks left by the snake demon and continued, “but it is really a rare case that two snake demons undergo tribulation at the same time . ”
“Demon deity,” Xiao Ma mumbled, “It sounds so cool . “
“Of course it is . Even King of Yama could not touch it . ”
“So, you mean that demon deity is far more powerful than that Madam Chee? You told us that Madam Chee is a supreme demon,” Xiao Ma asked .
Ye Shaoyang shook his head and answered, “It’s not about the level of cultivation . Madam Chee has chosen the evil path of cultivation, so she will never have the chance to become demon deity . Only those who have cultivated through the right path can undergo the tribulation and become a demon deity . However, it’s easier to gain power through evil cultivation . Madam Chee has been cultivating on the evil path for many years, I believe she has a similar level of cultivation as demon deity . ”
The three of them walked along the river bank . Tan Xiaohui told them that the source of Green Dragon River was the mountain . The legend of dragonification in Green Dragon River had been told since long ago . Therefore, she believed that both snake demons had been cultivating on the mountain for a long time, and when their cultivation reached a certain level, they will need to undergo a tribulation before they can qualify to the next level .
The trio walked along the river, and the sky got darker and darker . It was already evening, and they were not far from their destination . However, the current was starting to rush faster, and the water level was raising . Lucky for the trio, flood-prevention work had been done along the bank to prevent spillage, so the water was still contained . As the trio continued their journey, lightning flashed in the sky followed by loud thunder .
“Raining again?” Xiao Ma asked anxiously . It was the middle of nowhere, so there would be no shelter for them if a storm struck again .
Ye Shaoyang shook his head . As he stared at the gushing river, he said, “It was the snakes completing their cultivation . What a coincidence for two snakes to complete their cultivations at once . I wonder if this an omen . ”
He hastened up to a higher ground . Below him, he could see the waves splashing fiercely one after another, and lightning flashed at an unusually quick pace . He noticed four green lights as big as lanterns coming from within the river .
“If their eyes were these big, how huge would the snakes be?” Xiao Ma asked and was shocked by the answer Ye Shaoyang gave him . Those were the eyes of the snake demons!
Soon, it seemed like the storm was imminent . As the lightning flashed more frequently, the water below went berserk . Waves began to hit the river bank, and it seemed like the bank could not hold the water for much longer . Xiao Ma began to fear for his life as he nervously shouted to Ye Shaoyang, “Little Ye, let’s get as far away from the river as possible! If we stay here any longer, I think we will either be killed by the lightning or the water!”
“I need to stay a little longer . Don’t wait up . Go somewhere safe,” Ye Shaoyang said without even looking back . He intensely stared at the river as he cut his tongue for some blood . He drew on a talisman paper with it and held it in his hand as he prepared for action .
“What talisman paper is this?” Xiao Ma asked curiously .
“Demon Conferment Talisman Paper,” Ye Shaoyang mumbled .
He took a deep breath out of anxiety . Although a Heavenly Master of Maoshan was definitely powerful enough for this, he had never done this before in his life . Even his master, Qing Yunzi, had not performed this ritual before . He recalled what he read in the book . This ritual could only be performed when a demon had reached its final stage of cultivation . This had made Ye Shaoyang a little nervous . Who knows what would happen if he failed?
The lightning continued to strike and hit the water every time without fail . With each strike, two huge intertwining bodies could be seen attempting to fly out of the water only to be stuck back by the lightning .
As the lightning quickened, the two snakes remained attached to each other . They refused to give up even after their bodies were badly wounded by the lightning .
Blood gushed out from their bodies and dyed the whole river red . As the waves splashed up, the filthy stench of blood filled the air .
“These two snakes are really loyal partners . They are not letting go of each other even in the hardest time . That’s rare,” Ye Shaoyang mumbled .