Volume One: Hidden Abyss Chapter Twenty-Eight

It was not until darkness swallowed her whole that he collapsed to the ground, staring at his hands in disbelief, terror filling his eyes. Hastily, he glanced around in panic, desperate to see if anyone had witnessed his actions. With trembling hands, he hurried to seal the entrances, carefully concealing the herbs. He even rose to press the earth down with his feet, making sure it was tightly packed, before fleeing the scene with wary, backward glances.

When he returned to the inn, he rushed straight to his basement, flung open the door, and began kowtowing before the shrine. The idol enshrined there was disturbingly grotesque: upon closer inspection, what at first appeared to be a head of black curls was, in fact, a mass of coiling serpents—too many to count, densely intertwined, each one unique in shape, sending shivers down the spine. Her eyes were bound with cloth, yet sharp fangs protruded from the corners of her mouth, as if she might, at any moment, open her bloody maw and devour the supplicant before her. Her hands were pressed together in a gesture of prayer.

The idol had the head of a woman and the body of a snake, coiled around a parasol tree, a blend of sanctity and malevolence that was both strange and unsettling. The old man with the goatee prostrated himself in utter devotion, tinged with fear, muttering ceaselessly, “Goddess, grant your medicine, goddess, grant your medicine.”

Soon, the basement filled with violet smoke, accompanied by the innkeeper’s harrowing, anguished cries. Then, all fell silent and still once more.

Jinli awoke again, roused by pain. She opened her eyes to utter darkness, the kind in which one cannot see a hand before one’s face. Her hands, waist, neck, and legs all ached; when she touched them lightly, she felt the blood trickling down.

As she regained consciousness, she heard the hissing of snakes nearby. Instantly, a chill like ice swept through her, her scalp tingled, and she seemed to see the cold green glow of serpentine eyes in the darkness. She dared not move, her voice caught in her throat, yet she could not utter a sound.

Fear and agony threatened to burst her heart. The hissing crept ever closer as she slowly retreated, her vision swimming, face ashen, body trembling uncontrollably. “...Don’t... don’t come any closer...” Of all things in this world, she feared snakes the most. Now, in despair and terror, she desperately wished someone would come to save her, anyone at all.

She pressed her fingers together, her body weakened by snake venom; a faint celestial glow flickered and died at her fingertips.

A snake slithered up her neck, her blood seemed to freeze. What was she to do now? What could she do? She shut her eyes and made a secret hand sign: “Let me vanish, shadow concealed, hidden!” She cast an invisibility spell upon herself. Instantly, the snakes lost their sense of direction, crawling about in search of her.

Jinli dared not breathe, enduring the pain as she formed another spell. The golden light at her fingertips drew some snakes near, but it was already too late for them—for with a single push of her hand, golden runes ignited into flames, consuming every last serpent.

The fire lit up the entire cave, and as Jinli looked up, her scalp prickled: countless snake pits, large and small, filled her with dread. She swallowed a cleansing pill, staggered to her feet, and fled in terror.

But the cave’s winding passages were labyrinthine; she soon found herself lost. Standing still, blue celestial light flared from her fingertips, illuminating the area—no more snake pits in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Were these snakes kept by that old goateed man?

“So, some people don’t know how to behave.”

A ghostly voice echoed through the pitch-black cave, lingering with a chilling eeriness. It was unmistakably the voice of a malevolent spirit.

Jinli’s body stiffened, cold seeping from her feet to her entire body. Pain and fear rooted her to the spot. She pressed her left hand’s fingers together defensively, her gaze alert in the darkness.

A pale blue flame flickered at her fingertips, wavering between life and extinction. Her frail figure pressed against the stone wall, barely holding herself up.

“So, it’s a handsome young man. What a pity,” the sinister presence remarked, clearly watching her, though Jinli could not see where it hid. As she prepared to open her Phoenix Eyes, the spirit’s eerie voice whispered in her ear.

“I advise you not to act rashly.”

In an instant, the Xuan Yin Sword flashed coldly, stabbing toward the figure behind her.

The evil spirit laughed chillingly. “So, you’re a cultivator? Excellent, excellent. If I devour you, my power will surely grow.”

Before she could react, Jinli’s neck was seized by a cold, scaly hand. Her feet left the ground.

In the darkness, she could smell thick blood and a faint, sickening stench of decay. Two green eyes glowed with cold greed, as if able to pierce through to her soul. A demoness with a human head and serpent’s body was lifting Jinli into the air, her red tongue flickering, patches of snakeskin still clinging to her arms, black and green scales twisting together in a pattern that chilled the blood.

She drew close to Jinli, grinning wide enough to stretch to her ears—a terrifying sight.

“You look delicious,” she hissed.

Even as nausea rose within her, Jinli forced herself to speak, “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Villains die from talking too much’?”

The snake demon was taken aback; this frail youth in her grasp, barely able to stand, spoke words that sent a chill down her spine.

“Who are you, really?” the demon demanded, her green gaze fixed on Jinli.

Then, with another hideous grin, she laughed, “So, you’re a woman? So beautiful—if I eat you, your beauty will become mine.”

“You’re... dreaming,” Jinli replied. As soon as she finished, golden light flared around her, countless sigils shining like stars. With a secret gesture, her eyes flashed gold, and a faint blue divine mark appeared on her brow.

Her lips parted: “Golden Aspect to destroy demons, myriad laws flow—Command!”

As she recited the incantation, a golden disk of runes spun to life, unleashing a volley of arrows like phoenix feathers, piercing the snake demon from all sides. Some arrows shot like lightning, others twisted into celestial ribbons, binding her tight, runes blazing along their length. Purple demonic energy oozed from the bonds, and the snake demon shrieked in agony, head thrown back.

Jinli kept her fingers pressed together, chanting the spell. Watching the demon writhing in torment, she felt the venom in her veins surge. Suddenly she coughed up a mouthful of black blood, her vision went dark, and her legs buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to her knees. The demon, sensing an opportunity, struggled free from the binding spell and fled in panic.

Jinli, seeing her foe escape, collapsed weakly to the ground, blood soaking her garments. Only now did the pain spread fully through her body—cold, aching, and swollen. She was on the brink of losing consciousness.

The celestial light faded from her fingertips. Summoning her last strength, she shook her head, swallowed an antidote pill, and reminded herself it was dangerous to linger—the demon might return, and if it attacked again, she would not survive. She leaned on the stone wall, forcing herself upright. The passage was so narrow that only one person could pass at a time.

She did not know how far she walked, only that her whole body was growing numb, her limbs no longer her own.

With a thud, she collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath, her heart burning as though aflame. The beauty parasite within her clashed with the snake venom, tearing at her insides as if trying to burst free.

Her hands dug into the earth, fingers scraped raw and bloody by the stone. Through her blurred vision, she thought she saw a beam of light, enough to illuminate the darkness around her.

She fumbled for the cleansing pill, but her trembling hand dropped it. Groping in the dark, she finally found it, caked with mud, and swallowed it, feeling the grit crunch between her teeth. Gritting her teeth, she crawled toward the faint light.

The sound of rushing water grew louder.

Hope sparked in her heart. She scrambled up and ran forward—only for the ground to vanish beneath her feet. She plummeted from the cave’s edge, the sky above a blinding white, the waterfall’s icy torrent mercilessly battering her body.

She plunged into the freezing water.

Her vision blurred; she could no longer distinguish pain from cold.

Her body slowly sank, and she gradually closed her eyes...