Chapter 116: Three Dragon Cave

"Can he be replaced?" the Jingzhu Daoren pondered. "But we rarely see this venomous python either."

Xu Jia inquired, "How did this venomous python end up in the hands of the Mountain God statue?"

"A Mountain God statue generally has five things accompanying it: first is a ghost, second a tiger, third an eagle, fourth a snake, and fifth a deer."

The Jingzhu Daoren thought and recalled for a moment, then explained, "In our Yushan, there are no tigers, nor are there deer. As for eagles, they come and go unpredictably, and we do not know."

"However, there are indeed many snakes. Herb gatherers going up the mountain are often bitten by venomous snakes, so the original Mountain God had snakes on its ears, hands, and even under its feet to show veneration. When the common people burned incense and made petitions, it was in the hope of not being bitten by venomous snakes while entering the mountain."

"Later, the Ancestor of our Shanju Guan came to the Mountain God Temple to prepare anti-snake medicine for the people coming and going, or to draw out poison for those bitten by venomous snakes. One day, while entering the mountain to gather herbs, he encountered this great snake. The great snake claimed to be a divine messenger under the Mountain God and invited our Ancestor to enter the Blessed Land. Not long after the Ancestor came out, he achieved the status of an Earth Immortal True Person and developed the original Mountain God Temple into the current Shanju Guan. Even today, people often come to the temple to seek snake medicine."

"In other words, this great snake first formed a karmic connection with your Ancestor, and then it was held in the hands of the Mountain God? As for whether it is a legitimate Mountain God messenger, you don't know either? Have the younger generations never interacted with it?"

The Jingzhu Daoren shook his head: "The venomous python did often visit Shanju Guan at first, but after the Ancestor achieved Feathered Ascension, it returned to the deep mountains and only comes out occasionally."

Xu Jia nodded: "That fits. Snakes and pythons, before becoming spirits, shed their skin at least once a year. Once they become spirits, the time for rebirth and transformation extends; perhaps they shed their skin once every two or three years, or maybe only once every ten years."

Xu Jia pulled Niu Congcong out: "Hui Zhuo, drape this snakeskin over yourself and use the Shaman Technique to see if you can try to communicate with it."

Niu Congcong was curious: "How do I communicate? I haven't communicated with such a big snake before. What should I say?"

"Just ask if it is about to undergo Transformation into a Flood Dragon. We can provide it with 'official recognition' to assist its transformation!"

Niu Congcong nodded and immediately began wrapping the snakeskin around himself, starting to perform "Spirit Channeling".

The snakeskin was stained with the aura of the venomous python and could be used as a material for "Witchcraft". Generally, knowledgeable snake demons will eat their own snakeskin so that no one with ulterior motives can discover it. Of course, there are some who, in order to deter hunters or other fierce predators entering the mountain, will deliberately hang the snakeskin in a high place or at the entrance of a mountain path to threaten and intimidate.

In fact, this method is very useful. When the common people see such an exaggerated snakeskin, they are too afraid to enter the mountain, and may even develop faith out of terror.

Niu Congcong looked as if he were having convulsions. This was his first time communicating with a "Wild Immortal". Previously, he had only communicated with "Household Immortals"—immortal families already subdued in the Hall Genealogy—and borrowing their Dharma Power and spells was as easy as eating or drinking.

Deep in Yushan, there was an Old Cave. The walls of this Old Cave were smooth, the entrance was covered in moss, and the cave was deep, but not stuffy; a cool breeze blew inside constantly.

At the top of the cave were thousands of bats, and in the crevices were various venomous snakes; these venomous snakes fed by hunting the bats.

Deep inside the Old Cave was a stalactite karst cave, where various stalactites hung down and Earth Milk Pool ponds of all sizes were scattered about.

And on the largest stalactite pillars, giant pythons were coiled. These giant pythons—one male and two females—were all King Cobras. It was their breathing that caused the constant breeze in the cave.

These three venomous pythons remained motionless, letting the Earth Milk spring water flow over their bodies, forming small stalactites.

Suddenly, one of the large pythons was stirred. Its eyelids flipped open, and it spoke in human language: "Who is calling me?"

Immediately, a gust of yin wind surged, and it wandered through the Dharma Realm, seeing a channel connected to itself. It could actively cut it off, but it could also communicate.

The great snake injected its thoughts, and on the other side, in Shanju Guan, Xiaopangdun's eyeballs rolled upward, and he trembled. Suddenly, his temperament changed, his pupils turned into slits, and he looked around expressionlessly. His neck twisted unnaturally, and he would occasionally flick his tongue: "Shanju Guan? Why do you summon me? The karmic connection between me and you was lost long ago!"

The Scripture Master was surprised that the "possession" had succeeded so easily, because when they performed spirit-writing to invite immortals, they were never sure which one they would invite, yet Xiaopangdun had invited this one on the first try. Xu Jia stepped forward: "How could it be lost so easily? Since you obtained someone's statue and received the people's Incense Fire and worship, you are naturally bound together. Since you want to borrow Incense Fire to cultivate, how can you not do things in return?"

The snake spirit turned its gaze to Xu Jia: "And who are you? A stench of fox, a stink of weasel? Does the matter between me and Shanju Guan allow for your interference?"

Xu Jia said: "I have calculated that you are about to face the five-hundred-year Calamity of Transformation into a Flood Dragon, and both Heavenly Disasters and human disasters are about to arise."

"Transformation into a Flood Dragon?" the snake spirit said: "You calculated wrong. I cultivate the Mountain Immortal Path, not the Water Immortal Path; I do not walk the path of the Flood Dragon."

Xu Jia shook his head: "Mountain methods, water methods—it makes no difference to the Transformation into a Flood Dragon. Both will attract wind and water; it is merely a question of clear water versus muddy water. When the wind and rain rage, even if you swallow and spit out the Earth Vein Dragon Qi, you will still have to go..."

Xu Jia said: "Are you waiting for an earthquake?"

The snake spirit fell silent, staring fixedly at Xu Jia: "And what of it?"

"Once the earthquake comes, you can wrap yourself in mud and rock, use the power of heaven and earth to drill into the Earth Vein Dragon Vein, merge your body with the Dragon Vein, and thereby achieve the status of a Flood Dragon. After a thousand years, if the Dragon Vein does not leak, you can achieve the true Heavenly Dragon and soar into the sky."

The snake spirit narrowed its eyes: "Who exactly are you?"

"Just an ordinary person learning the Immortal Truth. However, I am warning you: if it were normal earth activity, you using the timing and location to transform into a Flood Dragon would be fine, but this is the wrong time and the wrong place."

This great snake's own cultivation was already sufficient; it had practiced for over four hundred years and had originally formed a karmic connection with the Shanju Guan Ancestor. However, its two wives were still lacking in cultivation—one had practiced for over three hundred years, and the other for over two hundred years.

King Cobras have almost no natural enemies in the mountain forests; even snake catchers do not easily provoke such large, highly aggressive venomous snakes.

Their only natural enemies are heaven, earth, and nature. Therefore, there is naturally no calamity, but Heaven sends it down. In his previous life, Xu Jia often saw where lightning struck and knocked down large trees, and there would be a large snake on the tree, killed along with it.

Or perhaps at a construction site, a shovel from an excavator would cut a large python into two pieces...

These calamities are harder to resist than some natural hunting calamities.

"Wrong time, wrong place—how will you survive? When the earthquake comes, the ten thousand people will grieve. Cultivating the Dragon Path is a path of gathering the masses and gathering wishes. Whether it is an Earth Vein Dragon or a Water Vein Dragon, it is all the same. I am not fear-mongering or trying to scare you."

The snake spirit was silent for a while. Whether Xu Jia was right or not, he did not know. After all, although he had lived for so many years, he did not have much culture, nor was he following the path of descending the mountain to transform into a human. Moreover, the cultivation method he practiced was actually of the same lineage as Shanju Guan—both were the "Gen-Peak Breath-Regulating Method".

Monsters have thick skin and flesh; when humans cultivate, it is like a long-flowing stream, while monsters are bold and unconstrained, without so many formalities. It also had good digestive ability and directly swallowed raw jade ore from the mountain. Its Dongfu was also a stalactite cave, which fit the Earth Qi. Therefore, the more it cultivated, the more a thought grew in its mind: find a Dragon Vein, merge with it, and it would be able to go a step further.

This was also why it became lazier the more it cultivated, such as "Earth Tranquility".

However, Earth Vein Dragon Veins generally do not come to the shallow surface layers; only during an earthquake will the "Earth Dragon Turn Over", revealing cracks in the earth, at which point it can merge.

But this method is also very crude; it is very likely to be crushed to death, or smashed by falling rocks, or wrapped in mudslides, or buried by landslides.

It is a life of nine deaths and one life.

Part of what Xu Jia said fit his current situation, and part of it voiced his own worries.

But Xu Jia looked too much like a "swindler". His words seemed to carry a sense of bewitchment, yet there were no traces of him casting spells. It was as if he were truly authentic and reliable.

(End of chapter)