Whoosh—
The colossal serpent's massive body coiled around, wrapping several floors of the tower-ship in its grip. The wood creaked and groaned under the pressure, while everywhere on board, scholars stared in shock and the boatmen were petrified with fear.
"Wes Young, can you fly?" Quinn Shepherd suddenly asked.
Wes Young was still in shock: "What?"
Quinn raised his hand and tossed the chubby scholar off the ship. Wes's scream echoed from below: "I can't fly—aaah!"
Quinn leapt off the tower-ship. Lina the Spirit Fox, previously tipsy, was now sharp as a night owl. The moment Quinn jumped, the little fox cast her spell, sending a gust of wind to lift him up.
Quinn rode the wind, swooping down and reaching out to grab Wes Young. Wes, still terrified, looked down and screamed again.
"Stop yelling!"
Quinn powered forward at full speed. Overhead, the massive tower-ship groaned and splintered, broken beams whistling down from above. Quinn dodged through the air, evading giant timbers as he rushed away from the wreckage.
Wes Young looked back, stunned. He saw the ship's upper decks shredded, the giant serpent coiled tightly around the vessel, squeezing it with deadly force—the tower-ship was about to be torn in two!
The scholars aboard the tower-ship leapt off one after another. Some, versed in flight arts, rode spirit weapons through the air; others, lacking such skills, flailed helplessly as they plummeted toward the ground.
Drake Dandy! Are you rebelling?
The ship's captain flew into a rage, transforming into a giant of flames and charging at the flamboyant young man. His divine arts were fierce, but the ship could barely withstand the clash of two experts. The tower-ship's core furnace room, squeezed by the serpent, split open; inside, physicians and apprentices rushed out and jumped overboard.
At the same time, the giant serpent spewed a cloud of poison mist at the captain's face. The flame giant was instantly extinguished, collapsing backward in defeat.
We're doomed...
Wes Young turned pale. "The Dragon Tamer Sect has rebelled. That guy raising giant serpents is their young master, Drake Dandy, a notorious villain..."
Quinn did his best to support him, heading for the ground below—the mountain foothills, where they could hide and avoid detection by Dragon Tamer Sect experts.
Moments later, they finally landed. Lina the Spirit Fox dispelled her spell and was about to speak when, suddenly, a scream rang out overhead. A scholar crashed through the dense canopy and landed before them, torn apart, his body and brains splattered.
Thud!
Another dull crash sounded from nearby.
Thud, thud, thud...
It was as if rain was falling across the foothills—one scholar after another dropped from the sky, smashed to pieces.
Wes Young turned ashen, his body trembling. Quinn's ears twitched; suddenly, he grabbed Wes and sprinted forward. Behind them, a thunderous crash erupted—a half-ship slammed down, destroying a swath of forest. Splintered trees shot in all directions, terrifying beyond belief.
The huge hull of the tower-ship slid for hundreds of feet, nearly crushing the fleeing Quinn, before finally coming to a halt.
Quinn kept running at full speed. From inside the tower-ship came a deafening explosion—the furnace had blown up, and the surging shockwave flung the two of them and Lina the Spirit Fox into the air!
Quinn landed, released Wes Young, and whispered, "Let's go, quickly. The Dragon Tamer Sect's experts will be here soon to check for any survivors!"
Wes, still shaken, immediately ran forward. "What will they do if they find survivors?"
Lina the Spirit Fox shot him a look, her tone still tipsy—she'd clearly been sneaking drinks. "Fat Wes, what do you think?"
Wes shivered. "The Dragon Tamer Sect is insane this time—attacking the ship carrying scholar candidates near the capital. Once the Imperial Preceptor recovers, he won't let them off!"
"You really think the Imperial Preceptor is injured?"
Quinn shook his head. "In my view, the Imperial Preceptor isn't injured at all. He wants to draw out all the rebels in Everpeace and wipe them out in one sweep. The Dragon Tamer Sect is just the bait."
Wes was stunned. "You mean... Impossible! I've heard there are at least twenty rebellions right now—cities being attacked, countless people dying, bandits running wild. How could the Imperial Preceptor allow this?"
Quinn said, "It's all political strategy. If he weren't 'injured,' how could he draw out all these traitors? So he pretends to be wounded—defeated in the Great Ruins, ambushed on his way back, gravely hurt, his reputation and strength diminished. Who wouldn't take advantage of that?"
He concluded, "In my view, the Imperial Preceptor has planned this all along. He won't move to suppress the rebellion until every last traitor has revealed themselves."
Wes still couldn't accept it, muttering, "But so many people will die..."
"But then the Imperial Preceptor will have wiped out all future threats, right?"
Quinn glanced at Wes. The chubby scholar was surprisingly agile, able to keep up with Quinn's pace, though he clearly hadn't mastered wind arts and couldn't fly. "Once he wipes out all threats, who would dare plot against him again? And if he wants the throne, who would dare oppose him?"
Wes shivered several times, looking at Quinn like he was a monster. "Quinn, you're about my age, right? How do you come up with all these schemes? Lina, is he actually an old fox spirit in disguise?"
Lina the Spirit Fox cheered, "Fat Wes, you noticed too? I've long suspected our young master is a fox spirit in disguise!"
Wes said, "Don't call me Fat Wes. The Jiangling Wes family is a reputable clan, you know. It's embarrassing if people hear that!"
Lina the Spirit Fox said, "Then I'll call you Chubby Wes."
Wes Young was silent for a moment, then said awkwardly, "You can just call me Fat Wes. At least I'm only mildly chubby."
Suddenly, Quinn asked, "Wes Young, what's your cultivation level?"
"I've already broken through the Five Luminaries Wall and opened my Five Luminaries Treasury, but my cultivation isn't much higher than yours."
Wes Young was puzzled. "What's your cultivation level?"
Spirit Embryo stage.
Quinn swept up his yuanqi and drew his pig-slaughtering knife. "Wes Young, you handle two, I'll handle two!"
Wes didn't understand what he meant. Suddenly, four giant serpents slithered out of the woods ahead, accompanied by a lively flute tune. The melody was playful, like a village girl teasing a green snake in the grass—shifting, high and low.
The flutist must be a disciple of the Dragon Tamer Sect. Quinn looked in the direction of the sound but couldn't spot the expert—they must be hiding.
The Dragon Tamer Sect was originally a local sect in Grandrise Commandery near the capital, raising giant serpents and calling them dragons.
After being subdued by the Imperial Preceptor, the sect behaved itself. Their disciples even raised giant serpents for the imperial army's exotic beast corps.
The flute's clear notes guided the serpents' movements.
"Quinn, the Dragon Tamer Sect's weapon looks like the serpent, but it's actually the flute—the flute controls the serpents' attacks..."
Wes was about to explain the sect's tactics, but Quinn had already charged ahead. Wes could only follow helplessly.
Suddenly, the flute music grew rapid and sharp. The red-crested serpents sped up, lunging at the two.
At the instant Quinn met the first serpent, his blade flashed like a silver orb exploding!
Night Battle in the Storm-Lashed City!
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. The red-crested serpent hadn't even struck before the silver light swept from its head to its tail. When the light faded, only a giant serpent skeleton remained—no flesh at all.
Meanwhile, Lina the Spirit Fox wielded wind-blade scimitars against another serpent. The flute controlled the snake to inhale, swallowing the wind blades, and prepared to spew poison mist.
Quinn jabbed forward with two fingers—the Young Guardian’s Sword stabbed into the serpent’s eye. With a flick, the blade burst out through its skull!
On the other side, Wes Young charged in, his deep cultivation powering him. He wore a sword case on his back, controlling flying swords to strike at the serpent. The case itself was a spirit weapon, though not as sharp as Quinn’s Young Guardian’s Sword or pig-slaughtering blade.
Wes dodged nimbly between the two attacking serpents, inflicting more sword wounds, but couldn’t find a chance to finish them.
His cultivation was deep, but his combat skills lagged far behind Quinn’s, and his techniques were textbook academy forms—no killing blows.
Suddenly, Lina the Spirit Fox darted into the forest, and Quinn charged in from another direction. Wes cried out and tried to follow, but was trapped by the two serpents.
At that moment, the flute music stopped abruptly—the two serpents, without its guidance, grew sluggish. Wes seized the chance, killed both snakes, and rushed into the woods. Lina’s voice called, "Fat Wes, over here!"
Wes hurried over to find Quinn and Lina waiting. Beside them, a giant tree was bleeding—but on closer look, it was actually a man whose outfit and face were painted to blend perfectly with the bark!
He had hollowed out the tree to hide inside, so well camouflaged that he was nearly invisible.
"A disciple of the Dragon Tamer Sect!"
Wes’s heart skipped a beat. "Quinn, Dragon Tamer Sect disciples always operate in groups!"
"You mean..."
Quinn’s expression changed as he looked deeper into the forest. Dozens of figures emerged from the trees, all camouflaged with bark-like markings.
Flute music sounded; countless serpents slithered forth, carpeting the hills. Their red crests waved like flowers in the wind.