As Quinn Shepherd sprinted, he kicked up a gust of wind, and Granny Sue and Grandpa Blind simply rode the tip of that wind, borrowing its force to travel. The so-called "tip of the wind" is just like the crest of a wave—waves are formed by the movement of water, while wind is the movement of air. The gust Quinn created earlier was the crest, the very tip of the wind.
The young man Quinn carried immediately hopped down and led the three of them quickly toward his house, calling, "Come on, come on, hurry!"
Quinn set aside thoughts of the wind's tip for now and walked up to the courtyard, glancing around. He saw that this village was much larger than Oldridge Village, with over a hundred households and homes that were simple and rustic.
In the courtyard stood a large tree, its crown shading half the house. The woman in labor was inside, beneath the tree's canopy.
A village woman poked her head out of the house and said, "The water's broken—quick, boil some hot water! Oh, it's the old granny from Oldridge Village! Now we're saved, mother and child will be safe for sure!"
Granny Sue glanced around, instantly understanding. She said, "Quinn, open your eyes and check for anything strange. If you find something odd, handle it yourself—I'll go in and deliver the baby. Grandpa Blind, you be careful too, don't get ambushed."
"Divine Firmament Heaven Eye, open!"
Quinn activated the Divine Firmament Heaven Eye and looked around. Suddenly, his gaze landed on the dense crown of the big tree—and he couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end, nearly crying out in shock.
He saw that the tree's trunk was incredibly thick. At first glance it looked like a tree trunk, but on closer inspection, it was actually a huge snake as thick as a water barrel!
The giant snake was hidden within the tree's crown, with half its body burrowed into the trunk itself. Every so often, a large bump would protrude from the tree—those were actually segments of the snake's body exposed to the air!
Judging by the serpent’s body, its length was beyond anything Quinn had ever seen; the other half was likely buried deep in the roots beneath the tree, hidden in the earth—far larger than the Azure Flood Serpent Grandpa Mark once caught!
The entire tree, from its trunk to the crown, was wreathed in thick, swirling black qi, shrouding the house in a suffocating haze.
Right now, the giant serpent was flicking its blood-red tongue, lowering its head and inhaling and exhaling toward the room where the woman labored, its intentions unknown but clearly sinister.
Afraid he might be mistaken, Quinn closed his Divine Firmament Heaven Eye and looked with his ordinary sight—the tree appeared perfectly normal. But when he opened the Heaven Eye again, the serpent was still coiled in the crown, lying in wait to devour the newborn’s soul the moment it entered the world.
Clearly, every child this woman bore over the years had had its soul devoured by this serpent.
Fury flared in Quinn’s heart. He growled, “Grandpa Blind…”
Grandpa Blind remained perfectly calm, his tone unhurried: “Granny Sue said to leave it to you. So you handle it. This is your first hunt—hurry, the child’s about to be born.”
Steeling himself, Quinn strode beneath the tree, breathing slowly and deliberately as he prepared.
His yuanqi shifted from stillness to motion; as his anger built, the flow of energy grew faster and more violent, swelling with power.
Inside him, the yuanqi surged and crashed, his rage burning ever hotter.
Clang—
Suddenly, the Butcher’s Pig-Slaughter Saber on his back resonated with the surging yuanqi inside him. With a sharp metallic ring, the blade leapt from his back and hovered above his head!
Quinn raised his hand and gripped the saber, channeling wild, furious yuanqi into its edge, and swung!
He swung with every ounce of strength he had!
He let his yuanqi erupt, let his anger explode—unleashing everything in a single, cathartic strike!
Slash!
The saber in Quinn’s hand rang out, slicing through the air with a shrill whistle, tearing into the trunk of the massive tree with unstoppable force!
Boom—
A thunderous crash echoed as Quinn’s blade bit deep into the tree, cutting into the serpent within—but only halfway. Its skin, flesh, and bone had been tempered to unnatural toughness. Even though the saber was forged by Mute Smith and surpassed ordinary spirit weapons, it was nearly impossible to sever the serpent in one blow!
Quinn grabbed the spine of the blade with his other hand, planted his feet, and unleashed Crippled Joe’s leg arts.
Crippled Joe always said: legs are wind, earth, and the root of power!
Now Quinn rooted his feet into the ground, then exploded with force. The earth sank beneath his steps with a heavy thud as he drove all his strength into the blade—one hand braced the spine, the other gripped the hilt, pushing the knife forward!
A harsh, grating screech rang out as the massive tree—and the serpent within—were sliced clean in half!
Quinn steadied himself, the Butcher’s Pig-Slaughter Saber held across his chest, blood streaming down the blade. The muscles across his back tensed and flexed, still twitching from the strain.
Behind him, the towering tree toppled at a steep angle.
Boom—
The tree crashed into the courtyard, sending up clouds of dust—then, suddenly, the fallen tree seemed to come alive!
Though Quinn had cut the serpent in two, it still wasn’t dead. The severed body writhed violently, and with a barrage of explosive cracks, the snake’s torso inside the tree burst forth, shattering the trunk into flying splinters and bark—some shards even embedded themselves in the walls!
The flying bark and wood fragments were deadlier than spears, slicing through the air with piercing whistles and terrifying force!
Night Battle in the Storm-Lashed City!
Quinn’s Pig-Slaughter Saber spun and flashed, the blade-light flickering. His first slash had unleashed a wave of blade qi, powerful and heavy, pouring all his strength into a single blow—but now his saber work became blindingly fast!
Butcher’s saber art had only one secret: speed, then more speed, and faster still!
Clang, clang, clang, clang—
The impacts rained down like a storm, as countless shards of bark and wood slammed into Quinn’s saber, numbing his arms with every blow.
The serpent’s cultivation far surpassed his own. Its focus had been on the laboring woman inside, waiting to snatch the newborn’s soul and essence the instant it was born.
When a baby is born, its umbilical cord still links it to the mother’s placenta, and its essence is pure and innate. After birth, innate essence turns to acquired. Before birth, the essence is incomplete, so the serpent chose to strike at the precise moment of birth.
No one knew how the serpent had infiltrated the village and hidden inside the tree, escaping everyone’s notice. For years it remained undiscovered, devouring several infants’ souls and growing stronger. This time, it expected another easy meal—but failed to notice Quinn, who seized the chance and struck.
Even so, although Quinn had sliced it in two, the serpent was not dead yet.
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Now, driven into a frenzy, the serpent knew its body was broken and survival unlikely. It burst from the shattered tree, jaws gaping wide as it lunged at Quinn!
A wild gust slammed into Quinn, making his skin ripple and his eyes water so badly he could barely see.
Without thinking, Quinn’s saber lashed out like a storm, but an unimaginable force crashed into him. He grunted as he was hurled backward, smashing through the courtyard wall with a resounding crash!
Before he could recover, the courtyard’s double doors flew apart like scraps of paper—the serpent barreled through, a foul wind swirling as it lunged. Its gaping jaws and fangs sent a chill through Quinn; he dared not face it head-on and almost called out for Grandpa Blind.
But behind the serpent, Grandpa Blind simply stood there, utterly unruffled, ignoring the chaos.
A thought flashed through Quinn’s mind: 'Does Grandpa Blind really think I can handle this serpent? If he thinks I can, then I must!' Divine Firmament Heaven Eye—open!
His yuanqi surged, pouring into his eyes and weaving into intricate, radiant patterns—forming a complex sigil in his pupils.
With the Divine Firmament Heaven Eye activated, the world seemed to reconstruct itself: the shadowy village, scattered houses, the charging serpent—all grew razor-sharp. Quinn could track the serpent’s every movement with ease.
He stepped aside at the last instant, narrowly dodging the serpent’s lunge—and his saber sliced across its eye as the head whipped past.
He leapt again, dodging the serpent’s sweeping body by a hair’s breadth.
Every twitch and movement of the serpent was crystal-clear to him now: the way its muscles bunched beneath its scales, the angles of its attacks—he could read its next move and dodge with ease.
It all felt completely natural, requiring no conscious thought.
The first layer of the Ninefold Heaven Eye Art—the Divine Firmament Heaven Eye—not only pierces through illusions, but also greatly enhances Quinn's perception!
With a single slash, Quinn sliced open the serpent’s left pupil, making it screech in pain and lunge at him. Instantly, its other eye went black as Quinn slashed it, blinding both eyes.
Suddenly, the serpent fell eerily still, and Quinn froze as well. Man and snake stood motionless, less than ten feet apart.
On both sides of the village road, more and more villagers had come out to watch, staring in stunned silence at the sight of an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy battling a giant snake.
Night had fallen. In the small village, a dozen households huddled together, the dim glow of oil lamps leaking through the windows, barely illuminating the road.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Suddenly, a little girl burst into tears from fright. The serpent whipped around and, in a frenzy, lunged toward her, its bloody maw wide open, aiming to devour the terrified family of three!