Xiang Liu?
A nine-headed snake?
I had never heard of this name before, but I had heard of a nine-headed snake. In my memory, it was a creature from Western mythology. I didn't know that it existed in real life.
However, according to Yan Nantian, if this thing was a living creature, it had lived for several thousand years since the Shang Dynasty.
Ordinary animals didn't have that long of a lifespan. It must be a monster that cultivated.
I asked Yan Nantian, "This thing has lived for several thousand years, and it has always stayed by the Tai Sui tree and the true dragon vein. I'm afraid its cultivation base isn't low."
There was something I didn't tell him. The liquid in the nine-headed snake's body contained the saliva of the true dragon. If the spirit snake swallowed that liquid, it could turn into a dragon. This Xiang Liu must be very powerful.
Yan Nantian shook his head. "This Xiang Liu doesn't have a lifespan of several thousand years. It should be around one thousand years old. As an ancient beast, it should have some cultivation base. However, this little thing doesn't have any power. Moreover, it's very timid. We don't need to worry about it attacking people."
I was puzzled. Professor Liang, Yan Nantian, had said that this place was a sacrificial culture of the Shang Dynasty. The Xiang Liu had used the terracotta statues to create the saliva of the true dragon vein. How could it be only one thousand years old?
According to historical records, the Shang Dynasty had been around for three to four thousand years!
After I asked him, Yan Nantian smiled and said mysteriously, "It's a sacrificial culture of the Shang Dynasty. The Tai Sui tree and the true dragon vein were mostly created by the Shang Dynasty. However, this place isn't necessarily the work of the people of the Shang Dynasty."
It's not the work of the Shang Dynasty?
While I was thinking about what he meant, Yan Nantian didn't want to talk about it. He changed the topic and asked Chen Yangting to feed the unknown mushrooms to the mice. Chen Yangting did as he was told.
Speaking of which, it was strange. Yan Nantian didn't know what method he used, but those bright red mice that had obviously not been weaned on milk stretched out their noses and sniffed the fungi. It was as if they had smelled milk. They climbed up and quickly devoured the fungi.
Although the mushrooms were not big, the newborn mice were only the size of a thumb. After eating the mushrooms, the five mice's bellies bulged as if they were about to explode. On their transparent skin, blood vessels protruded one by one, looking disgusting and strange.
After finishing this task, Yan Nantian did not stop there. He took out another five Obsidian Stones with different attributes and placed them in front of the little mouse's mouth.
Just now, the little mice eating those fungi was already shocking enough. Now, after these little mice smelled the obsidian, they were still unable to endure it. They didn't care that their stomachs were about to explode and opened their mouths to bite the obsidian.
Obsidian was a meteorite from outer space. It had been tempered by the friction of the atmosphere, so its hardness could be imagined. However, the strange thing was that the mouths of these little mice that had not grown teeth could actually bite it!
Like eating a cake, he ate the obsidian into his mouth bit by bit.
As a result, the little mouse's perfectly round belly swelled up even more. It was to the extent that its belly was propped up on the ground, and its four legs were lifted into the air, unable to touch the ground.
Even so, they were still greedily devouring the obsidian until they had eaten all the big obsidian stones.
After eating, the five little mice turned into five round balls, lying there motionlessly. They didn't open their eyes, and I couldn't see if they were in pain or not.
Yan Nantian picked up each mouse. After checking them carefully, he nodded in satisfaction. Then, he carefully placed the five mice on the thick tube jutting out of the mountain wall, next to Xiang Liu's body.
They didn't touch Xiang Liu's body directly, just a few centimeters away.
After everything was done, Yan Nantian sat cross-legged on the ground. He gestured for us to sit down as well. "Now, we just need to sit here and wait."
I didn't know what he was planning. As I was about to ask, Chen Yangting spoke first. "Master, what's the use of these mice?
Can they lure Xiang Liu's entire body out?
This thick tube looks like Xiang Liu's mouth. But you said that Xiang Liu is a nine-headed snake. Do we have to deal with the other eight heads one by one? "
Yan Nantian looked like a good teacher. When he heard my question, he carefully explained, "Nine is the extreme number. Xiang Liu is a nine-headed snake, but it doesn't mean that he has nine heads. It just means that he has a lot of heads. In this cave, the terracotta statues on both sides of the wall have Xiang Liu's head.
This soft tube should be Xiang Liu's tail, and the hole on it is his excretory outlet. "
His explanation was beyond our expectation. On the way here, we had seen thousands of terracotta statues on both sides of the wall.
It seemed that Xiang Liu wasn't a nine-headed snake, but a ten-headed snake.
What puzzled me more was the thick tube's tail. According to him, Xiang Liu had used his mouth to absorb the spirit energy from the corpses inside the terracotta statues and excreted true dragon saliva.
I turned to look at the half-gaseous, half-liquid mass of true dragon saliva not far from us. I suddenly felt a little nauseous.
Chen Yangting was like a curious baby. He bowed his head and pondered for a while. Then, he asked, "Teacher, why did you put those mice on Xiang Liu's tail?
If you want to lure it to eat, you should put them near your mouth, right? "
Yan Nantian stroked his beard and smiled. "It's a long story.
Xiang Liu is somewhat similar to my Yang Spirit. On the surface, its body is huge and stretches across the entire cave. The ancient book even says that it eats the Nine Earths, that is, it can swallow the Nine Mountains. But in fact, Xiang Liu's body is just an inch-long snake. Its huge appearance is just its skin, or its shell.
When Xiang Liu's body grows an inch, its shell can grow ten thousand meters. It's really mysterious.
Moreover, Xiang Liu is timid. Its body hides in its shell, and no one can find it. Even if we dig out its shell and bring it back, its body can run away if we're not careful.
After it runs away, the inch-long Xiang Liu can regrow a ten-thousand-meter-long shell in just a blink of an eye. That's why it's hard to catch it. "
No wonder Yan Nantian kept saying 'Xiang Liu, this little thing.' I thought he was just casually calling it that. I didn't expect that this Xiang Liu, which looked so huge, was actually a little thing.
After explaining the strangeness of Xiang Liu, Yan Nantian told me the reason why he had set up the bait.
"As for the reason why I put these mice on its tail, it's because the tail is the farthest from its head.
Xiang Liu's speed is so fast that naked eyes can't see it. Even the Heavenly Master can't detect it. However, Xiang Liu lives in the head, and it only eats in the head. I used a secret technique to paralyze Xiang Liu for a while. But this little thing is an ancient species. I'm not sure how long the bait can paralyze it. That's why I have to buy more time in other places.
The further the bait is, the longer it will take it to eat. It'll be easier for us to catch it. "
After explaining for a long time, Yan Nantian didn't show his impatience. His temper and patience were excellent. If I didn't know his real face, it would be hard to see through his disguise.
At this moment, Chen Yangting looked at Yan Nantian with admiration. He hadn't called Yan Nantian 'Master' because he didn't want to be shameless, but because he was sincere.
Of course, if it wasn't like that, he wouldn't have deceived me in the Yin Corpse Sect, and I wouldn't have sincerely called him 'Big Brother Yan'.
After Yan Nantian explained the reason, the three of us didn't say anything. We looked at the five mice and quietly waited for Xiang Liu to take action.
After around thirty minutes, the mice didn't move, and neither did Yan Nantian. The Spirit Snake on my body suddenly became restless. It anxiously transmitted its voice to me. "Kid, that thing is coming. Hurry up and leave this place!"
I was surprised and looked at Yan Nantian. He didn't notice my situation. I slightly lowered my head and asked the Spirit Snake, "You mean Xiang Liu?
Why do you want to leave this place? "
"Yes, it's Xiang Liu!
That thing is very ferocious. In ancient times, it could even swallow a dragon. It's really scary. Hurry and take me away from here. "
When I heard the Spirit Snake's words, I was a little scared. However, after listening to him, I understood. Xiang Liu was a creature that could restrain dragons. Although the Spirit Snake wasn't a dragon, it was still a dragon. When it felt Xiang Liu's aura, it was scared out of its wits.
As for what he said about Xiang Liu being ferocious, it was nonsense. Yan Nantian cherished his life a lot. To escape, he had used his Yang Spirit to linger at death's door for more than ten years. If Xiang Liu was really dangerous, he wouldn't risk his life.
That's why I didn't move. I opened my mouth to comfort the Spirit Snake. However, before I could say anything, Yan Nantian's voice came. He only said one word, "Go!"