The young men of the village had reunited outside the villa. They had sickles, hoes, and even shotguns with them. Needless to say, they were awe-inspiring.

I warned the village head, "Women and children must stay at home tonight. Tell them to keep the windows and doors shut. No matter what happens, they mustn’t come out or open the doors and windows."

Then, I led the army of villagers toward the small river, ready to engage in war.

There were some poplar trees by the riverside and strong wind. The moon hanging in the sky had been half covered by dark clouds, and the overall visibility wasn't high.

I told the villagers to place the snakes and rats on the ground. After that, I drew a circle with realgar powder right next to the riverside and set up a bonfire in the middle.

In the meantime, the villagers went to pick up dry branches and fetch gasoline.

After dividing up the work, I told everyone to rest far from the bonfire. The plan was to wait until midnight and then take action.

According to my guess, the python was nearby, and the goal was to catch it by surprise when the time came!

To be honest, I wasn't completely sure if the spirit sword and the giant python were the same ent.i.ty. After all, no one had ever seen its real appearance—it was just a guess I’d made based on the clues I’d found.

Moreover, there was something else bothering me... where had the Snake-Fostering Blade gone? I was sure that the giant python had taken it away, but where had it concealed it? After all, it couldn't keep it on its person.

If we failed to find the Snake-Fostering Blade, things wouldn't end even if we managed to get rid of the spirit sword. Sooner or later, the Snake-Fostering Blade would acc.u.mulate more hatred and continue to harm people.

I looked at my watch—it was almost midnight. I brought the villagers with me and arrived beside the bonfire, starting to throw the snakes into the fire.

The snakes started to burn amidst the flames, exploding like firecrackers.

At the same time, I glanced at the rats in the cage, who were still calm.

Honestly, I felt bad for putting so many snakes to death, but since the lives of the villagers were at stake, I could only endure.

The snakes that didn’t burn to a cinder crawled away from the bonfire, but the circle of realgar powder forced them back.

At this time, it felt as though the villagers were attending a festival. They’d completely forgotten what fear was, and all of them were running to the bonfire to throw the snakes into the fire. Some even raised their torches and held them on the bodies of the snakes, happily watching as the animals hissed and shed the burnt skin.

Li Mazi squatted beside me and asked, "Isn't this going too far?"

I forced a smile. "Just endure! In the future, we won’t meddle in similar matters again. Too much bad karma."

"Why are we even doing this?" Li Mazi asked.

I explained, "Snakes are social creatures, and among the ones gathered here, there are definitely some that are the descendants of the giant python. Therefore, the python won't be able to sit by and do nothing."

Li Mazi finally understood. "I see. In that case, what about the rats? Do you want to burn them as well?"

I said, "No need for that. Rats have an inborn fear of snakes, and they can feel their presence from afar. As such, they will start panicking as soon as the giant python approaches."

Li Mazi pondered aloud, "We’re lucky that you thought of this plan. Still, although we’ve almost burned all the snakes, the giant python has yet to make its move..."

After hearing his words, I was taken aback. "What? We’ve burned all the snakes we captured?"

Li Mazi nodded. "Can't you smell it? The scent of burnt snakes has filled the whole place. You need to burn a lot of snakes to reach this level."

I turned my head and looked around, my face immediately darkening.

The villagers seemed to be at a party, laughing and throwing snakes into the fire.

Out of the initial two hundred, only a dozen or so snakes were left. The few survivors hung their heads in dejection, aware of the fate that awaited them.

Before long, I realized that there was something wrong. Even though things had reached this point, the giant python still hadn’t made its move... did it mean that we’d been searching in the wrong place all along?

Or perhaps... the python was already in the village, harming people!

When that thought flashed through my mind, my face paled. I yelled, "Stop, stop immediately! Give your family members a call and ask them if they’re safe!"

The villagers were somewhat annoyed when I interrupted their fun, but when they heard me mention the village, they snapped out of it. They took out their phones and called their relatives back at the village.

However, none of the calls got through, not a single one!

I didn't hesitate and ran toward the village.

Only women, children, and the elderly were left back at the village. If the giant python attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Along the way, the call of a villager finally managed to get through. However, the guy started sobbing right after hanging up.

I asked him, "Hey, what's the matter?"

The villager said in a trembling voice, "My wife... she said that a j.a.panese soldier appeared in the village and started killing people!"

"What? A j.a.panese soldier?" I took a deep breath. "From where did this j.a.panese soldier come from?"

"I don't know, but that's what my wife said. She told me that there’s this man holding a blade and wearing the uniform of the j.a.panese army. The blade’s the same as the one we found in Yama's Execution Ground! I have to go back! My son is still in the house!"

I urged the villager to get in the car of Li Mazi's sworn brother and head back to the village with us.

Along the way, he kept calling his wife to get updates on the situation.

The more he listened, the more his expression turned into one of fear. "It's over... my wife said that the village has been flooded, and several houses were knocked down by the water. It's definitely the python retaliating against us. It's over..."

I was stunned. "Where did the water come from?”

Then, I looked at Li Mazi's sworn brother in puzzlement. "Wasn’t your village lacking water to the point that you had to deviate the stream of the Yangtze River?"

Li Mazi's sworn brother was speeding on the road, his forehead full of sweat. "Perhaps it's groundwater?"

I shook my head. "It shouldn't be. How can groundwater suddenly shoot up and flood the whole village?"

As we approached the village, we saw stagnant water on the road. From the looks of it, the place had indeed been flooded.

When we reached the entrance, the water had already reached the wheels of the car, and things were just going to get worse as we proceeded forward.

Since we couldn't go by car, we had no choice but to go on foot.

I was eager to discover where that j.a.panese soldier holding the Snake-Fostering Blade had come from… who would have thought that the j.a.panese still had soldiers on Chinese soil even decades after their defeat!

When we pa.s.sed Yama's Execution Ground, we discovered that the water in the huge pit was bubbling. The place seemed like it was the origin of the flood.

After strolling through the village, we didn't see a j.a.panese soldier. I heaved a sigh of relief. There was a chance that the wife of the villager had been so scared that she’d started seeing things.

But, right at this time, Li Mazi's sworn brother tripped in the water.

He called out, frightened, "There seems to be something beneath my foot, something soft!"

However, before we could react, around a meter from us, the surface of the water started churning and exploded upward like a geyser. The strong waves made it impossible for us to stand our ground.

I firmly gazed towards the geyser, waiting to see what would drill out of the water.

In the next moment, I opened my eyes wide in shock.

Standing in front of me was unexpectedly a j.a.panese man in uniform. He had a tall build and was holding the missing Snake-Fostering Blade in his hand.

Despite the shock, I urged Li Mazi and his sworn brother, "Quick, climb on the roof of a house!"

But, just as I took a few steps, a long shadow lying beneath the water whipped at me. I was caught off guard, and the huge force sent my body flying upside down and cras.h.i.+ng into the wall of a nearby house.

Warm blood spurted out of my mouth after the impact.

When I took another look, I discovered that Li Mazi and the others had also been whipped around.

In the next moment, the j.a.panese soldier dashed toward me, and it was right at this time that I discovered the secret behind it!