Chapter 141: Breaking the Formation

Holding Lu Zhe in his arms, Elder Ye stood directly beneath the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation. Above his head, a green barrier of light warded off the incessantly plummeting snake heads. Ensuring Lu Zhe was completely unharmed, Elder Ye glanced sideways at the snake-men outside the formation and said with a trace of disdain, "You are considered powerful figures on the continent, yet you feel no shame in bullying a child?" He paused for a moment, then added, "Though I have no right to say this, for to me, you are mere children yourselves."

"Cut the nonsense and meet your doom!" Outside the formation, a snake-man shouted fiercely, accelerating the shifting of his hand seals. In unison with his movements, the snake heads raining down toward Elder Ye's head descended with even greater velocity.

Looking up through the green light barrier at the cascading snake heads, Elder Ye let out a light snort, and his body drifted slowly backward, the green barrier above him moving in tandem.

"Thinking of leaving? It won't be that easy!" Perceiving Elder Ye's intention to exit the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation, one of the snake-men yelled. With a change of his hand seals, the snake heads plunging toward Elder Ye suddenly halted! They fractured and dispersed, lunging at Elder Ye from every conceivable angle and corner!

Watching the myriad snake heads pouncing from all directions, intent on tearing him apart, Elder Ye furrowed his brow. Cradling Lu Zhe with one arm, he rapidly formed seals in front of him with his free hand, tracing patterns in the empty air. The green light barrier hovering above his head to block the serpents suddenly blazed with intense brilliance. The barrier curved downward, ultimately forming a spherical dome that enveloped Elder Ye entirely.

Observing the green barrier encasing him, a hint of a smile flashed in Elder Ye's eyes. He called out to the snake-men manipulating the formation outside, "Brats, this is what they call 'as the mast rises one foot, the wave rises ten.' Hmph, if you want to play with me, go home and practice for a few more decades."

The countless snake heads were completely blocked by Elder Ye's spherical green barrier, able only to open their blood-red jaws in frustrated and futile menace, while Elder Ye merely smiled dismissively.

Seeing the myriad serpents thwarted and realizing Elder Ye was about to escape the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation, the burly snake-man who had first spoken to Elder Ye suddenly had veins bulging on his forehead. With a hysterical cry, he screamed, "You won't escape!" Abruptly, the snake-man struck his own chest with his right palm. The force of the blow was formidable; he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, quickly caught it with his right hand, and brought his palms together in a clasp. Mumbling incantations, he thrust both hands forward and roared once more, "Go to hell!"

Within the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation, the countless snakes lunging at Elder Ye suddenly froze, transforming into trails of purple light that vanished into the formation. Seeing the surrounding serpents disappear, not only did Elder Ye's brow fail to unbend, but it furrowed even deeper. A veteran of countless battles, he understood the principle that the night before a storm is always tranquil, and this unnatural phenomenon could indicate only one thing: the greatest danger had arrived.

Elder Ye looked upward. High above, the massive circular pattern still radiated purple light, rotating silently. Gone were the myriad snakes, gone was the tempestuous assault; now, there remained only a single, relentlessly spinning, eerie pattern. Suddenly, two enormous lamps glowing with a ghostly green light slowly ignited upon the purple pattern. Yet these lights were peculiar—not circular, but slender and vertical, stretching from bottom to top, their centers resembling two dark and profound crevices. Moments later, a towering, heaven-piercing python of suppressive proportions poked its head out from the pattern. Those two ghostly green lamps were the python's eyes, each as large as a silver platter. The head of this serpent dwarfed the one that had first appeared in the center of the pattern by countless times.

Gazing up at the towering python emerging from the pattern, Elder Ye's face displayed a trace of astonishment, and he praised with admiration, "I truly never expected this—it is actually the 'Ten-Thousand Snake Formation: Python Swallowing the Sky'!" Then, as if stirred by the sight, he said with lingering emotion, "Ah, it has been a truly long time."

Upon appearing, the colossal python blinked its massive, reptilian pupils, then fixed its gaze directly upon Elder Ye and the young Lu Zhe held in his arms.

"This time, you shall surely perish in the belly of the giant python!" The burly snake-man laughed maniacally toward the sky. Thrusting his outstretched hands downward in a fierce motion, the giant python opened its blood-red maw—wide enough to swallow a four-story building whole—and lunged at Elder Ye!

Looking down at Lu Zhe, who was either unconscious or asleep in his arms, Elder Ye chuckled softly and said with mild regret, "It is a pity that you, brat, won't be able to see how your master breaks this formation." With a wave of his hand, the spherical green barrier enveloping the two of them instantly transformed into a stream of light that dove back into Elder Ye's sleeve. He then placed his hand upon Lu Zhe's chest. Specks of green light, akin to fireflies, rose and swirled from his palm before blanketing Lu Zhe's body.

What seemed long took merely a brief moment; from the appearance of the first green photon to the final one covering Lu Zhe, only about three seconds passed. Once the last photon settled over him, Lu Zhe appeared as though clothed in a garment woven from green radiance. More astonishingly, enveloped in this green light, he floated unsupported in mid-air—a phenomenon undoubtedly caused by the luminous shroud.

Seeing Lu Zhe completely wrapped in green light, Elder Ye smiled with reassurance and gently pushed him outward. Like a small skiff drifting across a vast ocean of night, Lu Zhe floated smoothly away.

Certain that Lu Zhe had safely cleared the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation, Elder Ye gathered his focus and looked up at the colossal snake head now inches away. Feeling the formidable energy radiating from it, his face betrayed no trace of fear or panic. With a slight frown and a deep breath, he was swallowed whole in a single gulp by the gigantic serpent.

"Hahahaha! He was so full of spirit just a moment ago, yet in the end, he couldn't withstand our Ten-Thousand Snake Formation and died in the python's belly. Ahahaha..." Seeing Elder Ye consumed by the giant serpent, the snake-man roared with triumphant laughter. Waving his hands once more, he commanded the python—which had projected half its body forward—to halt. After a brief pause, the creature began to back away, seemingly intending to retreat into the purple pattern.

However, a sudden transformation occurred.

Just as the python's body had completely retreated into the pattern, leaving only its head exposed, the massive beast abruptly stopped. Its sudden halt stunned the snake-men controlling the formation outside. Before they could fathom the reason, the giant python began to swell in girth, and a wave of spiritual energy—so potent that one could hardly steady oneself—radiated outward from its body.

Sensing this immense spiritual energy, every snake-man controlling the formation turned pale. The weaker ones were even forced back a few steps by the shockwave.

"Wh-what is happening?" one snake-man asked in utter astonishment, steadying his stance.

*Thump, thump, thump!* Abruptly, muffled collisions echoed from within the python's body, sending a shudder through the onlookers' hearts. A moment later, a few more impact sounds reverberated from deep inside the creature, and with these collisions, the already gargantuan python expanded once more.

*Thump, thump, thump, BOOM!* Finally, shortly after the heart-stopping percussion faded, the python's body could no longer withstand the internal force, bursting apart with a deafening roar.

Purple light showered in all directions like a meteor shower, presenting a dazzling spectacle from afar. Standing alone beneath the site of the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation was a figure entirely enveloped in green light—none other than Elder Ye, who had just been swallowed into the python's belly!

Elder Ye dusted off his robes and let out a long breath. "I didn't expect it to be quite so troublesome. It seems I truly am getting old." He then cast his gaze around, looking at the dumbfounded snake-men outside. A glint of a smile flashed in his eyes as he said, "If you have any other tricks, show them now."