Chapter Thirty-Three: Hate, Ferocity!

  A self-proclaimed Tang Mengshu, a strange and eccentric person, burst into loud laughter, causing the tiles on the surrounding roofs to vibrate with his voice. At the same time, the sound of rustling was heard. Yang Zhao's face changed color in an instant, but it wasn't because the enemy's internal strength was high, far beyond his own imagination, but because the opponent had suddenly revealed his true identity.

  Yang Zhao took another deep breath, straightened his waist and gazed coldly at the opponent, pursing his lips without saying a word. However, in an instant, the thousands of snakes on the ground, with senses far more acute than humans, suddenly produced a burst of eerie hisses that pierced the air, making one's teeth ache. The snakes writhed and surged, as if trying to escape from Yang Zhao's presence. But without their master's command, they did not dare to stray beyond the courtyard. The waves of snakes ebbed and flowed ceaselessly, creating a bizarre spectacle.

  The woman who had deeply hidden her true face under a thick cloak suddenly raised her head, and the eyes under the hood suddenly emitted an extraordinary light, which could not be said to be either surprise or joy. Tang Mengshu was like being punched heavily by someone, his already ugly face became even uglier, and his triumphant laughter was forced to stop abruptly. He waved his hand vigorously and shouted: "Quiet!"

  A large amount of fine powder flew out from Tang Mengxu's sleeve, sprinkling around his body in all directions. Wherever the powder reached, the snakes also immediately stopped moving. Tang Mengxu's expression became even more gloomy, and he nodded slowly: "Very good, young master indeed has some skills, no wonder even Dong Xixi and Xi Du died at your hands."

  Dong Xie and Xi Du are suicidal, Yang Zhao just abolished their martial arts. However, at this moment, all explanations seem superfluous. Yang Zhao coldly said: "So, you want to avenge them? Hmph, since you already know my identity, you still dare to do such a rebellious thing. It seems that your Tangmen is deliberately trying to rebel! Good, go ahead and make a move. As long as Tangmen is not afraid of the imperial court's million-strong army surrounding and annihilating them, as long as they are not afraid of being eradicated by the Extreme Joy Sect's leader, you can go ahead and make a move."

  "Little Prince Wang, what kind of power is standing behind your back? We Tang are completely clear about it, but we don't need to remind you." Tang Mengxu said with a sly smile: "Our humble door has always been law-abiding and loyal. As for the crime of treason, how could it be pinned on our Tang family's head? As for revenge... Hehe, Prince Wang is a dragon son and phoenix grandson, a noble and aristocratic family. We common people are already busy flattering and fawning, where would we dare to take revenge?"

  Yang Zhao coldly smiled and said: "So you brought these snakes out, what are they for? Could it be that you want to invite me, the king, to eat snake soup?"

  "Snake soup?" Tang Mengshu was taken aback, then burst out laughing: "As long as Young Master Wang likes it, let alone snake soup, even dragon liver and phoenix marrow would be no problem! Young Master Wang, our Tang Sect's main temple is magnificent and unparalleled in the world. It's rare for you to come out this time, if you don't take a stroll around our Tang Sect, it would be such a pity. How about it, will you set off with us now?"

  "It turned out to be a treat. But the Tangmen's method is indeed rare. However... if I refuse to go, what will you do?" Yang Zhao chatted with his opponent while secretly adjusting his breath and circulating his energy. The human blood in his belly was not a real antidote after all. Although it could also resist poison, its effect would be much slower. Looking at the current situation, a fierce battle was inevitable. As long as he could delay for a moment, the toxicity in his body would decrease, and his combat power would increase. Otherwise, why would he have the leisure to chat with a living dead man?

  Since they knew that the other party was a prince, the Tang Sect wouldn't possibly send a novice to take on such an important task. Tang Meng Shu may not be very old, but he must have been around the jianghu for long enough. Logically speaking, Yang Zhao should know his intentions, yet at this moment, he seemed completely carefree and composed, with no signs of fear or anxiety. He spoke nonchalantly: "Our Tang Sect is sincerely inviting guests. If Your Highness doesn't go, what can we ordinary civilians do? It's just that my snakes have a huge appetite. Three stinky escorts plus one delicate and charming number one songstress in the world, I wonder if they would be enough to fill their bellies? Your Highness, you might as well take a guess?"

  Yang Zhao's heart skipped a beat, but this reaction only lasted for an instant. He raised his sword-like eyebrows and burst into loud laughter: "Haha, haha, hahaha! How ridiculous! What is my status, and what are the statuses of these few people who opened the pawnshop? Whether they live or die has never been on my mind. As for Mingyue... hehe, if she were to be buried in a snake's belly, it would indeed be a bit of a waste. But I am the crown prince of the East Palace, and the rivers and mountains of Great Sui will eventually belong to me anyway. Do I still need to worry about lacking beauties?"

  Tang Mengxu nodded with a strange smile, saying: "Indeed indeed. How could the king possibly put these lowly and rough men in his eyes? The matter at hand has nothing to do with the king anyway, it's just that my snake children, Hei Shui Yin, are hungry and want to eat something." With a raise of his hand, he snapped his fingers loudly. The dozens of strange black snakes wrapped around Tuoba Wen Zheng immediately opened their mouths, revealing their poisonous fangs, and bit down fiercely!

  "Ahhh!" A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the sky, Ta Ba Wen Zheng fell backwards, his entire body slamming onto the snakes. He immediately began to struggle and squirm like a fish out of water. Countless strange snakes received their master's command, crawling up his body, starting to devour him mercilessly.

  His body was being swallowed by thousands of snakes, this scene and emotion, even more terrifying than falling into the eighteenth level of hell and suffering torture. Tuoba Wen's tears, snot, and saliva flowed out at the same time, his mind completely collapsing. He wailed loudly, crying out: "Don't come over, don't bite me! Ah, it hurts so much! Please spare me! Your Highness, please save me, save me!"

  But no matter how much he cried and shouted, Yang Zhao still steeled himself, his face iron-green and unmoving. When a hostage is taken, being soft-hearted and complying with the hijacker's demands is the worst possible strategy. Moreover, Tuo Ba Wen was just a small-time escort who wasn't worth sacrificing anything for, even though Yang Zhao had once considered recruiting him; at this moment, Yang Zhao would never sacrifice himself for someone like that.

  Tang Mengshu burst out laughing and shouted, "You're begging for mercy so soon? You really can't take it! You with the surname Tuoba, I advise you to shut your mouth. Otherwise..."

  The unfinished words were abruptly interrupted by a sudden cry of despair. Countless venomous snakes rushed into his mouth and nostrils, bringing with them an icy, sticky feeling that spread from the oral cavity to the throat, then down the esophagus to the stomach. A searing pain, like being torn apart, shot through him, and Tuoba Wenrui went mad, frantically clawing at his own throat with his fingers. Next, countless bulges appeared on his chest and abdomen, violently surging outward from within. Finally, a strange "hissing" sound was heard, as dozens of venomous snakes bit through Tuoba Wenrui's stomach, then through his muscles and skin, causing blood to gush out in torrents.

  The rest of the snakes smelled the blood and became even more frenzied, wildly flailing about. Tuoba Wen's eardrum and eyeball were bitten through one after another by the venomous snakes, these man-eating monsters recklessly burrowing into his brain to suck out the cerebral fluid. The agonized screams ceased immediately, and the entire corpse was completely submerged by the dark, surging snakes. The strange "hissing" sounds emitted by the snakes as they swarmed filled the air, like an eternal nightmare that would never awaken!

  No one knew how long the nightmare lasted. Perhaps it was just an instant, yet it seemed like eternity. All that was known was that when the snakes finally dispersed after Tang Mengxun snapped his fingers for the second time, there was no longer a person named Tuoba Wenrui on the ground, only a pile of bones stained with a slippery liquid, reflecting a cold and eerie light. Yet even though not a single piece of flesh remained, the twisted skull still emitted an aura of chilling coldness that could make one's scalp tingle all the way down to their toes.

  "Drip, drip, drip......" The sound of water droplets started, followed by a downpour, and soon became a stream. It was Qin Wu'an and Hu Jing's turn. Witnessing their companions who had been with them day and night die in such a cruel and painful way right before their eyes, and knowing that they might have to endure the same suffering and die in the same way just moments later. Even if one were as strong as a god, it would be impossible to bear. Losing control of their bodily functions was merely child's play.

  Actually, as long as Yang Zhao showed submission to Tang Mengshu, they should have been able to escape. However, the distinction between high and low, noble and humble, had been deeply ingrained in people's minds over hundreds of years. Even after learning that Yang Zhao was the eldest son of Yang Guang, the Crown Prince of the Great Sui Empire, neither Qin Wu'an nor Hu Jingyuan believed that such a dignified prince would sacrifice his own life to save theirs. Therefore, even in their desperate situation, having fallen into the eighteenth level of hell, they couldn't muster up any anger towards Yang Zhao.

  But Yang Zhao was already furious beyond measure. Not only was he angry, but also extremely resentful! He was so resentful that his whole body trembled with rage, and the true energy inside him surged out of control once again, swelling to the point where it seemed about to burst through his skin.

  But Tang Mengshu only smiled complacently. He let out a strange laugh, raised his hand and allowed a black snake to crawl up and wrap around it, saying: "Young Master Wang, my specially bred Black Watersilver, isn't the performance quite good? If Young Master Wang didn't see clearly just now, I can give you two more... no, three performances for free."

  "That's enough." Yang Zhao raised his head and said in a hoarse voice: "Tang Mengshu, I really don't know whether you are now considered a human being or a cold-blooded beast?"

  "Well said, thank you for your praise, young master." Tang Mengxu didn't get angry but instead smiled, and this smile wasn't pretentious, it was truly heartfelt. "In this world, humans have never had a good day, but animals can live comfortably to the age of 100. I understood this principle since I was seven years old. And if you, young master, could also realize this early on, why would you end up in this situation? How about it? The Tang family sincerely invites you as a guest, will you go or not?"

  "Tang Mengshu, you bastard, turtle king raised by his mother! Although I'm willing to be a slave, but I, Yang Zhao, am still human. As long as I'm human, I won't allow something like what happened earlier to happen again. Emotionally and rationally, I know I have no other choice." Yang Zhao spoke in the most calm tone, yet his words were the most venomous. He paused for a moment, then ripped off his upper clothes with a "zip" sound, revealing his perfectly toned body. His true energy circulated according to his will, and on the center of his left palm, the Li Hexagram suddenly appeared.

  Snakes and insects are naturally afraid of fire, even the rare species "Black Mercury" is no exception. The intense flames spread into waves of heat, causing thousands of venomous snakes to writhe restlessly once again. Tang Mengshu's eyes narrowed, shouting: "Young Master Wang, have you made up your mind yet?"

  Yang Zhao coldly smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already made up my mind." Suddenly, she slapped her own abdomen with the back of her hand. A hissing sound accompanied by the smell of charred flesh wafted out. It turned out that she was using the high temperature heat of the "Li Huo Luo" to burn the wound into a scab, so it would no longer bleed and have a chance to expand the injury.

  This method would indeed allow Yang Zhao to temporarily have no worries, but it was almost equivalent to drinking poison to quench thirst. Not only did it have no benefit for the treatment, but it would also severely burn his internal organs. In an instant, Tang Mengshu's face changed dramatically, and he couldn't even dream that a pampered young prince like Yang Zhao would actually be willing to take such drastic measures against himself. The woman behind him cried out in shock, "Stop him, he can't die yet!"

  This loud shout was like a wake-up call, thoroughly awakening Tang Mengshu from his shock. Without hesitation, he let out a sharp and strange cry as he rushed out, with thousands of poisonous snakes surging forward in waves, making this strange person look even more terrifying, like an undead evil spirit running out of the black underworld.

  Yang Zhao had already released his grip and raised his head to stare at Tang Mengxu with two sharp glints in his eyes. At this moment, a silver light suddenly appeared in the clear night sky, followed by a loud "Boom!" as a thunderclap exploded out of nowhere!

  ————

  Actually, the big snake is a good person, please don't be misled by the 12 ^0^.

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