Chapter 7: The Astronomical Observatory and the Snake Catcher

"It's bad, the old snake king is eating people again!"

"The old snake king is cannibal! Zhang Mazi and Blacksmith Zhou were swallowed!"

"It's in that ditch, everyone, hurry up and report to the official!"

The villagers looked terrified and ran away, while Wang Daniu grabbed the two children, hurried into the yard and closed the yard door.

"From today on, you are not allowed to go out even half a step!"

Wang Daniu said seriously, with panic still on his face.

After more than half a year, the old snake king appeared again. This is undoubtedly a big event.

"Old Snake King, are you eating people?" Wang Xiaoniu looked confused.

Just now, the old snake king was still eating a bucket of fish under his nose. How could he eat people in the blink of an eye?

"That's right! Just now, I saw with my own eyes that a black shadow emerged from the river and dragged Blacksmith Zhou and Mazi Zhang down. In an instant, the two living people were gone!"

Wang Daniu said in fear.

"No! The old snake king was nodding at us just now. How can he have time to eat people?"

The sister next to her, Wang Ya, interjected.

Wang Daniu immediately stared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Wang Xiaoniu quickly took his sister's hand: "Sister, don't talk nonsense!"

…………

At this moment, Xu Hei in the forest also heard the villagers' screams, and he looked confused.

"I eat people? Why didn't I know?"

He didn't go to the river at all, so how could he get the chance to dive into the water and eat people?

He was wronged.

Seeing the villagers running towards the government, Xu Hei knew that this place was dangerous and it was not advisable to stay for a long time.

So, just run away.

Ordinary beasts that eat people would not attract the attention of the government at all, let alone send people to encircle and suppress them. However, Xu Hei was different. He was the snake king in this area. A Taoist priest who subdued demons personally placed a reward on his head. The discoverer was rewarded heavily. This was taken seriously.

The demon-subduing Taoist was a member of the Tianjian of the imperial court. He had great power, and local officials did not dare to disobey him.

The Snake Catchers are a non-governmental organization that specializes in targeting snake demons. They have mastered many methods of catching snakes. Some of their masters possess magic weapons and are quite powerful.

These are the two groups that pose the greatest threat to Xu Hei.

One official and one private.

Now that he has been exposed, Xu Hei will not stay in this area and will hide for at least half a year until next spring.

But he was curious about what kind of creature that was eating people.

"It can drag two men into the water instantly. Could it be that it's a monster in the water?"

Xu Hei's eyes flickered and he had a guess in his mind.

Throughout the summer, except for the pig monster at the beginning, he never encountered another monster.

There has been little progress in his cultivation, and he is still at the second level of the psychic stage. The Demon God Cauldron in his body has become more and more spiritual energy clouds as time goes by.

"Forget it, it's important to escape."

Xu Hei didn't think too much. Even if it was a monster, he had no intention of checking it out. Monster meat was good, but his own life was still important.

Not to mention whether he could beat him or not, even if he could beat him, the government and the snake catchers would not be able to make ends meet.

The rain was pouring and the wind was raging.

Xu Hei came to the swollen river, plunged in, swung his tail, and swam downstream. When it comes to the fastest speed, of course swimming is the best way to do it. The river water can also cover your breath, so you won't be tracked by snake hunters.

Of course, Xu Hei would not swim too far. He could only escape fifty miles at most. This distance was enough to avoid pursuit. There were many wild beasts in the mountains, and pursuing him too far would be courting death.

"Go out to avoid the limelight and come back next year."

Xu Hei did this last year.

…………

Time passes, as the sky gets darker.

Xu Hei climbed out of the river and came to the shore.

This place is already fifty miles away from the village he left, and there will definitely be no one chasing him.

Arriving in a strange environment, Xu Hei's consciousness spread out and he was wary of his surroundings. He was the snake king in the Snake Village, but that didn't mean he was the snake king elsewhere.

Every beast has a sense of territory.

He will minimize the scope of his activities and not provoke others.

…………

Outside Snake Village, where the incident occurred.

This is a river ditch that was just formed after a heavy rain. There are already many people surrounding this place.

A middle-aged man in Taoist robes walked to the river. This man had an ordinary appearance, but there was an extraordinary temperament in his steps. The officers and soldiers immediately showed respectful expressions and moved out of the way.

This person is Si Tianjian's demon-subduing Taoist.

"Daozhang Chen, can you see any clues?" the county magistrate asked.

Chen Pingzhi held the fly whisk in his hand, his eyes flashed, and he stared at the water: "There is indeed a trace of evil spirit!"

As soon as this statement came out, the villagers immediately exploded.

"As expected, it's the old snake king. I haven't seen you for half a year, and he comes out to cause harm to people again!"

"What a harmful person. He has to eat several times every year to have peace of mind. When will this end?"

The villagers cried bitterly and screamed with grief and anger.

Chen Pingzhi frowned, this strange aura didn't look like the old Snake King!

He counted with his fingers and his expression darkened.

"I am now at the third level of Qi Refining Realm, and this demonic aura is almost the same as mine. I just don't know what kind of demonic beast it is."

If it were a rat demon, a cat demon, or a small monster, he would not be afraid, but if it were a snake demon or a tiger demon, he would leave without hesitation.

An ordinary person can easily trample a mouse to death, but cannot defeat a tiger or a lion.

The same goes for the monk. He can easily kill the rat demon on the third level of the psychic stage, but when faced with large monsters, his chances of winning are slim.

Chen Pingzhi stared at the water. After a while, his pupils suddenly shrank and he shouted: "Everyone, step back!"

"Splash!!!"

The water surface suddenly exploded, and a black shadow soared into the sky, stirring up ten feet of water, falling like rain, and the black shadow rushed towards an officer.

Chen Pingzhi did not hesitate, and immediately waved his whisk, shooting out a golden light, but the black shadow suddenly accelerated, grabbed an officer, and dragged him back into the water like lightning.

"Evil beast!"

Chen Pingzhi was shocked and angry. This beast ate people and didn't leave. It stayed in the same place and continued to eat people. How rampant!

The villagers all screamed in fear and fled in all directions.

The county magistrate asked cautiously: "Master Chen, what should we do next?"

Chen Pingzhi said: "Retreat! Block this place, wait for the tide to recede, and the monster in the water will leave."

"This... not to eliminate the monster?" The county magistrate was surprised.

Chen Pingzhi didn't say anything, just glanced at him, and the county magistrate immediately stopped talking.

Chen Pingzhi knew that the monster in the water was not the old snake king. With his strength, he could get rid of it, but it was too troublesome and he needed to use some trump cards.

Those trump cards were prepared for the old snake king!

"My senior brother disappeared in this area. He was probably swallowed by the old snake king. The human pill that had been refined for ten years was also swallowed. Its medicinal power should still be in the old snake king's body."

"I must catch it. This is the key to my breakthrough to the middle stage of Qi Refining Realm."

Chen Pingzhi's eyes flashed, and he didn't tell anyone what he was thinking.

From the third level of Qi Refining Realm to the fourth level of Qi Refining Realm, it is a big leap from the early stage to the middle stage. He stayed for ten years at this step.

Soon, the soldiers blocked this place.

Just as Chen Pingzhi was about to leave, he looked at a young man at the entrance of the village. It was Wang Xiaoniu from the Wang family.