Chapter Sixty-Two: The Eight-Headed Curriculum (Third Update—Requesting Monthly Votes)

The murderous intent in the air crystallized into something almost tangible, dimming even the sunlight beneath its chill. Tia felt her breath thicken, as if she were inhaling not air, but cold, liquid lead. Instinctively, she clenched the hem of her garment, her knuckles whitening with the force, her gaze fixed firmly below, unable to quell her worry for Bai Yujing’s safety.

Could the master truly die here?

Although Tia had often dreamed of disposing of Bai Yujing, even wished him dead, she absolutely did not want him to fall to Yaqi at this moment. She pondered whether to urge Zhuying beside her to join forces and intervene.

On the flagstone plaza below, Yaqi’s body suddenly transformed. Abandoning his human guise, he revealed his monstrous true form—a colossal eight-headed serpent. His entire body was covered in white skin, the back adorned with black lattice-like markings, so that at first glance, it seemed as if sheets of white scales were embedded in his spine. Each serpent head was as large as a house, the body thick and sinuous, swiftly coiling around Bai Yujing.

The eight heads positioned themselves in different directions. Two gazed up at Zhuying and Tia atop the roof, wary of any attack from above. The remaining six opened their cavernous mouths and began to chant three distinct spells in unison.

“The dirge of winter freezes the stars, the pallor of eternity devours breath...”
“Burn the bones of sin, boil the blood of filth...”
“Fangs that tear the sea of clouds, roar that pierces the heavens...”

Yaqi’s chanting was low and hoarse, spoken not in Chinese but in Japanese. In this world, the languages of forbidden spells were Chinese, English, French, Russian, German, and Japanese. Only three forbidden spells existed in Japanese—one developed by Yaqi himself, the other two by Abe no Seimei.

Yaqi mastered all three, his greatest pride lying in his ability to dual-cast forbidden spells. With more heads and more mouths than any other, he could chant two spells at once.

“Spell One Hundred and Eighteen, Frostbound Inferno!”
“Spell One Hundred and Seventeen, Heaven’s Scorching Wrath!”
“Spell One Hundred and Fourteen, Formless Tempest!”

As Yaqi’s chanting concluded, two heads spewed forth an overwhelming wave of cold. White frost surged like a tsunami, freezing the air into countless ice crystals, which crackled sharply; even time seemed suspended in the chill. Bai Yujing’s figure was engulfed at once, thick frost forming on the shimenawa ropes binding his limbs.

Immediately after, two more serpent heads opened wide and unleashed a torrent of crimson hellfire. Blood-red flames surged like a tide from the abyss, overwhelming the prior cold in an instant. The collision of fire and ice triggered a violent surge of energy, the air hissing as it evaporated, white steam and red fire tangled together in a spectacle both eerie and magnificent.

Simultaneously, two other heads unleashed raging gusts of wind. Fire fed upon wind, wind fueled the flames, and the blaze expanded suddenly, transforming into a roaring dragon of fire.

Boom!

The fire dragon coiled in place, its terrifying heat causing the very space to crack. Black fissures flickered within the whirling flames, as if even heaven and earth shattered in that moment.

The three women watched intently from above, hoping to glimpse the figure within the fiery maelstrom.

Is the master still alive?

The question rose unbidden in their hearts.

“Frostplume, this is the Absolute Barrier.”

Bai Yujing’s calm voice emerged from the flames. In the next instant, a spherical barrier of violet-black surged forth, expanding instantly. The cold, fire, and wind—all vanished without trace, erased as if by a rubber eraser smudging a pencil drawing.

Yaqi’s pupils contracted sharply; there was no time to evade. The violet-black Absolute Barrier had already enveloped most of his body. The massive serpent form vanished in a blink, leaving only eight floating heads. Each golden vertical pupil radiated utter shock.

“How is it possible?! You withstood my dual-cast forbidden spell unharmed?!”

“The Absolute Barrier repels all things external to itself. At first, it merely coated the body, bouncing objects away. But when mastered, the repulsion force and speed become terrifying, capable of annihilating all contact in an instant.”

The barrier slowly withdrew. Bai Yujing stood unscathed upon the flagstones, his sky-blue crane robe fluttering gently in the autumn wind, as if that world-ending forbidden spell had been no more than a passing breeze.

Tia, on the rooftop, drew a deep breath, her emotions tangled beyond words. She felt a touch of relief at Bai Yujing’s safety, yet disappointment that he suffered not even a scratch.

To take three dual-cast forbidden spells from Yaqi and not even bear a speck of dust—how was that reasonable?

Tia couldn’t help but mentally complain about her master’s monstrous prowess.

The eight gigantic heads dropped to the ground, then bounced back up. Blood and flesh, scattered by the barrier, quickly reformed at the necks, restoring the oppressive serpent body anew.

“Next, demonstrate for me the power of Time-Eroding Eternity.”

Bai Yujing’s calm tone, to Yaqi’s ears, was a biting mockery, dragging his proud dignity from the heights down to earth—or rather, into the mud.

“Pathetic human, don’t get carried away!”

Yaqi’s roar shook the air.

All eight heads rose together, golden pupils gleaming with madness. His body swelled violently, spiritual pressure surging from within like a volcanic eruption. The plaza’s stone cracked with a sharp sound, spider-web fractures spreading outward, rubble and dust lifted by invisible force, swirling into a sinister vortex.

Yaqi’s body was like a balloon inflated to its limit, blood vessels and muscles visible beneath the skin, as if he might burst at any moment. The aura of destruction imprinted itself upon every corner of the Qingyun Gate.

“Decay now, the spine of the god of scales, hourglass overturned, day and night shattered into fragments! The swift see white hair, the slow turn to stone, a thousand worlds cry in the fissures—behold, the cancer of time and space: Spell One Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Time-Eroding Eternity.”

Bai Yujing chanted swiftly, raising his hand.

Yaqi’s swelling body abruptly halted. Every part was divided into countless separate slices of time, and the flow of time itself became a chaotic mess.

The first serpent head’s time raced forward—once smooth scales aged swiftly, growing brittle and dry, until they became ash and scattered on the wind.

The second head’s time reversed—shrinking rapidly, its scales softening, reverting to a tender, unhatched egg, which then shattered into fragments.

The third head’s time was frozen, suspended in air, golden pupil wide with terror and despair, a lifelike statue.

Fourth, fifth...

Yaqi’s form disintegrated amidst temporal chaos, his voice breaking apart: “What... what is this power...?”

In that moment, his tone was no longer mad nor proud, but like a bewildered lamb beseeching its master for answers.

Even Liu Shuangling, watching, couldn’t help but feel a sliver of sympathy for Yaqi.

She sighed inwardly. Even the most wicked criminal in the world might evoke pity before the master.

She looked toward Bai Yujing, who stood tall in the plaza, his back to her, the front unseen.

A hush fell over the scene.

Bai Yujing did not answer Yaqi’s question; how could he admit he’d not even used his full strength? The power that shattered Yaqi’s faith in his own existence was but the tip of Bai Yujing’s iceberg.

Such truth would be too cruel for the vanquished.

Bai Yujing disdained to lie.

Only silence remained.