Chapter 41 The Clan of Xiangliu

The *Classic of Overseas Lands, North* states: “Xiangliu was a minister of Gonggong, possessing nine heads and feeding from nine mountains."

Wei Yuan had only been guessing, but upon arriving at Mount Ibuki, he sensed the aura here.

He confirmed that there were indeed members of the Xiangliu clan here.

"Xiangliu?"

"I am not Xiangliu."

The speaker's voice was cold. He walked into the silent room, the killing intent and coldness growing increasingly turbulent. Wei Yuan looked up and saw a man dressed in traditional Sakura Island clothing, his hair in a topknot, a sword at his waist. He seemed to have recognized the visitor long ago and said, "Xiangliu was already killed by King Yu, wasn't he? Did you not see it with your own eyes?"

Wei Yuan remained silent.

The words he had recorded flashed through his mind.

King Yu slew Xiangliu, and his blood was so tainted that grains could not be planted in the soil.

Yu suppressed him, creating three embankments and three depressions, which became the Terrace of the Emperors. It lay north of Kunlun and east of Rouli.

Xiangliu was completely different from Wuzhiqi.

Although both were subordinates and allies of Gonggong, the Water God, Wuzhiqi had become the Lord of Water after conquering the Huai River system. Although his personality was unrestrained and arrogant, his goal was simply to develop the aquatic divine system. As long as people didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother them.

But Xiangliu was directly a subordinate of Gonggong, and in the eyes of the flood-controlling team at the time, he was the kind who stirred up trouble for no reason.

With a snake's body and nine heads, he devoured countless people, turning every place he went into a swamp.

In the end, after Gonggong was dealt with,

King Yu showed no mercy.

He beheaded him directly.

Wei Yuan remembered that after this evil god died, his flesh was foul-smelling.

Where it fell on the ground became a large swamp, where even the extremely tenacious plants of the Age of Gods could not survive.

Generally speaking, the ferocious beasts in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* are divided into those that are delicious and those that are not.

This type, whose meat cannot be eaten, and whose blood prevents anything from growing where it falls, was a top-tier specimen that both Yuan and Yu had never seen before.

To make matters worse, this guy was particularly large.

Leading to a particularly large amount of wasteland.

King Yu and the descendants of Shennong wanted to fill it in and plant crops, but every time they filled it, it collapsed again. Even the *xirang* soil was corroded. King Yu patiently filled it three times, but all three times were useless. Completely enraged, he dug it up and turned it into a pool, building pavilions next to it.

He guided the water flow from Kunlun Mountain and invited Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun over before Xiangliu's blood could be suppressed.

Seeing the man opposite him staring at him with vertical pupils, Wei Yuan said calmly, "Xiangliu is a title that only the leader of the Xiangliu clan can have. The one killed by Yu back then was just the Xiangliu of that generation. Now that he is dead, you can naturally call yourself the Xiangliu clan."

He still needed this fierce god's help.

The Eight岐 Serpent did not respond, but said in a low voice:

"You came here, aren't you afraid I'll eat you?"

His body exuded an aura mixed with the ferocity of a beast and the divinity of a god. His vertical pupils coldly looked down at Wei Yuan. The candlelight on the table flickered, and the shadow cast on the wall was a ferocious beast, just as recorded in the Sakura Island texts, *Kojiki* and *Nihon Shoki*: a serpent with eight heads and eight tails.

Wei Yuan simply picked up his teacup, lowered his head, and took a sip, saying, "You won't."

"Heh..."

The Eight岐 Serpent's pupils emitted a faint golden light, transforming into vertical pupils. The shadow on the wall seemed to fly down, spreading through the void and overlooking Wei Yuan. The entire room instantly darkened, the shadows transforming into eight long snakes, spreading towards Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan was still drinking tea at this time.

Seeming to not have noticed this scene filled with killing intent.

Just then, the Eight岐 Serpent's eyes turned fierce.

The eight long snakes directly entangled and locked down on Wei Yuan, a foul wind spreading everywhere.

But they could not get within three feet of Wei Yuan.

They froze directly, then shattered into gray gas and dissipated. The Eight岐 Serpent's expression faltered.

Wei Yuan raised his eyes, his pupils slowly overflowing with gold. A purer divine aura from the Divine Era of Shenzhou leaked out, sweeping away the pressure released by the Eight岐 Serpent, reversing the situation from being attacked to taking the upper hand and advantage, causing the Eight岐 Serpent's aura to stagnate.

Wei Yuan originally wanted to imitate Yuan Shao and say in a calm tone, 'Your sword is sharp, but my sword has never been dull either', or say 'Then you appearing here, aren't you afraid I'll eat you?' But he felt that the style seemed a bit off, so he paused and simply said calmly:

"I'm afraid your appetite isn't that good."

The Eight岐 Serpent recognized this aura.

His pupils contracted slightly.

Wei Yuan placed his palm on the hilt of the sword, his fingers pressing against it, causing the Eight-Sided Han Sword to be unsheathed by an inch. The iron eagle flapped its wings, as if there was a long cry of an eagle fighting in the sky, causing the Eight岐 Serpent to feel a sense of discomfort, as if a part of the foundation of his existence instinctively feared this sword.

"You have indeed assimilated the divinity of Sakura Island."

Wei Yuan frowned and said. He sat cross-legged on the cushion, holding the long sword, his expression calm. "Actually, I'm also a little curious, if the blood of the previous Xiangliu directly turned the earth into a swamp, can you turn this Mount Ibuki into a poisonous mountain?"

The Eight-Sided Han Sword in his hand faintly hummed.

The auras of the two clashed, neither making a move, the atmosphere extremely沉凝.

Just then, the door of the silent room was pushed open, and the two mountain gods of Mount Ibuki who had been there before tremblingly carried tea in.

They saw that the number one calamity god of Sakura Island had cold eyes, while the other guest was smiling and nodding.

The aura was沉凝.

This aura made their legs go weak.

After replenishing the tea, they scurried out with their tails between their legs.

After a long time, the Eight岐 Serpent closed his eyes, restrained his aura, and also restrained the greed in his heart. He hadn't fought yet, but the other party's divinity and that sword made him feel wary. Because the divinity emitted had the aura of the Mountain and Sea Era, he subconsciously believed that the person in front of him had survived from the Age of Gods.

If they really fought, he was afraid that he would not have any advantage.

The Eight岐 Serpent restrained his aura, and Wei Yuan also took the opportunity to restrain his aura.

Although he had the power of the Age of Gods and the iron eagle's spirituality that extremely restrained Sakura Island's divinity, the other party was a descendant of a fierce god who had been famous in the late Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period. He was thick-skinned and tough. His sword was like a toothpick against the other party's main body, giving him no advantage. It was better to use the monkey's staff to fight this kind of thing, a blunt weapon for internal injuries.

……………………

Both sides had some concerns, but they reached a balance.

The candlelight in the silent room flickered and relit. The Eight岐 Serpent held a long smoking pipe in his hand, leaning lazily against the back, and said lightly, "Then what is your purpose in coming here? Don't tell me you're here to visit me, our relationship isn't that good."

Wei Yuan scanned the Eight岐 Serpent up and down and said, "You only obtained a portion of the divinity, and you also have a grudge against the Sakura Island divine system."

He said, "I need you to do me a favor."

The Eight岐 Serpent frowned and said, "What favor?"

Wei Yuan said, "Help me fight someone."

"Who?"

Wei Yuan replied, "Xu Fu, or rather, the main god of the Sakura Island divine system."

Xu Fu was the top *fangshi* (Taoist alchemist) of that era when Yuan was still alive. He was able to use the prototype of a divine system to refine the elixir of immortality. He had lived for more than two thousand years. Wei Yuan was not sure how strong Xu Fu was now, especially since this was his base camp. Wei Yuan needed to observe Xu Fu's current methods.

Only then could he figure out how to kill him.

The Eight岐 Serpent chuckled and muttered to himself, "Ame-no-Minakanushi?"

"Fighting him is fine, but why should I listen to you?"

Wei Yuan said, "Susanoo-no-Mikoto used alcohol to get you drunk and severely injured you, and even extracted the vertebrae of your tailbone to use as his weapon, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi; you are the Great 明 God of Mount Ibuki, and Shuten-dōji, one of the three great *yokai* of Sakura Island, is said to be the son of the Great 明 God of Mount Ibuki, and he was also beheaded after being intoxicated with alcohol."

"And now you've become a mountain god."

Wei Yuan counted all of the Eight岐 Serpent's embarrassing history in front of him.

The Eight岐 Serpent suppressed his faint anger and said, "Don't mention this!"

"I do have a grudge against the divine system here, but it's not necessary to the point of joining forces with you."

Wei Yuan looked at the Eight岐 Serpent and said:

"Then, what if I said that I can let you grow a ninth head, like the ancient Xiangliu?"

Restore the full盛姿 of the ancient Xiangliu clan.

The Eight岐 Serpent paused.

The previous annoyance solidified in an instant. The Eight岐 Serpent, who had just made a bold statement, fell into contemplation and struggle. Wei Yuan was not in a hurry to urge him, but slowly peeled an orange, tearing off the white fibers on the orange bit by bit, and then threw the pulp into his mouth. After eating two oranges, the Eight岐 Serpent finally asked with difficulty, "When?"

Wei Yuan said peacefully, "About three days later."

"At that time, I will give you a signal."

"...What signal?"

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes. At this time, the young Taoist with the flame mark on his forehead was still happily gnawing on snacks and strong tea, and had already accepted what his senior brother said three days later, that the gentle, courteous, and thrifty Curator Wei would do something like a dojo storming. The corners of Wei Yuan's mouth curled up, he withdrew his gaze, and replied:

"A very, very big firework."

ps: Thanks to Xian Dan San Yu for the myriad reward, thank you~

Regarding the Eight岐 Serpent, the *Kojiki* and *Nihon Shoki* state that it "has eight heads and eight tails on one body", which can fill eight valleys and eight hills.岐 here seems to refer to mountains. The Eight岐 Serpent is a giant snake that can fill eight valleys and hills.