MM Racing Chapter 177 The Mirage Python Intertwines, Years Pass Like the Sun
Chapter 177 The Mirage Python Intertwines, Years Pass Like the Sun
Chapter 178 (4k long chapter) The Mirage Python Intertwines, Years Pass Like the Sun
Picking up where we left off, Salazar suddenly uttered the phrase "a blessed land," which made Harry's heart skip a beat.
He thought to himself: This "blessed land" is a concept of cultivators in the East. When has the British Isles ever heard of such a thing?
Judging from this, this pendant must be a magical artifact jointly crafted by my brother and a master from the East.
Suppressing his doubts, he opened the mechanism of the locket box. The box was completely dark inside, not a ray of light could be seen.
Just as he was about to reach inside and explore, Salazar suddenly said:
"I don't recommend you do that."
"The inside of the locket is a very unique alternate dimension where you might lose yourself."
"Spending a year inside is equivalent to spending a day in the real world."
Upon hearing this, Harry gasped, exclaiming, "How truly wondrous! I've often heard that a day in heaven is a year on earth. Who would have thought this treasure would do the opposite? It's truly unfathomable!"
Salazar shook his head. "I don't understand. Anyway, you'd better bring a watch before you go in and remember how time flows."
Harry, having learned of the pendant's mysterious nature and glimpsed clues to Eastern Taoist magic, felt his heart boiling with anxiety and urgently pressed for answers:
"May I ask the esteemed name of the immortal from the Eastern Land who assisted my brother in crafting this treasure? On which immortal mountain does he cultivate? And how did my brother come to be connected with him?"
The scarred man fired off a barrage of questions, but Salazar, sparing with words, replied:
"I'm sorry, I can't say."
He pointed to his bald head and said, "It was because I talked to him a little too much that I was struck by lightning for three days and three nights."
"They seem to call this a celestial tribulation over there."
Upon hearing this, Harry frowned, pondered for a long while, and said, "Brother, could it be that you discussed something with that powerful figure from the East that concerns me, which is why you've attracted this heavenly calamity?"
Yes and no.
"Harry, you're involved in far too many things."
Seeing that he was still playing games and being cryptic, Harry grew annoyed and interrupted, "Brother, stop with the charade! Now that I've found this locket for you, according to the law of equilibrium, there should be an equal exchange!"
"Did you think my locket was opened for nothing? And the purpose of what I just said to you wasn't just idle chatter."
Before he finished speaking, the scroll suddenly rolled up and shrank back into Harry's robe.
Harry cursed under his breath, thinking to himself: Damn it! This bald guy is so afraid of dying, he won't reveal a single secret!
Although I have figured out the mystery of this pendant, it is as useless as chicken ribs.
With my current level of cultivation, I don't need this blessed land. In just a year or two, I can master extraordinary skills.
If we were to invite my elder sister and brothers to this trial, I fear they would not be able to endure the desolation year after year and would be driven to madness by their cultivation.
Harry was pondering the pendant's purpose when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him. He jumped up, slapped his thigh, and shouted:
"Wow! So that's the hidden meaning in Lady Chiron's words!"
As soon as he shouted, he shot out of the underground classroom like an arrow and headed straight for Nagini's room.
Upon reaching the door, he pounded his fist against the door panel with a loud thud, but there was no sound from inside.
Harry frowned, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. Forgetting all about the rules between men and women, he simply took his wand and cast a lock-picking spell, and the door swung open.
Upon entering, the scene inside was astonishing. Tables and chairs were scattered haphazardly, and curtains were torn into pieces, as if the place had been ransacked by bandits.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see that the sandalwood table legs were engraved with deep and shallow tooth marks, clearly indicating that they were not made by an outsider.
As Harry was still in shock and doubt, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound overhead, and a huge, green-scaled python pounced down from the beam, its mouth as wide as a large bowl, aimed straight at his face.
The python came fiercely, but Harry was prepared. He dodged the attack and grabbed the python's vital spot with his other hand like an iron clamp.
Then the snake-like man hissed and shouted:
"Om Mani Padme Hum!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the python trembled violently, and its eyes regained their clarity.
Upon seeing Harry, she twisted her neck and transformed into a woman.
Nagini collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving, and said in a trembling voice:
"Harry!"
Did I hurt you?
"I...I just lost consciousness!"
Harry released his grip on her throat, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sister, please rest assured, I was prepared for this, but I was not hurt in the slightest."
Seeing that he was indeed unharmed, Nagini finally caught her breath, curled up against the wall, and murmured in a voice barely above a whisper:
"I can't hold on much longer."
"These days I'm becoming increasingly obsessed with turning into a snake. When you take me for a walk and I see those owls, I always have this urge to swallow them whole..."
Nagini's voice trailed off, like a candle flickering in the wind, her brows furrowed, and her face clouded with worry.
Upon hearing this, Harry clapped his hands and laughed loudly:
"Sister, why worry! I've found a brilliant plan that will surely break your Blood Demon Curse!"
Nagini was initially skeptical, but seeing Harry's piercing gaze and the brilliance in his eyes, she leaned forward to ask him.
"What method?"
Harry calmly took out the locket and said, "This thing contains a secret, a hidden world beyond the Thirty-Six Heavens."
Then, he explained to Nagini in detail the wonders of the rotation of the sun and moon.
Even after she finished speaking, Nagini still seemed confused, twisting her slender fingers around her sash as she asked, "But... what does this have to do with me?"
"Oh dear! Sister, since you come from the East, how can you not have heard the saying, 'A snake that moves in water transforms into a dragon, and a dragon that soars through the clouds becomes a dragon'?"
"At that time, sister, you only need to cultivate within this treasure pendant for a thousand years. Even if you cannot become a true dragon, you will surely transform into a powerful azure dragon that can overturn rivers and seas."
"Once we shed these mortal scales and impure bones, wouldn't regaining our intelligence be as easy as taking candy from a baby?"
"You should know that this pendant was obtained by me when I traveled back in time. Doesn't this calculation precisely fulfill the prophecy spoken by Lady Chiron and my sister?"
These words struck Nagini like a startled bird, her lips parted slightly, but she remained silent for a long time.
After a long silence, Nagini suddenly stiffened, his eyes regaining their light, though still tinged with hesitation, and said softly:
"But... I don't know how to cultivate."
"And do dragons really exist in this world—I mean the Eastern kind?"
Harry didn't answer, and his face suddenly churned as if boiling water was flowing.
But then, a cracking sound rang out, and its form suddenly twisted and transformed, instantly becoming a mirage. Upon seeing this ferocious beast, Nagini was so terrified that his scalp tingled, and he wished he could flee the door.
As she was filled with fear, she saw the mirage's scales gleam, its beard flutter, and it spoke in human language:
"Sister, don't worry. My Animagus is actually a clam, a kind of dragon. I'll go with you to this blessed land, and I think we can naturally comprehend the secrets of cultivation."
Nagini's heart was racing after hearing Harry's words.
Is it possible for Animagus to transform into this kind of creature?
This has gone beyond the realm of animals—no, it has even gone beyond the realm of magical creatures!
Without further hesitation, Nagini twisted his waist, revealing his true form as the Azure Python.
The mirage and the python immediately intertwined and entered the locket.
Upon entering the cave, the two landed in a secluded and dense forest.
Harry looked around and saw verdant mountains, clear blue waters, and clouds swirling around the peaks, witnessing the extraordinary sight of the sun and moon shining together!
Nagini reverted to human form, looked around for a moment, and exclaimed in surprise:
"It's amazing. I dare say that even if Albus used the Spatial Expansion Charm, he couldn't achieve this scale."
Harry looked up for a long time, then lowered his body and said:
"Sister, please ride on my back while I find you a safe and peaceful cave."
Nagini responded and was about to step forward, but seeing the gleaming scales on the mirage's neck, he hesitated and said:
"Uh... Harry? Where should I ride? Riding on your shoulders isn't really appropriate..."
"Oh dear! Why are you being so formal with me, sister? We siblings don't need to stand on ceremony. Please, have a seat!"
Upon hearing this, Nagini no longer declined, gently stretching out her jade arms to straddle the mirage's neck, her ten fingers tightly gripping the scales.
Harry felt a weight on his neck and was immediately lifted into the air. The clouds churned, and the momentum was lightning-fast. Nagini was thrown about, her jade hairpin falling off, and she cried out in alarm:
"Wait, wait a minute!"
"Harry! Slow down!"
"I can't take it anymore—"
Nagini shouted loudly, and the mirage landed on a cliff face.
Harry bent down to put Nagini down, but the man still used his hands and feet to tightly grip Nagini's neck, his knuckles turning white.
He shook his neck. "Sister, aren't you going to let go?"
Upon hearing the words, Nagini snapped out of her daze, hurriedly jumped down, and tidied her disheveled hair, saying:
"I'm sorry, Harry, you flew too high."
"I never knew I was afraid of heights..."
Harry chuckled, "Sister, you'll need to practice this skill in the future. Once you've mastered it, you'll inevitably be able to ride the clouds."
"If you say it's because you're afraid of heights, then you're just like a ground snake."
After exchanging a few jokes, Harry steadied himself and slammed into the rock wall, his claws flashing.
Before long, they dug out a cave dwelling that was three zhang square.
He sat cross-legged in the cave, thinking to himself: Although I have never seen dragons and snakes cultivate, I think the principle of tempering vital energy is the same.
Why don't I try out the breathing technique I learned from Brother Gongsun Sheng?
He immediately focused his mind and calmed his breath, closing his eyes and circulating his energy throughout his body.
But just as his inner energy was traveling halfway through, it suddenly broke through his meridians. Harry awoke with a start, thinking to himself:
Indeed! Flesh and blood are different, and humans and beasts are different. How can the methods of cultivation for humans be applied to the body of a dragon or mirage?
From then on, Harry and Nagini devoted themselves to studying the serpent's breathing technique in this cave. After countless years, they finally deduced the method clearly.
He carefully taught Nagini this method, giving her repeated instructions. With a slight thought, his figure disappeared from the locket.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw embroidered curtains and silk drapes, still the scene in Nagini's boudoir.
Looking out the window at the sky, the sun had only just moved past mid-morning, as if only half a cup of tea had passed.
Enough of this rambling. From that day on, Hogwarts was peaceful and quiet.
When spring deepens in April, the Quidditch arena reignites with renewed passion, as Gryffindor and Slytherin vie for the championship.
This time, Harry was single-minded and led the group in the back-and-forth fighting, leaving the Slytherin team struggling to keep up and unable to gain any advantage.
Upon obtaining the Golden Snitch and the Golden Cup, Wood, a seven-foot-tall man, threw himself onto the cup and wailed uncontrollably, proclaiming that his seven years of schooling had not been in vain, moving all who witnessed it.
As the semester drew to a close, the scarred man no longer disturbed the peace of the headmaster's office, and Dumbledore stopped taking his medicine. His silver beard regained its shine.
When the Gryffindor Cup was awarded, they once again emerged victorious, winning their third consecutive title, with the Gryffindor boys cheering and waving their banners everywhere.
On the day of departure, everyone carried boxes and baskets, noisily boarding the vehicle.
Harry seized an opportunity to slip away to a secluded spot and hold hands with Nagini, who had transformed into human form, to exchange some private words.
Hermione, noticing his strange behavior, quickly followed him. Upon seeing Nagini, she stepped forward and stood between the two to join in the commotion.
"Harry, the method you taught me really works."
"Although the Blood Curse was devouring my consciousness, I suppressed that feeling while breathing..."
Hermione, who had been listening quietly for a while, looked Nagini up and down carefully again, and couldn't help but say:
"Miss Nagini, are you really sure you're alright?"
Why does it look like you have a tumor on your forehead?
Nagini was taken aback by what he said, and she and Harry looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
Harry clapped his hands and laughed, "Big sister doesn't know, but the mark on Nagini's forehead is not a disease, but an auspicious sign that she has reached the pinnacle of her cultivation and will transform into a dragon."
"If you have the same potential as my sister, I might witness a true dragon appear by the time I graduate!"
Nagini waved his hand and chuckled, "Oh, Harry, I don't have that kind of ability. I'll be satisfied if I can heal my Blood Curse."
"Of course, it would be even better if I could fly in the sky like your Animagus."
"So, you're no longer afraid of heights, sister?"
"I've overcome some of it." Nagini's eyes curved into crescents. "If I were to fly on your shoulders again, it certainly wouldn't be like last time."
The two of them got along very well, exchanging words back and forth, like a spring breeze caressing the willows.
Hermione listened intently, her face expressionless, her toes grinding against the paving stones, nearly grinding a hole in them.
Did she ride a Harry?
Harry never told me this...
And why didn't he ever invite me to ride him and fly in the sky?
Just as she was sulking, she suddenly heard the train whistle and hurriedly called out, "Harry, we have to go, the train is about to leave."
"Our luggage hasn't been put up yet!"
Upon hearing this, Harry clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Don't panic, elder sister. You and Brother Ron can go ahead in the carriage; I have my own plans."
Hermione frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean? Does Mr. Black come to pick you up?"
Before he could finish speaking, Harry snapped open the locket around his neck, and Nagini grabbed the trunk and disappeared inside.
Harry leaped into the air, instantly transforming into a colorful mirage, its scales shimmering and reflecting the sunlight.
But then the clouds surged, the dragon swung its tail, and it disappeared into the vast sky, leaving only a long laugh that reverberated through the heavens.
"I'm off!"
Hermione looked up and gazed for a long time, but the sky was clear and blue, and there was not a single person in sight.
At that moment, he felt a tightness in his chest, and suddenly kicked out, sending the stones on the roadside tumbling around, cursing through gritted teeth;
"Couldn't you have taken me with you?"
"It's so close to my house!"
(End of this chapter)