First-Order Magical Beast: Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake

Lu Yunxiao's eyes were like swords, sharp light gleaming within them. Using the faint glow of the campfire, he looked around.

But the night was too dark, severely hindering his vision. Though Lu Yunxiao swept his gaze around, he found no trace of anything.

"Hiss!" A faint sound reached Lu Yunxiao's ears. This time, it seemed somewhat louder.

"Interesting. It's quite good at hiding." Lu Yunxiao smiled faintly, bending slightly as his right hand reached into the yellow sand. He closed his eyes, and his perception spread rapidly in every direction like a tide.

Unlocking the Gold Element's awakened detection ability—this was its true use.

With this ability, he could clearly sense every object and even every aura within a thousand-meter radius, gaining a certain amount of information from them.

Moreover, as his strength increased, this detection ability would become even more powerful.

Lu Yunxiao searched carefully. Suddenly, his movements froze. His eyes snapped open, brilliance blazing within them.

"Found you!" Lu Yunxiao flicked his right hand, throwing out two Moonlight Stones. Then his body shot forward like an arrow.

With a sharp clang, the Flying Rainbow Sword was drawn from its sheath. Sword in hand, Lu Yunxiao sent a fierce streak of sword qi flying ahead.

Clang! The sword qi shot forward and collided with the black shadow, scattering sparks in all directions with a ringing crash.

Lu Yunxiao rushed forward with his sword. By the light of the Moonlight Stones, he saw the newcomer clearly.

It was a snake—a massive snake five meters long.

Its entire body was covered in yellowish, crystal-like scales. The scales were full and lustrous, carrying a hint of metallic hardness. Clearly, it possessed formidable defenses.

A fiery red flame mark adorned its flat, triangular head. Its jaws gaped wide, revealing long, sharp fangs. Its miserable green diamond-shaped eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yunxiao, its forked tongue flickering as it hissed. Streams of saliva dripped from its mouth onto the desert, corroding all the surrounding sand.

Its red tail swayed slightly, its body coiled and its head raised high, its intense aggression unmistakable.

"Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake," Lu Yunxiao murmured softly, recognizing this Magical Beast at a glance.

Among low-level Magical Beasts, the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake was considered a particularly formidable kind. It possessed both fire and earth attributes. Though both were rather impure, that did not stop it from having exceptional defense and powerful offensive strength.

If a Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake could grow smoothly, it had a chance of becoming a fifth-order Magical Beast. By then, it could grow twenty to thirty meters long. The one before him was only five meters long, so in a sense, it could only be considered a juvenile.

Yet even as a juvenile, its strength was absolutely at the peak of first-order Magical Beasts. Even a human Nine-Star Dou Practitioner might not be able to defeat it.

If the Desert Ghoul Ants Lu Yunxiao had encountered during the day swarmed it, it was uncertain whether they could even break through the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's defenses.

"Finally, I've encountered a Magical Beast worth fighting."

Rather than being alarmed after recognizing the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake, Lu Yunxiao was delighted. Only a Magical Beast like this was worth his effort.

Moreover, Magical Beasts like the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake, with such a high growth limit, had a very high chance of possessing a Magical Core. Both were first-order Magical Cores, but the core of a Magical Beast like the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake could be worth several ordinary first-order Magical Cores.

"I'll take your Magical Core as compensation for disturbing me." Lu Yunxiao stood with his sword in hand, light flickering in his eyes.

As though it had understood Lu Yunxiao's words, green light flared in the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's pupils. Its body shot forward, its savage snake head lunging toward Lu Yunxiao.

"Good timing." Lu Yunxiao shouted. His feet shifted repeatedly as he swiftly dodged the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's strike, while the Flying Rainbow Sword in his hand swept out consecutive streaks of sword qi at its body.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The sword qi struck the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's body with crisp ringing sounds. Wherever it burst forth, yellowish crystal-like scales shattered away, exposing bright red flesh beneath.

But that was all. The sword qi could not penetrate any further. Given the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's size, the loss of these small scales caused it only some pain, not much actual injury.

"Good fellow, you're quite tough. Looks like I'll have to get serious."

Lu Yunxiao's smile faded slightly. The golden Innate Geng Metal Dou Qi within his body surged forth, enveloping the Flying Rainbow Sword and coating it in a faint layer of Golden Light.

"Consecutive Sword Qi!" Lu Yunxiao murmured. Rings of sword qi shot out one after another, rapidly attacking the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake.

The Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake darted away swiftly, dodging most of the sword qi. The remaining strands struck its body and immediately displayed powerful penetrating force.

Its crystal-like scales were forcibly cleaved apart, thin streams of blood flowing out.

The Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake cried out in pain. Its jaws opened wide, and a stream of liquid shot from its mouth.

Lu Yunxiao hurriedly dodged. The Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's venom was highly toxic; if it struck him, he would be in grave danger.

Taking advantage of that moment, the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake slithered rapidly, skimming directly across the sand as it bit at Lu Yunxiao once more.

Lu Yunxiao paused, then leaped into the air, evading the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's pounce.

Just as Lu Yunxiao landed, an enormous crimson tail swept at him head-on. He immediately slapped it aside with the sword sheath while the Flying Rainbow Sword slashed out.

The immense force from the snake's tail forced Lu Yunxiao back several steps, while the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's lunging head was also chopped back by his sword.

The sharp Sword Light immediately left a Sword Mark on its head. The flame mark on its head was split cleanly in two by the Sword Mark, with thin streams of fresh blood flowing from it.

This strike completely enraged the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake. Its miserable green snake eyes were filled with fury, and its attacks became increasingly violent.

It had to be said that the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake's attacks were truly ferocious, and its speed was extremely fast. In a brief moment, it launched over a hundred attacks at Lu Yunxiao.

Lu Yunxiao swung his longsword. Relying on his outstanding perception, he blocked every attack from the Red-tailed Blazing Sand Snake. At the same time, using the sharp Innate Geng Metal Qi, he left wound after wound across its body.

Man and snake clashed fiercely, kicking up sand and dust until the air was filled with grit.

Suddenly, Lu Yunxiao's gaze sharpened. Light blazed from the longsword in his hand, and his entire body rose directly into the air.

"We've fought enough. Now, let me show you my true strength."

Lu Yunxiao's eyes flickered slightly as the Dou Qi around him suddenly surged. Dou Qi circulated, his robes fluttered, and Lu Yunxiao became one with his sword as he thrust out a flawless strike.

Immortal's Flight Beyond the Heavens!