Pursuit, a Knife Across the Ass

As early as half a month ago, Chen Guan had felt that he had reached the limit of a Three-Star Dou Master. He was only One Step Away; with the slightest leap, he could break through.

However, he always felt that his Speed Was Too Fast in cultivation, leaving his foundation A Hint Of unsteady. That was why he had resisted the temptation.

He had not been disappointed. After nearly half a month of fierce battles with the Crimson Ice Snake King, Chen Guan had tempered his foundation until it became even more solid.

Tonight, he could no longer suppress it. He had barely needed to make an effort—once the "Supreme Saint Heavenly Heart Refining" began circulating, he broke through as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

The sky was washed clean and stretched endlessly blue. Another perfect day for hunting Fire Foxes.

Chen Guan entered the mountains as usual, though his feelings were somewhat complicated.

Now that his strength had advanced again, the Crimson Ice Snake King was even less of a match for him. Continuing to tangle with it would be a complete waste of time and serve no purpose as training.

Yet he was a sentimental man. After more than ten days of fighting, he did not even know how to deal with the Crimson Ice Snake King anymore. Should he steam it, or stir-fry it? Ahem, that would depend on the Snake King's attitude.

A tall man and a short man watched the Young Man enter the mountains. They set up a chessboard, preparing to pass another dull day, and clicked their tongues in amazement.

"That kid really is a monster. What exactly is his relationship with the First Princess? Could he secretly be His Majesty's... But his surname is Chen. Could it be a false name?" The short man was intensely curious.

The tall man understood the rules of officialdom better and shot him a glare. "What's it got to do with you? Tired of living? Quit talking nonsense and set up the board. It's my turn to move first today."

While the two enjoyed their leisurely pastime, Chen Guan had already arrived at the place where his old friend lived.

The Crimson Ice Snake King was not very intelligent. Nearly half a month had passed, yet it still made its entrance the same way, straightforward to the extreme.

Bang! Chen Guan swung his sword. After merely thirteen consecutive waves of slashes, the Crimson Ice Snake King Could Not Resist. Its massive body was sent flying, smashing through several large trees. A wound over a foot long split across its surface, and it had nearly been cleaved in two.

This was the first time it had suffered such a grave injury since encountering Chen Guan! The Snake King was utterly shocked. Its cold pupils widened, seemingly expressing its disbelief and the fear steadily rising within it.

Chen Guan firmly held the initiative as he approached with his broadsword in hand.

"Stop fighting. I can tell your intelligence is greater than that of an ordinary Tier 3 Magical Beast. You should be able to understand some of what I say. How about submitting to me? Killing you now would be very easy. In fact, I was only using you for training before."

Chen Guan gave it an opportunity.

Perhaps a small part of it was because of their status as "old friends," but what he truly valued was the Snake King's potential worth.

It was a snake-type magical beast, and a mutated Crimson Ice Snake at that. Its strength was comparable to a three- or four-star Da Dou Shi. In the Jia Ma Empire, it could already be considered a minor expert.

After all, Xiao Huohuo's father was only a Da Dou Shi.

Keeping it as a spirit pet would not be very useful to him, but he could give it to Xiao Yi Xian, or to Qing Lin.

That was right. Though he had not yet met that Little Girl, Chen Guan had already included her in his plans.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had potential no less than the Poison Body of Misfortune. Only an idiot would refuse such a powerful asset.

Chen Guan had already arranged a destination for the Crimson Ice Snake King in his mind. Yet awkwardly, the other party had no intention of submitting.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!!

Three streams of venom sprayed out in succession. In the instant the Young Man darted aside to evade them, the Crimson Ice Snake King sprang up and shot toward the dense forest.

It could not win, but that did not mean it could not escape.

Another pursuit began.

The difference was that this time, the Crimson Ice Snake King was the one fleeing for its life. The wheel truly had turned.

Its powerful desire to survive pushed the Snake King's speed higher. Even when Chen Guan used the Drifting Cloud Steps, he was only a little faster than it.

Man and snake remained more than ten meters apart. The distance between them slowly narrowed, but he could not catch it in an instant.

Having been slighted, Chen Guan showed no mercy. As he pursued it, he continuously condensed sword qi and fired it out, one streak after another.

Fleeting Beauty lacked attacking power, but the Snake King did not dare divide its attention to block it. It could only rely on its magical beast body to endure the strikes, leaving wound after wound across its body. It was nearly dyed into a blood-red snake.

Those wounds were not fatal, but they were torturous, like a knife cutting across the ass—burning hot!

Knowing that the Young Man was faster than it, and that continuing to flee this way would eventually result in being caught, its not-so-clever mind told it that there was only one place it could go if it wanted to live! Fixing its direction, the Crimson Ice Snake King charged wildly toward the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Before long, Tier 3 Magical Beasts began appearing nearby. They had reached the region where Tier 3 Magical Beasts roamed.

Chen Guan's brows Slightly Furrowed. He slowed down a little, but after brief consideration, he continued the chase.

Tier 3 Magical Beasts were equivalent to Da Dou Shi-level experts. Chen Guan believed he had sufficient means to protect himself.

In his estimation, the Crimson Ice Snake King would go no farther than this. If it ventured deeper, it would not be escaping—it would be delivering itself as food to higher-tier magical beasts.

That was indeed the case. After fleeing all the way to a small lake near the Tier 4 Area, the Crimson Ice Snake King finally stopped and, Without Hesitation, plunged headfirst into the bottom of the lake.

After all that, this was its plan?

Standing by the lake, Chen Guan sighed at how the Snake King truly did not seem very smart.

Its Ice Attribute might grant the Crimson Ice Snake King some advantage underwater, but did it really think that could erase the gap between them? Once it entered this lake, there would be nowhere left to run.

Chen Guan casually tossed a medicinal pill into his mouth and sat on the shore, recovering his depleted dou qi as he waited.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the lake remained calm.

That meant there were no other magical beasts in the lake. Otherwise, a fight would have broken out already. Magical beasts had deeply ingrained territorial instincts.

Even if there were magical beasts inside, they would only be below Tier 3.

Having made his judgment, Chen Guan boldly plunged into the lake.

The small lake was not large. Although his vision was somewhat affected, Chen Guan still searched it thoroughly in a few minutes.

Yet strangely, he could not find the Crimson Ice Snake King!

He was certain the Snake King had not surfaced, yet it had now mysteriously vanished, leaving Chen Guan utterly baffled.

After taking a breath, Chen Guan dove back to the lakebed and began an extremely meticulous, carpet-like search, determined to uncover the truth.

Finally, after taking seven breaths, Chen Guan found a clue.

Beneath a small slope on the right side of the lakebed, a Stone Gate was hidden! There was a mystery concealed beneath this lake!

Chen Guan was almost certain that the Crimson Ice Snake King had entered it.

The Crimson Ice Snake was originally a very common Tier 1 Magical Beast, yet this one had mutated to reach three-star strength. It was practically a genetic mutation.

Looking at the Stone Gate before him, Chen Guan realized the key point. Excitement and anticipation stirred faintly in his heart as he decisively pushed open the door and slipped inside.

Even the Crimson Ice Snake King had managed to enter and emerge unharmed. He had more than enough confidence in himself!