Teasing the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Every Day

For the past ten days, aside from cultivating, Jiang Donghua had spent nearly all his remaining time teasing that Blackwater Mysterious Snake.

Every day, he arrived near Blackwater Pool on time. Sometimes he threw a few stones from afar, sometimes he stirred the water's surface with a branch, and sometimes he even deliberately grilled fish by the shore, letting the aroma drift everywhere and provoking the giant snake into a rage.

Splash—!

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake burst from the water, its scarlet eyes locked tightly onto Jiang Donghua. Its forked tongue flicked wildly as it let out furious hisses.

"Hahaha, you overgrown worm, you still can't catch me today!"

Jiang Donghua laughed loudly and instantly unleashed Cloud-Chasing Steps, his body retreating like the wind.

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake angrily lashed its tail against the water, sending black waves several yards high into the air. But Jiang Donghua had long since escaped its attack range and stood in the distance, smugly waving at it.

If this beast could talk, it would definitely be cursing me out right now.

Jiang Donghua chuckled to himself.

Over the past ten days, he had practically figured out the Blackwater Mysterious Snake's temperament.

As long as he did not actually enter the pool's territory, it would not pursue him with all its strength. At most, it would chase him a hundred yards before returning in frustration.

However, Jiang Donghua had also noticed that there had been almost no signs of other Demonic Beasts near Blackwater Pool these past few days.

Looks like this overgrown worm hasn't been eating too well lately. It can't even lure in a few Demonic Beasts anymore.

Jiang Donghua rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

As a Tier 2 Demonic Beast, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake usually lurked beneath the pool, waiting to ambush low-level Demonic Beasts that came to drink.

But ever since Jiang Donghua had begun harassing it every day, its furious pursuits kept frightening away the nearby Demonic Beasts, leaving it with almost no prey these past few days.

"Tsk tsk, how pitiful."

Jiang Donghua smiled without the slightest sympathy.

"But who told you to guard the Qi Nurturing Fruit? You brought this on yourself!"

He turned to leave, intending to return to the cave and continue cultivating.

However, after taking only a few steps, he suddenly sensed something strange.

"Hm?"

He abruptly turned around and found that, instead of retreating into the pool as usual, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake was coiled at the shore. Its cold eyes stared fixedly at him, as though it were plotting something.

Something's wrong!

Jiang Donghua's heart tightened, and he instinctively became alert.

The next moment, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake suddenly opened its enormous jaws and spewed out a cloud of pitch-black poison mist that swept toward him like a tidal wave!

"Poison mist?!"

Jiang Donghua's pupils contracted sharply. Without hesitation, he unleashed Cloud-Chasing Steps and frantically retreated!

Yet the poison mist spread at terrifying speed, blanketing an area dozens of yards wide in the blink of an eye. The surrounding grass and trees instantly withered, while even the rocks sizzled as they were corroded!

"Damn it!"

Jiang Donghua's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly held his breath and circulated the Blazing Fire Cultivation Method, forming a layer of battle qi around his body to resist the poison mist's corrosion.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The instant the poison mist touched the battle qi barrier, it began corroding it furiously. Jiang Donghua could clearly feel his battle qi being rapidly depleted!

This poison mist can actually corrode battle qi?!

Horrified, he no longer dared to linger. He pushed Cloud-Chasing Steps to its limit and fled wildly into the distance!

Seeing this, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake actually chased after him for the first time. Its enormous body raced through the forest, toppling trees and shaking the ground wherever it passed!

"Has this beast gone mad?!"

Cold sweat seeped across Jiang Donghua's forehead. He had never expected the Blackwater Mysterious Snake to leave the pool in pursuit, much less move several times faster than before!

Could it have been hiding its strength all along?!

He had no time to think. All he could do was flee for his life.

However, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake was simply too fast, and the distance between them was rapidly shrinking!

The scene shifted.

Jiang Donghua slumped inside the cave, gasping heavily. The cold sweat on his forehead had not yet dried, and the clothes on his back were already soaked through.

"Damn it, I almost ended up in that beast's stomach!"

He wiped his face, his heart still pounding wildly. That desperate sprint of over a thousand yards had been even more thrilling than fighting a powerful enemy to the death.

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake's final hisses had made his eardrums ache. He could even feel its foul breath against the back of his head. If that beast had possessed any more stamina, he would probably have become snake dung by now.

"Whew—!"

He let out a long breath and calmed himself before breaking into a grin.

"Still, that overgrown worm's expression when it got mad was damn amusing!"

Whenever he thought of the Blackwater Mysterious Snake angrily chasing him for over a thousand yards, only to hiss unwillingly a few times before returning in frustration, Jiang Donghua could not help laughing.

"Looks like snakes really do lack stamina. It was exhausted after chasing me for just a thousand yards."

He rubbed his chin, a crafty gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Next time... yeah, I need to stay farther away. I can't let it get that close again."

Although he had nearly pushed his luck too far this time, Jiang Donghua had no intention of stopping.

"You scared me that badly. Do you think I don't care about my pride?"

He snorted and patted his chest to bolster his courage.

"I'll keep teasing you, but I need a safer method!"

The next day, Jiang Donghua appeared near Blackwater Pool again.

This time, however, he had learned his lesson. He stood more than a hundred yards away, holding a long branch with a piece of fresh beast meat tied to its end. The meat was coated in specially prepared spices, and its rich aroma wafted through the air.

"Hehe, you overgrown worm, today I'm treating you to roasted meat!"

Standing safely in the distance, he dangled the meat over Blackwater Pool with the branch.

Splash—!

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake instantly burst from the water, its scarlet eyes fixed on the meat. Its tongue flicked wildly, clearly stirred by the tempting aroma.

However, it did not rush over right away. Instead, it warily scanned its surroundings, as though judging whether this was a trap.

"Oh? Getting smarter, are you?"

Jiang Donghua raised an eyebrow and continued waving the branch.

"Come on, don't be shy. It's my treat!"

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake stared at the meat for a long while, but in the end, it could not resist the temptation. It suddenly shot out of the water and lunged at the chunk of meat!

Whoosh—!

Jiang Donghua reacted swiftly, pulling back the branch in an instant. The Blackwater Mysterious Snake missed, and its massive body smashed heavily into the water, sending waves several yards high.

"Hahaha! Stupid snake! Fell for it, didn't you?"

Jiang Donghua laughed loudly and smugly shook the branch.

"Want some? Catch me first!"

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake flew into a rage. With a furious hiss, it chased after him again!

But Jiang Donghua had come prepared. He turned and ran, looking back now and then to taunt it.

"Come on! Try chasing me another thousand yards! Let's see who drops first!"

And so, Jiang Donghua and the Blackwater Mysterious Snake resumed their daily interactions.

This time, though, Jiang Donghua had gotten smarter. He kept himself at a safe distance every time, making sure the Blackwater Mysterious Snake could not catch him.

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake also seemed to gradually grow accustomed to this game. Though it was still driven into a furious rage each time, it would stop after chasing him a thousand yards and no longer pursue him desperately.

A man and a snake somehow found a certain balance through this strange unspoken understanding.

"This beast is pretty interesting."

One evening, Jiang Donghua sat atop a massive boulder, gazing toward Blackwater Pool in the distance with a smile on his lips.

"If I could tame it as a mount, that would be damn impressive!"

He narrowed his eyes, imagining himself riding the Blackwater Mysterious Snake and rampaging through the mountain range.

"Hmm, once I break through to the Battle Master realm, maybe I really can give it a try!"

He chuckled and rose to his feet, stretching lazily.

"I'll come play with you again tomorrow!"

With that, he turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the twilight.

Within Blackwater Pool, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake slowly emerged from the water. As it watched the direction in which he had departed, a strangely human-like and complicated emotion flashed through its scarlet eyes.