Lord of Snake Spirits, Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body (Purple)

One minute earlier...

"Ahhh!"

The bald man's screams echoed through the culvert.

Qin Tian watched it all unfold, his gaze icy.

Though he had some grudges with the bearded man and the bald man, seeing a fellow human being so cruelly tormented by orcs still filled his heart with anger, as if a fire was blazing inside.

But he didn't let rage cloud his judgment.

He had seen clearly from behind earlier—the Myriad Poison Snake Person had been on guard against the bald man the whole time, body tense, highly vigilant. If he had fired then, he wouldn't have saved the bald man, only exposed himself.

It might sound cold-blooded, but for his teammates and his own safety, he had to make sacrifices.

To kill a Fourth Order Myriad Poison Snake Person, he only had one shot.

To increase the odds of that shot, he decided to upgrade a talent—

[Ember Critical Strike]

Currently, he had accumulated over 8,000 Evolution Points, more than 4,000 of which came from that Fourth Order Shadow Catman. After killing over 50 snake people just now, he had harvested nearly 3,000 more.

He kept 3,000 Evolution Points in reserve and poured the remaining 5,000 into the upgrade.

Upgrading [Ember Critical Strike].

The Blue Light Orb trembled slightly, its color deepening rapidly from light blue to medium blue.

At the same time, the stat panel for [Ember Critical Strike] changed.

[Name] Ember Critical Strike (Blue)

[Type] Active Talent

[Description] Burns up to 10% of Willpower, Stamina, and Energy. The next attack has a high chance of dealing 200%-250% damage, a moderate chance of dealing 300%-350% damage, a low chance of dealing 400%-500% damage, and an extremely slim chance of dealing up to 600% damage.

Compared to before, the minimum critical multiplier had risen from 150%-170% to 200%-250%, and the maximum from 500% to 600%—a clear and significant improvement.

This gave Qin Tian a bit more confidence.

To create a better shooting opportunity and leave the Myriad Poison Snake Person no time to react, Qin Tian took a Timed Grenade from his Backpack, used Shadow Leap to quickly move to the tunnel on the opposite side, and set the grenade's detonation time.

Then he returned to his original spot, drew the Hidden Kill Rune Gun, steadied his breath, and waited for the moment to come.

Boom!

The Timed Grenade detonated, the massive explosion drawing the Myriad Poison Snake Person's attention, its head tilting to the side.

Seeing this, Qin Tian immediately pulled the trigger. Psionic Energy, Stamina, and Mental Power drained in an instant, activating [Ember Critical Strike].

{[Ember Critical Strike] triggered. Your next attack will deal 320% critical damage.}

The Three Great Runes on the Hidden Kill Rune Gun lit up, and the specialized bullet sped out of the barrel, accelerating a second time under the enhancement of [Ember Critical Strike] as it shot toward the back of the Myriad Poison Snake Person's head. The entire process made no sound.

A few hundred meters—for a Rune Bullet, it was there in an instant.

The Myriad Poison Snake Person sensed danger descending, and Psionic Energy automatically shielded its body. But under the stacking of the Hidden Kill Rune Gun and Ember Critical Strike, this hastily activated Psionic barrier was pierced through instantly.

The bullet lifted the skullcap, and the brain burst like a watermelon, red and white splattering everywhere.

Sticky liquid splashed onto his face, and only then did Dai Jun react, his single eye filled with shock and horror.

A Fourth Order Myriad Poison Snake Person—

One that could destroy a city with poison, considered by the Empire to be even more dangerous than a Sixth Order Beast Spirit Warrior—had been killed with a single headshot.

He quickly turned his head, looking toward the direction the bullet had come from.

The figure that came into view made him even more incredulous.

How could it be him!!!

After killing the Myriad Poison Snake Person, Evolution Points surged by 5,300. At the same time, three Talent Orbs flew toward Qin Tian.

One of them merged with [Thermal Sense Control], the orb's color deepening slightly.

The other two orbs brought Qin Tian immense surprise.

[Name] Lord of Snake Spirits (Blue)

[Type] Active Talent

[Description] You can communicate with all snake-type creatures and command the snake race to serve you. Additionally, you can establish a mental connection with snakes, sharing senses remotely.

[Name] Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body (Purple)

[Type] Passive Talent

[Description] A Poison Sac forms inside your body, capable of absorbing most deadly poisons in the world and converting them for your own use, allowing you to freely control the secretion and release of venom. The toxins will subtly strengthen your body—the more potent the poison, the better the tempering effect.

A mysterious force reshaped his body. Qin Tian could sense a new organ forming just above his lower abdomen—the Poison Sac of the Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body.

At this moment, the Poison Sac churned with multicolored toxins, all mixed together yet not interfering with one another.

What was strange was that Qin Tian could automatically distinguish the properties and uses of each toxin, able to extract and release them at any time.

Once released, the Poison Sac would continuously secrete that type of toxin without end.

"No wonder every Myriad Poison Snake Person is a major threat to the Empire."

Qin Tian murmured to himself. Though the Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body was a Purple Talent, on par with the Silver Bloodline, in terms of lethality and destructive power, a Fourth Order Myriad Poison Snake Person was far more terrifying than a Sixth Order Silver Beast Spirit Warrior.

As long as they absorbed enough deadly poison, a Myriad Poison Snake Person could transform into a walking Natural Disaster of poison, where everything they passed would be annihilated, not a blade of grass left alive.

Now that the [Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body] was his, from now on, deadly poison would be his food and supplement. He would actively seek out all kinds of toxins to strengthen his Poison Sac.

Moreover, he could both release poison and cure it.

Any toxin that entered the Poison Sac would be absorbed and deconstructed. Not only could it replicate and secrete the toxin, but it could also produce the corresponding antidote.

He had already identified the toxin that had knocked out the Earth Dragon Squad. Soon, as long as he let the three inhale the antidote gas, they would wake up on their own.

The [Ten Thousand Poisons Snake Body] was the first Purple Talent he had obtained, and its effects were extremely powerful.

The other Blue Talent, [Lord of Snake Spirits], was also quite good.

This talent allowed him to communicate with and command snakes. Most crucially, it let him share their senses and perspectives, playing a vital role in environmental detection and intelligence gathering.

After absorbing both talents, Qin Tian slung Hidden Kill onto his back, hooked his hands into the rock crevices, and climbed down the smooth cliff face like a gecko, finally landing steadily on the ground and walking toward Dai Jun.

Watching the man approaching closer and closer, Dai Jun's expression was complicated. He said hoarsely:

"I never thought the one who would save me in the end would be you."

"I never thought that a drunkard who picks fights would be so tough."

Qin Tian used his blade to shatter the iron chains binding Dai Jun's hands and feet, then supported his shoulder, helping him stand slowly on the ground.

Hearing Qin Tian's assessment of him, Dai Jun should have felt pleased. But when he saw the mangled corpse not far away, his heart felt like it was being sliced apart, aching so much he couldn't breathe.

Qin Tian noticed the grief on Dai Jun's face, sighed, and said:

"I'm sorry. I couldn't save him back then."

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who killed Da Chao."

Dai Jun lowered his head, a single tear of blood silently sliding from the corner of his eye.

"Qin Tian, could you lend me your blade?" Dai Jun said in a low voice.

Qin Tian frowned. "You..."

Dai Jun kept his head down, a bitter smile on his lips:

"Da Chao left just a few minutes before me. If I go now, I should still be able to catch up to him."

"Qin Tian, I'm a cripple now. My hands are broken, my eyes are blind. I can never kill Orcs again. For me, living like that is worse than death."

"Just let me die here. Having a Myriad Poison Snake Person as my burial companion—when I go down, I can hold my head high and face my parents."

Seeing the grief and resolve flickering in Dai Jun's single eye, Qin Tian pressed his lips together and finally handed the War Blade to Dai Jun.

"Thanks."

Dai Jun raised the War Blade to his neck. Just before he acted, he suddenly laughed:

"Brother, I've always wanted to tell you—that sneak attack of yours—"

"Damn, it hurt like hell!"

Shlick!!!

The blade sliced across his throat, severing the windpipe. Blood gushed out.

Clang~~~

The War Blade fell to the ground. Dai Jun clutched his neck, staggered over to the bald man, and lay down beside him. His single eye stared at the cave ceiling, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Da Chao, walk slower. Big brother is coming to keep you company."

Drip. Drip.

Water droplets fell into the cold pool, mingling with the blood and spreading outward in ripples.

Qin Tian stood beside Dai Jun and Lin Chao, sighed, then slowly raised his hand toward the two men, offering a standard military salute.

"Farewell... may you walk well."