The Snake Spirit Fruit

Ling Tian knew the rabbits had left, of course, but he wasn't worried. He continued searching for fruit on his own.

"Eh? What a lovely fragrance. But why is there a faint fishy stench mixed in?" Ling Tian gave a slight twitch of his nose and caught a strong, sweet aroma, with just a hint of fishiness beneath it.

His curiosity piqued, Ling Tian followed the fragrance. Still, he was very cautious, keeping a hatchet in his hand in case of danger.

As Ling Tian drew closer, the fragrance grew stronger. The fishy stench mixed into it grew more and more intense, too. He furrowed his brows but wasn't particularly worried. He crouched low, his footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

"Hiss, hiss!"

Suddenly, Ling Tian heard a strange sound. It was urgent and full of warning.

"What is it?" Ling Tian pondered.

As he thought, Ling Tian continued forward. After rounding a boulder, he suddenly stopped, unable to tear his eyes away.

On a cliff face not far away, an ancient vine grew in winding coils, covering the entire rock wall. It was lush and verdant, its leaves so green they seemed to drip. But that wasn't what drew the eye most. More than a dozen bright-red fruits hung from the vine, each no bigger than a strawberry. A hazy red light shimmered around them, and the rich fragrance Ling Tian had smelled earlier came from those very fruits. The red fruits and green leaves made a striking sight.

"Snake Spirit Fruit!" Ling Tian exclaimed in delight. He quickly recalled the information Ling Yun's father had once told him about the Snake Spirit Fruit.

"Snake Spirit Fruit" grew by gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and its spiritual energy was extraordinary. When ripe, the fruit turned completely red and gave off a rich, sweet fragrance. Eating Snake Spirit Fruit greatly benefited the body, boosting its strength and speed. Its abundant spiritual energy could also greatly improve one's cultivation. In the Cultivation World, Snake Spirit Fruit was exceedingly rare—often available at no price, because none could be found for sale.

"I can't believe I found Snake Spirit Fruit! Ha-ha, it's just what I need. Heh, let's see those rabbits act so cocky now." Ling Tian was triumphant, as if he could already see himself catching a Swift Shadow Rabbit.

"Hiss, hiss!"

A strange noise snapped Ling Tian out of his daydream. He focused his gaze and saw a scarlet python coiled beneath the cliff. Its body was thicker than a barrel, and even coiled up it stood over a zhang tall. Straightened out, it must have been at least three zhang long. The snake flicked its tongue, hissing again and again. Its eyes gleamed with murderous intent, full of warning.

Only then did Ling Tian understand where the faint fishy stench had come from. It was the giant snake.

"Red Spirit Python!" Ling Tian cried, his expression grave. "Father said Red Spirit Pythons guard Snake Spirit Fruit. Looks like taking those fruits today is going to be a bit of a hassle."

Ling Tian knew the Red Spirit Python would be difficult to deal with. It wasn't poisonous, but it was immensely strong and liked to coil around its prey before swallowing it whole. Fortunately, it had to guard the Snake Spirit Fruit and wouldn't chase after Ling Tian on its own.

"Should I go back and tell Father, and ask him to help me take the fruit?" Ling Tian furrowed his brows, then thought, "This Red Spirit Python has already seen me spot it. If I go back, it'll probably eat the fruit right away. They're ripe already, so it can eat them now."

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to kill the big snake myself." Ling Tian tightened his grip on the hatchet, the veins on his hand faintly showing. He was clearly nervous.

Thinking this, Ling Tian cautiously took two steps toward the Red Spirit Python. Seeing that its threat had no effect, the python shook its raised head violently and roared. A savage aura spread from it as it prepared to attack.

Ling Tian's heart jumped. He hurriedly retreated two steps, then suddenly sped up and feinted to the left, moving like the wind. The Red Spirit Python opened its jaws, baring its hooked fangs, and lunged at him like a bolt of lightning. But Ling Tian's move to the left had only been a feint. The snake's head shot left, and once its movement was committed, he darted right. He shifted the hatchet to his left hand and swung at the snake's head.

The Red Spirit Python hissed, murderous fury blazing in its eyes, but it couldn't dodge the hatchet. Ling Tian was delighted. He put even more strength into his swing and brought it down hard.

Clang!

The snake's head didn't come flying off as Ling Tian had imagined. The hatchet merely scraped away a few scales, leaving a shallow gash.

"Not good." Ling Tian knew at once that things had gone wrong, but he didn't dare pause for even a moment. He kicked off the ground and slid far away.

The snake's fangs shattered the rock where he had been standing. Ling Tian had barely escaped that bite.

"I barely managed to hurt it at all. At least I'm a little faster than it is, or I'd have ended up in its belly today." Ling Tian was relieved, then furrowed his brow even deeper. "Its scales are so tough. How am I supposed to kill it?"

The Red Spirit Python paid no heed to Ling Tian's troubles. It uncoiled and roared as it lunged at him again. Ling Tian dodged left and right. Though he was in a sorry state, he escaped danger for the moment. What he didn't notice was the vicious glint in the Red Spirit Python's eyes, along with a hint of cunning.

"Father said every living thing has a weakness. What's this one's?" Ling Tian thought hard, his expression grave.

The Red Spirit Python opened its jaws wide, filling the air with its fishy stench. Saliva flew from its mouth, where everything was a bright, bloody red.

"I've got it! There are no scales inside its mouth, so I should be able to cut it. But how can I land a blow?" A thought flashed through Ling Tian's mind, only to fade away just as quickly.

"Ah!"

Something suddenly caught Ling Tian's foot. His body tilted, and he could no longer keep his balance.

The Red Spirit Python had only pretended to bite with its mouth. During their long struggle, it had already uncoiled its body—its body was its greatest weapon. Seeing Ling Tian lose his balance, the python seized the opportunity. Its tail lashed out and quickly wrapped around him. In moments, only the arm holding the hatchet remained outside.

"Not good!" Ling Tian panicked, but his chest was already tight. The Red Spirit Python was squeezing him.

Ling Tian gripped his hatchet and hacked again and again at one spot on the snake's body. In an instant, he struck the same spot more than a dozen times. A huge wound split open, exposing torn flesh as blood gushed everywhere. The Red Spirit Python was in agony and flew into a frenzy. It opened its mouth to swallow Ling Tian.

"Perfect!" Ling Tian was delighted rather than frightened.

Ling Tian thrust his hatchet forward, and the snake's mouth swallowed him whole. He knew this was his final strike: either the snake died, or he did. How could he possibly hold anything back? The strength he had built up over the years erupted all at once.

"Ah!"

Ling Tian gave a great shout. His own strength, combined with the Red Spirit Python's bite, drove the blade through the snake's upper jaw. A section of the blade protruded through, its snowy surface soaked in bright-red blood, and brain matter spilled out—a terribly beautiful sight.

Though the sight was beautiful, the blow was deadly. The Red Spirit Python's upper jaw had been pierced, and its brain was there. In an instant, it lost control of its body. It twitched for a while, then lay completely still.

"Cough, cough!"

Ling Tian finally managed to pry open the snake's jaws. Though only a short time had passed, he was utterly spent. He couldn't help coughing violently, and struggled to spit out a few breaths of stale air. Fresh air flooded his chest, and he gradually regained a little strength.

"Phew!" Ling Tian was immensely relieved. "Good thing it tried to bite me and exposed its weakness. Otherwise, I'd have been done for today."

"It stinks!" Ling Tian took deep breaths of fresh air. Getting swallowed into the snake's mouth had been absolutely foul.

"Good thing I killed it." Ling Tian struggled to raise his aching arm, intending to wipe the sticky sweat from his forehead, only to realize that he was covered in blood from head to toe. He felt horribly sticky and miserable.

"I'd better collect the Snake Spirit Fruit first. If there's another Red Spirit Python around, I'll be dead for sure." Ling Tian cautiously looked around. Seeing nothing unusual, he dragged his weary, aching body over to pick the fruit.

There were more than a dozen Snake Spirit Fruits. Fortunately, they weren't very high up, so Ling Tian gathered them all in no time. Then he quickly left.

Only after walking a long way did Ling Tian gradually relax. He found a small stream and carefully washed himself. The water was icy, but once he rinsed off, he felt much more refreshed. After washing, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and headed for the Swift Shadow Rabbits' territory.

Not long afterward, he came to a tree and took out the fruits. There were a little more than ten of them, all bright red and quite lovely. A faint light shone from the fruits, and their spiritual energy was extraordinary.

Ling Tian picked up a Snake Spirit Fruit and gently sniffed it. A rich fragrance rushed into his nose. At once, it felt as if every part of his body had opened up, trembling faintly. Even his tired, aching body felt much better. He popped the fruit into his mouth and took a gentle bite. Juice burst out, and a warm current flowed into his belly. A surging, concentrated aura nourished every part of his body, and he could clearly feel his physique growing stronger.

"Wow, that feels so good." Ling Tian couldn't help groaning in pleasure.

Then he ate several more in one go and immediately felt clear-headed and invigorated. He still wanted to eat a few more, but remembering how rare Snake Spirit Fruit was, he decided to save some for his father and mother. They had gone to so much trouble for him. Thinking this, he tossed the remaining fruits into his Storage Ring, intending to give them to Ling Yun and his wife when he got home.

After eating, he saw that the rabbits still hadn't returned, but he wasn't in a hurry. Since Humei Niang had brought him here, this was probably the Swift Shadow Rabbits' nest—or at least a place they frequented. With no rabbits in sight, Ling Tian found a big tree and leapt up it in a few bounds. He lay down on a thick branch and began to sleep.

He was worn out. He hadn't had a proper rest since morning, and he'd fought a fierce battle with the Red Spirit Python. Though he had eaten Snake Spirit Fruit, he was still mentally exhausted.

Time passed unnoticed in his sleep. After who knew how long, Ling Tian was awakened by a chorus of squeaks. He rubbed his bleary eyes, stretched, and yawned repeatedly. He clearly hadn't slept well. Just as he was about to look for whoever had disturbed his dreams, several gray rabbit-shaped shadows came into view around him.

"You have it easy, don't you? You eat your fill, then come back to tease me. Do you think I'm your toy or something? Hmph!" Ling Tian grumbled, thoroughly annoyed.

It was only natural. He'd been toyed with for so long—anyone would be unhappy. And the ones teasing him were "people"—well, rabbits. A whole bunch of them, at that.

"Squeak, squeak!" As if they could understand Ling Tian, the Swift Shadow Rabbits hopped about merrily, looking eager to get started.

"Hmph. One of these days, I'll tease you lot instead." Ling Tian brooded to himself. Then he leapt from the tree and continued trying to "catch" the rabbits.

Though eating the Snake Spirit Fruit had greatly increased his speed, Ling Tian still couldn't catch these Swift Shadow Rabbits. He was simply indignant, so he kept at it, refusing to give up.

Time slipped by as Ling Tian failed again and again. Before long, dusk had fallen. Remembering his mother's instructions, Ling Tian sighed. "Looks like I'm not going to catch even one of the ten rabbits today. I'd better go back before Mother and the others start worrying. I'll keep trying tomorrow."

Seeing Ling Tian about to leave, the rabbits looked reluctant, as if they were about to lose a fun toy.

"Little Guys, it's dark. I have to go home. We'll continue tomorrow." Seeing how reluctant the rabbits were to see him go, Ling Tian could only laugh bitterly. Then he stopped paying them any attention, picked up his Black Gold Cold Silkworm Clothes, put them on, and fled.

The rabbits were overjoyed. Seeing Ling Tian run away, they hopped and leapt about even more excitedly, then scattered, waiting for dawn to come so they could keep playing with their "toy."