Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python

Before him stood a giant fruit tree, roughly ten meters tall, with a trunk so thick that two men could not wrap their arms around it.

It stood in the very center of the spirit field, its canopy spreading out like a cloud.

Unlike other fruit trees, this Vermilion Fruit tree was not laden with fruit of varying sizes.

Instead, it was sparse, filled only with branches and leaves.

Only on the topmost branch hung a single, exceptionally round Vermilion Fruit, its entire body a deep, strange purple.

Across the surface of this Vermilion Fruit were unique markings that looked like flashes of lightning.

Shen Mo paused before this giant tree, having no time to admire the top-tier Vermilion Fruit.

Because he saw a snake coiled among the vines of the tree.

This snake was also ringed with silver patterns, alternating between black and white.

But unlike other Silver-Ringed Snake Demons, this one possessed a massive body, even larger than an average python beast.

Beneath its exaggerated size, what made Shen Mo's heart tighten most was that this demon snake actually had two heads!

The two heads were of different sizes, one large and one small.

The large one was the size of a millstone, while the smaller one was only the size of an infant's palm.

The contrast between the two was truly bizarre.

"Silver-Ringed Snake Demons usually travel in packs. This type of demon beast lacks a special bloodline and rarely becomes a high-tier existence."

"To cultivate, they must undergo nine molts before they can ascend to the rank of a second-tier demon beast."

"A very obvious characteristic to judge whether it has reached the second tier is that for every tier it ascends, the beast grows a new head!"

Knowledge about common demon beasts that Uncle Chen had once shared with him surfaced in Shen Mo's mind.

Two heads meant this was a second-tier Silver-Soul Demon Snake, its strength equivalent to a human cultivator in the Qi Gathering Realm!

"This Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python doesn't seem to have fully ascended to the second tier yet."

He judged calmly, "The head has only just sprouted and is not yet mature; it seems to be on the threshold of entering the second tier."

Even so, it was definitely not something he could handle in his current state!

"That damned Zhao Family. With such a powerful demon beast here, why didn't they report it beforehand!"

Shen Mo's heart trembled as he stared warily at the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python, carefully retreating backward.

Run!

He had no intention of fighting.

He only wanted to slip away quickly while the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python had not yet noticed him!

This demon python was not like the small demon snakes he had slaughtered like chopping melons and vegetables earlier.

A demon beast nearing the second tier would require at least a peak Body Tempering Realm cultivator to have any hope of killing it.

He was only at the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm.

If they truly clashed, he might not even survive a single exchange!

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Shen Mo did not wish to attract the attention of the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python.

But things went against his wishes; just as he was quietly retreating, the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python's mouth, like that of the Grim Reaper, slowly opened.

It slithered rapidly down from the fruit tree, raised its tail—thick as a giant log—and smashed it down suddenly toward Shen Mo.

"Not good!"

Shen Mo's expression changed drastically; he stomped his foot and narrowly avoided the strike.

"Crack!"

Where the snake tail landed, dust flew, leaving a shocking crater in the spirit field.

Had that strike landed on Shen Mo, he would have been dead or severely wounded!

"Whoosh!"

The Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python gave Shen Mo no chance to catch his breath, raising its tail again to sweep across.

"Bang!"

The massive tail smashed into a Vermilion Fruit tree, snapping the trunk in half, and lunged straight at him.

"I can't dodge it!"

In Shen Mo's pupils, the reflection of the snake tail grew larger and larger. Just as he was about to be struck, he crushed a talisman!

"Hum!"

Golden light flared. From within the talisman, a thick, bright yellow spiritual energy instantly transformed into a rock-solid shield, absorbing the blow for him.

"It's a good thing I bought a life-saving talisman earlier, otherwise I would have really met my end here!"

Seeing the talisman activate, Shen Mo felt a slight sense of relief.

"Bang!"

The Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python, seeing its first strike fail, swung its tail down once more.

This time, it was again blocked by the Bedrock Talisman.

However, following two violent assaults, the color of the bedrock shield condensed by the Bedrock Talisman had faded significantly.

Clearly, the endurance of this talisman had its limits.

If a few more attacks landed, it would be shattered by brute force long before the talisman's duration expired.

"Earth-Escaping Talisman, retreat first!"

Shen Mo reached into his Qiankun Pouch again, pulled out another talisman, and crushed it on the spot!

"Whoosh!"

The moment the talisman was crushed, Shen Mo's body was enveloped by endless flowing sand, and he vanished directly into the ground, disappearing from the scene.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python's gaze was icy as it scanned the surroundings, but it could no longer see any trace of Shen Mo.

It seemed to hesitate for a moment, glanced back at the purple Vermilion Fruit on the tree, and ultimately chose not to pursue.

Instead, it coiled itself back onto the giant fruit tree.

"A heavy loss!"

On the outskirts of the spirit field, Shen Mo, who had fled in a panic, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python showed no signs of pursuing him.

Following that, he began to feel the sting of losing his two talismans.

"The Earth-Escaping Talisman and the Bedrock Talisman cost me twenty Spirit Stones in total. I hadn't even warmed them up, and they're already gone."

"And those small demon snake corpses—I didn't even have time to collect them."

A flicker of rage crossed his face: "Damn the Zhao family! They actually lied about the strength of the demon beast and nearly got me killed!"

Had Shen Mo known that a demon beast nearing the second rank existed in this Zhao family spirit field, he would never have accepted this mission!

"Immortal Master."

"You've come out. How did it go? Have those demon snakes been wiped out?"

Shen Mo's figure moved like lightning as he quickly arrived at the inner hall of the Zhao family.

The group of guards who had fled the battle were all waiting before the door.

Seeing him emerge, they swarmed around him.

"Wiped out?" Shen Mo's face was as dark as water, and he remained silent.

"Immortal Master, did something happen?"

To the side, Zhao Jiachang observed his expression, and seeing that Shen Mo's demeanor was off, he asked nervously.

"Let me ask you this." Shen Mo's gaze was cold as he spoke, "Why did your Zhao family conceal the strength of the demon beast?"

"Conceal? Where would such a thing come from?"

Zhao Jiachang was slightly stunned.

"Are you unaware that in this spirit field, not only are there small demon snakes, but there is also a great demon with strength approaching the second rank?"

"What? A great demon with strength approaching the second rank?"

Zhao Jiachang was shocked: "How is this possible? Although the Vermilion Fruit planted in our Zhao family spirit field is a spiritual herb, high-rank demon beasts shouldn't be attracted to it."

It seems they truly didn't know.

Shen Mo thought to himself, seeing that his expression did not seem feigned.

"My experience is still too shallow. Even if they didn't know about this, when I learned that over a hundred demon snakes were swarming through, I should have guessed that there must be a leader guiding them."

Despite this, the rage on his face did not subside much: "Do you still intend to play dumb?"

"Do you realize that because you concealed the strength of the demon beast, you nearly got me killed! You also caused me to lose two high-rank talismans of great value!"

Regardless of whether the Zhao family knew about the Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python or not, Shen Mo insisted that it was their concealment that caused the disaster.

He had suffered a major loss, and he could not let it go just like that.