The long snake writhed with boundless malice. His hair stood on end, and a chill ran through him.
Whoosh!
Yellow-brown powder billowed into the air, filling the area with the pungent, choking smell of realgar.
In that instant, while the realgar powder was still swirling, he burst through the door.
"Black Hoof, switch targets! I'll handle this big guy!"
Black Hoof had suppressed the Formless Child's aberrant form, but victory wouldn't come so quickly.
Hearing his call, Black Hoof immediately turned and charged toward the activity center.
Root Entanglement!
[Prompt: Your intelligence is ten times your opponent's. The target is forcibly immobilized for 24 seconds and afflicted with Nature Mark.]
Four enormous vines, each as thick as a boa constrictor, writhed down from thin air and instantly ensnared the Formless Child's aberrant form.
The eight-legged spider roared and struggled in midair, but couldn't move.
Its transformations and physical immunity, things it had always prided itself on, were useless against the vines.
He knew it wasn't because of the vines. It was Paradise's rules.
Once the effect was successfully applied, the target couldn't break free unless it had a special ability that granted immunity or overwhelming strength enough to break the restraint.
Boom!
"Descendants and offspring of Yig? What a rare opponent!"
Hissss—chitter!
While the Formless Child was restrained, the fierce battle made the entire activity center tremble.
The hissing of snakes, the clang of metal, the muffled roars, and the fine, shrill incantations merged into a symphony in the air.
With every collision, the dilapidated building let out a series of creaks, as if it could no longer bear the strain. Cracks spread across the walls.
BAM! Roar!
Waves of violent tremors rolled outward. He lost his footing and fell hard onto the ground.
With a thunderous crash, rubble flew and dust billowed. The activity center collapsed into ruins.
Amid the wreckage, Black Hoof's countless tentacles lashed out, filling the air with a blur of whips.
Their whooshing cries merged together, the sound of them cutting through the air ringing without pause.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Countless long lashes fell like raindrops, suppressing the steel-bladed snake monster.
Six giant snakes coiled around the battlefield, hissing as they flicked their tongues. They hemmed Black Hoof in tightly, waiting for a chance to attack.
The two sides were locked in combat, seemingly evenly matched.
But he could tell Black Hoof was at a disadvantage. The snake monster was tying up Black Hoof's attacks, while the giant snakes kept closing in.
"I'll handle the snake monster. Black Hoof, focus on the giant snakes."
In the blink of an eye, green light burst from all around him.
Life Force—Call of Nature!
Green light swirled around him as two Treants appeared in a mighty rush.
One Treant carried the Formless Child off into the distance. The second rammed into the snake monster, and he seized the opportunity to scatter handfuls of realgar powder.
Expropriation!
Four tentacles, like arms, streaked through the air and instantly seized two giant snakes.
With the two Treants joining the fight, the battlefield was split apart!
Large amounts of green slime oozed from the tentacles. Wisps of green smoke rose with a sizzling sound, and the potent corrosive force stripped away great swaths of flesh.
The giant snakes wailed, but even more tiny tentacles wrapped around their bodies, rapidly sucking out their blood.
The three-meter Treant was pitted against the six-meter snake monster and was instantly overwhelmed. The steel blades spun in the snake monster's hands like fluttering butterflies.
The snake monster moved with measured precision and extraordinary agility, forcing the Treant steadily backward. If he hadn't been backing it up, constantly scattering realgar powder, it would have been cut down in just a few exchanges.
Realgar powder couldn't suppress the transformed snake-men or giant snakes, but when scattered in large amounts, it gave off a smell that snakes detested.
It was like someone splashing you with feces while you were fighting.
That foul smell made anyone want to get as far away as possible, and the snake monster was no exception.
"Magic Knife."
As the battlefield split apart, he seized his chance to scatter a large amount of Suleiman's Powder.
A series of hoarse murmurs accompanied the strange words.
"Ahh! I'll kill you!"
The snake monster's long tail had been corroded by Suleiman's Powder until its white bones showed. The agonizing pain made the monster shriek, its body surging with waves of purple qi.
Purple ripples suddenly appeared along the long blade, radiating a terrifying aura.
"Five Tiger Severing Gate! Die!"
Driven by Innate One Qi, the blade flashed.
Under the dazzling, icy light, the Treant was chopped into pieces. The fierce blade wind swept in every direction, stirring up clouds of dust and scattering the realgar powder that had drifted down.
"Master Hu Jie, it's you! You're Master Hu Jie! Master, have you forgotten Xia He, waiting for you to come home? And your father, Hu Lin, the lord of Dongxiang Zhuang!"
He dodged the snake's tail with a sliding step, then scrambled toward cover, shouting as he went.
This aberrant snake monster was actually Hu Jie, the man from before!
At the sound of his voice, the snake monster Hu Jie stopped just as he was about to give chase. Blurry flashes of light passed through his mind.
"Master Hu Jie, you're so wise and mighty! Have you forgotten the promise you made to Xia He, who loves you? You said you'd get the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art at the Luotian Grand Ceremony and give it to her as a dowry!"
Seeing the snake monster freeze and react, he immediately realized his shouting had worked.
The snake monster still had some of Hu Jie's human memories. He must have been transformed only recently!
Taking advantage of the opening, he turned to look toward Black Hoof.
He saw Black Hoof fighting a three-headed snake monster, while the old Violator was still chanting something.
Suddenly, purplish-black slime oozed from the three-headed snake's body, and purple ripples glimmered on its fangs.
That was Weapon Enchantment!
The black slime strengthened the three-headed snake's defenses, draining much of the force from Black Hoof's tentacle attacks. It would be difficult to complete an expropriation anytime soon.
The fangs, enhanced with Weapon Enchantment, had also left several wounds on Black Hoof.
"Great Lord, please show mercy to your servant and let me feel your glory!"
The old man threw back his head and roared. A terrifying black light shot into the sky, and vast ripples spread over the three-headed snake, instantly suppressing Black Hoof completely.
In the distant fog, something rustled, as if drawing near at high speed.
At the same time, the snake monster Hu Jie began shaking his head violently, his expression twisted.
Bang, bang, bang! Click, click!
Wang Changle's expression changed. His fingers repeatedly pulled the trigger, and the rapid gunfire immediately interrupted the old man's invocation.
He placed both hands on the ground and activated Call of Nature once more.
The ivy on the wall instantly gathered together, and the Treant charged toward the shadow in the fog.
He turned and ran toward the ruins. The old man's face changed, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
No! He was going to destroy the Gate of Time and Space!
"Welcome to Jihad! Soldiers!"
A dark golden emblem shone on his forehead. An inscription depicting a gaping abyssal maw appeared in midair, sending black-purple ripples in every direction.
The snake monster Hu Jie's vertical pupils filled with gold. With one swift turn, he charged toward the ruins.
Boom!
The Formless Child inside the eight-legged spider turned the oily substance covering its body solid. It pierced straight through the Treant and crashed into a courtyard wall.
Hissss—haaah!
The swift snake monster slithered through the ruins, quickly dodging the realgar powder. Its furious, savage head rapidly closed in on its target.
Suddenly, the snake monster raised its steel blade. Whoosh! The long blade flew from its hand, hurtling straight toward Wang Changle.
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