The air beside the pool seemed to freeze. Lin Tian gripped his spear tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force, his gaze locked firmly on the Green Pattern Giant Serpent by the water. This level-seven water-element magical beast had clearly noticed the uninvited guest. Its triangular head lowered slightly, cold killing intent churning in its vertical pupils. The foul wind stirred by its flicking tongue drifted over on the breeze, making Lin Tian's nostrils tighten.
"Hiss—" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent suddenly let out a piercing shriek, its several-zhang-long body shooting forward like a taut bowstring. Its bucket-thick body sliced through the water, kicking up a muddy wave. Stinking saliva dripped from its scales, reflecting a nauseating greasy sheen beneath the sunlight. Lin Tian's pupils contracted sharply. Battle qi erupted beneath his feet, and he dashed left like an arrow loosed from a bow, barely avoiding the serpent's hooked fangs—the spot where he had stood had already been smashed into a half-foot-deep crater, stones flying everywhere.
"It's that fast?" Lin Tian's heart tightened, but he immediately spun around and thrust his spear forward. Scorching battle qi gathered at the spear tip, gleaming gold and crimson in the sunlight. Yet the Green Pattern Giant Serpent was astonishingly agile. Its massive body twisted sharply, its thick scales slamming into the shaft like iron armor. With a crisp clang, a tremendous force traveled up the spear, numbing Lin Tian's palm and throwing him back three steps.
Before Lin Tian could steady himself, the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's tail swept toward him like a steel whip. Shrubs by the pool were uprooted, and amid the splashing mud and water, Lin Tian could only hastily form a Flame Shield. Bang! The shield shattered at once. A scorching blast mixed with icy pool water struck him head-on, and he used the impact to leap back again, his back slamming heavily into an ancient tree trunk as sweetness rose in his throat.
"The strength of a level-seven magical beast is actually this terrifying!" Lin Tian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes grew even hotter. He suddenly lowered his body, circulating battle qi and magic power at the same time, his spear tip aimed directly at the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's vital spot—the weakest point of its scales. As if sensing danger, the serpent abruptly raised its head and spat out an ice spike. The cold instantly froze the surrounding moisture, and the ice spike shot toward Lin Tian's face with a shrill whistle.
At the critical moment, Lin Tian twisted his wrist, sending sparks flying from the spear tip. "Flame Spear!" A blazing fireball exploded from the tip, erupting into dense white mist the instant it collided with the ice spike. Using the vapor as cover, he pounced beneath the Green Pattern Giant Serpent like a leopard, his spear thrusting out with a sharp scream that tore through the air. A Fire Arrow emerged from the spear tip, and borrowing its sharpness, the tip pierced half an inch into the serpent's flesh with a squelch before being firmly trapped by tough muscle.
"Now!" A glint flashed in Lin Tian's eyes as magic power surged wildly through the spear shaft. "Explode!" A string of fireballs burst from the spear tip and detonated violently, scorching flames burrowing into the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's body through the wound. The serpent let out a thunderous roar of pain, its massive body twisting madly and sending mud and water flying everywhere. Lin Tian was flung away and crashed heavily into the pool, icy water instantly soaking through his clothes.
Before he could surface, a black shadow had already enveloped him. Lin Tian hurriedly circulated his battle qi, forcibly twisting his body underwater and barely evading the serpent's coiling body. The pool churned like boiling mud, and he could clearly feel the stabbing pain as the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's scales scraped across his arm. I have to put some distance between us! He instantly cast Repelling Fire Ring.
Scorching flames erupted around him, turning the icy pool water into great clouds of white mist. Lin Tian seized the chance to break through the surface, tapped his toe against the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's scales, and borrowed the force to leap back to shore. The moment he found his footing, he saw the serpent pursuing him like a green bolt of lightning. Dark green blood gushed from the wound at its vital spot, yet its viciousness had not diminished in the slightest.
"Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear!" Instead of retreating, Lin Tian advanced. As his spear shot forward, its tip erupted with dazzling firelight. The Green Pattern Giant Serpent was suddenly struck by the intense light and instinctively turned its head away. That brief delay was enough for Lin Tian to complete his move—"Spear Blade!" A Fire Arrow emerged from the spear tip and pierced through a gap in the scales along the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's neck. Then a chain of fireballs erupted within the serpent's body once more.
"Roar!" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent went completely berserk. It abruptly threw its head back, flinging Lin Tian into the air, while at the same time inhaling deeply. The water in the pool transformed into dozens of ice arrows and shot toward the sky. Unable to gain leverage in midair, Lin Tian could only unleash his full magic power in an instant, forming three layers of Flame Shield. The ice arrows shattered the shields one after another. The last few grazed his arms, leaving several wounds deep enough to expose bone.
As he fell, Lin Tian saw the Green Pattern Giant Serpent opening its bloodstained maw to await him. In that razor-thin moment between life and death, he hurled his spear at the serpent's left eye while unleashing battle qi throughout his body, forcibly altering his landing point so that he landed directly above the wound at its vital spot. "Break open!" He braced both hands against the butt of the spear and violently erupted with battle qi. At the same time, a Fire Arrow emerged from the spear tip, borrowing its sharpness to pierce into the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's eye.
"Hiss—!" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent released a shriek so miserable it scarcely seemed possible for a magical beast, its massive body convulsing violently before rolling across the ground. Lin Tian gritted his teeth, allowing the rough earth to tear open his palms and knees as he used the spear to release one Fireball after another inside the serpent's body. With every explosion, the Green Pattern Giant Serpent struggled harder. After an unknown amount of time, its struggles gradually weakened. Dark green blood soaked the surrounding earth, and rising heat mingled with the stench of blood, making him nauseous.
When the giant serpent finally stopped moving, Lin Tian could no longer hold on and collapsed in the pool of blood. Staring up at the sky, his chest heaved violently. Every breath pulled at wounds across his body, making his vision go dark with pain. The ice wounds on his arms gave off a chill, while the injury from the blow to his back kept him from lying flat. He could only curl up and feel the near-empty magic power and battle qi within him. He hurriedly took out a recovery potion, opened his mouth, and poured it down.
As he felt his magic power and battle qi gradually recovering, Lin Tian finally regained a little strength. He got up and first applied medicine to his wounds, then wrapped them simply before walking to the Green Pattern Giant Serpent's corpse. Using a dagger, he carefully cut open the wound at its vital spot. When he extracted the level-seven water-element magic core, which glowed with a ghostly blue light, Lin Tian could no longer restrain himself. He slumped to the ground and laughed aloud, his laughter mixed with painful gasps that carried far through the silent mountain forest.
The setting sun cast his shadow long. The youth was covered in blood and grime, gripping his hard-won trophy in his hand, while the enormous corpse of the Green Pattern Giant Serpent lay behind him. In the distant sky, Saint-level Magus Laun watched the scene. A gratified smile appeared on his aged face as he gently stroked the feathers of Fire Phoenix at his side. "This kid is even tougher than we imagined."
Lin Tian did not know he was being watched. He took out the serpent's gallbladder and stored it away, then cut off several choice pieces of snake meat. Dragging his exhausted body to a concealed cave, he set up defenses before removing his simple bandages. Enduring the intense pain, he carefully treated his wounds. Once he was done, he sat cross-legged to meditate and restore his spiritual power.
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