Green Pattern Giant Serpent (Part 2)

The air by the pool seemed to freeze. Lin Tian gripped his spear tightly, his knuckles white from the force, his gaze locked onto the Green Pattern Giant Serpent beside the water. This seventh-grade water-type Magic Beast had clearly sensed the uninvited guest; its triangular head lowered slightly, vertical pupils churning with icy killing intent, the fishy wind from its flicking tongue drifting over with the breeze, choking Lin Tian's nose.

"Hiss—" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent suddenly let out a sharp screech, its several-zhang-long body springing forth like a drawn bowstring. The thick, barrel-like serpent body cut through the water, stirring up a murky wave, foul saliva dripping from its scales, reflecting a sickly sheen in the sunlight. Lin Tian's pupils contracted; he exploded with battle qi underfoot, his form darting left like an arrow from a string, barely dodging the serpent's hooked fangs—the spot where he had stood was now a half-foot-deep crater from the serpent's head, gravel flying.

"So fast?" Lin Tian's heart tightened, but he immediately spun and thrust his spear forward. The spear tip gathered scorching battle qi, gleaming with a gold-red luster in the sunlight. The Green Pattern Giant Serpent, however, was exceptionally agile; its massive body twisted abruptly, thick scales crashing against the spear shaft like iron armor. A sharp clang rang out, and Lin Tian felt a tremendous force travel up the shaft, numbing his tiger's mouth and sending him stumbling back three steps.

Before Lin Tian could steady himself, the serpent's tail swept in like a steel whip. The shrubs by the pool were uprooted, mud and water splashing as Lin Tian hastily condensed a Flame Shield. Boom! The shield shattered on impact, a wave of scorching air mixed with icy pool water rushing at him. He used the force to leap back again, his back slamming heavily into an ancient tree trunk, a sweet taste rising in his throat.

"A seventh-grade Magic Beast's power is this terrifying!" Lin Tian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes burned even brighter. Suddenly crouching low, he channeled both battle qi and magic, aiming the spear tip straight at the serpent's seven inches—where the scales were thinnest. Sensing the danger, the serpent reared its head and spat out an ice spike. The chill instantly froze the surrounding moisture, the spike whistling sharply toward Lin Tian's face.

At the critical moment, Lin Tian twisted his wrist, the spear tip sparking a trail of fire: "Flame Spear!" A blazing fireball exploded at the spear tip, colliding with the ice spike in a burst of thick white mist. Using the steam as cover, he lunged like a leopard under the serpent's belly, the spear thrusting with a tearing screech. The spear tip flared with a Fire Arrow, and with its sharpness, pierced half an inch into the flesh, but was locked tight by tough muscle.

"Now!" Lin Tian's eyes flashed with light, magic surging wildly along the spear shaft. "Explode!" A string of fireballs erupted from the spear tip, the scorching flames burrowing into the serpent's body through the wound. The Green Pattern Giant Serpent let out a deafening roar of pain, its massive body thrashing wildly, churning up mud and water. Lin Tian was flung off, crashing heavily into the pool, the icy water instantly soaking his clothes.

Before he could surface, a shadow loomed overhead. Lin Tian hurriedly channeled battle qi, twisting his body underwater, barely dodging the serpent's coiling strike. The pool churned like boiling mud; he could clearly feel the sting of the serpent's scales scraping his arm. "I need distance!" He cast Repelling Fire Ring instantly.

Scorching flames erupted from him, steaming the icy pool water into a thick white fog. Lin Tian seized the chance to burst out of the water, stepping lightly on the serpent's scales to leap back to the shore. No sooner had he steadied himself than the serpent chased after him like a green lightning bolt, the wound at its seven inches gushing dark green blood, but its ferocity undiminished.

"Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear!" Lin Tian advanced instead of retreating, thrusting his spear straight while the tip burst with blinding firelight. The Green Pattern Giant Serpent, startled by the intense light, instinctively turned its head—that split-second delay was enough for Lin Tian to complete his move: "Spear Blade!" The spear tip flared with a Fire Arrow, sliding into the gap between the scales on the serpent's neck, then a chain of fireballs exploded again inside its body.

"Roar!" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent went completely berserk. It reared up, flinging Lin Tian into the air, and inhaled deeply, turning the pool's water into dozens of ice arrows shooting toward the sky. Unable to gain footing midair, Lin Tian instantly unleashed his maximum magic to layer three Flame Shields. The ice arrows shattered the shields one by one, the last few grazing his arms, leaving wounds deep enough to see bone.

As he fell, Lin Tian saw the serpent's gaping maw waiting for him. At the brink of life and death, he hurled his spear at the serpent's left eye while exploding all his battle qi, forcibly altering his landing point to land right above the seven-inch wound. "Open up!" He braced his hands against the spear's butt, erupting with battle qi, while the spear tip flared with a Fire Arrow, using its sharpness to pierce into the serpent's eye.

"Hiss—!" The Green Pattern Giant Serpent let out a scream so wretched it didn't sound like a Magic Beast, its massive body convulsing violently, rolling on the ground. Lin Tian gritted his teeth, letting the rough ground scrape his palms and knees, releasing one Fireball after another inside the serpent's body through the spear. With each fireball's explosion, the serpent's struggles grew weaker. After who knows how long, its thrashing gradually ceased, dark green blood soaking the surrounding earth, the steam and stench of blood mixing into a nauseating haze.

When the serpent finally lay still, Lin Tian could no longer hold on, collapsing into the pool of blood. Staring at the sky, his chest heaved violently, each breath pulling at his wounds, pain blackening his vision. The frostbite on his arms radiated cold, the bruise on his back kept him from lying flat, so he curled up, feeling his nearly depleted magic and battle qi, quickly pulling out a recovery potion and gulping it down.

Feeling his magic and battle qi gradually restore, Lin Tian finally regained some strength. He got up, applied medicine to his wounds, and bandaged them simply before walking to the serpent's corpse. Carefully cutting open the wound at the seven inches with a dagger, he retrieved the seventh-grade water-type magic core glowing with a faint blue light. He couldn't hold back anymore, collapsing to sit and laughing out loud, the laughter mixed with pained gasps, echoing far into the silent forest.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, the youth covered in blood and grime, clutching his hard-won prize, the massive serpent corpse behind him. In the distant sky, Laun the Archmage watched this scene, a gratified smile on his aged face, gently stroking the feathers of the Fire Phoenix beside him: "This kid is tougher than we imagined."

Lin Tian didn't know he was being watched. He took the gall from the serpent's body and stored it, then cut a few choice pieces of snake meat. Dragging his utterly exhausted body, he found a hidden cave, set up defenses, removed the makeshift bandages, and gritting his teeth against the intense pain, carefully treated his wounds. Afterward, he sat cross-legged to meditate and recover his mental energy.