Black Viper
The next day, at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
The underground caves of the Ancient Battlefield were pitch black.
Having calculated the exact time, Song Wen and Xuan Ye were already fully prepared to set off.
Xuan Ye was still leading the way. The underground passage they were traveling through still had many forks, and only Xuan Ye knew which path to take.
It took about two and a half hours to walk.
Song Wen suddenly stopped and asked Xuan Ye.
"Fellow Xuan Ye, are we not far from the Snake Cave ahead?"
Xuan Ye asked in confusion.
"Brother Guo Tao, what makes you say that? Have you been here before and know the way to the Snake Cave? This place is indeed not far from the Snake Cave, only a few miles away."
Song Wen shook his head and said.
"I've never been to this Ancient Battlefield before, but about 300 meters ahead, there's a group of snakes dragging six zombies as they crawl forward."
Previously, Song Wen had already demonstrated his superior mental strength, so Xuan Ye did not doubt the truth of Song Wen's statement that Song Wen could know what was happening 300 meters away.
He continued, "What kind of snake was it?"
"They are completely black and vary in size. The smallest are only as thick as a thumb, while the largest are as big as an arm," Song Wen replied.
Xuan Ye nodded. "That should be right, it's the Black Viper from the Snake Cave, they're hunting."
"Hunting!" Song Wen exclaimed in surprise.
This was the first time Song Wen had ever heard of a creature that fed on zombies.
Xuan Ye nodded and said, "Food is scarce in the cave, so it's not surprising that Demon Beast and walking corpses prey on each other."
"So what should we do now?" Song Wen asked.
"Let's not disturb the Black Viper hunting ahead; let them carry their food back to their Snake Cave."
Xuan Ye paused for a moment, then continued.
"We'll still need to rely on Brother Guo Tao for our next plan to harvest Snake-Scale Fruit."
Song Wen nodded and said, "No problem, this is something we discussed beforehand, but shouldn't you tell me about your plan to harvest the Snake-Scale Fruit?"
Xuan Ye had previously mentioned that his plan required the assistance of body-refining cultivators, which was why he invited Song Wen and Niu Ding to accompany him, but he did not reveal the details of the plan.
Xuan Ye said, "The Black Viper has lived underground in the Ancient Battlefield for a long time and feeds on walking corpses. This makes the Black Viper naturally fond of shady places and darkness; it fears fire and the yang energy of heaven and earth."
"To successfully seize the Snake-Scale Fruit, I made preparations for a long time. I spent a lot of money to have someone refine a set of <Prairie Fire Formation>. This array has eight Formation Flags. As long as the eight Formation Flags are inserted into the corresponding positions, and I activate the Formation Plate, the area within the array can be transformed into a sea of fire."
"The temperature within this formation is extremely high, and it also carries a trace of yang energy from heaven and earth. As long as this formation is set up on the ground of the Snake Cave, due to the nature of the Black Viper, they will definitely be suppressed deep within the snake cave."
"After that, it will be much easier for us to get the Snake-Scale Fruit."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen frowned deeply.
Xuan Ye's plan sounds feasible, but its implementation will certainly not be as smooth as he claims.
For example, how to successfully deploy the eight Formation Flags is a big problem.
The Black Viper wouldn't be foolish enough to stand idly by while a Human Race cultivator operated on their territory.
However, Song Wen did not directly raise any objections, but instead said...
"Let's go check out the Snake Cave first, and then decide what to do."
Xuan Ye said, "That's excellent."
The two then walked and waited. The Black Viper ahead was not moving the corpses very fast; it took it a full quarter of an hour to cover the distance of several miles.
Xuan Ye and Song Wen hid in the shadows at the corner of the cave, about three hundred meters from the Snake Cave.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Xuan Ye had already put away the fluorescent stones used for illumination, leaving the surroundings completely dark.
Through the Beetle Gu, Song Wen saw the general situation of the Snake Cave.
The cave where the Snake Cave is located is tens of meters high, with a sloping stone slope that extends from the ground to the top of the cave.
On the rocky slope, there are countless densely packed holes, some as large as two inches and others only the size of a thumb.
Hundreds of Black Viper and slithered on the rocky slope, and many more lay in their burrows, only half of their tails showing.
These Black Viper vary greatly in size, ranging from as thick as a bowl to as small as a chopstick.
Halfway up the rocky slope, there grows a small tree, about two meters tall, all alone.
Perhaps because it had never been exposed to sunlight, the sapling was grayish-white overall, even its leaves were grayish-white.
At the top of the sapling, three fiery red fruits, each the size of a fist, were brimming with Spiritual Qi and emitted a delicate fragrance.
This attracted many small snakes to slither around under the tree, their eyes fixed on the three Snake-Scale Fruits, but not a single one dared to climb the tree and bite into the Snake-Scale Fruit.
Looking around at the pitch black surroundings, Song Wen asked.
"Fellow Xuan Ye, what's the next step?"
Xuan Ye said, "During the operation, I will send a vengeful ghost to attract the snakes' attention, while simultaneously casting Fireball Technique."
"Brother Guo Tao, what you need to do is, using the firelight, throw the eight Formation Flags to their corresponding positions within a short time."
As he spoke, a Formation Flags appeared in Xuan Ye's hand.
The Formation Flags was about two feet long, fiery red in color, with a black flagpole. The end of the flagpole was very sharp, presumably designed to make it easier for the Formation Flags to be inserted into the rocks. Mysterious cloud patterns were drawn on both the flag and the flagpole, with flames seemingly flowing between the cloud patterns, making it extremely mystical.
Xuan Ye said, "This Formation Flags weighs about a hundred catties. You need to use brute force to throw it accurately to the base of the array. You should be able to do that, right?"
With Xuan Ye Qi Refining Seventh Layer strength, his mental power coverage range was only a little over a hundred meters. Beyond this range, his mental power would lose control over the Law Artifact would then rely solely on inertia to move straight ahead, making precise control impossible. Consequently, he would also be unable to accurately insert the Formation Flags into the array's base.
Therefore, Xuan Ye had no choice but to find another way.
He then thought of finding a body-refining cultivator to help him obtain the Snake-Scale Fruit.
Body-refining cultivators possess formidable physical strength, enabling them to accurately throw Formation Flags from a distance to the base of the formation.
Song Wen took the Formation Flags, weighed it in his hand, and said, "That's not a problem, but relying on brute force to throw and plant the flags one by one is too troublesome and takes too long. It's easy for the Black Viper to detect it, causing the array to fail."
Xuan Ye raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? You have a better way?"
Song Wen said, "My mental power can barely cover the area of Snake Cave. If I can refine the Formation Flags to a preliminary stage, I can use my mental power to control eight Formation Flags at the same time and insert them into the base of the Formation Flags."
After more than two years of feeding, Song Wen gradually figured out some new uses for the Beetle Gu. In addition to helping him extend his spiritual power, the Beetle Gu could also help him to control magical Law Artifact within the extended range.
Although Song Wen couldn't use magical Law Artifact to attack enemies within the extended range, he could still control eight Formation Flags and insert them into the array.