Rock Snake [During the trial run, please give me some materials!]

Chapter 24: Rock Snake

Xiao Yuan's gaze swept over her deathly pale face, a flicker of calculation crossing his heart.

He was not kindhearted, much less prone to softhearted mercy.

Had she been an ordinary mercenary or a passing stranger, the instant she rashly launched that sneak attack, his Thunderclap Finger would have struck her head and turned her into a corpse.

But Xiao Yi Xian was different.

She possessed the woeful poison body, and her innate talent was already extraordinary. Moreover, she was a relatively important character in the original story, pure of heart, grateful for kindness, and faithful to her promises—easy to manipulate (scratch that), get along with...

If he could win her over and bring her into his service, once her poison body reached full maturity, she would become a top-tier fighting force capable of intimidating all quarters.

This deal was guaranteed profit with no risk of loss.

Only a worthwhile deal deserved the effort of maneuvering. He had never cared to waste his energy on pointless slaughter.

Having settled on a plan, Xiao Yuan considered what to do with her.

Leaving her up here definitely won't work.

If she runs off later or brings the people from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion here, that'll be trouble.

While observing them from hiding earlier, he had sensed a peak Dou Zhe among the party.

Then there was only one thing to do...

"Steady yourself."

As those quiet words fell, before Xiao Yi Xian could react, Xiao Yuan reached out and caught her slender wrist with unerring precision.

His palm was warm, carrying the steady warmth of Dou Qi, and firmly stilled the trembling that ran through Xiao Yi Xian's body.

The next instant, lightning blazed beneath his feet!

Bzzzt—

A faint crackle of thunder rang along the cliff's edge. Pale purple lightning coiled around his feet as he unleashed the Thunderflash movement technique at full power, vanishing from the spot before Xiao Yi Xian could cry out in alarm.

With the slender girl in tow, Xiao Yuan used the lightning's lifting force to shoot sideways, safely clearing the cliff's edge.

Wild winds howled past their ears, and the abyss's chill rushed into their faces.

Xiao Yi Xian instinctively held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, clutching Xiao Yuan's sleeve tightly, her heart filled with shock.

The seemingly bottomless abyss raced beneath her feet, yet protected by the steady Dou Qi flowing from the young man's palm, she felt neither weightlessness nor danger. It was unbelievably secure.

In a mere instant, the two landed firmly on a level stone ledge halfway down the cliff.

This was the entrance to that hidden ancient cave.

Looking up, they saw the entire cave mouth densely entwined with thousand-year-old vines. Ancient vines as thick as arms crossed and knotted together, their surfaces coated with thick, slippery moss.

The gaps between the vines were tiny, completely shutting out the light within the cave and giving off the damp chill of a place that had not seen daylight for years.

The surrounding air was cold and gloomy, the wind still. In stark contrast to the howling gale above, it was eerily quiet.

Xiao Yuan released Xiao Yi Xian's wrist and swept a calm gaze over the layers of ancient vines, a trace of vigilance passing between his brows.

He spread his soul power, cautiously sweeping the surrounding stone walls.

He remembered that the original story had described a rank-one magical beast guarding the cave.

Sure enough, the very next instant!

Hiss—!

A piercing snake hiss suddenly erupted from deep within the dense curtain of vines!

Crack, crack! Rustle!

The thick ancient vines shook wildly and snapped, sending loose stones and moss flaking off in all directions.

An enormous snake's head, grayish-brown all over and covered in scales patterned like stone, violently broke through the vines and thrust out!

The Rock Snake's body was as thick as a barrel, its head huge and flattened. Its slit pupils were a lifeless dark yellow, and its icy gaze locked firmly onto the two uninvited visitors at the cave entrance. A foul, bloody stench washed over them, enough to make them retch.

It was a magical beast that inhabited caves in cliff faces—a Rock Snake!

A highly intelligent rank-one magical beast with an exceptionally cunning fighting style.

It lurked in rocky crevices year-round, its flesh hard as stone and venomous fangs concealed within its mouth. Skilled at hiding and ambushing, it was vicious beyond measure.

The instant Xiao Yi Xian saw it, her face paled again. Clearly, she had recognized the magical beast too.

She instinctively retreated half a step, clasping her hands tightly together.

With no cultivation whatsoever, all she felt before such a savage magical beast was instinctive fear.

"Don't be afraid."

Xiao Yuan stepped sideways, placing himself firmly in front of Xiao Yi Xian. His silver-robed figure stood straight as a pine, shutting out every danger.

He watched the Rock Snake calmly as it flicked its tongue, poised to strike. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes, only the indifference of someone regarding prey.

Hiss!

A savage gleam flared in the Rock Snake's eyes. The strangers invading its territory had already enraged it.

Its thick body abruptly sprang forward, its hard coils breaking through the flying vine fragments. Its enormous head swept in with a fierce gust, its fang-filled jaws opening as it lunged to bite Xiao Yuan's neck! It moved with incredible speed, leaving an afterimage in its wake!

Facing the Rock Snake's vicious charge, Xiao Yuan neither dodged nor retreated. He merely raised his fingertips slightly.

Purple lightning suddenly gathered above his palm!

Rumble!

Sharp cracks of thunder erupted as intensely condensed lightning Dou Qi formed a razor-sharp lightning blade. Gleaming coldly and carrying an overbearing, ferocious force, it slashed out!

The immense Dou Qi of a nine-star Dou Zhe erupted in full!

Rrrip—!

The lightning tore through the air, far faster than the charging Rock Snake!

Before its vicious jaws could reach him, the sharp lightning blade had already struck the vital point just behind its head!

Its stone scales, as hard as refined iron, were like flimsy paper before the overwhelming power of lightning. They were ripped apart and blasted open in an instant!

Blood splattered!

Agonizing pain swept through the Rock Snake's entire body, making its enormous coils shudder violently.

But this rank-one Rock Snake was indeed cunning to the extreme. It knew full well that it could never defeat the human before it in a head-on clash.

Taking advantage of the impact from the lightning blade, it made no attempt to counterattack. Its enormous head whipped aside, and its thick, massive body slipped like a loach, frantically drawing into a crack in the cliff!

Whoosh!

Its grayish-brown body slithered rapidly along the slippery rock face, its scales fitting perfectly against the stone. In the blink of an eye, it burrowed deep into the shadows of the dark crevices on either side.

The Rock Snake, so savage and frenzied a moment ago, vanished without a trace.

Only a few broken scales and spatters of blood remained on the stone ledge.

"So fast..."

Behind him, Xiao Yi Xian could not help letting out a quiet exclamation, cold sweat instantly gathering in her clenched palms. Hidden within the cliff, this Rock Snake could advance and retreat with such speed that there was no way to track it. Had she been facing it, she would already have perished in its jaws.

Xiao Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly. He had expected that the Rock Snake would not die so easily.

He pressed his fingers together. A faint glow shone through their bones, and a sharp, fine strand of purple lightning coiled around his fingertips.

Thunderclap Finger!

Lightning Dou Qi condensed to its utmost gathered at his fingertips, its penetrating power extraordinarily strong, specifically suited to countering magical beasts that hid in dark corners.

His sharp gaze swept every crevice in the surrounding rock walls. Locking onto the Rock Snake's hiding place, he thrust his fingertips forward!

Hiss—!

A streak of purple lightning as fine as a needle shot through the air, piercing precisely into the depths of the crevice.

Yet the next instant, the lightning struck bare, hard stone deep inside, blasting out nothing but shattered rock and dust. It had not even touched the Rock Snake's tail.

The Rock Snake pressed its body into a blind spot against the cliff, making perfect use of the rock layers for cover and completely evading the killing strike.

"You certainly know how to hide."

A cold glint passed through Xiao Yuan's eyes.

This beast understood its terrain advantage well. It stayed holed up and refused to fight head-on; ordinary single-target Dou Techniques could do nothing to it.

In that case...