Hu Xiaotian dared not linger, for the giant python could return at any moment. To kill it and escape this peril, he had to strike while it was unprepared and catch it by surprise. He retraced his steps along the winding, snakelike passage. After roughly a quarter of a kilometer, water began to appear underfoot.
Hu Xiaotian discovered that consuming the plant had brought obvious changes to his body. His vision and perception had multiplied in strength; he could make out the details of even the smallest things in the darkness, something he had never been capable of before.
Whether this was a blessing or a curse remained hard to say, but one thing was certain: the plant's fruits had dragged him back from the brink of death.
Hu Xiaotian quickly entered the water. When he had first plunged into the pool, its chill had pierced him to the bone, but now he felt no cold at all. That must have been another effect of the red fruit.
He swam some distance, chose a narrow stretch of the waterway, and submerged himself, holding his breath. To escape the pool successfully, he had to kill the giant python. If he ventured out rashly and alerted it, he would probably end up in its belly.
Only now did Hu Xiaotian truly appreciate the benefits of the Playing Dead Dog Breath-Holding Method the Old Beggar had taught him. Without this extraordinary skill to fall back on, who knew how many times he would have died? He waited underwater for a full hour without feeling the slightest hint of suffocation. His Playing Dead Dog technique had advanced again.
He sensed the current surging toward him. The change was subtle, but it still could not escape his perception. Hu Xiaotian focused all his attention and