Shed, shed!

Talisman crafting-failure!

He kept crafting talismans, and still failed.

Even at the skilled level, intermediate runes remained extremely difficult to craft, with a success rate of roughly one in thirty to one in fifty.

Over three consecutive days, he had produced only two Purification Talismans. As for the Healing Talisman and the Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Art, he had made no progress whatsoever.

Although his shedding was imminent, Su Changsheng was not anxious. He was a yao who could remain patient and endure solitude. Failure did not matter; he simply had to keep trying.

Growing stronger was never something achieved in a single bound. It required years of unwavering cultivation, and the conviction to keep walking without hesitation, one solid step at a time.

His cheat had merely given him a step upward. How far he could go and what scenery he would see depended entirely on himself.

The intermediate runes he was currently studying were no different. He did not fear failure, only the lack of an opportunity to fail.

He tried crafting another one.

He inscribed the base material, guided yao blood into it, and adjusted it bit by bit with his mind, producing specific fluctuations. His brush danced like dragons and snakes, bringing every spell formula into perfect harmony with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

The next moment-

Buzz! Buzz!

A vibration spread from the rune base material in Su Changsheng's hand.

It actually floated into the air, releasing brilliant light. Spiritual energy surged from the tunnel's rock walls, streaming into it in wisps along specific paths and fluctuations.

Finally, the entire spectacle condensed into a streak of black light.

The Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Talisman was complete!

Su Changsheng let out a long breath. Once the spiritual energy finished flowing into it, he reached out and caught the falling rune.

At that moment-

The rune's power had withdrawn within it, but it still occasionally emitted a faint black glow, sending waves of searing pain through Su Changsheng's palm.

This was venom!

The black glow contained a trace of snake venom, originating from the Ironhead Snake, a Pureblood Snake Demon. With this venom's reinforcement, using it during shedding could temper his scales and skin, introduce the source of the Ironhead Snake's strength, raise the growth ceiling of his scales and skin more quickly, and provide other benefits.

It was countless times superior to an ordinary Shedding Talisman.

That makes two.

And the quality of this one is nothing that earlier defective one could compare with.

That's enough for now. I'll craft a Healing Talisman first. If there's still time, I'll see whether I can make another Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Rune.

Su Changsheng silently considered his options.

Ideally, he should have ensured he had two Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Talismans of this quality. That would have been safer. But with little time remaining, he could only settle for the next best thing.

Perhaps his fortunes had turned and heaven and earth were lending him their strength, for he successfully crafted a skilled-level Healing Talisman rune in just two days.

By this point-

Su Changsheng had two Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Talismans, one good and one inferior, two Healing Talisman runes, four Purification Talisman Runes, and assorted Shedding Talismans, Hard Bristle Talismans, Hair-Shedding Talismans, and so on.

The number of Ice-Fire Runes had reached a downright insane total of over fifty, enough for him to lay rune traps in every direction throughout the tunnels.

A pit every meter, a talisman every two-twin heavens of ice and fire. Who wouldn't be afraid?

As the itching across his entire body steadily intensified, growing worse and worse, Su Changsheng had no choice but to abandon the idea of crafting more runes.

First, he used two Purification Talismans to completely expel and purify the eerie aura on that piece of Wraith Beast Blood Food. Then he began laying all manner of defensive, offensive, and warning traps.

He scattered Ice-Fire Runes by the handful, concealing them in hidden spots throughout the tunnel passages. Anyone who dared barge in would get far more than they could stomach.

Finally, he blocked every tunnel entrance with enormous rocks, stacking them layer upon layer, leaving only a few gaps through which air could flow into the tunnels.

Without a specialized Mountain-Piercing Art, breaking through these passage entrances would take quite some time, giving Su Changsheng ample opportunity to respond accordingly.

All told, he had made extensive preparations. He had also left himself plenty of fallback measures to deal with an enemy attack.

After repeatedly confirming that nothing else needed preparing, Su Changsheng placed all his blood food and runes beside him, laid in plenty of water, and sat cross-legged deep within the tunnel.

"Come on!"

"Everything that needed preparing is ready."

"Whether I live or die is up to me!"

Su Changsheng took a deep breath. After swallowing a full thirty jin of blood food, he immediately released his restraint on the urge to shed.

First came a tingling, numbing sensation, like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart. But before he could even take it in-

The next second-

His mind grew foggy. His overwhelming fullness gave rise to a fierce urge to sleep that flooded his heart. Along with it came waves of uncontrollable, heart-rending pain, as though all his internal organs were burning.

It felt as though a pair of hands were tearing his skin open from the very center of his crown, then gradually working downward, stripping away his tendons and skin bit by bit!

Hiss!

The intense pain nearly made Su Changsheng faint. What little consciousness remained told him that he absolutely could not pass out now. Once his consciousness stopped, the chances of his subsequent shedding failing would rise to ninety-nine percent!

Given his aptitude, that was essentially the same as certain failure.

The pain could not be suppressed. This was something every snake yao had to endure during shedding. However great the fortune they enjoyed, the price they paid had to match it.

But since he could not suppress it, he might as well speed up the process and let it strike even harder!

Su Changsheng stretched out a trembling hand and activated two ordinary Shedding Runes and a Hair-Shedding Talisman. The pain instantly doubled, while his shedding speed increased slightly.

"Not enough! Again!"

He clenched a wooden stick between his teeth. The shedding had already reached his eyes, blurring his vision, but Su Changsheng still located the Shedding Talismans and Hair-Shedding Talismans, activating another three to five in succession.

His shedding abruptly accelerated!

But the agonizing pain already had him rolling involuntarily across the ground. His eyes, ears, nose... blood seeped from all seven openings of his head.

"Not enough, not enough, not enough!"

"Again! Again!"

He whimpered, but with the wooden stick clenched between his teeth, his words were impossible to make out. Who knew how many of his sharp snake teeth he had shattered?

It hurt too much!

It simply hurt too much!

This pain was worse even than sprinkling a handful of salt onto his heart. Even having those two clubs smashed would not have hurt this badly.

His shedding continued to accelerate!

Once Su Changsheng activated the high-quality Lesser Venomous Dragon Shedding Talisman, spiritual energy surged out, and streams of black light clung to his yao body. With ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart, he no longer even had the strength for a final struggle.

Let it hurt. To hell with it-let it hurt me to death.

He lay quietly on the ground, his vacant eyes staring at the tunnel's pitch-black rock walls. Su Changsheng could no longer be bothered to struggle.

Only when the shedding line passed over those two clubs in succession did his eyes suddenly widen, bulging and bloodshot, as he roared:

"I... I... fuck!"

"How can it hurt even more?!"

Time slowly passed. Who knew how long it had been? Perhaps a day, two days, or perhaps merely a few dozen seconds or a few minutes.

When he felt the pain gradually ease, finally reaching a level he could endure, the shedding line was already nearing the tip of his tail.

But it was not over yet!

This was when he was weakest, and also when he was most vulnerable to danger. His old skin had shed away, while his new skin had yet to fully form. He had no defenses whatsoever, and his entire body was a bloody mess.

Trembling, Su Changsheng activated a dozen or so Hard Skin Talismans. He waited quietly for a moment, and only after feeling some strength return did he lightly tap a Healing Talisman.

Immediately, a blue-green glow enveloped his entire body. The wounds caused by shedding healed faster, and his injuries gradually eased.

"Come on!"

He took out the Wraith Beast Blood Food and swallowed it without hesitation.

Would he gain a new innate ability and advance another step beyond the hundred-foot pole's tip, or gain nothing at all?

The answer remained to be seen!