Shi Lang was surprised when he heard that the Snake Queen was hunting him. He was not in his peak situation, and if he was to fight with the beast that strong, it would be his death. The Elder was urging Shi Lang to leave the place when the terran decided on something and said, “Elder can you deliver the corpse of the Snake King to the people from the Dragon Sword Sect?”
The Elder was surprised, and Shi Lang said, “I know what you are thinking, Elder, that I should prioritize my life over the others. Whatever it may be, I cannot take advantage of these people. I have fought against them and with them. They are my friends at this moment when they are down. I will not exploit them. It brings shame to me and the sect behind me.”
The Elder sighed, “You do not have to think so much. I will hold back that beast while you bring out the Gall to them?”
Shi Lang shook his head and replied, “This roar was enough to give us all a chill. You are faster than me and can go there and come to me quickly. Then, we can rush away from this place together.”
The Elder was still stunned when Shi Lang removed the corpse from the space ring and vanished. He was rushing toward the depth of the mountains. The Elder wanted to chase after him, but then he clenched his fists, stored the corpse in his space ring, and left to deliver it to the people from the Dragon Sword Sect.
Meanwhile, Shi Lang made a beeline to the depth of the mountains. Raksha spoke up in his mind, “What is the hurry? Wait for the Elder to come back.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “Did you not notice the anomaly of that roar?”
The Sword Spirit was silent and asked, “No, what do you mean?”
The terran sighed and said, “In ancient times, there was a saying, ‘Clouds would gather when the dragon roars. Lightning will welcome the king in the sky.’ Clouds are gathering in the sky right as we talk. This is not normal.”
Raksha spoke speculatively, “Do you think it is a dragon?”
Shi Lang was running and said, “No, this is not a dragon. The pressure is not strong enough to match the description. However, the Elder in the shadows is an Immortal King. Although he did not say much, his eyes revealed a tint of fear. Do not counter-argue. I can smell it.”
The sword spirit hummed, and the young man kept rushing. On the way, he found a lot of strong beasts running away from the core, but they did not attack him. They were all scared. Raksha said, “You better bring me out before the shit hits the fan.”
Shi Lang shook his head and replied, “At a critical moment, this beast does not seem normal. Even my heart is beating faster.”
…
Outside the woods, the Elder from the Spirit Heart Sect came to the Dragon Sword people. He found that the deacons constantly maintained vigilance while looking after the disciples. He did not delay and took out the corpse of the Snake King.
The deacons were shocked, and the Elder spoke begrudgingly, “Do not think this matter is settled. I will have you explain to Xiao Lang.”
The aura he radiated was enough to suppress these people. The Elder in charge from the Dragon Sword sect appeared before them and asked, “What is the matter, fellow Daoist?”
The Elder from the Spirit Heart Sect said, “Your people sent Xiao Lang after a Spirit General beast, a twelve-ringed snake king. If that is not enough, you all should have heard the roar just now; it belonged to the companion of this snake king. She will come after Xiao Lang. If anything happened to him, understand that you will not be able to bear the burden.”
The Elder from the Dragon Sword Sect was shocked. He turned to look at the deacons, and the people avoided his gaze. The Elder realized that the Deacons had pulled off something silly. He said, “Fellow Daoist, how about we find Shi Lang? I will inform the sect master and fight this threat together.”
𝑂𝔳𝓛xt.𝓒𝒪𝐦
The Spirit Heart Sect elder also took out a talisman and sent a message to Sect Master Ling. After the discussion, the people rushed through the woods.
…
In the mountains’ core, Shi Lang stood before the strongest foe he had ever faced. The entire terrain around him was covered in debris. The trees were uprooted, and the trunks were shredded. The terran said, “Trailmarks.”
He took out his spirit sword and looked around carefully. He used his spiritual sense and ability to compose a map of the surroundings. Even the leaves rustling with the wind did not escape his notice. However, he found no trace of a spirit beast in the three hundred meters.
Raksha asked, ‘What is it?’
Shi Lang replied, ‘I have eyes attached to my back, and they are brimming with killing intent.’
He walked forward slowly, and he did not move too quickly. He was worried that the attacker might strike as soon as he flinched. He sensed that the entire place was under the gaze of a terrible existence.
When he was getting unrattled, he slowly raised his left hand and said, “Deploy probes and scene the place from the cloudline.”
The probes were deployed, and the image appeared as a holographic projection soon. Shi Lang was shocked, and his figure vanished from the spot. When he did that, a black figure fell on the spot, and a roar echoed in the surroundings. The mountains trembled, and rocks fell off. Shi Lang was standing a hundred meters away. He gulped and said, “Well, shit.”
The next moment, he raised his sword. His intention was not to attack but to survive. A tail was swung at him as if a lash of the death god, and Shi Lang was swept off his feet. The terran channeled his spiritual energy throughout his body to brace for impact, but the moment he collided with the mountain, his internal organs shook, and he coughed up blood.
Shi Lang was hurt this badly for the first time since he had started cultivating. Raksha said, “This beast is a dragon snake.”
Shi Lang slid down the wall, and he looked up. The beast’s head looked like a snake, but it had the whiskers of a dragon and a pair of horns on the forehead. Shi Lang flickered from his position and appeared behind the snake. The beast turned its head to look at Shi Lang with a gaze of hatred.
The terran was flung off his feet again. He could not see the tail moving and crashing into his sides. He thought, ‘Fucking hell, my arm is broken.’
Raksha said, ‘You must withstand it for a few moments. The elders will be here soon.’
Shi Lang grits his teeth and stands up from the ground, and the black figure before him roared. It was like the beast was venting its rage. The terran shivered, but he did not move. The blood he coughed up earlier had turned into a few dozen clones.
The beast did not move to look back at the place and wanted to gobble up Shi Lang, but the clones attacked together.
…
Sect Master Ling was having some spirit-refreshing tea when a spirit flame conjured before him, and a voice echoed, “A Spirit King-level beast hunts Shi Lang. I suspect that it is a mutation. Sect Master, please provide help.”
The tea was spewed out, and his eyes widened. Sect Master Ling stood up and said, “To all the elders, I am leaving the sect for a bit, be on guard.”
His voice was calm but traveled directly through the void and to the elders. The man waved his hand, and the total in the void opened slowly. Sect Master stepped inside and vanished from the place.
…
Sect Master Lei Wang received a similar talisman and said, “Grand Elder, your presence is required.”
Long Shan appeared before him and Lei Wang told him the matter. The Grand Elder was a quasi-emperor strong enough to deal with the beast. Long Shan nodded and said, “I will go right away.”
Lei Wang nodded and Long Shan opened a portal to vanish from his place.
…
Shi Lang suffered three more attacks, and more clones took his place. However, his clones did not last for a breath before they dispersed. Shi Lang had also used four of his attacks, but the Snake was not harmed at all. The snake was slithering around as if teasing Shi Lang, and the terran watched it calmly.
The beast hissed and snarled. Suddenly, the beast bared its fangs and Raksha said, “Now, use the new intent.”
Shi Lang nodded and shot forth with his sword intent, but he held Raksha that he had taken out of his spirit tattoo. The beast roared, and the soundwaves were focused on Shi Lang. The terran was not allowed to use his attack, he was flung off and hit the mountain wall. The blow was so ferocious that it knocked him dizzy.
