An hour later, Gu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, the red and blue light within them flashing briefly before vanishing. He and Dugu Yan each took out some food and water from their soul tools for a simple meal before standing up to continue their journey.
As they advanced again, their speed increased noticeably since there were no more biological nuisances surrounding them. Of course, this was partly because Gu Xuan knew other creatures wouldn't appear for a while, but he did not relax. Reality wasn't the original story; there was always the chance of some unknown danger descending.
After walking a long distance, the surrounding air became increasingly scorching. Gradually, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan could vaguely see the dark red glow flowing beneath the abyss on both sides. The burning air made breathing uncomfortable, as if their lungs were on fire.
Gu Xuan took out two medicinal pills from his soul tool, giving one to Dugu Yan and taking one himself. The moment they swallowed the pills, a current of heat circulated through their bodies, and their physical strength began to recover rapidly. A cooling sensation spread through them, making them feel refreshed; not only did their body temperatures drop significantly, but even the scorching, turbid air felt pure, as if it had been filtered.
With their status restored, they continued forward without slowing down. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead, causing both Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan to stop in their tracks.
An object lay directly on the narrow path before them—a dark red body was prostrated there, revealing a pair of fiery red eyes. They couldn't tell exactly how massive it was, but simple observation suggested it was a snake, its entire body coiled across the narrow path. Its eyes weren't particularly large, but for some reason, Dugu Yan felt the radiance within them was even more terrifying than that of the previous Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King.
"A snake?" Dugu Yan whispered.
Accompanied by the rustling, the dark red snake began to slither slowly forward. As it drew closer, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan saw its full appearance. On the snake's head and back, there were nine protrusions, each resembling a bright red mushroom, looking as if blood were flowing inside them. Its belly was exceptionally large, bulging over the narrow path, and its length was at least ten meters.
As they spotted the strange snake, it clearly spotted them as well. The head resting on the narrow path slowly reared up, and its golden-red eyes became as bright as lanterns.
Seeing the creature clearly, Gu Xuan explained softly to Dugu Yan beside him, "A prehistoric beast, the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent. It is incredibly toxic. An adult can exceed ten meters in length and possesses the strongest fire poison among all snakes. After cultivating for ten thousand years, it can form an Inner Core hidden within the nine growths on its back. When the Inner Core emerges, heaven and earth lose their color. If one obtains its Inner Core, all snakes will flee before them; it is the sovereign among snakes."
In the original story, Tang San obtained the Inner Core after killing the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, and later, this Inner Core became Ma Hongjun's soul ring. Gu Xuan's current thought was to take down this serpent and use its Inner Core as Dugu Yan's seventh soul ring.
The pressure this serpent brought was far beyond that of the bat king. Since it blocked the path, it would be easy for it to destroy the narrow road with its abilities. Therefore, Gu Xuan had to ensure that the battle did not cause excessive damage to the path.
The golden-red pupils of the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent stared coldly at Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan as it continued slithering toward them. As the distance closed to a hundred meters, the snake emitted a "gua gua" sound, like a baby's cry, while the nine sarcomas on its back began to glow with a golden-red light.
"Gua—" The cry of this serpent actually sounded somewhat like a toad.
When it was twenty meters from Gu Xuan, the serpent struck first. A streak of fiery red light erupted from its mouth, carrying a strong fishy stench and intense heat as it rapidly spread toward them. This tongue of flame stayed close to the ground, meaning it was spreading rapidly along the narrow path beneath their feet.
The fiery light rippled violently on the path, even making a crackling sound as it scorched the rock. More terrifyingly, the light was accompanied by a faint red mist; one didn't need to ask to know it contained potent toxins. On flat ground, they could have easily dodged, but here there was no room for lateral movement. The only option was to take to the air.
Taking flight was simple for Gu Xuan. More importantly, while the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent was terrifying, it was still a snake. Dugu Yan's Martial Soul possessed an absolute suppression effect over any serpent. For others, this beast was a massive danger, but for the current Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan, it really wasn't much.
With absolute strength, Gu Xuan could easily handle this serpent because it couldn't fly and lacked the life-saving abilities of the bat king.
As the tongue of fire swept toward them, Gu Xuan pulled Dugu Yan into his arms. The eight dragon swords appeared on his back and unfurled into four pairs of wings. With a light flap, Gu Xuan carried Dugu Yan ten meters into the air, evading the flames.
Then, Dugu Yan directly released her Martial Soul. Her snake tail coiled around Gu Xuan while her arms circled his neck. The pressure from her Ancestor Martial Soul caused the serpent's attack to stagger for a moment, and its blood-red eyes stared at Dugu Yan in shock.
In the next instant, Gu Xuan also activated his Martial Soul possession. His dark silver bone claws transformed into the Darkgold Terrorclaw. With a swing of his claw, five darkgold air blades flew out.
"Sky-Tearing Claw!"
Simultaneously, six dragon swords detached from Gu Xuan's back, turning into six streaks of light that charged at the serpent.
Faced with such terrifying killing intent, the serpent dared not lose focus. Though fear lingered in its golden-red eyes, the nine sarcomas on its back grew even brighter. Without hesitation, the serpent arched its body on the path, aiming all nine sarcomas at the pair in the sky.
Suddenly, the nine sarcomas burst simultaneously, shooting out nine streams of golden-red liquid. The liquid didn't shoot straight but aimed upward toward the space in front of Gu Xuan, merging into a single mass in the air.
However, the serpent's attack was ultimately too slow. The Sky-Tearing Claw and the six dragon swords fell, slicing through the serpent's body as if it were tofu. Its body was shattered, and scarlet liquid poured out along with severed internal organs, releasing a nauseating stench.
Just as the liquid from the serpent merged, it transformed into a golden-red bead the size of a fist. But without the serpent's control, the bead fell straight down before it could attack Gu Xuan.
Gu Xuan manipulated the six dragon swords to catch the bead while he slowly descended back to the path with Dugu Yan. The six swords carried the Inner Core of the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent to Gu Xuan, who grasped it in his hand.
"Careful, it's likely poisonous," Dugu Yan warned urgently.
Gu Xuan smiled and shook his head. "It's fine. Although it's poisonous, it doesn't affect me."
Dugu Yan then remembered that with her and Gu Xuan's current physiques, ordinary poisons had no effect on them. She had only spoken out of concern.
Retracting his Martial Soul and the Sword Dragon Eight Wings, Dugu Yan stepped down from Gu Xuan and examined the Inner Core. Gu Xuan handed it to her, saying, "Take it. This can serve as your seventh soul ring."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan understood instantly. She knew Gu Xuan's sixth soul ring came from the Evil God Bead of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. If Gu Xuan said so, this Inner Core undoubtedly possessed a similar effect.
Thinking of Gu Xuan's hundred-thousand-year sixth soul ring, Dugu Yan looked forward to seeing if her seventh soul ring would also have a chance to reach that level after absorbing this Inner Core. After all, while her physical fitness wasn't quite at Gu Xuan's level, it was certainly not weak. Moreover, absorbing an Inner Core like this wouldn't require enduring soul shocks.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.