Chapter 168: The Tragic Death of the Ten Headed Fiery Sun Serpent A Changed Battle Strategy
As they continued forward, a rustling sound echoed ahead.
This time, Han Li didn't need to give any warnings the group instinctively stopped.
"A snake?" Dugu Yan turned to Han Li, who simply smiled without responding. Instead, he lifted into the air, making space for the others.
"Can I take command this time?" Dugu Yan asked Qiu'er and Shui Bing'er for their opinions.
"Yes," both nodded simultaneously, having no objections. When it came to this, they trusted Dugu Yan's expertise the most.
"Bing'er, we'll flank from both sides, and the front is yours, Qiu'er," Dugu Yan decisively spread her wings and took off. Qiu'er, who lacked flight capability, stayed grounded.
As they took their positions, the enemy finally revealed itself.
It was a massive dark red serpent, coiled along the narrow path, its forked tongue flicking in and out.
On its head and back, nine distinct bulges protruded, each resembling a crimson mushroom with liquid swirling inside.
Its underbelly was notably swollen, rising above the narrow path, and its length stretched at least ten meters.
The strange serpent raised its tongue, and its golden red eyes glowed like lanterns.
Seeing its full form, Dugu Yan froze for a moment. What is this thing? A mutated soul beast? She had never read about anything like it in any records.
"Be careful. I don't recognize this species. It might be a mutation, so pay special attention to those growths on its body," she warned the others with a serious expression.
"Bing'er, try probing with ice spears. Target the bulges."
Dugu Yan quickly made a tactical decision. Given the environment, it was more effective for Shui Bing'er to use ice spears rather than obstructing vision with fire.
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Shui Bing'er formed several milky white ice spears and launched them at the serpent, which had begun slithering toward them.
"Guah…"
The serpent let out an eerie cry, resembling a wailing infant. The nine bulges on its back glowed golden red in response.
A fiery beam shot from its mouth, carrying a putrid stench as it clashed with the ice spears midair.
Though the ice spears managed to pierce through the flames, they lost much of their power and were easily swatted away by the serpent's tail.
"Its fire element is strong," Shui Bing'er cautioned.
"Yeah… but fire and poison? Tough luck for it, running into me," Dugu Yan smirked.
Against other types of attacks, she might have been uncertain. But fire and poison? Those were her specialties.
However, upon glancing at the serpent's massive body and then at her comparatively tiny wing blades, she hesitated.
"Qiu'er, stay behind me. I'll block its flames and energy; you focus on attacking. Bing'er, restrict its movements as much as possible. Let's end this quickly. Also, keep an eye on Qiu'er's footing."
Shui Bing'er nodded and swiftly switched attack modes. With a flap of her wings, an intense snowstorm engulfed the serpent's section of the narrow path, clinging to its body and attempting to invade its system.
"Guah! Guah! Guah!"
The serpent's piercing cries intensified.
"Let's go."
Staying close to the ground, Dugu Yan sped ahead with her wing blades raised, radiating intense fire energy as she charged toward the serpent.
Behind her, Qiu'er remained silent, pouring her soul power into her claws while keeping pace.
The serpent had been struggling against Shui Bing'er's icy restraints, but sensing the approaching duo, it suddenly ceased its attempts to break free.
Its head snapped around, and a stream of venomous flames erupted from its mouth not aimed directly at Dugu Yan but rather creeping along the ground toward Qiu'er.
It was cunning. The flames slithered across the narrow path, targeting the only person without wings the one who couldn't escape by flying.
"Foolish."
Dugu Yan immediately saw through its intentions and snorted coldly. She accelerated, and her wing blades flared with crimson flames as she dove straight into the inferno.
To the serpent's surprise, her blades greedily devoured the toxic flames rather than being repelled by them.
"Guah !"
The serpent let out another ear piercing cry and suddenly coiled its body. Its streamlined muscles tensed, and its upper half twisted at an astonishing speed.
"Is it… trying to run away?"
Floating above, Han Li and Dugu Bo exchanged glances, both surprised.
This was the first time they had encountered a creature on the Hell Road that actually attempted to flee.
Even the weaker blood bats before had fought to the death despite knowing they were outmatched.
Not only were Han Li and Dugu Bo momentarily stunned, but even Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er in the front hesitated for a second. Aren't these creatures supposed to be part of the trial? Since when do guardians flee?
However, Shui Bing'er quickly snapped out of her daze. Without holding back on soul power consumption, she conjured three solid ice walls behind the serpent, slamming them down forcefully.
Yet, something unexpected happened. Just as the ice walls appeared, the serpent twisted its upper body at incredible speed. The lower half of its coiled body suddenly tensed, propelling it like a spring loaded projectile toward Dugu Yan and Qiu'er. It opened its mouth wide and once again spewed venomous flames at Dugu Yan.
Judging by its trajectory, the serpent wasn't just attacking them it was aiming at the narrow path between them.
It's targeting the terrain. It's targeting Qiu'er. It's trying to destroy the footing to eliminate her directly.
"This thing is… surprisingly intelligent."
In midair, Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with disbelief. This serpent was far more cunning than any other snake type soul beast he had encountered before.
"Well, it is a mythical beast. Carrying that title, it can't just be all show, right?"
Han Li chuckled, shaking his head. In terms of combat power, the serpent wasn't overwhelming, but in intelligence, it was indeed remarkable for a soul beast.
Still, he made no move to interfere. If this was the extent of its tactics, Qiu'er wouldn't have any trouble handling it.
Sure enough, as soon as the serpent made its move, Qiu'er had already anticipated its intent.
Her expression turned serious, and soul power gathered at her feet. Rather than dodging, she rushed forward to meet it head on.
"Explosive Step!"
With a sharp cry, she stomped down, and the narrow path beneath her shattered under the sheer force. At the same time, her figure shot into the air like a cannonball.
Her small frame now seemed insignificant compared to the massive serpent, but her right claw radiated a purple golden glow, brimming with terrifying energy as she struck straight for the serpent's head.
"Guah !"
The serpent's eyes gleamed with brutality, and the nine bulging lumps on its back shone even brighter.
Despite being midair with no solid footing, the serpent managed to arch its upper body. The bulging lumps burst open, releasing nine streams of golden red liquid.
Most shockingly, these liquid streams merged midair into a single golden red orb the size of a fist, which then shot toward Qiu'er with incredible speed.
An inner core?
Han Li's body tensed, ready to intervene. He was genuinely worried that Qiu'er might shatter the thing with a single strike.
"Qiu'er, ice surface and ice pillars!"
Before Han Li could act, Shui Bing'er's voice rang out, uncharacteristically tinged with irritation.
The serpent had tricked her earlier, and that really annoyed her.
Understanding Shui Bing'er's plan instantly, Qiu'er decisively abandoned her initial attack. Instead, she grabbed an ice pillar that had materialized beside her and swung it like a club toward the golden red orb.
At the same time, below them, Dugu Yan finished neutralizing the venomous flames and nodded toward Qiu'er.
With that signal, Qiu'er adjusted her angle, redirecting the golden red orb's trajectory toward Dugu Yan.
Clang!
The moment the orb made contact, a massive burst of steam erupted, completely shrouding Qiu'er's figure. Yet, the force of impact still sent the orb flying toward Dugu Yan.
"Guah !"
A different, more agonized screech escaped the serpent's mouth, but there was nothing it could do. It could only watch helplessly as its core was flung to its side.
However, the next second, its cry was abruptly cut short.
Emerging from the mist, Qiu'er charged again. Despite being in midair, she moved as if running on solid ground, her right claw swinging toward the serpent's head once more.
Unbeknownst to the serpent, Shui Bing'er had created an intricate ice pathway beneath Qiu'er's feet, supported by ice pillars extending from below. Not only that, but the path even had an anti slip coating for good measure.
What was even more terrifying, however, was the massive five meter long ice spike forming on the narrow path below.
Left with no way to dodge, the serpent was forced to take Qiu'er's claw strike head on. Its head shattered on impact, nearly split in half.
Before it could even be sent flying, Qiu'er grabbed its tail with her left hand and forcefully slammed its vulnerable midsection its "seven inch weak spot" directly onto the ice spike.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Mid fall, the serpent was torn in half, its remains tumbling into the blood pool below.
Despite the brutal impact, the narrow path held firm, thanks to the ice support beneath it. Though it trembled slightly, it did not collapse.
Witnessing this, Han Li and Dugu Bo couldn't help but shiver. They exchanged glances, both feeling a chill down their spines.
It seems their year in the City of Slaughter really has changed them.
Below, now that the battle had ended, Dugu Yan turned her gaze to the golden red orb still in her hand.
She swallowed dryly.
For some reason, she had an overwhelming urge to swallow it whole.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen