Ling Jiang understood Lao Gao's words. She guessed these two wanted to find a place to drink spirit spring water to heal, so she agreed. "Fine, find a hidden spot. Don't get hurt again."
But Brother Zhang did not understand their meaning. He said anxiously, "Why don't you two go down the mountain first? How will resting help with your injuries?"
"We're fine. Rest a bit and we'll be okay." Lao Gao said, carrying Huang Jinghe to the side. "You all hang on a bit. Soon it'll be fine."
Just as he said that, the giant snake lunged toward them again. Lan Jin and Ling Jiang reacted instantly. One shocked the tail, the other froze the mouth.
Lan Jin had already used a lot of ability, so her electricity was limited. But together with Ling Jiang, they held the snake for two to three seconds. In that brief time, Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe drank from the spirit spring water.
In an instant, their injuries completely healed.
Lao Gao felt alive again. "Almost died."
Huang Jinghe's eyes filled with tears. "Yes, just a little more and it could have been over. We cannot take this lightly."
They had not gone far before turning back, running to them. Brother Zhang looked dumbfounded. "Weren't you resting? Why come back?"
Huang Jinghe said, "Rested now."
Brother Zhang was shocked. Their energy had been hanging by a thread earlier, and now they seemed fully recovered. Brother Zhang had not seen them drink the spirit spring water, or his attention would have been on that instead.
While Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe recovered, Ling Jiang and Lan Jin were starting to tire. Lan Jin used the last of her strength, pulling the frozen snake mouth to the side with her whip.
With a loud 'thud,' the snake's head hit the ground, shattering the ice on its mouth.
Meanwhile, Brother Zhang had placed explosive crossbows on the snake tail. With a loud 'boom,' the slender tail was instantly blown apart.
The snake shrieked in pain, thrashing wildly.
Lao Gao tied together all the explosive crossbows he had collected. Holding the bundle, he said to Ling Jiang, "Sister Jiang, I'll throw it in. Can you freeze the mouth?"
Ling Jiang ducked while taking a sip of spirit spring water. "Yes," she shouted.
Lao Gao seized the chance and threw the bundle into the snake's mouth. Ling Jiang then froze the mouth with her ice ability, freezing half the head too. Even if the snake struggled, it could not break free for now.
With the explosive crossbows in place, it was time to escape.
The five of them ran like mad toward the exit. Lao Gao glanced back repeatedly. Just as the ice ability was about to wear off, he pressed the button.
Boom
Boom
Boom
The successive explosions shook their hearts. Bodies were thrown into the air by the impact. The snake's head was torn apart. Its shattered tissue splattered everywhere, covering them. The terrifying sounds kept them in shock.
After a while, the fallen group managed to sit up. The ringing in their ears lingered. They were unsure if the danger had truly passed, and instinctively looked behind.
The snake had collapsed. Its body still twitched, but without a head, it could not rise again.
Finally…
The group, originally trying to relax, looked at the remains on each other's backs and felt nauseated, all turning face down in disgust.
Lan Jin vomited a little, not badly. But seeing around her, some had vomited blood. The explosions must have been too close, damaging internal organs. Her ears still rang, and she could hear nothing else.
After a while, the ringing lessened. The five could finally sit up properly.
Brother Zhang, more experienced, checked for internal injuries. He found none severe, and quickly checked the others.
Even after the ringing faded, muscles, meridians, and organs all ached. They had suffered damage everywhere. Recovery would take a long time.
The injuries were not fatal, so spirit spring water was not necessary in front of Brother Zhang.
After enduring the pain and resting for a while, Brother Zhang spoke, "Snakes like this are first-tier beasts. They usually carry a first-tier crystal. If the crystal matches your ability, you can embed it in your weapon, upgrading its rank."
Lao Gao's eyes lit up. "Such a big snake must have a big crystal. Can all four of us use it? Or even if the abilities don't match, we could make more weapons with it."
Brother Zhang glanced at him. "Dream on. First-tier crystals are not big like normal crystals. Even with this snake, you might not find it before dark. Search carefully, hurry, or you'll lose daylight."
The five immediately started searching. First on the ground, then the snake's body. Brother Zhang said, "Cut open its belly. Look inside."
Even Lao Gao, used to big scenes, trembled as Brother Zhang cut open the snake.
Lao Gao looked back. "You two girls wait. This scene might make you puke."
Lan Jin had no intention of going closer and urged, "Go quickly. Let's finish and get down the mountain. Or I'll throw up again."
The three of them struggled to find the small crystal on the snake body. Soon, Brother Zhang switched strategy, starting to search the internal organs.