Chapter 437 - 307: The Extra Shadow

Chapter 437: Chapter 307: The Extra Shadow

The Thunder Rock Crocodile Turtle led the group to the edge of a stone pool.

It said in a low, rumbling voice, "A lot of guys wanted to eat me in the past. But then I escaped to this place, got struck by lightning every day, and quickly broke through to the next Realm. Once I became Fifth Grade, I went back and ate them all."

Tang Wen patted the turtle’s shell.

’It doesn’t hold a grudge. It just turns its enemies into nutrients.’

The conflicts between Exotic Beasts were far more primal than those between humans.

"I’ve seen a Peak of Sixth Grade Black-eyed Snake a few times when I came here to drink. It should live somewhere near this deep pool."

"Why didn’t you eat it?"

The Crocodile Turtle’s tone was flat. "Couldn’t catch it. Besides, it smells of Dream Demon Flower. Eating it gives you nightmares, and you can’t sleep well."

Tang Wen didn’t know much about the Black-eyed Snake.

But from the sound of it, the species had made itself toxic so others wouldn’t dare to eat it.

If a person got close and smelled the flower, they would have nightmares.

If a Fifth-Grade Powerhouse were to eat even a single petal, they would sleep for days on end, plagued by nightmares to the point of a mental breakdown.

A Pharmacist from the Black Water Gang had studied it before, and Tang Wen had read his research notes.

A single petal of the Dream Demon Flower had made this Peak of Sixth Grade Pharmacist sleep for ten days and ten nights.

But that wasn’t all.

The crucial part was that the nightmares were incredibly vivid and felt extremely long.

According to his notes, in the beginning of the dream, he was in a daze, constantly running for his life.

The situation only changed when he realized he was in a dream and, as the master of that dream, could control it to a certain extent.

By the end, he had already recreated many tools within the dream and started conducting pharmaceutical research.

Unfortunately, a dream was ultimately an illusion.

The things he researched had no reference value.

This was because, as the master of the dream, his own subjective thoughts would influence the success or failure of his research.

To put it bluntly, you might think you’ve succeeded, but it could just be your imagination.

Trying it again in reality would yield completely different results.

Because the Dream Demon Flower was rare, the man’s various studies could not be continued.

This, however, gave Tang Wen an idea.

But that was a thought for after he obtained the Dream Demon Flower.

"How do we lure out the Black-eyed Snake?"

Tang Wen observed the area for a long time but didn’t see any Dream Demon Flowers on the nearby mountains.

"Ever since the Black-eyed Snake took over this place, far fewer Exotic Beasts come here to drink. I’ll shrink down and act as a lure."

As the Thunder Rock Crocodile Turtle spoke, it began to move forward on all fours.

Tang Wen stopped it. "Never mind. It has seen you before, after all. Niannian, you go."

In truth, he would have preferred to send the Stone Dragon.

However, the subterranean Stone Dragon had no grasp of the size-changing Secret Technique at all.

The moment it appeared on the surface, it would trigger a flash of lightning.

The Black-eyed Snake would have to be insane to show itself and attack it.

Hu Niannian leaped down from Tang Wen’s shoulder, suppressed its aura to the Extraordinary Level, and grew slightly larger, to about the size of a leopard.

After all, if it were just a little white cat, there would be hardly any meat on it. The Black-eyed Snake probably wouldn’t even deign to come out and eat it.

It went to the edge of the pool, pretended to drink some water, and then lingered for quite a while, but there was still no sign of the Black-eyed Snake.

Tang Wen waited patiently for a long time.

The Black-eyed Snake still didn’t appear.

Just then, Hu Niannian dipped its tail into the water and swished it back and forth, as if it were fishing.

Its white tail cut through the surface, stirring the pool’s water.

And its posture... looked like it was about to relieve itself.

SWOOSH!

The water’s surface trembled.

A shadow shot out like an iron wire, aiming straight for Hu Niannian’s rear end.

Tang Wen frowned. ’Ew... This snake has some peculiar tastes. In any case, at least it’s out.’

POP!

The afterimage shattered, and the Big Cat’s figure vanished.

The Black-eyed Snake instantly realized it had been tricked.

’A Fifth-Grade afterimage?’

It twisted in mid-air, turning to dive back into the water.

At that moment, a delicate cat’s paw, wreathed in a whirlwind, swiped out of thin air.

HISS!

A black mist spread through the air.

The Black-eyed Snake actually broke through Hu Niannian’s whirlwind and was about to plunge into the water.

The Black-eyed Snake was able to escape because Hu Niannian hadn’t revealed its true Fifth-Grade form and was only using Sixth-Grade strength.

However, Hu Niannian wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. It wasn’t the only one here.

Thunder flashed, taking less than a second.

A bolt of purple lightning struck the Black-eyed Snake.

The snake’s body contorted violently.

But the Sixth-Grade Black-eyed Snake, besides being skilled with Spiritual Power, was also very cunning.

It knew this was a matter of life and death.

Forcing itself to ignore the paralysis, it summoned all its strength and charged for the water.

SHING!

The flash of a blade appeared like a sudden clap of thunder.

The Black-eyed Snake’s beady black eyes, which blended in with its skin, narrowed tightly.

A red glow appeared at the spot of its Reverse Scale.

Its instincts screamed that it couldn’t take the hit head-on, or it would be sliced in two.

Fortunately, its body was built for speed.

It made a sharp turn in mid-air, ducking its head to avoid the blade’s edge and instead slamming into the flat of the sword. The entire snake was sent flying far away.

This launch sent it even farther from the water’s surface.

It landed on the ground, coiled its body with a WHOOSH, and immediately prepared to charge back into the water.

But then came a soft THUD.

A clumsy-looking turtle’s foot had just stepped on it.

’You’re courting death!’

The Black-eyed Snake opened its mouth to bite. No matter the Exotic Beast, as long as it could inject its venom, it was guaranteed to instantly paralyze its opponent and escape.

Just as it was about to land the bite—CRACKLE!

The foot pinning it down erupted with lightning.

The purple thunder was so intense.

The Black-eyed Snake’s fangs missed their mark, plunging into the mud beside it as its whole body trembled.

KABOOM!

A bolt of purple lightning descended from the sky, striking the Crocodile Turtle’s back.

The Crocodile Turtle, having been struck by lightning for decades, seemed to feel nothing at all.

It channeled the thunder directly into the Black-eyed Snake’s body.

A series of sharp cracks and pops echoed out.

The Black-eyed Snake convulsed violently, its scales turning from black to a reddish hue under the terrifying electrical current.