Chapter 43: Unexpected Harvest

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Unexpected Harvest

Chu Fan had once trained on Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain. He knew that many beasts, after gaining sentience, would also absorb the essence of the sun and moon for Cultivation. After their Cultivation reached a certain level, they would form an Inner Core inside their bodies.

Beasts that formed an Inner Core had a common name: Profound Beasts, or sometimes Demon Beasts.

A Level 3 Profound Beast’s strength was generally comparable to that of a human Cultivator in the Golden Core Realm Early Stage.

The two giant snakes before him were clearly Profound Beasts. Moreover, just from the force of that tail whip, Chu Fan judged that these two giant snakes had likely surpassed Level 3.

As for what exact level they were, Chu Fan couldn’t tell.

After drawing his Long Sword, he didn’t use the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword, but rather the Lingyun Rainbow Sword from the Lingyun Sect—the technique he knew best.

"One Rainbow Sword to Pierce the Sky!"

The power of this strike was comparable to the Golden Core Realm Early Stage. It was so fast that one of the giant snakes failed to dodge, and the blade slashed against its body.

Who would have thought that the Long Sword would only strike a shower of sparks from its scales.

Although the giant snake whipped its tail in pain, the sword strike had ultimately failed to pierce its defenses and inflicted no real harm.

Just then, the other giant snake opened its cavernous, stinking maw and lunged, trying to swallow Chu Fan whole.

An idea formed in Chu Fan’s mind. ’The snake’s hide is tough, but what about its mouth?’

So, as the cavernous mouth lunged toward him, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he directly executed the second form of the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword.

The Sword Aura flashed like lightning. Despite the giant snake’s quick reflexes, it couldn’t dodge in time.

The Long Sword pierced into the giant snake’s mouth. The snake, crying out in pain, snapped its jaws shut. If Chu Fan hadn’t decisively let go of his Sword, half his arm would have been bitten off.

Before he could retrieve another Sword from his ring, the other snake’s tail slammed into his back.

The immense force sent Chu Fan flying, and he crashed against the wall of the cavern.

That last attack had thoroughly enraged the two giant snakes.

"Holy shit!" An exclamation came from the direction of the tunnel.

In his peripheral vision, Chu Fan saw dozens of people standing in the distance, watching. They clearly had no intention of intervening.

Chu Fan had no time to think as both giant snakes attacked simultaneously.

He rolled across the ground, snatched up the Long Sword the snake had spat out, and as he sprang to his feet, he spun around and slashed.

"Holy shit, that kid’s a Cultivator?"

"Damn, he’s a great actor. I really thought he was just an ordinary person."

"No kidding. He fooled every single one of us."

"His Cultivation is probably at the Golden Core Realm, right?"

"By the way, these two giant snakes seem really strong. Are they Profound Beasts?"

"Should we go up and help him?"

"Help my ass! Let him wear down those two brutes first!"

"Exactly! What the hell does it matter to us if he lives or dies?"

They made no effort to lower their voices, so Chu Fan heard every word.

’Trying to pick up the scraps? Only if I let you!’ Chu Fan thought. After one last slash, he turned and fled.

He ran, of course, straight toward the crowd.

Those people were no fools. Seeing Chu Fan running toward them, how could they not guess his intentions? They also turned and fled back the way they came.

But to their dismay, after running into the tunnel, they discovered that their way back was now blocked by a massive boulder. The path had been clear when they arrived.

And the giant snakes charged into the tunnel right after them.

The tunnel was already packed with dozens of people. With the giant snakes now storming in, there was no room to maneuver.

Both giant snakes opened their cavernous maws and let out what sounded like mocking, gloating hisses.

As they hissed, they exhaled two streams of Snake Qi into the darkness, unnoticed by anyone.

Before long, Chu Fan smelled a new odor, different from the previous stench of the snakes’ open mouths. Just as he realized something was wrong, he sensed the people behind him collapsing one by one, falling unconscious.

’Is this smell poisonous?’

’But I’m the closest to these two brutes. Why aren’t I affected?’

Presumably because they noticed Chu Fan hadn’t fainted, the giant snakes started attacking him again.

Chu Fan cursed a blue streak in his mind.

He had planned to lure the giant snakes over so they could all use their strength in numbers to deal with the two brutes. Who would have thought the creatures would take care of dozens of people just by exhaling a few times.

With his escape route blocked, his only option was to fight the two brutes head-on by himself.

Whether human or Profound Beast, everything has a weakness. They say you should strike a snake at its vital point. But these giant snakes’ hides were too tough; even stabbing their vitals with a Sword would likely do no harm.

That left only their eyes.

"Broken Dreams, Falling Stars, Scattered Clouds!"

Acting on the thought, he leaped into the air, his Sword aimed straight for one of the giant snake’s eyes.

But these two giant snakes were cunning. Just as Chu Fan leaped, they shrewdly turned their heads away, and both their tails swept toward him.

The instant his Sword Gang and Long Sword struck one tail, Chu Fan twisted around and vaulted away, narrowly avoiding the powerful strike from the other tail.

’Should I try the Lion Seal?’

Chu Fan was worried. After all, Ye Xiaohan wasn’t here. If he used the Lion Seal and over-exhausted his Spiritual Power without a way to quickly recover, and if he failed to cripple these two brutes, he would be the one to die.

After some thought, he abandoned the idea.

He cast the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword again and again, engaging the two brutes in a battle of attrition.

It had to be said that under the high pressure of this unevenly matched fight, Chu Fan’s Sword Technique was becoming more and more refined.

At first, the slightest lapse in concentration would get him hit by one of the snakes’ tails. But after dozens of exchanges, although he couldn’t harm the two brutes, they in turn had a hard time injuring him.

But he couldn’t keep this stalemate going forever. What if the others found another passage and got to the hidden treasure first? All his effort would be for nothing.

In the end, Chu Fan decided to take a gamble.

After unleashing another Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword strike, he switched the Sword to his left hand, formed a seal with his right, and unleashed the External-Attached Lion Seal.

A Lion Shadow materialized with a roar.

While it didn’t send them flying, both giant snakes were stunned into a daze.

Chu Fan would not pass up such an opportunity. Fighting through the dizziness in his head, he mustered all his strength for one more Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword.

The Long Sword plunged directly into one snake’s eye, and Sword Qi ravaged the inside of its skull.

One of the giant snakes—dead!

But in that instant, something unexpected happened.

Chu Fan had intended to quickly strike again and kill the other giant snake, but he found he couldn’t pull his Sword out.

Moreover, an overwhelming force was pulling at him. Even if he wanted to let go of the Sword, he couldn’t loosen his grip on the hilt.

The next moment, a profound and immense power flowed from the Long Sword, up his wrist, through the meridians in his arm, and into his body.

He was powerless to stop it.

The dead giant snake began to wither at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The other giant snake had snapped out of its daze by now, its tail lashing violently at Chu Fan’s body.

Yet the immense force didn’t move the airborne Chu Fan an inch. He didn’t even feel any pain.

’What’s happening?’

Chu Fan was utterly bewildered. Then, he felt his Cultivation rising rapidly...