The journey to the central parts of Mount Evergreen was slow mainly because of the sheer size of the mountains. Another reason was that we were bored. We haven't encountered any monsters since we left the first mountain, and even when we were there they weren't that powerful.
At some point, it became a repetitive sequence of me swinging my sword. Now, however, even the beautiful scenery was no longer enjoyable. So, the past few days have been extremely uneventful, as the only action we would do was walk towards the big mountain that seemed so far away even after covering a significant distance.
The monster cores that were collected from dead monsters have all been jade colored and were divided between me and Tulip. She had the bigger share because I noticed almost immediately that neither the absorbed energy nor the laws in the cores were doing anything to my cultivation base. It seems that my bottleneck is quite persistent and would need better stimulation than a few low-level cores.
On this day, we were walking in the snow as usual when I suddenly stopped and a frown appeared on my face. Tulip continued walking at first as she didn't notice that I stopped moving, and when she did, she asked with a hint of worry, "What's wrong?"
Still frowning, I looked at her and revealed my thoughts, "Do you not find it strange that we haven't encountered any beast in all the time that we have been here? Even the monsters we did encounter were at most at the peak of the third divinity stage."
I suppose I haven't explained the difference between monsters and beasts, have I? Monsters are creatures that rely on their instincts for everything including eating and drinking and hunting for food. As for beasts, they are the ones who prioritize the usage of brains and thoughts as instinct takes a step back. Humans are a perfect example of beasts. As for dragons, there is a big reliance on instincts, but also on brainpower as well. Although we are in between the two creature types, we are still considered beasts.
Pangu nodded and slowly said, "That is true. For a place renowned for being one of the most dangerous places in the realm, it is curiously empty."
"I don't like this, so it's best to keep our guard up."
My senses were on high alert as we moved forward, but I still found nothing. Either there was really no one, or there was something deliberately keeping everyone at bay. Nonetheless, we went on forward while trying to make as little sound as possible.
Suddenly, Tulip let out a small gasp and pointed at a tree in front of us. There, between the tree's thick branches, a giant, green-scaled serpent coiled its body and was looking at us intently with its red oval-shaped eyes with its gaze switching between us.
"Don't move," Pangu whispered in my mind, "This is a baby Great Wood Serpent. They are born at the Sovereign stage. Fortunately, they are blind, so it is not actually looking at you now. But its hearing is amplified, so be careful."
I beckoned to Tulip to stay still and silent using some signs, and it seemed that she understood, so I asked Pangu while looking at the creature in front of us, "Do you know its weak spot?"
"It's a Sovereign, no matter its weak spot, you can't do anything to it! Just slowly retreat without rousing its attention and you should be safe to take a detour."
Was I going to listen to him? Of course not. I wanted stimulation to help me break through, and what is better than the monster present right here and right now? Pangu seemed to sense what I was about to do and started rambling, "Oh no. No no no no. Don't be stupid, Orion! You don't stand a chance!"
I ignored him and asked again, "Do you know its weak spot?"
"I'm not telling you. You are not going to fight that thing. I don't want to wait centuries for another person to help me join back my body!"
"Then tell me how to kill it!"
"No!"
"Fine then, suit yourself, I am going to fight it."
I stepped forward, to Tulip's bewilderment, and sped up before she could attempt to stop me as well. The Great Wood Serpent offspring noticed me and released a hiss as it pounced towards me.
It was blind, so it could only depend on hearing, using its internal ears, to make out where I was. The logical course of action was to avoid it without making a sound and not staying in one place.
I observed the way it moved and attacked as it followed me from one spot to another. While its movements seemed erratic at first glance, it wasn't the case. The more I look at it, the clearer the pattern of attack became.
But I was getting too engrossed in my observations at one point, and it managed to land an attack with its mouth on my left arm. The fangs tried to bite into my skin and release the poison. Fortunately for me, I am a dragon with tough skin, so its attack was not successful for the most part.
The serpent noticed that it wasn't able to bite me, so it released the venom on my arm. I couldn't let it retreat without taking a hit, so I swung Pangu with my right arm and managed to open a deep cut in its slippery body. Blood gushed out from it as it jerked backward while letting out a deafening screech.
I could feel the poison making its way through my skin. Although it couldn't penetrate with its fangs, the poison would still be able to get absorbed by my skin. I could feel the blood rushing out of my mouth due to its effects, but I tried my best to keep it in.
But its effect wasn't done yet. I could feel the strength fleeing from my body, and soon, I was on my knees, panting heavily. To make things even worse, the serpent managed to stabilize itself and was preparing to launch one final, and fatal, strike.
I don't know what happened to me, maybe it was being so close to death, but I was suddenly entranced by the blood that was still flowing from my opponent's body. And just like I would use the blood through Blood Absorb, I controlled it and it formed a shape that resembled the serpent to a great extent.
The technique I just created and used, 'Bloodbath - Blood Snake', attacked the Great Wood Serpent, but it didn't damage it fatally. I didn't know what to do at this point, when suddenly, Pangu shouted, "Eyes!"
I was confused for a moment but instantly understood that he meant the eyes were its weak spot. So I controlled the Blood Snake and attacked its eyes. The serpent screamed once again as its body uncontrollably fluttered in the air before it dropped to the ground.
Silent. Dead.
My body failing, I concentrated on my remaining power and cast Blood Absorb. I struggled to breathe as the serpent's blood was being absorbed by me to heal. Although I managed to remove most of the poison's effect, I was still too weak.
I looked at where my dead opponent was and saw a white core hovering above its body. I smiled and then fainted.
--------------------
Updated on: 25/6/2025
Website: https://awada141.netlify.app/