Ch. 51 - One Day Feels Like Three Years

Pang Bo didn’t dare take the Jade Serpent Orchid right now. Unlike Ye Fan, he didn’t have a monstrous physique and couldn’t withstand the overwhelming surge of life energy. He would have to wait and figure something out later.

“Did that deep, muffled sound ring out a few more times just now?” Ye Fan asked.

Pang Bo nodded. “For the past two hours or so, it’s been sounding every so often. The entire ruin feels even more suppressed and quiet now. Even those beasts that fled to the edges have stopped growling. Honestly, thank heavens for that, I was really afraid the old serpent would come after us.”

“That muffled sound terrified all the beasts. I wonder if that horned serpent also fled.”

“That spirit serpent is definitely furious by now. Let’s hope it already left. Otherwise, if we head deeper into the ruins, we might run into it again.”

“…What’s that smell?” Ye Fan frowned. “Why does it smell faintly fishy?”

Pang Bo sniffed deeply, then his expression changed drastically. “Smells like the old serpent!”

At that moment, Ye Fan’s face turned grim. He tugged Pang Bo and whispered, “Run!”

A massive, terrifying serpent head emerged from below the cliff just a few hundred meters ahead. Its palm-sized shimmering scales glinted coldly. Its lantern-sized red eyes glowed with bloody light, and its two-meter-long tongue flicked out with a hiss. As it touched the cliff’s plants, they immediately melted into yellowish goo.

“The old serpent’s here!”

Pang Bo paled. He hadn’t expected the beast to track them down, but luckily it hadn’t noticed them yet. High above on the cliff, tall trees surrounded them. They quickly retreated, swinging down the back side using vines.

Had they been even a moment slower, they could have died. The spirit serpent was surely enraged, and if it spotted them, the consequences would be disastrous.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo moved like apes, swiftly swinging down to the ground using vines, then fleeing at full speed without looking back.

“This thing is seriously out for revenge. We’re in real danger.” They ran while glancing behind them, on the cliff, the serpent reared its full body. Its bloodshot eyes glared ahead. The jade horn on its head sparkled under the sun, radiating divine rays.

RUMBLE RUMBLE

Boulders tumbled from the cliff, and trees were crushed beneath the serpent’s body as it slid rapidly down, chasing after them.

“Crap, it saw us!”

“Let’s escape to the outer edge. Elder Wu Qingfeng can deal with it.”

“No good, it’s too fast. And there are still beasts blocking the way outside. We’ll be caught for sure. There’s no choice, we have to charge deeper into the ruins. That muffled sound seems to make it uneasy. It probably won’t dare go too far in.”

The two decided quickly and shot forward like streaks of light, rushing deeper into the ruins. But the jade-horned serpent, now a true spirit beast, was extremely fast, riding the wind, it moved like lightning. Trees bent and flattened before it as it blazed a path through the forest.

RUMBLE RUMBLE

The earth trembled and boulders flew. The serpent rampaged like a monstrous bulldozer. Nothing could stop it. Its hissing tongue drew closer, and the stench grew stronger.

Ye Fan was unaffected, but Pang Bo felt dizzy. “This venom’s insane, I’m hundreds of meters away and still getting woozy.”

“Quick, eat a petal of the Jade Serpent Orchid!” Ye Fan was anxious. The serpent was closing in rapidly. If something happened to Pang Bo now, it would be too late for regrets.

Pang Bo didn’t dare eat the whole orchid, worried the medicinal energy would burst his Bitter Sea. Instead, he tore off a bit of the flower’s core and tucked it into his mouth.

“How do you feel?” Ye Fan asked, tense.

“Amazing!” Pang Bo exhaled. His nausea vanished, and the dizziness faded. He felt clear-headed and refreshed, the serpent’s poison held at bay.

“This herb is the real deal, cures all poisons,” Ye Fan said with relief.

CRACK CRACK

Behind them, the serpent drew closer again, twisting and smashing its way forward. Ancient trees were torn apart, and bushes parted on their own to make way. Its blood-red eyes blazed as it spat a thick cloud of venom. Though still over a hundred meters away, the mist closed in fast. Trees around them instantly dissolved into yellow mush.

Without the Jade Serpent Orchid, they’d already be dead puddles.

“This venom’s outrageous!”

“At this rate, we’re doomed, it’s almost on us!”

Ordinary people would’ve been caught long ago. The spirit serpent was just too fast. But Ye Fan and Pang Bo had once consumed sacred fruit in the Forbidden Ancient Realm. They had the strength of flood dragons and mammoths and moved with astonishing speed, otherwise, they’d already be dead.

“Hang on! I think that muffled sound is about to ring again. When it does, the serpent will hesitate, that’s our chance.”

The earth shook violently as the serpent closed in, just seventy or eighty meters behind. Ye Fan and Pang Bo turned sharply, trying to shake it off.

WHOOSH

The serpent lunged, but it wasn’t clumsy. Its massive tail whipped sideways like an iron whip, flattening a patch of forest. The air reeked of venom.

Though they avoided the tail, falling trees struck them hard. The impact sent them flying.

If they weren’t incredibly tough, they’d have been crushed. As it was, they staggered back dozens of steps, blood surging, before regaining their balance.

Suddenly, an immense sense of danger overwhelmed them. The serpent’s jade horn lit up and fired a blinding beam of energy, like a sword dozens of meters long, straight at them.

“Go!”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo dove aside, leaving behind two afterimages.

ZIIIING

The beam cut through trees like butter, even splitting massive boulders in two with impossibly smooth slices.

“A spirit serpent is terrifying!”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo both broke into cold sweat. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, if not for the chaos in the ruins, they would’ve never gotten the Jade Serpent Orchids. Even so, they were now being hunted to the brink of death.

“We can’t last more than another fifteen minutes!”

BOOM

Just then, another deep sound echoed from the ruins. Ye Fan and Pang Bo shuddered violently, their hearts aching. The serpent fared worse, writhing and thrashing on the ground, smashing trees as it flailed.

“Run!”

They steadied themselves and sprinted away, not daring to pause.

The sound died away, and the ruins grew even more oppressive. The serpent blocked their way back, so they had no choice but to press onward. Soon, they came to a massive boulder over a hundred meters tall and climbed it with vines to get a better view.

“Damn… it’s still chasing us…”

Far away, the trees trembled. Though slowed, the serpent was still hot on their trail.

“If this keeps up, it’ll chase us into the deepest part of the ruins.” Ye Fan and Pang Bo were both deeply concerned.

“Spirit beasts… impossible to deal with.”

“Wait, I see movement ahead.” Ye Fan narrowed his eyes, figures were darting through the hills ahead.

“It’s... Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu!”

“Looks like they had the same idea, trying to capitalize on the chaos to explore the ruins and collect treasures.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged glances, then both grinned.

They climbed down quickly and sped forward.

Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu were indeed heading toward the ancient ruins deep within. They knew more about this place than Ye Fan and Pang Bo did. They believed today’s strange events weren’t just due to beast kings fighting, something had likely changed among the ancient structures deep in the ruins. If they could reach that place, the rewards could be unimaginable. After all, these ruins were relics of the Desolate Era.

“Someone’s approaching us, trying the same idea.” Li Yun’s eyes turned cold. “Let’s block them later. They might’ve already found something valuable.”

“It’s Pang Bo and that trash Ye Fan!” Li Lin’s killing intent flared. Seeing them approach, she sneered, “How dare they follow us, they’re asking for death!”

Han Feiyu’s face was filled with hatred, his eyes sharp and murderous.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo arrived swiftly.

“Li Lin, Brother Li Yun, what a surprise! Fate really brings people together!” They acted delighted, like long-lost friends.

“One day apart feels like three autumns. Two days is six years! Finally, we meet again.” They strode up warmly, almost looking like they were about to hug everyone.

Li Lin, Li Yun, and the others were utterly creeped out, goosebumps rising all over.

Li Lin frowned in disgust. She shot Pang Bo a look, then sneered at Ye Fan. “Cut the act. Whatever you're trying, it won’t work.”

Standing atop a large boulder, she looked down at them coldly. “You two are insanely bold. Aren’t you afraid of dying in this forest? The ruins are no place for trash like you.”

Li Yun’s expression was equally icy. He sneered while weighing whether to act now, only hesitating out of fear that Elder Wu Qingfeng might’ve left a tracking mark on Pang Bo.

Despite their insults and killing intent, Ye Fan and Pang Bo remained cheerful. They even grabbed Han Feiyu’s hands, saying, “Han Feiyu, you’re such a good guy!”

“Did you two take some kind of spiritual herb? You smell fragrant,” Li Lin asked coldly, her beauty mark twitching with irritation. Then her expression changed. “Wait… what’s that smell?”

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The ground shook. Everyone turned to look.

“A snake spirit?!”

“That’s a horned serpent!”

All of them turned pale. A jade-horned serpent was racing toward them, flattening trees and reeking of poison.

“Damn it, it’s you two...”

Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu immediately realized what had happened. They wanted to kill Ye Fan and Pang Bo on the spot, but this wasn’t the time. They turned and fled in total panic.

“Han Feiyu, you’re really such a good guy…” Ye Fan and Pang Bo called out cheerfully as they fled.

Comments