Chapter 634: Meeting Another Golden-Striped Silver Snake
Two days later in the vast sky above the Cross Mountains, two figures could be seen streaking by at sound-breaking speed. They came to a stop at a nearby mountain peak.
“It should be near here.” As his robes flapped around due to the rapid winds, Jian Chen spoke in a serious voice while his eyes scanned the ground with rapt attention.
Jiede Tai was wearing a white robe as he floated right next to Jian Chen. An elegant aura pervaded his body as his bright spirited eyes looked all around. “Jian Chen, what are you planning on doing here, killing a strong magical beast?”
“There’s a rather strong Golden-Striped Silver Snake nearby, I wish to see if we can make it submit.” Jian Chen softly replied.
At the mention of a Golden-Striped Silver Snake, Jiede Tai’s expression froze with shock, “A Golden-Striped Silver Snake is considered a part of the royal family of snakes. They’re a rare breed even on the continent, and even in the historical past, they were said to be extremely strong in battle. Their venom is said to be extremely toxic — perhaps one of the top three most venomous. Dealing with one is no simple task, let alone trying to make it submit. Unless you find one in its childhood, it’ll be unwilling to submit to you thanks to its sentient nature.”
Jian Chen was more than aware of the logic that Jiede Tai spoke, but he nodded his head after some thought anyways, “A Golden-Striped Silver Snake is far too rare on the continent. Whether we’ll be able to make one submit is up in the air still. Jiede Tai, you stay here and keep guard. I’ll find its nest and call out to you if I require help.”
“Don’t be reckless. The venom of a Golden-Striped Silver Snake is extremely potent. Not a single antidote in this world would be able to cure it. You might have a strong body, but you haven’t even grasped the powers of space. If you met a Class 6 Magical Beast, there’s no way you’ll be able to deal with the venom it spits out. If that venom hits you, that’ll be trouble.” Jiede Tai spoke in a grim manner.
Although he was extremely displeased with becoming a lackey for Jian Chen, Jiede Tai was a farsighted person. He knew that Jian Chen’s talent was absolutely terrifying, and if he continued to follow him, there would perhaps be exceptional rewards for him in the end. It was unclear if Jian Chen would breakthrough to become a Saint King as he said before, but if he did, then Jiede Tai would have managed to secure a strong patron for his clan.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try. I’ve a way to protect myself from its venom after all.” Jian Chen carelessly replied. Since he had managed to form the Thousand Immunity long ago, his Chaotic Body naturally benefited from its strong anti-venom property.
Jian Chen left Jiede Tai to stand guard while he went off by himself to look for the lair of the Golden-Striped Silver Snake.
Jian Chen could also use his presence and bubbling sensation of his blood to search the surrounding ten kilometers for the snake. Soon enough, he finally ended up at a mountain ridge ten kilometers away. With his presence surrounding the entire area, Jian Chen found a hidden hole. His presence infiltrated the depths of the cave, but he didn’t discover any signs of the snake inside.
“It’s without a doubt worthy of being a Class 7 Magical Beast.” Jian Chen muttered. His figure dropped down from the sky to reach the cave. He slammed the stone hiding the hole into pieces before striding in.
The depths of the cave were extensive with plenty of curving passageways. The interior was also very dark, one wouldn’t even be able to see their own hands in front of their faces. However, it bore no problems to Jian Chen who could see clearly in the cave as if it were day.
Following the passageway for a hundred meters, Jian Chen finally arrived in a thousand meter wide cave. The walls of the cave were scattered with fist-sized night pearls. They lit the cave with a soft white light, giving it the feeling of night time.
At the center of the cave was a two-meter-tall stone altar, and wrapped around that altar was a two meter long snake. A strand of gold and silver streaked across its finger-width back, and its thumb-sized snake head was raised high into the air, cautiously staring at the unexpected guest.
Jian Chen smiled at the gold snake. He knew that despite its small size, it was not to be underestimated. Clasping his hands together in greeting, he said, “This one is Jian Chen. I came here today to visit. If I offended you with my visit, I hope you won’t take offense!”
“Human, you are a brave one to dare intrude on my home. Do you wish to die?” The golden snake lifted its mouth open just slightly to hiss out several words in the human tongue. Its voice echoed around the cave, but the sharp tone made it difficult for Jian Chen to determine if it was male or female.
Almost as if he was completely unfazed by the snake’s threat, Jian Chen continued to smile. “This one came here to visit your distinguished self for a specific reason. I have an item that I wish to offer you. An item I’m sure would provide no small amount of help to you!”
The snake’s eyes flickered slightly as it said, “I can sense the smell of my kin on your body. You’ve used the blood of my kin to create the Thousand Immunity.”
“Correct! I came across a young Golden-Striped Silver Snake once before in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After a great battle, I was able to obtain its body and use its lifeblood to forge the Thousand Immunity. Its body has been left in my possession ever since, left in perfect condition and without use.” Jian Chen took out the clean carcass of the snake from his Space Ring. Since there was no air in Space Rings, items could be stored indefinitely in them. Thus, Jian Chen had been able to keep the corpse in his ring without it ever decaying, keeping it as fresh as the day he killed it.
As soon as the Golden-Striped Silver Snake saw the carcass of its own kin in Jian Chen’s hand, its eyes immediately revealed a bright gleam. There was a flash of gold as its body sprung toward Jian Chen’s. It snapped its jaws to try and take away the carcass.
Smiling, Jian Chen used the Illusionary Flash to travel several meters away to dodge the surprise attack of the snake. With a shake of his hand, the carcass of the dead snake was returned to his Space Ring.
“Hiss!” The snake’s tongue flicked from its mouth as its entire body disappeared once more in a flash of gold. It shot toward Jian Chen again. Its mouth opened wide to show off its sharp teeth as if to tear away Jian Chen’s throat.
Allowing the Chaotic Force to cover his body with a single thought, Jian Chen made use of the defensive might of the Chaotic Body to form a fist with his hand. He then punched the snake head-on.
“Bang!” There a muffled sound appeared when the fist connected with the snake. The entire cave shook unsteadily from the power, but Jian Chen’s fist remained unharmed. The snake, on the other hand, was sent flying away. It smashed against the wall behind it, leaving behind a giant crater.
After this single exchange, the Golden-Striped Silver Snake realized that Jian Chen would not be as easy to deal with as it initially thought. Floating into the air without a problem, the snake glared at Jian Chen with venomous eyes, “You might not be weak, but you are still no match for me. Hand over the body of my kin to me, or face death!”
Jian Chen tried to shake the numb feeling in his right arm. He was slightly shocked at the defensive might the snake boasted. “This one came here specifically to visit your distinguished self with a gift, but there’s no such thing as a free meal. I cannot give the item to you so freely.”
“Then what is it that you wish to take from me?” The snake questioned.
“I want you to follow me for ten years. I’ll give you the item after that period of time.” Jian Chen answered.
A malevolent glare entered the snake’s eyes as killing intent began to leak from its body. With a furious laugh, it hissed, “Human, you are far too naive. Do you really think the high and mighty Nubis would follow you for ten years? Even a Saint King has no right to ask, let alone you.”
Jian Chen laughed in return, “I presume you know, far more than I do, that the carcass of your own kin is extremely important to you. A Golden-Striped Silver Snake is a beast of antiquity. Even its body is filled with strange oddities. What separates one from any other regular magical beast is that it can devour its own kin to evolve. Not only does your strength increase, even your fighting strength is elevated. It’s unfortunate that Golden-Striped Silver Snakes are extremely rare on the continent. Meeting one is already hard enough. I’d say this puts an end to your hopes of devouring another one of your kin to increase your strength. So, the carcass that I hold should be an unbelievable chance for you. Although it was a Class 3 Magical Beast when I killed it, it should still be a benefit to you. I will give it to you in exchange for ten years of your time. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“Human, you speak correctly. Devouring my own kin allows us to grow due to the hidden essence that only we Golden-Striped Silver Snakes can process. As long as that is absorbed, this Origin essence grants us a great boon. To absorb enough of that Origin essence is to allow us to evolve into a divine beast from legends. What you might not know, human, is that I can easily take the skin from your dead corpse once I kill you!” As it finished speaking, the snake’s body began to go through a series of permutations in the air. In a flash, it became a young man with a rather skinny build. He wore a golden robe, and possessed golden irises. His hair was also long and golden, giving him the look of an handsome male. From his appearance, the male looked no older than Jian Chen.
“Do you really think you can kill me?” Jian Chen replied as he stood his ground.