Chapter 283: Danger Hidden Within the Spirit Snake

However, Qin Haoxuan had now learned his lesson. He fiercely whipped the snake’s tail, striking the Nine Heavens Red. Although the snake’s tail was slender, a single lash from it could shatter solid rock. Yet, when it struck the Nine Heavens Red, which was as thick as a normal flower stem, it only caused the plant to tremble slightly. The entire flower remained completely unharmed.

Qin Haoxuan was stunned. He finally understood that the account in the book was no joke, but a vivid tragedy! And he was currently re-enacting that very tragedy.

After trying for a long time, Qin Haoxuan had to admit that there was no hope of picking the entire flower.

‘Maybe I can tear off a tiny bit of a petal.’ The most precious part of the Nine Heavens Red was its stamen, followed by its petals, and lastly its stem. Since he couldn’t take the whole flower, tearing off a small piece of a petal would be a good consolation.

With the unyielding spirit of a skinflint who would pluck a goose in passing, Qin Haoxuan set his sights on the petals.

There were three petals, each as red as fire and exquisitely vibrant. Qin Haoxuan clamped his teeth onto one of them and began to tear at it like a vicious dog fighting for food.

“Argh! Tear!”

Qin Haoxuan spent a full half-hour, enduring the immense pressure of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. He fought until he was utterly exhausted and finally managed to tear off a tiny fragment of a petal.

The little snake opened its mouth and swallowed the hard-won petal of the Nine Heavens Red. As tired as a dog, Qin Haoxuan collapsed weakly on the ground.

“I finally tore it off. I’m exhausted!” Qin Haoxuan rested for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Feeling some of his strength return, he reluctantly prepared to leave. As he was about to climb out of the heavenly pit and head to the stalagmite forest to check if the Cockscomb Grass was mature and collect a few more drops of Spirit Liquid for his master, he suddenly sensed a faint, seven-colored glow emanating from another heavenly pit right next to the one he had just explored.

Qin Haoxuan’s heart skipped a beat. In a perpetually gray place like the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, for a place to be emitting a seven-colored glow, one could guess with their toes that there was definitely a treasure inside.

At once, Qin Haoxuan forgot his fatigue and excitedly plunged into this new heavenly pit.

This pit was much deeper than the one he had just explored. Following the source of the light, Qin Haoxuan traced it all the way down and finally, at the bottom of the pit, he saw a shimmering, iridescent egg the size of a human head.

In a place like the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, which was filled with poisonous qi, aside from plants that were resistant, even solid rock could not escape the fate of being corroded to dust over time. Yet, this seemingly fragile egg had been preserved until now?

Anyone who wasn’t a fool could guess that this iridescent egg was anything but ordinary!

‘What kind of egg is this?’ Qin Haoxuan approached with curiosity. He gently touched it, but the moment his touch made contact, the vibrant, multi-colored egg suddenly shattered. A commanding aura surged upwards, and the phantom of a one-foot-long, entirely green dragon appeared in the air above the egg. However, it didn’t look exactly like a dragon; it also resembled a Jiaolong.

With his level of knowledge, Qin Haoxuan couldn’t tell whether this phantom was a Jiaolong or a dragon. It was simply too small, and he couldn’t see clearly if it had horns on its forehead.

It was said that the most obvious physical difference between a Jiaolong and a dragon was that a dragon had a pair of horns on its forehead, while a Jiaolong did not.

Inside the shattered eggshell lay a small, blackened corpse that had been corroded by the poisonous qi. It was likely the physical body of this green draconic phantom floating in the air.

This little dragon hadn’t even fully hatched. It was less than a foot long and looked more like a small snake.

Although the floating draconic phantom was small, Qin Haoxuan dared not underestimate it. It glared at him, and he felt as if he had been struck by a great hammer.

‘What powerful pressure! Is this a Jiaolong?’

Qin Haoxuan looked up at the floating soul, utterly shocked.

‘At the time, this little Jiaolong had not yet fully hatched and had already died from the poison’s corrosion. But its soul did not perish and resided in the eggshell for thousands of years, constantly enduring the erosion of the poison. For it to still be so powerful now, how strong must its soul have been at its peak? Perhaps a single glare could have shattered my Spiritual Sense?’

Qin Haoxuan clicked his tongue in amazement.

When the Jiaolong soul left the eggshell and was directly exposed to the poisonous air, the poison of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley began to aggressively corrode the unprotected soul. Green smoke immediately started rising from the green draconic soul, and it seemed it would soon be eroded and dissipated.

However, it did not wait for death. After letting out a clear, sonorous draconic cry, it swooped down and charged into the little snake’s body, where Qin Haoxuan’s Spiritual Sense resided.

Its speed was too fast, and its soul was too strong. Qin Haoxuan had no chance to resist.

Upon entering the little snake’s body, it discovered Qin Haoxuan’s presence. Its originally one-foot-long body instantly transformed into a thousand-zhang behemoth within the snake’s sea of consciousness. Its eyes were like lakes, its nostrils breathed fire, its five claws were sharp and menacing, and its entire body was covered in shimmering dragon scales.

In an instant, the Jiaolong’s oppressive might surged, preparing to kill Qin Haoxuan and seize the body.

Qin Haoxuan was terrified. In all his time cultivating, he had never met anyone whose Spiritual Sense was stronger than his. His Spiritual Sense had become his greatest asset. But compared to this draconic soul that wanted to seize the body, his own Spiritual Sense was no match for it and was even at a slight disadvantage.

He had to thank the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley for relentlessly corroding the Jiaolong’s soul for thousands of years.

The Jiaolong roared, its draconic might spreading out as it charged fiercely at Qin Haoxuan. Under this pressure, Qin Haoxuan’s heart raced. Seeing the Jiaolong approach, he quickly condensed his Spiritual Sense into a huge golden sword and struck at it viciously.

Tch.

The golden greatsword formed from his Spiritual Sense dissipated, and the Jiaolong was knocked back, but it was completely unharmed. The attack had not even left a single white mark on its green scales.

The repelled Jiaolong grew even angrier and charged again. Qin Haoxuan had no choice but to continue forming a sword from his Spiritual Sense to meet the attack.

Clang!

The Jiaolong was knocked back again, still unharmed. The draconic might emanating from its body grew even stronger, like an invisible rope tightening around Qin Haoxuan’s neck, making it hard for him to breathe.

With the Jiaolong attempting to seize the body, he had only two options: either drive it out of the snake’s body or be devoured by it. There was no third path. As for his soul escaping the snake’s body? He would likely be corroded into nothingness by the poison of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

But his Spiritual Sense had no advantage. He couldn’t repel the Jiaolong in a short amount of time, and over a longer period, once his Spiritual Sense was exhausted, death would be the only outcome.

In his two years of cultivation, whether it was being plotted against by fellow disciples, undergoing the trial in the Aqueous Manor, or being hunted by Master Chi Lian, Qin Haoxuan had repeatedly found himself in perilous situations, but he had always managed to survive through various means. Yet now, there was nowhere to run. The moment he fled the snake’s body, he would be instantly corroded by the poison.

‘Am I really going to die here?’ After repelling the Jiaolong one more time, Qin Haoxuan felt that more than half of his Spiritual Sense was depleted. A few more charges from the Jiaolong, and his Spiritual Sense would be completely exhausted, after which it would devour him and succeed in seizing the body.

Countless images flashed through Qin Haoxuan’s mind: his parents’ admonitions, his master’s expectations, his senior brothers’ hopes…

‘No!’

‘I want to let my parents live long and carefree lives!’

‘I promised my master I would take over the Nature Hall and lead it to prosperity!’

‘I cannot fail the high hopes of Senior Brother Pu, Senior Brother Ye, and all the senior and junior brothers of the Nature Hall!’

‘I must live!’

Qin Haoxuan roared in his heart, his entire being erupting with a heaven-shaking battle intent. He stared at the thousand-zhang-long Jiaolong, which glowed with green light like a celestial god, and did not back down an inch in terms of presence.

“If you want me to die, you’ll have to pay the price!” Qin Haoxuan gritted his teeth. Facing the charging Jiaolong, he condensed his Spiritual Sense into a small mountain and smashed it forward.

Crack!

The mountain of Spiritual Sense shattered, and the Jiaolong was finally injured. Its previously neat scales were now in disarray, and it had even lost a few during the last clash.

The Jiaolong was finally enraged. A human, who was like an ant in its eyes, had actually managed to hurt it!

As the Jiaolong’s rage flared, its draconic might intensified. Qin Haoxuan felt as if he were shackled, his movements becoming sluggish. When he tried to condense his Spiritual Sense, it felt unusually slow.

“Roar!” The Jiaolong roared, baring its fangs and claws. Its eyes flashed like lightning, its body erupted in a brilliant green light, and arcs of purple electricity coiled around it. It was preparing to go all out.

Qin Haoxuan knew that even if he fought with all his might, he had no hope of victory. But he too had gone wild. He condensed his Spiritual Sense to its absolute limit, preparing for one last struggle!

‘If only I had a cultivation art for Spiritual Sense, I wouldn’t be at your mercy like this!’ This thought flashed through his mind before his final gamble. He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, “There is no retreat. But even if I die, I won’t let you have an easy time!”

Countless thoughts raced through his mind: ‘Master, take care…’ ‘Father, Mother, your son has been unfilial…’ ‘Senior Brother Pu, I’m sorry to have failed your trust.’ ‘Little Sister Xu Yu, you must cultivate well. I miss you…’

Countless thoughts, endless rage, all transformed into a towering inferno of fury. Qin Haoxuan’s soul floated in the air, suddenly expanding to countless times its original size as he roared, “Come on, you sick snake!”

Bzzmm…

Just as Qin Haoxuan prepared to make his last stand, the small snake’s own consciousness, which had been lying silently in a corner, suddenly moved.

The snake’s consciousness was as slender as its body, with no presence at all, which was why the body-seizing Jiaolong hadn’t noticed its existence.

The Tyrannical True Dragon Art circulated within it, and a trace of an aura as pure as the might of heaven and earth emanated from the snake’s slender body. The aura was not strong, but it was slow and steady, like a sharp dagger that easily pierced through the Jiaolong’s draconic might.

Compared to the snake’s aura, the Jiaolong’s heaven-shaking draconic might seemed like a bluffing paper tiger, popping with a single poke.

Tch.

The Jiaolong’s draconic might was torn to shreds. It looked in terror at the snake’s consciousness, which was as slender as its body.

The snake’s consciousness moved, transforming into a bolt of lightning that illuminated the entire sea of consciousness.

Qin Haoxuan couldn’t help but blink. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the snake’s consciousness had transformed into a giant golden pillar that viciously pierced through the Jiaolong’s skull, pinning it to the ground.

The Jiaolong shrieked and wailed incessantly, but it could not struggle free. In the end, its body coiled tightly around the golden pillar like a dragon on a column.

“If not now, when!” Thinking of the perilous situation he had just been in, a vicious courage surged in Qin Haoxuan. He lunged forward without hesitation and bit down on the Jiaolong.

The Jiaolong’s soul was severely injured by the snake’s consciousness, and its defenses were at their absolute lowest. When Qin Haoxuan bit down, he tore off a large chunk of its pure soul.

Instantly, an incomparably pure soul power merged with Qin Haoxuan’s Spiritual Sense, and his recently depleted consciousness was rapidly restored.

‘So eating a Jiaolong’s soul can restore my Spiritual Sense and even strengthen it?’

Qin Haoxuan remembered how he had been powerless before the Jiaolong. Now that he knew he could devour its soul to strengthen his own, he began to feast on it without reservation.

Whether it was a Jiaolong or a dragon, both were naturally divine creatures. But Qin Haoxuan felt no guilt in devouring it. If it weren’t for the snake’s sudden display of power, he would have become the Jiaolong’s nourishment by now. Eating it was simply giving it a taste of its own medicine.

Before long, Qin Haoxuan had completely devoured the Jiaolong’s soul.

TN: A 蛟龙 (Jiaolong) is a distinct and specific type of lesser dragon. They are heavily associated with bodies of water like rivers, lakes, and floods. They are often called “flood dragons. A core part of Jiaolong lore is that they are on a path to becoming a true 龙 (Lóng). They must cultivate for centuries or millennia, endure trials, or gather power to make that final transformation.