The freed black pythons glared viciously at Yun Qingxue with their sinister eyes.
The two groups occupied opposite sides of the cramped cave, locked in a cold standoff.
On the ground, swarms of small venomous snakes slithered about, hissing and flicking their tongues.
Having witnessed their companions being killed by these snakes slithering into their stomachs, the remaining black pythons kept their mouths tightly shut, occasionally lashing their tails furiously against the ground. Each strike crushed many of the small snakes, creating a nauseating scene.
From the moment those small snakes had burrowed into the pythons’ stomachs, Yun Qingxue had deduced that these newly emerged serpents were not enemies.
She glanced at A-Dai, whose originally pitch-black eyes now shimmered with a kaleidoscope of colors…
“You wretched girl! You killed our kin—today, we will make sure you die horribly!”
The black pythons on the opposite side were thoroughly enraged by the earlier casualties, their already terrifying eyes now glowing with a blood-red light.
They began slithering toward Yun Qingxue, their massive bodies crushing any small snakes too slow to escape in their path.
Yun Qingxue felt a wave of nausea rising in her chest, while the sensation of countless insects gnawing at her bones resurfaced, sending waves of pain through her body and drenching her in cold sweat.
A-Dai, perched on Daise’s shoulder, continued to command the summoned venomous snakes to attack the pythons.
But the black pythons, thick-skinned and now wary of opening their mouths, rendered the small snakes’ assaults ineffective. Instead, the pythons crushed many of them under their tails and bodies as they advanced.
As the pythons closed in, Yun Qingxue had no choice but to swiftly weave another net of vines.
The charging pythons, assuming she meant to trap them again, hastily scattered.
The massive vine net descended—but instead of ensnaring the pythons, it formed a barrier between them and Yun Qingxue’s group.
The net halted the pythons’ advance, but Yun Qingxue felt another metallic tang in her throat. She spat out another mouthful of blood.
“Master!” Daise looked at her with deep concern.
Yun Qingxue’s eyes were clouded with unyielding frustration and sorrow.
She knew the vine barrier wouldn’t hold the pythons for long. The successive battles had drained too much of her energy, and her body was failing her again.
Moreover, having tricked the pythons once, they wouldn’t fall for the same tactic again.
Every sign pointed to their impending doom.
Gritting her teeth, Yun Qingxue summoned thick vines once more.
She manipulated the newly summoned vines, threading them through the gaps in the barrier net to lash at the advancing pythons like whips.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
The sharp sounds of the lashes filled the air, but the strikes barely fazed the thick-skinned pythons.
“Master!” Daise watched Yun Qingxue struggle with heartache, never before hating her own helplessness so fiercely.
She had pledged herself to her master, yet she only ever held her back. In moments of danger, she couldn’t protect her—instead, her master had to shield *her*.
Endless guilt gnawed at Daise as she glared hatefully at the vicious pythons trying to tear them apart.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She turned to Yun Qingxue and asked softly, “Master, if those pythons lost their scales, would we stand a chance?”
“The situation would improve greatly!”
Yun Qingxue replied dismissively, not giving much thought to Daise’s question. After all, she had tried countless methods to pierce the pythons’ scales—what use was such an obvious question now?
If there were a way to break through their armor, they wouldn’t be struggling so desperately!
“Master, let me try!”
Daise set the glass vessel in her arms on the ground and stepped forward.
Yun Qingxue frowned as Daise approached.
“Master,” Daise said, her eyes gleaming, “I was born with innate toxicity. And as the Flower Monarch, you command all flora—your power can amplify my poison to its fullest potential!”
Yun Qingxue studied Daise closely. If she recalled correctly, Daise’s true form was a mimosa.
In her past life, she had seen such plants—their leaves would instantly fold and droop at the slightest touch, even from a breeze, like a bashful maiden. Hence the name “mimosa.”
But she had never imagined—nor known—that such an unassuming little plant could possess any toxicity.
Seeming to sense her doubt, Daise quickly explained, “My poison isn’t as deadly as oleander or daffodils, but it can cause hair to fall out!”
*Hair loss?!*
Yun Qingxue’s eyes lit up with sudden understanding.
As the Flower Monarch, she could unleash the full potential of any plant.
If Daise’s poison could make hair fall out, then with her amplification, perhaps… it could corrode the pythons’ scales, causing them to shed!
Yun Qingxue pressed her lips together, her gaze deep as she studied Daise. With no other options left, they had to try.
She raised both hands, pressing her fingers against Daise’s body. A radiant, multicolored light flowed from her into Daise.
The glow shimmered silently, emitting no scent or visible change.
Meanwhile, the vine barrier was quickly torn apart by the frenzied pythons.
The massive serpents surged toward Yun Qingxue.
She remained focused on amplifying Daise’s toxicity, while A-Dai silently directed his summoned snakes to harass the pythons relentlessly.
Perhaps still smarting from their earlier losses, the pythons charged at Yun Qingxue with gaping jaws, their fury unrestrained.
Yet as they slithered forward, patches of gray scales began to litter the ground in their wake.
Beads of sweat dotted Yun Qingxue’s forehead. Just as the lead python was about to strike, she withdrew her hands from Daise and yanked her aside in a swift dodge.
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