Upon seeing the white wolf puppets restrained, Han Li wasted no time. He swiftly formed hand seals and detonated the two puppets directly with his divine sense.
Though the three-headed serpent’s body was incredibly tough, its mouths lacked such formidable defenses. The white wolf puppets, crafted from numerous rare and unknown materials, unleashed a devastating explosion upon self-destruction. The deafening blast was followed by agonized shrieks from two of the serpent’s heads, their expressions twisted in pain.
The central head, however, remained unharmed and grew even more enraged. With a flick of its massive tail, a shadowy blur sent the charging emerald serpent puppet flying over ten zhang away, where it collapsed motionless. Simultaneously, the serpent lunged forward and crushed a red bull puppet between its jaws, denying Han Li any chance to detonate it.
Meanwhile, Marquis Nanlong and Old Man Lu, having bought time with Han Li’s puppet beasts, finally launched their attacks in shock.
Old Man Lu’s dozens of blazing white fireballs shot forth at his command, filling the sky. Marquis Nanlong, on the other hand, flicked his wrist and sent a spell into his emerald ring. The ring trembled, splitting into two, then four, then eight—until over a hundred identical illusions filled the air. The real ring hid among them, darting forward as a streak of green light.
Han Li remained calm, flipping his palm to summon a dark object into the air. It swelled in the wind, transforming into a towering black mountain over ten zhang tall—the Ancient Treasure, Thousandfold Peak. Against a massive, thick-skinned beast like the serpent, this was the perfect weapon. However, the serpent was deceptively fast, so immobilizing it first was crucial.
As Han Li pondered, the two smaller serpent heads seemed to recover from the explosion. Their gaping maws unleashed two thick gray beams. The white fireballs collided with the beams, erupting into a chaotic mix of flames and gray light, locked in a stalemate.
The emerald rings, meanwhile, bypassed the clash and shot straight for the three serpent heads. Han Li’s black mountain followed leisurely behind the green streaks.
The serpent, sensing the threat of the green light, let out a low growl from its main head. A flash of spiritual light enveloped its body in cyan radiance before it lunged forward with a bloodthirsty snap. The emerald ring illusions dissipated upon contact, but one hidden ring vanished and reappeared above the serpent’s head.
In a brilliant flash, the ring transformed into a green mist, descending like lightning onto the serpent’s vital point—its “seven-inch” spot. A massive jade ring materialized there, tightening mercilessly into the serpent’s flesh. Even a beast of this size couldn’t endure such agony. The serpent writhed in pain, its main head slamming violently into the ground while the jade ring’s green light flickered relentlessly.
The two smaller heads also contorted in pain, causing the gray beams opposing the white flames to abruptly cease.
Seizing the opportunity, Old Man Lu intensified his flames, sending a towering wave of white fire crashing over the serpent, engulfing it entirely.
Yet the serpent’s cyan radiance proved formidable. Though the flames surrounded it, the serpent’s body remained unscathed despite its thrashing.
Suddenly, black light flickered above the serpent as the massive black mountain appeared overhead. With a spin, it unleashed a vast black mist that enveloped the serpent below, slowing its movements as if weighed down by immense force. The mountain then plummeted downward.
The serpent, sensing doom, weakly spat several energy orbs upward to intercept the falling peak. But the orbs disintegrated within the black mist before even reaching it.
Refusing to surrender, the serpent lashed its tail against the ground, propelling itself forward despite the mist’s restraint. Yet the white flames suddenly morphed into thick chains, binding the serpent mid-flight and sending it crashing back down.
The black mountain finally landed with a deafening crash, its impact site erupting in blinding black light. The three serpent heads barely had time to shriek before the sound was drowned out by the thunderous impact.
Marquis Nanlong grinned in triumph, while Old Man Lu exhaled in relief. Only Han Li frowned slightly, his gaze fixed ahead.
As the black light faded, the scene revealed the serpent still alive—barely. One head protruded from beneath the mountain, thrashing wildly with eyes full of madness. Its tenacity was astonishing.
Old Man Lu snorted, flicking his wrist to send a white streak slicing through the air. It looped around the exposed head, severing it effortlessly. Blood gushed several zhang high from the stump before the body finally stilled.
“Finally dealt with. Though, this Three-Headed Black Serpent wasn’t as fearsome as the legends claimed,” Old Man Lu muttered, relaxing slightly.
“This might not be the true Black Serpent. Remember, the real one has wings alongside its three heads, each capable of wielding different elemental powers. This one was nothing like that—otherwise, we wouldn’t have prevailed so easily,” Marquis Nanlong mused, skepticism in his eyes.
“Perhaps it’s a variant of another serpent species. Regardless, we needn’t dwell on its origins. Let’s proceed,” Han Li said coolly. With a flick of his finger, the black mountain shrank and vanished into his sleeve, leaving behind a pulverized serpent carcass.
Marquis Nanlong summoned a golden streak and an emerald glow from the remains—his golden flying sword and jade ring. The sword vanished into his body, while the ring returned to his finger.
Old Man Lu approached the carcass and retrieved three thumb-sized cyan cores from the heads. Without a word, he tossed one each to Han Li and Marquis Nanlong.
Han Li examined his briefly before storing it away, while Marquis Nanlong accepted his without hesitation.
After incinerating the remains with a fireball, Old Man Lu remarked, “Had any of us faced this beast alone, it would’ve been troublesome. But together, such ancient beasts aren’t too difficult. If the Fire Toad is this manageable, our task will be far easier.”
“Let’s hope so. But given how even Frost Li the Transcendent fled from it, the Fire Toad is likely far more dangerous,” Marquis Nanlong sighed wryly.
Old Man Lu nodded silently.
Han Li, having retrieved his formation flags, returned and declared, “Let’s go. We’ll soon see just how fearsome the Fire Toad is.” With that, he strode ahead.
Marquis Nanlong and Old Man Lu exchanged glances before following. Beyond lay the Northern Extreme Divine Light, and only Han Li’s Two-Polar Ring could safely guide them through.
With the serpent gone, the gray mist dissipated, revealing the path ahead—a stone road flanked by crimson restrictive lights on all sides.
The trio flew low, advancing until, twenty li later, a towering yellow stone wall appeared, its center a dark cave mouth nearly eight zhang wide.
“This is it. Beyond this cave lies the Inner Valley. But the tunnel itself is filled with over ten li of Northern Extreme Divine Light. Fellow Daoist Han, we’ll rely on your Two-Polar Ring,” Marquis Nanlong said, turning to Han Li.
“If we know the cave has the Divine Light, can’t we bypass it? Must we take this route?” Old Man Lu stroked his chin, eyes glinting.
“Impossible. Fellow Daoist Lu, try attacking the wall with your treasure, and you’ll see why,” Marquis Nanlong replied calmly.
“Very well.” Unconvinced, Old Man Lu flicked his sleeve, sending the white streak—a peculiar dagger-like treasure—slashing into the stone.
Han Li observed closely this time, recognizing the weapon as a rare flying dagger treasure.
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