Chapter 37 A Difficult Battle Against The Serpent King
Chapter 37 A Difficult Battle Against The Serpent King
Since we were standing close together, the Lernaean Hydra only needed to concentrate its attacks on a single point. Every attack struck the outermost defensive barrier.
Among all the attacks, the poisonous gas was the most dangerous. The outer earth-element defensive barrier had already begun to corrode under its effect.
I suddenly noticed something strange. The yellow snake head—the one capable of earth-element magic—had not attacked since the beginning. Its eyes were closed as it swayed slightly from side to side.
What is it doing?
Yin suddenly cried out, “Be careful!”
A gigantic stone, as large as a small mountain, suddenly appeared high in the sky and plummeted toward us.
This was Level-7 earth-element magic: Meteor.
Its destructive power was enormous, and its area of effect was vast. If I tried to block it head-on with my own strength, I would likely be crushed into a pulp.
In that instant I understood the Hydra’s plan.
He had used the attacks of the other heads to keep us pinned down while secretly preparing a high-level spell with the yellow head.
He intended to annihilate us in a single blow.
A ruthless strategy.
There was no way to dodge while resisting the other attacks. We had no choice but to face it directly.
Jin and Yin roared simultaneously and erected two additional layers of golden-silver qi barriers.
At the same time I began chanting.
“Oh most wondrous God of Darkness, with my soul as the sacrifice, with my life as the bridge, grant me your infinite divine power. Form a solid dark barrier and protect your servant! Dark Barrier!”
This was Level-4 dark magic: Dark Barrier.
Its defensive strength was quite impressive, especially now that my dark magic had improved significantly.
The meteor struck with a deafening explosion.
It slammed violently against our barriers.
One by one the layers shattered under its impact. The Wolf God’s four legs sank deeply into the ground under the pressure.
Ironically, the meteor’s descent also shielded us from the Hydra’s other attacks.
I grabbed Jin’s long fur and swung Black Sable with all my strength. A thin blade of qi shot into the ground beneath us.
“Hurricane!”
With a tremendous explosion the ground beneath our feet burst apart. Using the recoil, I dragged the Wolf God away from the meteor’s impact zone.
The enormous meteor crashed down, smashing the ground and leaving a massive crater.
Blood trickled from the Wolf God’s ears and noses. Both wolf heads were gasping heavily.
They had absorbed most of the force so that I could escape with them.
If not for that, the three of us would have died there.
The moment we landed, countless mid- and low-level spells and clouds of poisonous gas surged toward us again without giving us a moment to breathe.
The Lernaean Hydra was truly enraged.
The Wolf God struggled to chant another spell, erecting three more layers of defensive barriers.
Yin tilted her head toward me.
“Lei Xiang, what should we do? If we take another attack like that, we’re finished.”
The yellow earth-magic head had already begun chanting again.
If we didn’t go all out now, death awaited us.
“Darkness condense within my soul. To fall is to be freed. Awaken, powers sleeping within my blood!”
I released the power of the Fallen Angel.
Black mist surged around me, and dark wings unfolded once again behind my back. My entire body was wrapped in swirling darkness.
The lion mask on my face turned to ashes under the violent surge of power.
“Oh most wondrous God of Darkness, with my soul as the sacrifice, with my life as the bridge, grant me your infinite divine power. Form a solid dark barrier and protect your servant! Dark Barrier!”
It was the same spell—but after transforming, its strength was completely different.
All incoming attacks were blocked.
The pressure on the Wolf God lessened immediately. I used the brief moment to help stabilize their qi and magic.
The Lernaean Hydra stared in astonishment at the sudden change.
The central head blinked in shock.
“Demon Race!”
For a moment, the attacks from its heads weakened.
I seized that opportunity.
With a roar I plunged Black Sable into the ground.
“Prepare to attack!”
Mad God qi and dark magic surged wildly within me. I drove both energies downward into the submerged body of the Hydra.
“Hong!”
The combined energies exploded beneath the Hydra.
The lake seemed to boil as enormous pillars of water erupted into the sky. The explosion blasted the Hydra completely out of the lake.
Only then did I clearly see its body.
It was more than ten feet in diameter and towering above the water.
“Now!” I shouted.
Flapping my wings, I shot forward with my sword and body as one.
The Wolf God followed immediately, suppressing their injuries and leaping forward.
I reached the Hydra first.
Black Sable slashed downward with all my strength.
The Hydra was still falling toward the lake and had no room to dodge. It could only raise three of its already injured melee heads to block the attack.
But those wounded heads could not withstand my strike.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three consecutive slashes severed the heads from the main body.
The Wolf God arrived at that moment.
With a triumphant howl, the enormous golden-silver wolf slammed into the Hydra like a meteor.
The Hydra crashed back into the lake.
However, it did not panic.
As it fell, it fired four magical attacks and a cloud of poisonous gas toward us.
Those attacks struck the airborne Wolf God directly.
Boom! Boom!
Because of the poisonous gas, the Wolf God could not pursue further attacks. Still, the remaining impact blasted the Hydra nearly ten feet away.
I avoided the aftershock and swung Black Sable behind my back.
“Hundred Splits of Mad Shadows!”
My body split into two, two into four, four into eight, eight into sixteen…
Countless afterimages rushed toward the Lernaean Hydra.
This was the fourth technique of the Mad God Fist. It was the first time I had ever used it in real combat.
I deliberately did not use Black Sable.
First, I did not want to kill the Hydra and provoke endless hostility from the snakemen tribe.
Second, I had not yet mastered the true essence of this technique. Using my fists would allow its power to manifest more completely.
Enhanced by the Fallen Angel transformation, the technique displayed terrifying power.
Each shadow looked illusory—but every one could deliver real attacks.
The shadows struck the Hydra like lightning, breaking through its four layers of magical defense.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Hydra was struck more than a hundred times.
Three of its five remaining heads were severely torn apart.
The combined power of Mad God qi and dark magic was devastating.
Already heavily injured by the Wolf God, the Hydra could no longer resist.
Its enormous body twisted violently. By the time it splashed back into the water, only the water-element and wind-element heads remained intact.
The Wolf God appeared beside me, ready to continue the attack.
I grabbed Jin’s long fur.
“We should show mercy. Our goal is not to kill him.”
Blood from the Hydra had stained a large area of the lake red.
I wrapped an arm around Jin’s neck and flapped my wings, lifting us into the sky.
The surrounding snakemen soldiers had already erupted into chaos after seeing the Hydra lose three heads.
Their eyes burned red with rage as they prepared to rush forward to avenge their lord.
I swung Black Sable and released a blast of black energy ten meters in front of them.
The explosion carved a crater two meters deep.
“I do not wish to kill anyone,” I said coldly.
“Even your Nine-Headed Sage has fallen before my blade. What chance do you have against us?”
In truth, I was only trying to intimidate them.
After the battle with the Hydra, both the Wolf God and I had expended enormous amounts of energy.
There were simply too many snakemen. We no longer had the strength to fight them all.
The lake water began bubbling again.
The Lernaean Hydra slowly surfaced, dragging its two remaining heads behind it.
The Wolf God immediately tensed, preparing to attack again.
The Hydra hurriedly retreated thirty meters.
“Stop fighting!” the blue head cried. “I concede!”
I was stunned.
Just moments ago he had been unbearably arrogant. Now he surrendered so easily.
Jin shouted, “Tell your snakemen to get lost.”
The Hydra roared helplessly, “You useless fools, disperse immediately!”
Then he turned to us.
“Don’t kill me. I surrender unconditionally. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
His voice was somehow confined so that only we could hear it.
Yin laughed mockingly.
“So the great Nine-Headed Sage of the snake tribe is nothing but a coward afraid of death.”
The Hydra snapped angrily, “If not for that Demon Race power, I would have eaten you two-headed mongrels long ago!”
Yin immediately fired a silver energy orb at him.
“You still dare say that?”
The Hydra hurriedly dodged.
“Fine, fine! I admit defeat. What do you want?”
I said calmly, “I am not from the Demon Race.”
“But if you had used your full strength from the beginning, the outcome might have been uncertain.”
The Hydra lifted his head proudly and glared at Yin.
Jin spoke in a deep voice.
“Let’s continue this conversation in your territory.”
“Or do you intend to keep us standing here?”
The Hydra sighed and turned toward the spherical city, cutting through the waves.
I followed from the air with the Wolf God close behind.
As we caught up, I transmitted a message.
“You’d better not try any tricks. Otherwise I’ll remove your last two heads.”
The Hydra hurriedly replied, “I wouldn’t dare. No one in this territory can oppose you now.”
“I certainly don’t want my ‘sons’ dying for nothing.”
Yin said smugly, “Good.”
The Hydra avoided the main gate and entered the city through a cave along the side.
I glanced at Jin and transmitted my thoughts.
“There shouldn’t be any problem. Let’s follow.”
“He’s lost seven heads. He no longer has the strength to resist.”
I landed on the ground and canceled my Fallen Angel transformation. The Wolf God also returned to their werewolf form.
The Hydra shrank and transformed into an ordinary snakeman.
It was an absurd sight.
Of his nine heads, only two remained upright. Three hung limply, while the rest were missing entirely.
His four small eyes watched us cautiously.
“You really won’t kill me?”
I smiled faintly, forcing my expression into the gentlest look possible.
“Of course not. We came here to borrow your strength.”
The Hydra shook his remaining heads irritably.
“You came to ask for my help and still chopped off seven of my heads. That’s heartless.”
Jin snorted.
“If we hadn’t done that, would you cooperate with us honestly?”
“Enough nonsense. This isn’t the place to discuss conditions.”
The Hydra hissed and flicked his forked tongue toward the Wolf God.
“Follow me.”
The Wolf God and I exchanged a glance and smiled.
After fighting side by side, our trust in each other had grown much stronger.
The cave was dark and winding.
After nearly an hour of walking, we reached a dead end.
The Hydra pressed a hidden stone on the wall. The rock surface slid upward, revealing a stone door.
“This is the entrance to my palace,” he said.
“Let’s go inside and talk.”
“I’ve hidden a large amount of explosives here. If you try to harm me… hehe.”
The worm was indeed cunning.
Even though we had been cautious, he had still managed to bring us into his territory.
Although I admired his cleverness, I could not retreat now.
“Hmph,” I said coldly.
“Do you really think you would have time to detonate those explosives?”
“Lead the way. We truly have no intention of killing you.”
Going through the stone door, we entered a broad tunnel. The tunnel was built from thick stone blocks, and two bright torches hung on the walls at both sides. After passing through it, we arrived at a palace.
That’s right—a palace.
The luxury here greatly exceeded that of the Beast Emperor’s imperial palace. Its class was even higher than the VIP room I had once lived in.
I could tell this was not merely a bedroom. The large bed, covered with a high-quality fur-padded mattress, occupied only a quarter of the room.
Why do all ancient beasts have such enormous beds? Are they afraid of transforming while they sleep?
Jin Langtou knocked on the jade handrail and said in surprise, “Nine-Headed Worm, you really know how to enjoy life. This place is even more luxurious than ours in Yuna.”
Yin Langtou stamped her foot on the carpet. “Is this white bear fur? Even though the fur isn’t long, its gloss and toughness are unmatched. Looks like you’re very rich.”
The Lernaean Hydra snorted.
“Of course! Do you think I would help those commoners farm? I enjoy life, especially in winter. How could I sleep well if I couldn’t keep warm? I am the puppet master of the snake tribe. I can get anything I want.”
He walked to the middle of the room and sat on a large sofa.
“Two-headed mongrel, what business do you have bringing that guy here to see me?”
Jin Langtou’s expression turned ferocious.
“Nine-Headed Worm, watch your words. If it weren’t for your ancient heritage, I would have killed you already and wiped out your Lernaean race.”
The Hydra looked aggrieved.
“Hey, Demon kid, he keeps calling me Nine-Headed Worm, so why can’t I call them two-headed mongrels? That’s unfair. If I hadn’t spared them last time, this so-called Wolf God wouldn’t even exist anymore.”
I frowned.
“I told you already—I am not from the Demon Clan, and I dislike people calling me ‘kid.’ We have all exchanged blows and become acquainted that way, so at least be civil.”
I paused before continuing.
“How about this. To avoid more arguments, they will call you Hydra, and you will call them Wolf God.”
The Lernaean Hydra muttered, “What else could you be if not a demon? How could anyone transform into a Fallen Angel without being from the Demon Clan? I don’t believe it. Do you think all beastmen are fools?”
He snorted.
“But your idea isn’t bad. Hmph… Wolf God? What a tacky name.”
Yin Langtou retorted, “Tacky? At least we have a name. What about you? You’re still called the Lernaean Hydra.”
The Hydra ignored them and looked at me.
“You said you aren’t from the Demon Clan. Then what are you?”
My expression dimmed.
“I’m a mixed blood of human, demon, and beast. Naturally I possess certain special abilities. In any case, we came here to discuss something with you.”
The Hydra waved a hand.
“Wait. I’m badly injured. Let me heal first, then we’ll talk. You’re much more sincere than that… wolf.”
If Yin Langtou had not glared at him, he would have said “two-headed mongrel” again.
At that moment an old voice sounded through the palace hall.
“Oh great Sage, I heard that Your Lordship is injured.”
The Hydra picked up a copper tube connected to the tea table.
“I’m fine,” he said impatiently. “Just a few friends sparring with each other. Go calm my sons and tell them to guard the ferry properly.”
The voice replied respectfully, “As you wish, Your Holiness. If you require anything else, please give the order.”
“That’s enough. Go do what you need to do.”
The Hydra stuffed a cork into the copper tube.
“This damn snakeman village chief,” he muttered. “If he didn’t serve me so well I would have eaten him already for being so annoying. Though… his meat is probably too old to taste good.”
Why do ancient creatures always talk so much nonsense?
I reminded him, “Didn’t you say you wanted to treat your wounds? Do it quickly. I still have matters to discuss.”
The Hydra immediately sat down cross-legged.
“I’ll start now. Do whatever you like.”
He closed his eyes and began cultivating.
I transmitted my voice to Jin Langtou.
“It seems he truly isn’t our enemy. Otherwise he wouldn’t heal in front of us. How did you two become enemies?”
Jin Langtou and Yin Langtou exchanged helpless looks.
Jin Langtou sighed.
“We were actually very good friends once. Both of us came from that great forest. But after leaving it we were influenced by the bustling world outside and began quarreling about the same things.”
“Over time the quarrels turned into fights. But we always lost because his magical tier is higher than ours.”
“Yin Langtou and I left in anger. Later we met the elder of the werewolf tribe. At the same time the Hydra met the elder of this territory. That’s how we became the totems of our respective regions.”
“But we still wanted to defeat him. We challenged him from time to time, though we never won. Yet the Hydra never intended to truly harm us.”
“To be honest, the main reason we came down from the mountain was to suppress him with your help and satisfy our vanity.”
I felt somewhat displeased.
“So you used me.”
“If you regret it now, return to Yuna and rule as local tyrants. But I will not allow you to kill the Lernaean Hydra. That would trigger a civil war among the beastmen.”
“Is your vanity really that important? What difference does it make whether you defeat him or not?”
Jin Langtou laughed bitterly.
“We won’t kill him, and we won’t leave you. What you said is right. We were too stubborn.”
“The Hydra never truly hurt us. But today we destroyed seven of his heads, greatly weakening him. When we were fighting earlier, we even intended to kill him.”
“Yet even then he didn’t blame us.”
“You saw everything. For such a trivial matter we were willing to go so far just to save face… Compared to him, we were selfish.”
“After he heals we will apologize. Whether he follows you or not, we will still keep our promise to you.”
“But we hope you won’t force him. Let him choose for himself.”
I nodded.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make things difficult for him.”
“We’re exhausted as well. At first I feared he might launch a sneak attack, but after hearing your explanation I think we can safely recover here.”
I sat down and began circulating the two energies within my body.
The Wolf God nodded in agreement.
They moved behind the Hydra and placed their hands on his back, transferring their remaining qi to help heal his injuries.
The Hydra’s body trembled slightly, then gradually calmed.
The two remaining snake heads slowly formed faint smiles.
Meanwhile the two energies within me circulated continuously. Each cycle generated new power to replace what I had spent.
It felt wonderful.
After twenty-one cycles my Mad God Qi and Dark Magic were completely restored. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was the Hydra.
He was still cultivating.
What shocked me was that four pink heads had begun growing where the old ones had been severed. The damaged heads were also recovering with their eyes closed.
No wonder he was so difficult to defeat… his regeneration ability is terrifying.
But something else shocked me even more.
The Wolf God was standing behind him with one golden and one silver arm pressed against the Hydra’s back.
Their fur was soaked with sweat and steam rose constantly from their bodies.
Their faces had turned pale.
They had clearly exhausted themselves.
I quickly rushed over and placed both hands on them, channeling Mad God Qi into their bodies.
To my shock, the Wolf God had completely run out of energy. Yet they were still transferring power to the Hydra.
If I had awakened even slightly later, they might have died.
I immediately severed the energy connection and drew their remaining qi back into their bodies.
I helped them sit down and took out a jade stone, using it to nourish their bodies with my Mad God Qi.
After receiving the energy, Jin Langtou and Yin Langtou simultaneously spat out a mouthful of turbid qi.
Their spirits gradually recovered.
The golden and silver qi within their bodies began circulating again.
Of course, I did not repeat their mistake by pouring too much of my own power into them.
After helping guide their qi circulation once more, I withdrew my energy and left the jade stone with them so they could recover on their own.
This Wolf God really is an idiot.
The Hydra could clearly regenerate by himself, yet they nearly sacrificed themselves trying to help him.
Four hours later the Hydra finally awakened.
All nine heads had regenerated, and eighteen eyes stared at me.
I smiled.
“Your regeneration ability is astonishing. You recovered completely in such a short time.”
The Hydra shook his heads proudly.
“Of course. This is my strongest ability.”
“Unless all my heads are cut off at once or my entire body is destroyed, I can regenerate easily. Of course, it still can’t compare to the legendary Phoenix, which can rise from its ashes.”
“But recovering like this still costs a lot of energy. I’ll need to eat quite a bit to replenish myself.”
He paused.
“Your coordination during the battle was impressive—especially that last attack.”
Then he looked behind him.
“It was the two-headed dog that… wait. No. The two-headed wolf that helped me recover, right?”
I nodded.
“Yes. They regretted their actions and wanted to compensate you.”
“They were seriously injured themselves but still helped you recover. That almost killed them.”
I continued.
“But tell me—why were you so careless? If you had fought at full strength from the start, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat you.”
The Hydra shook all nine heads.
“I never blamed them. In my heart they have always been my friends.”
“There are only a few of us ancient races left. I treasure these relationships deeply.”
“Unfortunately we often quarrel, and those two are extremely stubborn.”
He suddenly looked at me.
“Oh right. Why did you come to find me?”
I smiled and explained my plan regarding the Beast God Religion.
The Hydra looked startled.
“You’re quite ambitious… no, maybe that’s not the right word. Your idea is actually very good.”
“The beastmen are too chaotic.”
“Fine. I’ll support you.”
“But they must have told you already—I’m a lazy snake. I’m used to a comfortable life.”
“It’s better if I stay here and control the snakemen from behind.”
I had not expected him to agree so easily. Even if he did not wish to travel with us, I was satisfied with this result.
“I won’t force you,” I said. “Everyone has the right to choose how they want to live.”
“But you must restrain the snakemen. They are too tyrannical. If outsiders show even the slightest disrespect in their territory, they are killed immediately.”
The Hydra looked surprised.
“Is that true? Why don’t I know about this?”
“This needs investigation. I can’t let that two-headed… wolf say I cannot control my own subordinates.”
He nodded.
“After you leave I will deal with this matter. It seems I’ve been too lazy.”
“It’s time I properly manage Sasi Territory.”
Yin Langtou’s voice sounded faintly behind us.
“This isn’t laziness anymore…”
The Hydra laughed.
“So the two-headed wolf has awakened.”
Jin Langtou snorted.
“What, were you hoping we wouldn’t wake up again?”
He turned to me.
“Lei Xiang, did you tell him about your mission?”
I nodded.
“Yes. He agreed to support us, but he will remain here to oversee his people.”
Yin Langtou sighed.
“This guy is too lazy. The continent is full of interesting things, yet he prefers sleeping in bed.”
He handed something to me.
“Lei Xiang, thanks for earlier. I’m returning this to you.”
“If it hadn’t supplied us with so much life force, we wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.”
It was the turquoise gem.
As he passed the Hydra, he deliberately turned it so the gem’s light flashed in front of the Hydra’s eyes.
The Hydra’s eighteen eyes immediately lit up.
He snatched the gem and examined it closely.
“What a pure turquoise! The beastmen actually possess something like this?”
The Wolf God shot me a cunning glance.
Understanding their intention, I said calmly, “Sorry, but this gem is still useful to me. I cannot give it to you.”
The Hydra reluctantly handed it back after staring greedily for a moment.
I smiled inwardly.
Then I removed my outer clothing and revealed a crocodile-leather vest.
“Hmm… I forgot which pocket this gem belongs in. Let me check.”
While speaking, I walked to the table and began taking out gemstones one after another.
Four black gems.
Two bloodstones.
Three blue diamonds.
Three orpiments.
One turquoise.
One amethyst.
Fourteen gems in total.
Their dazzling light illuminated the Hydra’s palace chamber.
Even the Wolf God stared in shock.
Jin Langtou exclaimed, “Lei Xiang… I didn’t expect you to be the richest among us!”
The Hydra was even worse.
All nine heads drooled, and his eighteen eyes nearly popped out.
Ignoring their reactions, I picked up one bloodstone and handed it to Wolf God.
“This is for you. It clears the mind and is very helpful during training and battle.”