Chapter 12: The Contest of the Strange Serpents

Shanglu's right hand immediately reached for the hilt of his blade, assuming the stance to draw his weapon. The moment the strange fog descended, he caught a whiff of a pungent, foul odor, revealing that something lurked within—be it wild beast or some other sinister thing.

He halted, refraining from moving forward. His left hand swiftly untied the umbrella case and tucked the oil-paper umbrella into his chest before gripping the scabbard.

The swirling fog not only shrouded the sky but greatly impaired his vision. Though it wasn’t so thick that he couldn’t see his own hand, anything beyond ten paces was nothing but a hazy blur, rendering Shanglu unable to discern what lay ahead.

Cautious as he wished to be, the hidden thing in the fog chose to seek him out.

A faint rustling sound came from his side and behind, reminiscent of something crawling along the ground. The noise was so slight that an ordinary person would hardly notice it. But Shanglu, his cultivation having returned to the Bone-Cleansing Realm, possessed heightened senses as well as increased strength.

Even so, when he became aware of the sound, it was already alarmingly close. Startled, he spun around, facing the strange noise within the fog.

The sound paused, as if surprised that Shanglu had detected it. Yet, in the next instant, it resumed, growing urgent.

Whatever hid within the fog, once exposed, abandoned stealth and rushed at Shanglu with rapid intent.

He saw, emerging from the mist ahead, a slender figure like a bamboo pole. When it drew within ten paces, the shape became clear—a serpent!

A snake nearly two meters long and as thick as a teacup, rearing upright on its tail, advancing like a man.

Its tongue flickered crimson, and its triangular, ferocious eyes gleamed with a chilling menace. Every scale stood upright, like a peacock in courtship, eerily bizarre.

Stranger still, those raised scales moved, rubbing against each other and producing an uncanny sound eerily akin to human speech:

“I am tall! I am tall!”

The serpent “shouted,” its tail propelling it forward with astonishing speed as it launched itself at Shanglu.

Its mouth gaped wide, revealing sharp fangs.

“Zheng—”

At the very instant the serpent attacked, Shanglu drew his blade and slashed at its neck.

The Severing Tendon, Splitting Bone Blade—Decapitation!

His very first move was a killing blow.

The blade flashed, striking before the serpent could bite him, severing its head.

The snake’s scales were tough; when the ox-tail blade struck, sparks flew. These scales could even open and close, threatening to trap unwary blades.

Had Shanglu’s cultivation not returned to the Bone-Cleansing Realm, this strike would have failed to break the serpent’s scales and would have trapped his blade.

But now, his explosive power drove the blade through the serpent’s armor, cleaving it cleanly in two.

Blood sprayed, the acrid stench thickening within the fog, stinging nose and eyes.

Yet, the severed serpent did not die instantly.

Its decapitated head continued snapping at Shanglu, while its body whipped at him like a long lash.

Fortunately, his reflexes were swift. His left hand, already gripping the scabbard, swung it up, striking the bloody head and sending it flying a dozen paces away.

He twisted his waist, driving his left leg forward, and met the incoming body with a whipping kick.

“Bang!”

His leg collided with the serpent’s body, producing a loud, muffled sound.

The serpent’s body, like a kite with a broken string, was sent flying, but Shanglu felt the impact—its body was not only hard, but forceful, leaving his left leg aching.

Luckily, his skin had been tempered to toughness, and his muscles tensed at the moment of impact. Otherwise, he might have succeeded in kicking the serpent away, only to suffer torn skin or a broken leg.

Even so, Shanglu grimaced in pain, rubbing his calf quickly to ease the ache.

Though he had slain the serpent, he remained wary.

Firstly, he feared more such snakes might lurk within the fog.

Secondly, he noticed that, in the hazy mist a dozen paces away, the severed head and body still moved.

It’s true that a snake can writhe for a while after being cut in two, due to its nervous system.

Yet that movement should be aimless, mere reflex.

But now, within the mist, the head and body actively crawled toward each other at surprising speed.

The fog obscured his view, but even this blurred glimpse sent alarm bells ringing in his heart.

Shanglu immediately rushed toward the head and body, intent on crushing the head completely to prevent any mishap.

He reacted swiftly, but the head and body moved even faster.

Within ten paces, he saw them merge. From the wounds sprouted countless slender flesh tendrils, writhing like maggots, binding them together.

The severed head and body, thanks to these bizarre tendrils, “grew” whole once more.

Though the head was crooked, the serpent’s unnatural aura grew even stronger.

“What kind of damned snake is this? Its head can grow back after being cut off?”

Shanglu shuddered, drawing the ox-tail blade again.

This time, he not only aimed to sever the serpent, but to pulverize its head and prevent another resurrection.

The serpent sprang at him again, its scales swirling, emitting shrill cries of “I am tall! I am tall!”

Bones streaked with flesh and blood shot out from its sides, as if the serpent had suddenly sprouted a multitude of legs, transforming from snake into centipede.

These bony appendages were sharp as blades, stabbing wildly toward Shanglu.

A single hit would leave him riddled with wounds.

He immediately switched from an attack to a retreat, widening the distance, and whirled his ox-tail blade in a flurry, employing the bone-cutting technique of the Severing Tendon, Splitting Bone Blade.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang…”

Amidst the ringing clash of metal and bone, several of the serpent’s legs were hacked off.

Shanglu didn’t foolishly stand his ground, but employed the Ape Movement technique from the Five Beasts Vitality Cultivation, circling the serpent in motion.

After several strikes, most of the serpent’s legs were severed. Shanglu seized the moment, slashing off its head again.

This time, having learned his lesson, he immediately used the back of his blade to smash the head to pulp.

Not only that, he also located the serpent’s “seven-inch” heart, stabbing it several times.

Only after thoroughly destroying the head and heart did Shanglu exhale deeply.

Yet he remained vigilant, on guard for further dangers hidden in the fog, and kept a close watch on the serpent’s corpse, wary of more transformations.

His heart tightened as, despite its heart shattered and its head crushed, the serpent still moved.

From its wounds, countless grotesque tendrils sprouted, desperately repairing the damage and raising it once more.

Scales and bone legs scraped together, continuing their shrill cries of “I am tall!”

Louder than ever before!