Chapter 43: The Strange Serpent Cheats! (Please add to your collection, please follow!)

The area shrouded by the strange mist had expanded significantly since before.

When he arrived at the foot of Mount Yunhua, Shang Lu did not rush to ascend but paused to observe for a moment.

The uncanny mist in the mountains gave him the impression of a living creature, constantly devouring and growing.

Especially after last night’s heavy rain, the mist seemed to have grown even more.

Could the secret realm itself grow? Shang Lu truly did not know.

Secret realms were considered confidential matters by the imperial court and the Witch Institute; ordinary people had very limited knowledge of them.

He glanced again at the villages beneath Mount Yunhua, noting they still lay some distance from the mist. In the short term, the mist should not reach and consume them.

Once the witch officials confirmed the existence of the secret realm and summoned the Witch Institute to develop it, these villages would surely be relocated elsewhere.

After gazing for a moment, Shang Lu withdrew his gaze, adjusted the bamboo pole from dragging to pushing, and began his ascent.

He also took out realgar powder early, scattering it far from the mist to prevent his retreat path from being swallowed should the mist expand again.

Soon he came to the edge of the mist.

Ordinary mountain fog is always thin at the edges and thickens as one goes deeper, but the mist of Mount Yunhua was different—dense from the very beginning.

There was a clear, sharp boundary between inside and outside the mist.

It was imperceptible from afar, but up close, the distinction was stark.

This created an uncanny sensation, as though the mist’s edge formed a strange threshold dividing the mountain into two unrelated worlds.

The mist was so thick that, despite his improved eyesight, Shang Lu could see only ten steps ahead from outside.

Beyond that, everything was obscured in a blurry haze.

He had experienced such situations before and was not surprised.

Previously, he could only see within ten steps; now, he had made remarkable progress.

“Third Lady, we’re going in!” he said, patting the oiled-paper umbrella tucked in the satchel, pushing the bamboo forward, and stepping boldly into the mist.

The dense, uncanny fog seemed to be a monstrous mouth, instantly swallowing him whole.

All that remained was a trail of pungent, orange-red powder on the ground.

Inside the mist, Shang Lu paused to observe his surroundings.

The realgar powder on the ground looked and smelled normal, not much affected by the mist’s moisture.

Of course, he had been generous with the amount.

He had also used the bamboo to plough a shallow groove in the earth, sprinkling the powder into it to prevent it being washed away by the mist.

Even so, after a few steps, he turned around and retraced the powder’s path, and indeed managed to walk out of the mist.

At that moment, Shang Lu felt reassured.

He returned to the mist, pushing the bamboo to plough grooves and scatter realgar powder as he ventured deeper.

He remained vigilant, listening closely to every sound.

His previous experiences taught him that in dense mist, the ears were more useful than the eyes.

Many times, the ears detected movement before the eyes saw anything.

It was no different this time.

He had not walked far in the mist when a rustling sound reached his ears.

The strange serpent had come!

Shang Lu turned quickly toward the sound, and sure enough, a faint, elongated shadow emerged from the fog, rearing up and lunging toward him.

He also heard the piercing, bizarre screech from the friction of scales: “I’m taller! I’m taller!” “I’m the tallest!”

Experienced as he was, Shang Lu did not wait for the serpent to reach him. He swiftly raised the bamboo above his head, pressing it to his crown.

The serpent, bursting from the mist with ferocious intent to tear him apart, suddenly hesitated at the sight.

Its two triangular eyes darted between Shang Lu and the long bamboo above his head.

Its little mind was filled with confusion, unable to comprehend why this human was so tall and so thin.

Just as Shang Lu had reasoned, the serpent possessed some intelligence, but not much.

It could distinguish the height of its prey but could not discern whether the height was real or false.

After a bout of scrutiny, the serpent decided this peculiar human was indeed taller than itself.

Its scales quivered, emitting a shrill scream, spraying a bloody mist from between its scales, staining the fog crimson.

With a sudden plop, it collapsed in a heap, becoming a mess of scattered scales, bones, and flesh.

It had truly been “burst apart” by rage.

Shang Lu approached, and amid the foul remains, found a dark green serpent gall, which he pried out with the knife sheath.

Third Lady summoned a breeze to clean the gall of blood and filth.

Once it was clean, Shang Lu swallowed it, offering it to the Spleen God in the Temple of the Five Viscera, and continued his exploration.

After a few steps, he returned, using the knife sheath to collect some intact scales, asking Third Lady to clean them, then pocketed them.

These scales were sturdy and sharp—perfect for use as hidden weapons.

During his exploration, Shang Lu encountered several more strange serpents, all of which he dispatched in similar fashion.

What a marvelous feeling it was to cheat!

Shang Lu felt that, with the long bamboo, he could vanquish every serpent lurking in the mist of Mount Yunhua.

Just as he sought his next target, a sudden cacophony of rustling sounds erupted from all directions.

What’s going on? Did I accidentally stumble into a nest?

He was startled but not frightened. In fact, he was rather pleased.

If all the serpents attacked together, it would save him much time.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw countless slender shadows flickering in the thick mist around him.

It was like a forest of upright spears—an impressive sight!

But in the next moment, the spectacle became terrifying.

Hundreds of ferocious serpents, hissing and baring their fangs, reared up and surged from the mist in a frenzied rush.

The scene was bizarre and chilling, enough to grip the soul!

But to Shang Lu, it was not a frightening sight, but a shower of serpent galls flying toward him.

With so many galls, how much sharper would his vision become? How much more of the fog shrouding the Liver God’s image might he dispel?

Shang Lu was exhilarated.

“I’m taller! I’m taller!”

The cries of the serpents rang out from all sides, noisy and piercing.

To drown out their voices, Shang Lu filled his mouth with blood qi, performed the Tiger Walk technique, and roared, “I’m the tallest! None of you are taller than me!”

At the same time, he raised the bamboo pole above his head once more.

He waited for the serpents to be enraged to death so he could collect their galls.

But these serpents did not explode like their comrades.

They glared at Shang Lu and the bamboo, shrieked furiously, then swiftly coiled together, each biting the tail of the one ahead, forming a strange long serpent.

Damn!

Shang Lu was astonished.

Cheating! This is absolute cheating!

The serpents had learned to cheat as well!