Chapter 52: Deep and Unfathomable

Chapter 52: Unfathomable Depth

At this moment, Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu, and others wished they could flay Ye Fan and Pang Bo alive. They found the duo's smiles utterly provocative and infuriating, as if daring them to strike. Of course, this was merely their perception. In reality, Ye Fan and Pang Bo believed their smiles were quite brilliant, and every pore on their bodies felt open, leaving them feeling incredibly comfortable.

"Pang Bo, you're purely asking for death! I won't spare you!" Li Lin cursed, her beautiful face icy cold and etched with a terrifying murderous intent.

Li Yun was also furious. This was an unprovoked disaster; they were inexplicably being chased by a snake demon. He roared, "Pang Bo, you're pushing us! Even if you're an Immortal Seed, from this moment on, we'll fight you to the death! And that good-for-nothing, just you wait, I'll personally slaughter you!"

*Puff!* Five-colored poisonous mist surged towards them, like a shroud of colorful silk enveloping the group. Li Lin and Li Yun immediately ceased speaking, rushing forward rapidly, terrified of being enveloped by the snake venom.

"Ah…" Just then, a scream echoed. One of them failed to dodge in time, instantly dissolving into corrosive liquid, their bones becoming charred and almost pulverized. Fear gripped everyone. This demonic snake was terrifying; a single puff of its poisonous mist could reduce a cultivator to withered bones, striking dread into their hearts. What infuriated Li Lin, Li Yun, and the others most was that Pang Bo ran faster than a rabbit, leaping and dashing ahead, leaving them far behind and completely treating them as human shields at the back.

As for Ye Fan, the "good-for-nothing" in their eyes, he was even faster, sprinting at the very front and leading the entire group. This made Han Feiyu and the others feel a surge of madness. How could these exceptionally talented disciples endure such humiliation, with even a "good-for-nothing" running ahead of them? They were both enraged and secretly loathed themselves.

*Hiss!* The ancient snake drew nearer. The jade horn on its head erupted with a fierce divine light, tearing through the sky and surging forward like a bolt of lightning. With a *thud*, it instantly cleaved one person in half, and fresh red blood splattered onto the nearby individuals, immediately striking terror into their hearts. "Ah!" A female cultivator screamed in horror. The bloody, cruel reality made them feel their own insignificance. In the face of the powerful snake demon, those who had just embarked on the path of cultivation were utterly vulnerable.

*Rumble!* The ground trembled as the Jade-Horned Snake, its eyes glowing red, crushed through the forest, rapidly closing in on the group. In their torment of fear, someone couldn't help but curse, gritting their teeth, "Damn it, how is that good-for-nothing running so fast? He's almost out of sight!" "That damn good-for-nothing, how is he faster than us?" Everyone's teeth ached with hatred, their minds utterly unbalanced. The "useless good-for-nothing" in their eyes was moving like a blur, skimming over the grass tips, almost floating.

"These two bastards, when I get the chance, I'll slice them into a thousand pieces!" Li Lin's delicate face was covered in a frosty expression, filled with both anger and panic, yet she was utterly helpless. Although these individuals possessed remarkable cultivation, they were far from being able to contend with the snake demon. As for Li Lin and Li Yun, despite their outstanding talents, they had only joined the Spirit Void Cavern three years ago. While their cultivation had progressed rapidly, they had not yet cultivated a "Divine Rainbow," meaning they couldn't fly and were limited to running on the ground. Although their cultivation was much stronger than Ye Fan and Pang Bo's, their physical bodies were far inferior to the duo who had consumed sacred fruits. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had undergone a complete metamorphosis, their physiques far surpassing those of ordinary cultivators, which was why they had left the others far behind.

Li Lin, Li Yun, and the others naturally knew that the Jade-Horned Snake's deepest hatred was directed at Ye Fan and Pang Bo. They must have taken the spiritual herbs from beside its cave, thus provoking the snake demon's chase. These individuals constantly changed direction, not wanting to share the path with Ye Fan and Pang Bo, hoping to shake off the ancient snake. However, what drove them mad was that Ye Fan and Pang Bo, like stubborn leeches, had completely latched onto them. Their speed was astonishing; with a few *swish* sounds, they circled back and continued to lead the race ahead of them.

Their lungs were about to explode from anger. Even Li Lin disregarded her image as a beauty, abandoning all pretense and cursing furiously, "Damn it! You, Pang, and that good-for-nothing, I, Li Lin, will remember you!"

Being relentlessly pursued by the Jade-Horned Snake, with their lives hanging by a thread, and now being repeatedly cursed as good-for-nothings by Li Lin and the others, even a saint would lose their temper. Ye Fan also burst into curses, "Damn it all! You, Li, I've remembered you too, but it's not because I'm interested in you. You're like a washboard..."

Pang Bo also turned back, adding fuel to the fire, "You washboard Li, instead of wasting time cursing us, why not conserve your strength to deal with the demonic snake behind you?"

"You're infuriating me!" Li Lin trembled all over with anger, but she had no choice but to sprint desperately, not daring to lose focus. From behind, Li Yun roared, "You two bastards are utterly shameless! I curse you to die a terrible death!"

"Damn it, who's shameless?" Ye Fan retorted. "You've always wanted to get rid of us. Now that we've met by chance, it serves you right to be unlucky!" Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu were so enraged they could barely speak. Encountering these two, they felt as if they'd accumulated eight lifetimes of bad luck; now their lives hung by a thread.

Apart from Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu, the other few cultivators were clearly faltering. Some, with tearful voices, shouted ahead, "I say, two junior brothers..."

"Who are your junior brothers?!" Ye Fan and Pang Bo were very displeased with this address.

"No, no, I mean two elder brothers..." The others, their voices choked with tears, cried out, "Especially that good-for-nothing Elder Brother! You run so fast... there's absolutely no need to stay with us! Please, just run far away, I beg you!"

Having been chased for so long, with his life potentially ending here at any moment, Ye Fan had lost his usual composure. Upon hearing this, he immediately retorted with a curse, "Damn it, who's the good-for-nothing?!"

Pang Bo also turned back and shouted, "Didn't you want to get rid of us two? Now let you taste what it's like to have your lives hanging by a thread!" After saying this, he unleashed his legs and sped off, leaping and dashing even faster than a rabbit. In the blink of an eye, he left the others far behind once more.

*Thud!* Among Li Lin's group, the last cultivator's face turned ashen. He had inhaled a small amount of snake venom, his strength failed him, and he collapsed to the ground. The Jade-Horned Snake surged past, its massive body directly crushing him into a pulp, splattering blood in a truly gruesome scene.

*Hiss, hiss!* The sound of the giant snake flicking its tongue echoed. Then, a disciple was torn by an invisible force, sent flying backward, and instantly vanished into the Jade-Horned Snake's gaping maw.

"Ah!" He only managed to let out a brief, terrified scream before it abruptly cut off. *Puff!* A burst of blood spurted from between the ancient snake's ghastly white fangs, and then that person was swallowed alive into the snake's belly. In fact, during the process of being swallowed, the person's body had already dissolved. This horrifying scene left everyone feeling utterly terrified, a chill running from their heads to their toes.

The distance was shrinking rapidly. The Jade-Horned Snake no longer spewed venom or shot divine light from the jade horn on its head. Instead, it merely opened its bloody maw, flicked its tongue, and with an incredibly terrifying suction force, pulled people backward to swallow them.

*Puff!* Blood splattered as another person was swallowed alive, faint trails of blood trickling down its sharp fangs. In the blink of an eye, four or five people had lost their lives. Besides Ye Fan and Pang Bo, only Li Lin, Li Yun, and Han Feiyu remained.

"Pang Bo, and that good-for-nothing, just you wait! My uncle-grandmaster will surely make your lives worse than death and grind your bones to dust!" Han Feiyu screamed in both terror and rage. At this moment, he was running at the very back, clearly about to become the ancient snake's next target.

The ancient snake flicked its two- or three-meter-long tongue, and a large amount of venom dripped down, corroding the ground and causing wisps of white smoke to rise. A pair of blood-red eyes locked onto Han Feiyu.

"No!" Han Feiyu screamed in terror. He felt his body lighten, torn by an invisible force, lifted off the ground, and flew towards the ancient snake's massive mouth.

Just at this critical moment, Han Feiyu summoned his Azure Wood Seal. This immensely heavy treasure seal burst forth with green light, wisps of azure mist swirling around it, and he slammed it down forcefully.

*Bang!* The Azure Wood Seal struck the ancient snake's head squarely, making it shake, but it caused no damage whatsoever. Its single horn shot out a divine ray, instantly knocking the Azure Wood Seal away, sending it crashing heavily into the distance, pulverizing a pile of rocks.

The Azure Wood Treasure Seal was not destroyed. After all, it was a weapon personally refined for him by his uncle-grandmaster. The wooden seal was inscribed with numerous profound patterns and imbued with various powerful "forces," making it extremely difficult to truly destroy. Han Feiyu's cultivation was insufficient; he could not unleash the true power of the treasure seal and thus could not harm the Jade-Horned Snake.

"Uncle-grandmaster... save me!" Han Feiyu, sucked into the air by the snake demon, screamed in terror. Just then, a jade pendant on his chest glowed, forming a curtain of light that held him suspended in the air, making it impossible for the ancient snake to swallow him.

Han Feiyu suddenly remembered that this was the jade pendant his uncle-grandmaster had specifically instructed him to carry at all times. Now, it seemed it was meant to save his life in a critical situation.

From a distant cliff, a green light suddenly shot up, and a figure, riding a divine rainbow, arrived instantly. The ancient snake seemed to be wary; it quickly retreated, abandoning Han Feiyu, who was suspended in mid-air.

Li Lin and Li Yun immediately showed joy, and Han Feiyu cried out even louder, "Uncle-grandmaster, save me quickly!" The divine rainbow descended, green light shimmering, as a stooped, disheveled old man appeared. He grabbed Han Feiyu and descended with him to the ground. Li Lin and Li Yun quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.

In the distance, Ye Fan and Pang Bo also stopped. The two exchanged glances, feeling uneasy, and wanted to flee immediately. However, noticing the old man's gaze sweep over them a few times, they immediately stopped acting rashly. If a powerful cultivator capable of riding a divine rainbow locked onto them, escape would be impossible. The two did not move, standing quietly to observe.

The old man was not tall, skeletal, and with his stooped posture, he was no more than 1.5 meters tall. His hair was disheveled and long, snow-white locks covering his face, making his appearance indistinct. All that could be seen were his hands, extremely withered, skin clinging to bone, like a pair of dark bird claws.

"Elder Han, fortunately, you arrived in time, otherwise we would all have died here..." Li Lin and Li Yun said after stepping forward to pay their respects. At the same time, they glared fiercely at Ye Fan and Pang Bo, declaring, "This time, you're dead for sure!"

Han Feiyu, moreover, gnashed his teeth, continuously whispering something to the old man. From his expression, it was clear he wished ill upon Ye Fan and Pang Bo. His gaze towards them was sinister and cold, filled with hatred.

The withered, ghost-like Elder Han ignored the three in front of him. He continuously nodded as he looked at the Jade-Horned Snake ahead, his voice low and hoarse, as if he might gasp his last breath at any moment. "Not bad, very good," he said, "the jade horn of this snake demon is excellent material for alchemy..."

The Jade-Horned Snake had long become spiritual and sensed the danger. It retreated rapidly, flicking its tongue continuously, attempting to flee.

At that moment, the disheveled old man floated forward like a ghost, clearly unwilling to let the snake escape. The ancient snake opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of poisonous mist, instantly engulfing him. However, green light flashed, and a mysterious radiance appeared around Elder Han's body, completely deflecting the snake venom.

*Hiss!* The jade horn on the ancient snake's head erupted with a blaze of divine light. Several dazzling divine rays shot out one after another, piercing towards Elder Han.

*Clang, clang, clang!* Sounds like clashing divine weapons rang out. Elder Han, holding an Azure Wood Ruler, shattered all the divine rays, dispersing them throughout the forest. The Jade-Horned Snake sensed the danger and quickly turned to flee, wanting to escape this place. However, Elder Han gave it no more chances. Twelve green lights suddenly shot out from his withered body. Twelve green wooden swords rapidly enlarged, each plunging into the ground, forming a cage that trapped the Jade-Horned Snake inside.

"Shed your jade horn automatically! If you try to destroy it, I will flay you alive!" Elder Han's words were sinister, and his gaze was chilling as he stared at the Jade-Horned Snake.

The snake demon seemed utterly enraged. Fierce light flared in its eyes, and its jade horn shone brilliantly, as if it wanted to gather all its divine power for a final strike.

It was clear that Elder Han would not allow it to unleash that strike. The twelve green wooden swords burst forth with a deep green glow, the patterns carved on them wriggling like snakes or insects. Then, the twelve wooden swords flared with bright green light, imbued with a chilling killing intent, and simultaneously slashed towards the center.

*Puff, puff, puff!* Blood gushed forth as the twelve green wooden swords instantly sliced the Jade-Horned Snake into dozens of pieces. The enormous snake body spurted blood that flowed like a small river, a pungent stench filling the air as blood mist rose, accompanied by wafting poisonous fog. In the distance, Ye Fan and Pang Bo gasped. Han Feiyu's uncle-grandmaster was truly terrifying; he had slain a snake demon with a mere flick of his hand, his unfathomable cultivation striking terror into their hearts.

It should be known that the ancient snake's body was incredibly formidable; it could easily crush towering ancient trees and pulverize huge rocks. Its body was as hard as divine steel, yet it could not withstand the twelve green wooden swords, instantly being cut down right there. Blood flowed like a river, soaking the ground. This disheveled, stooped Elder Han filled everyone with a wave of dread.