Chapter 1124: Dark Night Black Snake

Jiang Fan immediately recognized that the other party was using reverse psychology, which indicated the venomous snake in the bloody cloth bag was quite dangerous. Luckily, he had the great rooster. If it could handle the ice dragon from the Snowfall Sword, surely a mere venomous snake wouldn't be an issue. Without calling out the trick, he untied the bloody bag. "Let's just try it," he declared. "What's the problem?"

As the bag opened, an incredibly swift blur shot out, lunging straight for Jiang Fan's shoulder.

The Stone Giant King sneered, "Fool. How dare you casually open my hunting bag? You fell right into my trap!"

*Cock-a-doodle-doo!* The next moment, a vibrant, multicolored light erupted from Jiang Fan's chest, followed by a loud rooster's crow. A translucent, multicolored great rooster, wings spread and head held high, flew out. It slammed a claw onto the swiftly moving afterimage, whose form now became clear: a pointed black snake with red spots.

The snake was only a foot long, but its body was extremely hard; the great rooster's claw couldn't pierce it. Instead, the snake lifted its head, opened its mouth, and exposed two fangs dripping with green venom, striking fiercely at the rooster's leg. The great rooster, however, pecked swiftly and precisely, blinding one of the snake's eyes. The small black snake writhed in pain and began to defend itself, while the great rooster pressed its advantage, attacking relentlessly.

The rooster and snake battled for a full fifteen minutes before the fight finally concluded. The small black snake lay motionless on the ground, its neck almost completely severed from pecking, with only a thin strip of skin connecting its head to its body. Its gallbladder had been pecked out by the great rooster. It was undoubtedly dead.

Ming Ye stared in disbelief. "The Dark Night Black Snake... it just died?" Even he wasn't entirely sure he could handle that snake.

Gu Xin'er's eyes were wide with shock. "It really is true that every creature has its counter," she murmured. "A Nine-Orifice venomous snake, pecked to death just like that." She remembered how they had faced numerous dangers while struggling to kill a Nine-Orifice giant as a group. Yet, this great rooster had dispatched its opponent in mere moments. The sheer difference made her feel utterly inferior.

Outside, the Stone Giant's eyes were dark with fury as he glared at Jiang Fan. He now utterly despised Jiang Fan. "Human!" he roared. "Do you dare speak your name aloud?"

Jiang Fan thumped his chest. "I am Wang Chongxiao of the Central Plains! I'll never change my name or surname!"

"Good!" the Stone Giant snarled, his voice chilling. "Wang Chongxiao, then! When I arrive in the Central Plains, the first thing I'll do is find you! Then, you'll experience the despair of having nowhere to hide, no matter how vast the world is!"

He gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and with a burst of immense power, leaped away.

Jiang Fan flew back, casually glancing at the black snake on the ground. To his surprise, he noticed Ming Ye, who appeared to be looking away, was subtly observing the black snake out of the corner of his eye. It was as if the snake held something valuable that Ming Ye dared not openly acknowledge.

Just then, Shan Feng hurried over. "Brother Wang," he urged, "quickly remove the fangs and extract the venom! This is the most poisonous snake in the Southern Heavens, feared even by Giant Kings!"

Hearing this, Ming Ye secretly clenched his fists. *This fool!* he thought. *Why did he have to remind them?* People from the Central Plains had no idea how valuable this snake was. He looked on with utter exasperation.

Jiang Fan looked surprised. "Giant Kings are afraid of it? But it's only a Nine-Orifice level snake." He found it hard to believe. A Nine-Orifice Nascent Soul facing a Giant King would be like an ant facing an elephant—it couldn't possibly pose any threat.

Shan Feng exclaimed, "I'm not lying to you! The Dark Night Black Snake is one of the very few things that can counter Ancient Giants. This snake's potent venom affects the Asura race and Ancient Giants of the same cultivation level entirely differently. If an Asura King of our race were bitten, they'd likely only feel a slight discomfort. But if a Giant King were bitten, they would die instantly from the venom!"

Jiang Fan was utterly astonished. Ancient Giants, immune to numerous divine abilities and spells, were actually vulnerable to the Dark Night Black Snake's venom? He immediately took out a jade bottle, preparing to extract the fangs. However, he cautiously refrained from approaching directly. Instead, he circled to the side of the snake's head and used his purple sword to pin it down. Unexpectedly, the moment he touched it, the snake's head came alive, dragging its still-attached body forward in a fierce lunge. But as soon as it moved, a claw slammed it to the ground. It was the multicolored great rooster.

Jiang Fan chuckled, "Thank you, Brother Rooster!" The multicolored great rooster proudly craned its neck and crowed, then transformed into a single feather and flew back into his chest.

With the snake subdued, Jiang Fan approached its head and extracted the greenish venom from its fangs into the jade bottle. A small amount smeared on a magical artifact, if it struck an Ancient Giant, would undoubtedly be a fatal blow.

"Are there many of these snakes?" Jiang Fan asked, hope in his eyes as he put away the jade bottle. If he could take some back to raise and store enough venom, the Central Plains would gain many more ways to deal with Ancient Giants.

Shan Feng shook his head. "How could they allow such a variant species, which counters Ancient Giants, to remain in the world? They've long been hunted to near extinction; even one is hard to find. A Nine-Orifice Dark Night Black Snake like this one, if not unique, is certainly exceedingly rare."

Jiang Fan's face showed a hint of regret. *These Ancient Giants are truly ruthless!*

With the Stone Giant King gone, it was time for them to act. "Village Chief," Jiang Fan said, "may I borrow a secret room for my friend to rest?"

Ming Ye, recalling the sleeping palace-dressed woman, had no suspicions. He immediately arranged a secret room for them. Jiang Fan set down Song Lingyu and also placed the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar. Their journey to the Black Sun Royal Court would be perilous. If they were to fall there, the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar would be left behind, which would undoubtedly endanger other scouting teams. Leaving the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar in the village, inaccessible to Ancient Giants, was undoubtedly the safest course of action.

"Deputy Pavilion Master Gu," Jiang Fan instructed, "keep a close watch on the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar and ensure no one from Black Cloud Village discovers it. If any of our Central Plains compatriots are teleported into this room, tell them to descend quickly; they shouldn't linger. This Village Chief Ming Ye is too cunning; we need to be cautious." Gu Xin'er nodded, saying earnestly, "I understand."

With their fallback plan in place, Jiang Fan rejoined the others outside. "Village Chief," he asked, "are we really going straight to the Black Sun Royal Court like this? If we encounter Ancient Giants, won't they immediately discover us?"

Ming Ye understood Jiang Fan's point and offered a wry smile. "You wish to obtain an Ancient Giant totem like Elder Defeng, to be immune to capture? Don't even consider it. That requires a Giant King to use their origin star and their ability to imprint Ancient Giant totems to bestow a totem on someone else. Can you really manage to invite a Giant King to help you?"

Jiang Fan stroked his chin, falling into thought. "A Giant King," he then said, "I might actually be able to invite one."