Chương 85: Chapter 85: Poisoned

Lin Xiao stared intently at the mysterious creature before him. This was the thing responsible for his beloved mother's death.

Suppressing the anger boiling inside him, Lin Xiao watched as the vertical pupils of the beast scanned the surroundings. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they slowly closed again.

The creature, now in a distant part of the mortal world, believed it had concealed its presence well. It thought there was no way anyone could discover it here, especially with its aura so heavily suppressed. Besides, it was currently disguised as a Spirit-Devouring Serpent.

As for the Nascent Soul pressure it had felt earlier, the creature assumed it was just a passing Nascent Soul cultivator. It had hidden its presence, so it wasn't overly concerned. After all, if that cultivator had truly been looking for it, they would have shown up by now.

Recalling the sudden surge of spiritual energy from earlier, the creature suppressed its hunger. It had been over a decade since it had absorbed any significant amount of spiritual energy. If it could just wait a bit longer, until that Nascent Soul cultivator was far away, it could seek out that rich source of energy and claim it for itself. Once it fully recovered, nothing would stand in its way.

With that thought, the creature sank back into a restful state.

Lin Xiao, still perched on the mountainside, observed everything in silence. It seemed that the entire pool of black liquid was the creature's true form.

Once the creature's pupils closed again, Lin Xiao waited patiently for a while longer before silently advancing closer.

As he neared, within about fifty meters, the liquid began to ripple slightly, as if it had sensed something.

Without hesitation, Lin Xiao activated his Air-Walking Technique and swiftly flew toward the black liquid with the sealing talisman in hand.

At that moment, the creature's pupils suddenly snapped open, sensing the intruder. But this time, it wasn't just one eye that opened—two enormous black vertical pupils stared directly at Lin Xiao. Up close, the eyes were larger than an adult human.

The two massive pupils locked onto Lin Xiao as if time had slowed down, watching him approach with cold calculation.

Suddenly, a snake-like head slowly rose from the pool of liquid, strands of thick, sticky material clinging to it as it lifted.

The entire pool of black liquid was the body of this massive serpent!

Its eyes, filled with a trace of mockery, observed Lin Xiao as the serpent opened its gaping maw. The inside of its mouth was filled with the same black, viscous substance, and there wasn't a single fang in sight.

Though Lin Xiao had been closely monitoring the serpent's movements, he didn't hesitate. Just meters away from the serpent's body, he leaped forward and pressed the sealing talisman onto the creature's skin.

The serpent froze in place, caught mid-action. It likely hadn't anticipated that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could immobilize it so easily.

The next moment, Lin Xiao felt a thought flash through his mind—the talisman would seal the serpent for three years.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, planning how to deal with the creature during those three years, his body suddenly wavered, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

A system prompt echoed in his mind:

[Alert: The host has been poisoned by the Spirit-Devouring Serpent. If no antidote is found within twelve hours, vitality will be depleted. The host must detoxify immediately.]

Despite the grave warning, Lin Xiao felt no fear. Whether due to the poison affecting his mind or sheer determination, he didn't focus on finding an antidote. Instead, a sudden, intense desire to kill the serpent surged within him.

With his mind clouded and his ears buzzing, Lin Xiao forced his body to stay upright using all his spiritual energy.

Though his limbs were growing numb, he managed to stabilize himself. Activating his Air-Walking Technique, he retreated to the mountainside, gauging the distance between himself and the Two Elements Life and Death Array. Once he was in position, he gathered his remaining strength and hurled a massive fireball at the serpent.

He suspected that the serpent was weak to fire.

The fireball shot from his hand and smashed into the serpent's sticky black body, exploding into countless sparks. The impact tore open a section of the serpent's slimy skin, revealing the decayed, blackened flesh beneath.

Inky, viscous blood bubbled up from the wound, sizzling as it corroded the ground beneath it.

At the same time, the sealing talisman, which had been firmly attached to the serpent, lost its power and fell away.

Whether from pain or rage, the serpent lifted its massive head and let out a grating, ear-piercing roar.

In an instant, the serpent's head shot toward Lin Xiao with terrifying speed.

Lin Xiao immediately tore open a teleportation talisman.

Just as the serpent was about to strike, Lin Xiao's figure vanished from sight.

But the serpent reacted quickly. Its body, still lying in the pit, began to move. The once-still pool of black liquid rose into the form of the serpent's body, towering high into the air.

The serpent's body was so massive that it nearly filled the hundred-meter-deep pit.

Had Lin Xiao still been there, he would have seen the full extent of the creature—a serpent dozens of meters long, its body covered in a sticky substance that never dripped, as though it was a part of the creature itself. Yet, the serpent seemed bound by some unseen force, its movements sluggish and unnatural.

Despite its awkward movements, the serpent quickly locked onto Lin Xiao's aura and launched itself out of the pit with a powerful leap.

In the blink of an eye, it was outside the pit, pursuing Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao, who had just teleported back to the Two Elements Life and Death Array, hadn't even had time to catch his breath before the serpent came crashing down with a thunderous boom, landing less than a hundred meters from him—right in the center of the array!

Without a second thought, Lin Xiao threw a hundred spirit stones into the array's core and activated the Two Elements Life and Death Array.

This was it—his one shot at victory.