Chapter Thirty-Five: The Calamity Serpent's Shadow

In the early morning of the second day, the adventurers awoke from their slumber. Some had taken turns keeping watch, so the night had passed with a decent rest.

“Captain Huang, how much farther do we have to go?” asked the leader of another adventurer team.

“We’re still a long way off,” Huang Tianwu replied indifferently.

The other captain sighed and didn’t press further. Indeed, having to march for several days straight while staying alert to monster attacks was no pleasant ordeal.

“It’s so hot. If only there were a water source here,” Zhou Miaomiao complained, fanning herself with her hand.

Zhao Dongren and the others felt miserable too. The summer heat made trekking through the forest stifling and humid, and those clad in leather armor sweated until their bodies felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Chen Mu was just as bedraggled. Though he wasn’t wearing light armor like the other adventurers, he still walked drenched in sweat in such an environment.

Soon after, the adventure teams began to encounter groups of late-stage level-two monsters. This time, Chen Mu didn’t alert the whole group, but instead quietly warned the members of the Iron Shield Adventurer Team.

The teams were attacked repeatedly, and everyone grew exhausted. There were no fatalities, for the monsters were dispatched by the late-stage Yuan Foundation cultivators among them, though some mid-stage cultivators sustained injuries.

Seeing Chen Mu’s group emerge unscathed, the others realized he must have foreseen the attacks again, yet after yesterday’s incident, he chose not to warn the group. Some adventurers began to resent this, until finally a mid-stage Yuan Foundation cultivator confronted him: “Kid! If you can foresee enemy attacks, why don’t you warn us?”

“Would you believe me if I did?” Chen Mu replied coldly.

“I say this brat needs a lesson. Let’s seize him and force him to reveal his methods!” another adventurer jeered.

Zhao Dongren and his companions quickly shielded Chen Mu, saying, “Don’t you dare!”

Chen Mu’s expression was icy as he retorted, “You want to capture me? With just you lot? Try it if you dare—I’m right here!”

The air was dry, tempers flared, and a fight was about to break out when Huang Tianwu intervened: “What’s all this shouting? Have you forgotten the purpose of our expedition?”

Huang Tianwu wasn’t uninterested in Chen Mu’s secrets, but infighting would lower morale and weaken the group’s strength. Though Chen Mu’s aura was subdued, his actions marked him as a formidable character.

After walking for several more hours, they finally came upon a river ahead.

Everyone cheered—the water source meant they could finally wash away the sweat and grime clinging to them.

Some rushed into the stream to fill their flasks, others stripped off their shirts and washed themselves directly.

The Iron Shield Adventurer Team was about to fetch water from the river when Chen Mu quietly warned them, “Just take water from the riverbank. Don’t go in. There’s something in the water.”

Zhao Dongren and his group exchanged glances and heeded Chen Mu’s advice.

As most people entered the river, a sudden cry rang out. A patch of water turned red, and the person screamed, “My foot! My foot!”

A chorus of screams followed, and everyone scrambled to the shore in panic.

“Look, there’s something in the river!” an adventurer shouted in horror.

Following his gaze, they saw shoals of purple-gold piranhas.

The piranhas swarmed and devoured those unlucky enough not to reach the shore, leaving behind nothing but gleaming white skeletons. The scene sent chills down everyone’s spine.

Zhao Dongren and the others, who had only taken water from the riverbank, shuddered in terror and felt grateful for Chen Mu’s warning.

Having lost several comrades, Huang Tianwu was furious; he hadn’t expected the river to be infested with piranhas, and formidable ones at that.

“Don’t panic, everyone. We’ll cut down trees and make rafts to cross the river safely.” Under Huang Tianwu’s command, the group began felling trees.

It took several hours to craft the rafts, and by the time they crossed, evening had descended.

That night was equally turbulent. After the adventurer teams set camp, a pack of Shadow Panthers prowled around the campfire, their ghostly eyes waiting for a lapse in vigilance.

A fierce battle was about to erupt. The Shadow Panthers darted and struck, tormenting the late-stage Yuan Foundation cultivators. Whenever a guard left an opening, a panther would snatch an adventurer and make him its blood meal.

This ordeal lasted through the night.

Three days later, attacks became more frequent, and the adventurers were exhausted. Many regretted joining the expedition.

Just then, a member of the Blood Wolf Adventurer Team shouted in excitement, “Chief, we’re here—the little lake where the Crimson-Purple Regenerative Lotus grows!”

Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn, and they rushed toward the front.

Before them lay a shimmering lake nestled against a cliff, the wall covered in blood-red vines.

In the center of the lake floated several lotus leaves, and upon them bloomed three dazzling Crimson-Purple Regenerative Lotuses. After days of searching and marching, the expedition had finally found their prize.

As Huang Tianwu gave the order to harvest the lotuses, Chen Mu’s face turned ghostly pale, cold sweat pouring from his brow. He stammered, “There’s a level-three monster lurking in the lake, one as strong as a Yuan Pill cultivator. Brother Zhao, Sister Zhou, retreat quickly…”

A hush fell upon the adventurers. They were terrified; Chen Mu’s warnings were never unfounded.

Huang Tianwu was startled, but unwilling to give up. After all, the lotuses were within reach—how could he let them go so easily?

He barked, “Stop spreading panic! Don’t listen to him. He’s undermining the team’s morale again. Brothers, bind him! Let him lead the way!”

Zhao Dongren and the others were desperate, but outnumbered. Not only was Chen Mu bound, but the other five members of the Iron Shield team were as well.

They intended to use Chen Mu and his companions as bait, to distract the monster and buy time to pick the lotus.

Zhou Miaomiao cried in despair, “Are we going to be bait? I don’t want to die! Huang Tianwu, you bastard—you’ll get what’s coming to you!”

Chen Mu and the others were tightly bound and pushed forward. He forced himself to stay calm and whispered to Zhao Dongren, “Brother Zhao, Sister Zhou, Brother Liu… stick close. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you. I have a way to keep us alive for a while.”

As Chen Mu and his group entered the lake and sank beneath its surface, the water grew calm.

No movement was seen. Huang Tianwu finally relaxed, thinking Chen Mu had frightened him for nothing. He immediately ordered his men to guard the herbalists swimming to the center to collect the lotuses.

Thrown into the lake, Chen Mu and his companions were fixed upon by the enormous eyes of a blue-scaled giant python, causing them to break out in cold sweat.

Just as Chen Mu prepared to use the Turtle Shell Talisman should the python attack, a mental voice sounded in his mind: “You carry the aura of a high-ranking member of my demon clan. Who are you? Are those humans above your allies?”

Chen Mu shuddered; this monster, as powerful as a Yuan Pill cultivator, had awakened its intelligence. He replied mentally, “We were thrown down to distract you. Their goal is those three lotuses!”

“Vile, treacherous humans, sacrificing their own for my precious lotus. You, sit upon my back and come with me. Watch as I devour them one by one!” The blue-scaled giant python hissed, flicking its tongue.

The other members of the Iron Shield team, terrified to the point of losing their wits under the python’s immense pressure, were suddenly lifted onto its back, leaving Zhao Dongren and the others bewildered.

Meanwhile, Huang Tianwu, elated as he handled the Crimson-Purple Regenerative Lotus, was oblivious to the looming danger behind him. As the giant python surfaced, it swallowed him whole in an instant, not even giving him time to scream.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, paralyzed by fear, unable to move a muscle. The slaughter had begun.