Chapter Thirty-Four: The Armored Lizard

Night had fallen, and the forest was now shrouded in darkness. Yet, for Ye Cheng, already at the Blood Qi Realm, the dim light posed no obstacle. Gazing at the creature that had appeared below, Ye Cheng could not hide the joy at the corners of his mouth. Beside him, the figure of Old Mu had materialized at some unknown moment.

Ye Cheng was long accustomed to Old Mu’s ghost-like, silent arrivals and departures. The old man always moved without a sound.

“That’s an Iron-armored Basilisk—a Blood Qi Realm beast, a mutant among lizards. It’s famed for its formidable defenses. An adult Iron-armored Basilisk can rival a lesser Master of the Origin Realm. Its spikes can easily pierce any human martial artist below the Origin Realm, and those spikes are laced with potent venom. Even Origin Realm warriors must handle it with care, else they could fall by surprise. Luckily, this one is still a juvenile. It might be worth hunting. But you’d better be careful.” Old Mu glanced at the Iron-armored Basilisk below and offered his reminder.

“Still, its tough hide makes excellent armor, and the spikes are top-tier medicinal ingredients—they could fetch a good price.” Old Mu grinned.

At this, Ye Cheng nodded, unable to suppress his delight. Indeed, his recent purchases had nearly emptied his savings; his purse was now quite light.

To Ye Cheng, spirit beasts were like moving treasures, sources of rare materials and wealth. Not only could they provide for his cultivation needs, but they could also replenish his depleted funds.

“But, Master, this creature is covered in spikes and as tough as iron. Where should I even start?” After his initial excitement faded, Ye Cheng looked at the Iron-armored Basilisk below, armored like a hedgehog, and could only smile wryly.

“What is the most vulnerable part of the body?” Old Mu shot him a look.

“The eyes!” Ye Cheng replied instantly, his eyes lighting up in realization.

“So you mean, I should target the Basilisk’s eyes, its most fragile spot.”

Old Mu nodded. “Humans and spirit beasts are much the same—even with cultivation, the eyes remain the most vulnerable, though there are exceptions. But striking the Basilisk in the eyes won’t be easy. Precisely because they’re vulnerable, it will instinctively protect them. Spirit beasts have some intelligence; they’re different from ordinary monsters.”

Ye Cheng nodded in agreement, tightening his grip on the branch above. Unconsciously, his fingers stripped away the bark.

The faint sound of bark peeling did not escape the Basilisk’s senses. It lifted its not-so-large head and glared toward the source of the noise. Its crimson eyes glinted with murderous intent, and its snake-like tongue flicked out, licking its upper jaw and the gap between its jaws, revealing sharp teeth that gleamed coldly and sent chills down one’s spine.

“Uh oh…” Ye Cheng looked down at the Iron-armored Basilisk with a bitter smile. As their gazes met, a jet of black liquid suddenly spat from the Basilisk’s mouth.

“Not good!” Ye Cheng’s pupils contracted sharply. He leapt from the branch just in time, dodging the venomous spit. As Ye Cheng landed, Old Mu dissolved into a stream of light and disappeared into the jade amulet Ye Cheng wore.

The black venom splattered onto the branch where Ye Cheng had just been, instantly corroding it into a blackened hollow, filling the air with a foul stench. The toxicity was clear.

“This thing plays rough,” Ye Cheng muttered, patting his chest and casting a shaken glance at the now-blackened branch. If that had hit him, he would have been flayed if not killed.

The Iron-armored Basilisk locked onto him again, its belly rumbling ominously before spitting out another stream of venom, clearly unwilling to let Ye Cheng escape.

“Damn, another one!” Ye Cheng swore under his breath, dodging aside as another tree behind him bore the brunt of the attack. Missing again, the Basilisk’s murderous intent only grew fiercer; a crimson light flashed in its scarlet eyes.

“Be careful!” Old Mu’s warning came just as the Basilisk’s black, armored body began to glow red. In an instant, beams of red light shot from the spikes all over its body, each beam tinged with black poison, raining down upon Ye Cheng.

Every hair on Ye Cheng’s body stood on end. He dared not be careless; summoning all his blood energy, crimson lines appeared on his skin, lending his otherwise delicate features a demonic cast.

His hand swept the storage pouch at his waist, and a silver spirit spear appeared in his grasp. Swinging the spear in a circular arc, he channeled his blood energy to create a defensive ring before him, dispersing the incoming beams.

“Kid, you can’t just defend. Watch out for the poison on those beams!” Old Mu’s voice teased, though worry was barely concealed beneath it.

Though the silver spear scattered the red beams, the black venom splattered everywhere, and Ye Cheng’s face grew grave. He realized that if this continued, he would be poisoned even if not pierced.

No longer willing to endure a war of attrition, Ye Cheng gritted his teeth, seized an opening, and stamped hard on the ground. Using the rebound, he vaulted above the Basilisk, gripped his spear tight, and dove headfirst from the air, aiming a vicious thrust at the Basilisk’s head—specifically, its eye. Blood energy surged at the spear’s tip, shimmering with silver light.

Ye Cheng’s sudden maneuver caught the Basilisk off guard, surprise flashing in its crimson eyes. It hadn’t anticipated such a cunning angle of attack. In desperation, the Basilisk swung its thick tail, striking the spirit spear with deadly accuracy.

A jarring vibration nearly tore the spear from Ye Cheng’s grip. The impact deflected his thrust, so instead of piercing the Basilisk’s right eye as intended, the spear scraped across its armored back, sending up a spray of sparks that blazed bright in the dim forest. All that remained was a shallow gash.

The beast’s armor was indeed formidable; Ye Cheng’s strike left only a minor injury. Failing to wound it seriously, Ye Cheng retreated quickly, putting ten meters between himself and the Basilisk.

“Its hide is as hard as steel, like a turtle shell. Even that couldn’t break through,” Ye Cheng muttered, frowning at the shallow wound. There was a trace of helplessness in his eyes. Unless he targeted its eyes, there was simply no other way.

...

End of Chapter Thirty-four: Iron-armored Basilisk