“This is getting troublesome.”
Ju frowned lightly.
It was the first time he had been this deep into the forest, and his fear grew. The path ahead was filled with strange plants Ju had never seen before, especially a set of red flowers that released a blood-coloured mist; although Aron had assured them it brought no harm, Ju was still cautious.
Eventually, Aron stopped at a spot and brought out a green-colored disk. He activated the tool using Essence and launched the disk into the air. The disk spun at incredible speed before shooting towards the north in a flash of emerald light.
Looks of surprise appeared on the group members' faces, but no one said anything.
“It is just a method of identification I was given. Master Pike should be here shortly,” Aron said in a low voice.
Some minutes later, a pressure appeared, and three figures flashed right in front of Ju and the rest. Ju’s body stiffened as he saw these figures. Master Pike was familiar, but so were the other two; one was Mason, who Ju had seen in the library previously, and the last person was the Old Woman at the Inn!
The Essence Fluctuations in the area suddenly became tumultuous, displaying the trio's power as Essence Artists.
It was obvious that Mason didn’t have any impression of Ju, but the Old Woman at the Inn had a brief look of surprise when she saw Ju.
“Madam Pang, it seems you know the little fellow.” Master Pike immediately noticed the old woman's unnatural reaction.
“Well, not particularly. He booked a room at my little place about two weeks ago, to think he would go on so many adventures that he eventually got involved with you.” She chuckled.
Master Pike shrugged his shoulders and didn’t say anything afterwards.
“We should get going now; we are already wasting time,” Mason said impatiently.
Madam Pang also nodded in approval. Master Pike, meanwhile, regarded Ju and the group members with an indifferent expression.
“As you already know, we are about to hunt a beast close to Rank 2. While we are busy with the Snake, you five will tangle with the young ones and snatch those eggs. The last time I checked, they had not hatched even after years, showing their intrinsic value. If I am not mistaken, it could be a rare variant of a golden horn snake.”
Master Pike's eyes showed intense greed as he spoke those words: if one could tame such a beast while young, its value would be no less than that of an Essence Artist slave.
“We had already captured the other Snake that formed a core the last time I tangled with this Mother, so you would not be in excessive danger provided you stay away from our fight. Aron would calm most of the spiritual Snakes, and as he does that.
“We will do our best to draw the snake out of its nest. Hopefully, we can kill the spiritual beast, but if we are not victorious by the time the fight ends and the snake returns to the nest, all of you should have already left with the eggs.”
Pike gave clear instructions.
“Okay then, move your legs!” Mason commanded in a low voice as he dashed forward with Master Pike and Madam Pang, who leisurely followed.
Ju and the group of Essence gatherers cautiously moved behind the Essence Artists. As they got deeper into the forest, Ju felt different auras, some outright threatening. However, it seemed as if Master Pike and the other Essence artists knew exactly which way to pass to avoid other beasts.
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After many twists and turns, Ju noticed the landscape started to change slightly, the vegetation faded, and the land began to slope. Gradually, Ju spotted a ravine surrounded by rocks; the area seemed cooler than other places. A sense of danger steadily grew in Ju’s mind, and he could hear faint hissing.
“We did not see any other spiritual beast because of the Snake’s strength. Most of the time, it hibernates, trying to accumulate enough strength to reach the second rank, but if it should be disturbed, its rampage is quite catastrophic. More than one spiritual beast’s core has ended in its belly.”
Master Pike muttered with a hint of respect.
“All the more reason we must strike first and seize the initiative,” Mason said as his eye glowed.
Some minutes later, Ju felt his breath stop for a moment. The slope already ended in a jagged cliff, and beneath it was the Rank 1 Spiritual beast. The serpentine body was large, about twenty-six feet, and its scales were a healthy shade of brown that contrasted greatly with the grey-coloured rocks around it,
Ju could make out its soft white belly. The snake had its eyes closed, a long gleaming silver horn extended from its head and its body was wrapped in a wheel. In between the snake, Ju spotted a hint of gold.
Those must be the eggs.
Only after Ju examined the Mother snake did he have time to look at the other smaller snakes, compared to the Rank 1 Spiritual beast; these were less impressive but still quite dangerous. They numbered close to 20 and occasionally moved around the mother snake leisurely. Overall, it was obvious that these spiritual beasts didn’t seem as active as the other beasts Ju was used to.
Madam Pang's eyes revealed an expression of greed as she stated.
“I want this Snake’s soul!”
Mason lightly said, “I will take the body.”
Master Pike laughed. “Then its core is mine.”
After they finished speaking, their gazes fell on Ju and the others. Being stared at by three Essence Artists was not a comfortable feeling at all. But Ju managed to keep his calm a bit as he prepared himself.
“You three should back off while we deal with the snake. You know what to do. Do not disappoint.”
Master Pike said in a low voice, and then he faced forward as a cold light flashed in his eyes. Master Pike's hands moved quickly, and his aura built up like a tidal torrent. He let out a low roar, and his left hand pointed to the Snake. A large seal appeared up in the air in the form of a sea above the head of the Snake.
By this time, the Silver Horned Snake already had its eyes open. Ju spotted the narrow slits that brimmed with power, and a cold feeling washed over him as he hurriedly moved backwards.
Ju’s body trembled as he was about to witness a fight like never before. Tylen also had an expression of awe and longing. Zabel clenched his fist, while Oberon had a bitter smile; only Aron seemed composed. Perhaps he had witnessed Master Pike in action before.
Master Pike's eyes shone brightly when he saw that the silver-horned Snake was already stirred up. He moved his fingers rapidly, and the seal started to move like a vortex. Besides him, Madam Pang and Mason were completely calm. The vortex immediately crashed down with incredible speed. The silver-horned Snake rose and charged directly into the vortex to protect the golden eggs.
A loud boom echoed as the entire area fell into disarray.
As the dust cleared, the creature’s figure was again visible; its body was completely unharmed. Master Pike didn’t seem too surprised, and Madam Pang and Mason began to move.
The silver-horned Snake let out a loud hiss as if giving out a command; the smaller spiritual snakes became riled up and bared their fangs towards the Essence Artists. Amid the commotion, Ju and the team were unnoticed as they snuck toward the nest.
Mason’s figure seemed to grow larger as Essence rapidly mobilised around him. The burly man pressed his arms together, and a streak of grey appeared on his chest. Then, rapidly, the grey light enveloped his body as he muttered.
“Earth Breaker!”
Mason then jumped down and collided with the Mother Snake head-on; he was obviously more of a close-quarters expert. However, Mason did not clash directly with the Snake. Instead, he harassed the spiritual beast in certain areas, trying to draw it away.
Meanwhile, Madam Pang’s move made Ju’s heart tremble the most from afar. She formed a hand seal with her right hand and pointed her left towards her eyebrow. A black fog surrounded her; the temperature seemed to drop as she chuckled lightly and shot the mist at the Mother Snake.
The mother snake displayed a hint of dread for the first time as it stared at the black fog. The silver-horned snake opened its mouth, its long fangs dripping with blue venom, and spat a massive blue mist that collided with the black fog.