Chapter 11: The Black-Ringed Giant Python
Since it was unavoidable, he could only accept it.
Leaving Wushan Town, Linley and Bebe headed north. Everything they saw made Linley grow increasingly silent. The entire kingdom of Fenlai had become a paradise for magical beasts, with human corpses serving as their food.
On the desolate roads, aside from the occasional magical beast, not a single living person could be seen.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the end of the road. The figure advanced steadily, and a few magical beasts roared as they charged toward him. But with a few flashes of eerie violet light, those beasts were reduced to shredded remains. The figure continued forward, and on his shoulder sat an adorable little Shadowmouse.
"Boss, how about we find a place to rest? I'm getting a bit hungry," Bebe said via soul transmission from his perch on Linley's shoulder.
Linley glanced helplessly at Bebe.
Throughout this entire journey, Linley had been the one walking. Bebe either stood on his shoulder enjoying the scenery or curled up in his arms to sleep. And he was tired?
"Alright, there's a mountain ahead. Let's kill a beast there and roast it for a meal," Linley said, still indulging Bebe's request. For Linley now, aside from his younger brother Wharton, who was far away in the O'Brien Empire, the steward Hiri, Uncle Hillman, and his three good brothers Yale and the others, he had no family left.
But whether it was Wharton or Yale, meeting them now was far too difficult.
Only Bebe had been with him all along.
In Linley's heart, he had long regarded Bebe as a younger brother, doting on him with affection.
"This Violet Blood Sword is quite handy against ordinary seventh-rank and eighth-rank magical beasts. But against ninth-rank beasts, it's hard to break through their defenses and deal enough damage," Linley thought, looking at the Violet Blood Sword at his waist.
The Violet Blood Sword was incredibly sharp and fast. It could even bend at will, making it very effective against swarm tactics. But when facing a powerful beast one-on-one, Linley found that the Violet Blood Sword was even less effective than his own claws and dragon tail.
*******
At the foot of a low mountain, Linley and Bebe were roasting two wolf legs over a fire. They still hadn't left the territory of the Fenlai Kingdom, and the surroundings were filled with magical beasts. However, with Linley and Bebe's strength, as long as they didn't encounter a Saint-level beast, there was no real danger.
"It's done." Bebe grabbed a wolf leg and tore into it with big bites.
Linley waved his hand to extinguish the fire and grabbed the other wolf leg, starting to eat. The roasted wolf leg, especially when seasoned with some wild herbs they had picked, was indeed quite fragrant. Finding seasoning materials in the wilderness was a skill one had to learn to survive in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, and Linley was naturally familiar with it.
The wolf leg was much larger than Bebe's entire body, but Bebe ate faster than Linley. By the time Linley had only eaten half, Bebe had already finished his.
"Rustle, rustle~~"
Suddenly, an extremely faint sound came from a distance. Linley's chewing stopped abruptly. Bebe's little ears perked up as well. Both of them turned to look behind them—
A python head.
A massive snake head as large as a house, with eyes like eerie red lanterns. Emerging from the jungle was just the giant snake head and a dozen meters of its body. But judging by its three-meter-thick torso, Linley could easily imagine that this giant python's length was probably astonishing.
What was visible now was only a small part of it.
Looking at the black and yellow mottled patterns on the giant python's body, Linley's expression changed.
"It's a Black-Ringed Giant Python." Linley immediately identified the species.
The Black-Ringed Giant Python was considered a top-tier existence among the python clan. A mature Black-Ringed Giant Python was typically a ninth-rank magical beast, comparable to a Hydra. Among pythons, the Black-Ringed Giant Python was famous as a "war machine."
If a Black-Ringed Giant Python were unleashed into an army, it could easily slaughter a hundred thousand soldiers.
A dark-element magical beast with strong defenses and venomous fangs—these were the traits of the Black-Ringed Giant Python.
"Hiss~~" The Black-Ringed Giant Python flicked its tongue, its cold, lantern-like eyes fixed on Linley and Bebe. Clearly, it had already marked them as its prey.
"Bebe, be careful."
Linley kept his eyes locked on the Black-Ringed Giant Python, not daring to relax for a moment. At the same time, black scales began to emerge on his body. Spikes sprouted from his back, and cold, sharp protrusions appeared on his forehead, elbows, and knees.
"Slap, slap." Linley's dragon tail occasionally struck the ground. Beside him, Bebe's fur stood on end.
Seeing this, the Black-Ringed Giant Python raised its head high, clearly on alert.
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind howled as the Black-Ringed Giant Python's body whipped around. In less than a second, its terrifying hundred-meter-long body slammed toward Linley and Bebe. Both of them struck at the python's body simultaneously.
"Swish!" A flash of violet light.
"Clang!" Linley heard a sound like metal clashing. His Violet Blood Sword had only left a white mark on the python's body, failing to injure it at all.
"Tough defense indeed."
The python's massive body immediately began to coil around Linley. Linley knew that if he were wrapped up, aside from suffocation, the terrifying constriction force would crush him into a meat pancake.
"Hah~~"
Linley's claws stabbed fiercely into the Black-Ringed Giant Python's body. With a "crackling" sound, the claws pierced the outermost scales, but they couldn't penetrate further. He felt an immense resistance beneath the scales.
"Whoosh." The python's body moved to constrict him.
Linley sneered coldly. He yanked his claws out and kicked off the python's massive body, dodging the constriction. At the same time, he slammed his elbow into the python's body. His elbow was equipped with a spike, one derived from the Spiked-Back Adamantine Dragon, making its attack power terrifying.
"Crunch—" The elbow spike pierced the scales and slowly sank into the flesh.
"What's under the scales of this Black-Red Giant Python? Its defense is insane." Linley's spike only went halfway in before it couldn't push any further.
"Roar~~"
The Black-Ringed Giant Python roared in pain. Its massive head suddenly swung in front of Linley, and its gaping maw opened wide. A stream of black liquid shot out, aimed directly at Linley.
"Venom." Linley kicked off the python's body, using the rebound to leap backward.
But the black liquid was too much, covering too wide an area. Some of it landed on Linley's thigh.
"Hiss~~" A strange sound came from Linley's thigh.
Linley could feel the venom landing on his thigh, but it was completely blocked by the scales on his body. The defense of the Spiked-Back Adamantine Dragon was too formidable. The venom couldn't harm the scales at all.
"Boss, let's go! That python's defense is insane, and its hide is too thick," Bebe said anxiously.
"Let's move."
Without hesitation, Linley grabbed Bebe and sprinted north at full speed. The Black-Ringed Giant Python slithered after them for a while but was eventually left far behind.
*******
After escaping the Black-Ringed Giant Python's pursuit, Linley and Bebe finally left the territory of the Fenlai Kingdom. But even outside the kingdom, the scene was still desolate. It seemed the "King" of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts hadn't been exaggerating.
Occupying nearly half of the Sacred Alliance's territory.
"Slash."
The Violet Blood Sword flashed, easily cutting a sixth-rank Winged Dragon Bird in two.
"Bebe, why is it so hard for us to deal with ninth-rank magical beasts?" Linley had already encountered several ninth-rank beasts, like the Violet-Striped Black Bear and the Black Dragon in Fenlai City. Against these ninth-rank beasts, Linley could only dodge; he couldn't hurt them at all.
Even against the slow-moving Black-Ringed Giant Python, Linley couldn't inflict real damage.
Bebe was speechless too.
Bebe faced the same problem. He was too small. Even if he bit the beast, he probably couldn't even break through its outer layer. How could he hurt it?
"Linley." Doehring Cowart's voice rang out.
Linley suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
Right, he could ask Grandpa Doehring. Grandpa Doehring had seen a lot and surely knew many Saint-level experts. He should have some insight on this.
"Linley, are you troubled by how to deal with ninth-rank magical beasts?" Doehring Cowart asked with a smile.
Linley nodded. "Yes, Grandpa Doehring. Do you know what I should do?"
Doehring Cowart continued, "Linley, your Violet Blood Sword is actually quite powerful. But the problem is that without Dragonform, you're only a seventh-rank warrior. Even with Dragonform, you're just at the early ninth-rank. Do you think an early ninth-rank warrior can kill a ninth-rank magical beast?"
Linley was taken aback.
That was true. His strength wasn't enough yet.
"Once you reach the eighth-rank, your Dragonform will likely put you at the peak of the ninth-rank. Then, using the Violet Blood Sword or your claws, you should be able to hurt ninth-rank magical beasts," Doehring Cowart said with a smile. "But for now, there might still be a way for you to deal with them."
"What way?" Linley was overjoyed. Grandpa Doehring really did know.
Doehring Cowart said, "Linley, have you noticed that Caesar and Clay used greatswords?"
Linley thought back. Yes, both Caesar and Clay used greatswords.
"Do you know why they used greatswords?" Doehring Cowart asked.
Linley was puzzled. Right, both Caesar and Clay were ninth-rank warriors. They must have known that lighter weapons would be faster. So why did they still use greatswords? Linley recalled his battles with Caesar.
"Linley, I remember when I was a child, my father always used a heavy axe to chop trees, not a light, thin one. Why?" Doehring Cowart guided him.
Linley began to understand.
"Light, sharp weapons are effective in group battles. But when facing a strong opponent one-on-one, they're not as good as heavy weapons. Heavy weapons allow you to fully utilize your strength, increasing attack power. And for ninth-rank experts, a weapon weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds doesn't affect their speed much."
Linley was starting to get it.
Using a heavy weapon allowed one to fully exert their strength. It was like a strongman—would he deal more damage with a heavy iron hammer or a light sword? And a Dragonblood Warrior could lift boulders weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds. Their strength was terrifying.
"No wonder I found that against ninth-rank magical beasts, the Violet Blood Sword was less effective than my fists and claws," Linley realized. "Maybe I should find a heavy weapon."
As he spoke, Linley continued moving quickly along the desolate road.
"Boss, there's a cavalry unit up ahead," Bebe suddenly transmitted.
Linley looked closely. Sure enough, there was a resting cavalry unit ahead. He had encountered several such units on the road. To survive in a region overrun by magical beasts, they were usually elite guard squads from noble families.
"Don't mind them," Linley said, ignoring them and continuing forward.
But as he got closer, Linley suddenly recognized someone.
"Sack? Second Prince Sack?" Linley was startled.
During his time as a court magician in the Fenlai Kingdom, Linley had known the eldest prince, Carrey, and the second prince, Sack.