Chapter 51: A Day Apart Feels Like Three Years
Pang Bo now dared not take the Jade Snake Orchid. He was afraid it would shatter his Sea of Suffering. His physique was not as terrifying as Ye Fan’s, and he could not withstand the torrent of life essence energy. He could only go back and think of another way.
“Has that dull sound from deep within the ruins sounded a few more times just now?” Ye Fan asked.
Pang Bo nodded. “In the past two hours or so, it sounds every so often. It seems much more suppressed. The entire ruin is even more silent. Even those ferocious birds and beasts that retreated like a tide to the edge are no longer growling. But that’s fortunate, or else I’d be afraid that old snake would chase us down here.”
“That dull sound terrifies all the beasts. I wonder if that Jade Horn Snake has also left.”
“That old snake, already a spirit, must be furious. It’s best if it has left. Otherwise, if we head deeper into the ruins later, we might run into it.”
“What’s that smell?” Ye Fan looked puzzled. “Why is there a faint fishy odor...”
Pang Bo also took a deep breath, then instantly changed color. “It smells like that old snake!”
At that moment, Ye Fan’s face turned pale. He grabbed Pang Bo and whispered, “Let’s go!”
Several hundred meters ahead, a hideous, massive snake head rose from below the cliff. Scales the size of palms gleamed coldly. A pair of snake eyes, like red lanterns, emitted two beams of blood light. Its tongue, two or three meters long, hissed as it touched the vegetation on the cliff, instantly turning it into yellow liquid.
“The old snake has caught up!”
Pang Bo’s face also changed. He hadn’t expected the demon snake to eventually track them down. The only blessing was that it hadn’t spotted them yet. Above the cliff were many towering ancient trees. The two quickly retreated to the back of the cliff wall, grabbed the vines, and jumped down.
A single step too late could mean death. The old snake was surely already enraged. If it found their trail, the miserable outcome was easy to imagine.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo were incredibly swift, like two monkeys. They charged and leaped, quickly swinging down the cliff wall via the vines to the ground, then fled without looking back.
“Being marked by this old snake means we’re truly in danger.” As they fled, they glanced back. On the cliff, a massive, colorful snake stood upright, its eyes shooting two beams of blood light. The jade horn on its head shone brilliantly under the sunlight, constantly emitting divine rays.
“Rumble”
The cliff wall rumbled loudly. Huge rocks tumbled down, and many trees were crushed by the old snake as it descended along the cliff, rapidly chasing in their direction.
“Damn, it’s found us!”
“We should flee outward and let Elder Wu Qingfeng deal with this demon snake.”
“No, the old snake is too fast. Outside, those ferocious birds and beasts block the way. We’ll definitely be caught halfway. There’s no other choice now. We have to charge into the ruins. That dull sound seems to intimidate the old snake. It’s wary and probably won’t dare go too deep.”
Having decided, the two turned into streaks of light and dashed toward the depths of the ruins. But the Jade Horn Snake had become a spirit, extraordinary and swift as wind and lightning. It could command the wind. Wherever it passed, all grass and trees bent to the sides, clearing a path for it.
“Rumble”
Rocks rolled. The old snake was fiercer than a steamroller. The ground shook, grass broke, and trees snapped wherever it went. Nothing could stop it. The hissing grew closer, and the stench of its breath grew stronger.
Ye Fan felt no discomfort, but Pang Bo’s head spun. “This old snake is too venomous. Even from hundreds of meters away, the poison mist drifts over. I feel like I can’t hold on.”
“Quick, eat a petal of the Jade Snake Orchid!” Ye Fan was also anxious. The old snake was terrifyingly fast, closing in. If something happened to Pang Bo, it would be too late for regrets.
Pang Bo didn’t dare swallow the whole Jade Snake Orchid. He tried to tear off a petal as white as mutton fat jade, but still felt it was too risky, afraid the medicinal power would be too strong and shatter his Sea of Suffering. In the end, he plucked some stamens and put them in his mouth, swallowing them.
“How do you feel?” Ye Fan was afraid Pang Bo might have an accident.
“Truly miraculous!” Pang Bo let out a long breath. Shortly after taking it, the nausea disappeared, and his head no longer spun. He felt refreshed and clear-headed, quickly blocking the snake venom’s invasion.
“As expected of a spiritual medicine, it can neutralize all strange poisons under heaven.” Ye Fan was relieved.
“Crack, crack”
Behind them, the old snake closed the distance again, snapping ancient trees blocking its path with a terrifying force. Low shrubs parted automatically, forming a snake path. Its eyes blood-red, it spat out a huge cloud of poison mist. Though still a hundred meters away, the mist shot forward rapidly. Hissing sounds echoed around them. The trees near Ye Fan and Pang Bo quickly dissolved, turning into yellow liquid—a horrifying sight.
If not for the Jade Snake Orchid they had taken, the outcome was easy to imagine. They would likely be a pool of corpse fluid by now.
“This snake venom is too vicious!”
“If this continues, we won’t escape death. The old snake will catch us soon.”
An ordinary person would have been caught long ago. The old snake was too fast. The spirit Jade Horn Snake moved with the wind, truly like lightning. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had taken the sacred fruit in the Ancient Forbidden Land, gaining not only the strength of dragons and elephants but also greatly enhanced speed. Otherwise, anyone else would have been overtaken.
“Hold on. I think that dull sound will sound again soon. When it does, the old snake will be afraid. That’s our chance to escape.”
The ground shook. Boulders rolled. The old snake was almost upon them, only seventy or eighty meters away. Ye Fan and Pang Bo finally changed color. They made a sharp turn and dodged to the side.
“Swish”
The old snake shot past, but it wasn’t as clumsy as imagined. Its massive tail swept sideways like a thick iron whip striking through the air, instantly snapping a patch of trees. Leaves flew wildly, and a foul stench filled the air.
Though Ye Fan and Pang Bo weren’t hit by the dozens-of-meters-long tail, they were struck by the broken trees. The huge logs, as hard as stone, slammed into them, sending them flying.
If not for their extraordinary physiques and divine strength blocking the powerful impact, they would have been broken bones and severed tendons. Even so, their blood surged. They staggered dozens of steps before stabilizing.
Suddenly, an immense sense of danger rose in their hearts. At that moment, a piercing sound of something cutting through the air came. The jade horn on the old snake’s head shot out a dazzling beam of light, like a sword dozens of meters long, slashing toward them.
“Go!”
Ye Fan and Pang Bo changed color, exerting all their strength to leap away, leaving afterimages in their original spots.
“Chi”
The divine light, over twenty meters long, directly shattered many ancient trees and left a terrifying crack in the ground. Even several large boulders blocking the way were cut in half, the cuts as smooth as if slicing tofu.
“A spirit demon snake is too terrifying!”
A chill ran down Ye Fan and Pang Bo’s spines. There was indeed no free lunch in this world. To get something, one had to pay a price. If not for the drastic changes deep in the ruins, they wouldn’t have had any chance to pick the Jade Snake Orchid. Even so, they were now being chased with no escape above or below.
“We can hold out for at most another quarter of an hour!”
“Dong”
Suddenly, just as they finished speaking, a dull sound came from deep in the ruins. Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt as if struck by lightning. Their bodies shook violently, and their hearts ached. The giant snake was even worse, rolling directly on the ground, thrashing its massive body, crushing a large patch of surrounding trees.
“Let’s go!”
Steadying themselves, Ye Fan and Pang Bo flew away, not daring to stay a moment.
The dull sound stopped. The entire ruin became even more oppressive. Ye Fan and Pang Bo couldn’t retreat. The old snake blocked their way back, so they had to continue forward. Soon, they reached a hundred-meter-tall boulder, climbed up using vines, and looked back.
“Damn it, that old snake is still chasing...”
In the distance, the trees shook. Though the Jade Horn Snake had slowed a bit, it was following their path.
“This won’t do. It might really chase us all the way to the deepest part of the ruins.” Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt very uneasy.
“This kind of spirit creature is really not to be trifled with!”
“Hey, there are figures moving ahead.” Ye Fan looked surprised. Several figures were quickly moving through the mountainous terrain ahead.
Pang Bo peered and said, “It’s... Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu, and the others!”
“Looks like they have the same idea as us. They want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to go deep into the ruins and gather a lot.”
At that moment, Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged glances and both chuckled “heh heh.” They quickly climbed down and then, like the wind, charged forward.
Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyun, and the others were targeting the ancient buildings deep in the ruins. They knew this primitive ruin far better than Ye Fan and Pang Bo. They understood that today’s abnormality wasn’t due to beast king fights but likely a change in the ancient building complex deep in the ruins. If they could successfully reach that place, they might encounter unimaginable great fortune. After all, this ruin had been left since the ancient times.
“Someone’s approaching. They have the same idea as us.” Li Yun showed murderous intent. “We’ll intercept them later. They might have already found some spiritual items.”
“It’s Pang Bo and that waste named Ye Fan!” Li Lin’s killing intent was thick as she watched the two approaching quickly. “Daring to come near us—courting death!”
Han Feiyu’s face was full of hatred, his eyes shooting two vicious beams.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo were fast. In moments, they were nearby.
“Li Lin, Brother Li Yun, what a coincidence to meet you here. Fate!” Ye Fan and Pang Bo looked pleasantly surprised, their faces full of emotion, as if reuniting with long-lost relatives. They rushed over, indescribably happy and warm.
“A day apart feels like three years. Two days apart is six years. Finally, we meet again.” Ye Fan and Pang Bo strode over, almost wanting to hug them to express their joy.
This immediately made Li Lin and Li Yun uncomfortable. Goosebumps rose all over them, and they couldn’t help but shiver.
Li Lin showed disgust, glanced at Pang Bo, then looked contemptuously at Ye Fan. “Stop trying to get close. Nothing you do will change anything.” She stood on a boulder, looking down at Pang Bo and Ye Fan with a vicious expression. “You’re incredibly bold. Aren’t you afraid of dying young in this forest? The depths of the ruins aren’t for trash to wander into!”
Li Yun’s expression was also icy cold. He stared at Ye Fan and Pang Bo with a sneer, considering whether to strike immediately. His only worry was that Elder Wu Qingfeng might have left a mark on Pang Bo, allowing him to trace what happened.
Despite their insults and murderous intent, Ye Fan and Pang Bo acted as if nothing was wrong, completely at ease, joining the group. Even more outrageously, they both grabbed Han Feiyu’s hands and said repeatedly, “Han Feiyu... you’re such a good person!”
“Did you pick some spiritual medicine? Why do your bodies smell so fragrant?” Li Lin’s killing intent was fully exposed. The beauty mark at the corner of her mouth trembled slightly. But in an instant, her expression changed. “Something’s off. Why is there a fishy smell?”
“Rumble”
At that moment, they felt the ground shake. They turned and looked back.
“That’s... a snake spirit!”
“An old snake turned spirit—that’s a Jade Horn Snake!”
Everyone present changed color. A snake with a single horn rode the wind, snapping grass and trees as it rushed toward them. The thick, fishy stench made them want to vomit.
“Damn it, it’s you two...”
Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu, and the others instantly understood everything. They wanted to grind Ye Fan and Pang Bo to dust, but now was not the time for anger. They turned and fled, utterly panicked.
“Han Feiyu, you’re such good people...” Ye Fan and Pang Bo fled as well, shouting this back at Han Feiyu and the others.