Chapter Forty-Two: The Serpent King of the Mystic Wind

Chapter Forty-Two: The Serpent King of the Dark Wind

One by one, the Dark Wind Serpents fell dead, crashing to the ground, utterly enraging the serpent horde. The sound of serpents slicing through the air filled the cavern, becoming ever more intense. Over a hundred serpents attacked Chu Jie simultaneously.

Rippling fluorescent light enveloped Chu Jie’s body—his spiritual energy shield, warding off the serpents’ assault. The Dark Wind Serpents primarily attacked by biting, and by leveraging their rapid airborne movement to inflict devastating blows. Within moments, members of the Mad Dog Battalion were already wounded.

Fortunately, the Mad Dog Battalion deployed their battle formation with practiced ease, switching between offense and defense as if by instinct. After their previous clash with the Demon Lord, the battalion had honed their formation to perfection; each member moved as part of a single entity. Individually, their strength might not be remarkable, but united, they were invincible, unstoppable in their dominance.

“Mad Dog Battalion, invincible!” they roared in unison.

Blood sprayed through the air in bursts. With the battalion’s explosive momentum, they carved out a swath of emptiness in the midst of the serpent horde. Serpent corpses scattered across the ground, their blood splashing onto every fighter. Some brothers even licked the serpent blood from their lips, fierce and savage, their blades dancing with silver light, continuing their frenzied slaughter.

Only Chu Jie himself was at the Spirit Assembly realm among them. In truth, the Dark Wind Serpents’ group attack was formidable—if not for Chu Jie’s superior strength, he would have been overwhelmed. A single Body Tempering realm warrior alone would be torn apart instantly by the serpents.

The mass deaths of the serpents drove the horde into a frenzy, but the overwhelming power of Chu Jie and his men instilled fear in them as well. After a round of slaughter, only a few of Chu Jie’s group bore wounds, while the ground was littered with serpent bodies.

Suddenly, the Dark Wind Serpent horde collectively flew away, ceasing their attack on Chu Jie’s group. The Mad Dog Battalion could not reach them, but Chu Jie could—he manipulated the Heaven-Earth Wheel to continue his assault.

The Dark Wind Serpent was not only delicious but also beneficial to their physique—a prize not to be missed.

The Heaven-Earth Wheel rapidly expanded in midair, crushing toward the serpent horde. Four beams of spiritual light, urged forth by Chu Jie’s power, surged ahead to strike first.

Sharp whistling sounds filled the air—the four beams were the little swords affixed to the Heaven-Earth Wheel. As they entered the serpent horde, they slaughtered mercilessly, serpents dropping every second.

The horde was thrown into chaos. What once looked like a black cloud now fragmented, serpents scattering in panic. The Mad Dog Battalion watched, heads tilted, as the serpents desperately fled.

The remaining serpents rushed toward the opening at the cavern’s top. At that moment, the Heaven-Earth Wheel plunged into their midst.

A resonant hum vibrated through the air.

Each vibration triggered a surge of spiritual energy, causing masses of Dark Wind Serpents to die beneath the Wheel’s crushing force, many disintegrating into bloody mist. Brilliant light engulfed the horde, their corpses falling like autumn leaves.

Only when the last group of serpents escaped into the hole did Chu Jie withdraw the Heaven-Earth Wheel. It transformed into a streak of light, settling on his fist as a gauntlet. Retracting his fist, the spiritual energy around him condensed, returning to his body in an instant.

The full exertion of the Heaven-Earth Wheel had drained much of his spiritual energy. Yet it had been worthwhile—they had hunted a vast number of serpents, which would accelerate their cultivation and have lasting benefits.

“Clean up the serpent corpses—none should go to waste,” Chu Jie commanded. The Mad Dog Battalion’s brothers rushed forward, eyes gleaming, swiftly processing the remains.

While they worked, Chu Jie paced the cavern, surveying the terrain. The space was vast, its walls embedded with dark crystals like pearls. Chu Jie personally chipped out a piece and found it exceptionally potent, capable of providing spiritual energy.

In most areas of the Abyss of Gods and Demons, dark crystals were filled with poisonous gas, underscoring the rarity of the crystals here—worth many times more than those outside. However, Chu Jie found no crystal with a hidden treasure within. Such crystals were rare, but he did not give up hope. With a cavern this large, perhaps there were some. His Heaven-Earth Wheel was perfect for grinding open crystals, giving him an advantage.

Soon, Chen Long approached, excited: “Boss, we have over nine hundred Dark Wind Serpents—enough to last us a long time!”

Many serpents had been completely obliterated, yet there were still so many. Chu Jie was very satisfied.

“Excellent. Let me take a look.” Chu Jie walked to the processed pile and was astonished. Each serpent was as thick as an arm; nine hundred piled up formed a small mountain.

But then, Chu Jie felt a pang of frustration—how were they to transport so many serpents?

Chen Long seemed to sense Chu Jie’s dilemma and fell into thought. Jiang Ziwen came over and said, “Boss, don’t you have that little cauldron? It absorbs black clouds—could it store the serpents?”

Chu Jie’s heart stirred. He sat down cross-legged, intent on examining whether the Barbaric Cauldron had storage capabilities. Previously, because using the Barbaric Cauldron consumed too much spiritual energy, he had relied on the Heaven-Earth Wheel. The cauldron had always floated in his dantian.

He summoned the cauldron, and a primordial aura washed over him. Linking his consciousness to it, Chu Jie saw within the cauldron, aside from the dazzling radiance, a mass of black cloud—one yin, one yang, both eerie.

He knew the cauldron’s name and its ability to devour, but the use of the radiance remained a mystery. The black cloud extracted from the Demon Lord’s body he had kept, feeling it might prove useful.

Chu Jie controlled the cauldron, tilting its mouth toward the serpent pile and fed it a small amount of spiritual energy.

A suction force arose from nowhere, and several serpent corpses levitated, flying into the cauldron. The brothers watched nervously—if they couldn’t transport the serpent meat, all their efforts would be wasted.

As soon as the serpents entered the cauldron, Chu Jie observed them inside, floating and appearing minuscule.

An idea sparked—he infused more spiritual energy. The cauldron mouth trembled, and the serpents flew back out, landing atop the pile.

Seeing the cauldron successfully store and release, the Mad Dog Battalion erupted in cheers, their shouts echoing through the cavern.

With not only serpents but tens of thousands of dark crystals inside, the cauldron’s storage function meant they could spirit away the crystals from the Abyss without anyone knowing.

Chu Jie was thrilled. He had worried that transporting so many resources would draw attacks and unnecessary trouble, but now he needn’t worry at all.

With this, Chu Jie sent several streams of spiritual energy into the cauldron. The mouth expanded, forming a small vortex. Since it was collecting dead matter, there was no resistance, and little energy was consumed.

Masses of serpent corpses rose and flew into the cauldron, half gathered in moments.

Then, a massive shadow suddenly dropped from above, crashing onto the pile with thunderous force. Blood sprayed everywhere; hundreds of processed serpents were reduced to mist in an instant.

The remaining two hundred, with Chu Jie hastening the absorption, finally entered the cauldron. Yet, over two hundred had been destroyed by the shadow’s blow, leaving only seven hundred in the cauldron.

Chu Jie glared furiously at the shadow. It rose, twisting its body through the air like a dragon—strange and menacing. This was a Dark Wind Serpent King, far larger than any they’d seen, as thick as a person, its scales gleaming coldly. The enormous head faced Chu Jie, mouth wide, murderous intent radiating.

Clearly, after so many of its kin had died, the Serpent King had come for vengeance.

Its jaws open, a beam of spiritual light burst forth, transforming into several wind blades that slashed at Chu Jie. The distance was close—Chu Jie dodged desperately, but was struck by one, as if cut by a razor-sharp blade. Immediately, the serpent’s massive tail swept through, sending Chu Jie flying.

“Boss!” The Mad Dog Battalion cried out in shock; they had never seen Chu Jie struck so hard in a single blow.

The Serpent King’s tail continued to lash, hurling giant stones at the battalion. The men scrambled to dodge, but several were struck, vomiting blood.

“Form the defense!” Chu Jie shouted. The battalion instantly formed a protective array.

From the Serpent King’s attack, Chu Jie judged its power to be even more terrifying than the Demon Lord’s. Moreover, the Serpent King had long survived in the seventh tier and even lower, proof of its formidable defenses.

Perhaps, if Chu Jie and the battalion fought desperately, they could kill the beast, but surely some would die. Chu Jie would not allow that. He made a decision: retreat for now, train his brothers further, then return to slay the monster.

With this resolve, Chu Jie shouted, “Withdraw!”

When all members of the battalion reached the eighth level of Body Tempering, they would return and crush the beast. Chu Jie cast a fierce glance at the Serpent King.