"Phew…"

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I heard a rustle not far to my right. I narrowed my eyes and saw a dark shape darting through the tall, yellowish gra.s.s.

Another h.e.l.lfire Badger? Or…?

If there was one creature more dangerous than the h.e.l.lfire Badger in this area, it was the Shadow Leopard. Even the fearless h.e.l.lfire Badger was helpless before a Shadow Leopard, the latter being the former"s nemesis. Admittedly, the h.e.l.lfire Badger would give one h.e.l.l of a fight, but it would always inevitably end in the Shadow Leopard"s victory. Such was the immense power and raw strength of the dark-skinned predator.

Even I wanted to avoid encountering the Shadow Leopard. I wasn"t insane enough to want and try to defeat a dangerous demonic beast, especially when I recognized that my chances of surviving such a duel would be near zero.

Best to run.

Using a combination of Shadow Steps and Jin, I quickly advanced to the narrow path, which resembled more a rocky corridor than the natural plains that extended across this section of the subterranean cavern. The dark shape hiding in the tall gra.s.s didn"t follow, keeping its distance, but I wasn"t going to count on it for maintaining its detachment for long. I surged forward again, finally putting myself beyond its line of sight.

"Ha…"

Sighing, I trudged up the path. Again, it didn"t resemble stairs but a jagged slope worn down by millennia of erosion and formed naturally by geological processes. The steep slope and uneven footing didn"t bother me, though. I was just relieved that it led upward.

I just want to get out of this cave and see sunlight again.

Scrambling upward and staying cautious so that I wouldn"t get ambushed by the denizens of this cave, I slowly but surely hauled myself toward the exit. I could just barely catch a glimpse of light at the top, brighter than the faint illumination that the qi stones embedded into the rocky walls afforded. The glaring brightness increased my hope and enthusiasm, and before I knew it, my movements were accelerating.

Be careful!

I reminded myself harshly and forced myself to calm down. Even though the corridor seemed bereft of demonic beasts and traps, it was likely that there was something waiting to ambush me right outside the exit of this "stairs". Taking a deep breath, I slowed down as I neared and reached out with my senses.

There was an enormous source of qi somewhere near the exit, a living creature that was extremely powerful. Just detecting it from this distance was enough to send me chills and stop me dead in my tracks.

"What the h.e.l.l is this…?"

Gulping, I whispered fearfully to myself. Pushing my gla.s.ses up my nose, I mustered my courage and cautiously stepped out of the exit and into the light.

It was another chamber. Not a very big one, especially when compared to the regions I had just been through, but still pretty vast. The forest and plains were certainly much bigger than this chamber, but even so it was large enough to house a castle, or a quarter of Wu Ling Academy. I estimated the breadth and length to be about a kilometer long, and the height to be about a hundred meters.

Right in the middle of this new chamber was a lake. A huge lake that seemed to flow off into another path on the opposite end, much like an underground river spreading across the subterranean s.p.a.ces. The bright light I saw earlier was coming from that path, so I guessed that the branching flow actually led to another river on the surface.

Meaning that if I followed the river, I might finally be able to reach the surface and return to Sen Lin Forest.

Finally! After spending so long in here, I"m finally going to get out of this G.o.dforsaken place!

Feeling excited, I hurried toward the path, following along the edge of the lake. I wasn"t very fond of getting myself wet, especially since my swimming skills left a lot to be desired. I wasn"t a very good swimmer, but I knew enough to keep myself from drowning.

Besides, I didn"t know what dwelled within the lake. I had to beware of aquatic magical beasts and demonic creatures that were concealed beneath its deceptively calm surface. A predatory Diamondback Crocodile, or a terrifying River Horse (which resembled nothing like a horse, I a.s.sure you), or a swarm of Needlefang Piranhas…I did not fancy becoming the prey of any of these vicious demonic creatures.

Especially since I would be at a disadvantage underwater…

Moreover, there"s still this immense qi that I"m detecting…

The source of the qi was obviously originating from beneath the waters. Whatever was emanating that horrifying amount of qi, it was lurking beneath the waters, most likely waiting for an unsuspecting prey to draw near so that it would abruptly emerge and ensnare it, dragging it back into the depths of a watery grave.

I would rather avoid such a horrible death if I could help it. Even with the bottle of Green Dragon Spring water attached to my belt, the all-healing liquid wouldn"t save me from drowning. In fact, how the h.e.l.l was I supposed to drink the Green Dragon Spring water when I was drowning in the first place? And even if I somehow drank it underwater, it wouldn"t grant me gills or the ability to breathe water. I would just drown again.

That was why I had to be very careful…

But it seems like I have no choice.

The moment I reached the path, all dry land abruptly ended. The only way out of this hole was to swim in that river branching out of the huge lake.

What should I do?

The answer was obvious. I should just go for it. But I wasn"t suicidal enough to just plunge in, so I warily approached and tested the waters.

And then the guardian of the lake burst out.

"!!!"

Using Tui, I retreated as far back as possible. A gargantuan serpent had burst out of the lake, hissing intimidatingly, as it struck the spot where I was standing on. Fangs the size of a pillar slammed into the earth, gouging a huge chunk out of the rock. Smoke began rising as the acidic venom burned the soil. Straightening up, the serpent glared down at me, its height towering over even a building.

A Lake Serpent? Or Dragon?

Emerald green scales sparkled in the light, each of them resembling a gemstone. Draconic spikes extended from its head, giving it a majestic presence, and huge black eyes captured me within those obsidian pupils that seemed as bottomless as the abyss from which I just climbed out of.

I felt a bead of perspiration drip down my face and smiled cynically.

"So you"re the final boss, huh?"

It didn"t matter. This Lake Serpent was standing between me and my route to freedom. I knew I wouldn"t be able to defeat something as ma.s.sive and powerful as this creature, but I didn"t have to. My goal was to escape, not to kill everything in my path. Besides, it wasn"t as if I possessed some sort of railgun or something.

What I did have was Shadow Steps, my footwork techniques and Lunar Rabbit kicks. They would have to be enough. Oh, and my ice-forging techniques too.

The Lake Serpent lunged at me again, and I gracefully jumped, avoiding the creature"s attack. An explosion of gravel and rocks pelted me from behind, but I ignored them, jumping onto the Lake Serpent"s back and running along it. Even though the wet emerald scales were somewhat slippery, my Shadow Steps and footwork had allowed me to maintain my balance without falling off stupidly. All I needed to do was keep my momentum going before I slipped.

Yeah! Just like this…then I"ll jump and swim out before the Lake Serpent can turn around and catch me!

Kicking off the Lake Serpent"s back, I launched myself toward the exit, arcing downward in a dive that would have made an Olympic swimmer proud. Well, not really, but allow me to flatter myself once in a while.

"!!!!"

I never hit the water. Instead, a second Lake Serpent burst out of the lake, charging straight at me with its open mouth. I twisted my body in midair, fumbling wildly. Then I reoriented myself, used the numerous droplets of water still suspended in the air as a temporary foothold, and then launched myself away using Jin.

The second Lake Serpent"s jaws closed around empty air.

Screech!

"Huff…huff…"

I skidded across the sh.o.r.e, the friction leaving two trails in the damp soil, and then jumped back to my feet. Narrowing my eyes, I watched the two Lake Serpents twist and spin to face me, holding me in their obsidian, predatory gaze.

"So you have a comrade, after all?"

Splash! Splash!

Then a third. And a fourth. All the way until nine of them emerged from the lake, writhing, flailing and hissing viciously.

"No way…"

At that moment, I realized how sadly I was mistaken. This was no mere swarm of Lake Serpents. All nine of them were connected into one body.

This demonic beast was a…Hydra. A legendary nine-headed serpent that dwelled within the most abysmal of lakes and river. In terms of encyclopedia cla.s.sification, it was a Rank 9 magical beast, on par with the Behemoth that dragged me into these h.e.l.lish depths. The individual ranks held no meaning to me, but I did comprehend one thing.

The Hydra was not an opponent I could defeat. Well, I knew that already, so let me rephrase that. The Hydra was going to be a lot more difficult to deal with than a swarm of Lake Serpents. Several hundred times more difficult, if I would be honest.

I"m screwed…

Even as the thought pa.s.sed through my mind, I clamped down on my despair with unflinching determination. I had been through h.e.l.l and back, I had survived the Ghost Bear and a mult.i.tude of other predators in the subterranean cavern, I had endured excruciating pain and lethal biological transformations in an effort to stave off death from starvation. There was no way I would falter just because a great enemy stood before me and my route to freedom.

"Hmph. Isn"t this just great, bring it on!"

With a yell, I charged at the Hydra.

The Hydra moved with a swiftness that belied its immense size, reacting near-instantaneously. Its nine heads flew toward me, attacking one at a time while forcing me to enact evasive maneuvers. I leaped high up, soaring above the first head and just barely avoiding its deadly, venomous fangs. h.e.l.l, even without the lethal venom, the fangs were large enough to crush me to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp if they stabbed into my body.

As expected of an apex predator.

The Hydra had evolved to fight against legendary demonic beasts such as the Behemoth, so it would need every lethal weapon it could mutate. Those might be overkill against a mere human being like me, but as they say, even a lion would give its all to catch a rabbit.

Rather, I"m the one who can"t afford to underestimate my opponent!

Tucking my body into a ball, I ducked the second head, rolling past its gargantuan jaws, then flipped out and landed on the third head before it could swallow me whole. Trying to maintain my balance upon its sleek neck and slippery scales, I forced myself to an unsteady run along the length of its neck, jumping off only when the fourth head charged toward my position.

This time, I used a basic movement from Shadow Steps to dodge the fourth head"s a.s.sault, disappearing before it could tackle me. I reappeared, almost as if from the shadows and landed on top of its head. Gritting my teeth, I used Seismic Step, the second kick from Shadow Steps, to cave its skull in. The fourth head went down, screeching deafeningly.

However, it was not dead. Far from it.

"!"

The fourth head ferociously lashed out, almost knocking me off my feet. This time, I fell back to the footwork techniques that Teacher Jiao taught me, using Tui to retreat.

I guess it"s only natural…at my current level, my attacks are still too weak to deal a decisive blow. The Hydra is too huge and I"m too weak and tiny to deliver any significant amount of damage.

On the bright side, I did hurt it, so at least there was something I could be proud of.

Skidding across the sh.o.r.e, I struggled to halt my ma.s.sive momentum. The ground split apart under the friction between my feet and the soil, the impact carrying me backward despite my best efforts to skid to a stop.

"!"

While I was still distracted by the first four heads that were converging on my position, I almost didn"t see the fifth head plunging toward me in time.

Bam!

"Kuh!"

I had just barely managed to dodge the enormous, venomous fangs, but the edge of the fifth head"s jaw struck me, lifting me off my feet and hurling me across the cavern. I caught a glimpse of deadly white fangs filling my vision for a moment before being replaced by the dull brown rock of the cavern"s walls.

The potent venom dripped into the ground, the acidic fluids dissolving it instantly and giving off noxious fumes. If I had allowed that to touch me, my body would be corroded into nothing. In contrast, my body had toughened to the extent where I could withstand the tremendous impact that resulted from the collision.

"Ouch…"

Rising to my feet, I slightly ma.s.saged my sore body. That might have cracked a few ribs and sent some shock throughout my system, but I was still alive. That was all that mattered. Wiping the blood from my mouth, I steadied my trembling body and glared at the advancing Hydra.

The enormous demonic monster had emerged from the lake, hissing as the nine heads seared toward my current position. I didn"t have time to hesitate. On reflex, I charged forward and activated Jin, speeding past the entangled knot of serpentine head and narrowly avoiding their dripping fangs and raw muscle.

"!"

One of the heads had realized my intent and had lingered back, staying behind the rest of its brethren to antic.i.p.ate my attempt at escape. I was forced to hop back into a halt as the ninth head crashed heavily onto the ground where I would have been if I didn"t suddenly change the trajectory of my advance.

"You…" I murmured, perspiration dripping down my face, but I wasn"t given any time to say anything else before the sixth head struck me from behind. Again, I moved on instinct, just barely avoiding getting punctured by the fangs and pumped full of corrosive venom. But the gargantuan snout slammed into me, cannoning me across the cavern and into the wall.

Bam!

"Ugh…"

I dropped to my knees, blood streaming down my head and body, wounds having been ruptured open all over my skin. Adjusting my gla.s.ses, which were slipping off because of the excessive amount of blood, I slowly studied my foe.

Looks like I don"t have a choice. I"m not going to get pa.s.s the Hydra with just Shadow Steps and footwork techniques alone.

Stretching out both hands, I focused my yin qi into my fingers and forged a pair of ice swords. Drawing a deep breath, which fogged in front of my face because of the sudden drop in temperature, I braced myself for the battle.

Kicking off the ground, I launched myself toward the advancing Hydra. The first head slammed down on where I was running, but using Shadow Steps, I leaped up and effortlessly evaded it. Bouncing from the scalp of the first head, I sped toward the second head like a bullet. Before the second head could gobble me up, I suddenly did a cartwheel in the air and planted my foot on its lip and maintaining a not-so-safe distance from those venomous fangs. Kicking off, I then spiraled toward the advancing third head. Tucking my legs in, I spun around and then kicked the third head and used it as a board to propel myself toward the fourth head.

The fourth head hissed, remembering the Seismic Step I had executed earlier, and lunged with a vengeance. Half-antic.i.p.ating that, I dropped to the ground, allowing the ma.s.sive serpentine head to blast past overhead without hitting me. Without even waiting for the infuriated head to turn back and correct its aim, I was already running ahead.

The fifth head awaited, snarling. Previously, I wasn"t able to get past it, but this time I had armed myself with swords. Closing my eyes briefly, I recalled the movements of the Ghost Bear and how it swung its Ghost Claws. Gritting my teeth, I opened my eyes and replicated the movements, slashing at the incoming fifth head.

Slash!

Dual azure qi blasts hurtled out of the frozen blades and slammed into the fifth head, encrusting thin segments of its jaw with a coat of ice. Even though the entire head wasn"t encased in ice, the shock from the sudden cold stunned the fifth head, and I cartwheeled in the air to step on its snout. Before the fifth head could figure what was happening, I had already propelled myself away.

The sixth head and seventh head came at the same time, snarling as they attacked from both directions. Almost helpless in midair, I was forced to parry their strikes. Both frost blades shattered instantaneously from the collision.

Even so, they had done their job. Having absorbed most of the impact, I let go of my broken swords and dropped like a rock between both heads. The sixth head and seventh head collided with each other, caught off guard by my sudden movement. Like a stone, I plummeted toward the lake, but I didn"t splash through its surface.

Instead, using minimal qi, I froze the area that I landed, erecting a small patch of ice to stand on. Bouncing atop, I sprang away while recreating my swords. The fifth head and fourth head and twisted back to attack me, and they smashed my newly forged swords to bits, throwing me across the lake and forcing me to freeze another segment to recover my footing.

That was fine. I had a whole lake under me, and the air was full of moisture. I could re-forge and recreate my ice weapons as many times as I needed to, so long as I didn"t run out of qi.

Unfortunately, my puny weapons had little effect on the Hydra.

The eighth head and ninth head were circling back to trap me. Conjuring another pair of ice swords, I readied myself as they lunged at me.

How did the Ghost Bear do it again?

No, it wasn"t just the Ghost Bear. Even though I had made sure to learn the Ghost Bear"s movements and attacks with its Ghost Claws, I wasn"t merely replicating its techniques. I was combining the Ghost Bear"s Ghost Claws with Shadow Steps.

Ghost Shadow Sword.

As an Experimentalist, I had little option other than to experiment and create my own techniques. Unlike my Traditionalist cla.s.smates, I did not have a master available to teach me techniques that had a long history and tradition. Even though I learned stuff from Teacher Jiao, he was limited in what he could teach me because he was officially not my master.

Pulling back both swords, I mimicked the Ghost Bear"s Ghost Claws strike while adding some principles of the stealthy Shadow Steps. The ice swords seemed to disappear, shimmering into seeming nothingness, as they sliced forward.

The Hydra didn"t seem to care, the eighth and ninth head plunging forward heedlessly. The invisible blades slashed into their thick, armored emerald scales and caused them to jolt back in shock. A few seconds later, thin layers of black ice began spreading across their scales.

Too superficial, huh?

Given more time to perfect my newly created Ghost Shadow Sword, I might be able to increase the freezing effects of my shadowy sword techniques, but right now I hadn"t reached that level yet. Still, it was always good to try out my theoretical techniques in actual practice and see if they actually worked in reality.

Sparing the staggering Hydra no more than a cursory glance to log the effects of my experimental Ghost Shadow Sword, I kicked off the little iceberg I had created and sprang forward.

The first, second and third heads struck from multiple directions. Remembering how the Ghost Bear extended his Ghost Claws and take me by surprise, I infused my swords with more qi and increased their length and size. With a yell, I knocked the first and second heads away with my makeshift weapons. So hard were their scales and with the sheer ma.s.s of their bulk, the two swords shattered upon impact, leaving my hands bereft of weapons as the third head closed in.

"Kuh!"

Flipping back, I allowed the third head to surge past where my head had been a millisecond earlier, and just like the Lunar Rabbit before me, swapped to standing on my hands so that I could deliver a devastating kick that sent the third head reeling upward.

Spinning on the block of ice that I froze atop the lake, I pushed myself to a safe distance away from the Hydra while slyly closing in on the path that led outward. The Hydra rushed toward me, its other six heads writhing and aggressively lashing out.

All or nothing.

There was no way I could avoid all six heads, not when my path to escape was so narrow.

"Argh!"

With a yell, I plunged both hands into the water. Mustering as much qi as I could, I poured my frosty qi into the lake, shaping the water in accordance to my imagination. As I said earlier, I had access to an entire lake and all the moisture in the air, so I could theoretically create an infinite amount of icy weapons as long as I didn"t run out of qi.

Conversely, it also meant that I could use all my qi to turn the lake into a single gigantic weapon. Icicles burst out and pierced the Hydra in multiple places, trapping it momentarily. Even though the vast majority of the icicles were unable to penetrate the thick hide or armored emerald scales, a few succeeded in impaling vulnerable spots and holding the Hydra fast.

The Hydra"s immense bulk and powerful structure twitched and the icicles began crumbling. Despite my best efforts, I only had mere seconds before the Hydra broke free of its frozen restraints and lunge at me. Despite the crimson blood flowing down the icicles in rivulets, the damage I dealt was extremely minor, akin to little scratches.

There was no way the Hydra would die from that.

It didn"t matter. I was basically home free. I dove into the water and swam through the path, allowing the current to sweep me out of the cavern and back to the outside, surface world.

"!"

One of the Hydra"s heads had burst free from the icicles impaling it and was surging toward me with a vengeance, determined to slay me before I escaped. Throwing a hand out, I conjured an ice shield while using my footwork to kick in the water and retreat.

Bam!

The shield shattered instantly as the Hydra"s head slammed into it. Its jaws yawned wide open to clamp down on me, but I executed Tui and propelled myself away from it, aided by the forceful currents.

The Hydra"s maw slammed shut, but I was already gone. Flowing through the narrow path, which was too small for the Hydra to fit through, I departed the subterranean cavern and was swept across by the little river that flowed upward – against gravity and defying the laws of physics, for some reason – and into the surface.

"Kuh…"

Dizzy from my escape, I dog-paddled toward freedom in an effort to keep myself afloat and away from the Hydra.

Then I realized that the giddiness – which was accompanied by a rush of nausea – wasn"t from the excitement.

"Gah…!"

My body was burning up with a terrible fever, to the extent that the waters hefting me aloft were turning into steam. Wheezing, I weakly glanced at my arm and saw a thin, red line there. The surrounding flesh was smoking, corroded by a thick sludge of acidic venom.

The Hydra…!

It bit me. It got me. Despite my reflexes and footwork, the Hydra succeeded in grazing me with its venomous fangs.

d.a.m.n it…

From what I had read, the encyclopedias spoke of the incredibly potent toxicity of Hydra venom. One drop, according to legends, was enough to destroy an entire lake and wipe out all aquatic life for miles around.

And this was more than just a single drop.

The Green Dragon Spring water…!

I tried, numbly, to reach for my bottle, but my hands were swept away by the current. Too weak to resist, too powerless to do anything, I could only be helplessly washed away by the current. Despite my best efforts to survive, my consciousness faded away before I could save myself.

Then…darkness consumed me.