Chapter 141: Chapter 141: The Giant Serpent—Anaconda

“Thank you for your praise, Elder Senda!” Chang Xia grinned widely.

Elder Pukang swung his fists, taking on the oncoming swarm of snakes head-on. Every punch seemed to land on thin air, but each time, several attacking snakes were sent flying.

“Heh heh—” Pukang said, “Little Chang Xia is the best, of course.”

“Mhm.” Senda nodded slightly, then asked, “What’s going on in the dense forest? I remember there being snakes, but never in these numbers.”

“When we first entered, we only ran into iron wire snakes. Back then, we didn’t think much of it—just figured the warming weather was waking them from hibernation. But the deeper we went, the more snakes there were…” Maple Leaf reported to the two elders, his face grave.

“Yadong, you’re the fastest. Go back to White Lake and tell Yami about the abnormal changes in the forest. Have her send people to patrol around White Lake and see if there’s anything strange elsewhere,” Senda ordered quickly.

Yadong nodded and immediately turned, running toward the White Lake caves.

“Elder Senda, what about us—?” Chang Xia asked.

Elder Senda and Elder Pukang exchanged a glance, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on their faces. “We fight our way in. Let’s see what’s behind all this—whatever dares to drive a swarm of snakes toward the Heluo Tribe deserves to die.”

The sudden surge of killing intent stunned Chang Xia.

Such intense bloodlust—had these two elders grown up on battlefields soaked in blood?

Nearby, Maple Leaf and the others didn’t seem surprised at all.

Among the elders of the tribe, few were easy to get along with.

Each one was a god of slaughter.

Especially Elder Pukang, famed for his iron fists, and Elder Senda, known as the snake-catcher. In recent years, these two had mellowed out, so their reputations weren’t as fierce as before.

But among the older beastfolk of the Twilight Forest, almost everyone knew their names.

“Tsk tsk, terrifying!” Chen Rong muttered under his breath.

Before, just Elder Pukang was impressive enough. Now another Elder Senda had appeared—Heluo Tribe truly had deep and hidden strength!

“Terrifying? What’s so terrifying?” Chang Xia asked, confused.

Having survived the apocalypse, Chang Xia quickly shook off the fear that the intense killing intent had brought. She silently lamented that her body was still too weak—she couldn’t even withstand this level of bloodlust. No wonder the tribe was uneasy about letting her enter the forest.

“It’s nothing. Come on, let’s follow them,” Chen Rong said.

With two gods of slaughter leading the way, Maple Leaf and the others surrounded Chang Xia protectively, following closely behind.

Truly, if gods blocked them, they’d kill gods; if Buddhas blocked them, they’d kill Buddhas.

They charged straight ahead, not even considering taking a detour or retreating.

The thick killing intent was almost tangible, seeping into the air. In the silent forest, the mindless snakes began to retreat—clearly, even they were cowed by the murderous aura.

Though the snakes lacked intelligence, they still had animal instincts.

Fear began to spread silently.

The snakes retreated, but the group didn’t stop.

They pressed on, forcing a bloody path through with their fists.

“What the hell is that?”

Breaking out of the forest, everyone looked ahead. There was a stretch of open wilderness, half-covered with countless snake shadows. But at the very center of the plain, a massive serpent—perhaps a python, or an anaconda—coiled menacingly.

Chang Xia couldn’t tell what it was, so she asked aloud.

Even though it was dozens of miles away, that enormous figure was clearly visible to all.

“An anaconda—a giant species of snake.”

“So that’s why so many snakes have gathered here. Turns out an anaconda has come into our territory.”

Chang Xia craned her neck, staring at the anaconda in the wilderness.

How were they supposed to fight this thing?

“Scared?” Chen Rong leaned in and whispered.

Fresh from battle, Chen Rong’s handsome face was spattered with blood. With his faint smile, there was a strange blend of wickedness and gentleness about him—a charm that was hard to describe.

Seeing this, Chang Xia was momentarily dazed.

Damn—

This male is way too attractive!

“N-no,” Chang Xia stammered, blushing and edging closer to Nan Feng.

This guy was definitely a monster—good thing she’d already snatched him up. The thought made her blush even deeper, but she couldn’t help feeling a little smug.

“An anaconda—what’s it doing here by the river?” Senda said in surprise.

“Heh heh—” Pukang laughed excitedly. “Anaconda meat is delicious! One this size could feed the tribe for a month. The rendered fat makes the best ointment. Who cares why it’s here—let’s just kill it and eat!”

As he spoke, Elder Pukang raised his fist, ready to charge in.

Elder Senda’s face darkened. He glared at Pukang, then smacked him twice on the back of the head with his black blade. “All you know is fighting. Anacondas live in the Moonwatch Mountains. Except for there, you rarely see them in the Twilight Forest. The tribe is nowhere near the Moonwatch Mountains—aren’t you curious how this one got here?”

How could anyone rest easy without figuring this out?

Maple Leaf flared his nostrils and said, “Elder Senda, I think I smell a strange scent of blood. Could this anaconda be wounded?”

“Injured—?” Senda narrowed his eyes and straightened his back. “Could it have come from the Wei River? The small river connects to the Wei River, so if this anaconda entered our territory from there, it would make sense.”

The source of the Wei River was indeed in the Wangyue Mountains, though it flowed through Mount Wei.

Mount Wei was more famous than the Wangyue Mountains, so the river was named after it—the Wei River.

“Tch! Like a stray dog.” Pukang picked his nose, clearly unhappy with Senda’s restraint, but didn’t push to attack again. Still, the murderous intent in his eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

“Injured, yet still able to command so many snakes. This anaconda is quite powerful!” Shankun remarked.

Yadong Kongshan nodded in agreement. “Come to think of it, we’ve never hunted an anaconda of this size before. The biggest snake we’ve taken down was just an ordinary python.”

Before them, on the wild plains, was the anaconda.

Even from dozens of miles away, its massive form was clearly visible.

If they got closer, it would be even more awe-inspiring.

Still, despite its size, they figured it wasn’t much of a threat. As long as they didn’t get caught in its coils, they were confident they could take it down.

“Elder Pukang, about that anaconda oil you mentioned—?” Chen Rong asked.

“Anaconda oil is a salve made from the fat inside an anaconda,” Maple Leaf explained. “It can be used on the face or hands, and is extremely valuable. If you add some herbs and ask a shaman to refine it, even a small jar of anaconda oil can be traded with the bird tribes for a lightstone.”

Anaconda oil was indeed precious.

Anacondas lived in the Wangyue Mountains.

Unlike ordinary mountains, the Wangyue range was home to countless snakes. It was also adjacent to the snake tribe’s territory, and out of respect for them, the beast tribes wouldn’t enter the Wangyue Mountains to hunt anacondas. Of course, if one was encountered elsewhere…

Anyone would be eager to hunt an anaconda—the oil was just too valuable.

Few could resist the temptation, and anaconda meat was also delicious. “Chen Rong, let’s kill it!” Changxia said excitedly.

How could they let such a treasure slip by?

Hearing Changxia’s words, Elder Pukang shot Senda a provocative look and praised, “Well said, little Changxia!”