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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 42: Burned to Death

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Sagaewan bared their teeth irritably amid the hot steam.

They had viewed the world through four eyes for so long, yet now they had only two, a single pair on one head. It was unbearably inconvenient. They could not look ahead and watch behind them at the same time.

They had not felt such inconvenience even once since becoming a Great Demon Beast.

“Come out! We need to talk!”

“Grrr! Come out!”

That was not a lie. They really did have something to discuss. What happened after the discussion would be another matter.

The snake gave no response.

It was a shame, but also a relief. If the snake were stupid enough to take such pathetic bait, Sagaewan would have needed to reconsider making him a head.

‘Something’s strange.’

‘Yes. The steam, for one.’

The sudden steam was strange enough, but why was it hot?

‘That snake’s Bloodline carried a fire-aspect Aura.’

‘It did. Is this because of that? Has his Bloodline matured? Don’t tell me he became a Great Demon Beast in just a few days.’

‘That’s absurd! How could that be?’

‘Was that too far-fetched? Right. It can’t be.’

Was the Great Demon Realm so easy to reach? Even with a Great Demon Beast-grade Bloodline, attaining that realm required long years and luck.

A creature that had been no more than an ordinary Demon Beast days ago had become a Great Demon Beast in that time? For that to be possible, his Bloodline would need to be Demon King-grade...

That was even more absurd.

The snake was undoubtedly unusual, but his Bloodline could not possibly be Demon King-grade.

‘Then what is this?’

‘I don’t know. Be careful.’

Their minds knew they needed caution, but their hearts pounded not with anxiety, but excitement.

This strange phenomenon was surely connected to that snake.

He was intelligent, special, and mysterious.

What an exceptional head he would make.

‘I’ll become even more special and outstanding.’

‘We will become special and outstanding. Don’t leave me out.’

‘Of course. We’ll fix your eyes soon too.’

‘You’d better. I’m sick to death of not being able to see.’

The thick steam made it difficult to see, but not being able to use their eyes did not mean Sagaewan would lose their way or stumble. A Great Demon Beast’s Spirit Awareness conveyed far more information than sight.

Seeing was familiar and convenient, but vision had no real advantage over Spirit Awareness.

‘Is he still hiding underwater?’

‘He must be.’

Sagaewan was confident. Their only concern was injuring the snake too badly and making him unsuitable as a head. The possibility that he might escape, or even injure them, never entered their minds.

‘Should we go into the water?’

‘That would be best. If we make a mess of things and damage the head, we’ll be in trouble.’

‘Right. It’s been a long time since we found a head we wanted. We can’t ruin it.’

‘Be careful not to make a mistake.’

Without either head taking the lead, both flicked out their tongues.

‘Making a third head is nice, but won’t that make our space a little cramped?’

‘We can make it smaller.’

‘That works, but I’d rather grow larger. Then it wouldn’t matter whether we had three heads or four.’

‘We will soon, if we gain more wisdom. Maybe even the Demon King Realm won’t be beyond us.’

More drool flowed from both mouths.

‘Is he recovering in the Spirit Spring?’

‘Then what is this steam? Is he trying to lure us underwater?’

‘Probably. He seems to be a kind of Water Demon, so he must have some advantage underwater.’

‘An arrogant creature.’

Whether Human Race or Demon Race, the most important virtue for cultivators walking the path of immortality was vigilance.

The first thing that vigilance needed to guard against was oneself, in other words, arrogance.

Nothing was more dangerous than the delusion that one was special, that one alone was special.

Those who did not understand that rarely lived long.

‘I’ll hide our presence. You find him.’

‘Easy enough.’

Sagaewan slowly sank into the water, suppressing their presence.

The first skill Sagaewan had learned after becoming a Great Demon Beast and joining the Upper Demon Grove was this very concealment: lowering their presence to reduce an enemy’s vigilance. Both heads believed it was a skill superior to any powerful Divine ability.

If their body had been as huge and eye-catching as that fool Yungwon’s, this skill would have been of little use. Fortunately, Sagaewan was relatively small for a Great Demon Beast.

‘Strange. I can’t sense his Aura even after entering the water.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘Could he be dead?’

‘Impossible. If he were dead, that crow wouldn’t have risked its life trying to deceive us.’

The situation differed from what Sagaewan had expected, and they became confused.

Their two heads exchanged thoughts and guesses as they tried to locate the snake, whose whereabouts were entirely unknown to them.

They did not realize that the snake had already approached from behind.

When the snake’s gaping jaws silently reached the space before their tail, Sagaewan spun around like lightning and spewed green poisonous mist from both mouths.

* * *

Jegyeong did not know what abilities Sagaewan possessed.

Trying to engage in close combat without knowing his opponent’s abilities was not because he wanted to gamble, but because he had no other choice.

Fortunately, luck was on his side.

Who would have thought a creature that looked like a lion could spit poison?

Jegyeong had some confidence when it came to poison.

Not because he could use it, but because he could endure it.

Boom!

He had tried to bite Sagaewan in one motion, but their reaction was faster than expected.

Having bitten nothing but water, Jegyeong swiftly swung his head and slammed it into one of Sagaewan’s heads.

Sagaewan could not react in time and took the blow directly.

“Urk!”

The struck head made a choking sound and reeled.

Jegyeong’s own head throbbed a little, but it was bearable.

Jegyeong’s head was exceptionally sturdy for a Demon Beast, but the greater reason was Sagaewan’s terrible condition. Had Sagaewan been healthy, even a completely unguarded headbutt would not have left them dazed in a single strike.

Jegyeong neither knew nor cared about that.

He had landed a solid hit, so he intended to press his advantage and drive Sagaewan back. Yet before he could approach again, Sagaewan retreated swiftly.

They could move that quickly even underwater. He had miscalculated there.

‘No. Maybe that’s not it. Maybe they’re only that slow because they’re underwater.’

Perhaps Great Demon Beasts were not much different on land or in water. The only reason the Spirit Spring affected Sagaewan at all might be because it was not an ordinary river.

“Roooar!”

Sagaewan let out an enraged roar.

Yet the head was aimed slightly to Jegyeong’s left.

Jegyeong was briefly puzzled, then saw that both eyes of the roaring head were covered with hideous wounds and understood why.

‘It doesn’t know where I am.’

It seemed to have a rough idea, but it clearly could not pinpoint his position.

Unable to see, it had no choice but to search with Spirit Awareness. But Jegyeong constantly maintained his Qi Concealment Technique, so Sagaewan must have felt as if fog clouded their Spirit Awareness.

It was still somewhat strange that they were this lost, but Jegyeong assumed it was related to their poor condition.

Being cautious was good, but if one doubted and hesitated over every little thing, nothing could be achieved.

‘Good. I’ll settle this before the head with healthy eyes comes to its senses.’

No matter how terrible Sagaewan’s condition looked, they were an experienced Great Demon Beast. Who knew what bizarre abilities they possessed beyond spitting poison?

Luck had given him the advantage. He could not let it slip away.

Having made up his mind, Jegyeong calmly approached Sagaewan in a completely unguarded state. To an onlooker, it would have looked less like he was about to attack and more like he intended to pass them by and go elsewhere.

It would be easy to think he was simply acting naturally, but not just anyone could perform such a simple action.

Erasing the killing intent rooted in one’s heart and concealing hostility meant having perfect control over one’s own mind, even if only for an instant.

Jegyeong accomplished it, but it was still a dangerous gamble. If Sagaewan’s Spirit Awareness were sharp enough to notice the faint change in his Heart State, this unguarded approach would be the same as handing his throat to his enemy.

Fortunately, Sagaewan did not notice his approach.

They bared their teeth as though nothing were wrong, but they were still facing the wrong direction.

‘Now!’

Jegyeong lunged, and Sagaewan reacted immediately.

No matter how deeply one had mastered the Qi Concealment Technique, one could not control one’s mind until the moment one decided to attack.

He had expected them to react, but their movement was faster than Jegyeong anticipated.

Crunch!

Sagaewan avoided Jegyeong’s huge jaws and instead bit down on his neck.

Their reaction speed was so fast that it was hard to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.

“Grrr!”

A triumphant cry rang out.

Through Sagaewan’s teeth, Jegyeong felt poison seep into his body. It was not especially dangerous yet, but if he let Sagaewan continue injecting poison, he had no idea what might happen.

‘Idiot.’

Jegyeong sneered at the triumphant Sagaewan and moved his tail.

His long body stretched all the way to the tip of his tail and wrapped around Sagaewan.

Sagaewan flinched slightly as Jegyeong’s body coiled around them, but did not release their bite. They seemed to believe their deadly poison would soon take effect.

“Grr!”

Sagaewan snorted and tightened their jaws as if intending to cut off his breath.

Were they that confident in their poison? Or did they look down on him, thinking an ordinary Demon Beast could not possibly exert much strength?

That was not an unreasonable thought.

No matter the difference in their sizes, Sagaewan was a Great Demon Beast and Jegyeong was an ordinary Demon Beast. The gap between realms could not be overcome through physical strength.

Jegyeong knew that well.

What he trusted was not physical strength, but the new ability he had gained moments ago.

Whoosh!

Formless flames born from his Spiritual Essence instantly engulfed Jegyeong’s large, long body. Only heat spread from them, yet the water throughout the area began boiling all at once.

Sizzle!

Sagaewan, tightly bound by Jegyeong’s thick, long body as though tied with rope, was also exposed to that heat.

Sagaewan had not blinked at the force of Jegyeong’s constriction, but their body could not help trembling under this heat.

It was not ordinary heat. It was heat born from Spiritual Essence.

If Sagaewan’s body and Spiritual Essence had been intact, allowing them to wield demon power, they could have endured it with a yawn. But that was impossible now.

In the end, Sagaewan came into direct contact with the flames of Spiritual Essence, no, with its heat, completely unprotected.

The price was horrific.

“Raaah!”

Jegyeong did not know it, but Sagaewan’s true problem was not the heat scorching their flesh, but Jegyeong’s blood flowing into their mouth and throat.

Blood infused with Jegyeong’s Qi and Blood and Spiritual Essence.

That blood, as hot as lava, burned their mouth, their throat, and reached their organs.

They could neither refuse to drink it nor spit it out. Their tongue had already stuck to Jegyeong’s scales.

Only then did Sagaewan try to pull away from Jegyeong, but it was already too late.

“Wh-what is this?!”

At that moment, Sagaewan’s unconscious head regained consciousness.

It was horrified by the burning body, the pain racing through it, and the other head, whose already dreadful appearance had become even more grotesque.

“Raaah!”

A Great Demon Beast’s rage exploded.

Without understanding the situation at all, the awakened head gave in to emotion and bit down hard on Jegyeong’s openly exposed neck.

Jegyeong, suddenly having his neck bitten from both sides, groaned in pain and smiled broadly.

‘Idiot.’

Were they twice as foolish because they had two heads? How could a Great Demon Beast be this stupid?

Either way, the situation had become as favorable as possible.

Jegyeong squeezed even more power from his Spiritual Essence, which was already releasing flames at full force.

The sound of flesh burning and Sagaewan’s screams grew louder.

After some time passed, Jegyeong groaned and loosened his body.

Even though their entire body had burned and their insides had melted, Sagaewan continued breathing. Their Spiritual Essence had not dispersed either.

Considering they had already been nearly reduced to a wreck when they first entered the water, their vitality was beyond tenacious. It was frightening.

Drawing upon the power of Spiritual Essence was like Human Race cultivators using Spiritual Power. Naturally, there was a limit to how much power he could use, and Jegyeong was no exception.

When Sagaewan had willingly entered the blazing trap, he thought he could easily finish them. He had never imagined a Great Demon Beast could possess such life force.

Once his Spiritual Essence began to run dry, Jegyeong had no choice but to tear into Sagaewan and eat them bite by bite.

Worried that the charred Sagaewan might suddenly lunge at him, he severed their necks first.

There was no resistance. Their body was plainly in no condition to resist.

As he tore through both necks, Jegyeong realized that Sagaewan’s body was far more damaged than he had thought.

Even when he finally cut off their breath, there was no notable fluctuation of Dharma Power. It was as though they had been too weakened to make even a dying sound.

They had pursued him in such a state. He could not decide whether that was admirable or foolish.

Some might laugh at Sagaewan’s recklessness, but Jegyeong understood them.

Sagaewan had probably seen him as prey like the Water Demons in the Spirit Spring, something they could hunt easily whenever they pleased.

That was not even arrogance. Sagaewan was a Great Demon Beast, while he was an ordinary Demon Beast.

Yet whether that belief had been justified or not, this was the result.

In the end, it was Sagaewan’s own carelessness and foolishness that led them to death.

‘There’s nothing to gain.’

After cutting off Sagaewan’s breath, Jegyeong forced himself to swallow some of their burned flesh and was deeply disappointed.

They were a Great Demon Beast, yet it felt like eating ordinary Demon Beast meat. He felt no increase in Qi and Blood, and his Spiritual Essence received no stimulation.

Still, thinking there might be something, even something small, Jegyeong forced down the charcoal-like meat.

Then he found one of the heads that had fallen to the ground and swallowed it in one bite. At last, he sensed something.

A strand of demon power.

It was so tiny and faint that it vanished in an instant, enough to make him wonder if he had imagined it. Yet in that brief moment, Jegyeong was seized by a realization.

“Haa...!”

That demon power must have been the crystallization of Sagaewan’s lifelong Dao attainment.

The Dao was not only found by repeatedly enduring hardship in a quiet place while moistening one’s lips with dew.

The life of a Demon Beast that struggled fiercely from birth to death was itself a Dao. Sagaewan had even been a Great Demon Beast.

The insight Jegyeong gained from the strand of demon power remaining in Sagaewan’s head was far greater than anything he had gained while enduring the fluctuations of Dharma Power and Demon Energy on the battlefield.

He felt as though he now understood what demon power was, what kind of power he himself created by shaping Spiritual Energy.

Such enlightenment was far more valuable than simply increasing his Qi and Blood or expanding his Spiritual Essence.

Savoring that realization, Jegyeong slowly chewed and swallowed the remaining head as well.

Footnotes:

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