Chapter Forty-Six: Am I the Target?

Once he understood why the swarm of snakes had been unable to deal with the skeletons, Zhou Tian immediately recalled all the venomous snakes into the Serpent Basin and summoned a group of pythons that had not been used for a long time. Although snakes generally look similar, their species are quite varied. Venomous snakes rely on their toxins to attack, but pythons depend entirely on their physical strength.

It is not unusual for large pythons to swallow cattle and horses whole. While the combat prowess of pythons might not amount to much in this otherworldly realm, Zhou Tian’s Serpent Basin possessed the ability to enhance them. Over time, the ordinary pythons Zhou Tian had collected were now anything but ordinary. Originally, because truly massive pythons were rare, even though Zhou Tian commanded tens of thousands of them, nearly all were medium or small, less than three meters long.

But after being nurtured in the Serpent Basin, these pythons had transformed—now, a length of ten meters was nothing remarkable among Zhou Tian’s serpents. The largest python, when released, was so immense that even with part of its body coiled, it stood higher than a mountain peak. Such a colossal creature startled not only those lurking in the shadows, but even Zhou Tian himself, the master of the snakes.

Standing beside that giant python, Zhou Tian’s serpent form was like an earthworm next to a python. The vast disparity left him both astonished and somewhat embarrassed. He was, after all, the master, yet the pythons he had raised now threatened to steal his thunder. With a disgruntled snort, Zhou Tian issued the command to attack.

They needed no venom; their sheer bulk was enough to crush most of their foes. The moment they engaged the skeletons—which had given the venomous snakes such trouble before—the pythons flattened them into heaps of shattered bone as if sweeping away dead leaves.

Only after the last skeleton had been smashed to pieces by a python’s tail did Zhou Tian finally breathe a sigh of relief. He recalled the pythons who had rendered such great service into the Serpent Basin and hurriedly slithered out of the valley.

Although Zhou Tian still had not discovered the skeletons’ true origin, their appearance coincided with his residence in this valley. Unwilling to investigate further, Zhou Tian instinctively associated the skeletons with the valley itself. Lacking any curiosity to uncover their origins, his only desire was to avoid trouble as much as possible.

Yet, despite his reluctance to provoke trouble, it was clear that trouble had come seeking him. As Zhou Tian prepared to leave, the mysterious man lurking in the shadows would never simply let him go.

Just as Zhou Tian was about to exit the valley, an ominous aura drifted toward him from nearby. His heart stirred, and he cast a wary glance in that direction.

But—

“Come on, seriously? Skeletons just now, and now you’re throwing zombies at me? Do you think I’m playing a video game?” Zhou Tian had not expected that, when he looked over, the first thing he saw would be a horde of zombies draped in rotting flesh. Their grotesque faces—reminiscent of the undead from Resident Evil—made Zhou Tian’s stomach churn with disgust. Forced to retreat, he nevertheless summoned the pythons who had just proven their worth.

With the pythons holding the line, the zombies failed to approach. But as soon as Zhou Tian escaped the valley and breathed a sigh of relief, the enemy’s attack came crashing down upon him without warning.

A foul wind swept in from behind, and Zhou Tian’s heart leaped in alarm as he prepared to react. But, quick as he was, he could not outpace his assailant. Before he could act, the attack struck him.

A sharp pain stabbed his neck—the spot that was his weakness—and a three-headed hound latched onto him. The shock and agony nearly obliterated his ability to think. Rolling several times across the ground, he only succeeded in deepening his wound, not in freeing himself. Forcing himself to remain calm despite the searing pain, Zhou Tian directed the Serpent Basin to unleash several pythons to attack and surround the three-headed hound clinging to him.

Sensing the threat from the snakes, the hound sprang away before the pythons could close in. Yet, as it retreated, it ripped away a large chunk of flesh from Zhou Tian’s neck—so much that he nearly fainted from the pain.

“Damn it!” Assaulted by the three-headed hound and suffering such a grievous wound, Zhou Tian’s temper finally boiled over. While gulping down potent healing elixirs from the system shop, he released most of the pythons from the Serpent Basin. At his command, thousands of ten-meter-long pythons surged toward the three-headed hound.

Yet, facing this onslaught, the hound showed no fear. With a leap, it sprang away, using the bodies of the pythons as launching pads—ignoring most of their attacks—and charged straight for Zhou Tian once more.

“It’s after me?” Zhou Tian immediately realized something was wrong. If the hound—presumably the legendary Hellhound—as well as the skeletons and zombies, were simply attacking intruders, there should have been no difference between him and his pythons. The fact that the three-headed hound ignored the serpents and targeted him made their intentions unmistakable.

“Why are these creatures after me?” Zhou Tian racked his brains, trying to remember how he could have provoked such a host of undead. Meanwhile, he unconsciously readied himself for battle.

Neither skeletons, zombies, nor the three-headed hound were difficult opponents for Zhou Tian. What truly concerned him was the presence of a controlling force behind these undead beings. Unless he could flush out whoever lurked in the shadows, defeating their minions would be pointless.

“I can’t worry about that now. If that guy won’t show himself, I’ll force him out. I refuse to believe he can sit idly by after I destroy all his undead pawns!” As he watched the three-headed hound draw ever closer, Zhou Tian stopped hesitating. With a snort of anger, he charged to meet the beast head-on.