Chapter Forty-Seven: God said, "Let there be light," and there was light!

Just as Zhou Tian resolved to wipe out all the undead creatures first, the three-headed hound, after repeated efforts, finally managed to evade the attacks of the many giant pythons and, by sheer luck, charged right up to Zhou Tian.

“Woof!” As soon as it got close, the three-headed hound let out an excited bark and leapt at Zhou Tian.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the hound and those behind it, the real trouble in dealing with Zhou Tian lay in his summoned snakes. As for Zhou Tian himself, he seemed to possess no real power—otherwise, he wouldn't have stood aside watching the battle, nor would he have been injured by the hound's earlier sneak attack.

But in truth…

Was Zhou Tian really powerless? Of course not. Though his body was nowhere near as massive as the giant pythons, that by no means meant his strength was inferior. The pythons, for all their size, had merely grown larger and stronger in form, but had yet to gain truly overwhelming power. Zhou Tian, on the other hand, had his abilities comprehensively enhanced by the system upon leveling up. Though he seemed smaller, if he truly fought the pythons, he could crush them without effort.

“Crack!” The three-headed hound, mistaking Zhou Tian for an easy target, met a swift end. As it lunged confidently to bite, Zhou Tian simply lashed out with his tail, sending the hound flying back into the midst of the pythons.

Amid its miserable howls, a python seized it and swallowed it whole. At the same time, the sudden group of zombies was swiftly dispatched by the wave of pythons Zhou Tian had sent forth.

Thus, the second wave of unexpected enemies was utterly destroyed. Zhou Tian should have left at once, but for reasons unknown even to himself, he lingered, scrutinizing the fallen zombies as if searching for something among the undead.

“Damn it! I didn’t expect that snake to have such power! But no matter how strong you are, you’re doomed today!” In a hidden corner, the man who had summoned the undead cursed under his breath, then began drawing a magic circle on the ground once more.

Yet, just as the man was about to complete the magic circle, a sudden pain shot through his foot. When he turned to look, his expression changed drastically.

“A snake!” Startled, he stumbled back several steps, putting distance between himself and the venomous serpent. Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. But when he glanced again at his rapidly blackening, swollen wound, his heart sank.

“Speak! Why are you targeting me? If you tell me, perhaps I’ll help you with the poison.” Zhou Tian, who had remained at the mouth of the valley, suddenly emerged from behind the snake, casting a cold, mocking glance at the ashen-faced man, meeting his eyes and proposing a deal.

But…

“Heh, heh, heh!” The man answered with a matching cold laugh. “You think you’ve beaten me just like that? Not so easily. Today, I’ll let you witness the power of the Demon God!”

“Demon God?” Zhou Tian muttered in confusion. But as he looked again at the man, his expression changed. He immediately commanded the venomous snake before him to attack.

However, as the snake lunged, the man’s body suddenly stiffened, and in midair, he disintegrated into a pile of ash.

“To force me to resort to demon sacrifice, you should be proud. But now, all ends here.” The words had barely left his lips when the man vanished. Zhou Tian’s face darkened, and recalling his earlier ambush, he released the entire swarm from the Serpent Basin at once.

Just as the snakes poured forth, the man launched his attack. With a flicker, he appeared behind Zhou Tian. A strange green flame flared from his right foot as he kicked out viciously.

Had Zhou Tian been struck, the result would have been dire. But after the previous battle, Zhou Tian was on high alert. The instant the man disappeared, Zhou Tian was ready. Though the attack was sudden, he responded in time.

A giant python materialized in the kick’s path. The man’s foot struck it, killing it instantly, but he lost his chance for a fatal blow against Zhou Tian.

Next, as the snake swarm surged toward him, the man vanished once more, reappearing again and again around Zhou Tian, launching attack after attack. Yet, thanks to the Serpent Basin’s ability to control the snakes, Zhou Tian evaded every blow. The man managed to kill a few snakes, but not to land a single hit on Zhou Tian.

As their stalemate dragged on, an unexpected group of intruders suddenly tipped the scales decisively in Zhou Tian’s favor.

“God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light!” A voice, ethereal and distant, echoed across the battlefield. A milky beam of light burst forth from the direction of the valley’s entrance. Bathed in it, Zhou Tian felt only a gentle warmth on his skin—nothing uncomfortable.

But the man fighting Zhou Tian seemed to encounter something terrifying. As the light appeared, he turned to flee. But no matter how fast he moved, he could not outpace the light. Just as he rose to take flight, the radiance enveloped him completely.

What Zhou Tian saw next chilled him to the bone.

Like a man doused in acid, the enemy melted at a horrifying speed, his flesh liquefying like hot wax under the light. In moments, he was reduced to a pool of black fluid, which the light quickly evaporated. Only then did Zhou Tian snap out of his shock.

He himself had felt the light before, but since it had done him no harm, he’d paid it little mind. Now, seeing the formidable foe who had forced him onto the defensive so thoroughly reduced to nothing under that radiance, Zhou Tian’s impression of the light changed at once.

As if fearing the light might dissolve him too, Zhou Tian instinctively retreated into the shadows, hoping to escape its terrible power.

“Don’t worry, the light of God will never harm His children!”

A melodious voice rang out suddenly. Startled, Zhou Tian immediately summoned a host of venomous snakes from the Serpent Basin and cast a wary gaze toward the source of the voice.