Chapter 5: Crisis! The Coiled Serpent Black Mound

Following the mountain path downward, he decided to cross through the canyon below.

The cold moonlight spilled onto the water's surface, and the bottom of the canyon was abnormally quiet. As it was the dry season, only a shallow trickle remained in the river, not even reaching the depth of his soles. This was good news; at least he would not encounter any aquatic monsters.

The journey was smoother than expected, and soon, Mi Chen arrived at the entrance of a cave.

"I should be able to get out through here."

He gazed into the deep cavern, where glowing moss and spores diffused into the air, the pale green fluorescence containing a faint toxicity. This level of poison was not a major issue; his internal mana could neutralize it.

Just a few steps after Mi Chen stepped inside, he saw a bat fall from overhead. Then another, and another... Not far away, the glowing moss shifted into a dangerous red light.

"Not good!"

He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose as a cloud of toxic mist struck. Mi Chen immediately injected an antidote into his body. This antidote, refined from materials found in the Secret Realm, could fuse with a hunter's mana to form a temporary toxin antibody. The duration of this effect depended on the quality of the antidote and the hunter's mana.

A pale purple toxic mist completely shrouded the entire cave. Under the illumination of the spreading red light, Mi Chen had to feel his way along the rocks to continue moving forward. At present, this dose of antidote would last for ten minutes. He had best find an exit within that time.

But often, at times like these, the Secret Realm is exactly where your hopes are dashed.

"Click, clack... click, clack..."

The compass in his pocket began to shake violently. Uncle Li had once said that the compass would react when a dangerous monster was nearby.

Could it be?

Mi Chen raised his head. In the darkness, a terrifying black shadow emerged. A massive snake, as large as a winding mountain ridge, lay across the path leading to the exit. The serpent was in the middle of devouring a bat that possessed a human-like torso. Its sharp fangs pierced the bat's tough wings and flesh, and its flat head opened wide; accompanied by a sickening swallowing sound, the giant bat was slowly forced into its belly.

The terrifying mana made Mi Chen tremble all over. His heart was in his throat; he held his breath, not daring to move a muscle, fearing that he might make even the slightest sound.

[Coiled Serpent - Black Tomb]
A peak Level 3 monster! It could be said to be the most powerful creature in the entire Poison Moon Forest.

He didn't know if he should consider himself unlucky or lucky. At this moment, the Coiled Serpent was busy feasting and hadn't noticed the tiny figure of Mi Chen below. Mi Chen moved cautiously through the toxic mist. The mist seeped out from the serpent's scales; upon closer inspection, one could see it was composed of fine, corrosive particles.

He had to speed up. He took quick strides and finally reached the space beneath the serpent. Above his head was the massive, icy body of the snake; accompanied by its undulating swallowing and rhythmic breathing, Mi Chen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The darkest place is often under the lamp; the closer he was, the safer he actually was. He had long noticed a small path behind the serpent that wound narrowly upward, leading directly to the cave exit at the top.

The Coiled Serpent was a peculiar monster with the dual characteristics of both animal and plant. Although its appearance was no different from a snake's, it was more like a tree; more than half of its body was buried in the ground, constantly extending and branching out. While drawing mana from the earth, as an apex predator, it fed the nutrients gained from devouring other creatures back into the soil. The nutrients generated moss, bats fed on the moss, and the serpent devoured the bats. This cycle created the unique ecosystem within the cave.

As the master of the entire cavern, the Coiled Serpent was impossible to defeat. Its body was rooted in the ley lines of mana, making its own supply of mana nearly infinite. Any injury would heal instantly. The only drawback was that the Coiled Serpent was not agile; one only needed to bypass it and avoid a direct confrontation.

Mi Chen climbed onto the path from the side. Beside him lay the serpent's massive body, and the thick stench of blood was overwhelming. He suppressed his nausea, using both hands and feet to crawl upward bit by bit. The cave exit was right before his eyes.

*Crack!*

The ground where Mi Chen stepped suddenly collapsed, and falling gravel triggered a loud sound. The Coiled Serpent sensed the anomaly and turned its head toward the noise. Mi Chen was incredibly tense; he was still some distance from the exit. If he were discovered now, things would become troublesome.

Just then, a swarm of bloodthirsty bats appeared nearby. Perhaps the toxic mist in the cave had thinned slightly, and the bats had returned. The Coiled Serpent's attention was drawn to the swarm.

"That was close..."

Mi Chen exhaled slightly. He crossed the collapsed section and continued forward. But he hadn't taken more than a few steps before the entire mountain path began to rumble and shake. The Coiled Serpent below had completely swallowed the giant bat, causing its body to expand significantly. To make itself more comfortable, it shifted its bulk, and this simple movement was enough to make the entire cave quake.

Mi Chen gripped the wall to steady himself, preventing a fall. A drop of twenty-plus meters meant certain death—he would be smashed into pulp. But this path was far more fragile than he had believed. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground.

"Oh no, it's collapsing!"

Mi Chen realized it quickly. This winding path protruding from the rock wall was not naturally formed; it was the dried skin left behind by the Coiled Serpent after molting. Over countless years, it had settled and looked like rock, but in reality, it was extremely fragile. Every time the serpent moved, the weak membrane would crumble.

There was no time to worry about that now. Mi Chen urged the mana in his body, preparing to rush to the exit at top speed. It was precisely at the moment he released his mana that the Coiled Serpent sensed something. It rapidly turned its head, and eyes the size of a human's stared toward the ceiling; the pale purple snake eyes locked directly onto Mi Chen.

He had been discovered!

Mi Chen no longer held anything back. He unleashed all his mana, pushing his speed to the limit. But the Coiled Serpent was also incredibly fast; it locked onto Mi Chen's position and lunged forward like a missile.

*BOOM!*

The entire cave roared, and the intense impact caused the snake-skin rock wall to collapse and disintegrate. Amidst the smoke and dust, the Coiled Serpent shook off the debris from its body. Mi Chen was nowhere to be seen. However, the serpent could feel that Mi Chen's mana had not vanished.

"On the other side!"

The Coiled Serpent turned its head. A blood-red figure was leaping and moving across the protruding stones on the rock wall like an agile rabbit. It was Mi Chen, who had activated "Blood-Will Frenzy," greatly enhancing his speed and leaping ability. Relying on the keen observation of his Magic Eye, he darted and dodged across the wall, racing toward the cave exit at breakneck speed.

Closer, even closer.

Clearly, the Coiled Serpent had no intention of letting Mi Chen go. It arched its body slightly, and with a *boom*, it shot out. Its massive frame moved with such speed that it caused a sonic boom.

"Damn beast, go back to your lair and stay there!"

Seeing the serpent in pursuit, Mi Chen drew his long blade.

"Snake-Style Wind Blade!"

The cyan wind blades shattered the moment they struck the serpent, leaving not even a scratch on its scales. The serpent's scales were incredibly hard; with Mi Chen's current strength, he had no hope of harming it in the slightest. While the serpent was not agile, that was only relative to its size as a Level 3 monster.

He accelerated again. The serpent was getting closer and closer. The stench of blood from behind felt almost tangible. Mi Chen had reached the uppermost stone path; this section was not made of molted skin but solid rock, and it did not collapse.

The exit was right before him. He couldn't afford to care how close the serpent was; his only choice was to run for his life. His blood-red mana surged to its peak. As the gaps between the rocks grew narrower, the Coiled Serpent's massive body became a disadvantage, and its speed slowed.

Seeing that Mi Chen was about to escape the cave... was he going to succeed?

Just then, a hourglass-shaped bump suddenly emerged on top of the serpent's head. The bump vibrated with a buzzing sound, emitting a strange noise like flowing water. Immediately afterward, the solid rock around him began to undulate like waves.

Rooted in the ley lines, the Coiled Serpent could control the earth's mana to alter the surrounding environment. It was going to cut off the path ahead of Mi Chen! Although the serpent's mana was nearly endless, using such a move to shift the earth put a significant burden on it.

Mi Chen also realized the path ahead was inexplicably collapsing, but he had no time to ponder the cause. He was only five meters away from the exit. He decided to jump for it!

But the speed of the collapse was too fast. Almost at that exact moment, the entire path began to cave in. In the final instant before it completely gave way, Mi Chen stepped on a piece of rubble and pushed off with all his might.

His body soared into the air. He reached out his hand, desperately trying to grab a protruding rock beneath the exit. If he could just catch it, he would be able to escape.

But in the end... he missed. His fingertips were a mere half-centimeter away from the stone.

"Damn it!"

Mi Chen fell along with the crumbling rocks.