14: Chapter 14 Green Snake Destroys Spider
"For the sake of my future evolution plans, poison is essential."
"I need to raise the skill level of Snake Venom."
Of the three newly acquired skills, Snake Venom is the most core one.
Snake Venom determines the power of the other two skills.
The Snake Venom skill cannot be used directly; it must be used through Poison Fangs and Poison Gas.
Xu Qing speculated that using the other two skills should simultaneously increase the proficiency of those skills and Snake Venom.
So...
"From now on, when This Snake uses one skill, I can increase the proficiency of two skills."
"What a cost-effective skill; it really saves a snake a lot of trouble."
Xu Qing's eyes lit up.
Looking at the other skills on the panel, they all seemed like eyesores, not saving a snake any trouble at all.
Having finished the Fusion of his skills, Xu Qing left the cave and eagerly continued swimming upstream.
He was determined to kill the Spider Spirit.
Back then, the Spider Spirit had opened a large hole in his body, nearly cutting him in half at the waist.
Just thinking about it, he could feel a phantom pain in his snake belly.
Following the direction of the river's flow, he crossed several mountain peaks.
The familiar scenery made Xu Qing sigh with emotion.
The scenery here had once left him "gut-wrenched," in a literal sense.
Madam Bai had been carrying him over this river back then, and he had taken the opportunity to "lick" several years of Dao Cultivation.
He missed those days when Dao Cultivation came just by opening his mouth.
Truly, one only learns to cherish what they have after they've lost it.
Xu Qing didn't activate Concealment as he went up the mountain; this was the confidence of a powerhouse.
Halfway up the mountain, he ran head-on into a large spider.
The two looked at each other—one snake with a Frog in its mouth, one spider with a toad in its mandibles—and both were stunned for a moment.
There should be a "Your Name" moment here.
Coincidentally, neither of them had activated their Detection skill.
After all, one was on its own mountain and saw no need for it, while the other had simply forgotten to flick its tongue.
"Spider Spirit!"
"Zhi zhi zhi!"
The snake and the spider both cried out happily.
Half the mountainside was filled with cheerful cries.
"Wind Blade!"
The sound of breaking air rang out as several Wind Blades shot out in an instant.
The spider raised its two front legs and slashed at the Wind Blades, directly shattering them.
But cracks were left on the spider's legs as well.
[Yao Beast] Ink-Armor Spider
[Dao Cultivation] Ninety-nine years
[Skills] Poison Fangs Lv3, Spider Spear Lv2, Spider Armor Lv3, Spider Silk Lv3, Spider Venom Lv3, Venomous Touch Lv1, Venom Lv1, Detection Lv1
[Divine Ability] Great Strength Lv2
Xu Qing finally received the feedback on the spider's information.
Lv3 Spider Venom—having resisted toxins of this level, no wonder his hidden poison resistance was decent.
"Zhi zhi zhi!"
The Spider Spirit raised its legs and stabbed them out one by one, just like before.
Xu Qing controlled his body, dodging the stabbing thrusts of the spider legs.
Seeing that the leg attacks were no longer effective, the Spider Spirit exerted force with all eight legs and leaped into the air, unexpectedly hovering mid-air.
No, it wasn't hovering.
Within the Detection map, the air was filled with transparent Spider Silk.
"As expected, fighting on their home turf is still a bit disadvantageous for me."
Xu Qing hadn't expected to bump into the Spider Spirit halfway.
The spider opened its mouth, and globs of venom shot toward Xu Qing.
At the same time, it raised its abdomen, and a layer of Spider Silk covered the surrounding ground.
"Poison Mist!"
Xu Qing spat out a cloud of dark green Poison Gas.
The Poison Gas swept through the surroundings, enveloping both of them, but it was useless.
Xu Qing saw a look of disdain in the spider's eight eyes.
Xu Qing didn't care; he casually dodged the venom while maintaining the Poison Mist.
He was using the spider to grind his skill levels.
Before long, a pleasant sound reached his ears.
[Proficiency requirements met]
[Poison Gas Lv1 upgraded to Poison Gas Lv2]
[Snake Venom Lv1 upgraded to Snake Venom Lv2]
[Agility Lv2 upgraded to Agility Lv3]
Xu Qing's speed increased again, nearly leaving afterimages on the ground.
The concentration and range of the Poison Mist expanded, and the effect of the toxin was greatly enhanced.
The Spider Spirit seemed unable to comprehend what was happening.
The Spider Spirit didn't understand what it meant to be a cheater.
"I've finished grinding the proficiency."
"There's no need to keep playing with you."
Xu Qing stopped and looked at the spider.
As if provoked, the spider let out an angry hiss and leaped down, its legs stabbing fiercely at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing left only a pierced afterimage where he had stood.
"Go!"
The pupil of Xu Qing's left eye elongated, and the space in front of his eyeball twisted into a vortex, from which a snake formed of flowing water shot out.
The water snake wrapped around the joints of the spider's legs, hindering their movement.
The Spider Spirit struggled to leap away, wanting to escape along the Spider Silk in the air.
Xu Qing's left eye flashed, and four transparent Space Barriers pressed down simultaneously, locking the greatly slowed spider in mid-air.
Rearing up his upper body, he opened his snake mouth and continuously spat out green flames.
The green flames instantly enveloped the spider, incinerating it from the outside in.
The sturdy Spider Armor was burned red-hot, yet for a moment, it wasn't burned through.
Xu Qing kept spitting fire, increasing the intensity.
The spider tumbled in mid-air, struggling to escape.
How could Xu Qing give it a chance? His Demonic Power was rapidly consumed, forming a massive green fireball in mid-air.
The surrounding leaves were scorched dry and curled.
[Ding! Killed Ink-Armor Spider]
[Dao Cultivation +10, evolution points +10]
[Obtained item: Magical Artifact, Ink-Spider Spear]
[Ink-Spider Spear] A Spider Spear refined from the main leg of an Ink-Armor Spider with nearly a hundred years of Dao Cultivation; comes with the skill Spider Venom Lv3.
[Ding! evolution points are full; evolution is available at any time.]
"Hiss, finally dead."
Xu Qing withdrew the flames, and a charred carcass fell from the sky, shattering into pieces on the ground.
"Another Magical Artifact..."
"Do I look like I have hands to use it?!"
Xu Qing remembered that the last time he killed a Tiger Spirit, it also gave him a staff.
He had tried using his tail to wrap around it, but it turned out to be less fast and practical than just whipping his tail directly.
What fancy weapons? His tail was much more useful than any Magical Artifact.
Xu Qing wagged his tail proudly.
Once he took human form later, he could blend in with humans and sell them for Frogs... pfft, cultivation resources.
"Wait a minute, once I take human form, I can use them myself."
Xu Qing fell into deep thought.
He still decided to sell them; using his tail was enough.
What Magical Artifacts? Only weak humans used Magical Artifacts; Yao Beasts disdained using such toys.
"First, find a place to evolve."
"Then go and kidnap the scholar."
Xu Qing hadn't forgotten the scholar; he wouldn't be a green snake if he didn't avenge his grievances.
The green snake found a cave and crawled inside.
Seeing a large python inside, he originally wanted to pull it out, but after thinking about it, he gave up.
He returned to the river and squeezed into a crevice between rocks at the bottom.
Green Water Snakes were originally snakes that lived in the water.
After all, someone like him who stayed on land all day was the outlier.
The Green Water Snakes expressed that they didn't know this 'Husky among snakes.'
Currently, he had a total of four evolution paths, which were...
[Green Water Snake King]
[Little Green Flood Dragon]
[Resurrection Spirit Snake]
[Calamity Black Snake]