Chapter 21: Fierce Battle Against the Blackwater King Serpent!

Acting on her impulse, Ye Lian renamed her spear.

The Equipment Ranking synced immediately.

‘How is it still in first place?’ she thought, glancing at the list.

Only her Feng Wang Spear was displayed.

Logically, since Mu Ling was so overpowered, she should have a decent weapon as well.

‘Being the only one on the list is way too conspicuous.

Luckily, the Equipment Ranking doesn’t show the holder’s name.’

Closing the ranking, she began checking the newly added modules.

This unfinished game changed every so often.

Now, it finally included many of the modules a standard game should have.

‘Divine Artifact Ranking?’

After scrolling for a while, Ye Lian found a list that piqued her interest.

When she opened it, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

There was actually someone on it.

‘Horizontal Blade: Extinction?

It’s highly likely to be the divine artifact Mu Ling owns.’

Thinking of the other girl’s terrifying leveling speed, Ye Lian was almost certain she was the owner.

‘This game leaks information far too easily.

I need to be careful.’

She didn’t want to accidentally expose her identity as the Demon Emperor one day and be hunted by every player.

‘Staying low is the way to go.’

Closing the Divine Artifact Ranking, Ye Lian glanced at the Level Ranking.

Her lips couldn’t help but twitch.

While she was slacking off and refining her weapon, Mu Ling had already reached Level 15.

“This cheater!” she muttered, closing the System Panel.

She then quickly headed downstream.

The pressure from the other girl forced her to speed up her leveling pace.

If Mu Ling knew that her desperate leveling was stimulating the Moon Demon Emperor, she would surely cough up a mouthful of fresh blood.

That was certainly not a situation she wanted to see.

After walking for over 20 minutes, she unexpectedly encountered no nightmare creatures along the way.

This was an unusual phenomenon, so Ye Lian heightened her vigilance.

Further down, she encountered a waterfall.

The sound of the water was deafening.

Below it lay a massive pool.

No.

It was more like an underground lake.

Looking out, ripples swayed across the surface.

At the far end, many holes allowed water to flow out, maintaining a regular water level.

‘As expected, there’s no normal exit.’

Ye Lian thought with a hint of disappointment.

Following the current out wasn’t impossible.

But the danger would increase significantly.

There was no need to take that risk unless it was her final option.

‘No monsters nearby.

The temperature is slightly lower.

The slope down is very steep, about a 60-degree angle.

The surface is slick and wet, making it hard to get down.

However, that’s hard relative to humans.

For a monster, the difficulty would be much lower.

Logically, this is the downstream area, so many monsters should be living here.

When things are abnormal, there’s bound to be trouble.

There might be a surprise below.’

She stood in place, calmly analyzing the situation.

Although she was already a noble Demon Emperor with extraordinary strength, she was still in a developmental state.

It was better not to be reckless if she could avoid it.

‘Considering the monster and item levels here are low.

The upper limit won’t be that high no matter what.

It’s worth a gamble.’

As a professional player, Ye Lian possessed a bit of a gambling streak.

However, it was a gamble built on data and prerequisites.

‘Dragons do not dwell with snakes.

I don’t believe an impossibly strong monster would appear in such a barren place.’

Gripping her spear, she ran down the slope rapidly.

She wasn’t affected by the slippery ground at all.

She moved as if she were on level earth.

Reaching the bottom, she simply leapt forward and landed gracefully.

Just as Ye Lian steadied herself, the water surface vibrated violently.

It was as if some large creature was about to emerge.

“I knew something was fishy here,” she said with a calm, composed smile.

The water surface gradually bulged.

Suddenly, with a loud splash, a black head about the size of a high-speed train’s locomotive emerged.

Its crimson eyes glared directly at her.

Blackwater King Snake.

Level 8.

‘The strength isn’t much different from what I expected.

It’s an opponent I can kill.’

She noted internally that it would take some effort.

The Blackwater King Snake suddenly opened its mouth and let out a strange cry.

Immediately after, water vapor condensed in its mouth.

In the blink of an eye, it spat out a high-pressure water jet.

Ye Lian had seen this move before from the giant crab.

The difference was that the jet from the Blackwater King Snake was a real pillar of water.

It was fast and fierce.

She didn’t dare be careless.

She immediately kicked off the ground and flashed away.

In that split second, the water jet hit the exact spot where she had been standing.

Water surged and stone fragments flew.

If she were hit directly, she would likely be seriously injured.

Of course, this was just an estimate.

Ye Lian wasn’t stupid enough to test it.

She wasn’t a masochist.

Missing its mark, the Blackwater King Snake fired again.

The powerful water jet attacked rapidly.

“Tsk, this guy doesn’t plan on coming ashore. Long-range combat is a disadvantage for me.”

Ye Lian easily avoided the attack.

Her gaze shifted to the ground previously hit by the jet.

There was a deep pit there.

Steadying herself again, she locked onto the Blackwater King Snake.

She reached out a hand, frantically compressing the surrounding air.

A translucent sphere appeared in her palm.

As the snake looked over, she fired an air cannon blast.

Its speed was astonishing.

Before the opponent could react, a loud bang echoed through the area.

The massive head was blown backward.

However, the damage was limited.

It didn’t even pierce the Blackwater King Snake’s scales.

Instead, it only served to infuriate it.

‘As expected, it’s not very useful.’

Ye Lian wasn’t surprised by the result.

The air cannon was suitable for short-range bursts.

It decayed significantly over long distances.

The Blackwater King Snake shrieked.

This time, it didn’t spray a water jet.

Instead, it swam forward to strike.

Waves tumbled and ripples spread across the lake.

“Perfect timing.”

Ye Lian stood ready with her spear.

A thick sense of battle intent radiated from her.

The Blackwater King Snake suddenly opened its mouth wide.

Its body shot out like a bullet.

It was hard to imagine such a massive body could move so fast.

Facing such a charge, Ye Lian’s heart was as still as water.

Her mind was as cold as a machine.

At this moment, in her eyes, everything seemed to be at a standstill.

The Blackwater King Snake’s attack trajectory was laid bare.

Including any subsequent moves it might make.

She had seen through everything.

Then, the stillness vanished.

The Blackwater King Snake shot forward, bringing a fishy wind with it.

Ye Lian tapped the ground with her toe and leapt high into the air.

She dodged the first strike.

The snake missed.

Its massive body cracked the ground upon impact.

Suddenly, it twisted its body rapidly.

Its pitch-black tail whipped toward the air to crush the prey that had just jumped.

But Ye Lian had already predicted this move.

She violently fired a large mass of compressed air from her hand.

She used the recoil to move at high speed.

The snake tail whipped through empty air.

The powerful wind pressure pushed her even further.

She happened to be directly above the snake’s head.

“Tough luck for you!”

Gripping the spear with both hands, Ye Lian used the momentum of her fall to strike down like a bolt of lightning.

Witnessing such a fierce attack, the Blackwater King Snake hurriedly shook its head to dodge.

But it was a bit too late.

A deep, bone-deep wound was carved from its right eye down its upper jaw by the Feng Wang Spear.

The right eye was instantly destroyed.

A shrill hiss erupted.