Chapter 32 - An Unconventional Way to Open the "God Mode"
Alone in the dark cavern, Zhang Kai moved forward with incredible agility, his steps barely touching the ground. With his profound internal energy, the darkness was nothing more than an illusion, and he could see everything clearly.
After a short while, he paused. Before him lay a pool of water. Despite the absence of natural light in this underground cave, everything was visible to Zhang Kai.
The pool was square, about five to six meters wide, and seemed intentionally constructed. Wisps of mist hovered above its surface, and at its center, a beautiful lotus flower blossomed.
In this environment, devoid of sunlight and nourishment, it was impossible for such a flower to thrive. Its presence indicated that it was extraordinary.
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Kai confirmed the uniqueness of the lotus. It was entirely blue with petal-like jade leaves. Although he couldn't identify the species, it was clear that the spiritual energy within the cave was being drawn towards it.
This was undoubtedly a spiritual treasure. With the resurgence of spiritual energy, this long-suppressed lotus had also started to regain its vitality, absorbing spiritual energy to nourish itself.
Zhang Kai also sensed the presence of something unusual lurking in the pool. Whatever it was, it made him uneasy and was certainly not ordinary.
Without further ado, Zhang Kai decided to leave the lotus behind. His primary goal was to find the divine seat, and he didn't want to risk his life for other treasures. He continued deeper into the cave.
Before long, he came across a tomb-like structure. It had pavilions, halls, jade bridges, corridors – resembling a small imperial palace.
Closest to him was an archway with two stories, ornate eaves, yellow tiles, red walls, and inscriptions in seal script. Zhang Kai guessed it read "Long Ridge Palace."
He smiled, realizing he had found the right place by chance. However, he was aware that there were likely traps inside, so he needed someone to trigger them.
With that in mind, Zhang Kai took out a tablet computer and a USB drive from his backpack. He had recently purchased these items mainly to store movies and TV shows for times when he had no internet access. It was convenient to have them downloaded and readily available to pass the time or distract potential thieves.
Over the past few days, he had downloaded numerous movies and TV shows, which came in handy now. He opened the tablet, plugged in the USB drive, and began scrolling through the carefully selected content, trying to find something that might help him.
Finally, he settled on a movie titled "Rampage of the Giant Pythons." In this film, the giant python depicted was a mutated forest anaconda – enormous, thick, and even more formidable than Zhang Kai could imagine.
Such a massive creature would make an excellent trap tester, and since it was an ordinary creature, it shouldn't be overly affected by the rules of this world. With it leading the way, he could proceed safely.
Without further ado, Zhang Kai opened the movie and fast-forwarded to the scene where the giant forest anaconda appeared. He then paused the film.
After pausing, he reached into the tablet and pulled out the snake, tossing it towards the location of Long Ridge Palace. At the same time, he struck the snake with a palm, using the "Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms" technique, infusing it with a century's worth of his internal energy.
In the next moment, the snake, now thrown into a frenzy by the unexpected attack, grew larger and turned into a snake of several dozen meters in length. Before it could even touch the ground, it opened its massive mouth and emitted a hissing sound.
This was the internal energy of the "Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms" still churning within its body, making it restless. Originally, it was hunting, but now it found itself under attack. The snake twisted its body mid-air, and with a thud, it shattered a side building.
The next moment, black mist suddenly spewed out from the damaged building, landing on the snake and sizzling.
These were the traps triggered by the snake's intrusion.
The black mist corroded the snake's skin, causing it immense pain. The snake, now several dozen meters long, thrashed wildly, smashing the jade bridge, stone-paved ground, and even some buildings.
Finally, the rear half of the snake's body fell silent and slumped to the ground. At this moment, a massive head emerged from the pool inside the palace.
The head was enormous, about the size of a small car's front end. It belonged to a snake-like creature, but it was peculiar. It had no flesh or skin, only bones, which were stark white. Glowing red lights emanated from its eye sockets.
The skeletal snake head had bitten onto the neck of the giant snake moments before. Its glowing red eyes now scanned its surroundings coldly, searching for any intruders.
Meanwhile, the giant snake lay lifeless, its mission accomplished.
Zhang Kai, hiding atop the archway, observed the skeletal snake head and recalled a phrase from the old fortune teller's stories: "Strange Snake."
The legendary mount of the Lord of Long Ridge Mountain.
It seemed Zhang Kai had found what the Bone Sect's youth was seeking. There was no doubt about it; this creature was the "Strange Snake." However, it had become a skeleton and remained terrifyingly alive.
Despite having over a century of internal energy training, Zhang Kai didn't believe he could defeat it. It wasn't modesty; it was the sheer truth. After all, this creature was an extraordinary type of snake, which had cultivated for an unknown number of years. Even though it was restricted by the world's rules, it no longer had the weakness of flesh and blood. Even if it could only unleash one-thousandth of its power, it was still beyond the capabilities of ordinary internal energy.
"This world is far more dangerous than I thought," Zhang Kai muttered to himself. Despite the greater understanding he had gained of these forbidden areas, he had no intention of retreating.
The giant snake had been a mere reconnaissance mission. He had plenty of powerful allies yet to reveal themselves. Fighting against the Lord of the Mountain's mount was an opportunity to gain valuable combat experience. He was excited for what lay ahead.
With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Kai retrieved the tablet computer and selected another movie: "Mummies: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." This was a well-known tomb-raiding movie series, and while Zhang Kai didn't particularly like the one about the Dragon Emperor, he found a use for it now.
He fast-forwarded to the scene where the Dragon Emperor was about to transform and paused the film. Then, he extracted the character, holding it in his hand. In a single motion, he tossed it toward the skeletal snake head, saying, "Go get them, Three-Headed Dragon."