Chapter 369 ·The Failed Ambush
Chapter 369: The Failed Ambush
The Green Kelp Sea was densely covered with seaweed, while a faint fishy smell lingered over the ocean's surface.
As night fell, the chilly moonlight shone upon the Green Kelp Sea, illuminating an eerie and sinister scene.
The constantly undulating waves, mixed with dark green kelp that resembled writhing tentacles, gave the unsettling impression that some indescribable, twisted existence was lurking beneath these deep waters.
The reason neither the Alliance nor the Hunter Guild had dispatched anyone to eliminate the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent that had been attacking Alliance warships was not only because they feared provoking a fierce response from the Tide Empire's Seafolk.
Another reason was the unique environment of the Green Kelp Sea, which was as restrictive as a swamp on land.
On the sea's surface, the Alliance's Transcendent Beast Tamers could still contend with the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent, but once they entered the kelp-filled waters below, it would become the serpent's home ground.
At this moment, Zhou Ming sat cross-legged atop a reef, listening to the endless sound of crashing waves while using the bloodline perception of the Spirit Molting Serpent Emperor to sense every disturbance throughout the surrounding sea.
Using bloodline perception to detect other beings might not have been particularly useful, but when it came to sensing serpent-type Ferocious Beasts, it was far sharper than spiritual perception.
No one knew how much time had passed before Zhou Ming, seated upon the reef, keenly sensed a faint fluctuation, like ripples spreading across the surface of a tranquil lake.
“It's here?”
Zhou Ming looked into the distance. His sharp gaze resembled that of a hawk locking onto its prey, while his statue-like body slowly rose to its feet.
Meanwhile, thirty kilometers away from Zhou Ming's reef, a colossal wave suddenly surged across the turbulent sea.
As the spray settled, an enormous serpent nearly a hundred meters long, bearing two heads, emerged and coiled upon the sea.
Its body was covered in dark green scales. One head was black, while the other was blue. Both heads and necks were lined with sharp bone spikes, and a fierce, savage aura permeated the surrounding several hundred meters.
The once-churning sea instantly became as smooth as a mirror after the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent appeared.
Its cold, emotionless serpent eyes swept across its surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent slowly raised the upper half of its massive body.
As its enormous jaws opened, the moonlight filling the sky was drawn by an invisible force, gathering around the serpent like countless fireflies.
A unique energy began nourishing the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent's flesh, gradually increasing the immense power contained within its body.
Once a Ferocious Beast advanced to the Lord rank, ordinary flesh alone could no longer satisfy its needs. Possessing rudimentary intelligence, they would actively absorb various forms of energy to sustain themselves.
The reason the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent chose to absorb moonlight was because, before advancing to the Lord rank, it had accidentally devoured a special treasure that caused its bloodline to mutate, allowing it to leap directly from a High-tier Ferocious Beast to a Lord-ranked Ferocious Beast.
It was precisely because of that treasure's influence that the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent instinctively absorbed moonlight, continually tempering its bloodline in hopes of advancing to an even higher level.
The phenomenon created whenever the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent absorbed moonlight had attracted many humans sailing the seas to investigate, repeatedly interrupting its cultivation.
As a result, it developed hatred toward humanity and began actively attacking human vessels at sea, even taking the initiative to invade the bay where Bohai Base was located.
Fortunately, as a sea beast, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent possessed complete freedom of movement in the ocean. Coupled with its formidable strength and considerable intelligence, it successfully escaped from the vicinity of the islands where Bai Yanhu was stationed.
Even so, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent suffered severe injuries, causing it to attack any human vessel it encountered even more frequently.
It could be said that neither the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent nor the Alliance was right or wrong.
Their conflict existed solely because they stood on opposing sides.
The same was true for Zhou Ming's hunt.
Just as the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent was bathing in the moonlight, Zhou Ming quietly began his hunting plan.
His body gradually became ethereal beneath the moonlight before ultimately transforming into a shadow that merged with the rolling waves, silently approaching the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent by an extremely peculiar method.
A short while later, the scene of the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent absorbing moonlight was clearly reflected in Zhou Ming's eyes.
Under the moonlight, the rolling waves shattered the surrounding shadows, and Zhou Ming's head slowly emerged from one of those fragmented shadows.
It looked exactly like a severed head floating upon the sea, bobbing endlessly with the waves.
The opportunity was too precious to waste.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Ming immediately launched his ambush.
Opening his mouth, an utterly pitch-black ray of light instantly shot forth. Its terrifying sharpness was so intense that visible scars appeared in the air itself.
Almost as though it had teleported, it appeared directly before the black head on the left side of the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent.
Faced with such a lightning-fast sneak attack, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent instinctively sensed the aura of death and reacted purely on instinct.
A shimmering blue barrier, as solid as an impregnable fortress, instantly materialized to block the black ray.
However, the serpent's hastily formed defense only delayed Zhou Ming's attack for a fleeting instant. The black ray pierced through the barrier as effortlessly as bursting a soap bubble.
Yet within that split second, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent had already won itself a sliver of survival, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.
The only price it paid was the loss of the left eye of its black head.
Crimson blood flowed beneath the moonlight, appearing strangely enchanting as it fell upon the sea like dazzling red gemstones.
Seeing that the ambush had failed, Zhou Ming did not hesitate in the slightest. The black light erupting from his mouth swept sideways like a gigantic battle axe, intending to sever the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent's head.
By then, however, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent had already recovered. Its enormous tail whipped up a gigantic wave over a hundred meters high, crashing down like a towering mountain to intercept the black ray.
Seeing that the ambush had completely failed, Zhou Ming immediately recalled the black light.
It was none other than the Shadow Extreme Sword imbued with the power of shadow.
At the same time, Zhou Ming no longer concealed himself, standing openly upon the surging sea.
The retrieved Shadow Extreme Sword was once again firmly gripped in his hand as he calmly prepared for the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent's counterattack.
With a thunderous hiss, the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent, whose reason had been consumed by blazing fury, immediately unleashed its innate spell, Death Vortex.
The seawater beneath Zhou Ming rapidly churned, forming an enormous vortex more than several hundred meters in diameter. A terrifying suction force erupted from its center, slowly dragging Zhou Ming downward, intending to grind him to pieces.
Facing the Two-Headed Nether Sea Serpent's spell, Zhou Ming relied upon his Talent Force Field to resist the vortex's pull while simultaneously swinging the Shadow Extreme Sword in his hand.
Black sword light crisscrossed the sea over a radius of a hundred meters, attempting to completely shatter the Death Vortex beneath him.
However, as the vortex erupted with an azure radiance, not only was the whirlpool beneath Zhou Ming completely unaffected, but it actually expanded further as the seawater continued to churn.