The 'snake' and 'tree' that the beautiful red-haired girl had warned them about had been weighing on Lin Lei and Bei Bei's minds the whole time. Now they finally understood—what she meant by 'snake' was those slender little green serpents.
*Crunch!* Lin Lei and Bei Bei stepped through the thick layer of dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground, making their way toward the floating corpse. Both of them studied the blond muscular man's body carefully. Lin Lei in particular focused on the chest area where the green snake had originally burrowed in—
"As I thought!" Lin Lei spotted a small hole in the man's chest, identical to the one in his forehead.
"I thought maybe the green snake could actually merge into a person's body. Turns out it just bites a hole and tunnels through. But it really is fast. And its penetration power is terrifying!" Lin Lei marveled. "That man was a Highgod, and his divine power defense couldn't stop it in the slightest."
The divine power shield and the Highgod's body had been as fragile as paper in front of that green snake.
"That green snake's fangs are really sharp," Bei Bei said with a laugh.
"Don't let your guard down," Lin Lei studied the corpse. "That green snake is incredibly fast—it can change direction mid-air with ease."
"Mm." Bei Bei had witnessed that scene as well.
"Boss, that green snake killed this guy, so why didn't it keep attacking us? Instead it ran away?" Bei Bei asked.
"It was probably trying to ambush us," Lin Lei said. "We were already alert and watching for it, so it gave up the attack. Stay sharp… that green snake might come back for another ambush."
"Don't worry—if it shows up again, I'll crush it with my bare hands!" Bei Bei said confidently.
"Let's keep moving," Lin Lei smiled. At this point, both he and Bei Bei actually felt a slight sense of relief. Before, they hadn't known what form the 'snake' and 'tree' attacks would take, which had kept them on edge. The more unknown and mysterious something was, the more terrifying it felt. But now that they knew the snake was just those little green serpents, even though the snakes were dangerous, at least they had a sense of what they were dealing with.
As they pushed forward, Lin Lei and Bei Bei paid close attention to any green snakes in their surroundings, and of course, they kept a wary eye on those low-growing trees as well.
*Whoosh, whoosh!*
Lin Lei and Bei Bei moved like lightning phantoms through the white mist. On the green leaves of a nearby low tree, green energy strangely seeped up from the surface of a leaf and took the shape of a small green snake. This green snake was watching the receding figures of Lin Lei and Bei Bei.
Then—
The green snake melted back into the leaf and vanished. Meanwhile, several hundred meters ahead, near a large tree beside Lin Lei and Bei Bei's path, green energy once again emerged from one of its leaves, forming another green snake. This one was still fixated on Lin Lei and Bei Bei. The green snakes' ability to conceal themselves was truly formidable.
The green snake didn't attack immediately. It simply watched and trailed behind them.
Following in complete silence, it went entirely unnoticed by Lin Lei and Bei Bei. Neither of them sensed even the faintest fluctuation of outside energy around them.
"Hm?" Lin Lei looked ahead.
A figure appeared before them—it was the silver-haired effeminate young man. The cold youth cast a detached glance at Lin Lei and Bei Bei before continuing onward, disappearing into the white mist.
"Heh, that guy's always acting all high and mighty. But he hasn't made it out either, has he?" Bei Bei scoffed. "Just looking at him gets on my nerves—always wearing that awful expression like everyone owes him something… If he came near me, I'd really love to teach him a lesson. Arrogant for no reason!"
At that moment, on a large tree barely ten meters behind Lin Lei, the green snake was staring at the talkative Bei Bei. A cold green glow flickered in its tiny eyes.
"Pay attention to the path, not to other things," Lin Lei snapped.
"What's there to be afraid of—" Bei Bei said dismissively, but no sooner had the words left his mouth than—
*Whoosh!*
The green snake shot out from the flank at blinding speed, leaving only a green afterimage in the air. By the time that green blur reached Bei Bei's body, the excitedly talking Bei Bei finally noticed it. Lin Lei detected it at almost the same instant, but… it was too late!
Bei Bei swung his hand back in a reflexive slap.
The green afterimage twisted eerily, dodging the blow with ease, and then lunged to bite Bei Bei's waist.
*Crack—*
This green snake had used this very attack to bite through countless people's bodies, burrowing inside to kill them. It had assumed this handsome young man would meet the same fate. But when its fangs struck, it discovered—the young man's skin was so hard that its fangs actually went numb from the impact.
Realizing something was wrong, it tried to flee—but before it could—
*Smack!* A large hand descended and seized it in a crushing grip.
"You dare bite me?!" Bei Bei snapped, glaring furiously. "I'll crush you!" With that, he squeezed with all his might, dark divine power surging through his hand. A dull *pop* echoed as the little green snake burst apart in his grasp, strange purple blood oozing out.
Bei Bei flicked his hand, divine power flowing across his palm and wiping the blood clean.
"Hmph, bite me, will you? You're asking for death!" He then stomped viciously on the fragmented remains of the snake several times.
Lin Lei couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Alright, Bei Bei, you've already killed the green snake." He had to admit—Bei Bei's physical resilience was truly astonishing. The green snake lived on the Nether Mountain and could threaten countless Highgods, so its offensive power had to be formidable. Yet in front of Bei Bei, it couldn't even break his skin.
"Hey, green snakes, little green snakes… I'm right here! Come and bite me if you've got the guts! Come on, bite me!" Bei Bei deliberately shouted toward the surroundings.
"Let's go," Lin Lei urged.
Bei Bei followed along with a satisfied grin. Clearly, having crushed a green snake so effortlessly had put him in quite a triumphant mood.
For the fourth time, they found themselves back at the foot of the mountain!
"I've got a feeling that the fifth time will definitely be the charm," Bei Bei said through gritted teeth. Having been forced back to the foot of the mountain four times in a row clearly didn't sit well with him.
"Patience. We spent over thirty years getting to the Nether Mountain—what's a little more time?" Lin Lei's mindset was perfectly calm. He moved forward at an unhurried pace, carefully watching his surroundings, and began yet another attempt. Inside the Nether Mountain, they encountered green snakes infrequently, but lightning striking from the sky was an altogether different matter.