This colossal serpent spirit had eyes larger than lanterns. Their bloodshot crimson pupils brimmed with killing intent — one look was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
Jiang Chen regarded the evil spirit blocking his path, but he did not panic.
He had encountered oversized monsters before. In truth, he was not afraid.
The colossal serpent spirit suddenly wrenched its gaping maw open.
Haa!
A torrent of fetid, murky air — carrying a stench so foul it could make one wish for death — blasted straight toward Jiang Chen.
He didn't need a moment's thought to know that this miasma was laced with deadly poison.
But what poison under heaven could possibly harm him? The Golden Cicada bloodline made him invulnerable to all toxins. Jiang Chen flicked his sleeve and dispersed the foul cloud.
The miasma spread outward, forming concentric rings of tainted air that continued to swirl around him.
Jiang Chen's Evil Golden Eye suddenly shot out a beam of golden light, striking straight at the serpent spirit's lantern-like pupils.
The golden beam pierced forward like a sword.
The enormous spirit hadn't taken Jiang Chen's attack seriously at first, but as the sword-like golden light drew close, it finally registered the danger.
It tilted its head just in time to dodge its eyes — the critical target.
However, the twin beams of the Evil Golden Eye still pierced into the spirit's brow.
Tssss.
Two bloody gashes ripped open, and blood erupted in a torrent.
Jiang Chen's Evil Golden Eye now carried not only spiritual sense attacks but also condensed physical destructive power — a truly terrifying combination.
The Evil Golden Eye had always been formidable on its own, but the chain-like seal within his sea of consciousness seemed to amplify it, channeling the seal's power through the technique.
This had dramatically enhanced the Evil Golden Eye's potency.
Of all the martial techniques and secret arts that the sea of consciousness seal had boosted, the Evil Golden Eye and similar attacks had benefited the most.
The Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil, the Wind-listening Ear, the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, the Heart of Rock — all of them.
Any technique related to spiritual sense attacks had reaped enormous gains.
The colossal serpent spirit, having been wounded by a mere glance, was consumed with fury. It threw its head back and roared, eyes blazing crimson as its killing intent surged explosively.
Its massive body lurched forward, and its maw gaped open once more. The serpent's tongue — like a blood-red strip of flesh — lashed out wildly to entwine Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen remained perfectly calm. His fingers danced, deploying the Star Annihilating Finger in rapid succession, slashing again and again at the spirit's tongue.
Yet the tongue proved astonishingly resilient. Even Jiang Chen's fearsome Star Annihilating Finger could not cut through it.
He could only manage faint bloodstreaks on its surface.
And even those marks vanished instantly under the serpent spirit's corrosive saliva.
This bizarre scene took Jiang Chen by surprise. Was this serpent spirit's tongue even tougher than the scattered rocks of the mountain?
The Star Annihilating Finger wasn't his strongest technique, but as a single-target attack, it was still formidable. Even a Heavenly-tier powerhouse would think twice about taking it head-on.
"This monster's tongue is tougher than the skin on the rest of its body?" He had managed to carve bloody grooves into the spirit's forehead just moments ago.
Yet on this tongue, the Star Annihilating Finger could only leave the faintest traces.
Jiang Chen finally understood why the Ninth Cave was so fearsome, and why no young genius had ever made it through.
Setting aside this colossal serpent spirit, the preceding chain of crises alone would have been enough to overwhelm nearly anyone.
And this spirit — along with its countless progeny and the entire surrounding area — was saturated with deadly poison.
If not for the Golden Cicada bloodline, Jiang Chen would have long since been knocked unconscious by the ambient fumes, let alone fought a battle.
The serpent spirit's tongue whipped and coiled with extraordinary agility, striking at Jiang Chen ceaselessly.
Fortunately, his movement techniques were highly refined.
Combined with the harassment from his Five-Colored Divine Radiance Sword, he could just barely hold his own against the spirit. While the serpent used its tongue to attack, its mouth continuously belched out that putrid, nauseating stench.
Clearly, this was the creature's greatest weapon.
But its greatest strength happened to be the one thing Jiang Chen feared least.
He knew that if he could break through this serpent spirit's defenses, the Ninth Cave might very well be at its end.
But breaking through those defenses — easier said than done.