CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 281 GREEN SNAKE LAKE_1

BANG!

In a basin, dust and smoke swirled as Ling Chen and a lion-like Exotic Beast engaged in a fierce battle. Ling Chen’s Cloud-hidden Sword was thrust far to the edge of the basin; he feared he might lose control and slay the Giant Lion Beast before him with it. Swordsmen have a special connection with their swords. Some are so enthralled they become Sword Lunatics, loving their blades as their own lives. This fascination can be as addictive as taking drugs, making it impossible for them to part with their blades. While Ling Chen was far from being a Sword Lunatic, he was nonetheless deeply fascinated by the Sword Way and Treasure Swords.

ROAR!

The Giant Lion Beast was a Second-Grade Peak Exotic Beast, incredibly powerful and agile. If it were to fight unarmed, not even an average Great Master Level Powerhouse would likely stand a chance.

BANG!

The Giant Lion Beast fiercely swiped its claw towards Ling Chen, striking a stone next to him and reducing it to rubble. Ling Chen dodged the beast’s paw and retaliated with a palm strike. This move was a Top Grade of the Earth Class martial arts technique, the Five Thunder Palms. His Palm Power landed on the belly of the Giant Lion Beast, leaving five finger-sized black marks and burning a large patch of fur.

With a painful howl, the Giant Lion Beast became even more frantic. Its massive claws continuously lashed out at Ling Chen, causing tremors throughout the basin. The surrounding scenery became a blur as the strong wind from the beast’s claws, like blades, continuously cut at Ling Chen’s True Qi, leaving small cuts all over him.

Yet, Ling Chen simply ignored these wounds. As the Giant Lion Beast left wounds on him, he too continued to inflict wounds on the beast. Ling Chen’s fighting style disregarded the cost, trading injury for injury. As long as it didn’t pose a fatal threat, minor flesh wounds were slight and of no consequence.

After a month of training, Ling Chen’s physique had improved significantly. His skin, flesh, and bones had become much stronger; without this, fighting a Giant Lion Beast head-on would have been a death wish.

BOOM!

As the Giant Lion Beast delivered another heavy blow, Ling Chen punched with his left fist, blocking its massive claw. However, under the fierce impact, Ling Chen’s body was sent rapidly backward; it was apparent that there was still a gap in pure strength between him and the Giant Lion Beast. Pushing his True Qi to its limits, Ling Chen delivered a harsh palm strike to the head of the Giant Lion Beast. This blow sent the Giant Lion Beast spinning, its body slamming into several large trees and breaking them one after the other. Ling Chen, too, was thrown back, breaking another large tree as blood surged in his chest.

However, despite suffering such a heavy blow, Ling Chen didn’t show any trace of fear. Instead, his fighting spirit intensified.

"Great, let’s go again!"

Full of spirit, Ling Chen signaled to the Giant Lion Beast by beckoning with his hand, indicating for it to continue.

However, an unusual expression surfaced in the beast’s eyes. It had several broken teeth and claws, and numerous wounds across its body, causing it to grimace in pain. The human standing before me has definitely suffered injuries no lighter than my own. But this guy is actually enjoying himself... could he be a lunatic?

"If you’re not coming, then I’m going to make a move," Ling Chen said, cracking his neck and knuckles until they popped.

SWISH!

Just as Ling Chen finished speaking, the Giant Lion Beast darted off on all fours. When Ling Chen thought it was preparing to fight with full force, it suddenly bolted towards the surrounding forest.

It ran away? Ling Chen widened his eyes. The Giant Lion Beast, known for its ferocity, is actually running away voluntarily? It seemed that his battle with the Giant Lion Beast today had terrified the beast, even though Ling Chen had relished the fight.

A pity, I haven’t pushed my limits just yet,

Ling Chen felt a tad regretful. A human’s body often only shows explosive potential when pushed to its limits, giving one the opportunity to become stronger. However, he had to admit that his body had clearly improved during these past days. Combined with the various herbs he had consumed from the mountain, his physical prowess had at least doubled. One shouldn’t be too greedy.

I’ve stayed in these mountains long enough; my next stop should be the Thunder Country. Ling Chen sat on the ground, swallowed an Elixir to restore his True Qi, and began to recover. His gaze drifted north; it was only about ten miles to the border of the Thunder Country. The Martial World Tournament was being held in the Thunder Country.

After resting for half an hour, Ling Chen moved and vanished into the dense forest.

「 」

In the southwest of the Thunder Country lay a desert, barren even compared to the Five Thousand Mile Eastern Wasteland of the Aqua Country. The most famous feature of this region was Green Snake Lake, a thousand miles in diameter. Numerous forces were scattered around Green Snake Lake, coexisting with many Exotic Beasts.

A beautiful legend once emerged from Green Snake Lake: a beautiful snake demoness fell in love with a Swordsman from the Jianghu. Decades passed, and the Swordsman’s lifespan was nearing its end, while the snake demoness remained eternally young. The snake demoness chose to sacrifice herself, giving her Essence Blood to the Swordsman. Consequently, he lived for over three hundred years and became a legend in the Martial World. It was rumored that this Swordsman was an ancestor of the Green-scaled Snake Lake Lin Family, one of the most powerful entities surrounding the lake.

In the lush mountains, a dark caravan moved along a wide road. Inside one carriage sat an old man and a young boy, the latter around fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Young Master," the robed elderly man warned the youth, "the Elder Branch of the Lin Family suddenly summoned us from the Third Branch. There must be a plot. We must be extremely careful on this journey and not let our guard down for a moment."

The young man, slender and athletic, with a distinct charm despite his average looks, shook his head. "Elder Yu, you’re overthinking things. I heard the Family Head summoned me this time to pass his position to me. As the purest descendant of the Lin Family, perfectly inheriting our grandfather’s Three-headed Serpent bloodline, I should be the next Family Head according to our family rules. Besides, my elder brother even said the position of Family Head is definitely mine and he won’t compete with me for it."

"Young Master, you’re too naive." The Elder sighed. "No such good fortune exists in this world. Even within the Lin Family Main Branch, while some may hope you inherit the family leadership, I fear many more want you dead."

In the Thunder Country, the status of the Elder Branch was worlds apart from that of the second and third branches. Only the Elder Branch consisted of legitimate wives and children; the others were merely concubines and their offspring, who held no inheritance rights.

The young boy’s face showed panic. "What should we do then?"

"I’ve done my best to keep our journey secret," the Elder sighed again. "I can only hope the Elder Branch doesn’t discover our movements. As long as we can safely reach the Lin Family estate, we can consider ourselves out of immediate danger." Their safety truly hinged on reaching the Lin Family estate without incident.

However, at that moment, two shadowy figures suddenly appeared behind their caravan, acting suspiciously.