Chapter 26: Strike While You're Down

A glint of triumph flashed in Chu Tianfeng’s eyes.

An early-stage second-rank demon beast, and one incapable of magic at that!

What more needed to be said?

Attack!

Chu Tianfeng’s hands formed seals in rapid succession, conjuring clusters of water arrows that shot fiercely toward the giant serpent.

The serpent was incensed and quickly retreated, dodging Chu Tianfeng’s assault. It believed that after evading the first round of water arrows, it could rely on its speed and its hardened skull to ram Chu Tianfeng. Yet, it was clear the serpent lacked experience battling cultivators; in the water, evading such spells was no easy feat.

Chu Tianfeng’s water arrow technique drew power directly from the lake, far faster than conjuring with pure vital energy and much less draining. The stream of arrows was seemingly endless, swarming after the serpent like a plague of locusts.

Seeing the deluge of water arrows, the serpent panicked and withdrew further. Fortunately for it, its speed far surpassed Chu Tianfeng’s, and it soon darted out of range.

Yet, at the slightest pause, Chu Tianfeng’s water arrows closed in once more, whistling through the water like bullets.

Only then did the serpent realize this human was a true anomaly—nothing like others it had encountered before. Unable to get close, it was forced to suffer endless attacks, with no chance to strike back.

The serpent felt stifled and humiliated.

By rank two, demon beasts developed rudimentary intelligence, and the serpent immediately understood: the problem was the lake water. So long as it remained submerged, its foe could keep attacking without end.

This was an unfair fight!

Knowing it was outmatched, the serpent had no desire to keep fighting Chu Tianfeng. It twisted its body in desperation and fled without looking back.

Chu Tianfeng was not about to let such an opportunity slip away. This was an early-stage second-rank demon beast, after all, while he himself was merely at the second layer of Qi Refinement!

For a cultivator at the second layer to reduce a Foundation Establishment cultivator to a beaten dog—just the thought was exhilarating.

Chu Tianfeng pushed his speed to the utmost, relentlessly pursuing the serpent.

Though frustrated, the serpent dared not slow for an instant. Moments later, it reached a cave and dove inside.

Chu Tianfeng hesitated, worried the cave might hide other allies, and his internal breathing was nearing its limit—he dared not chase further.

Yet abandoning the chase now would be bitterly disappointing. This was a second-rank demon beast; surely it already possessed a demon core!

A demon core, condensed from a beast’s vital energy, was the purest form of spiritual essence—far more refined than even top-grade spirit stones!

On Blue Moon Star, such a core might not be extraordinary. But here on Earth, for Chu Tianfeng, it was a priceless resource for cultivation, an irreplaceable treasure!

With such a treasure within reach, who could turn away so easily?

He shined his flashlight inside and found the cave not deep at all. In fact, there seemed to be light within—brighter than at the entrance.

A spark of insight flashed in Chu Tianfeng’s mind. There was something unusual within!

After a brief deliberation, he resolved to investigate. Expanding his spiritual sense, he entered cautiously.

The passage was narrow and deep, about a meter wide and two meters high—just enough for a person to pass. The serpent was nowhere to be seen, evidently having retreated to the cave’s depths. Chu Tianfeng was less concerned about the beast than about the possibility of another exit through which it might escape.

That would be an unacceptable outcome.

As he pondered, a curtain of light suddenly appeared ahead.

Startled, Chu Tianfeng hurried closer, probing the barrier with his spiritual sense.

He discovered it was a water-repelling screen, typically formed only by a Water-Repelling Pearl or array.

His breath already strained to the limit, Chu Tianfeng did not hesitate—he plunged through.

Inside, the passage continued, but the water had vanished. Around him was air—real air!

Delighted, Chu Tianfeng took deep, greedy breaths.

With air to sustain him, his confidence soared. He immediately cast Wind Riding Technique and raced down the passage.

After more than a hundred meters, he finally reached the end.

The space opened up before his eyes.

It was a vast, circular stone chamber, two to three hundred square meters in area and over ten meters high. Embedded in the ceiling were two fist-sized pearls. One was crystal-clear and glistening—a Water-Repelling Pearl, no doubt. The other was encircled by a gentle glow, unmistakably a Night-Luminescent Pearl.

Chu Tianfeng was no stranger to such pearls. On Blue Moon Star, Night-Luminescent Pearls were fairly common and not considered rare. Their light was rather dim, so cultivators generally preferred luminous stones, which shone much brighter.

It seemed the owner of this cave had understood this as well, for around the Night-Luminescent Pearl were set numerous bronze mirrors. The pearl’s glow, reflected and refracted multiple times, was multiplied severalfold—approaching the brightness of a luminous stone.

In the center was a small pool, about two meters in radius and more than a meter deep, filled with a milky-white liquid. Some of it appeared to have overflowed, leaving the rim damp.

The walls and floor were damp and riddled with cracks of various sizes.

Aside from this—and the serpent—there was nothing else in the cave.

What Chu Tianfeng had feared did not come to pass; there was no other exit, and the serpent was coiled behind the pool, watching him warily.

Only now did Chu Tianfeng get a clear look at the beast and its injuries.

Its body was covered in wounds, as if slashed by blades—hundreds of gashes, wide and narrow, short and long, with some still oozing blood.

Slowly, Chu Tianfeng advanced, casting hand seals with increasing speed.

Strike while the foe is down!

Chu Tianfeng had always excelled at finishing off the wounded—he wouldn’t let this chance slip by.

His figure flickered, and in an instant, he was at the serpent’s flank.

His speed far exceeded the serpent’s expectations. Alarmed, it instinctively reared up, maw agape, lunging at Chu Tianfeng.

But he had anticipated this. With a flick of his right hand, a massive fireball shot forth, slamming into the serpent’s open jaws.

The serpent had thought it understood Chu Tianfeng’s attacks—only the water arrows were dangerous, it believed, and nothing else. It was even prepared to risk further wounds to bite him to death.

It never imagined Chu Tianfeng could wield fire. Worse yet, the fireball was blisteringly fast. Caught off guard, the serpent had not even raised its vital energy shield, and was struck head-on.

The heat was intense; as soon as the fireball struck, the serpent caught the scent of its own flesh cooking.

A shriek of agony escaped the creature as it writhed and rolled away in pain.

This human was too ruthless—too savage!

Escape!

One thought filled the serpent’s mind: flee, as far as possible! It swore to itself never to encounter Chu Tianfeng again.

But on land, its speed was no match for Chu Tianfeng’s.

Almost as soon as it lunged for the passage, Chu Tianfeng was upon it, another fireball descending from above!

With a thunderous bang, the fireball exploded against the battered serpent, and its protective shield splintered, riddled with cracks, on the verge of collapse.

A third fireball screamed down, striking the serpent before it could dodge.

With another explosion, its vital energy shield shattered completely.

Bleeding from fresh wounds atop the old, the serpent retreated, shrinking back into the cave, its green eyes wide with terror.

A fourth fireball hurtled through the air.

For someone at Chu Tianfeng’s current level, four fireballs were his limit—but for the sake of the serpent and its core, he spared nothing.

The fourth fireball enveloped the serpent without hindrance.

The beast found itself hopelessly ensnared, unable to break free.

It could only thrash and roll in agony.

Chu Tianfeng’s hands wove seals in a blur, sending fireballs swirling around the serpent.

Soon, the serpent was engulfed in flames.

The rich aroma of roasting meat filled the cave.

With its protective shield gone, the serpent stood no chance against the searing flames. In moments, it was dead—its long body twitching no more.

Chu Tianfeng recalled the fireballs, rushed forward, and tore open the serpent’s charred scales, ripping off a hefty chunk of flesh.

Missing out on the big blue fish had been a disappointment, but now, with this fragrant serpent meat, Chu Tianfeng felt life was full of surprises.

The only flaw was that he had brought no seasonings—not even a grain of salt.

But hunger gnawed at him; he couldn’t afford to care.

He conjured a small flame, swirling it swiftly around the meat.

As the sizzle rose, his appetite surged.

In moments, the roast serpent meat was ready.

A single word: delicious.

Unable to wait, Chu Tianfeng devoured the meat, barely pausing for breath. In less than ten minutes, he had polished off ten or so pounds, leaving nothing behind.

It was his first time eating demon beast flesh since his rebirth, and the familiar sensation made him feel truly alive as a cultivator.

Only then did he take the time to inspect the cave abode.

Undoubtedly, this was an artificial dwelling—likely a cultivator’s seclusion chamber.

Chu Tianfeng swept his spiritual sense over the pool.

A sudden gasp escaped him.

He rushed to the pool, knelt down, and scooped up a handful to his nose.

Spirit spring! And of no low grade!

He licked the liquid eagerly.

The taste was familiar—fragrant and filled with spiritual energy.

A surge of heat rose from his dantian; he quickly began circulating his technique, refining the energy into vital essence and channeling it back into his dantian.

Supreme-grade spirit spring! It was actually of the highest quality!

Chu Tianfeng drew a sharp breath.

Now he understood why a second-rank beast would be found here.

Even on Blue Moon Star, supreme-grade spirit springs were rare—here on resource-starved Earth, they were practically unheard of.

But how best to use it? That was a headache.

Generally, spirit springs of all grades had two uses.

First, direct consumption—the spring was rich in elemental energy, easily refined into vital essence. Its energy was more readily absorbed than that from spirit stones.

While the energy in spirit stones was actually purer, much was wasted during absorption; often, only a tenth could be utilized.

With spirit springs, however, if the element matched, there was no waste at all.

Of course, the level of the spring one could consume depended on one's cultivation.

Cultivators below the Golden Core stage could only safely drink low-grade spirit springs. Nascent Soul to Void Refinement cultivators would use medium-grade, and Spirit Severing to Great Ascension would use high-grade.

As for supreme-grade—so rare it was reserved for the most advanced Great Ascension cultivators; none dared covet it otherwise.

At his current level, Chu Tianfeng could only safely drink low-grade spirit springs.

Fortunately, there was another use: cleansing the marrow.

Marrow cleansing increased one’s spiritual root value, enhancing innate talent and accelerating cultivation.

Almost all cultivators had low spiritual root values; to increase them, they had to repeatedly cleanse their marrow—with spirit springs.

The higher the spring’s grade, the better the effect.

Of course, spirit spring alone was insufficient; proper spiritual herbs had to be added and refined into medicinal liquid.