Chapter 124 - 102: Giant Tree, Black Pool! The Blood-tooth Python Appears Again! Extraordinary Artifact Successfully Forged
"Brother Chong, how much farther? I can’t take it anymore..."
Xu Jun, deep in the unfamiliar jungle, was drenched in sweat and chugging water. He was already regretting coming out here.
’The barren mountain is so damn far away!’
Even though it looked close, a hazy silhouette visible from the grasslands, it felt like no matter how much they ran, the distance never changed. It was still just as far!
’If this keeps up, forget getting the python’s fang; I’ll probably collapse and die on the way to the barren mountain...’
Chen Chong, sitting beside him, was also covered in sweat, but thanks to "Rapid Recovery," he didn’t feel particularly tired—just hot.
"We’ve barely gotten started. You’ve only been running nonstop for an hour. To reach the barren mountain, we’ll need to run for at least three."
"Only... an hour?" Xu Jun was numb. "This is a full-speed sprint, not a jog! A normal person would be seeing their ancestors after twenty minutes. Brother Chong, your expectations are way too high!"
Chen Chong said, "Of course they are. You’ve used a Comprehensive Enhancement Card. Your physical fitness and stamina are far beyond a normal person’s. Why else would I have brought you?"
Xu Jun looked miserable. "Even with the enhancement, I can’t take it. Say, can I give the Card back to you and just rest here...?"
"No time for your whining. We have to get back before dark. Get up and keep going. Just think of it as pushing your limits."
Dragged up by Chen Chong, Xu Jun started running again.
One behind the other, the two of them sprinted through the jungle like a gust of wind.
As time passed, the distance to the barren mountain grew shorter and shorter...
...
「Primitive Jungle, Celestial Pit!」
A team of over twenty people, clad in various types of protective gear and armed with weapons, was advancing slowly.
Ever since the Fighting Club brought back news that the Stone Claw Eagle and the Blood-tooth Python had fought a major battle here, leaving them injured or even near death, many bold individuals had formed teams to come searching.
The reason for seeking out the two Extraordinary Creatures was simple: the rumors at school.
Most knew that it was impossible for ordinary people like them to handle behemoths like Extraordinary Creatures, even if their opponents were severely wounded, on the brink of collapse, or even dying.
But a small minority still clung to a sliver of hope.
’What if the Extraordinary Creature is already dead?’
’Dead in some unnoticed corner.’
’And countless Rare Cards have appeared next to its corpse. Finding them would mean instant riches!’
After all, the members of the Fighting Club had made it sound incredible when they returned, talking about bits of flesh, scales, and feathers flying everywhere, blood splattering over a thousand meters of ground, and a poisonous fog blanketing half the jungle...
Some students who came to check the vicinity of the Sky Pit later did indeed confirm this.
The signs of the battle between the two Extraordinary Creatures were unmistakable. The earth was churned up for hundreds of meters, and an untold number of trees had been knocked down.
The dried blood had long since stained the soil and trees a dark red, making it impossible to tell if it belonged to the Blood-tooth Python or the Stone Claw Eagle.
Countless muddy feathers and scales were buried in the dirt or under tree roots, like the fallen leaves so common in the jungle...
"At least twenty or thirty groups from school have already searched this place. Can we really find the Blood Python?"
A short, heavyset member voiced his doubts.
Another member, a skinny guy with glasses, chimed in, "Yeah, and what if the Blood Python has already left? And even if it hasn’t, what if it’s not half-dead like the rumors say? Aren’t we in danger?"
The expressions of many members turned a little uneasy.
The young man at the very front stopped, a dismissive smile on his face. "Relax. The Blood Python is definitely on its last legs. After all, if it were fine, do you think all those people who came before would have made it back to school alive?"
"This Celestial Pit is huge. Maybe it died in some forgotten nook or cranny. There’s no way the previous groups searched every single corner. What if we’re the lucky ones who find it?"
"Even if we don’t find the giant python, this is an Extraordinary Creature’s lair. Who knows what amazing things we might find inside? As they say, fortune favors the bold. People who are too cautious never strike it rich..."
Hearing this, the group’s tense mood began to ease.
’He’s right. Judging from the battle scars on the ground and all the shocking bloodstains and scales, it must be critically injured.’
’Even if it’s not dead, it’s probably only got one breath left.’
’If the Blood Python were really fine, how could all those people who scouted this place before have gotten out unscathed?’
’The previous groups were fine, so it’s not like we’re going to be the unlucky ones...’
"This tree is massive! And there’s a pool of water under it!"
The team walked into the deepest part of the Celestial Pit.
Here, there was an irregularly shaped, circular abyss nearly a thousand square meters in area. About a hundred meters below was a deep pool whose bottom could not be seen.
Whether it was due to the water quality or the giant tree overhead blocking the sun, the pool’s water was a blackish-green, giving it a particularly eerie appearance.
The twenty-plus people quickly took a step back, afraid of accidentally misstepping and falling into the pool below.
If someone were to fall, with a drop of a hundred meters, they’d likely never be able to climb back up...
Compared to the edge of the pit, now that they were deep inside, the giant tree covering the entire depression seemed even more massive, like a colossal umbrella blotting out the sky and shielding everything below.
The tree was incredibly thick, and there was no telling how tall it was.
Its upper half soared straight up, covering the depression, while its lower half was submerged in the pool, its roots completely out of sight...