Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Black Serpent and the Centipede

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
With a scream, Li Pingyang was flung out from within the shell of the Black Tortoise, crashing heavily against the rocky wall and coughing up blood.
Seeing the serpent’s head about to strike again, Naruger hurriedly drew the Thunder Bow, aimed at the head, and let an arrow fly. The arrow struck the armor of molten rock, sparking and ricocheting upward.
Even with three iron arrows bound together, it couldn’t pierce the Black Tortoise’s tough exterior, but at least it inflicted some harm.
Examining the spot where the arrow struck, Li Pingyang saw a wound left behind. If its power could be increased, surely it would be possible to break through.
“Let’s try this!”
Li Pingyang climbed to his feet and tossed a 98K rifle to Naruger. He had exchanged it from the system’s store and kept it in the spatial pouch within his ring.
Catching the 98K in midair, Naruger looked utterly astonished. He’d heard that someone in this world had created firearms, though he’d never seen one himself. Excitement surged through him.
There was no time for instruction. The Flaming Black Tortoise launched another attack, forcing Li Pingyang to parry with his sword, defending while countering.
Naruger clutched the rifle, studying it for a moment. As if destined for it, he instinctively reached for the trigger...
Bang!
A deafening shot rang out. The bullet raced forth like an untamed horse, slicing through the air and striking the Tortoise’s armor.
This time, the armor shattered, a scale knocked loose. Feeling his way, Naruger held his breath and fired again at the Flaming Black Tortoise.
Again, a piece of armor was blasted away! Naruger turned to Li Pingyang, smiling with delight.
With a roar, the Flaming Black Tortoise seemed to be driven to rage, flames bursting from its body. The underwater iron chains stretched to their limit, then snapped all at once with a resounding crack.
Freed from its bonds, the Tortoise surged upward, revealing much of its body from beneath the water. A mass of dark snakes poured forth, leaping from the water to attack the two on the shore.
These black snakes were not large, but strikingly peculiar. Each sported a tuft of black hair along its back, and a pair of wings sprouted from either side.

Their eyes were a deep crimson, pupils shaped like sharp blades, tongues flickering red. Their leaps were astonishing.
“We’ve stirred a hornet’s nest!”
Li Pingyang unleashed a sword slash, severing a black-haired snake into pieces as it lunged at him. He dashed to Naruger’s side, swinging his sword to cut down another snake attacking his companion.
The two stood back to back, facing the swarm of black-haired snakes.
No one could tell how many there were; wave after wave assaulted them. Naruger, unable to use the rifle in time, drew the short knife from his waist and slashed at the incoming serpents.
Meanwhile, the Flaming Black Tortoise continued to gather energy, its body wrapped in blazing fire. Magma seeped from the cracks in its shell, turning the pool beneath into a lake of molten rock.
What would happen once it fully awakened?
The snake swarm kept them occupied, preventing them from hindering the Tortoise’s awakening. A sense of foreboding crept over Li Pingyang—this time, survival seemed out of reach.
Harnessing his true energy, he manifested a dragon’s form and unleashed a White Dragon Slash, carving a passage through the snake horde. He charged forward, hoping to reach the Flaming Black Tortoise.
Just steps away, Li Pingyang sensed danger and leaped aside. A spray of venom struck a stone, dissolving it instantly to rubble.
Looking up, he saw the serpent’s head had awakened, transformed into a giant insect. Its mouth was ringed with sharp teeth, with fangs protruding from either side and the lower jaw.
The crown atop its head had fully emerged—revealed as a massive, black, tumor-like eye!
Its molten armor, now softened by magma, was replaced by a tougher shell formed from the insect’s secreted slime. Even the 98K rifle was now powerless.
Upon awakening, the black-haired snakes ceased their assault, plunging into the magma beneath to become nutrients for the creature.
With their sacrifice, the insect’s size swelled, its enormous eye more terrifying than ever. Truthfully, Li Pingyang felt like weeping.
Had he known such a monster awaited, he’d have preferred fighting the stone men above—perhaps there’d have been a sliver of hope. Now, he only prayed not to die too horribly.
At last, the giant insect separated from the tortoise shell and crawled ashore, its lower body sprouting countless legs, resembling a fusion with a centipede.

The creature opened its maw and roared at the pair, then fixed its gaze on Naruger, who held only a short knife.
Li Pingyang swung his sword at the monster, drawing its attack. The slash left a scar on its body, slicing off some greenish slime. The insect twisted, its hundred legs scurrying as it charged him.
That gaping mouth, like a cavern, lined with a ring of teeth—a veritable meat grinder. Clearly, it intended to swallow him alive!
Li Pingyang retreated, darted to a corner, then leapt off the rocky wall, flipping onto the creature’s back. Seizing the moment, Naruger reloaded and fired the 98K at its giant eye.
In his panic, Naruger missed—the bullet grazed the eye, drawing blood. The pain made the monster snap its eye shut, rampaging blindly.
Li Pingyang lost his footing and slid downward, speeding along the creature’s side. At last, he jammed his short sword into a gap in its armor, halting his fall.
Using the blade, he slowly climbed back onto its back. Now separated from its shell, the monster’s nerves seemed dulled, as if no longer afraid of pain.
Moreover, its body could now heal! Where he had stabbed earlier, the wound was gradually closing, slowly mending itself.
Naruger, rifle in hand, kept firing at the giant eye, forcing the monster to keep its eye shut. Deprived of vision, it relied on sound to sense direction.
Another shot rang out; this time, the insect found Naruger, charging at him. Reaching him, it whipped its tail, knocking the rifle from his hands, which sank into the magma and melted away.
Naruger himself was flung backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Li Pingyang seized the opportunity; as the monster opened its eye, he plunged his short sword into it.
Writhing in agony, the creature curled into a ball, its tail lashing out—one sharp spike pierced straight through Li Pingyang’s chest, blood dripping down the spike.
Li Pingyang glanced down at his wound. Naruger rose from the ground, staring at Li Pingyang in shock.
As the spike withdrew, Li Pingyang felt a burning in his throat and spat a mouthful of blood. Naruger froze, stunned and unprepared.
His fingers lost strength; the short sword slipped from his grasp, and Li Pingyang tumbled from the monster’s back...