Chapter 738: King of the Mountain (1/2)

Various incipient plans for the near future were thrown out the window as the whole mountain once more shook under the weight of the Beast King's wrath. There was no way Zac could stay in the area and work on his cultivation. Even if he wasn’t discovered, he wasn’t certain the mountain would survive the rampage of the enormous snake much longer.

Zac retrieved his chains and made a final cursory scan of the area before he started to move. As expected, everything of value had already been absorbed through his bloodline evolution, not even leaving husks behind. He figured that it wasn’t a complete loss though. All those treasures had to contribute to something when they were swallowed by the void, even if he wasn't exactly sure that that was just yet.

Another roar outside made the waters churn even within the mountain, and Zac looked around for a way to get out of the mountain. He doubted that he gave off any aura from the treasures that had disappeared. But he also doubted that an enraged Beast King, or perhaps even Beast Emperor, would care too much about such minor details. It would simply attack anything that was suspect.

As for fighting the snake, there was simply no way.

The immensity of the beast was just beyond what he could handle, no matter if you talked level or physical size. His stockpiled energy from the remnants was mostly used up after fighting Uona, but even if they weren’t – so what? A full-powered Annihilation Sphere would not even be enough to breach the gargantuan scales the snake was covered in.

A Mark of Creation might create some sort of tumor-like growth, but it was no way one mark was enough to take out something that size. Escape was the only option, preferably all the way to the potential wall he had gleaned in the distance. He would have to pray that his newfound ability would be enough to take him across the vast chasm without getting ripped to shreds.

First thing's first; he needed to get away from the central mountain since it was just a matter of time before the snake made its way here. After all, Zac had a strong suspicion that it was no longer hidden like before now that he had absorbed all those odd flowers. The snake would definitely investigate if sooner rather than later.

The cave he had been teleported into before had been sealed off from the outside, but his evolution had caused a crack and let the water inside, providing Zac with a convenient route out of this place. It wasn’t a proper pathway though, and Zac had no choice but to activate [Abyssal Phase] when the crack turned much too thin to traverse.

Soon enough Zac appeared at the surface of the peak, and he once more reverted into his tangible form as he restrained his aura as much as he could. His body was already starting to fill up with Twilight Energy after having used his intangible form, and he was forced to immediately reactivate his bloodline talent again.

The storm of Twilight Energy that burrowed into his body was instantly rebuffed, giving him a reprieve from the onslaught. Zac sighed as he carefully peered out from the mouth of the crack, and he was thankfully met only with raging currents and distant peaks. No Midgard snake was slithering about outside, though the palpable air of bloodlust still suffused the whole area.

Another roar echoed out from the distance, and Zac guessed that the snake was still laying waste to the outer sector of the cluster of peaks. He was about to set out, but his danger sense suddenly woke up and he immediately shrunk back into the crevasse with wide eyes. It wasn't the snake that suddenly appeared, but he felt a powerful sense spread across the whole area before continuing toward the other peaks.

The snake was on the hunt for real.

It felt like his heart threatening to jump out of his mouth, but he almost cried in relief when felt another crash reverberate through the area. The snake had attacked another peak rather than coming for him. It looked like his Void Zone had managed to obfuscate his presence to at least avoid a cursory scan.

Zac knew this was his chance, and he grit his teeth as he pushed out from the mountain. Void Zone helped with the Twilight Energy, but they didn’t really affect the currents just like Zac had feared. They immediately started dragging him further into the depths while he traversed the chasm between the peaks, and shallow gashes appeared one after another on his body because of the waters.

But it was far preferable to becoming snake food.

Zac hadn’t had time to completely restore his reserves of Void Energy after his experiments, but he sensed it would be enough to keep his new talent active for half an hour at least. He needed to use that time to the fullest to get away from this place while the snake was occupied elsewhere.

He couldn’t follow his old regimen of climbing for a few minutes before resting for an hour. The whole mountain range would be leveled before he got out of harm’s way that way. Soon enough Zac had crossed the chasm to the next mountain, using as little energy as he possibly could. Part of him believed that the immense density of Twilight Energy around him should be enough to obfuscate a small burst of energy coming from his skills, but he wouldn’t take any chances with that monstrosity lurking somewhere close by.

Zac didn't stop and rest like he usually would, and instead popped a healing pill as he started to climb around the peak so that he could swim toward the next one. He was pretty familiar with the area after having looked for treasure for a few weeks, and he knew there were five mountains he would have to cross before reaching the peak closest to the distant mountain.

A roar echoed out again, and Zac was dismayed at how much closer it was this time. Getting subjected to the cry at closer proximity felt like getting hit by a sledgehammer, and Zac could only look on as the waters around him were tainted with ichor squeezed out from his wounds. Still, he didn't as much as grunt or let his aura fluctuate in fear that he would be discovered.

Out of nowhere, a gargantuan shape flashed by, its speed seemingly impossible considering its size. It was like Zac's whole vision had been replaced by impossibly large scales out of nowhere. Zac said a silent prayer as he prepared for the worst, but he was relieved to see the beast ramming straight into a neighboring mountain, causing cracks thousands of meters long to spread across its slopes.

It looked like the Twilight Ocean buckled from the impact before it rushed out in every direction with terrifying force. Zac didn't even have a chance to erect any defenses before the wave crashed into him, almost knocking him clean out then and there. His chains had thankfully managed to keep him fastened to the mountain wall, and he grabbed on with desperation as huge chunks of rocks were ripped away around him.

Suddenly, a weaker screech echoed out as a hundred-meter-long fish with long trailing fins shot out from one of the cracks in the neighboring mountain, its aura clearly eclipsing the Beast King that Zac killed in the Greengrove Archipelago. From the looks of it, it had been in secluded cultivation deep inside the mountain, enjoying the dense Twilight Energy in the area until the snake came knocking.

However, it clearly wasn’t preparing to fight the intruder over having its territory encroached. It pierced the torrential currents as it expended every effort to escape. The far larger beast wouldn’t simply let up though, and its head snaked around with almost impossible speed, snatching the fish up in a ruthless bite.

There was no fight and no struggle, just a much larger predator gobbling up its helpless prey, which only reinforced Zac’s decision to not fight the thing. Killing the Beast King did nothing to alleviate the snake’s anger though, and it released another earthshattering roar after having swallowed the much smaller fish.