Savage Temple is a nest of snakes. Besides all kinds of snake spirits and snake monsters around level ten, there’s also a level 37 Unicorn Serpent King, which, while not huge, is still a BOSS. This business of killing snakes to get stones really needs to be done in an organized group—going solo is absolutely impossible. Shushan’s open beta has only been live for less than two days, and the highest-level player is only level 31. Even if he came here, it would be suicide.

Hum Hum Ha Ha did a good job assigning roles. I was placed at the farthest spot, together with a few people who have powerful ranged attacks, and he protected us with his Boluo Circle. When he activates this magic treasure, a golden halo appears, blocking any attack from outside. Unless the owner’s mana runs out, no harm can get through.

Inside and outside Savage Temple, all sorts of colorful, bizarre snakes and pythons crawl everywhere. Some are as thick as a water bucket, long enough to apply for a Guinness record; some have flat bodies, curling and stretching at will, with hooked tails; some have dozens of pairs of fiery red little eyes densely packed on their heads—truly textbook genetic mutations. I even suspect they’ve been exposed to some kind of radiation to end up looking like that.

Once Hum Hum Ha Ha gave the order, everyone unleashed their magic treasures. In the blink of an eye, sword lights of blue, red, yellow, and black enveloped the perimeter of Savage Temple. All of us were above level 20, with Moon God's Contractor and Hum Hum Ha Ha already at level 25. We’d all accumulated some resources during the closed beta, so my Zihu and Qingluan twin swords were just average here.

Under our attack, the snake spirits and monsters immediately scattered and charged at us. We were used to working together, so when we struck, we all targeted the same snake monster. A few sword lights twisted together and instantly killed it, then we’d switch targets and repeat. Even though we were killing fast, a few higher-level snake monsters still managed to reach our position.

Hum Hum Ha Ha was prepared. With a wave of his hand, Ivy Dance and the others pulled out a large number of Fire Thunder Beads from their Qiankun Bags. These things are about as powerful as the famous Taiyi Divine Thunder of the Emei Sect. Though they’re single-use, their destructive power is strong enough that an ordinary snake monster would be blown in half by just one.

Protected by Hum Hum Ha Ha’s Boluo Circle, I didn’t have to worry about being attacked by snake monsters. I sent out my Zihu and Qingluan twin swords, as well as the Green Fang Ghost Arrow and Black Dog Nail. After a few rounds, I gained quite a bit of experience, and my merit points were slowly climbing as well.

“Heh heh! This quest is really worth it. I might even level up again soon!”

“Huh! What kind of snake monster is that? It’s so unusual!” From inside Savage Temple, a majestic, awe-inspiring giant snake slithered out, covered in emerald scales that gleamed beautifully in the sunlight. Its slender body seemed to be lifted by some force, hovering three to five centimeters above the ground, gliding in the latest floating style—much more difficult than drifting.

And on this strange snake’s head, a single crystal-clear green horn was especially eye-catching. “Ahem! Isn’t that the great Unicorn Serpent King himself!”

After we killed its underlings, how could Unicorn Serpent King just let it go? As our formation advanced, the big BOSS we’d been waiting for finally made its grand entrance. No one needed to shine a spotlight on it—it brought its own. As soon as Unicorn Serpent King appeared, it opened its mouth wide and spat out a ball of emerald demonic light. A few of the guys weren’t paying attention, and their flying swords were immediately drawn toward it.

I’d already noticed this unusual snake and managed to recall my Zihu and Qingluan twin swords in time. “But… this suction force is really strong! Am I about to lose my newly acquired twin swords just like that?”

Volume Two: The Five Thunders Purgatory

Chapter One: The Azure Chen Pearl

“Boom boom…”

“Are Fire Thunder Beads really that cheap, or what? Why is everyone so willing to use them?” Seeing my flying swords about to be taken by that strange snake—even if you’re the BOSS, you can’t just do that! A few brothers simultaneously threw out Fire Thunder Beads, blasting the unlucky Serpent King so hard it flipped belly-up. That fancy floating move it just showed off was now all out of whack.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the brothers all retrieved their flying swords. I made my Zihu and Qingluan twin swords take a wide detour—let’s take out the underlings first, and settle the score with their boss later.

At this moment, Moon God's Contractor, who had been silent all along, revealed her magic treasure. Her level was about the same as Hum Hum Ha Ha’s, so it wasn’t surprising she had some secret weapons. Moon God's Contractor’s magic treasure was a short, fiery red jade ruler. Ruler-type treasures are rare in Shushan, and the famous ones are all ninth or even tenth-tier immortal artifacts of immense power. Of course, Moon God's Contractor couldn’t possibly have something as overpowered as the Jiutian Yuanyang Ruler or the Xuanguang Ruler, but this little ruler was still quite peculiar.

With just a flick of Moon God's Contractor’s wrist, the Unicorn Serpent King would instantly vanish from its spot and reappear dozens of meters away. Tossed around by this Five Elements Grand Teleportation, which is even more advanced than floating, Unicorn Serpent King was utterly frustrated. Not only could it not use its emerald demonic light to absorb our flying swords, it couldn’t even manage a proper snake-style “S” run. After a few rounds, it ended up tangled up like a ball of twine.