Chapter Forty-Eight: The Might of the Serpent Siren

"Sea demon beast?"

"Is it finally appearing? Sea demon beasts are terrifying, capable of churning the seas and casting demonic spells. In legend, they are beings comparable to immortals! How can we, mere weak warriors, possibly hold our ground?"

"Maybe... Brother Ye can defeat them!"

Within the camp, the warriors gripped their weapons, exhaustion etched across their faces, gazing uncertainly into the depths of the jungle where danger lurked unseen. Their murmured discussions drifted through the air, and they couldn't help but turn their eyes toward Ye Mo, standing tall atop the main arrow tower.

Ye Mo himself had reached the pinnacle of the ninth stage of body refinement, attaining the limits of physical cultivation. Clad in a sturdy golden armor forged from the shell of a juvenile demon crab and wielding a "divine immortal weapon"—the Golden Spirit Sword, a treasure reserved for cultivators—his strength surpassed even extraordinary warriors like He An, nearing the threshold of a true cultivator.

Seeing Ye Mo's impassive expression atop the towering arrow tower, the warriors felt a measure of relief; much of their unease and gloom was swept away. Unbeknownst to them, Ye Mo had already become the pillar of their confidence.

"It's coming!"

"Look, the sea demon beast is approaching!"

Suddenly, a wave of panic swept through the camp. From the shadows emerged a massive blue sea serpent, over ten yards long, its body covered in blue scales. It raised its head and fixed its icy gaze upon the camp. Each scale was as large as a spirit wood shield, and its cold serpent eyes glimmered with a chilling, soul-stirring light beneath the blood-red moon.

The serpent's body was enormous, its head towering higher than even the arrow towers of the camp, radiating an aura that made lesser sea beasts cower in fear.

Farther off stood a fully grown golden sea demon crab, occasionally glancing at the giant sea serpent, but never approaching it. The crab's demonic body was smaller, appearing somewhat less formidable.

The two sea demon beasts seemed wary of each other. Both were low-level demon beasts, neither daring to make the first move; they refrained from fighting and from attacking the cave camp. The earlier assault was carried out entirely by the lesser sea beasts they commanded.

"Sea demon serpent, sea demon crab!"

Ye Mo gripped his sword hilt tightly, feeling the fierce fighting spirit welling up from deep within, burning like wildfire.

"Common low-level sea demon beasts of the Eastern Sea!"

"Ordinary sea beasts possess strength no less than that of peak warriors. But sea demon beasts absorb the essence of heaven and earth, refining demonic energy within themselves, mastering innate demonic arts, and wielding power far beyond ordinary sea beasts."

"Even the weakest sea demon beast has a body of unbelievable toughness. Mundane weapons—blades and swords—can hardly inflict real harm!"

"Relying on ordinary spirit wood spears, it's impossible to pierce the serpent's scales, let alone the crab's shell. Only my Golden Spirit Sword may prove effective."

Ye Mo frowned as he gazed at the two sea demon beasts outside the camp.

Facing one beast was manageable, with a fair chance of victory. But both at once posed immense pressure. Should they breach the spirit wood barricade, the consequences would be dire, with heavy casualties.

"Hiss—hiss—!"

The giant sea serpent grew impatient, turning and letting out sharp hisses at the golden sea demon crab. It seemed annoyed by the crab's presence, which interfered with its hunt, and tried to drive it off.

Startled, the golden sea demon crab retreated slowly, withdrawing until it vanished from the serpent's sight.

Only then did the serpent turn its full attention to the cave camp, intent on sweeping through the warriors' stronghold without interference from the crab.

The earlier attack by the lesser sea beasts had failed, but it had allowed the serpent to assess its opponents' strength—not remotely a match for it. The fragile blades, arrows, and spears could only harm weaker sea beasts; they wouldn't even scratch its scales.

...

The giant sea serpent swiftly advanced from a hundred yards away, gliding toward the cave camp.

Within the camp, the warriors' nerves were taut; some swallowed nervously, faces pale with fear. Few among them had ever battled a sea demon beast.

"Everyone, ready your spirit wood spears!"

"Fire—!"

Mo Ling saw the serpent approaching within forty or fifty yards, entering range, and cried out, simultaneously launching her own spear.

Instantly, twenty arrow towers, each five yards high, unleashed a barrage of spirit wood spears.

A cacophony of "zizizi" echoed as a rain of sharp spears sliced through the air, hurtling toward the giant serpent.

The volley struck the serpent's body with abandon, as if cost meant nothing.

Clang!

Clang!

The spears struck the blue scales, leaving only shallow scratches before bouncing away. The spirit wood spears were like hammers pounding it—not harmful, but vexingly persistent.

The first wave was unleashed.

Regardless of the outcome, the second wave followed swiftly.

For a moment, the air was filled with the whistling of spears, relentless and unceasing.

After three or four frenzied volleys, the ground was littered with spears, and the serpent had advanced to within ten yards of the barricade.

"It's no use!"

"The spears are useless!"

"This sea demon serpent is too terrifying—impervious to blades and spears. How can we fight it?"

"What should we do? Can Brother Ye kill it? If not, we may not survive the night!"

Despair echoed among the warriors.

Below, guarding the barricade, Gao Jian and a dozen others felt even more hopeless. They would have to fight the beast at close range, facing greater danger.

At the heart of the camp, atop the highest arrow tower, stood Ye Mo and Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi's nerves were stretched to the breaking point, his palms sweating. All the warriors were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope; if the camp fell, in this perilous night, with sea beasts rampant across the island, none would escape.

Lin Zhi glanced at Ye Mo.

To his surprise, Ye Mo remained as calm as still water, without a trace of fear.

"The sea demon beast is about to attack the barricade! Raise shields, defend against its demonic arts!"

Gao Jian shouted to the dozen warriors beside him.

With a rush, the warriors raised their thick spirit wood shields in readiness, prepared to block any demonic attack from the serpent.

A handful of warriors on the island had precious experience fighting sea demon beasts.

Only those like Ye Mo, who had faced them personally, understood the terrifying power of their demonic arts.

Last time, had he not possessed an indestructible ancient scroll, and had the juvenile crab's water arrow technique not been immature, he might not have survived.

The spirit wood shield was the only defensive tool the warriors could use against demonic arts on this island.

The giant sea serpent's body was so massive that none dared rush out to confront it. Even experts like Gao Jian and Li Ruofeng wouldn't risk such danger.

The serpent, enduring the relentless barrage, reached the barricade, then suddenly whipped its tail with a violent gust, sweeping it across the thick spirit wood barricade.

As a sea demon beast, its physical strength was unimaginable; a single sweep of its tail carried a force of at least a thousand pounds.

"Boom——!"

The barricade, constructed of thick logs, trembled violently under the blow.

Several sections caved inward.

The thunderous crash sent shockwaves through the hearts of all the warriors.

"We can't let it destroy the barricade! If the wall falls, the entire camp will be ruined!"

Terror and anxiety gripped the warriors.

Yet, despite knowing this, none dared step forward to stop the serpent.

Its body was too huge; a casual sweep of its tail could crush a fully armored warrior into pulp. Blades and swords could not harm its scales.

Only the warriors atop the twenty arrow towers continued their futile assault.

It was all in vain; the spears could not breach the scales, and the serpent ignored them. Only when a spear struck its eye did it let out an angry, frenzied hiss.

Many warriors, in despair, looked to Ye Mo atop the main tower, hoping he would turn the tide.

"Brother Ye, the barricade is about to be destroyed. When will you act?"

Lin Zhi, anxious, fixed his gaze on the battlefield below.

Ye Mo longed to leap down and battle the serpent, but he controlled his impulse, gripping the hilt of the Golden Spirit Sword, shaking his head coldly. "This serpent is a fully grown demon beast, far beyond a juvenile. I have only one chance to strike—I must kill it in a single blow. If I fail, it will unleash its fury and demonic arts, and I will not get a second chance."

Years of cultivating the "Wave-Slaying Technique" amid the tumultuous rivers of the Martial Kingdom had taught Ye Mo: true life-and-death combat hinges on the fleeting moment. If one cannot seize that instant, the waves will sweep you away.

This subtle intuition can only be mastered by those who have faced such danger countless times.

"Boom!"

The serpent struck the barricade again.

Each impact carried the force of a thousand pounds. After several ferocious blows, over ten sections of the barricade collapsed with a thunderous crash, leaving a gaping breach.

Under the blood-red moon, the serpent slithered its massive body through the opening, wreaking havoc within the camp, toppling towers and snapping at the warriors who tried to oppose it.

"It's fallen! The barricade is down—it's over!"

"No—ah!"

"Hold formation, kill it! Surround it from the flanks, take it down! If we lose the camp, there's nowhere left to run!"