Chapter 374: Hunting Weapon: Golden Serpent Elephant Dance |
Everyone's gaze focused on the weapon in Mogu's hand.
After breaking through to level 2, the weapon's surface was shrouded in a faint layer of white light.
The next second, the white light vanished, and Blood Land returned to its original appearance.
"This special effect after upgrading can be freely turned off," Mogu explained simply.
"Being able to turn it off is good." Qin Ziwen nodded. Although the previous weapon didn't look ordinary either—its art style and texture were completely different from weapons forged in the Blacksmith or the Armory Department—one was a realistic style, the other resembled the refined style from anime and games. But it was still within the scope of normal human understanding.
However, if its surface was covered with a layer of white light, that would exceed normal human comprehension. Anyone could tell at a glance that this Hunting Weapon was different.
Qin Ziwen glanced at its abilities. The Blood Land Hunting Weapon upgraded to level 2 had not activated its second-stage form. It seemed that merely reaching level 2 was not enough to activate the second stage.
"The weight seems to have increased a bit." Mogu hefted the heavy sword in his hand. For him, a bit heavier felt better in hand.
"The increase probably isn't just in weight. The overall density, meaning the quality of the weapon, might have improved as well." Qin Ziwen withdrew his gaze and focused it on the Golden Snake.
But as the Mound of Earth formed and the King's Soil surged, a dark golden, long shaft emerged from the soil.
Like a golden snake that had shed its skin.
On the golden base color, intertwined patterns of dark red, resembling blood vessels, coiled around it.
The long shaft was streamlined, like taut tendons, its surface covered with fine, shallow, diagonal scale patterns.
The further down the shaft, the duller the color became. Finally, near the tip, the hue was a murky yellow, exuding a sense of heaviness.
Finally, the entire weapon surged out from the grave. The sharp tip flickered in and out, like a forked snake's tongue. Two thin blades extended side-by-side from the spearhead, one long and one short, their inner edges serrated with fine teeth, resembling a golden snake opening and closing its mouth.
With just one glance, he fell in love with this serpentine spear.
【Hunting Weapon】Golden Snake Elephant Dance
【Level】1 (0/1000)
【Category】Snake / Fang
【Hunt Expansion】
Stage One: Snake Pupa
Stage Two: Not Activated
Stage Three: Not Activated
Stage Four: Not Activated
Lifting the serpentine spear, he silently thought "Hunt Expansion" in his heart. The next second, the golden snake surged. He felt the weapon in his hand come alive—cold, coiling, as if an invisible serpent was winding up his arm along his hand. Qin Ziwen looked down and saw his entire right arm covered in a layer of golden scale armor.
Logically, wearing such a thick layer of scale armor would cause some discomfort.
But as the one experiencing it firsthand, he could clearly feel his arm moving freely without any hindrance.
Furthermore, there was no effect on his arm's inherent strength or speed.
If it were merely additional armor covering the arm area, it wouldn't be worthy of its current potential as the only Hunting Weapon with a fourth-stage Hunt Expansion.
Qin Ziwen held the long spear, took half a step back, and executed a "Returning Horse Thrust," stabbing backward!
Qin Ziwu stared dumbfounded at this scene.
His elder brother's Returning Horse Thrust wasn't standard; the waist twist and body turn were only half-executed.
But the serpentine spear in his hand seemed to come alive, bending nearly ninety degrees in mid-air!
He had seen another long weapon that could bend—Silver Worm. After Silver Worm activated its Hunt Expansion, it also became very flexible, but it could never achieve the exaggerated bending of Golden Snake.
Golden Snake Elephant Dance was a long weapon. Silver Worm was also a long weapon.
But the two were completely different.
That long spear, after activating Hunt Expansion, could also bend, but it bent like a whip, flexible and flickering, handling it with ease.
But Golden Snake Elephant Dance didn't bend; it *folded*.
Like a venomous snake startled into a sudden, violent strike, instantly turning its head with ferocious, ruthless viciousness!
The sharp tip almost grazed past Qin Ziwen's side. It wasn't just fast; it was dangerously close, with a bending arc beyond normal human understanding.
This meant that when facing Golden Snake Elephant Dance, no matter the angle of approach, one must be prepared for defense.
The lurking venomous snake could deliver a fatal strike at any moment.
"Not bad, not bad. It's a pity there's only one." Qin Ziwen felt a bit regretful. It would be better if there were more.
When superhuman creatures transform into Hunting Weapons, the stronger their innate talent, the greater the potential of the resulting Hunting Weapon.
But this also brings another problem: the stronger the creature's talent, the rarer its numbers, making it harder to level up. A trade-off must be made between the two.
Qin Ziwu felt envious of his elder brother and Mogu's new weapons.
"Don't worry, I think this map has many species. There should be other superhuman animals." Qin Ziwen comforted his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu nodded vigorously. He thought so too. It was only the first day in this new map, and they had already obtained three new Hunting Weapons.
This underground world seemed quite vast in area; there must be other superhuman creatures.
When the time came, he would also have a chance to obtain a Hunting Weapon.
Thinking of this, Qin Ziwu's thoughts drifted to the newly discovered underground forest Karst Cave. The cave space was huge, with many plants inside.
He figured the species living there should be quite abundant.
..
Underground Cavern, Bluestone Fort
Bluestone Fort was originally a frontier fortress in the northern borderlands of the Great Yong Dynasty, primarily inhabited by the Bai clan.
During the final years of the Great Yong Dynasty, uprisings and warlordism fragmented the land. Bluestone Fort was chosen to transform into a Shedding Abyss.
It subsequently experienced five different worlds. This was now the sixth world Bluestone Fort had traversed.
Besides the main Bai family within the fort, there were also many family soldiers, retainers, tenant farmers, and sheltered households.
But the sudden insect tide caused heavy casualties among the retainers and tenant farmers living in the outer areas, burning down numerous houses as well.
At the east gate of Bluestone Fort, Bai Shu, his temples frosted with white, earnestly instructed, "Zheng'er, on this journey, you must be cautious and careful. In all matters, prioritize your safety."
At the front of the team, a tall, powerfully built man clad in chainmail clasped his hands in a fist salute and responded clearly, "Godfather, rest assured. Zheng'er will definitely act with caution and protect himself well."
Beside Bai Shu, a handsome, clean-featured young man with a slender build wore a reluctant expression. "Elder Brother, please be extra careful."
"Alright!" Bai Zheng glanced at him, gave a hearty laugh, and mounted his horse.
Bai Zheng rode a brown horse at the head of the team. Behind him followed twenty armored soldiers, holding torches aloft as they marched.
Amidst the sound of hoofbeats, the team gradually moved further away, deep into the rocky tunnel, leaving only scattered points of firelight behind.
The firelight danced on the rock walls, stretching and shortening the shadows of over twenty figures.
With his back to Bluestone Fort, the calm, indifferent expression on Bai Zheng's face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of gravity.
Clearly, his inner feelings were not as composed as his outward appearance.
Having been attacked immediately upon entering this world, with heavy casualties within the fort—this was something never experienced in the previous five worlds—was enough to show the danger of this world.
Now, he was even leading a team away from the fortress, deep into the caves. The perils therein went without saying.
Amidst the hoofbeats, a voice came from the team behind him. "Young Master, yesterday you charged at the front to rescue people... Today, this dangerous task is again assigned to you. It really seems like all the dirty, tiring work is dumped on you."
Another man with a long, thin face beside him also snorted. "Exactly. They make us handle the deadly business. The good jobs never come our way. We don't even know what this place is like, and they're sending us to scout it out."
"Enough." Bai Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it suppressed the various murmurs behind him.
The sound of hoofbeats continued.
After a while, the long-faced man couldn't hold back. "Young Master, it's not that we're afraid to die. All us brothers owe you favors. We just think it's unfair to you. In earlier years, when the Clan Head had no heir, he adopted you as his godson and placed great importance on you. Later, after Che Gongzi was born..."
"Enough." Someone next to him tugged his arm. The long-faced man finally closed his mouth.
Bai Zheng didn't speak. He rode on his horse with his back to the group, holding his horsewhip upside down.
The team moved forward. The torches crackled as they burned.
Someone whispered in surprise, "We haven't encountered anything at all along the way."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"True."
Amidst the low whispers and conversations, the group passed a corner. The view ahead suddenly opened up. At the end of the path ahead, under the illumination of bonfires, the silhouettes of tall, modern buildings were half-hidden, half-visible, lying dormant within the rocky cavern.
"Who goes there!?" A sharp shout came from the distance.