Chapter 300 Isn't It Too Painful?
False alarm.
The passageway was quite deep. The group continued walking in, and murals began to appear on the walls, though the traces had faded with time.
After walking for who knows how long, the passageway came to an end. The view ahead opened up again, and there was a faint glow of candlelight coming from inside.
The group stopped in unspoken agreement.
Ahead was a square stone chamber. The chamber was quite large, and the stone walls were badly decayed.
In the center of the chamber sat a stone coffin.
The coffin had a raised center with upturned ends. Its lid was tightly sealed. On either side of the coffin stood two human-shaped stone statues, each holding a candle in their palms. The candlelight was coming from the candles in the statues' hands.
"Strange, why are there still candles burning in this tomb? Where is the wax coming from?"
"It's not wax, it's oil made from the bodies of exotic beasts. They say that when properly processed, the body oil of exotic beasts can burn for a thousand years without going out. That's how the eternal lamps used to be made."
Isabella nodded thoughtfully, "So that's how it works."
"A thousand years ago, exotic beasts were pretty common. You could see people leading them around on every street, so lots of items were made from their bones, fur, and so on. After they died, the main use for their bodies was to render them into oil."
But because of the reckless hunting by ancient martial arts professionals, exotic beasts were now nearly extinct.
There wasn't much to see with this stone coffin. They came here for the snake.
The group looked around and sure enough found the snake in the northeast corner of the chamber. It was coiled up in the corner, completely still.
Its form was hidden in the darkness, easy to miss if you weren't looking carefully.
When Isabella saw the snake, her heart trembled.
It really was a huge snake.
Just like Knox said, it was as thick as a person, with an impossible-to-estimate length. Its pale blue-white scales gave off an icy cold gleam. Just one look was enough to make your scalp tingle.
"According to the Bestiary of Mysterious Creatures, this snake should be a type of Heavenly Azure Python."
"The Heavenly Azure Python is an extremely vicious type of python. They're cold-blooded by nature, love eating human flesh, and prefer dark, damp corners. Someone once tamed a Heavenly Azure Python as a pet, but after it grew up, it strangled its owner to death and swallowed him whole."
"So the Heavenly Azure Python is also a dark-minded exotic beast that holds serious grudges. They can never truly become pets."
And this Heavenly Azure Python in front of them was clearly asleep.
"This Heavenly Azure Python must be killed."
The Heavenly Azure Python was a vicious beast. If it ate one person, it would eat a second, a third, countless people.
Besides, this Heavenly Azure Python had clearly made this mountain its home. If they let it stay here, it would be a disaster for the Powell family people living here.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gwyneth glanced coolly at Wilmer. "While it's asleep, make your move."
Wilmer nodded and pulled out a long blade from behind him. Gripping the blade, he rushed forward, leaped up, and slashed down hard at the python's body.
Wilmer's speed was incredibly fast. With his movement, the air in the entire chamber seemed to grow colder somehow.
It was probably this cold killing intent that woke the sleeping python.
The python's black eyes snapped open, and its massive tail quickly swept toward Wilmer in mid-air.
Wilmer was caught off guard by this tail strike. He used the momentum to jump off the tail, barely avoiding being knocked to the ground.
His eyes narrowed slightly, then he spun the blade in his hand and struck directly at the python's vital spot seven inches from its head. The python flicked its forked tongue, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished from its original position. Wilmer's strike hit empty air, and his expression darkened.
This snake's movements were alarmingly fast.
Isabella couldn't even see clearly where the snake had darted to.
Suddenly, a cold and dangerous presence came from behind.
Before Isabella could react, Gwyneth grabbed her and threw her aside. "Watch out."
The next second, the Heavenly Azure Python's tail slammed heavily into the spot where Isabella had been standing.
If Isabella hadn't dodged, she would have been killed by that tail strike.
The python now raised its head, its cold gleaming eyes looking at the group, pupils narrowed.
The next second, it opened its gaping maw and lunged at Isabella.
Isabella watched this massive creature attack her and could only roll away quickly.
She dodged, it chased.
The snake seemed to have figured out who was the easiest target here and chased after Isabella relentlessly.
Isabella gritted her teeth and, seizing the moment, kicked at the snake's body.
However, this kick felt like kicking a rock. Isabella's foot hurt, and the next second she was slapped into the wall by the snake's tail.
Isabella coughed up blood.
She fell to the ground, breaking out in cold sweat from the pain.
That hit really hurt.
So this was an exotic beast?
But this dangerous thrill made Isabella somewhat excited. She clenched her fists, got up from the ground, and stared at the python, her eyes full of wild defiance.
She gathered force in her palms and attacked the python.
This strike didn't seem to hurt the python at all. Instead, Isabella herself was shaken until her limbs went numb.
It was basically a useless attack.
But the python's counterattack began. It swung its tail heavily again, this time throwing Isabella into the air. Isabella crashed to the ground.
Isabella was knocked dizzy, her internal organs aching as if they'd fallen apart.
The snake was playing with her like a ball.
Isabella tried to get up from the ground, but as soon as she moved, the taste of blood surged up her throat. Her body had no strength at all, and her old chest injury was pulling painfully.
The python looked at Isabella lying motionless on the ground, its sinister eyes narrowing, as if mocking her.
Suddenly, the python lunged forward, opened its sharp teeth, and bit toward Isabella.
Isabella watched the gaping maw suddenly closing in, seeming to smell the strong stench from the snake's mouth.
But the next second, a figure blocked the space between her and the python.
Gwyneth stood with one hand behind her back, the other slightly raised, her voice commanding:
"Stop right now!"
Suddenly, the entire space seemed to sink several meters. It was an indescribable pressure, a suddenly intensified sense of gravity that made it difficult for Isabella to even lift her eyelids.
This tangible pressure was undoubtedly coming from Gwyneth.
And that vicious python, with Gwyneth's command, suddenly froze in place. Though it still maintained its biting posture, its eyes had gone blank.