147: Chapter 147 The Cunning Python Abandons Its Nest and a Thousand-Mile Chase

Half an hour passed in a flash during their tense recovery.

The power of the Medicinal Pill dissolved, and about sixty percent of the Spiritual Qi consumed by Clan Leader and Great Elder had recovered; although they had not yet reached their Peak, they were ready for battle.

Lin Lingtu's complexion had also become much ruddier, and Lin Lingfeng stood with his sword, his gaze as sharp as before.

Lin Cangchen had long since retracted the warning and defensive Formation he had set up around them, leaving only the Spirit Gathering Formation to allow everyone one last wave of recovery.

"Let's go. That beast is heavily injured and cannot have run far. We must strike while it is weak!" Clan Leader rose to his full height, his gaze like lightning as he looked toward the direction in which the Cold Python had fled.

The winding trail of blood and the marks scraped into the ice by its massive body were as clear as signposts in the deep blue ice valley.

Everyone felt a surge of energy and immediately set off along the tracks.

However, this pursuit ended much faster than expected.

After chasing for only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they passed through a narrow ice fissure, and the view suddenly opened up to reveal an even larger ice cavern.

And that Cold Python, which had made them struggle for several hours, was coiled in the center of the ice cavern!

Its massive body was coiled around a huge object—it was not the cold pool they had expected, but a piece of jade that was crystalline throughout and exuded an intensely rich cold Aura!

This jade was several zhang square, irregular in shape, with a surface as smooth as a mirror, and inside, it seemed as if misty blue light was slowly rotating, reflecting the entire ice cavern in a deep blue hue.

"What... kind of jade is this?" Lin Lingfeng widened his eyes; he had never seen such a huge and chilling piece of jade.

"I don't know, but it is definitely an incredible treasure!" Great Elder's eyes burned with heat; he could clearly feel that the cold Aura emitted by the jade was not merely coldness, but a type of extremely pure ice-attributed energy.

What shocked everyone even more was that as the Cold Python coiled on top of the jade, those originally hideous wounds on its body had actually healed by more than half!

Especially the deepest wound on its flank; although it had not fully recovered, the bleeding had stopped, and new light blue flesh and scales had grown!

"It has only been a little over half an hour! How could it recover so quickly?" Lin Lingtu exclaimed in shock.

"It's this cold jade!" Clan Leader's expression was grave. "This cold jade not only provides an extremely cold environment, but it also seems to have powerful healing and restorative effects! We cannot let it continue; attack!"

Everyone hesitated no longer and immediately charged.

"Hiss—!" Sensing the intruders, the Cold Python suddenly raised its head, its vertical pupils filled with rage and... a trace of extremely human-like cunning?

It seemed to have long anticipated that the Lin clan members would pursue it, and it did not panic. Instead, it opened its mouth wide, and a stream of cold air, even more condensed than before and nearly pitch-black in color, spewed out, shooting straight at Clan Leader, who was charging at the forefront!

The great battle erupted once again!

This time, the Cold Python had learned its lesson. It no longer easily left the piece of cold jade, constantly coiling upon it, and with the help of the pure cold Aura emitted by the cold jade, its attack power seemed even stronger, with ice spears and ice storms coming one after another.

Its defense was also more cunning; it always used the hardest scales on its head or its body coiled around the cold jade to take the attacks of the two Elders head-on, minimizing its own injuries as much as possible.

At the same time, its high level of intelligence once again exceeded everyone's expectations. It would pretend that its attack power was exhausted to lure Clan Leader closer, then suddenly lash out with its tail; it would deliberately expose a flaw to attract Yao Shan's earth-type binding Spell, only to shrink back behind the cold jade just as the Spell reached it, causing the Spell to miss...

"This beast has become a spirit, hasn't it!" Lin Lingfeng couldn't help but complain while protecting Lin Lingtu. Several times he tried to find an opportunity for a close-range surprise attack, only to be accurately predicted and forced back by the Cold Python.

Lin Cangchen was not idle either, still adopting harassment tactics, tossing out various first-rank Formations like scattering beans.

But this time, the effect was discounted; the cold Aura Domain emitted by the cold jade seemed to have a strong suppressive effect on low-rank Formations, and many Formations would be eroded by the dense cold Aura shortly after forming, their spiritual light quickly dimming and failing.

The battle fell into a stalemate. Although the Lin clan members held the upper hand and constantly added new wounds to the Cold Python, the Cold Python, relying on the support of the cold jade, had an astonishingly high recovery rate; some minor wounds healed almost in the blink of an eye, and even serious injuries were slowly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With this ebb and flow, the Spiritual Qi consumption of the Lin clan members was actually greater.

The fierce battle continued for nearly an hour.

Suddenly, the Cold Python, which had been taking a defensive stance, saw its Aura surge violently; its entire body seemed to expand by a circle, and blinding blue light shone from beneath its deep blue scales!

An Aura far more dangerous and violent than before locked onto everyone!

"Careful! It's going to risk its life!" Clan Leader shouted, instantly moving closer to Yao Shan, his Spiritual Qi running at full capacity, preparing to meet an earth-shattering blow.

Lin Lingfeng also did not hesitate to stand in front of Lin Lingtu and Lin Cangchen, his sword tip pointing at the Cold Python, his expression grave to the extreme.

Everyone held their breath, preparing to withstand this anticipated ultimate counterattack.

However, in the next instant, something happened that left everyone dumbfounded.

The menacing Cold Python, which seemed to be intent on mutual destruction, did not spew out a world-destroying cold current from its suddenly opened giant mouth, but instead... let out an extremely sharp hiss that could almost pierce the eardrums!

This hissing sound contained a powerful mental shock, causing everyone's minds to tremble and their defensive actions to instinctively pause.

In that split second, the Cold Python's expanded body quickly returned to its original state like a deflated balloon, and its massive body suddenly sprang, not to attack forward, but in an almost wretched posture, it shot toward another exit of the ice cavern without looking back!

Its speed was comparable to its prime!

It ran! It ran again! And this time it was pretending to risk its life, but was actually fleeing!

"..." The Lin clan members were collectively stunned, watching the blue figure quickly disappear at the end of the passage, unable to react for a moment.

"What the...!" Lin Cangchen was the first to come to his senses, unable to help swearing, laughing and crying at the same time. "Is this even a python? It's practically a rat that has become a spirit! So cunning, so cunning! It runs if it can't win, and it even plays tricks!"

The expressions of Clan Chief, Clan Leader, and Grand Elder, Great Elder, were also colorful, both angry and amused.

Having lived for so many years, this was the first time they had seen such a cunning Second Tier Demonic Beast that knew how to bend and stretch.

It's not shameful to run if you can't win, but this trick of pretending to risk your life while actually slipping away was truly a bit too excessive.

"It even abandoned this cold jade nest?" Lin Lingtu looked at the huge piece of jade in the center of the ice cavern, which was still exuding an alluring cold Aura, somewhat incredulous.

Yao Beasts usually have an extremely strong obsession with their nests and the treasures they guard.

"Pursue!" Clan Leader made a prompt decision. "This Cold Python's intelligence is too high, and its recovery ability is too strong. If we don't eliminate it today, it will surely become a major threat in the future!"

His figure flashed, and he arrived in front of the huge cold jade. Without time to study it carefully, he waved his sleeve, and powerful Spiritual Qi wrapped around the cold jade, attempting to put it into his Storage Pouch.

But the cold jade was huge and the cold Aura was extremely heavy. Even with Clan Leader's Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, it took some effort to barely shove it into the storage space, and he felt that the temperature inside the Storage Pouch dropped instantly.

"It learned to be smart this time; it used the cold Aura to seal its wounds, so it didn't bleed!" Lin Lingfeng pointed to the passage the Cold Python had escaped through; there were only some messy scraping marks, with no new bloodstains.

"No matter. It is heavily injured, and sealing the wounds with cold Aura is only a temporary measure; it cannot run far! Pursue!" Clan Leader took the lead, and everyone followed closely, once again embarking on the path of pursuit.

On the way, Clan Leader and Great Elder exchanged a brief conversation.

"This Cold Python is not right," Clan Leader said in a deep voice. "Its attack and defense far exceed that of an ordinary second-rank mid-grade Yao Beast, and this recovery ability is even more terrifying. I fear it is not just the effect of that cold jade; its own Bloodline is likely evolving, producing some kind of mutation."

Great Elder nodded in agreement. "That's right. We must resolve this as soon as possible, otherwise, once it has completely digested the benefits of the Bloodline evolution, or found a new habitat to recover, it will be even harder to deal with."

Lin Cangchen, listening from the side, interjected, "Clan Chief, Great Elder, since it has a strong recovery ability, can we drive it toward a place with thin Spiritual Qi? It relies on the environment and itself to recover, but we have Medicinal Pills to replenish! We can wear it out!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Clan Leader's eyes lit up. "Good idea! Let's do it! Try to force it toward the edge of the Secret Realm, or an area where the Spiritual Qi is relatively barren!"

With the strategy set, the determination of everyone to pursue and kill became even firmer. Streaks of light bit closely onto the faint blue figure ahead, unfolding a thousand-mile pursuit in this vast and dangerous Secret Realm.

And that cunning Cold Python seemed to have also noticed the intentions of the pursuers, beginning to constantly change direction in an attempt to find an environment favorable to itself.

A chase based on endurance and wisdom thus began.