"You think you can kill me? Dream on," the Shadow Serpent scoffed, its body already starting to shimmer and fade.
In the span of a few short breaths, it vanished completely.
"Young Master, watch out!" A'Bao yelled from the sidelines. "It can go invisible!"
Invisible? Luo Zhen thought, his head snapping around. He scanned the murky water, but there was nothing. He quickly engaged his system's scanner, but the feedback was immediate and frustrating.
Target has entered stealth mode. Unable to track.
Damn it, Luo Zhen cursed internally. Even the system is useless.
Suddenly, a swirling vortex of blue lightning materialized right in front of him. It was a massive bolt of raw energy, and it detonated with blinding force.
BOOM!
A thunderous shockwave ripped through the water. The entire area, dozens of meters in every direction, was flooded with a crackling blue current. The sheer power of the blast slammed into Luo Zhen's water-light shield, making it shudder violently. Any stronger, and the shield would have shattered.
Across from him, the Shadow Serpent reappeared, its eyes wide with disbelief. "My full-power attack… and it didn't even break your shield?!"
It started to fade again, preparing to slip back into the shadows.
Luo Zhen wasn't about to let that happen. He opened his jaws and unleashed every ounce of beast fire he had.
A lotus of pure flame, the size of a watermelon, shot from his mouth. It instantly morphed into a thick, fiery arrow and rocketed toward the Shadow Serpent.
"Pathetic," the serpent hissed, abandoning its stealth attempt to meet the attack head-on. "You're barely at the Earthly Profound Realm. You dare challenge me?"
"Aaargh!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the water as the flaming arrow punched straight through the Shadow Serpent's massive head. A cloud of crimson bloomed, staining the water red.
You have slain the Shadow Serpent. +2500 EXP.
"He did it! The Young Master won!" A'Bao cheered.
But Luo Zhen's expression was grim. He'd been in plenty of fights since coming to Blackwater Lake, but he'd never felt so powerless. That invisibility skill was a nightmare. If the serpent hadn't been so arrogant—if it hadn't tried to tank the beast fire with its own body—Luo Zhen knew he would have lost. The moment it went into stealth, the fight was over.
Flicking his forked tongue, Luo Zhen retrieved his Red Lotus Fire and then turned his attention to the serpent's corpse. He activated his Devour ability.
A terrifying suction force erupted from his mouth, pulling the bloodline and life essence from the dead serpent. The massive body deflated in moments, leaving behind nothing but a thin, empty snakeskin.
You have devoured the Shadow Serpent.
Gained: Blue Lightning Bloodline.
Gained Skill: Blue Light Thunder Drill.
Gained Ability: Stealth Invisibility.
The system notifications rolled in. As Luo Zhen processed them, another one appeared.
Blue Lightning Bloodline and Red Lotus Bloodline are compatible serpent types. Synthesize? (Warning: Blue Lightning is a low-grade spirit bloodline. Red Lotus is a peak-grade spirit bloodline. Synthesis carries a risk of failure.)
Luo Zhen considered it for a moment. Synthesize.
Even if it failed, his Red Lotus Bloodline would remain intact. There was no real downside.
Synthesizing Blue Lightning and Red Lotus Bloodlines...
...Synthesis successful!
Congratulations! You have obtained the Thunder Lotus Bloodline. You have evolved into the Thunder Lotus Snake!
Instantly, tiny arcs of lightning crackled across Luo Zhen's scales. The fiery lotus mark on his forehead shimmered, now laced with threads of brilliant blue electricity.
Host bloodline evolution complete. Beast fire has also evolved.
Beast Fire upgraded to: Thunder Lotus Fire (Tier 3).
Stunned, Luo Zhen coughed up his newly evolved beast fire. A lotus of flame hovered before him, no longer just red but now pulsing with a dazzling blue electrical aura that made it shine with an almost violent beauty.
The power boost is incredible, he thought, thoroughly impressed.
He decided to test his other new skill. He opened his mouth and unleashed the Blue Light Thunder Drill. A thick, spinning bolt of lightning shot forward, slamming into the water and erupting into a web of crackling blue energy that filled the entire area. He was pleased; while it wasn't as powerful as his beast fire, it was a solid new weapon in his arsenal.
Finally, with a sense of anticipation, he focused on his last new ability: Stealth.
With a mere thought, his body began to dissolve into the water, the process even faster than the Shadow Serpent's. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
He wasn't truly gone, of course, just perfectly hidden. He found he could move freely, silently, and completely unseen. There was only one catch: he couldn't attack. The moment he used a skill, the stealth would break, and he'd have to reactivate it. But as long as he didn't attack and had enough demonic energy, he could stay invisible indefinitely.
Damn, what a ridiculously powerful ability, Luo Zhen thought, a grin spreading across his serpentine face. Devouring that snake was absolutely the right call.
He'd killed other powerful beasts before, but he'd never bothered to devour them. They were strong, sure, but their skills were boring—mostly just variations of water attacks he already knew, like Water Gun or Water Ball. He could do everything they could, only better.
The Shadow Serpent was different. It was lightning-based, and it had that incredible stealth. Devouring it hadn't just evolved his bloodline; it had given him a whole new set of tools to play with.
Pushing down his excitement, Luo Zhen pulled up his status screen.
Host: Luo Zhen
Race: Serpent (Peak-Grade Mutated Spirit)
Species Name: Thunder Lotus Snake
Innate Bloodline: Thunder Lotus
Innate Talents: Mastery of Water, Fire, Ice, & Lightning; Winged Flight
Attack Skills: Blue Light Thunder Drill, Thunder Lotus Fire (Tier 3)
Defense Skills: Water-Light Shield
Utility Skills: Stealth (Invisibility)
Other Skills: Poison Dart, Constriction
EXP: 2500/8000
Baleful Qi: 1500/1500
Realm: Early Earthly Profound
System Note: Each major realm breakthrough grants a chance for bloodline evolution.
Water, fire, ice, and now lightning. Luo Zhen now commanded four elements—water and fire from the Teng Snake, ice from the Blackwater玄Snake, and lightning from the Shadow Serpent.
With a flick of his tongue, he closed the system menu, recalled his beast fire, and ordered his men to collect whatever riches the dead serpent had hoarded. As the top bandit in the area, the Shadow Serpent had amassed a small fortune in spirit stones. After gathering the loot, Luo Zhen led his crew back to the Ten-Mile Water Market.
Upon his return, he began organizing his forces. They were split into two main groups: the grunts he'd recruited himself from the Chaotic Waters and beyond, and the elite unit led by A'Bao, all of whom were Demon Spirit Realm beasts and formidable fighters in their own right. The troops he'd absorbed after killing the Six-Eyed Flying Fish were on their way and would arrive within the day.
Luo Zhen spent the next twenty days personally helping A'Bao recover from his injuries. Once A'Bao was back on his feet, Luo Zhen made an announcement: A'Bao was now his second-in-command, in charge of managing all territory affairs.
The Great Green Fish and Carp Demon were more than happy with this decision; they were relieved. The two of them were barely strong enough to manage the small Ten-Mile Water Market. Now that Luo Zhen's territory had expanded to five hundred miles, they were completely out of their depth. A'Bao, on the other hand, was not only a mid-stage Earthly Profound cultivator but also had the experience to handle things.
Truth be told, even A'Bao wasn't powerful enough to truly command a territory that large, but he was the best Luo Zhen had. He would have to do.
As for Luo Zhen, he planned to go back to what he did best: hands-off leadership and focused cultivation. He would only step in for problems A'Bao couldn't handle.
With the territory's management settled, Luo Zhen returned to his training, focusing on absorbing the ambient Yin Baleful Qi. A massive Yin Qi vein ran beneath the center of the Chaotic Waters, constantly leaking energy that spread thinly throughout the region.
In the quiet of his den, Luo Zhen closed his eyes and activated his system's Devour function. A powerful suction pulled the faint wisps of Yin Baleful Qi from the surrounding water, concentrating them into a visible stream that flowed directly into his body.
Ten minutes passed.
Refined Yin Baleful Qi. +50 Baleful Qi Value.
He kept at it. Another ten minutes.
Refined Yin Baleful Qi. +50 Baleful Qi Value.
He continued this routine for the next five or six days, until he couldn't absorb another drop. His body was completely saturated. Of all the cultivation stages, only the Earthly Profound Realm required this much Yin Qi. He now had more than enough to break through to the Heavenly Profound Realm. Combined with his experience points, he could advance with a single thought.
But I don't really feel like it, he mused. Aside from another shot at a bloodline evolution, being Heavenly Profound won't change much for me. His main weapon was his beast fire, and its power wasn't tied to his cultivation level.
Just then, the Great Green Fish swam up, practically bursting with excitement.
"Brother Snake! Amazing news! We're rich!"
"Rich, how?" Luo Zhen asked.
"It's rent day! All the merchants in our territory paid up," the fish explained. "After we pay our taxes to General Green Frog and cover expenses, we're left with a mountain of spirit stones! I've never seen so much wealth in my entire life. I've never even heard of this much!"
"Well, that's good news," Luo Zhen said with a calm smile.
"With this much money, the Iron-Armored Mad Crocodile won't have any excuse to mess with us," the Great Green Fish continued. "Speaking of which, when are we going to see him? The deadline he gave us is almost up. We're supposed to hand over the territory, right?"
"Hand it over?" Luo Zhen's voice turned cold. "I bled for this territory. You think I'm just going to give it to that overgrown lizard?" He let out a dark chuckle. "Why should I? Because his hide would make a nice handbag?"
The Great Green Fish fell silent, intimidated by Luo Zhen's sudden fury. After a long pause, he finally said, "Brother Snake, please don't misunderstand. I have no loyalty to him. I'm just saying… if we don't hand it over, he'll come for us. He's a Heavenly Profound beast."
"So what?" A flash of killing intent sparked in Luo Zhen's eyes. "If he wants a fight, I'll give him one. I'll wipe him off the map."
He wasn't just bragging. With his Tier 3 Thunder Lotus Fire, he was confident he could take on the crocodile. And if things got hairy, he could ascend to the Heavenly Profound Realm in an instant. The Iron-Armored Mad Crocodile wasn't the threat it used to be.
Seeing Luo Zhen's resolve, the Great Green Fish simply sighed and swam away.
He had barely left when A'Bao appeared.
"Young Master, you have visitors," he said directly.
"Who is it?"
"Two young descendants," A'Bao said, his voice low. "From the Codfish and Seahorse families."
"Codfish? Seahorse?" Luo Zhen was confused. "I don't know them. What do they want?"
A'Bao glanced around to make sure they were alone before leaning in closer. "I believe," he whispered, "they've come for the family treasure."