[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-493":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257497,4404,"Chapter 493: Slaying the Serpent","above-the-mage-chapter-493",493,"\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the water, a slender and massive form flashed past each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuanzi hit a hard opponent and was flung backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De, who had entered the water, immediately activated [Ocean’s Touch+], and, taking advantage of Tuanzi’s brief distraction, moved closer to the water beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second half of the night, still underwater, offered doubly obstructed vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Mandora’s Eye and exceptional dark-vision ability, Gao De had to swim a short distance before he clearly saw the water beast’s form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a gigantic water beast, six to seven meters long, gliding sinuously through the deep lake, radiating a chilling aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body was as thick as an adult man’s waist, covered in a layer of jet-black scales, each shaped like a diamond and tightly packed, as if clad in a solid steel armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The edges of the scales were razor-sharp, like sawteeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the collision, Tuanzi had already been sliced by these scales; its tough skin bore wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast’s head was broad and flat, triangular, with a pair of vertical pupils glowing emerald green, fixed on Tuanzi with ferocious light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most strikingly, a pair of black fleshy wings grew from its back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wings extended from beneath its neck all the way to near its tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wing membranes were wide and resilient, crisscrossed with black veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it swam, the wings fluttered slightly, stirring the surrounding water into swirling currents that propelled its massive body forward at incredible speed, turning with uncanny agility like bats soaring through the night sky, moving freely through the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The edges of the wings were also lined with sharp sawteeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This appearance was unmistakably the Es Mier  Lake serpent monster he had been searching for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was a second-rank Blackwing Scale Serpent, not a first-rank Thinwing Water Snake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De held his breath slightly, his mind sharply focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would be a hard fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint blue glow flashed briefly around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the sign of the rune armor [Winter’s Arrival] activating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s test my current strength on you,” Gao De gripped North Wind tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to his battle with Aldrich, his mana had now risen to fifty-three drops of liquid, and after months of rigorous training in Dorn City, his sword skills had taken their first steps, and he had mastered several new combat spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, Icebound Blade had advanced to second rank, its power rare even among second-circle spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength had visibly improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gao De drew nearer, the Blackwing Scale Serpent sensed him and shifted its attention from Tuanzi to Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It lifted its head in the deep lake, its crimson tongue flicking rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it whipped its long, powerful tail, instantly disrupting the nearby water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, its back wings flared, generating dark currents that propelled its massive body forward without any clumsiness, charging at Gao De with a roaring rush of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fierce flames of aggression surged upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De whispered inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes held no fear, brimming with battle lust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pinpoint of cold light shot from his ear like lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Icebound Blade+].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHOOSH—the ice shards shot through the lake water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though no larger than a silver needle, the water it displaced formed a terrifying vortex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding lake water churned violently from the force, bubbles forming continuously, tracing its high-speed trajectory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an ice-element spell, Icebound Blade was already terrifyingly powerful, further amplified by the bonus from [Intermediate Ice-Protected Body].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the ice shards neared, the charging Blackwing Scale Serpent finally sensed something amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its emerald vertical pupils flickered with panic; it opened its massive maw and instantly condensed a stream of black water, thick with decay, spewing forth to block the lethal strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice shards, as hard as needles, pierced through the swirling black water with immense force, straight toward the serpent’s open mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster reacted quickly and snapped its jaws shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HISS!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice shard struck the Blackwing Scale Serpent’s face, emitting a faint but piercing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment of impact, a violent cold current exploded at the point of contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Icebound Blade] has two stages of damage: piercing and freezing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter’s power far exceeds the former.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Centered on the point struck on the serpent’s face, thick frost rapidly spread, covering half its head in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding water seemed frozen, forming a layer of ice shards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blackwing Scale Serpent, wracked by agony and sudden cold, thrashed violently, sending up huge sprays of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s eyes flashed with cold light as he cast the cantrip [Water Manipulation].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water near his feet rapidly gathered, solidified, forming a thick block of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the power of [Wolf’s Speed+] surged through his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De tensed his muscles, bent his knees slightly, and pushed off hard with both feet—directly onto the two ice blocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SNAP!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two ice blocks shattered instantly into shards, and Gao De himself shot forward like a cannonball toward the Blackwing Scale Serpent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water resistance was immense, yet under Gao De’s tremendous force, the water was shoved aside, forming a spectacular curtain of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The curtain fanned outward to both sides; the surrounding lake water compressed to its limit, forming visible ripples that radiated rapidly from Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ripples collided and overlapped, churning the lake water into murkiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful reaction force slammed into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But around Gao De, a faint glow shimmered, shielding his body from water pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Shield Spell].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Gao De arrived at a diagonal position above the Blackwing Scale Serpent’s massive body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unleashed his full aura, his left eye fully opened with Mandora’s Eye, both hands gripping his sword as he slashed downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade radiated chilling cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the blade passed, the flowing lake water briefly froze, crystallizing into a translucent state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, one drop of liquid mana flowed into the deep recesses of Gao De’s mind, transforming into potent spell energy, traveling along his main mana channels to his hands, then into [North Wind].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Heavy Press Blade].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When using a melee weapon to strike an enemy, Heavy Press Blade enhances its momentum and density.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick spell energy swirled around North Wind’s blade, glowing faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the spell’s enhancement, Gao De unleashed all his strength, driving North Wind down onto the Blackwing Scale Serpent’s triangular head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The serpent’s armor-like scales shattered instantly under the force, flying outward like broken tiles, stirring a mist of blood through the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint blue shadow, alive as if breathing, oozed from the blade’s edge—initially like a tendril of smoke, yet rapidly expanding as it tore through the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, it became a perfect crescent arc, like a cold moon beneath the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a chilling, profound blue shadow; the moment it appeared, the lake’s temperature plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CREAK. CREAK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin, cracked layers of ice spread outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crescent arc slashed vertically downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blackwing Scale Serpent, having taken both Icebound Blade and North Wind’s Heavy Press, now stood frozen, motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon close inspection, transparent water strands had congealed into chains, temporarily binding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intense pain and freezing cold exploded from its skull, now unprotected by scales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HISS!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The serpent’s body stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De exhaled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, thirty drops of liquid mana were drained from his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the [Winter’s Arrival] set bonus active.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[North Wind] (Supreme Ice Magical Weapon): Activating this blade releases Supreme Ice Blade Qi; its power and range vary with mana consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1264,"2026-06-19T14:28:50.414Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0242085ecb1e80114d9617d6e3b7236a30bd52589dff2fc4b81407009c1d2d1a","above-the-mage-chapter-494","above-the-mage-chapter-492",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]