Chapter 3

Above the sea, the fierce battle was in full swing.

Ning Chuan lurked beneath the waves, revealing only a pair of cold, ghostly snake eyes, staring intently at the two figures flying about.

The wind howled, and the giant waves were monstrous.

Yet, the two of them stood on the crests of the waves as if on flat ground, their figures flickering, faster than imaginable.

The green-robed guest's jade flute sometimes turned into a sharp sword, pointing at his opponent's vital acupuncture points; the flute sound was like weeping and complaining, yet contained a chilling murderous intent.

The burly man with the saber had a fierce saber technique; every strike carried the force to split mountains and crack rocks, whipping up thousands of snowy waves.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing was clear and piercing, penetrating the roar of the waves and clearly reaching Ning Chuan's ears.

The dissipated energy carved deep trenches into the sea surface, and the surrounding fish and shrimp had long been killed by the shock, floating on the water.

Ning Chuan's shock was beyond measure.

Such power, such Wu Gong—it was simply inconceivable!

He carefully restrained his own aura, fearing he would be detected by these two peerless experts.

Although he was not small in size now, he probably couldn't even take a single blow from such figures.

The cold seawater constantly washed over his body.

He observed every movement of the two, every trace of their aura's flow, with full concentration.

The green-robed guest's movement technique was particularly elegant, as if he had merged with the sea breeze, making him difficult to track.

【You observe the battle of peerless experts with full concentration...】

【You feel their exquisite control over their own aura...】

【You comprehend the mysteries of hiding and restraint...】

【You combine this with the snake's instinct for lurking, pondering how to perfectly conceal your own demonic aura...】

In his mind, that cool sensation emerged once again.

Countless flashes of inspiration passed by.

【Based on your understanding of aura flow and snake lurking instincts, you create the skill — Snake Breath Technique!】

Snake Breath Technique!

Ning Chuan's heart stirred.

A realization welled up in his heart.

He subconsciously followed the method that appeared in his mind, adjusting his own aura.

The slight ferocity that had naturally dissipated due to his massive size began to rapidly retract inward.

Beneath his scales, his muscles vibrated slightly, as if forming an invisible vortex, sucking all the outward-leaking aura back into his body.

A moment later, Ning Chuan felt as if he had completely merged with the surrounding seawater.

If not seen with one's own eyes, even at close range, it would be difficult to detect his existence.

This Snake Breath Technique was simply a life-saving divine skill tailor-made for him!

At this moment, the battle on the sea had already been decided.

Only hearing the green-robed guest give a clear whistle, the jade flute suddenly accelerated, transforming into a sky full of flute shadows, like mercury pouring onto the ground, penetrating everywhere.

"Pfft!"

A muffled sound.

The burly man with the saber's movements suddenly stalled, and a small bloody hole appeared on his chest, blood flowing out profusely.

The strange, large saber in his hand fell into the sea with a "clatter," splashing up a wave.

The burly man staggered a few steps, an expression of disbelief on his face, pointing at the green-robed guest, his voice hoarse:

"Good... good technique... Huang Huang Laoxie... you are indeed worthy of being one of the Great Song's Five Greats..."

His aura rapidly faded, and his eyes began to lose focus.

"Cough, cough... I'm afraid... I'm afraid you are not far... from that legendary Great Grandmaster realm, are you?"

Before he could finish his words, his head tilted, his breath cut off completely, and his burly body fell straight backward, dropping into the turbulent sea, swallowed in an instant.

The green-robed guest stood quietly on the crest of a wave, his sleeves fluttering, his expression indifferent.

The sea breeze blew his long hair, making him appear even more aloof and transcendent.

He was the Eastern Heretic, Huang Huang Yaoshi!

Huang Huang Yaoshi snorted coldly, seemingly indifferent to the burly man's praise before death.

Five Greats? Great Grandmaster?

These empty titles were nothing more than passing clouds to him.

His gaze swept across the calmed sea surface, seemingly looking for something.

A moment later, his line of sight swept over the sea area where Ning Chuan was hiding, as if by chance.

His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Just now, he seemed to vaguely feel a faint sense of being watched.

But upon careful sensing, there was nothing there, as if it were just an illusion.

Was it a strange beast in the sea?

Huang Huang Yaoshi did not delve deeper.

This sea area was inherently dangerous, so it was not surprising that some strange creatures were hidden here.

His figure flickered, his toes tapped lightly on the sea surface, and his whole person drifted away like a fallen leaf; within a few leaps, he disappeared at the end of the sea and sky, returning to that mist-shrouded island.

Not until Huang Huang Yaoshi's aura had completely vanished did Ning Chuan slowly poke his head out of the seawater, letting out a long sigh of relief.

That glance from Huang Huang Yaoshi just now, although casual, had broken him out in a cold sweat.

Had he not grasped the Snake Breath Technique in time, he would likely have been discovered!

"Eastern Heretic Huang Huang Yaoshi... truly well-deserved!"

Ning Chuan's heart was filled with waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

The battle just now had brought him too great a shock.

Such martial power simply exceeded his understanding of traditional Wuxia.

Walking on waves, sword qi and flute shadows, killing invisibly.

How could this still be a low-Wuxia world?

They were only a step away from flying through the air!

"That challenger said that Huang Huang Yaoshi is not far from the Great Grandmaster realm..."

Ning Chuan muttered to himself.

"In other words, in this world, above the Grandmaster, there is the Great Grandmaster!"

"And above the Great Grandmaster? Could there be even more terrifying realms?"

This world was more complex and far more dangerous than he had imagined!

But at the same time, it was full of opportunities!

A trace of heat rose in his heart.

"If... if only I could cultivate Wu Gong!"

A bold thought emerged in his mind.

"With my current snake body, combined with this heaven-defying comprehension, perhaps... perhaps I can carve out an unprecedented path of demonic cultivation?"

He was a snake, true.

But who said a snake couldn't cultivate Wu Gong?

He had wisdom, he had comprehension; that was what mattered most!

Having come to this magnificent Wuxia world, he didn't want to be a cold beast for the rest of his life.

He longed to regain human emotions, a human life.

"If I cannot regain a human body and experience this mortal world, wouldn't it be a pity?"

He thought of the Wuxia novels he had read in his previous life, the rivers and lakes of free-spirited vengeance, the peerless heroines...

If he could participate in it as a human, how wonderful would that be?

But the prerequisite for all this was that he could come into contact with human Wu Gong and possess the power to protect himself.

"If only I could learn Wu Gong from Huang Huang Yaoshi..."

Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed.

What kind of person was Huang Huang Yaoshi?

One of the Five Greats, a Great Grandmaster-level martial artist!

His Wu Gong must be vast and profound.

If he could learn a move or two, combined with his own heaven-defying comprehension, he would surely make rapid progress.

"However, Huang Huang Yaoshi has an eccentric temperament; trying to learn martial arts from him is probably as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Ning Chuan felt a bit worried again.

"Right, Huang Rong!"

He suddenly thought of a key character.

Huang Huang Yaoshi's daughter, eccentric, clever, and bright.

If he could go through Huang Rong, perhaps there would be a chance to come into contact with the Wu Gong of Taohuadao.

"I wonder, how old is Huang Rong now? Where has the plot progressed to?"

He shook his massive snake head, temporarily suppressing these chaotic thoughts.

"Take it slow, step by step."

"The most urgent task is to become stronger first!"

Without sufficient strength, everything is just a fantasy.

Ning Chuan took a deep breath and dived back into the dark seabed.

He needed to continue hunting, continue devouring, continue getting stronger!