Chapter 53: Ten Thousand Snakes

At this moment, Wuli Shenba charged at Kurikiri Kumamaru: "Kurikiri Kumamaru, fall back! I'll block him!"

Hearing this, Kurikiri Kumamaru instinctively wanted to retreat. But just as he was about to move, a suffocating killing intent suddenly enveloped the entire battlefield.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru's voice rang out, and countless snake shadows broke through the air, heading straight for the Hidden Mist ninja. The snake shadows were extremely fast, arriving before their eyes in the blink of an eye.

"Watch out!" Tongcao Ye Cairen shouted loudly.

Wuli Shenba reacted extremely fast, swinging the Explosive Sword in his hand violently. The blade cut through the air, throwing up a string of sparks.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out. Air waves rolled, flames soared to the sky. The snake shadows scattered and vanished in the violent impact, turning into wisps of blue smoke.

The smoke and dust gradually dispersed, and Orochimaru's figure appeared. His golden snake pupils flickered in the moonlight, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile.

"Interesting, it seems the reputation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist is not undeserved."

Wuli Shenba and Tongcao Ye Cairen glanced at each other, tacitly separating their positions, sandwiching Orochimaru in the middle.

"Hah!"

Tongcao Ye Cairen shouted loudly, striking first. He gripped the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter tightly and charged violently at Orochimaru.

Though the blade was blunt, the gale raised by its swinging was heart-stopping.

Orochimaru leaped back sharply, easily dodging, while his hands rapidly formed hand seals: "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Technique!"

The ground suddenly bulged, and a giant earth dragon burst out of the soil, lunging at Tongcao Ye Cairen. The earth dragon opened its bloody mouth, about to swallow Tongcao Ye Cairen whole.

Tongcao Ye Cairen gripped the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter with both hands, stomped his foot hard, and stood firm.

"Break!"

The next second, he let out a low roar and violently swung the giant blunt sword.

"Boom!"

The Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter slammed heavily into the earth dragon's head. Under the tremendous impact, the earth dragon instantly shattered into pieces, rubble flying. Amidst the billowing dust, Tongcao Ye Cairen's figure stood unmoving.

Just at this moment, Wuli Shenba launched a surprise attack from the side. The Exploding Blade: Spray in his hand tore through the air, the blade flashing with a dangerous light.

"Explosion Release!"

The instant the blade swung out, countless tiny explosions detonated in the air, forming a dense net of sparks.

A flash of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes; he leaned his body back, narrowly avoiding this fatal strike. But his sleeve was still torn by the explosion's aftershock.

"Worthy of the Explosive Sword, its power is indeed astonishing." Orochimaru chuckled lightly, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips.

Tongcao Ye Cairen gripped the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter tightly, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes: "Don't underestimate us Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

He gripped the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter with both hands, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. The next instant, Tongcao Ye Cairen leaped up violently, the blade cutting through the night sky, pointing straight at the top of Orochimaru's head.

"Blunt Sword: Collapse!"

However, just as the blunt sword was about to fall, Orochimaru quickly bit his right thumb, fresh blood flowing down his fingertip.

"Summoning Technique!"

Orochimaru slammed his blood-stained palm onto the ground.

A complex rune instantly spread across the ground.

Bang! Accompanied by a puff of white smoke rising, Tongcao Ye Cairen's attack missed, the blunt sword slamming heavily onto the ground, kicking up dust all over the sky.

"Hiss—"

A hair-raising hiss rang out, the smoke dispersed, revealing a giant purple python of enormous size.

Its golden vertical pupils flickered with cold light, and Orochimaru stood steadily on the giant snake's head, looking down at the opponents below. "This is." Tongcao Ye Cairen's pupils contracted sharply, involuntarily retreating half a step. He gripped the blunt sword tightly, warily watching this colossus that had suddenly appeared before him.

Orochimaru looked down at Tongcao Ye Cairen, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile. He lowered his head to look at the giant python beneath him: "Ten Thousand Snakes, it's time to test your new ability."

A trace of excitement flashed in Ten Thousand Snakes' golden vertical pupils, and its massive body began to writhe.

Suddenly, large amounts of purple-black liquid seeped from the gaps in its scales, emitting a pungent smell, while the poison seemed conscious as it avoided the location where Orochimaru stood.

Tongcao Ye Cairen frowned tightly, gripping the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter in his hand. He had never seen such a bizarre sight, and alarm bells rang loudly in his heart.

"What the hell is this thing?" He muttered to himself in a low voice, eyes unblinking as he stared at the purple-black liquid flowing on Ten Thousand Snakes' body.

Just at this moment, Ten Thousand Snakes suddenly opened its bloody mouth, and a thick stream of purple-black poison sprayed out, rushing straight at Tongcao Ye Cairen's face.

"Watch out!" Wuli Shenba shouted loudly, rushing rapidly toward Tongcao Ye Cairen.

He swung the Exploding Blade: Spray, the blade cutting through the air, triggering a chain of explosions.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, explosions detonated in the air. The poison was scattered by the shockwave, turning into countless tiny droplets flying in all directions.

Tongcao Ye Cairen quickly pulled away, but a few drops of poison still landed on his clothes. Sizzling sounds rang out, and the clothes were instantly corroded into several small holes.

"Damn it! The toxicity is actually this strong!" Tongcao Ye Cairen gritted his teeth and cursed softly, quickly tearing off the corroded outer robe and throwing it aside.

Suddenly, Ten Thousand Snakes moved.

Its massive body suddenly tensed, a layer of purple-black poison coiling around its surface. A fierce glint flashed in its golden vertical pupils, and the next second, it shot toward the two like an arrow leaving the bow.

The poison drew an arc in the air, emitting a suffocating smell. Where the poison touched the ground, white smoke immediately rose, and vegetation withered instantly.

Tongcao Ye Cairen and Wuli Shenba's pupils contracted sharply, instinctively dodging to the two sides almost simultaneously.

Tongcao Ye Cairen executed a sharp side roll, barely avoiding the poison's direct attack. Wuli Shenba quickly leaped back, using the Explosive Sword's recoil to create distance.

Just as the two had barely steadied their footing, Ten Thousand Snakes' massive body suddenly writhed. The poison on its body surface seemed to come alive, suddenly condensing into two ferocious poison dragons, howling toward the two.

"Watch out!" Wuli Shenba shouted loudly, the Explosive Sword in his hand swinging rapidly.

"Boom!"

A series of explosions detonated in the air, sparks flying everywhere. The poison dragons instantly collapsed under the violent impact, turning into countless tiny poison droplets scattering.

Tongcao Ye Cairen gripped the Blunt Sword: Helmet Cutter with both hands, his whole body's muscles tense, poised to strike. He leaped up violently, the blunt sword drawing an arc in the night sky, smashing heavily toward the other poison dragon.

"Hah!" Tongcao Ye Cairen let out a low roar, his whole body erupting with astonishing power.

The blunt saber fell heavily on the Poison Dragon, producing a dull thud. However, at the very moment of contact, a bizarre scene occurred. The poison seemed to come alive, rapidly spreading along the blunt saber, and in the blink of an eye it had crawled up Tongcao Ye Cairen's arm.

"Damn it!" Tongcao Ye Cairen's pupils shrank sharply, his face turning pale in an instant.

Tongcao Ye Cairen gritted his teeth, trying to shake off the poison on his arm. But the poison clung tightly like maggots in the bone, rapidly spreading to his shoulder.

Tongcao Ye Cairen gritted his teeth, enduring the severe pain, and his right hand swung violently, tearing off his left sleeve.

"Sizzle—" sounds rang out continuously; one could see large patches of red swelling had already appeared on Tongcao Ye Cairen's left arm, the skin beginning to fester.

"Ah—" The intense burning sensation made Tongcao Ye Cairen involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air. He endured the pain, yet the hand gripping the blunt saber did not slacken in the slightest.

"Tongcao Ye!" Wuli Shenba shouted urgently, his foot stomping hard as he prepared to charge toward Tongcao Ye Cairen.

Suddenly, a stream of purple-black poison shot from the side like a hidden arrow. Wuli Shenba's body instinctively rolled to the side, barely dodging it.

The poison brushed past his hem, corroding a deep trench into the ground.

(Chapter End)