Chapter 34: Perished by Greed

"Phew."

Watching the body of the Deep Water Cold Snake slowly sink, Chu Fengmian's long-tense nerves finally relaxed.

A sense of exhaustion flooded Chu Fengmian's mind.

This body was still far too fragile; simply manifesting sword intent through shaped sword qi was already overextending it.

Maintaining this state for a single minute was already his absolute limit.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he took out several Qi Gathering Pills and swallowed them all at once.

Feeling a surge of pure spiritual energy melting into his body, Chu Fengmian's expression gradually relaxed.

Dealing with this Deep Water Cold Snake had truly forced Chu Fengmian to exert his full strength. Had it not been for the snake's overconfidence in coming onto the shore to pursue him, Chu Fengmian might not have had any way to deal with it.

After all, the Deep Water Cold Snake hid within the pool; Chu Fengmian couldn't exactly follow it into the water to fight, as that would have been true suicide.

"Are you two alright?"

Chu Fengmian looked toward Mo Changhen and Hao Lan, who were also sitting on the ground resting.

The two of them had also taken a heavy blow from the Deep Water Cold Snake just now. Even if it wasn't a full-strength strike, their clothes were significantly torn and damaged.

"I'm fine, just a few broken ribs," Mo Changhen said with a smile.

Despite the pain in his chest, compared to the Imperial Phoenix Grass they could obtain, this pain was nothing.

"We should hurry and take that Imperial Phoenix Grass," Mo Changhen said excitedly.

The Imperial Phoenix Grass was an absolute treasure that any martial artist would crave; even he was feeling incredibly agitated.

Mo Changhen stood up and turned his head toward the island, but his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Wang He, what are you doing?"

Just moments ago, Wang He had remained silent. The others thought he was simply staying by their side, but they hadn't expected that he would take advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was diverted to sprint toward the island.

"To take the Imperial Phoenix Grass, of course! Do you really think I'd just leave it to you? Naive!"

Wang He turned back and sneered upon hearing Mo Changhen's words.

"Only fools would split the Imperial Phoenix Grass equally. If I obtain it all by myself, my aptitude will rise to a terrifying level. By then, every single one of you will be my defeated subordinate!"

As he spoke, Wang He quickened his pace, running rapidly toward the island.

"Damn it! You want to hog it all for yourself?"

Hearing Wang He's words, Mo Changhen's expression was a mix of shock and fury.

Although Wang He had had grievances with Chu Fengmian along the way, Mo Changhen hadn't paid much mind to them. However, he never imagined that Wang He would actually intend to monopolize the Imperial Phoenix Grass.

Their relationship within the Wusheng Academy might not have been intimate, but they were considered friends. Now, these few stalks of Imperial Phoenix Grass had instantly turned them into enemies.

It wasn't just Mo Changhen; the expressions on the faces of Hao Lan, Yun Jialan, and Yue Zhanqing were almost identical.

Almost every one of them found the scene before them unbelievable.

The only one who remained calm was Chu Fengmian.

This scene seemed commonplace to him; in fact, based on Wang He's behavior just now, Chu Fengmian had already anticipated this outcome.

These people were born into nobility, especially those raised in the Wusheng Academy who had rarely seen the outside world. Growing up in an ivory tower, they naturally lacked an understanding of the cruelty of the world.

The value of a single Imperial Phoenix Grass was enough to turn friends into enemies. For some extreme martial artists, they might even turn against brothers or parents, potentially leading to life-and-death vendettas.

"Go, let's chase him!"

Hao Lan was the first to stand up, intending to pursue Wang He.

Those Imperial Phoenix Grass stalks were obtained only after the hard work of defeating the Deep Water Cold Snake; they would not let Wang He take them all today.

But before Hao Lan could move, Chu Fengmian suddenly reached out and grabbed him.

"Brother Chu?"

Hao Lan looked back at Chu Fengmian with confusion, not understanding his actions.

But in the next second.

Just as Wang He was about to step onto the island via the water, a massive body lunged violently out of the pool.

"Roar!"

The Deep Water Cold Snake!

The snake that had just been under Chu Fengmian's blade had not actually died; instead, it had hidden within the pool. The moment Wang He stepped into the water, it lunged out in an instant.

Its massive maw opened toward Wang He, swallowing his body whole in one gulp.

"Ah!"

There was only a single scream before silence followed. With Wang He's strength, he had almost no power to resist in the face of the Deep Water Cold Snake.

"It finally came out again."

A hint of killing intent appeared in Chu Fengmian's eyes.

His figure suddenly charged toward the pool.

The moment Chu Fengmian had finished his sword strike earlier, he had known that the Deep Water Cold Snake was not dead.

His previous strike was sufficient to shred the internal organs of the snake, but the Deep Water Cold Snake possessed the bloodline of a flood dragon, possessing extreme vitality.

Even if its waist were sliced open, it might not necessarily die.

Wang He's secretive movement might have fooled the others, but how could it escape Chu Fengmian's eyes? He had intentionally stayed still to use Wang He to lure the snake out.

Sure enough, even if the Deep Water Cold Snake was heavily injured, it would still charge out if someone invaded its territory.

"This time, you will definitely die!"

Chu Fengmian looked at the Deep Water Cold Snake, his blade flashing.

Countless streaks of sword qi surged toward the snake.

The Deep Water Cold Snake also seemed to sense the danger; after swallowing Wang He, it hurriedly tried to dive back into the depths of the pool.

But this time, Chu Fengmian would not give it the chance.

Countless sword qi strikes sliced through the water, slamming heavily into the snake's body.

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

Heavy sounds echoed from the pool, followed by massive amounts of blood that dyed the water a deep purple.

Before long, the body of the Deep Water Cold Snake floated to the surface.

"It's dead."

Finally, the Deep Water Cold Snake had died under Chu Fengmian's sword.

At the same time, a corpse gradually floated up from within the snake's body.

"This..."

Looking at the now-deceased Wang He, Mo Changhen's expression was somewhat helpless.

However, Wang He's death could not be blamed on anyone else. He wanted to monopolize the Imperial Phoenix Grass, only to die at the hands of the Deep Water Cold Snake.

One could only say that Wang He had died due to his own greed.

Had he not been greedy, he would not have met such a fate in the mouth of a serpent.

"Take his body back to the Academy," Mo Changhen said in a heavy voice, glancing at Wang He's corpse.

(End of Chapter)