The Programmer Cultivator-Chapter 114 - 3: First Battle (Part 2)

At that moment, Ling’er pressed both hands to the ground. As Spiritual Power surged from her palms, a smooth, mirror-like sheet of ice rapidly covered the area.

"SKREEE..."

The Hundred Poisonous Scorpion, stabbed in the abdomen while on its side, thrashed about wildly. For a moment, it couldn’t even get back on its feet, letting out a strange shriek.

Just as Hua Wei was about to move in for another strike, the Vine around his waist suddenly tightened.

It yanked him backward uncontrollably. In fact, to increase the speed, Zhang Deming had practically flung him away.

The moment he was clear, a venomous scorpion tail, glinting with a cold light, stabbed right into the spot where he had just been standing.

The Vine around his waist dissipated. He did several backflips to bleed off the momentum before looking at Zhang Deming. "Thanks," he said.

Zhang Deming nodded but said nothing.

The others, who were about to attack again, suddenly found their expressions changing.

The Hundred Poisonous Scorpion, having missed its target, planted the tip of its tail on the mirror-like ice. With a surge of strength, it propped its entire body up on its tail.

This pose, reminiscent of a golden rooster standing on one leg, left everyone stunned.

Its tail then bent, tensing up like a drawn bow.

Using its tail like a bow, the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion launched itself toward the group.

With this bizarre maneuver, it instantly overcame the disadvantage of being cornered and pounced on them with the force of a collapsing mountain.

"Watch out!"

Yuling, whose eyes had remained a faint purple, was the first to react.

Hek Tuan, who had been watching the show with no intention of joining in, suddenly stepped forward. His hands flew through a series of seals, and his entire body instantly began to expand.

"Giant Ape Transformation!"

He instantly transformed into a ferocious, three-meter-tall gorilla.

His clothes ripped to shreds instantly, and his pants became little more than a tattered loincloth. No wonder he dressed differently from everyone else and didn’t wear a Disciple’s uniform.

’Seems he chose a path where ripping your clothes is a prerequisite for fighting.’

Within the broad Bloodline category, the two most common paths were the Transformation System and the Bloodline Technique System. He had clearly chosen a Bloodline-based Transformation System.

His transformation complete, he faced the pouncing Hundred Poisonous Scorpion and lashed out with a powerful kick.

Caught completely off guard, the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion was sent flying backward by the kick.

Hek Tuan immediately squatted down and leaped after it.

He landed on the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion’s back and began to pummel it relentlessly.

Zhang Deming frowned slightly. Hua Wei glanced at him and explained, "Transformation Techniques at the Apprentice Level tend to affect... this."

As he spoke, he pointed to his own head. "Choosing an ape-type was probably his best bet to mitigate the impact on his intelligence."

Zhang Deming was speechless.

’So he traded his brain for brawn?’

’Heh. This guy’s a beast. The kind you don’t want to mess with.’

Most Bloodline abilities didn’t require hand seals; some techniques could even be cast instantly.

But for Tier One and Tier Two Magical Techniques, how could there be such a huge disparity?

The lack of a casting warm-up for Bloodline Techniques wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Take the transformation series, for example. When the Bloodline was implanted and the Bloodline Rune was condensed, activating the transformation would, in most cases, affect the user’s mind.

Zhang Deming continuously summoned Vines to restrain the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion’s tail, preventing it from landing a sneak attack on Hek Tuan while he was dishing out the beating.

"I have a tea, it is called Clear Spirit. Please, have a taste."

At that moment, Feng Mingyou acted again. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and an illusory teacup materialized.

With a flip of his left hand, a nimble stream of water flowed into the illusory teacup. With a flick of his wrist, it transformed into a cloud of mist that flew into Hek Tuan’s head.

Hek Tuan, whose eyes had started to turn red from the frenzy of his attack, instantly froze. The entire man... well... the entire ape, sobered up.

’No wonder that guy insists on staying with the group and seems to yield to Feng Mingyou. Turns out Feng Mingyou’s Tea Dao is a great help to him.’

Watching Hek Tuan regain his clarity, a flash of understanding crossed Zhang Deming’s mind.

At that moment, the eyes of the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion, pinned and being pummeled, also began to glow red as it entered a rage.

Its entire tail flashed with a dark light. The Vines restraining it instantly turned a grayish-black, lost their resilience, and were snapped.

It then raised its tail and stabbed directly at Hek Tuan.

If he hadn’t regained his senses, Hek Tuan might have been struck.

But with his wits about him, Hek Tuan executed a clumsy roll and barely dodged the pursuing tail.

After shrugging off Hek Tuan, the red-eyed Hundred Poisonous Scorpion’s dark glow began to spread from its tail across its entire body.

In moments, its already dark body was now shimmering with an eerie, dark light.

Now, wherever it touched, the ground began to corrode, emitting plumes of acrid smoke.

Zhang Deming’s Growth Technique was completely neutralized. The moment his Vines made contact, they corroded and lost their resilience, rendered useless in restricting the creature’s movements.

Hek Tuan, still in his gorilla form, didn’t dare to rush in rashly.

But the red-eyed Hundred Poisonous Scorpion gave them no time to regroup, charging directly at them.

"Spiritual Eye: Purple Light Enchanting Heart."

Yuling, ever vigilant, unleashed her ability. The faint purple light in her eyes flared dazzlingly, and the mindless Hundred Poisonous Scorpion was instantly brought under her control.

Ling’er, who had been nervously clenching her fists, relaxed her hands slightly.

At that moment, Hua Wei, who had vanished at some point, reappeared above the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion. This time, his faintly glowing dagger plunged directly into its eye.

The blade sank deep, and the Spiritual Light of the Technique flooded into the creature’s brain.

"Assassination: Broken Bone!"

After executing the Technique, Hua Wei retreated swiftly. The Hundred Poisonous Scorpion’s eye instantly exploded, spewing white brain matter.

The beast stiffened, then went completely still, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Seeing the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion was dead, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Even with six of them working together, taking down a Peak Apprentice Demon Beast had been no easy task.

In the early stages of cultivation, the Physique of a Demon Beast gives it too great an advantage.

Furthermore, Demon Beasts all use Bloodline-type techniques. They may not have many, but their suddenness makes them far more dangerous than the techniques of an Ordinary Apprentice.

Thus, during the Apprentice Stage, it was very difficult for a cultivator to defeat a Demon Beast of the same level in single combat.

The moment they relaxed, an illusory teacup holding a stream of water filled with Spirit Charm appeared before each of them.

Zhang Deming drank it without a moment’s hesitation.

The others, having worked together before, also drank the tea immediately. Only Ling’er hesitated for a moment before finally drinking it.

After resting for a moment, Yuling said, "We’ll take the Tail Needle and Poison Sac. Let’s get the Armor Shell and Shuang Ao off first and hide them. We’ll decide what to do when we come back.

As for the meat, scorpion meat is good, but we still have to look for resources, so we can’t carry it with us."

The others nodded in agreement. After all, they planned on heading deeper in, not just taking a day trip.

Zhang Deming controlled his Vines and began to swiftly butcher the carcass.

The others were taken aback. "Well, that’s convenient," one of them remarked. "If it weren’t so difficult to learn, a comprehensive technique like that would make a great Entry-Level Technique."

Zhang Deming didn’t respond. The Scorpion Shell was at its softest right after death.

Once it cooled, its Armor Shell’s defense would make it incredibly difficult to remove.

Several Vines moved swiftly, and by the time the others had recovered their Spiritual Power, Zhang Deming had already finished dissecting the corpse and sorting the materials.

Once everyone had fully recovered, they stopped and waited for Zhang Demimng, since he was the one handling the materials.

But at that very moment, Zhang Deming opened his eyes as well, leaving the others slightly stunned.

"A Tier Two Cultivation Technique?" Hua Wei asked in confusion.

Zhang Deming smiled faintly. "Hua Wei, you have quite the imagination. It’s just that my Spiritual Power reserves are small, so I recover faster."

Hearing this, the corner of Hua Wei’s mouth twitched.

’Less Spiritual Power means a faster recovery? Sounds perfectly logical!’

’What kind of crap is "less Spiritual Power means faster recovery"? By that logic, wouldn’t a Junior Apprentice’s recovery rate totally smoke an Advanced Apprentice’s?’

’What a ridiculous excuse!’

The group tacitly agreed not to ask any more questions.

"Let’s go. Time to see what’s in that cave," Feng Mingyou said. "Judging by the fact that this thing was on the verge of a breakthrough, I doubt we’ll be disappointed."

Hearing this, the others nodded, got to their feet, and headed for the cave entrance.