Despite its massive body, Orochi’s reaction speed was surprisingly fast. With a pained roar, it immediately spat out its deformed tongue, lashing it toward Qin Fan! As the tongue whipped through the air, the viscous pulp lingering in its grooves splattered everywhere.

Utterly disgusted, Qin Fan chose not to engage it any longer. Instead, he shot swiftly toward the peak of Mount Fuji.

ROAR!

Anger, violence, and ferocity—as its lashing tongue struck nothing but air, these raw emotions twisted the features of Orochi’s eight heads. It let out a ground-shaking roar. Breathing in ragged, furious gasps, Orochi immediately gave chase, pursuing Qin Fan’s ascending figure up the mountain.

It was a Seventh Rank Crystal Core Demon Beast, a creature with awakened Spiritual Wisdom. Its intelligence was significantly higher than that of an average human. Under these circumstances, how could this beast, once a king who had conquered most of Asia, possibly let Qin Fan escape?

Fueled by a blind rage and the power of its Seventh Rank Crystal Core, Orochi relentlessly smashed through boulders and trees as it pursued him. The chase between man and beast was so unbelievable it looked like a scene ripped straight from a fantasy epic.

Feeling Orochi’s relentless pursuit close behind, Qin Fan chuckled to himself. A Seventh Rank Crystal Core Demon Beast truly is extraordinary. To unleash such speed with a body that large is a rare sight in this mortal world! I thought I knew how strong it was, but it seems I underestimated it. Still, what does it matter? It’s just an eight-headed snake. If I were to fail against something like this, my experiences on the Cangqiong Continent and my rebirth would have been for nothing! The only reason I didn’t kill it at the foot of Mount Fuji when it was weak was for its Seventh Rank Crystal Core. A Crystal Core from its weakened state and one from its current, fully enraged state are worlds apart! I knew it would take a lot more effort, but the payoff is more than worth it!

「Atop Mount Fuji.」

Upon reaching the center of the peak, Qin Fan didn’t stop for a moment. He twisted his body mid-air and brought the Evil Spirit Zen Staff crashing down on one of Orochi’s heads once more!

BANG!

Despite its quick reflexes and high intelligence, Orochi was still a step too slow to react to Qin Fan’s sudden, lightning-fast attack. The blow to its head was unavoidable.

Blood splattered again!

"Baka!"

With another of its heads bleeding profusely, the rampaging beast blood within Orochi began to boil. A furious roar of "Baka!" erupted from one of its gaping maws.

Qin Fan’s eyes widened in clear astonishment. Hmm? A Seventh Rank Demon Beast can talk now? What’s going on? Even on the Cangqiong Continent, a world overflowing with Spiritual Energy, a Seventh Rank Demon Beast is merely enlightened; it can’t speak a human language. How can a Demon Beast from a planet as mundane as Earth be talking?

"Baka!"

"Baka!"

"Baka!"

The roars echoed from Orochi’s mouths. It didn’t attack Qin Fan immediately. Instead, it stood its ground, letting the blood from its two wounded heads stream down freely. However, the aura unique to a Demon Beast grew increasingly dense, so potent it felt as if it might rupture the very air. Its power coiled and condensed, growing tighter and tighter until, apart from the beast itself, not a single shred of its terrifying presence leaked out.

WHOOSH!

The next instant, its aura fully retracted. All eight of Orochi’s heads snapped toward him in unison—the entire motion taking only two or three seconds. Its eight pairs of emerald-green eyes locked onto Qin Fan, emitting a chilling, oily green light.

The moment that gleam met his eyes, BUZZ! Qin Fan’s consciousness wavered, and his mind went blank.

The sensation lasted for less than a second, but it was enough to horrify him. So the Orochi that even the Demi Immortal of Qilian had to take great pains to suppress in his God Realm days is truly no simple foe!

Deeply shaken, Qin Fan immediately activated his Eyes of Golden Flame to meet the surge of eerie green light.

ZZZT!

A sizzling sound filled the air, and with it, a burst of fire suddenly erupted out of nowhere!

In the resulting shockwave, Qin Fan took a step and a half back, but Orochi was thrown back nearly a meter!

"Baka!" Orochi roared again. By now, all eight pairs of its eyes were weeping tears of blood. With its awakened Spiritual Wisdom, it was secretly aghast. My Orochi Illusion Eye not only failed to control him, but it backfired on me!

After roaring "Baka," Orochi rose up, fully aware that this was a do-or-die battle. Its colossal body, as thick as a centuries-old tree, swept ruthlessly toward Qin Fan. It cut through the air with a whoosh, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

"Earth Evil, Third Form—Hundred Cracks Divine Miasma! Break!" Qin Fan roared. He opened his hand into a palm, gathering immense Golden Core True Qi, and slammed it down onto Orochi’s terrifying body.

CRACK!

A sharp sound erupted, but it did nothing to halt Orochi’s body. After a pause that lasted only an instant, its sweeping momentum continued, just as fierce as before.

The Hundred Cracks Divine Miasma, the very technique that inflicted such unbearable pain on the Jiao Dragon of Yanjing Ridge that it became the last straw, only left a superficial crack on Orochi’s body? At that moment, Qin Fan was filled with regret. I was too arrogant!

Seeing the serpent’s body about to strike him, he thrust out the Evil Spirit Zen Staff to block.

CLANG!

The staff struck with a deafening clang, as if hitting a mountain of diamond and iron. While the blow didn’t cause much damage to Orochi’s body, it managed to halt its momentum.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Fan leaped into the air. An unprecedented look of gravity settled on his face, his brows knitted in concentration as the True Qi within his body surged wildly.

He roared into the air, "Earth Evil, Seventh Form—Heavenly Demon Saint Hand!"

An enormous palm, like the legendary Tathagata Divine Palm, thundered down from above. The palm’s shadow expanded as it fell until it was large enough to cover half the length of the serpent’s body.

BOOM!

Unlike the sharp crack of the Hundred Cracks Divine Miasma, the Heavenly Demon Saint Hand landed with a deafening explosion.

"HISS! HISS!" Orochi cried out in pain. After taking the full force of the palm strike, its massive body smashed heavily into the ground.

RUMBLE! 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A cloud of rock and debris flew into the air. The mountain face where the serpent had landed was now a deep crater.

"Baka!" Orochi roared, its fury escalating. Its body thrashed, sending countless rock fragments flying as it leaped up again. With overwhelming, ferocious might, it charged toward Qin Fan once more.