At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

Let's go back a quarter of an hour.

The mirage serpent resides in the deep pool.

The pool water was dark green and its bottom was not visible.

The water, which was originally as calm as a mirror, now seemed to be boiling, with wisps of steam constantly rising from it.

An elderly man with gray hair and a thin frame stood by the pool, looking at the deep pool in surprise and doubt.

He wore a longsword with a pale blue sheen at his waist. The sword had no scabbard, and its three-finger-wide blade was covered with fine patterns that refracted intermittent light spots in the sunlight.

The old man was none other than Fei Wei, the current sect leader of the Fenshui Sect!

"This aura... could it be a breakthrough?"

Fei Wei looked at the scene before him and squinted slightly.

Even when the mirage serpent was only at the mid-stage of the sixth rank, it was able to rely on the pool water to be unafraid of the three Qi Opening Realm warriors from the Dividing Water Sect.

If he breaks through again, even the three of them working together might not be able to do anything to him.

The only option now is to risk entering the pool, not to kill, but to disrupt it and cause its breakthrough to fail.

Thinking it over, Fei Wei took a step forward and resolutely jumped into the pool.

The surface of the pool doesn't appear to be very large, but as you go deeper, the underwater area gradually opens up.

The enormous snake, nearly twenty feet long, was now coiled on the underwater rocks, its body covered with a mixture of gray and blue scales.

On both sides of its head, there are also unique organs that resemble fleshy membranes.

At this moment, large bubbles were expelled from the fleshy membranes on both sides of the cheeks.

However, what is most eye-catching is the protruding fleshy growths on its body.

Ordinary mirages, or rather all snake-like monsters, are without feet or legs, but this mirage not only has two large fleshy growths on its belly, but also a sizable fleshy growth slightly bulging on its head.

This is a sign of bloodline reversion, a transformation from a snake to a dragon.

"We've finally reached this point. Once I successfully transform into a dragon, I will devour everyone in the Fenshui Sect alive!"

The mirage serpent opened its amber eyes, its vertical pupils larger than a normal human body, radiating a cold, icy light.

"And those cold-blooded dragons, I'll make you pay!"

Its father was a dragon from the Clear Water Dragon Palace.

He may sound like he comes from a distinguished family, but in reality, he was just one of the many children his biological father conceived while he was away having affairs.

If its mother hadn't mentioned it before she died, it would have had no idea about its origins.

After learning of its illustrious lineage, it traveled a great distance to the Clear Water Dragon Palace, only to be ruthlessly rejected because it was a snake and lacked the dragon claws and horns of the dragon clan.

Although the old dragon of the Clear Water Dragon Palace attaches great importance to its offspring, the offspring here only refer to pure-blooded dragons or offspring that are close to pure-blooded dragons in appearance.

If a creature like the Mirage Serpent were to voluntarily join the sect and be willing to serve as a pawn, that would be fine. But to aspire to become a legitimate member of the Clear Water Dragon Palace is simply a pipe dream.

If it weren't for the thin layer of dragon blood flowing through its veins, the dragons of the Clear Water Dragon Palace would have devoured it alive simply because it identified itself as a dragon.

How dare a mere little snake call itself a dragon?

Because of this, the original worship that the Mirage Serpent held for the Flood Dragon Clan turned into deep hatred.

After leaving the Clear Water Dragon Palace, it ate its way along the way, not for any other reason than to go back and make them regret it!

"Um?"

Just as the mirage serpent was lost in thought, it suddenly sensed a strange movement coming from the water.

It looked up and saw an old man with white hair holding a sword floating not far away.

It was Fei Wei.

"A bulging head and legs growing from the belly—this is the sign of a snake transforming into a dragon!"

With just one glance, Fei Wei was terrified.

If the Mirage Serpent breaks through from the mid-stage of the sixth rank to the late-stage of the sixth rank, it's just that it's harder to fight.

Once its bloodline reverts to its ancestral form and it transforms from a snake into a dragon, then it will be completely unbeatable.

Leaving aside its water-controlling technique, its bizarre and difficult-to-defend illusions alone are enough to leave martial artists of the same level defenseless.

Without the intervention of the Demon Suppressor General, not only would their Fenshui Sect suffer, but the entire Anshun Prefecture would likely be in danger.

No, we can't let it break through safely!

"You beast, how dare you break through to the next level right in front of me! Do you really think I wouldn't dare to step into this pool?"

Fei Wei shouted loudly, his powerful voice carrying with it the sound of the rushing water.

At the same time, he reached into the sleeve at his waist, and seven water-splitting swords appeared in front of him.

As his true energy surged, a semi-transparent spherical membrane enveloped his entire body, and strands of almost transparent true energy ropes connected to the hilts of the seven water-splitting swords.

"go!"

With a thought, Fei Wei unleashed all seven Water-Splitting Swords simultaneously.

"Damn bastard!"

The mirage serpent, which was in the process of reverting to its ancestral bloodline, was enraged when it saw Fei Wei coming to kill it.

Normally, if Fei Wei dared to come to the bottom of the pool to seek death, it would definitely leave him underwater and turn him into its bones.

But now, in the midst of its transformation, it focuses most of its attention on its internal organs, and its combat strength is less than one-tenth of what it once was.

If you force it, you will not only fail to advance, but you may even suffer serious damage.

"If I'd known this old guy was so reckless, I would have chosen another spot!"

The mirage serpent secretly regretted its actions.

But the arrow is already on the bowstring and must be released. There's no other way for it right now but to devote itself wholeheartedly to accelerating the process of its bloodline returning to its ancestral state.

"Clang clang clang—!!!"

Seven water-splitting swords cleaved through the water, striking the mirage serpent's scales with a series of crisp sounds.

One of the weapons even pierced the edge of the mirage's scales, drawing out wisps of blood mist.

If you look closely, you can even see a faint wisp of gold in the blood-red mist.

"As expected, it can't move!"

Seeing that the mirage snake offered no resistance after his probing attack, Fei Wei was overjoyed.

Unfortunately, the seven water-splitting swords in his hands were of average quality. Even if he used all his strength, he could only cause minor superficial injuries for a while. It would probably take a long time to seriously injure the mirage serpent.

Unsure how long it would take for the mirage serpent to complete its transformation, Fei Wei immediately chose to unleash his ancestor's magic weapon, the Water-Splitting Sword.

"Master Shuixuan above, your unfilial disciple Fei Wei begs for your assistance!"

Fei Wei muttered something to himself.

The next moment, he raised the long sword in his hand and activated his true energy.

"call out--!"

In an instant, the Water-Splitting Sword shone brightly, its rainbow-like light shooting out, splitting the water's surface and striking the mirage's vital spot.

"boom!!!"

On the water, the seemingly boiling pool water suddenly exploded, with countless water columns shooting into the sky.

Underwater, Fei Wei's arm trembled slightly as he gently lowered the water-splitting sword, his eyes fixed on the distance.

Large swaths of thick, viscous blood mist permeated the water.

Pieces of scales and flesh of varying sizes shot out in all directions with the surging waves.

Even the mirage serpent's aura, which had been rising steadily, was now so faint as to be barely perceptible.

"Did it work?"

Fei Wei was somewhat surprised.

The power of the Water-Splitting Sword is indeed great, but it is, after all, only a low-grade pseudo-magic weapon, and it has been used countless times by many sect leaders.

It can still be used, but its power is far less than it used to be.

An ordinary martial artist might not be able to withstand a single blow, but surely a sixth-tier demon shouldn't die instantly?

"hold head high!!!"

Just as Fei Wei was filled with surprise and doubt, a roar rang out.

The sound resembled the roar of a dragon, but compared to a genuine dragon's roar, it seemed somewhat weak and feeble.

"You old bastard, how dare you block my path! I'll devour you alive!!"

Before Fei Wei could think any further, a murderous roar rang out.

Within the blood mist, the mirage serpent, which had been barely breathing, had its belly tumor transformed into sharp claws, while the tumor on its head remained unchanged, even smaller than before.

It opened its amber vertical pupils and stared intently at Fei Wei.

A chilling killing intent instantly filled the entire bottom of the pool.

Almost.

Just one more step!

It was about to successfully transform into a dragon, but now, all its efforts have been in vain!

It became a hybrid creature, neither snake nor dragon!

ah--!!!