Proofreader&Editor: Lotas
"Looking at your eyes?
Am I sick that I'm looking at your eyes?
Lin Qiye didn't say another word and simply closed his eyes.
He knew of Medusa, the famed mythological creature. Although he wasn't sure how much of the "turn to stone with a glance" ability the Serpent Woman, as her Agent, had inherited, it was always better to be cautious.
As long as he avoided eye contact, she couldn't do anything to him.
Fighting with eyes closed might be extremely difficult for others, but for Lin Qiye, who possessed the Mortal Divine Realm, it was no challenge at all; he no longer needed his eyes to gather information.
Serpent Woman: …
Seeing her unique skill so easily countered, the Serpent Woman couldn't help but feel irritated. The black pythons formed from her hair hissed angrily and lunged at Lin Qiye, covering the sky.
Lin Qiye parried the Serpent Woman's handle-less blade and quickly retreated. The black pythons swelled rapidly once they left her vicinity, each as thick as a bucket, and with a mere brush, they snapped the nearby trees in half.
Facing the onslaught of the massive black pythons, Lin Qiye's movements were like a leaf adrift in the wind, precisely dodging each bite and retreating tens of meters away in a single breath.
His expression grew more solemn.
The Serpent Woman's methods were numerous and bizarre: her unpredictable teleportation, petrifying snake eyes, the unknown effects of her snake fang Forbidden Artifact, and the black pythons on her head…
Fortunately, her Boundary wasn't high. Judging by the strength of her Psychic Power, she should be at the "Pool" Boundary like himself. But why, at the same "Pool" Boundary, was her Forbidden Ruin's coverage as large as an entire street?
Generally, the coverage of a Forbidden Ruin is related to one's power; the more formidable the power, the smaller the coverage. After entering the "Pool" Boundary, Lin Qiye's Mortal Divine Realm spanned a hundred meters, while the Dark Divine Ruin was only fifty meters.
And this bizarre Forbidden Ruin of the Serpent Woman, to say the least, covered at least three hundred meters. What exactly was the function of this Forbidden Ruin?
As Lin Qiye pondered, the Serpent Woman's figure vanished again, and in an instant, she appeared on the old wall beside him. With a sudden forceful push against the wall, she shot towards Lin Qiye like an arrow!
Clang—!
The straight blade and snake fang collided without any fancy moves, emitting a grating noise. A layer of blackness spread over Lin Qiye's tightly shut eyes, followed by the nearby severed tree trunk rising into the air and shooting towards the Serpent Woman!
The sharp tree trunk, like a spear, disrupted the snakes on the Serpent Woman's shoulder while knocking her off course in mid-air. Lin Qiye's second straight blade swung out in an instant!
Whoosh—!
The Blade Aura flashed by, and the Serpent Woman's body twisted like a water snake, dodging the blade in a bizarre posture. However, the snakes on her shoulder were sliced off in large numbers, turning into drifting severed strands that gently fell to the ground.
The Serpent Woman leaped up again, landing steadily on the top of another tree, coiling like a water snake around the trunk.
Lin Qiye, with his eyes still closed, slightly tilted his head and swept over the spot where the Serpent Woman had just appeared with his Psychic Power, a smile forming on his lips.
He understood.
"Seeking death!"
The Serpent Woman's fingertips brushed over the severed black hair, her eyes filled with even greater murderous intent. She twirled the handle-less blade in her hand and vanished once more.
As she disappeared, Lin Qiye reversed his grip on the straight blade and thrust fiercely into the air behind him!
The next moment, the Serpent Woman's figure appeared right in front of the blade's edge!
Ding—!
A light chime sounded, and a phantom of snake scales appeared on the Serpent Woman's chest, deflecting much of the blade's force, but the tip still pierced her flesh!
The Serpent Woman's pupils contracted sharply.
Without time to think, she vanished again, reappearing on the rooftop of a low building dozens of meters away.
She clutched the knife wound on her chest, her snake eyes glaring at Lin Qiye, filled with rage.
"You…"
Lin Qiye, holding his blade with eyes still closed, walked towards the Serpent Woman, enveloped in the night.
"At first, I thought these peculiar snake eyes all over the street were just a bluff… until just now, when I realized they are your power itself.
The snake eyes on the ground, in the melted snow, formed by tree branches, on the cracks of the walls…
Your teleportation isn't random; you can only appear where these snake eyes are.
Knowing this, the threat you pose is greatly diminished."
Lin Qiye arrived beneath the low building where the Serpent Woman was perched and continued calmly:
"I guess your Forbidden Ruin… no, it should be Divine Ruin, one of its abilities is to create snake eye patterns within its coverage using anything 'reasonable' and then teleport to these snake eyes, creating the illusion of 'instantaneous movement.'
At least at your current Boundary, this Divine Ruin can only possess such power.
Having uncovered the secret of 'teleportation,' with only your hair that turns into black pythons and your mediocre combat skills, you're no match for me.
As for your petrifying snake eyes…"
Lin Qiye's eyes slowly opened, one blazing like fire, the other dark as ink, emanating two distinctly different divine auras.
Heat and darkness, two Divine Mights, achieved a strange balance within him.
"You can try and see, after we make eye contact, whether I turn to stone first, or… you die first?"
The two eyes, one bright and one dark, met the Serpent Woman's gaze, and the Divine Might of three deities clashed in the air!
Pfft—!
In just an instant, the Serpent Woman's psyche felt as if it was being torn apart by these two Divine Mights, excruciating pain overwhelming her as she spat out a mouthful of blood, her complexion pale as paper.
"Ah ah ah ah!!"
She bent over in agony, hands covering her eyes, tears of blood streaming through her fingers.
The Divine Might in Lin Qiye's eyes faded, and he looked down at his arm, noticing gray patches on his skin. He rubbed his fingers together, feeling nothing.
So this is the petrifying gaze…
Although terrifying, with the Serpent Woman's current Boundary, it would take at least ten seconds to fully petrify Lin Qiye, who was also at the "Pool" Boundary. Under the power of Lin Qiye's dual Divine Mights, it was impressive she lasted even five seconds.
Taking advantage of the Serpent Woman's disoriented state from his Divine Might, the darkness around Lin Qiye grew denser. He lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and like a ghost, he floated up to the rooftop where the Serpent Woman was.
His figure flickered, and the straight blade in his hand slashed towards the Serpent Woman's neck like lightning!
At this moment, the Serpent Woman, already kneeling in pain, could see Lin Qiye's movements from the corner of her eye, but her body couldn't keep up, her snake eyes filled with towering hatred!
Clang—!
Just as the straight blade was about to decapitate the Serpent Woman, a silver halberd intercepted Lin Qiye's attack.
Lin Qiye frowned as he looked at the newcomer, a man in his thirties.
The man shook his halberd lightly, forcing Lin Qiye to retreat several steps, his blood churning, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Hello." The man stood in front of the Serpent Woman, halberd in hand, calmly looking at Lin Qiye and politely said,
"I am Han Shaoyun, Devotee number thirteen."