Chapter 169
Not only because the essence of Dragon Language magic is profound, but also because the 【Baiyin Bihu】 (Silver Sanctuary) grants immunity to all non-soul mental damage, and primarily because the skill transforms the user into a 'silver body.' The condition for the petrifying gaze to take effect is that the target must be a flesh-and-blood being.
Thus, at this moment, Ye Bai had transformed herself into a mass of silver before being turned to stone—though the petrifying gaze had indeed struck her, as long as she was not a flesh-and-blood being, she would not be petrified!
"A divine blood wielder using Dragon Language magic?!"
Kedar, a lord of the Inferno, was surprisingly well-informed and immediately recognized the magic Ye Bai had cast. The snake demon lord, who had been thwarted twice by a single individual, let out an enraged roar: "I want to see how long you can maintain this!"
Now transformed into a silver body, Ye Bai could not respond to Kedar's words.
Contrary to what Ye Bai had anticipated, she thought that after becoming silver, she would lose all her senses. To her surprise, she still retained them. At this moment, she maintained the posture of looking up at the snake demon, holding onto that fixed perspective and sensation, witnessing everything that unfolded next.
The duration of the Silver Sanctuary was ten seconds, consuming a staggering 80% of Ye Bai's spiritual energy, with a cooldown period of three days. Once used, there were no better options available.
Therefore, Ye Bai was acutely aware from the very beginning that she had only one chance.
One chance to get within thirty meters of Kedar, the 'main brain.'
In the very next second after Kedar roared, its largest head suddenly shook violently: "What’s happening? My spiritual energy circuit..."
The mysterious Inferno mark at the neck of that head began to flow erratically, losing its previous aura of terrifying majesty, slowly morphing into a humanoid shape.
Even though that humanoid form was composed of demonic script, appearing somewhat eerie, evil, and twisted, it was undeniably a figure that had no connection to the demonic mark.
If other Inferno beings were to see a snake demon tattooing a humanoid form onto itself, it would surely become the biggest joke in the Inferno.
"What is that? Get out of here!!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
However, at this moment, Kedar clearly had no time to worry about embarrassment. The snake demon lord was experiencing one of the most absurd scenes of its life.
Kedar's body thrashed violently, this inexplicable loss of control over its abilities striking at its most vulnerable spot.
Its grayish-blue eyes were wide open, but as the Inferno mark was forcibly altered into a humanoid shape, those eyes also lost the ability to unleash legendary magic, no longer capable of petrifying flesh.
Yet through a somewhat incomplete perspective, Ye Bai understood that the paper figure was struggling far more than it had in previous encounters.
The humanoid form on the snake demon was ethereal, not solidifying, and could not speak freely. The lines that composed its body were still stretching outward, trying to revert to its original form.
If this continued, the paper figure might not be able to suppress Kedar any longer.
Just then, a shadow even larger than the snake demon loomed above.
"Boom..."
A mass of red tentacles cascaded down like a waterfall, swatting away the other snake heads that had come too close, suddenly enveloping the snake demon lord's head, which was just unable to use legendary magic, and without pause, thrusting it into the abyss-like maw of the Kraken.
The Kraken had arrived!
Seeing this scene, Ye Bai felt a massive weight lift from her heart.
By altering the Inferno mark on Kedar's head with the paper figure, she had temporarily stripped it of its ability to use legendary magic, and now the Kraken seized the opportunity to devour that head. This was the only chance Ye Bai had envisioned for a comeback.
Kedar's head, possessing legendary magic, was undoubtedly the most lethal threat. Conversely, if the Kraken could consume that head, it would gain a tremendous boost in power, easily dealing with the other heads—a mutually beneficial relationship.
However, to create this breakthrough, Ye Bai had to rely on the Silver Sanctuary to approach Kedar and then 'throw' out the paper figure.
Initially, Ye Bai thought she would need to 'trick' Kedar into using its legendary magic, requiring a perilous beating first. To her surprise, Kedar's caution had allowed her to achieve this ahead of time.
The final piece of the plan hinged on whether the Kraken could fulfill Ye Bai's instructions and seize this opportunity to neutralize the snake demon lord's ultimate attack.
The outcome did not disappoint Ye Bai.
"Ahhhhhh—!"
The Kraken fiercely devoured Kedar's head. This head was clearly different; as it was consumed, the other four heads let out simultaneous, agonized screams.
"Crash..."
After swallowing Kedar's special head, within two seconds, the Kraken's massive form radiated a brilliant turquoise light. The tentacles that had been severed due to petrification glowed the brightest, and soon, like branches sprouting anew, fresh tentacles rapidly emerged from the gaps.
The Kraken had fully recovered, and it even appeared stronger than before.
The remaining four heads thrashed wildly, seemingly on the verge of escape. However, the Kraken would not let the snake demon go, relentlessly pursuing it. The newly grown tentacles were stronger and more powerful, gripping the snake's body tightly as it bit down.
The spirit form resembling a little girl was also not idle; the sound of crashing waves echoed once more in this Inferno space, rising higher and higher like the tide. The illusory waves surrounded the Kraken, allowing its physical movements to flow as freely as if it were in the ocean.
The scene of the struggle before them was strikingly similar to what had just transpired, but the situation had completely changed—the scales of victory had tipped entirely in favor of the Kraken.
At this moment, the ten seconds were up, and the silver hue on Ye Bai faded, restoring her to her normal flesh-and-blood form.
"Ah!"
As Ye Bai returned to her senses, Ottofis's voice rang out beside her.
Without hesitation, Ye Bai leaped onto Ottofis's back. With a few agile jumps, they quickly distanced themselves from the clash of the two colossal beings.
Riding on Ottofis, Ye Bai pulled out the scroll in her hand and asked anxiously, "Wuming, are you okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine," the paper figure's smiling voice came from the scroll. Though it claimed to be fine, Ye Bai noticed that its image on the scroll appeared fainter than usual, reminiscent of when it had helped her alter the Death Codex. It seemed that the recent actions had drained quite a bit of its energy.
Remembering the paper figure's assistance, Ye Bai couldn't help but think of the task of exploring the Inferno for the Divine King's treasure.
The outcome of this battle was no longer in doubt. Even as the massive snake demon struggled and unleashed its skills, from the continuous experience notifications, Ye Bai could clearly tell that it was now the Kraken's time to feast.
With the Kraken on her side, exploring the Inferno would no longer be a mere exploration; it would be about taking the child to savor the depths of the Inferno while also completing the main quest issued by the paper figure.
The ground shook, accompanied by the distant sound of crashing waves and the clashing of titanic bodies. In the brief moment of Ye Bai's contemplation, the Kraken had already devoured two more heads of the snake demon, leaving only the last two heads still fighting.
The multi-headed snake demon's advantage of 【Decapitation Rebirth】 was rendered ineffective, as the Kraken's digestion was far too swift.
At this point, Kedar's health bar was down to 15%, and its massive serpentine body began to thrash violently, entering its final berserk state.
"Whoosh..."
Ye Bai and Ottofis stood high above, witnessing the snake demon's body, which had not fully revealed itself until now, being pulled entirely from the ground.
Unlike the magical enhancements seen before, what was now exposed was Kedar's true form—a terrifying giant serpent composed of black and red scales, with eight heads protruding from its midsection.
In the midst of the battle's turmoil, Ye Bai noticed a noticeable bulge at the fork of the snake heads, distinctly different from the other areas.
From that twisted, blurry outline, it was clear that it was a head that was still growing.
Kedar's ninth head.
No wonder Kedar was willing to sacrifice one of its heads to lure the Kraken; with just a bit more power, this snake demon lord could shed its demigod stage and evolve into a nine-headed Greed Demon, becoming a god-level being.
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