I forge immortality with a pagoda.

The instant those terrifying vertical pupils lit up, the purple-faced man's hair stood on end. His instincts, honed by years of fighting, made him leap to the side without hesitation.

Amidst the howling wind, a gaping maw of blood barely grazed the hem of his clothes before biting down.

His heart pounded; if he had been even a fraction slower, he would have suffered greatly.

This monster's strength was in no way inferior to his!

The attack missed its mark, and an angry roar came from the thick fog.

Immediately afterwards, a snake's tail as thick as a water bucket, as if poured with golden water, pierced through the mist in an instant and swept across with the force of collapsing mountains and splitting rocks!

Wherever the snake's tail passed, the air crackled and popped.

Despite his shock, the purple-faced man remained calm. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and the muscles in his arms tensed instantly. Purple true energy surged forth as he used his bare hands to meet the terrifying snake tail head-on.

"boom--"

A dull thud echoed through the valley, sending shockwaves surging and dispersing the surrounding thick fog.

The man's feet sank deep into the ground, and the veins on his arms bulged. He actually managed to clamp down on the powerful snake's tail with his strong physique and true qi.

"Get out here, you bastard!" he roared, straining his waist and abdomen as he swung his arms violently.

He forcefully pulled the terrifying, ten-zhang-long snake body out of the depths of the thick fog and slammed it heavily onto the rocky ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

Shen Yu then got a clear look at the full appearance of the monster.

Its entire body is covered with jet-black scales that resemble black iron, gleaming with a cold metallic light in the dim environment.

The snake's head was as large as a millstone, ferocious and terrifying. Its scarlet tongue flickered, and thick venom dripped down, corroding the hard rock and producing hissing white smoke.

Those emotionless vertical pupils were fixed intently on the uninvited guest in the valley.

The moment Shen Yu met those snake eyes, he felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, and his breath caught in his throat.

The black snake, in pain, twisted its massive body violently. The immense force caught the purple-faced man off guard, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"You beast!" The man roared in fury, clenching his right fist, his true qi swirling around it like flames, and delivered a simple, powerful punch to the tough middle of the snake's body.

"Thump!"

Like the muffled sound of a giant drum echoing through the canyon, it made people's eardrums buzz and even the ground tremble slightly.

Shen Yu was shocked. What kind of powerful strength and what kind of tough physique this was?

While Shen Yu was still in shock, the man and the snake not far away were already locked in a fierce battle, fighting for dozens of rounds without a clear victor.

Just as they were locked in fierce battle, with neither side able to gain the upper hand, Shen Yu dared not delay. With a flash, he rushed toward the pile of rocks where Zhu Jianda had fallen.

Zhu Jianda collapsed to the ground, the yellow light shield formed by the dust bead had dimmed and was covered with countless tiny black snakes that were frantically gnawing at it.

If it weren't for this treasure protecting him, he would have long since turned into a pile of bones.

Shen Yu drew his talisman sword and slashed at the small snakes.

As the sword flashed, dozens of small snakes were instantly severed in two, their foul-smelling blood splattering all over the ground.

He bent down to examine Zhu Jianda and saw that although Zhu Jianda's breath was weak, his life was not in danger. He quickly took out a healing pill and put it into Zhu Jianda's mouth, and fed him a wisp of pure true essence to help him neutralize the medicinal power.

Just as Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing a trace of color return to Zhu Jianda's face, before he could make any further move, he heard the rough, maniacal laughter of the purple-faced man coming from afar.

"Youngster, you should experience the power of this demonic beast!"

Then, with a deafening roar, the enormous snake body was forcibly flung out by him with brute force, crashing down on Shen Yu like a black mountain range, raining down stones and filling the air with dust.

Without a second thought, Shen Yu suddenly lit up the Three-Colored Jade he had been holding in his palm. The three colors of light flowed and transformed into a solid barrier in front of him.

Almost simultaneously, the enraged black snake opened its mouth and spat out a stream of dark green venom, which was foul-smelling and hissing, splashing heavily onto the Three Lights Barrier.

"Hiss—"

A tooth-grinding sound rang out, and the tricolor radiance melted away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Shen Yu felt his true essence pouring out like a flood from a burst dam. He hurriedly activated his cultivation technique to barely maintain the barrier from breaking, but a strong sense of weakness swept over him.

"Activating a high-grade talisman consumes too much energy."

Shen Yu's heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.

Before he could catch his breath, the sound of wind breaking came again.

Its thick snake tail had already torn through the dust and smoke, sweeping across with immense force.

If this blow lands, he will surely be shattered to pieces and turned into a pile of minced meat.

At the critical moment of life and death, the primordial spirit sitting cross-legged in Shen Yu's spiritual platform suddenly opened its eyes.

A brilliant light shone from between his brows, and the phantom of an ancient and mysterious pagoda appeared out of thin air. Although it was only a faint layer of light and shadow, it exuded a vast, ancient, and supreme majesty that surpassed all living beings.

As soon as the pagoda's aura was revealed, the ferocious black-scaled serpent's attack suddenly faltered, and for the first time, its vertical pupils revealed a look of surprise and fear, as if it had encountered its natural enemy.

It let out a fearful roar, and then abandoned Shen Yu without hesitation.

The massive body quickly coiled up and retreated, then unleashed all its fury once more on the purple-faced man.

"It really worked." Shen Yu felt relieved, but cold sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

He had made a guess before entering the valley.

Previously ferocious beasts like the Three-Tailed Rock Scorpion were now terrified of him after he released the pagoda's phantom image, wishing they could stay as far away as possible.

Is it possible that these intelligent and perceptive monsters have an innate fear of this pagoda?

Now that I've tried it, it's indeed true.

He suppressed his surging blood and looked coldly at the battle.

Seeing the black snake return, even more ferocious than before, the purple-faced man was enraged and cursed, "Damn it, why is that beast back again!"

He had intended to shift the blame elsewhere, but he didn't know what methods Shen Yu had used to make the demon beast abandon Shen Yu and instead face such a difficult opponent as himself.

After days of relentless pursuit, his own true energy was greatly depleted. Now, being tightly entangled by this powerful black snake, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Just how many strange things does this kid have up his sleeve?" His mind raced, and he swayed, trying to bypass the snake's body and head straight for Shen Yu.

However, the black snake's ferocity had been fully unleashed. Although it dared not provoke Shen Yu again, it set its sights on the purple-faced man. With its huge mouth open, it spat out another stream of venom, blocking his path.

The purple-faced man had no choice but to dodge hastily, his footsteps frantically treading among the rocks.

But the giant snake was relentless, its thick body suddenly sweeping across, forming a black wall between him and Shen Yu.

"You beast, are you deliberately trying to make trouble for me?" The purple-faced man was consumed by rage, his killing intent surging. "Prepare to die!"

He roared and took out a massive, octagonal, crimson hammer from his storage ring.

This giant hammer is engraved with intricate runes, clearly indicating that it is no ordinary object.

He gripped the hammer handle with both hands, and his vital energy surged into the hammer like a rushing river.

"Buzz—"

The crimson hammer burst forth with scorching light, as if a small sun was held in his hand.

His arms bulged with muscles as he swung the giant hammer with a ferocious force, as if it could scorch mountains and boil seas, and smashed it down on the massive snake tail that was sweeping across again.

This collision was far greater than any before.

Crimson light and black mist intertwined wildly before vanishing.

A terrifying surge of spiritual energy spread out in a ring, completely clearing away the dense fog within a radius of several dozen feet, causing the ground to crack and rubble to fly through the air.

.....

......