Spellcasting Gods

"It's age! This snake has lived for at least six thousand years! As far as I know, no mortal can live that long. Keep in mind that it doesn't possess divinity, nor does it belong to any special long-lived species." The supreme authority gave a meaningful answer.

"An ordinary snake that lived for six thousand years? That's too exaggerated!" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Based on the information we have so far regarding ancient Mesopotamian mythology, I believe the only conclusion we can draw is..."

"It's the snake in the Epic of Gilgamesh that stole the herb of immortality. Only this can explain why an ordinary snake can live for over six thousand years and become so enormous. Because, in a way, it represents immortality itself."

Before the supreme authority could finish speaking, Zhang Cheng immediately filled in the rest.

Clearly, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this snake is the guardian of the second seal.

A span of six thousand years is enough time for an ordinary snake to transform into the most terrifying monster in the world.

Moreover, this boundless forest is home to countless magical creatures. If one were to eat them for six thousand years, who knows if one might gain some mysterious, spell-like abilities?

In addition, the herb of immortality is also quite noteworthy.

After all, in mythology, even the demigod hero Gilgamesh could not achieve immortality, but this thing can.

Anyone with a little brainpower can guess that it's not just about granting immortality, but also about possessing some incredible power.

“This time, we are likely to face a monster that is very difficult to kill,” the Supreme Authority stated its prediction directly.

"It's alright! Difficult doesn't mean unkillable! At least as far as I know, there's nothing in this world that can defy the rules of death, as long as I'm willing to pay a heavy price. Let's go, let's follow this snake to see if its lair has a seal set by the gods."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Cheng raised his hand and snapped his fingers, instantly disappearing from the spot.

next second...

He stood directly on the giant snake's body, his feet rooted to the spot, remaining motionless no matter how the snake twisted its body.

It must be said that, given the huge difference in size between the two, he was like a tiny bug stuck to the snake's body, completely unworthy of attention.

And so, riding a giant, black serpent that was over six thousand years old and likely highly venomous, they soon arrived at a valley that reeked of a strong, foul stench.

Throughout the valley, you can see clumps of different colors.

If nothing unexpected happens, it is most likely the snake's own indigestible vomit, a mixture mainly composed of hair, feathers, horns, etc., which looks extremely disgusting.

The powerful energy emanating from the center of the valley makes it easy to determine that this is the location of the second seal.

Now, Zhang Cheng only needs to break a part of the seal, and the energy buried below will gush out and return to its master.

However, before that, we absolutely have to deal with this snake first, otherwise the commotion will definitely alert the other side and trigger a major battle.

"Then let me test you first, to see what abilities you possess that made you chosen by the gods to be the guardian of the seal..."

Accompanied by muttering to himself, Zhang Cheng quickly infused the Supreme Authority with a vast amount of magical energy, beginning to control the climate within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

In less than five minutes, the temperature in the air suddenly dropped, and white snowflakes even began to fall from the sky.

Clearly, he wanted to see if lowering the temperature would affect the giant snake.

Based on the snake's body structure and living habits, snakes will quickly enter a state of hibernation once the temperature drops suddenly.

In this way, no matter how large the giant snake is, it will inevitably become meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Chapter 0847 Integrating with Death

As the snowflakes piled higher and higher, the originally warm and humid environment was instantly transformed into a world of ice and snow, and even the surface of the trees in the forest was quickly covered with a thick layer of ice.

Feeling the biting wind in the air, which was close to minus twenty degrees Celsius, Zhang Cheng finally stopped the spell with its wide-ranging effects and squinted to observe the reaction of the giant snake coiled in the valley.

A full minute later, he asked in a somewhat uncertain tone, "Do you think that snake has entered hibernation?"

"No! No! Its powerful life force shows no signs of weakening!" The supreme authority gave a direct negative answer.

"Are you sure? It's almost completely still now." Zhang Cheng frowned subconsciously, staring intently at the enormous creature in the distance.

“Yes! I’m absolutely certain! Besides, being in a state of stillness doesn’t mean losing the ability to move. It might just be a lingering habit, like how you humans instinctively curl up to reduce heat loss when you feel cold,” the Supreme Authority explained calmly.

"Alright! Let's give it a try!"

As a typical action-oriented person, Zhang Cheng placed his hand directly on a large rock at the edge of the valley and continuously poured a huge amount of magical energy into it.

In the blink of an eye, a magical golem, over forty meters tall and entirely composed of magma, rose from the ground.

It was so enormous and radiated incredible heat that the ice and snow on the ground began to melt in no time, while large amounts of water vapor filled the surrounding area, forming a vast white fog.

The giant snake seemed to sense a threat, and suddenly raised its head, staring with two large, yellowish eyes, and coiled its body into an attack posture.

"Damn it! This guy really doesn't hibernate! I don't understand! As a cold-blooded animal, how does it manage to stay mobile in such a cold environment?"

Although the thick fog obscured some of the visibility, Zhang Cheng still observed everything clearly.

It has to be said that for a giant snake that has not yet shown any magical abilities, being able to withstand temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius is truly incredible.

After all, the biggest difference between cold-blooded animals and warm-blooded animals is that the latter have a self-thermoregulation system that allows their bodies to maintain a constant temperature in most situations, so they can maintain their mobility regardless of whether it is cold or hot.

However, the former's body temperature changes with the environment. In particular, when the temperature gets cold, the body's metabolic capacity drops rapidly, and it may even enter a dormant state until the temperature rises again to regain its mobility.

This is why many cold-blooded animals have the habit of sunbathing; they can only move normally when their body temperature rises high enough.

The problem is that this giant snake clearly defies common sense about biology. Even though its body temperature is almost the same as the environment, it doesn't seem to be affected at all when you press it.

As the lava golem pressed closer, the giant serpent finally couldn't hold back any longer and charged out, attempting to wrap its massive body around the behemoth and then crush it bit by bit.

Before it could even wrap around twice, it was immediately scalded by the terrifyingly high temperature of the magma and began to roll wildly up and down. At the same time, thousands of strange and mysterious symbols appeared on the surface of its black scales.

next second...

boom!

The core of the lava golem, made of magical energy, suddenly exploded without warning. Its massive body then collapsed, turning into a pool of flowing lava that slowly cooled down as the temperature dropped.

“This is…” Zhang Cheng’s eyes flashed with undisguised surprise.

"It's an energy oscillation! My master! The scales on this snake's body possess the energy oscillation ability that all spellbreakers dream of! Any magic that doesn't take effect immediately will be destroyed by it," the Supreme Authority replied swiftly.

It is undoubtedly the most sensitive to magical energy, so it immediately confirmed the real reason for the lava golem's self-destruction.

“I see…” Zhang Cheng nodded thoughtfully. “Now I understand why the gods of Mesopotamia regarded it as the guardian of this seal. Its powerful and vigorous life force, its magical scales that are almost immune to magic, and its super-fast regeneration make it extremely difficult to kill, whether using magical power or physical attacks.”

“That’s right! Look, its burns are gradually healing. I suggest either don’t do anything at all, or give it a good beating this time.”

"Hmph! It's just a snake. Although its abilities are somewhat special, it's nothing in the face of the rules of death. Today, let me merge with death and conduct a small test."

The words had barely left his mouth!

Zhang Cheng's eyes suddenly turned into the purest black!

From a distance, they look like two obsidian blocks, devoid of any emotion or reason, as cold as machines.

As if sensing danger, the giant snake suddenly opened its blood-red maw and charged towards where he was standing, revealing a mouthful of terrifying, barbed fangs.

But Zhang Cheng seemed not to see anything, standing motionless until the stench of blood hit him, then he spoke in an extremely cold and hollow tone: "Death! It is an absolute equality!"

moment!

The giant snake, which was right in front of them, stopped all movement and began to tremble violently and involuntarily. Its two pale yellow vertical pupils suddenly contracted, as if it were afraid of something.

"Nothing in this world is eternal, not even gods; all will eventually return to eternal death. Now, I summon you in the name of death. Come, poor little thing, and become one of the eternal dead."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng stretched out his right hand and gently touched the giant snake's lower jaw.

boom!

The next second, this indescribably large beast fell straight to the ground and lay motionless. Its entire body began to rot and decompose rapidly, eventually leaving only a huge skeleton and snakeskin that emitted strange energy.

the most important is!

At the center of the giant snake's death site, a vibrant green plant gradually sprouted.

It is so exquisite and beautiful that you will be irresistibly drawn to it at first glance.

"The herb of immortality! So this is the legendary herb of immortality!" The supreme authority's tone carried a hint of excitement.

Unfortunately, Zhang Cheng is currently one with the rules of death, so he has no reason or emotion to speak of and has not responded.

It took him a full twenty minutes to barely break free from the urge to destroy everything, and he sighed with a wry smile, "Death truly is the most fundamental force in the entire universe! Even with my current strength, I am still inevitably affected..."

Chapter 0848 The Eternal Grass

Did you record my state after I integrated into the rules of death?

Zhang Cheng ignored the giant snake's corpse and didn't rush to break the seal. Instead, he was more concerned about what had happened in the past few seconds.

Because after fully immersing himself in the rules of death, he suddenly lost himself and couldn't even remember what he had done.

For someone with an extremely strong will, this loss of control is clearly not normal.

The supreme authority hesitated for a moment, then replied with a slightly worried tone, "I'm sorry, Master, I really can't describe how you were just now. In a sense, you were like a soulless shell just now. Although it was only for a brief moment, death took over your body, mind, and soul."

"You mean... I've been affected by death?" Zhang Cheng's expression turned somewhat grim.

"No! It's not influence! It's replacement! When you merge with death, death replaces you, so you can use the powerful force of death to kill an ancient serpent that has lived for over six thousand years after eating the herb of immortality with ease." The supreme authority quickly corrected.

"I understand! No wonder Faust's mental state has always been off. It turns out that the real price of using the power of death isn't gaining death's favor through sacrifice, as I previously thought, but rather the inevitable influence of death during its use, ultimately leading to a gradual loss of self. Gaining death's favor is less of a price and more of a way to enhance one's power. The more one wins death's favor, the stronger the power of the rules one can mobilize..." Zhang Cheng muttered to himself, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he stroked his chin.

"So, you believe that death is a self-aware force? That it constantly influences every mortal who tries to control themselves?" The Supreme Authority summarized briefly.

Zhang Cheng nodded first, then quickly shook his head: "I don't know! I only know that when I use this power, I have no self-awareness. It's like a computer being remotely controlled. The other party will deprive the target of its life based on the decisions I make when I am conscious."

“I understand! What just happened was death controlling you, not you controlling death.”

"Yes! A very precise description! Without a doubt, death is the most bizarre, the most difficult to tame and control of all the powers I have ever encountered. It can be used as a trump card to turn the tide at a crucial moment, but it should never be used regularly. At least until I figure out what these anomalies are all about, I should use them as little as possible."

Zhang Cheng has always been highly vigilant about forces beyond his control.

He would never allow anyone or any force to override his subjective will, no matter how powerful that force might be.

The supreme authority clearly agreed, echoing without hesitation, "Indeed, we must be careful! I always felt that the guy named Faust wasn't up to any good. The reason he gave you that book must be because he had some ulterior motive."

"I know without you reminding me," Zhang Cheng said with a nonchalant smile.

Faust knew perfectly well that sending that book over was ill-intentioned, even if he had no sense of propriety.

The problem is that he still doesn't know what the other party wants to do.

To drag oneself down with them and become a fanatical believer in death?

Or is it simply a matter of needing a relatively stable ally with the same goals and strength?

In this treacherous world, all alliances are ultimately signed for the purpose of breaking and betraying, so today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies.