In front of the two of them is a vast, enormous underground cave, possibly with a diameter reaching several hundred meters.
The dome and walls of the cave are covered with fluorescent stones. Due to their tight arrangement and the gaps filled with various crystals and quartz, they almost form a singular entity, decorating the entire cave into a glazed firmament flowing with rainbow hues.
All around are some ten-meter-high flat-topped hills, covered in longitudinal stripes formed from cooled lava, a common wonder in the Island Heart World, colloquially known as 'Devil's Towers.'
Between the ground and the dome, enormous stalactites and stalagmites stand and hang, adorned with magnificent crystals. Over the long years, they grew and connected, forming towering columns reminiscent of celestial pillars holding up the glazed sky, a breathtaking sight.
The cave is filled everywhere with magic power so intense it makes breathing difficult. This magic power, guided by a large number of Earth Elemental Spirits, has accumulated over the years, creating everything in sight.
All similar Island Hearts are the ultimate manifestation of the influence Earth Elemental Spirits have on the Material World.
Li Ang had visited other Island Heart Worlds before, and in terms of scenery alone, some might be more majestic than what was before him.
So when Li Ang spoke of the world's ultimate, he didn't mean the Earth Core scene but the Titan Giant Serpent coiled within this scenic marvel.
Its body could reach hundreds of meters in length, and even its head, lying silently on the ground, towers above those Devil's Towers.
It's already dead.
Had its head not been facing the direction they entered, Li Ang might have mistaken it as a part of the Island Heart scenery.
Its massive scales resemble neatly arranged glazed panels embedded on the solid rock wall, which itself is its seemingly unchanging, ancient body, coiling into a majestic rocky mountain.
Such a body, even among all the kings of islands, is of the highest order.
If not for that couple having taken it down, once it moves with full force, the entire Satus Island would be as fragile as decayed soil before it. Just by burrowing and coiling, it could easily shatter the entire island into dust in the clouds.
The head facing the two of them is indescribably magnificent; besides the glazed snake scales, there are several differently colored bands on its face, coiled around the head and finally converging behind its eyes, looking like a veil or a crown at first glance.
But its beauty and majesty are all destroyed by that one sword mark in the middle of its forehead. It's evident that a sword once directly penetrated its skull, burying it completely.
The sword's might not only shattered the scales and gemstones around the sword mark but also blasted an empty hole at the back of its mountain-sized head, from which the blood that splashed out has long since solidified.
The serpent's blood flows like gold, once spreading in all directions, covering rocks and gemstones, reaching almost every corner of this Island Heart World, and finally solidifying into a layer of what seems like golden coating.
It wasn't until then that Li Ang realized that the reflective materials he encountered along the way all originated from this island-shattering giant serpent.
Its body also has several deep wounds visible to the bone, with the skeleton seen through the wounds having the texture of granite.
And it lacks muscle; the substances filling its body rolled out along with the golden blood from the wounds, consisting of various high-tier gemstones.
Rose quartz, ruby, and sapphire mixed with rutile, shining starlike six-rayed light.
Around the granite skeleton, golden green gemstones are often seen. One wonders if nature has polished them, as the smooth arcs reflect bright bands, precious cat's eyes indeed.
In the solidified golden material, groups of octahedral diamonds are displayed, with red, green, orange, and purple becoming common individuals, while pale yellow and transparent ones require careful searching.
Not to mention various quartz and fluorite encased in a silver shell, with peridot, topaz, tourmaline, beryl rolling around everywhere.
Their dazzling light and their very existence are the afterglow of Earth's creation. In this long-solidified golden river, people's ultimate dreams are housed.
Li Ang turned his head to look at Zoe and waved his hand in front of her without any reaction.
Now she truly seems stupefied.
Even he was astonished, whether by this 'Star Soul' giant serpent or the wealth contained within its body, not to mention the wild cat who never saw such wonders of the world and was placed amid her favorite colorful stones.
Let her take her time to digest it. Li Ang drew out the Wind Breath Sword from her waist and came to the front of the serpent's head.
Having come closer, the details of the giant creature's surface became apparent, feeling as though he really was at the foot of a mountain wall, only this mountain wall was studded with crystals and gemstones.
But the aura of the giant beast seemed to linger still, and even Li Ang found it hard to remain calm. He could only take several deep breaths before grabbing the contoured surface of the serpent's head and starting to climb.
Reaching the top, standing before the sword mark, Li Ang saw that amidst the wide sword wound created by immense force, the actual piercing spot was only half a palm wide.
He inserted the Wind Breath Sword into it, fitting almost perfectly.
Just as expected.
He had some suspicions when he first saw the wound.
Although Zoe's father claimed in his notes to be a legendary swordsman, could a legend, even using Treasure Artifacts, at tier 10 inflict such destruction on a giant beast? Li Ang, knowing many near-legendary strong individuals, found it hard to believe.
Considering the system's information—that it once contained enough storms to devour Sky Island and fell into a deep sleep after an overloaded release—Li Ang surmised that most of the Wind Breath Sword's original spirituality was exhausted when he slew this giant serpent.
It was only when standing on the serpent's head that he could see the scene previously obscured by its body.
From the blasting fatal wound at the back of the serpent's head, a gradually widening conical area extends on the ground of the Island Heart's cave, where everything has been utterly destroyed, leaving only deep wind patterns swept by the storm.
"Such determination..."
Li Ang marveled at the smooth and graceful blade of the Wind Breath Sword.
Treasure Artifacts, forged from the fabric of the world and the purest energy, each possessing uniqueness, are the dream weapons in people's hearts.
But thinking that her father did it for his child, perhaps it's not surprising at all.
"What do you mean by determination?"
Zoe also climbed onto the serpent's head, leaping between its sharp scales to Li Ang's side.
She too saw the Mark of Destruction. Li Ang handed her the Wind Breath Sword: "Your dad did this."
"Huh? This..." The young girl tried to say something, but the desire to speak was overwhelmed by the stupor of processing information.
She needed time, while Li Ang began battle preparations.
This giant serpent had already reborn; it surely lacked its original form, but it must be lurking nearby, of that he didn't forget.
He crouched down, selecting gemstones from the solidified golden blood.
He picked out some turquoise and malachite, which became rare here in a land of corundum and diamonds.
Although Earth Elemental Spirits manifest various gemstones when interacting with the Material World, they preferred to nestle in these slightly green minerals and gemstones, thus primitive tribes who wield ancient witchcraft favor them for making decorations and Magical Artifacts.
Mage Spell—Elemental Summoning!
Li Ang channeled magic power in the way of a Mage to transmit it around, immediately receiving responses from the dense Earth Elemental Spirits, as floating dust and stones rose from the ground, gathering around Li Ang to start forming a four-footed beast shape.