### Chapter 66: The Pond's Opportunity (Part 3)
Two successive strikes from the Fifth-order python left Lin Yi's *Sao Bao* robe teetering on the brink of destruction.
For a top-grade defensive artifact to fare so poorly… If it shattered completely, Lin Yi knew he'd lose sleep for days, even if he survived this crisis.
The python, enraged that Lin Yi still lived, raised its massive tail again, ignoring its own wounds.
"Dammit! You fat snake—why hate me so much? We've got no past grudge, no recent wrongs! Can't you leave a way out? Even monsters should know when to hold back, right?" Lin Yi shouted.
The only reply was the tail slamming down.
"Fuck! You're really不通情理! Wasting my breath on a beast!" Lin Yi roared, slapping his storage bag. In his hand appeared a shield—the top-grade defensive artifact he'd taken from the Dianxuan disciple killed by the python.
He poured his remaining spiritual energy into it. The shield blazed to life, expanding rapidly to block his body.
*Boom!*
The python's tail crashed into the shield with a thunderous clang. The shield wobbled violently, its light dimming sharply—clearly damaged by the strike.
The python struck again, as if driven mad.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Four more blows. The shield's light guttered and died,彻底报废 (completely useless). A top-grade artifact, destroyed. Lin Yi nearly wept. This hurt more than death—top-grade defensive artifacts were worth a fortune in spirit stones!
想到那么多灵石化为乌有 (Imagining all those spirit stones vanishing), his hatred for the python burned hotter.
"Bastard! You really want me to use my trump card, huh?" Lin Yi exploded, pointing at the python, his eyes blazing.
The four strikes had weakened the python, its gaze dimming. But it ignored Lin Yi's fury, opening its maw—reeking of blood—and lowering its head to swallow him, now seemingly defenseless.
"Mister Python, I'll call you boss! Spare me this once, and I'll never disrespect you again!" Lin Yi suddenly wailed, tears streaming—shamelessly begging a Fifth-order python for mercy. Only someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yi could pull off such a farce.
To his surprise, the python paused, eyeing him as if confused, its jaws slowing.
Lin Yi's heart leaped. *Humility pays off! No shame in losing to a stronger foe!*
Then—
"Lin Yi! That's Lin Yi down there!" Elder Zhao's voice rang out, shocked.
Elder Chen stiffened.
The other four Foundation Establishment elders, catching a模糊身影 (blurred figure) below, guessed it might be a Dianxuan disciple. Confirmation from Zhao sparked feigned outrage—*we must avenge him!*—though none truly cared.
The nineteen Qi Refinement disciples, their spiritual sense limited, couldn't "see" clearly, but they believed Zhao.
Shock rippled through them. "He's alive?!"
A Fifth Level Qi Refinement cultivator surviving a Fifth-order python's assault? How? They'd felt the power of those tail strikes!
Elders Zhao and Chen, their spiritual sense sharper, saw Lin Yi was alive—and seized the moment. "Attack!" they roared, unleashing their spirit artifacts. The others followed, driving their weapons toward the python's vague form.
The python, distracted by the renewed assault, glared at Lin Yi one last time before spinning to face the twenty-five cultivators.
The water churned wildly, growing murkier. Lin Yi, his spiritual sense now limited to seven or eight feet, could barely make out shapes. But the pressure eased—for now.
He stumbled to his feet, inching away. The elders, noticing, were relieved—fewer competitors for the python's treasures.
Freed from immediate danger, Lin Yi 瞥见 (glimpsed) a 寒气缭绕的洞穴 (chilly cave) nearby. A frigid breeze hit him, jolting his exhausted body, clearing his foggy mind.
"Why's it so cold here?" he wondered, frowning.
Intrigued, he limped closer. The cold intensified, seeping into his wounds, worsening his pain. Soon, he was shivering violently, his lips blue, teeth chattering—pain replaced by bone-deep frost.
"Only this spot is strange," he thought, teeth clattering. "The python guarded here for centuries—there must be a reason. Extreme cold sometimes breeds 天材地宝 (heavenly treasures). I have to check that cave, no matter what."
*富贵险中求 (Fortune favors the bold)!* He'd come too far to retreat.
The python, meanwhile, fought desperately. It calculated: just half a day more, and its 守护之物 (guarded treasure) would ripen. Eating it might let it evolve—become a 蛟龙 (flood dragon).
It would endure, even if it meant 自爆妖丹 (self-destructing its demon core) later. That would buy time; the treasure could rebuild its core, maybe even push it to Sixth-order.
So it thrashed, ignoring the pain, its body 伤痕累累 (covered in wounds) but refusing to fall.
Cultivators relied on artifacts, but妖兽' greatest weapon was their 肉身 (flesh). This python's hide, tough as mid-grade spirit artifacts, had withstood countless blows. Only the combined might of six Foundation Establishment elders and nineteen top Qi Refinement disciples kept it in check.
Lin Yi, edging farther, drew closer to the cave. The cold grew 刺骨 (biting), but he pressed on.
*What if the python's treasure is inside?*
He reached the cave entrance, 颤抖着 (trembling) stepped in—and gasped.
The cave glowed faintly, lined with 冰晶 (ice crystals) that pulsed with spiritual energy. At its center sat a 莲花状宝物 (lotus-shaped treasure), its petals 散发幽光 (shimmering darkly)—the same aura as the Black Water Lotus seed, but 百倍浓郁 (a hundred times stronger).
*The python's treasure!*
Lin Yi's eyes widened. *This is worth dying for.*
Outside, the python's 嘶吼 (roar) grew weaker.
*Hurry.*
He staggered toward the lotus, the cold gnawing at his bones, his vision darkening.
*Just a little farther…*