The female serpent demon gazed at Chen Jie with confused eyes, twisting her waist as she gradually approached him.
"Hmm! Handsome boy, staring at others like that comes with a price!"
Chen Jie wasn't interested in this serpent demon at all.
He had only glanced over earlier out of curiosity.
Her words posed no threat to him whatsoever.
Chen Jie ignored her.
"Looks like a cool, aloof little cutie!"
Instantly, the serpent demon grew intrigued.
She circled Chen Jie, weaving around him.
As she did, Chen Jie caught a strange scent in the air.
The moment he inhaled even a bit, a brief dizziness hit him.
However, with the presence of his Hongmeng Purification Qi, it barely affected him.
He felt dizzy for less than a second and immediately returned to normal.
This startled the serpent demon.
She had released her unique talent: Enthralling Perfume.
This ability could trap enemies in a complete illusion for a short period.
Even fifth-stage awakened had been once bewildered by her, unable to recover.
Yet this man only paused for a moment and effortlessly broke free of her perfume's effect.
It was unbelievable!
"Little brother, you're quite something! Interested in… following me?"
The serpent demon greedily looked at Chen Jie's handsome face, reaching out to toy with him.
"Back off!"
Chen Jie uttered the words lightly, but the authority behind them was enough to intimidate her.
This fifth-stage awakened, looking at him, felt an involuntary submission.
Her blood trembled, and even the hair on her body stood on end.
This wasn't just Chen Jie's natural aura—it was amplified by the Pangu bloodline coursing through him.
Before the Pangu bloodline, all bloodlines of the world must submit!
Scolded by Chen Jie, the serpent demon was furious.
"Impudent brat! How dare you tell me to back off!"
No one had ever spoken to her this way.
Feeling insulted, her once slender, white hands began to twist grotesquely, covered with toxic tumors, nails growing long.
She raised a "heart-piercing" strike toward Chen Jie's chest.
The serpent demon moved with incredible speed, reaching for him in an instant.
Chen Jie sidestepped, avoiding her strike, and simultaneously summoned the Open Heaven Axe, swinging it back at her hand.
The axe descended with overwhelming power.
The serpent demon's eyes widened.
A fourth-stage awakened could produce such force?
It was too late for her to retract her hand.
Slash!
In a single motion, Chen Jie's axe cut through her arm without hesitation.
Blood poured from the severed limb, half falling to the ground, half still attached, gushing fresh blood.
"Ahhh! Brat! How dare you hurt me!"
Enraged, her face twisted, revealing terrifying scales.
Her once pretty features were now dominated by monstrous traits.
Two fangs sprouted at her mouth, and a snake tongue flickered out.
She had completely transformed into a snake.
Remarkably, after her transformation, her severed arm regenerated on its own.
Chen Jie couldn't help but marvel—this serpent demon was clearly part lizard.
Even severed limbs could regrow!
The fully transformed serpent demon, in a frenzy, struck at Chen Jie with both claws toward his chest.
Chen Jie easily dodged with a backward step.
"You're not so impressive after all," he said with a smile.
He had thought a fifth-stage awakened would be formidable.
Now, it seemed ordinary.
Provoked further, the already enraged serpent demon became even more frenzied.
With a sudden spin, her tail lashed like a whip toward Chen Jie.
Her tail carried thick energy, whipping the surrounding air with a roaring wind.
Chen Jie reacted quickly, raising his axe to block.
Clang!
The collision delivered immense force.
Her tail was far stronger than her hands, and the evolved scales prevented Chen Jie from cutting through it.
Most other mutated monsters' tails would have been chopped into two by now.
After one clash, both stepped back, raising their weapons, ready for another strike.
At that moment, a spatial rift began to tremble.
It was time to enter the Huanggu Secret Realm.
The serpent demon glanced at the entrance, then at Chen Jie.
"Consider yourself lucky. When I come out, I'll deal with you properly! You know the people of my country, right? I promise to sever your limbs and soak them in jars!"
She spat out a threat, holding up her token, and in a flash, vanished into the secret realm.
The blue bird and the elephant followed closely, mimicking her entry.
"Quick escape," Chen Jie muttered.
He had intended to fight the serpent demon, but she left after only a single warning.
His main purpose was the secret realm anyway.
Leaping forward, he raised his own token and disappeared into the entrance.
Some others, unaware or of too low a stage, tried to follow.
Unfortunately…
Their bodies were crushed at the entrance before even entering.
Seeing the mangled attackers, the rest hesitated.
Only one or two higher-stage individuals dared to step in after some time.
…
The moment Chen Jie entered, the first sensation was the intense spatial pressure.
After a brief dizziness, he found himself in a new world.
The energy here was several times denser than outside.
Squawk!
Opening his eyes, he saw a bat the size of a space shuttle swoop from the sky.
Clearly seeing him as prey, it clawed toward him.
Chen Jie quickly blocked with the Open Heaven Axe.
Sparks flew as the bat's claws struck the axe.
Even lying in wait, he could feel its strength.
It was far stronger than the peak fourth-stage five-eyed monster he'd faced earlier.
If it weren't for his own power, that strike could have sent his axe flying.
Unfamiliar with the terrain, Chen Jie didn't want to clash head-on.
He quickly dodged into a nearby cave.