Chapter 22

After the shock subsided, the man quickly regained his composure.

Indeed, the Soul-Annihilating Nail from earlier was devoured by this creature, indicating its stomach acid could dissolve such supernatural items.

What a terrifying ability. If it can defy even superior magical artifacts, what more could it do as it grows?

The man’s eyes shimmered, his thoughts wavering. Should he let this creature go or not?

The Pink Snake paid no attention to the peculiar insect’s internal conflict. Seeing the nail dissolved by its stomach acid, it tilted its round head, blinked its large eyes, wearing a pensive expression.

The bronze head, with most of its features dissolved, appeared even more twisted and malevolent, its eyes now emitting a much weaker red glow. With each moment, its energy diminished by around forty to fifty percent.

Unaware of the nail being on the brink of collapse, the Pink Snake continued unperturbed, while the man immediately sensed the impending breakdown.

The sealing power on the right leg began to weaken.

The man intensified his efforts to extract the blood from the bronze nail in reverse, causing the once dyed nail to rapidly lose its color. The rust that had been corroded by the stomach acid began to regrow.

Seeing the brilliant gold covered by dark green rust, the Pink Snake anxiously let out two cries. It believed the prey was regaining its strength.

“Yue~~~~~~~”

It stuck its chubby fingers into its throat, emitting a series of retching sounds.

The man, discreetly contending with the bronze nail for blood, was left speechless.

Once again, the atmosphere of terror dispersed, and the sensation of temporal disarray grew stronger. He seriously pondered whether the adjacent space to the realm of infinite terror was a fairy tale town, wondering why a hole had opened in the dimensional wall, allowing this little creature to slip through.

His mind in disarray, the blood he had just seized was forcefully drawn back by the bronze nail. It seemed his essence could prolong the endurance of these magical artifacts.

The man promptly regained his focus, controlling the blood flow.

“Yue~~~~~~~”

The continuous retching sound persisted as the Pink Snake scratched its throat, tears of discomfort streaming from its large eyes.

The man glanced over, his mouth twitching slightly, a bit distracted.

What on earth was this little creature doing? The more he watched, the more foolish it seemed…

The underlying intent to kill repeatedly loosened its hold, the cute and silly appearance indeed a tool to disarm hostility. The man quietly sighed.

A wave of intense nausea hit, prompting the Pink Snake to hurriedly remove its fingers from its throat and crawl up to the bronze nail. It extended its neck over the nail, opened its mouth, and vomited out a pink, sticky substance, strands dripping onto the bronze head.

Hiss… the sound of metal corrosion echoed as black smoke emanated from the bronze head. The eyes, once gleaming with crimson light, suddenly extinguished.

The man finally grasped the creature’s intentions, a smirk playing on his lips as he promptly reclaimed his blood.

The dark red nail swiftly rusted over, while the bronze head’s eyes, dimly flickering, struggled weakly, as if in their final throes. Through the unspoken understanding between man and snake, this artifact was nearing its end.

Seeing the head still intact, the Pink Snake once again inserted its finger into its throat, tears welling in its eyes as it scratched a few times.

“Yue~~~~~~~~”

The tender voice was filled with discomfort.

The man’s lips curled up, but his brows furrowed, a mix of amusement and bewilderment. He never could have imagined this bizarre way of fighting.

As the feeling of nausea returned, the Pink Snake opened its mouth and sprayed out a torrent of vomit. A thicker, more viscous layer of slime fell onto the head of the nail, the sizzling sound incessant as black smoke billowed out.

The bronze head was now devoid of any features, only the two eyes shimmering with red light. Alongside the erosion caused by the slime, the metal atop its head melted into a semi-liquid substance, gradually covering these two sinister cavities.

The crimson light was slowly consumed until it vanished entirely. The twisted and eerie human head dissolved into an uneven metal ball within the billowing black smoke, no longer featuring any vague facial features or ominous aura.

With a soft click, the nail suddenly split open, releasing a rich fragrance.

The Pink Snake, watching eagerly from the side, immediately let out a delighted chirp. It knew this method would work.

The man maintained a vigilant watch over the battle, observing as the Pink Snake suddenly started spinning in place, its chubby body twisting and turning, short arms waving in the air, displaying a joyful demeanor. A faint smile involuntarily tugged at the man’s lips.

In the depths of the darkness, a faint greenish glow overflowed from the cracked eyes of the stone statue. A silent gust of Yin energy brushed past.

The hint of a smile in the man’s eyes briefly faltered, replaced by a sharp gaze that swept across.

A greater danger had arrived, yet he remained composed, without words or panic, simply retracting his gaze and returning his focus to the little creature.

The Pink Snake hurriedly rushed forward, embracing the nail and giving it a forceful tug. As expected, its chubby body rolled out clumsily, landing with a head full of stars.

The man closed his eyes and let out a gentle sigh.

The Pink Snake, struggling to its feet, eagerly opened its mouth, elongated its neck, and raised the nail high with its small hands, slowly guiding it into its throat.

The classic art of sword swallowing played out once more.

As the man opened his eyes, a smile emerged in his dark gaze.

The nail was long, the snake’s body was long; this method of swallowing was not particularly difficult. A surging energy burned in its belly, searing every cell as the Pink Snake hummed and lay down, gently patting its stomach.

The man lifted his right leg, glancing at the foot pierced by the nail. Not a drop of blood tainted his shoe, not even the sock inside remained spotless.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” he spoke in a deep tone. “Removing the nails from my left hand and right foot, leaving the nails from my right hand and left foot on the ground, are you intentionally keeping me still?”

The Pink Snake didn’t comprehend, just turned its head, its big watery eyes looking back innocently.

The man moved past it, gazing towards the depths of the cave.

“The Ghost Mother has awakened.”

As he spoke, the thousands of candles placed in the niches on the walls suddenly ignited simultaneously, crackling and roaring as the fierce tongues of flame licked away the thick darkness, revealing the terrifying visage of the stone statue.

A green face, four fangs, ample bosom, and a belly as large as a mountain. The hideous and grotesque appearance of the Ghost Mother was a psychological assault in itself.

The man gazed expressionlessly at the stone statue.

The Pink Snake startled, its scales exploding outward.

A gust of chilling wind swept through, causing the candles to flicker and the light to dim. Once again, the depths of the cave were engulfed by darkness.

The man stared intently at that corner, the terrifying ghostly face still vividly reflected in his eyes.

As the cold wind subsided, an eerie quiet settled over the cave. The crackling of the burning candles inexplicably vanished.

“Ai!” A sudden piercing scream shattered the silence.

The Pink Snake, trembling, extended its tiny hand, pointing with a frightened expression towards the hidden stone statue in the darkness.

Two faint greenish glows emerged in the darkness, the silent opening of the Ghost Mother’s eyes.

“Quick, leave!” the man urged sharply. With a swift motion, his right leg swept out, kicking the chubby snake towards the partially open door.

There was still time to escape now!

The snake tumbled towards the door, then turned back, cursing, “Damn you!”

It couldn’t understand human language, let alone the man’s intent behind kicking it. Despite its small size, it had quite a large temper.

The man: “…”

Can’t we just film a horror movie properly?

With no other choice, the man was preparing to conjure a blood bead to shoot at the small creature, hoping to force it to leave. However, the creature had already turned around and clumsily climbed onto the door frame. It seemed to know when to hang around and when to depart.

The man sighed in relief, about to move his right hand and left leg when intense pain, akin to a high-voltage shock, pierced through his body. Whether the creature had intended this or not, he still couldn’t move under these circumstances.

The man quickly abandoned his futile struggles and swiftly scanned the cave with sharp eyes, seeking a breakthrough.

The Pink Snake climbed onto the door frame but didn’t slip out through the crack. With the nail it had consumed and the intense hunger raging within its body, it couldn’t bear to leave. Three more delectable morsels remained, easily within reach—it couldn’t bring itself to leave!

It lay on the door frame, alternating its gaze between the strange creature and the dark stone statue, tail tip swaying hesitantly from side to side.

A hollow sound echoed from its belly, the itching sensation burning its cells. The Pink Snake squinted its eyes and clenched its tiny hands into fists.

For a single bite, it was ready to fight!

Meanwhile, the man mirrored the exact same action as the little creature. He raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and suddenly, a stream of fresh blood gushed from the wound on his hand’s back. Rather than dripping down, it defied gravity’s control, forming a thin membrane that spread along his skin.

In a moment, his left hand was covered by a crimson blood membrane, akin to wearing a glove, where the liquid had solidified into a substance harder than diamond.

The man extended his crimson left hand towards his imprisoned right hand.

The bronze nail embedded in his right palm twisted its neck to look at him, its pitch-black eyes rapidly flashing with red light. Its mouth opened, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. Anyone who touched it would certainly meet a grisly end, their soul scattered to the winds.

The man grinned wickedly, without hesitation, he gripped the nail firmly and pulled it out with force. If all five Soul-Annihilating Nails were intact, he would never have taken this risk. However, with two destroyed already, the power of this set of artifacts had significantly diminished, and with his strength, he felt completely fearless.

The sharp fangs fiercely sank into the man’s left palm.

A metallic clang resounded as the sharp fangs snapped against the blood membrane, breaking off completely. Following that, with a crisp crack, the bronze head atop the nail was ruthlessly crushed flat by the man’s iron fist, rendering it powerless.

The man abruptly sat up, his upper body now free.

Simultaneously, the Pink Snake slid off the door frame and darted into the cave, scratching its throat. As it approached, it vomited stomach acid onto the nail embedded in the strange creature’s left foot.

Hissing sounds ensued as the human head on the nail melted away. The snake spat two more blobs of stomach acid onto the nail, reducing the bronze head to an uneven sphere emitting black smoke.

Quickly, the snake pulled out the nail, swallowed it whole, all within half a minute.

Just as the man sat up, he witnessed this scene unfold. His sharp eyebrows couldn’t help but arch slightly. He thought the small creature had fled long ago, but it had returned with such courage, daring to cooperate so seamlessly with him.

Fully regaining his freedom, the man bent his knees, half-kneeling, his right hand supporting the ground. With determination, his blood-membrane-covered left hand gripped the nail embedded in his heart and he pulled it out forcefully.

A thunderous wave of pain struck his brain, cold sweat falling like raindrops to the ground. Struggling to stifle any cries of agony, the man nearly ground his teeth to bits.

Sliding closer, the Pink Snake tilted its head, looking at the strange creature. It could empathize with it, having endured the piercing sting itself. It truly was excruciating!

This memory triggered another, igniting fury in its black eyes towards another creature.

With a muffled thud, the nail was pulled from his heart. Instead of spilling out, the blood remained trapped within the violently pulsating organ. It took the man some time to catch his breath before lifting his drenched head to gaze at the small creature.

The unspoken bond forged in battle reminded him of his departed brother.

The Pink Snake, noticing his gaze, hurriedly extended its chubby little hand, pointing towards the two nails and then towards its wide-open mouth.

Feed me!

Though unable to speak, it clearly conveyed its desire.

The man smirked, pretending not to understand, wrapping the nails in the blood membrane and placing them into his shirt pocket. He then shifted his gaze towards the depths of darkness.

Two eerie green flames flickered from his eyes as they narrowed, now wide open with a cold, vengeful glare. The Ghost Mother was fully awakened!

A piercing gust of Yin wind howled, slamming the open door shut with a thunderous bang. The only escape route had been cut off.

The man and the snake looked at each other, one stepping forward to shield the other, while the other trembled, retreating and using its companion as a shield, both tiny hands clutching the other’s ankles.

“Ji ji~” Fear…