Chapter 1269: Golden Crown Snake
Lin Yun glanced at Viper and casually said, "Kill him."
Before Viper even realized it, he was encased in three meters of ice holding him in place.
The enraged Xiuban appeared above Viper and swung Carnage with both hands, smashing straight through the ice. The earthen radiance was covering the surface of Carnage, and space shook alongside Xiuban's blow.
A loud explosion echoed as the ice shattered into pieces alongside the frozen Viper.
Since their objective was secured, Viper was unnecessary. Lin Yun sized up the place, noticed a black-red grass below him, and picked it up. As he noticed the veined pattern on the surface of the weed, a flash of understanding suddenly appeared on Lin Yun's face.
Poisonous Dragon Grass… This kind of thing could only grow in places where Golden Crown Snakes lived. This thing growing here and the dense aura of death reminded Lin Yun why that poisonous fog was so familiar.
Lin Yun hadn't been fond of reading books with cryptic magic knowledge back in the decaying library. After all, even the most formidable magic books were no different from paper waste at the time. Lin Yun had been more fond of reading novel-like biographies to pass his time.
But seeing that Poisonous Dragon Grass refreshed his memory.
There was a record of a snake appearing in the Odin Kingdom a few hundred years from now, but that Golden Crown Snake wasn't in good condition. 90% of its body had become undead, and only its head had yet to be corroded. Unfortunately, it had already lost its intellect as it was on the verge of finishing its undead transformation.
The poison started to spread in the Odin Kingdom and infected everything within a few hundred kilometers. All lifeforms were poisoned to death, and only the poisonous flora and fauna survived.
A majestic hunt was set in motion, and countless heroes came forward to kill that crazy Golden Crown Snake, leaving behind many inspiring and sad tales.
Although that was how the story was recorded, the real reason behind the hunt was greed.
Golden Crown Snakes didn't have mana crystals and their flesh was very toxic, but it was also that toxic flesh that brought them to extinction.
They were already going extinct during the Era of Gods. Although their bodies contained extreme toxins, they could be processed into outstanding detoxifying materials with a very simple treatment. It could even suppress the poison of Ancient Poison Dragons. Furthermore, if its level was high enough, it could even cure the poison of an Ancient Poison Dragon.
According to legends, the flesh of a Golden Crown Snake also had the ability to alter one's constitution. Thus, the Golden Crown Snakes became extinct during the era of Gods… Or perhaps it would be better to say that they had been eaten into extinction.
With one appearing in the Odin Kingdom, how could these major forces give up on it?
Lin Yun flew up and looked at every corner of this small plane, but didn't find any trace of the Golden Crown Snake. They had a very special ability. They didn't have a mana crystal, but they were extremely gifted when it came to space, able to hide behind space itself.
"Powerhouse of the Dynson Clan, I hold no evil intent. On the contrary, I can cure your injury."
"Dynson" was what the Golden Crown Snakes called themselves. They were one of the rare magic beast races with high intelligence, and they didn't like to be called snakes.
Lin Yun loudly shouted once, but got no answer.
"Your injury should have already spread to 60% of your body, and you'll completely lose your intelligence within four to five hundred years as you finally turn into one of the undead.
"Powerhouse of the Dynson Clan, are you resigned to become an undead without intelligence? Even if you complete the undead transformation now, you won't be able to keep your intellect. Your wisdom can only be preserved if you remain in good condition."
Lin Yun tried to convince it again, but there was no change in his surroundings.
Lin Yun sighed, 'That Golden Crown Snake is very wary of all lifeforms, or it wouldn't have remained in this small, cage-like plane for over a millennium until it lost its intelligence.'
Lin Yun extended a finger, and a faint spatial fluctuation appeared before his eyes. If that wisp of spatial fluctuation was released, it would shatter a fingernail-sized part of space and create a chain reaction that would destroy this entire plane.
This was why no one dared to provoke a spatial mage during Noscent's peak: Every single one of them was able to destroy a small plane.
A Peak Heaven Rank Spatial Mage would be provoked by a family in the future, but they weren't afraid of that spatial mage since they had a powerhouse who had ignited his Godfire. Ultimately, the revenge of the spatial mage came as 11 of the 16 planes in the hands of that families ended up being destroyed, while that powerhouse with ignited Godfire was unable to capture him.
Even with his incomplete comprehension of the Spatial Law, Lin Yun could collapse such a small plane.
"Powerhouse of the Dynson Clan, I said I had no evil intent, but if you don't come out, I can only shatter this small plane. Could it be that you are willing to slowly die in a place where you can't even stretch your body?"
Xiuban scratched his head as he watched Lin Yun continuously shouting towards the sky before mumbling, "Such a big place isn't big enough for someone to stretch? Sir Merlin must be joking…"
The spatial fluctuation at Lin Yun's fingertip fluctuated more and more fiercely, and the surrounding space already started shuddering. The snake hiding here would no longer be able to remain there once the space collapsed.
An aged and feeble voice suddenly echoed throughout the plane.
"Human, stay your hand."
As the voice echoed, a phantom seemed to appear in the plane. It was the phantom of a snake, with a body that was several hundred meters thick and an unknown length.
The phantom rapidly congealed, and seeing that huge body appear, everyone looked at it with foolish expressions.
The snake's body was like a huge wall surrounding the edge of the plane. It was at least forty to fifty kilometers in length. The front half was in good condition. The scales looked as if they were made out of dark gold, and the top of the head looked like a crown made of gold.
Moreover, the head wasn't very snake-like; it gave a dragon-like impression to Lin Yun. There was no gloominess and coldness of a snake, only the majestic and imposing radiance of wisdom.
However, the latter half of the body was nothing but bones. There wasn't a single piece of flesh. The flesh at the boundary between the two parts of the body was continuously withering.
Although Lin Yun knew that the body of a Golden Crown Snake was huge, he was still stunned upon seeing it. Looking at the snake's body, Lin Yun guessed that it could last a few centuries due to its size.
The Golden Crown Snake's head was lying on the ground, seemingly exhausted, but he was still on guard as he looked at Lin Yun.
"Human, what do you want?"
Lin Yun sighed inwardly. There was research during the peak of Noscent that unveiled that directly using the flesh of Golden Crown Snakes was wasteful and extravagant. Their venom, golden crown, and a wisp of heart blood could nurture a Poisonous Dragon Grass into a new kind of plant that was a lot more effective than the Golden Crown Snake's flesh. It was also more suitable for human consumption.
More importantly, as long as there was a cutting of that plant, it could keep being nurtured and could multiply. Moreover, not only could antidotes be compounded with that plant called Golden Crown Grass, but even potions that improved one's constitution and permanently increased poison resistance could be compounded.
Unfortunately, by that point, Golden Crown Snakes hadn't been seen in Noscent for over ten millennia. The last ones were seen in the Undead Plane, but at the time, the mages of Noscent had already lost interest in killing Golden Crown Snakes, so they let those ancient lifeforms with outstanding intelligence live.
Later, the relationship slowly eased, and the humans gained a lot more information about ancient history from the Golden Crown Snakes. Many techniques ended up being developed thanks to the Golden Crown Snakes. There were very few magic beast races that humans would treat as equals during the Magic Era, and they were one of them.
"Powerhouse of the Dynson Clan, I want to make a deal with you. I'll cure your injury and even tell you where your clan is right now…"
Before Lin Yun finished his words, the snake's exhausted eyes suddenly burst with a terrifying light and a terrifying pressure blossomed. That snake had been at least Level 45 during his prime.
"Human, this joke isn't funny at all…"
Although he said so, everyone could tell that he wasn't calm. Before Lin Yun could speak again, the Golden Crown Snake got impatient and asked, "Human, what do you want? 10 tons of my flesh? Is that enough?"
Lin Yun calmly shook his head.
"I don't need your flesh. I'll cure you, and in exchange, you'll give you a drop of your purest saliva, a piece of your golden crown, and a drop of your heart's blood.
"And to tell you where your clan is, I'll need your memory, from the start of the 3rd Dynasty to its destruction. At your age, you should definitely have memories of those times."
The Golden Crown Snake slowly raised his head and seriously looked at Lin Yun for a few minutes. His gaze was shining with a complicated light… He was pleasantly surprised, doubtful, and puzzled.
"Strange human, I can accept your deal. Moreover, you can tell me your name. My name is very long, but you can call me Rikk."
Surprise flashed in Lin Yun's eyes. The most straightforward proof of a Golden Crown Snake's friendship was them initiating an exchange of names.
"I'm Mafa Merlin. Rikk, I'll start, but I need your help. I want you to use your power to suppress the death power."
Lin Yun flew to the boundary between Rikk's normal body and undead body and immediately sensed that the death power was flaring up and combusting.
The death aura on the surface of Rikk's body was terrifyingly dense, and it was even purer than the Undead Essence of the low-level undead.
Lin Yun took out the Book of Death, summoned Lagulin and Barton, and had them devour the death aura. He then summoned the undead prince. The Heaven Rank Undead obediently listened to Lin Yun's command and devoured the death aura.
That pure death power was a lot stronger than the three summons. Just like Undead Essence, it could be used to increase their own strength.
Lin Yun looked at the Sage Chapter with a grin. The Sage Chapter had thoroughly lost its function after he reached the Heaven Rank since the Ultimate Spells that Lin Yun could copy were of no use in a battle between Heaven Rank powerhouses. To strengthen it, it would need to devour Undead Essence, and a huge amount of it.
He couldn't hunt so many of the undead in Noscent, so he could only strengthen it in the Undead Plane.
He now had an opportunity, as Rikk's death power could compare to Undead Essence of undead beings over Level 20. It was enough to strengthen the Sage Chapter.
He roused the Sage Chapter, and the death power covering Rikk's undead body turned into a flood that poured into it.
After a few seconds, a huge phantom stone tablet appeared in the air, and the death power poured into it even more fiercely.
Numerous runes appeared on the back of the stone tablet, and a fifth line appeared on the front. This meant that spells from the 1st Tier to the 5th Tier could now be stored.
As the Sage Chapter kept on devouring, flesh slowly grew on Rikk's bones, spreading from the center to his tail. The undead transformation was rapidly receding.
After an hour, the 6th line appeared on the surface of the Sage Chapter.
Three hours later, the 7th line appeared, but there was only one slot.
Six hours later, Rikk's body had recovered. It was just that the lower half of his body seemed to have lost its luster, as if he was in poor health.
As for the Sage Chapter, there were seven lines where spells could be stored. The first line showed 128 slots, which meant that 128 1st Tier Spells could be stored.
There were two slots on the seventh line at the top, which meant that two 7th Tier Spell could be stored. Moreover, a 7th Tier Spell that could be stored would display the power of a Peak 9th Tier Spell!
Seeing Rikk's weak appearance, Lin Yun hesitated for a bit before opening his Demiplane and pouring the Mana Water from his mana lake into Rikk's mouth like a waterfall.
Rikk opened his mouth and let the waterfall in. Lin Yun stopped after a dozen minutes, and Rikk no longer looked exhausted. The bottom half of his body had also regained its luster, and his aura sharply rose to Level 46.
Rikk looking at Lin Yun with a complicated expression.
"Thank you, Mafa Merlin. You are different from all humans… No, you are different from all lifeforms I've encountered before. You have gained the friendship of the Dynson Clan. These are the things you needed."
After saying those words, Rikk opened his mouth and a huge sphere of water flew out. It was followed by a similar sphere of blood and an even larger piece of his golden crown.
Lin Yun was somewhat stunned when he saw these things.
He had originally expected some saliva, a drop of heart blood, and a fist-sized piece of the golden crown…
Evidently, Rikk had calculated the amount based on his own size.
But this wasn't a huge loss to Rikk. It was no different from pricking one's finger to draw a drop of blood. But to Lin Yun, it meant that he wouldn't need to cultivate cuttings or seeds. He could directly nurture a large patch of Golden Crown Grass, and the leftover materials could be used in experiments without any scruples.
Naturally, with the Mana Water he was fed, Rikk didn't take a loss. After all, a bottle of Mana Water was enough for Lin Yun to restore all his mana, and the Mana Water Rikk was given was enough for Lin Yun's mana to be restored a few dozen thousand times. Yet, this was only enough for Rikk to restore his mana once.
After Lin Yun put away these materials, Rikk once again spat out a sphere exuding soul power. He then glanced at Lin Yun's small body and condensed that 100-meter sphere into a 1-meter-tall crystal.
"Those are my memories from the start of the 3rd Dynasty to its destruction. There is a lot… You should be able to find what you are looking for. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask, my friend."
Lin Yun put away the crystal, his expression somewhat serious. The Dynson Clan's members had long lifespans. An ordinary clansman could live for over ten millennia, while a few dozen millennia was nothing to a more powerful clansman.
The worth of that crystal couldn't be calculated. There might be a lot of enlightenment inside, and it might even contain the truth regarding the fall of the 3rd Dynasty.
After receiving the crystal, Lin Yun sent a few runes into Rikk's head.
"There should be some tribes of your clan in the Abyss and in the Undead Plane, but I only know the coordinates of those in the Undead Plane. You should find them if you go there."
Rikk appeared somewhat excited after getting a hold of the coordinates. He opened his mouth and spat a rune onto Lin Yun's body.
"Mafa Merlin, my friend, I hope to meet you again, but I can't wait to look for my clansmen. I'll welcome you if you ever come to the Undead Plane."
After saying those words, Rikk's huge body squeezed through this small plane's space as he disappeared into the void.
Lin Yun looked at the rune on his arm and involuntarily chuckled.
This was the blessing of the Dynson Race. It would be hard to be poisoned with it.
Lin Yun smiled as he watched Rikk disappear.
The Dynson race was extremely venomous, as their flesh and blood contained terrifying venom. This was well-known, but that didn't mean that the places they lived in were full of poison. This was the complete opposite of Ancient Poison Dragons.
Ancient Poison Dragons were the source of plagues, a source that continuously released toxins. But regular Golden Crown Snakes didn't release poison.
To be continued