If it weren’t for the Little Fire Spirit’s talent in being impervious to all techniques and awakening him in time, Li Ji’an would have ended up with his entire magical power corroded by the Black Water, ultimately becoming food for this Illusory Moon Glaze Snake.

"Clearly, it’s just the aura of a Second-Tier late-stage entity. No matter how powerful the bloodline talent of its illusion techniques is, how could it possibly bewilder the sea of consciousness of someone like me, who is at the peak of the early-stage True Core?" Li Ji’an was surrounded and protected by a Glazed Cup and a Wind-Fire Fan, wearing a Tong Wood Protective Headband on his forehead, yet his heart was full of wariness.

Before setting out, he had already researched the Illusory Moon Glaze Snake thoroughly and understood the bloodline talent of its illusion techniques.

However, the bloodline talent of an ordinary Illusory Moon Glaze Snake is only on par with its realm, even if this snake is exceptionally talented and can bewilder a Fake Pill Divine Sense, that’s already its limit. Li Ji’an never expected it could actually deceive his own divine sense of which he was so proud.

For a moment, Li Ji’an’s face was gloomy, feeling not only fear but also a rare trace of anger.

"Vile creature, where are you escaping to?" Suddenly, faint ripples appeared under the Black Water in front. Li Ji’an’s eyes narrowed, and as soon as he spoke, the Glazed Lamp shot forward.

Boom~

The lamp was engulfed in raging flames, instantly evaporating that area of Black Water.

Sure enough, at the moment the Black Water vanished, a snake tail as thick as a small leg flashed and disappeared quickly into the surrounding Black Water, but this movement was loud enough that it’s hard to conceal its presence any longer.

"Truly a cunning creature!" Li Ji’an snorted coldly, unleashing his full magical power, transformed into a Fire Dragon to pursue.

Buzz~

However, he had only pursued a few zhang when a faint sense of anomaly arose in his sea of consciousness.

If it weren’t for the prior lesson, he might have ignored it, as the sensation was very similar to the soul erosion from the poisonous fog in the swamp – but now, without hesitation, he instructed Little Fire Spirit to circle around his head.

"Swish swish swish~" After dispelling the divine soul attack, Li Ji’an suddenly shot four array flags towards four directions.

This Four Symbols Array, although only at the mid-level of Second-Tier, and initially weak due to the fusion of trapping and killing arrays, required time, yet Li Ji’an did not expect this array alone to trap the demon snake — just blocking it temporarily would suffice.

Bang!

Just as the Four Symbols Array Flags linked up to form an array, a loud bang was heard.

At the same time, Li Ji’an finally saw the true form of the Snake Demon.

Its body was as thick as a barrel, over five zhang in length, appearing entirely glazed and translucent when immersed in Black Water, yet its whole body became as black as ink, with a head like a fierce tiger, eyes glinting malevolently.

Suddenly, as the Snake Demon smashed through the Four Symbols Array, it glanced back, with its vertically erected pupils emitting a soul power wave of rippling patterns.

Before Li Ji’an could issue commands, Little Fire Spirit had already stood in front, instantly burning away the soul power ripples.

"Huh?" In that fleeting glance, Li Ji’an felt a slight surprise.

A single cyan horn the size of an egg was seen on the forehead of this giant snake.

"A sign of ancestral return only seen in Celestial Grade bloodlines?"

The Illusory Moon Glaze Snakes recorded in the world are mostly of Quasi-Earth Grade bloodlines. The lowest ranking ones that can advance to Second-Tier have at least Upper Grade bloodlines, offering hope to elevate a spirit beast’s bloodline to Upper Grade when a Sacred Beast Pill is refined from its innate origin.

Yet this Glaze Snake, its forehead bearing a single horn, evidently exceeds the realm of Earth Grade bloodlines.

For in this realm, only demon beasts with Celestial Grade bloodlines have a one-in-ten-thousand chance of undergoing ancestral return.

Upon successful ancestral return, it truly transforms in quality, becoming part of the Demon Race, no longer a demon beast.

At that time, reaching Tier Four transformation, it would be considered equal to the Human Race.

"A mutated Celestial Grade bloodline... Gugu is fortunate!" Li Ji’an gathered himself, feeling pleased as his speed erupted again.

If he does not manage to capture this snake demon this time and allows it time to hide and recuperate, perhaps the next encounter would be the other way around.

The potential of a Celestial Grade bloodline in a Glaze Snake is incalculable, with hope for breaking through to Tier Four given enough time.

Now he understood how its late second-tier form could employ illusionary divine abilities against someone like him - it was due to the Celestial Grade bloodline’s empowerment.

"Swoosh!" As Li Ji’an closed in, he immediately launched the God-Binding Rope.

The Glaze Snake, sensing the threat, promptly delved deeper into the Black Water.

With the rope missing its target, Li Ji’an’s expression grew even more serious as this snake demon’s sensing abilities were unusually keen, coupled with a home-ground advantage, making it difficult to capture.

Yet, even if not to avenge the illusion attack, for Gugu’s future, he must capture it at any cost.

Boom boom boom~

The Glaze Snake fled as Li Ji’an pursued, with flames evaporating the Black Water along the way, leaving a temporary stretch of black mud road.

The commotion attracted cultivators from a thousand li around, glancing towards them.

Many dared to approach within a hundred li, witnessing the all-encompassing flames and the spectacle of black earth cracked by the scorching, all filled with lingering fear, unable to believe how many lives they would need if such a True Man turned against them, so they hastily retreated far.

It wasn’t until three days later, as Li Ji’an was about to lock onto the Glaze Snake’s seven-inch vulnerability, that his heart tightened at the sight of a Withered Wood Beach formed by toppled withered woods nearby.

The Glaze Snake had led him to the border of the Illusory Phantom Forest.

"Swoosh~" Without hesitation, Li Ji’an activated the Tier Three Ice Talisman in his hand.

The talisman materials for the Tier Three Ice Talisman were unlike other talismans, requiring ice attribute materials, and over the years, he possessed only this one, thus using it sparingly, initially unwilling to use it for this snake.

Yet now he had no choice but to expend it.

"Crack crack~" In an instant, with the place where the Glaze Snake delved as the center, the Black Water transformed into solid ice, rapidly extending outward.