Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Chapter 438: Chapter 438: A Non-Venomous Snake?

Near dusk, the desert turned orange-red under the sinking sun. Having rested, Yang Yu and his companions set forth once again, treading on the still-warm sands, in search of the Underground Maze within the desert.

Stepping into the territory designated by Jiao Sha, it seemed no different from the other regions, still consisting of shifting dunes and endless yellow sand.

Qing Shi carefully prodded the sandy surface with his long wooden staff, disturbing any hidden serpents.

Even his father had failed to detect the venomous snake lurking beneath the sand, suggesting it was most likely a desert creature.

Since it was a desert creature, it would react to vibrations to some degree. If they could just catch the serpent directly, it would be cause for universal rejoicing.

Yang Yu and the others followed closely behind Qing Shi. Based on Jiao Sha’s description, the snake moved with blinding speed, and they had to catch it before it could lunge out and bite Qing Shi to avoid any unnecessary casualties.

Ambling upon the sand, Qing Shi suddenly felt a slight vibration underfoot, reminiscent of quicksand flowing beneath but entirely different.

Before Qing Shi could discern what it was, a golden serpent shot out from the sand like lightning.

Catching sight of the venomous snake, Yang Yu swiftly raised his shield, calling out ”Protective Aid” as he moved beside Qing Shi. With his sword, he struck towards the snake, which nimbly twisted in midair, altering its direction to evade Yang Yu’s initial attack.

Had it been anyone else, they would have been too slow to dodge, but this was Yang Yu. Regardless of the serpent’s eerie contortions in the air, Yang Yu simply threw out his shield,

”Interception!”

An Illusion Shield unfolded in front of Yang Yu, against which the snake collided.

As previously agreed upon, Iyas swiftly drew an arrow from her quiver, aiming at the snake with ”Guaranteed Hit Arrow,” while Bai Jin began chanting, using her Magic Power to execute the ”Ice Cone Skill” in an attempt to freeze the still-warm sandy surface.

The snake slammed hard against the shield, realizing something was amiss, and turned its body along the Illusion Shield, aiming for the sand below.

But before it could twist and bury itself back into the sand, Iyas’s arrow whistled through the air, disappearing midway only to reappear without warning, striking the snake’s midsection.

The wounded serpent did not cease its writhing, diving into the sand, but fortunately, Bai Jin’s Ice Magic was swift. The ”Ice Cone Skill” arrived in time, freezing the snake’s bleeding wound, the sand, and the arrow that had pierced it together.

The snake thrashed its tail furiously, unable to burrow into the sand, and after a few struggles, lay still.

Yang Yu opened the panel which displayed no messages.

Only ordinary creatures would not produce any messages.

In other words, what harmed Jiao Sha was indeed just an ordinary venomous snake.

Having confirmed there was no danger, Yang Yu cautiously approached the exposed tail, pulling it out from the sand.

The smooth scales, the warm trickle of blood, and the very slow wriggling all confirmed the snake was still alive.

However, perhaps due to severe injury or the effect of Bai Jin’s Frost Magic, the snake’s movements had become extremely sluggish.

Extracting minerals and herbs from his pack, Qing Shi eagerly approached the snake. His bushy brows danced with excitement but then, in the next moment, Qing Shi furrowed his brows, standing in stunned silence, muttering to himself,

”How could it be? How could it be this kind of snake?”

Sensing the odd expression on Qing Shi’s face, Yang Yu asked, ”What’s actually going on? Why the long face?”

Qing Shi shook his head, ”This type of snake is called the Desert Golden Python, and it’s one of the most common snakes near the Gobi.”

”It’s a non-venomous snake.”

”Non-venomous?” Yang Yu flicked the snake in his hand and shrugged, ”So was that a waste of time?”

Looking at the snake in Yang Yu’s hand, Qing Shi frowned again, ”If it’s a regular Desert Golden Python, it should live near the edge of the desert where it can prey on small birds and mice. It shouldn’t appear so deep in the desert.

I’ve seen Desert Golden Pythons before. They certainly do bury themselves in the sand to ambush weaker prey and strike with incredible speed, but they absolutely wouldn’t burst out of the sand like that to attack passersby.”

As he flicked the snake, Yang Yu came to a sudden stop, carefully pinching the head of the snake and looking it right in the eyes.

The snake’s normally vertical pupils now appeared to be a murky gray, incredibly cloudy, as if it had cataracts.

”The snake’s vision isn’t very good, could it be...”

”Snakes don’t rely solely on their vision to hunt.”

Hearing Qing Shi’s assertive statement, Yang Yu suddenly recalled something he had seen on Animal Planet. Most snakes rely on the heat emitted by living beings to hunt, constantly flicking out their tongues to sense the thermal radiation around them.

Whether snakes living in the desert use thermal imaging to hunt, Yang Yu was not sure.

Perhaps they simply rely on vibrations on the surface of the sand to hunt.

Subconsciously, Yang Yu exerted more pressure in his hand, forcing the snake to open its mouth. The creature twisted a bit more violently. On looking inside the snake’s mouth, Yang Yu’s brows furrowed deeply.

”What has Yang Yu found?” Bai Jin and Iyas were puzzled, while Hake timidly stayed aside.

Yang Yu just turned the snake’s head toward everyone.

The snake didn’t have any tongue flickers; its mouth seemed to have been gnawed by something, creating a wide burrow.

Bai Jin and Iyas felt a chill inside them, Bai Jin searching her memory for any knowledge that could explain this, while Iyas tried to calm down as much as possible.

When she went hunting, she came across many snakes, but she had never seen anything like this before.

As he removed the arrows from its body, Yang Yu placed the snake onto the sandy ground. The snake wriggled a few times and then lay motionless.

Not sure whether snake soup was still an option; never mind, eating wild game seems rather risky...

Dismissing the thought that flashed through his mind, Yang Yu turned to Qing Shi, ”Have you ever come across this before?”

Qing Shi shook his head vigorously, ”I don’t think such a Desert Golden Python could still prey on anything, let alone launch an attack like just now. It’s like something was controlling it.”

”We can’t rule out that possibility.”

In Yang Yu’s mind, the thought of a creature he had heard of before surfaced—the shrink head fish louse.

It was an animal from the same Myriapoda order as the internet-famous King Footed Bug and the pillbug commonly kept as household pets. During their youth, they attach to fish gills, and as they grow, they eat the fish’s tongue, taking its place. Studies have shown that they release a pheromone that controls the fish’s diet to only consume specific foods.

Could this snake have been parasitized by a similar creature?

Could the organism be using some method to control the Desert Golden Python, giving the non-venomous snake poisonous traits and making it prone to attacking humans?

For now, Yang Yu did not know.