Chapter 133: Could It Be a Giant Serpent?

"I need to find a way to descend this cliff and reach the ground." Qin Feng felt that getting down the sheer precipice would be difficult, but he knew that solutions are created by the mind. He hoped to devise a plan to make his descent.

For now, he struggled to find a viable method, yet he persisted in his thoughts. If he remained trapped here, Su Yun might be in danger. At the thought of her, perhaps even now engaged in battle with the enemy, his heart tightened. If anything were to happen to her, he would lose the courage to go on. He told himself he must find a way.

"Stay calm. The more dangerous the situation, the more composure is required." He repeated this to himself. He knew he was temporarily trapped, and to escape, he had to remain level-headed; panic would only cloud his judgment.

"I can definitely find a way." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to settle. He retreated into his mind, searching for an answer. After a long while without success, he closed his eyes. Before doing so, he gripped his military dagger; he knew that in this mountain cave on the cliffside, danger could strike at any moment, and the weapon was his only defense.

He channeled his internal cultivation techniques, leaning against the cave wall to find stillness. Gradually, he became motionless, blending into the very stone of the cave. In his deep focus, he failed to notice his surroundings.

Time drifted by. At some point, sunlight began to spill into the cave, bringing a faint, gentle warmth. Vaguely, Qin Feng felt something crawling onto him. Absorbed in his thoughts, he ignored it—he was determined to leave this cave; he had no interest in distractions.

However, about half a minute later, he sensed that the creature had no intention of leaving. It seemed to be crawling across his face. It felt wet, soft, and slick—a sensation that suggested it was no ordinary creature. What was it?

Suddenly, Qin Feng grew alert. He carefully maintained his cultivation state. Having grown up in the jungle, he recalled the survival tips taught to him by Old Man Qin: do not move. Any sudden movement could lead to unpredictable and dire consequences.

Qin Feng held his breath, sensing the situation with heightened awareness. Based on his years of experience, he guessed it was a massive snake, and judging by its stealth, it was no common predator. To crawl into the cave and onto him without making a single sound spoke volumes about its ability to stalk prey. He realized that every creature in the jungle was formidable.

"A giant snake? But how did it get into this cave?" Countless questions swirled in his mind, though he had no answers.

He focused his senses and realized the snake was at least ten meters long. He recalled seeing a long, slithering shape near the cave entrance earlier, which had quickly vanished—it must have been this very serpent. He had never imagined something so large could be so adept at concealment.

Slowly, he felt the creature move away from his face. He cautiously opened his eyes and, by the light filtering into the cave, caught a glimpse that made him gasp. A giant snake, as thick as a water barrel and roughly twenty meters long, was coiled around a tree branch outside the cave, with its upper body draped over his neck, slithering deeper into the cavern. He was fortunate he hadn't moved; any twitch would have startled the beast.

"That was close, terrifyingly close!" Qin Feng realized his predicament was dire. The snake’s body was still coiled around him. If he panicked and struggled, the serpent would tighten its grip and crush him to death.

He sat perfectly still, regulating his breathing, terrified to make the slightest movement. He searched his mind for a way to respond. What kind of snake was this? Was it venomous? Would it attack? The snake’s head was obscured, but its skin was black with mottled markings, slick and cold to the touch—a true cold-blooded predator.

The giant snake continued to crawl over him, radiating a chilling aura. The most maddening part was his forced immobility; he felt as though he might break under the pressure.

The cave was deathly silent; not even the sound of the wind reached them. The sunlight dimmed, plunging the cave into darkness and heightening the sense of impending doom. Anyone else would have been driven to madness, but Qin Feng had grown up in the wilds and possessed nerves of steel. Even so, his skin crawled. He knew he was staring death in the face—a single misstep would turn him into the serpent’s next meal.

"What kind of snake is this, moving so slowly?" The serpent’s pace was agonizing, making every second feel like a century. He forced himself to play dead, hoping the snake would pass and grant him a chance to breathe and escape.

Yet, the more he wished for it to leave, the slower it moved—slower than a turtle. At times, it barely moved at all. Then, the snake’s body shifted with an eerie, rhythmic motion. It extended its head in front of Qin Feng, flicking its tongue. It seemed to be savoring the process, as if toying with its prey before the final squeeze. If Qin Feng had realized the creature was treating his terror as a game, he might have been driven to fury.