Cave Refuge

Zachary wasn't foolish either. Facing the provocation of that snake head, Zachary directly took out a missile from the Storage Space, instantly refined it with the Art of Controlling Objects, and then hurled it forcefully toward the location of the snake head.

The refining process of the Art of Controlling Objects was different from the normal refining of Magical Weapons. Normally, the time taken to refine Magical Weapons would increase with the rank of the treasure, but once refined, one could completely control the Magical Weapon and even remotely use its inherent skills.

However, the so-called refining in the Art of Controlling Objects was different. Rather than refining, it was more about expending one's own Spirit Power to overlay the object one wished to command, after which it could be controlled.

If that were all, the relationship between the Art of Controlling Objects and the refining of Magical Weapons wouldn't be much, and the Art of Controlling Objects would actually be more convenient and trouble-free than normal refining.

But in reality, controlling an object with the Art of Controlling Objects was like an unmanned drone without a set password, which anyone could connect to.

Although at first it was you who were using it, if faced with someone whose mana was stronger than yours, then the objects you controlled with the Art of Controlling Objects could instantly be snatched away by those more powerful individuals and turned against you for an attack.

On the other hand, those Magical Weapons that were conventionally refined, even by individuals more powerful than you, could only be restricted by various means during battle. They wouldn't be able to directly take ownership from you during the fight.

The missile that had been thrown from Zachary's hands swiftly flew toward the position of the snake head on the surface of the water.

Unlike an ordinary venomous snake, which would counterattack with its mouth when facing danger, the Fake Yamata no Orochi, upon seeing the missile thrown by Zachary, did not bite at it. Instead, it spat out a stream of venom.

The venom spat out by a normal venomous snake at most possessed strong toxity, but the venom emitted by the Fake Yamata no Orochi actually had strong corrosive properties. It could not only corrode and destroy the metal shell of the missile, but even the mana that Zachary had overlaid on the missile with the Art of Controlling Objects was corroded away.

The missile, struck by the venom, didn't have a chance to get close to the snake head and dropped into the water as if it had lost control.

Zachary hadn't expected that, in movies and TV dramas, missiles would explode directly when damaged during flight, but the missile he threw, although damaged by the enemy while flying, did not explode. Instead, it fell into the water like a piece of wood.

Zachary had already considered that the missile he threw might not inflict much damage on the snake head, but what he didn't anticipate was that his missile wouldn't even get close to the enemy.

At this moment, the Flying Sword under Zachary's feet suddenly retreated a long distance. Just below where Zachary had been moments earlier, a snake head with a gaping maw suddenly emerged from the water.

If Zachary hadn't moved away earlier, it was very likely he would have ended up inside the snake's belly. Although he could have used the Three Flags inside the snake's stomach, as he did last time when he encountered that colossal creature,

But the saying remains, using the Three Flags is possible, yet Zachary would never take such a risk by entering the enemy's stomach himself.

About the sudden sneak attack from that snake head underneath the water, Zachary had actually noticed it when the creature began to move. After all, as soon as the Fake Yamata no Orochi appeared, Zachary had been continuously using his Divine Sense to firmly lock onto its eight snake heads. Therefore, every move of those snake heads was under Zachary's observation.

The moment he met it, Zachary discerned from the opponent's snake eyes that it certainly possessed Spiritual Wisdom. Therefore, the fact that it could carry out such a sneak attack was not beyond Zachary's expectations.

Since both sides had already made their probing moves, Zachary likewise started to get serious.

If in the Cultivation World, the Three Flags represented the bullying of the weak by the strong, then the vast majority of Sword Cultivators were the epitome of the weak overcoming the strong.

In the world of sword cultivation, there's a saying that goes, "No matter the myriad techniques of the world, I shall break them all with a single sword."

The most widespread use of the Sword Control Technique is for Sword Flight, but what made it widely known was the skill "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin."

Although unleashing "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin" is similar to summoning the Hundred Ghosts with the Hundred Ghosts Banner, relying on numbers for battle, the fierce ghosts summoned can only achieve a combined effect of no more than "1+1=2."

However, if "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin" is used against a single target, each successive sword inflicts more damage than the last, this cumulative effect can ultimately achieve an impact of "1+1>10."

While witnessing Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin with ten thousand True Swords is utterly breathtaking, in practice, when most people use it, they often use a single, frequently-refined Flying Sword as a reference, creating a vast number of duplicate energy swords using their own mana.

After each energy sword strikes its target, not only does it cause physical damage, but it doesn't disappear immediately either; instead, it enters the opponent's body. As the attacks from other energy swords continue, the accumulated energy grows, and if the target still hasn't perished, this stored energy can be detonated, inflicting a finishing blow.

Naturally, because Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin relies on one's own mana to summon the duplicate energy swords, most people do not actually summon ten thousand energy swords due to insufficient energy. They usually cease energy supply after only dozens or maybe hundreds of swords.

Of course, the stronger the energy sword being copied, the more energy required to summon it, but the summoned energy swords are naturally stronger too. This is an unchanging truth.

For Dong Tianyu, the Flying Sword under his feet, although not Blood Refined into a Lifebound Magical Treasure with Essence Blood, was vitally important to him. It was essential not only for confronting powerful enemies in battle but also for making a quick escape if the fight turned unfavorable.

So despite its infrequent use in combat, every time the Flying Sword was deployed, it achieved a one-strike kill.

This time was no exception. Initially, Dong Tianyu wanted to attack directly with the Flying Sword, but upon seeing the venom spewed by the Snake Head—capable of corroding both the missile's metal casing and the energy coating on its surface—he ultimately chose not to attack directly with the Flying Sword to ensure safety.

As Dong Tianyu was surrounded by energy swords, the Snake Head that had been above water began to slowly sink, as if afraid.

However, Dong Tianyu's Divine Sense noticed that this time, several Snake Heads were gathering right beneath where his Flying Sword hovered.

The nearby Snake Head wasn't sinking because it feared the energy swords summoned by Dong Tianyu, but because it shared a body with several other Snake Heads. As those Snake Heads moved closer to Dong Tianyu, the body of the Fake Yamata no Orochi seemed to run short of length.

Though Dong Tianyu noticed these underwater tactics, the tips of the energy swords circling him still pointed towards the Snake Head emerging from the distant water.

Watching the slowly sinking Snake Head, Dong Tianyu did not launch an attack but remained stationary, even as the number of energy swords around him kept growing.

When the distant Snake Head suddenly dove into the water, the tips of the energy swords around Dong Tianyu instantly shifted direction downwards, and Dong Tianyu was promptly carried aloft by his Flying Sword.

This time, not only did a Snake Head extend from right below Dong Tianyu, but six more encircled him. Had Dong Tianyu moved as before in any direction, any movement would have provoked an attack from a Snake Head.

This time, Dong Tianyu's sudden leap into the sky perfectly evaded the encirclement laid by the Snake Heads.