Cave Refuge

After all, he wouldn't be encountering the mythical Willow Minister, so Zachary was still very confident in his own strength.

In fact, Zachary felt that most of the mutated creatures found in dangerous regions were ancient creatures that had entered Blue Star through spatial portals during catastrophes.

Because there were strength limitations on the creatures entering Blue Star through the spatial portals, even though their strength was formidable upon entry, they were not insurmountable by the humans living on Blue Star. With Blue Star's existing capabilities, they could be completely wiped out.

The only exception was Rabbit's Home Zoo; the weapons in the security rooms of the other zoos were accidentally damaged due to the catastrophe, allowing those invading creatures to survive.

Although those surviving invaders could only passively absorb Spirit Energy from the air, their robust physiques meant that even passive absorption surpassed the Cultivation speed of ordinary Martial Artists. Furthermore, as they continued to absorb Spirit Energy, some creatures with unique talents could awaken their bloodline abilities.

However, Zachary never believed that those creatures, relying on their robust physiques and passively absorbing Spirit Power, could cultivate faster than his active Cultivation.

Having confidence was good, but Zachary, who was naturally cautious, did not rush forward upon reaching the target area. Instead, he employed his usual three-pronged approach to exploring dangerous places.

First, he used Divine Sense to observe the area. Although there had been times when Divine Sense proved ineffective, it was still very useful in the majority of cases.

This time was no exception; his Divine Sense, probing deep underwater, detected a colossal creature lurking beneath the surface—a monster with eight heads.

When Zachary scanned the creature, resembling Yamata no Orochi, with Divine Sense, the ostensibly slumbering Orochi suddenly opened its eyes as if it had detected Zachary's Divine Sense.

All eight Snake Heads and sixteen eyes then simultaneously turned towards Zachary's location. Before Zachary could withdraw his Divine Sense, the underwater creature sped towards him with astonishing speed.

Seeing the underwater creature's movements, Zachary immediately stored Wave Rider into his Cave, then commanded the Floating Flying Swords to hover in midair, awaiting the emergence of the Orochi-like monster.

The creature did not keep Zachary waiting long; in the blink of an eye, it crossed hundreds of meters of deep water and surfaced.

Looking at the eight Snake Heads that emerged from the water, anyone unaware would assume they were encountering eight separate monsters if they didn't know those Snake Heads were all connected to one body below.

Originally, Zachary wanted to test the Fake Orochi's defensive power with a gun, but as he looked at his automatic rifle and then back at the eight immense Snake Heads in the distance, a thought inevitably surfaced in his mind.

Even if firearms could penetrate the creature's defenses and enter its body, the damage inflicted would likely be no more significant than a mosquito bite—it could technically be considered a breach, but would not cause any meaningful damage.

With this consideration, Zachary stored the submachine gun into his Storage space. Some might wonder why he didn't use the Three Flags right away, especially since he had upgraded them from the lowest tier Magic Artifact to a Spiritual Treasure.

The truth was not that Zachary didn't want to use them, but he realized that the seemingly powerful Three Flags were only effective against those weaker than him. To use a gaming analogy, the Three Flags were suited for hack-and-slash gaming,

and not for battles where one needed to overcome stronger opponents, or for evenly matched combat.

Unless it was like last time, where there was no need for the Three Flags to confront the enemy head-on, requiring a very special scenario. As for depositing the Three Flags into an opponent's stomach before battle as he did last time—unless facing a creature with a large physique, using that tactic would be nearly impossible.

And while the Fake Orochi before him was indeed a large creature, Zachary noticed a certain cunning intelligence in its gloomy serpent eyes.

Otherwise, it would not stay on the water surface, locking gaze with Zachary for an extended period without attacking. Realizing it possessed Spiritual Wisdom, Zachary knew that the battle would be a difficult one.

Watching the few Snake Heads slowly submerging, Zachary was aware this was not a sign of retreat; rather, the creature intended to use this method as camouflage, making Zachary believe the other heads had left and were waiting in ambush for Zachary to attack.

But Zachary, armed with Divine Sense, saw through every move of the Fake Orochi crystal clear. The heads that dived back underwater, though hidden beneath the surface, kept their eyes firmly on Zachary, ready to encircle and attack him should he approach.

As Zachary stood still in the air, immovable as Mount Tai, one of the Snake Heads left on the surface suddenly hissed.

Though Zachary did not understand the language of serpents, he could make a pretty accurate guess; at this moment, that Snake Head was either taunting or ridiculing Zachary, aiming to provoke him into attack.