The Era of Gods

After the defeat, came the pursuit.

The Naga leader in command, following Lin Xiao’s early instructions, focused on chasing and killing the most devoted Serpent Followers of the Snake People Demigod, paying no attention to the fleeing Frog People troops.

Even though they were now routed, as the indigenous tribe of the Snake People Demigod, their level of belief was the most devout. The current defeat was only temporary; if they were not completely eradicated, they might regroup and return later.

On the other hand, there was no such concern for the Frog People, who were merely a servant race of the Snake People and held a relationship of enslavement. Once defeated, without the Snake People to rally them, they were unlikely to return.

Whether it was during the decisive battle earlier or the subsequent pursuit of the fleeing Snake People, the Giant Clam at the foot of the Holy Mountain did not budge an inch, steadfastly guarding the Sanctuary of the Snake Man Demi-God.

Following Lin Xiao’s instructions, the army did not approach the vicinity of the Holy Mountain at all. Even if any fleeing Snake People sought refuge in the Holy Mountain, they did not pursue them there but instead chased after those fleeing to other places, including the Frog People and other variant races.

It wasn’t until two hours later, when the last wave of pursuers returned, that the army regrouped, rested, and had a full meal, then slowly surrounded the Snake Tribe’s Holy Mountain.

Outside the plane, the Divine Artifact Platform pressed against the Plane Crystal Wall, with ten homeroom teachers and Vice Principal Xu all crowding in front of a water mirror, watching with great interest the scenes displayed near the Snake Tribe’s Holy Mountain.

Lin Xiao’s daring plan to target a Demigod had caught their attention. At this moment, the ten homeroom teachers were not interested in observing their own students; all of them gathered here, eager to see if his plot would succeed.

Including Vice Principal Xu, who was quite intrigued and said with a chuckle,

“If 1 remember correctly, this student is the fourteenth in our school’s thousands of years of history who has the audacity, in the First Level, to act against a Demigod. Of the thirteen predecessors, two succeeded. I wonder if this student could become the third.”

The teachers, stroking their chins, did not respond, and after a while, Vice Principal Xu asked Wu Hai,

“As his homeroom teacher, you know this student Lin Xiao the best. Do you think he can succeed?”

Wu Hai paused before answering,

“It’s hard to say. My student has only come to his senses in the last two months. His accumulation is insufficient. If he had started a few months earlier and amassed a following of several thousand Clan members, it might have been possible.”

He did not continue, but his implication was clear; he did not see it very likely.

Wu Hai felt it was a pity in his heart. If this student had come to his senses a few months earlier to create this Intermediate race, with several months in reality being hundreds of years in the Divine Realm, amassing a few thousand Nagas would have been impressive.

It’s worth mentioning that Wu Hai did not spread the fact that Lin Xiao’s Clan was a newly created race. Except for the principal and the old principal, even Vice Principal Xu did not know. The same went for the other homeroom teachers who had been surprised when they saw Lin Xiao’s Clan. Still, he covered it up as a variant branch of the Naga Tribe.

With the abundance of Crystal Wall Systems in the Outland, and countless planes within each system, races are as vast as the abyss and nobody knows how many exist. The emergence of a race almost identical to the Nagas is entirely normal. As long as it isn’t disclosed, no one would suspect.

This was also done to protect Lin Xiao. Tall trees catch much wind; it is best to keep a low profile until one has grown sufficiently.

The homeroom teacher Wu Hai shared the same view as the other teachers; they all doubted Lin Xiao’s success, even against a severely wounded demigod.

It’s worth noting that in the several thousand years of the school’s history, among the fourteen students daring enough to take on a demigod during the end-of-year exams in their first year, they were all truly exceptional talents. Even the weakest among them had already condensed five points of Divinity during the first year’s final exams, meeting the preliminary conditions to condense Godhood and become a demigod if they so wished.

Only with their own considerable strength, coupled with a powerful Divine Realm and Clan, did they dare to make a move against a demigod.

Yet even so, only two of the fourteen prodigies succeeded; the rest failed.

Lin Xiao’s strength was far from matching his predecessors. No wonder they all looked down on him.

While the teachers watched with great interest, the Fish People’s Army within the plane had already started attacking the Snake Tribe’s Holy Mountain after regrouping.

Countless Fishmen charged towards the black peak, and the giant toad guarding the base of the Holy Mountain, huge as a hill, puffed up its mouth and let out a thunderous croak. Its absurdly thick legs pushed forcefully, exploding into four large holes beneath it as it shot skyward, crashing down like a meteor on the charging Fish People’s Army.

A loud “boom” reverberated as it smashed into the ranks of the Fish People’s Army, plowing a trench over twenty meters wide and more than a hundred meters long in the swampy mire. In an instant, hundreds of Fishmen were crushed into a bloody pulp, their flesh and blood so mixed into the mud that the color of blood was indiscernible.

The still-stabilizing Giant Clam’s mouth puffed up again, roaring fiercely; ten meters in front of it, Fishmen and a thick layer of mud and water were blasted over a hundred meters away. When they fell, their bones and scales were shattered, splattering like a heap of mushy mud.

With just a leap and a roar, several hundred Fishmen were wiped out on the spot—the Giant Clam was even more terrifying than that Giant Sea Snake.

However, the Nagas were not intimidated at all. The Fishmen continued their assault while Nagas swarmed in from all directions. In a split second, many Black Scale Nagas burst forth, closing distances of several tens of meters like lightning.

In an instant, hundreds of Black Scale Nagas slammed into the Giant Clam with ferocious force, tearing open its incredibly tough skin and leaving hundreds of large bloody wounds.

Unlike the fight with the Giant Sea Snake, where the Nagas’ strength was mostly around Rank 1 and 2, with only a handful of Level 3s, now all the Nagas had ascended to Level 4. Both individually and collectively, their strength far surpassed what it had been before.

The Giant Clam might be stronger than the Sea Snake, with thick skin and greater vitality, but without venom inside, it posed much less threat to the Nagas than the Sea Snake did.

Of course, this is relative to the Giant Sea Snake; in reality, the Giant Clam still posed a considerable threat to the Nagas.

In pain, the Giant Clam launched itself hundreds of meters into the air and crashed down, crushing another bunch of Fishmen. It turned its body, opened its mouth, and its thick tongue shot out, coiling around a Naga and retracting into its mouth for a ferocious chew. The horrific sounds of breaking bones filled the air, and just like that, a four-star Naga Shark Warrior was no more.

The Nagas quickly dispersed, blending into the then Fish People’s crowd, while a portion of the Grey Mist Fish People were also called over. Over a thousand Rank 2 Fishmen Warriors spread out and encircled the Giant Clam, launching an assault. With twice the strength of an ordinary person combined with five times the critical hit rate, they were equivalent to ten times the strength of an ordinary person, barely piercing through the incredibly tough skin of the Giant Clam, punching a hole.

Embarrassingly for the Fishmen, after inflicting damage, they did not have enough strength to pull their weapons out of the Giant Clam’s flesh where they were stuck.

As the Giant Clam leaped several hundred meters with a forceful bound and crashed down hard, the hundreds of Fishmen Warriors who had just initiated an attack were thrown into the air; their weapons hanging from the Giant Clam’s body, making it look like a spiky hedgehog.

On the other front, the Fish People’s Army had already reached the Holy Mountain, entangling in a chaotic battle with the retreating Snake People and the Sagely Guard of the Snake People Demigod..