The wilderness was never silent for long. Even when the wind seemed to hush, even when the trees stood unnaturally still, something always stirred — a beast, a predator, or a hunter waiting for blood.
The forest outside Jiang-Nan Base City was no different. Broken branches lay scattered across the damp ground, claw marks scored deep into tree trunks, and faint bestial growls echoed in the distance. Here, survival was not given. It was claimed, and often at the expense of another's life.
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The Chase
The battle between Zhang Ze Hu's team and the Flame Team had turned chaotic in an instant. The sudden clash of blades and guns had startled the Azure Horned Python they were stalking. With a furious roar that rattled bones, the enormous serpent had slithered away, using the confusion to escape.
"Damn it, it's getting away!" Chen Gu, the Flame Team's gunner, cursed, his rifle swinging in the python's direction.
"We can't lose it," Captain Gao Feng said grimly, his eyes narrowing. "That beast is worth more than gold. Just its horn alone can be sold for hundreds of millions — refined into potions that boost mental resistance. Warriors and even spiritual masters crave it."
His words tightened the air. The python wasn't just any beast — it was prey that could elevate their earnings for years.
"Move!" Gao Feng barked.
The team surged forward through the trees, blades gleaming and boots crushing the undergrowth. Luo Feng and Luo Zheng stayed close behind, their sharp senses already attuned to the beast's spiritual aura.
Luo Zheng's gaze flickered. So this is the Azure Horned Python. In the original timeline, Luo Feng faced something similar… but now, with both of us here, things will change.
The brothers exchanged a brief glance, unspoken understanding flowing between them.
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The Illusion's Grip
They caught up near a rocky clearing where the python had stopped. Its massive body, thick as an ancient tree, coiled tightly, muscles rippling beneath scales that shimmered with a bluish tint. The jagged horn on its head pulsed faintly, glowing brighter as its slit pupils fixed on the intruders.
Suddenly, the horn released a dazzling burst of azure light.
"Careful!" Luo Feng shouted instinctively, but it was too late.
The entire Flame Team stiffened. Their pupils dilated, and they froze mid-step as though their souls had been yanked from their bodies. One by one, they collapsed to their knees, blades dropping from limp hands.
"An illusion technique!" Luo Zheng's eyes sharpened. He felt the wave of spiritual pressure gnawing at his mind, trying to drag him into a nightmare. But his mental energy flared instinctively, burning the fog away.
Luo Feng staggered, his vision blurring for a heartbeat. A bloody battlefield flashed before his eyes — corpses of beasts piled high, his loved ones screaming in despair — but then his will surged. The spiritual power he had been cultivating for months burst out, breaking the illusion's chains.
The twins stood alone.
The Flame Team was lost in dreams of death. Their bodies remained unmoving, trapped in a false reality.
Only the Luo brothers remained awake.
"It's up to us," Luo Zheng murmured, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Brother, shall we?"
Luo Feng's grip tightened around his blade, his eyes locked on the serpent. "Let's kill it together."
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The Battle Begins
The Azure Horned Python hissed, its tongue flickering as it sensed the resistance. Its enormous body lashed out, slamming against the ground with thunderous force. Rocks shattered, dirt exploded, and the ground itself quivered.
Boom!
Luo Zheng's shield appeared instantly, floating before him like a wall of shimmering steel. The serpent's tail slammed into it with bone-crushing strength, but Luo Zheng had already leaped onto another psychic shield under his feet, gliding through the air.
"Brother, keep its attention!" Luo Zheng called, knives orbiting around him with deadly precision.
Luo Feng nodded, rushing in with his dojo-issued blade. Sparks erupted as he struck the python's scales. The blow only left a shallow white mark, the scales far too tough for ordinary attacks.
"Too hard!" Luo Feng's eyes narrowed.
The python hissed furiously and lunged, its gaping maw wide enough to swallow a man whole.
Whoosh!
Three psychic knives shot forward, flashing silver as they struck its eyes. The beast roared and reared back, its vision clouded by blood.
"Nice!" Luo Feng shouted, diving beneath its coils. His Thunder Blade technique erupted, his movements faster and sharper than ever. Blades of light slashed across the serpent's belly, leaving trails of shallow wounds.
But the beast was not so easily slain. Its massive body coiled tighter, its muscles like chains of steel. With terrifying speed, it twisted, slamming its horned head toward Luo Feng.
"Brother!" Luo Zheng's knives swirled forward, intercepting the strike. His psychic force forced the serpent's head back, giving Luo Feng the opening to retreat.
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Flying on Shields
The twins' coordination was seamless. Luo Zheng hovered on his psychic shield, darting through the air like a hawk while directing a storm of flying knives. Luo Feng used the distraction to close in, his blade flashing like lightning.
Together, they created a rhythm — Luo Zheng deflecting the beast's deadliest strikes, Luo Feng carving deeper and deeper into its scales.
But the python wasn't retreating. If anything, it grew more violent. Its horn glowed again, unleashing another wave of spiritual pressure. The Flame Team groaned faintly in their illusionary sleep, but the twins remained unfazed, their spiritual energy shielding them.
"Enough games," Luo Zheng said coldly, his eyes glowing faintly as his psychic power surged. His knives accelerated, cutting across the serpent's flesh like silver streaks of death.
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The Final Assault
The python raised itself high, towering over the battlefield like a living mountain. Its entire body glowed faintly as its horn built up energy for one devastating strike.
Luo Feng's heart pounded. He knew this was the beast's last gambit.
"Brother!" he shouted.
"Got it!" Luo Zheng replied.
The twins moved in perfect unison. Their shields shot upward, carrying them high above the serpent. Lightning flickered across Luo Feng's blade as he activated Nine Stage Thunder Blade to its peak, the technique multiplying his strength several times over.
Luo Zheng's dual blades, vibrating with void energy, glowed with a deadly hum as he pushed Thunder Void Blades to its limit.
The python lunged upward, horn glowing like a falling star.
The brothers dove.
BOOOOM!
Their blades struck in perfect harmony, one fueled by thunder, the other by vibrating void. Their combined might tore through the python's supposedly indestructible scales, piercing straight into its skull.
The serpent writhed, its body thrashing violently, shattering trees and rocks alike. Then, with a final earth-shaking roar, it collapsed, its massive body twitching before falling still.
The horn's glow dimmed. Silence returned.
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The Aftermath
Luo Feng and Luo Zheng landed lightly on their floating shields, panting heavily, their blades dripping with blood.
The Azure Horned Python lay slain, its lifeless eyes staring into the void.
The Flame Team still slept in their illusion.
Luo Zheng looked at his brother, smirking despite the exhaustion. "Not bad, right? For our first big kill together."
Luo Feng wiped his blade clean, a quiet fire in his eyes. "Not bad at all. But this… this is just the beginning."
Both turned to look at their unconscious teammates. For now, their secret remained safe.
The world of warriors was cruel, a jungle where only strength reigned supreme. And tonight, the twins had taken their first step into that savage truth.
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