Lloyd crouched behind a mist-draped ridge, spiritual aura masked. Ahead, nestled between jagged rocks and warped foliage, lay a sleeping monster.
A giant serpent spirit beast, coiled like destiny itself—its silver-scaled body pulsing faintly with light. The air around it shimmered with suppressed pressure. Peak Moon Realm. No, more than that. It teetered on the verge of an Imperial breakthrough.
Wrapped in its coils was a violet-glowing boulder, emanating qi so refined Lloyd instinctively staggered back. The qi in his body felt like it was going out of control just looking at it. He doesn't know what it is, but he has a feeling it is a good treasure.
He glanced toward the woman crouching far across the clearing, formation talismans circling her fingers. She was trying everything—remote attack glyphs, illusion shifts, and elemental noise bursts. Nothing worked. The serpent barely twitched, ancient eyes closed, posture unshaken.
Eventually, she gave up.
Lloyd remained hidden… until she froze and spoke.
"I know you're following me."
He sighed and stepped from behind the ridge. "You got me." seem like his technique need more training or maybe it's because she's at a higher realm than he is. The later seemed to be the more likely case.
"Were you planning to watch me die and take the treasure yourself?"
"It crossed my mind," Lloyd teased, "But no. Mostly, I wanted to see what treasure was so good that you nearly got killed for it. To say it's impressive would be an understatement."
Her expression hardened. "Just know—it's mine."
Her aura surged. Pressure dropped around them like thunder before rain. It didn't crush him—but it whispered the threat.
"If you get in my way, I won't be nice."
Lloyd raised both hands, smirking through the tension.
"Easy, tigress. I don't want your treasure." Besides, he already found the best Vault relic for him—and that supreme-grade lightsaber is still waiting.
She scoffed. "Stay out of my way, kid."
"Alright… grandma."
She stopped.
Eyes glowed violet. Spirit qi twisted violently around her frame.
"Call me that one more time."
"What?" Lloyd blinked, feigning innocence. "Grandma."
Her aura erupted.
Above her, a phantom rose bloomed—massive, ethereal, elegant… and deadly. Its petals scattered like razors, each one a shard of qi meant to eviscerate. They shrieked toward him like angry stars.
Lloyd flicked his fingers. Qi pulsed beneath his feet. He vanished and reappeared thirty meters to the left—using the Luminous veil step.
Still, a petal sliced his sleeve. Blood misted briefly into air.
"Why so angry… grandma?" He grinned again.
"I see you truly want to die, pipsqueak."
The petals reversed course. Thirty-two strikes in five minutes. Each one faster. Sharper. Homing.
Lloyd danced through them all. Barely.
Not untouched. But unbeaten.
At that moment, the serpent stirred.
Its scaled coils flexed once—then again. Slitted eyes opened, soaked in a predatory hue no light could tame. As if the treasure wrapped in its body triggered an instinct beyond guarding. It knew.
Lloyd and the woman barely moved before the beast struck.
The first wave came as compressed wind layered with venom—so potent it melted bark from trees on contact. Lloyd leapt aside, light qi shielding his skin naturally. His light physique nullified the poison—his breath remained steady.
The woman didn't share the luxury.
She condensed her qi into a tight skin-bound shell, a translucent rose-tinted barrier that shimmered with defensive plant runes. The barrier looked almost organic—woven from interlocking vine sigils and leaf-channeled circuits. It pulsed once as poison licked its edges. Her breathing stayed steady—barely.
More strikes followed. Tail lashes that cracked stone. Venom fangs that extended with whip-like rhythm. The beast didn't just lash—it manipulated terrain with every motion.
"We can't win if we continue like this," the woman growled, thorns coiling around her arms.
Lloyd somersaulted, dodged a swipe, and landed beside her. "Agreed. You've got anything crazy saved up, Grandma?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes. "I'll hold it down. You go get the treasure."
Lloyd blinked. "Are you sure? You are still not fully healed, and what if I decided to take it for myself and run off?"
The fact that he said that to her made her more convinced that he's not the type to do something like that. He may be a rude brat, but he seemed to have good characteristics.
"I don't trust you, pipsqueak," she snapped. "But I trust this beast even less. now go."
She burst forward.
Roots ruptured from the ground—thick as tree trunks, tipped with obsidian thorns. They encased the serpent in a lattice of pulsing plant qi. Overhead, her phantom rose twisted into a new formation—dropping petals that exploded into vines mid-air. The serpent roared. Struggled. Its tail shattered two coils. But her assault didn't relent.
Petal barrages curved like crescent moons. Thorn lances detonated like artillery. Her pollen distortions warped gravity in brief pulses, forcing the serpent's core pressure to misfire mid-attack. A full-scale botanical siege unfolded around her.
Lloyd didn't wait.
He masked his qi, flickered into movement, and aimed straight for the violet boulder pulsing faintly beneath shattered rock.
The serpent saw him.
It launched a wave of spiritual pressure so dense it bent the air. Lloyd's movement collapsed. He rolled through a narrow opening, flipped onto fractured stone, and dashed again. Every few seconds the serpent flailed—tail swings, venom jets—but he adapted. Rebounded.
Then—he reached it.
The treasure.
Qi wrapped around it like dream-fabric. Violet in color, the size of a boulder, etched with glyph patterns he didn't recognize. But it pulsed like it wanted to be claimed.
Lloyd exhaled. "Let's hope you're not cursed."
He pulled it free and stuffed it into his pocket space.
The Vault shifted.
The serpent stopped.
Turned.
And let out a screech that felt like reality splitting.
It went berserk.
Its body lit up with core pressure, eyes ignited with madness. Wind collapsed around Lloyd as the serpent struck. He flashed into Luminous veil step again—dodged once, twice—but the third attack landed.
A venom-fused lash crashed into his side.
Pain sparked. Blood leaked across his ribs. He coughed but stayed upright.
The serpent coiled again. Jaw opened wide.
Lloyd couldn't move.
Then—she appeared.
Tera slammed into the serpent's snout with layered thorn impact. Her petal swarm detonated in chaotic spirals. The beast reeled.
"Thank you, Grandma," Lloyd rasped.
"Should've let that monster eat you," she growled. "And my name is Tera, not—"
"Grandma," Lloyd finished, limping to his feet.
Her eyes flared.
But before she could snap again—
The serpent lunged.