Chapter Forty-Eight: Peril in the Valley Exploration

Night had already fallen by now. Lu Chen turned his head, straining to examine his surroundings. The valley was roughly circular, tightly enclosed by dense, towering trees that formed a sealed-off space. It was precisely this unique environment that allowed the mountain valley to maintain a relatively high temperature.

At first glance, the valley floor didn’t appear particularly large—no more than about two hundred mu in area. By sheer size alone, this valley was utterly inconspicuous within the vast expanse of the Tiannan Mountain Nature Reserve, which spanned tens of thousands of square kilometers.

Yet, the trees within were astonishingly tall, tangled thick with vines, creating a lush emerald canopy that was virtually indistinguishable from a true tropical primeval forest. Through the dense foliage, Lu Chen could make out wisps of white vapor rising in the distance, shrouding the entire valley in a twilight mist. That must be the heart of the hot springs.

Carefully, he swam forward another dozen meters, slipped past a bend veiled by shrubs, and a pond of more than ten mu appeared before him. He was just preparing to cross the water, intending to reach deeper into the valley to find the exact location of the hot springs, when he suddenly halted.

Something felt wrong. It was far too quiet.

Outside in the mountain forests, even at dusk, the air was lively with the sounds of birds and animals foraging. But since entering the valley, Lu Chen had hardly heard any birdsong from the banks, or any sign of animal activity. Even the pond itself seemed to harbor few fish.

This valley was definitely strange.

As he pondered this, Lu Chen abruptly sensed a faint ripple in the water behind him. Turning, he saw the surface break into ripples as a dark brown shape sped toward him. Two eyes, as large as broad beans, glowed with menace, locked unblinkingly onto him.

A reticulated python.

It was indeed a python, but not the Burmese python Lu Chen had suspected earlier; instead, it was another tropical species—the reticulated python. Compared to the Burmese python, the reticulated python was fiercer, more violent, and untamed. In his previous life, this creature was known as “the snake with the strongest constricting power in the world.” Its prey included large mammals—wild boars among them. Some had even captured scenes of reticulated pythons battling Bengal tigers; although neither side gained the upper hand, the ferocity of these snakes was undeniable.

Humans, too, were among their potential targets. Adult reticulated pythons could reach lengths of eight or nine meters, and the longest even exceeded twelve. They were the only snakes capable of swallowing a human whole. With their immense size, they could easily coil around and suffocate an adult.

It was said that if a reticulated python exceeded ten meters in length, it would take at least ten strong men to subdue it. Lu Chen remembered a question from his previous life: “What should a person do if they encounter a python in the wild?” The most upvoted answer was simply to run—because on land, pythons weren’t fast, giving humans a good chance to escape. If already bitten, the best tactic was rumored to be the ultimate ninja move—strike at its rear. In pain, the python would instinctively release its grip. Another method was to strike at the seven-inch mark behind its head.

But in water, these creatures moved with astonishing speed. Lu Chen barely had time to react before his head was bitten. The python’s sharp teeth instantly sank into his armored scales. Since his encounter with the bulltail shark, Lu Chen had steadily invested energy points to reinforce his "Scale Armor Defense," which now stood at fifty points. It paid off—he didn’t feel any intense pain in his muscles.

A moment later, Lu Chen snapped out of his shock. Without hesitation, he instinctively performed a death roll, flipping the python’s five-meter-long body a full three hundred sixty degrees, thwarting its attempt to coil around him.

A large python’s attack usually had three steps: first, it clamped down on its prey and refused to let go; second, it quickly wrapped its body around the victim; third, it used its formidable constriction to suffocate the prey. An adult python’s instant constricting force could exceed three thousand jin—enough to kill most creatures.

Lu Chen knew full well: if he let this beast coil around him, he’d stand no chance of resisting. So, as he executed the death roll, he immediately lashed out with all four limbs, dragging the python swiftly toward shore, giving it no chance to mount a constricting attack.

This reticulated python before him was nearly four meters long and weighed about fifty jin. In this life-or-death moment, Lu Chen’s potential exploded—he didn’t even feel the slightest strain dragging the serpent along. At the same time, his focus was razor-sharp.

As the python’s body snapped back in another attempt to coil, Lu Chen dodged with another death roll. After several such maneuvers, he finally hauled the ferocious beast ashore. Without the slightest hesitation, he retreated into the dense shrubs.

Unlike ordinary bay crocodiles, Lu Chen’s greatest advantage was his human intelligence. The moment he was attacked, he’d already thought of a countermeasure.

By using the thick branches of the shrubs as cover, he created a cave-like effect, restricting the python’s ability to coil. This had been inspired by his previous hunt for a Burmese python.

As Lu Chen had anticipated, the reticulated python, once dragged into the thicket, tried again to coil its body around him. But the interlaced branches blocked its movements, severely hampering its speed. Its long, slender body whipped frantically against the ground, rustling noisily.

Lu Chen seized the moment. He slashed with his talons, left and right, landing fierce blows on the python’s vulnerable spot behind its head.

With each blow, his talons unleashed more than fifty kilograms of force. Previously, he’d used them to shatter a muntjac’s neck in one strike; deploying them against the python was no problem at all.

After several strikes, the python, writhing in pain, finally loosened its jaws and tried to slither away. But trapped deep in the thicket, its range of movement was severely restricted—it couldn’t escape quickly.

Lu Chen would not give it the chance. He pounced, clamped his jaws on its neck, and performed the death roll once more.

With a crack, the crushing bite broke its bones with ease.

Much like the Burmese python before it, this one met a frustrating end—never given the chance to exploit its natural strengths.

With his attack successful, Lu Chen didn’t linger. He continued dragging the carcass toward the edge of the valley. The fight had drained most of his strength; if another python appeared now, his only option would be to flee. For safety’s sake, it was best to withdraw from the valley.

To his surprise, Golden Dot had not left and was still waiting outside. When the little monkey saw Lu Chen reappear, it chattered excitedly. Then, noticing the massive reticulated python beside him, it shot up to the treetops in a flash.

But seeing that the snake lay motionless on the ground, the little creature cautiously hopped down and watched from a distance. Only after confirming its death did it fully relax, looking up at Lu Chen with newfound awe.

Lu Chen paid no mind to the monkey’s gaze; his thoughts were now entirely on his prey. With his body continually strengthened by energy points, his digestive ability had grown rapidly. Now, he could devour about seven kilograms of food in one sitting—nearly a fifth of his body weight. This fifty-jin reticulated python would provide enough food for almost two days.