C22 Blood Mage Secret Spell(2)

The Gluttonous Snake shimmered with a crimson glow as it swiftly devoured the Bloody Warriors, reaching a satiation level of 184 points. In under five minutes, it had completely consumed a corpse. Chen Ye's gaze flickered as he stowed the Gluttonous Snake in his "medicinal bag." He popped the last "Blood Essence (Medium)" into his mouth and leaped into the fray. Instantly, he was swarmed by dozens of Bloody Warriors, their assault as relentless as the tide, while even more undead converged on his position.

Each "pounce" from a Bloody Warrior could inflict 16 points of damage on Chen Ye. Overwhelmed by more than ten assailants at once, he was on the brink of defeat. Thankfully, the damage was mitigated in stages, and at the critical moment, Chen Ye consumed the Blood Essence (Medium) and managed to withstand the onslaught. The second wave of lethal intent proved more challenging; eight Bloody Warriors encircled him, each slap capable of stripping nearly 20 points from Chen Ye's health. This was after the "Beast Set" had significantly bolstered his constitution, and the resilience of his equipment had absorbed some of the impact. Without these defenses, the damage would have been even more severe.

In a mere second, Chen Ye's life force was once again depleted. As more Bloody Warriors closed in, he hastily threw the Gluttonous Snake at the nearest one with his left hand while placing the last two "Blood Essence (Small)" in his mouth, ready to swallow. His right hand showed no mercy as it wielded the Bloodthirster, slashing through another Bloody Warrior and triggering the "Bloodthirst (Passive)" effect, which instantly restored half his health.

It might have been due to a similarity in their auras, or perhaps the Gluttonous Snake's attacks were simply too weak to penetrate the defenses, but it slithered around Chen Ye, relentlessly biting the Bloody Warriors and triggering its venomous fangs, turning one warrior a sickly green.

Despite having only three points in agility, the Gluttonous Snake's strikes were incredibly fast, possibly a trait inherent to its species. In a mere three seconds, it had poisoned three Bloody Warriors. Chen Ye's attack speed could no longer match the intensity of the encircling foes. Forced to consume his reserves, he managed to catch his breath after another half-second and took down another Bloody Warrior, giving his health a much-needed boost.

Three seconds later, six Bloody Warriors succumbed to a "toxic" affliction. The minus one effect on their abilities was evident, significantly easing Chen Ye's burden. After enduring a round of damage, he still had about twenty hit points left, enough to guarantee another strike. Yet, even with a swift takedown of the Bloody Warriors, he could only regain a mere 90 hit points. Unless something unexpected occurred, he would meet his end here once his supplies ran out.

With a series of "puchi, puchi" sounds, the Gluttonous Snake valiantly bit into the Bloody Warriors. Seven of them were now green with the second tier of poison, their abilities reduced by two, leaving them to inflict a paltry damage of less than ten points. Amidst the onslaught from the Bloody Warriors, Chen Ye had a moment of serendipity. Instinctively, he shifted slightly, evading an attack. His basic maneuver (B): Physical Evasion +0.5, had paid off. Glancing at his hit points, which had dwindled to a mere nine, Chen Ye was drenched in a cold sweat. Without a moment's hesitation, he struck again at an unpoisoned Bloody Warrior in front of him, regaining a sliver of his health.

Relying on a combination of luck and strategy, Chen Ye barely made it through four punishing rounds of attacks. By the fifth round, the challenge had lessened. Five of the seven poisoned Bloody Warriors could only muster eight or nine points of damage each, while the remaining two barely reached about fifteen points. Along with an uninfected Bloody Warrior dealing twenty points, the total damage he suffered was under ninety points, marking the first time he achieved a net gain in health.

This was all due to the Gluttonous Snake's diligent efforts. The "toxic" debuff was immensely powerful, particularly with its capacity to stack twice. Chen Ye surmised that the Bloody Warriors' strength was about eleven points. After a reduction of two, they were left with a mere nine points of strength. Factoring in his equipment, Chen Ye's constitution had soared to eight points. The Bloody Warriors could barely penetrate his defenses, and the damage they inflicted was primarily due to their inherent ability to harm living beings as reanimated corpses.

Once the Gluttonous Snake had layered the seven Bloody Warriors with two tiers of poison, it turned to consume the fallen warriors' bodies. As the poison's duration neared its end, the snake would return to reapply its venomous assault. Amidst this cycle, Chen Ye stood surrounded by the horde, weathering a tempest of blows. Before long, the Gluttonous Snake had sated its hunger, curling into a lethargic coil. In under thirty seconds, it roused itself and resumed its feast. Seizing a moment, Chen Ye noticed that its life and stamina had both increased by three points, though its fullness had reset to zero.

Chen Ye found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of Bloody Warriors, forcing him to conserve his energy. Although he had a few pieces of roasted meat left in the Celestial Vault, they were of no use to him during combat. His only means of replenishing stamina in the midst of battle were the 80 or so candies he had on hand. Thankfully, with his "beginner physical fitness" as a foundation and a stamina level reaching 600, Chen Ye refrained from using his scouting abilities indiscriminately, instead concentrating on eliminating the monsters before him. This resulted in a temporary deadlock at a corner of the central altar.

The Gluttonous Snake would undergo a growth spurt every three minutes, adding three points to both its life and stamina. With each growth, it experienced a random attribute enhancement, typically in strength and physique, with agility occasionally getting a boost. After an hour of this pattern, Chen Ye finally received a notification.

Bloody Beast (Snake): A barely adequate voodoo blood corpse that has been cultivated and appears to have potential for further enhancement; Quality: Blue; Life: 80/80, Stamina: 80/80, Strength: 11, Physique: 8, Agility: 7; Poison Fang: Has the natural snake venom ability of a Silver Ring Snake, inflicting the "severely poisonous" status upon hitting an enemy, reducing all abilities by 1, stackable up to three times; Rapid Bite: Uses 20 stamina to execute three attacks, each dealing damage equivalent to 60% of strength, with a cooldown of 10 minutes; Consumption... Satiety level: 40/100; Blood Corpse: Affinity with living beings -100, affinity with non-living beings +100.

Having evolved, the Gluttonous Snake's size had not increased significantly, measuring only about one and a half fingers in length. Chen Ye was cautious about allowing it to consume any more corpses. Firstly, its evolution seemed to be tied to its diet, as evidenced by its newly acquired "rapid bite" skill, which meant that the Bloody Warriors could only offer limited growth potential. Secondly, without the stimulus of a similar medium, its satiety was capped at 100, and its digestive capacity had decreased. Chen Ye surmised that each growth phase might now take longer than a minute. With the poison's effects wearing off, he knew he wouldn't last long, so he prudently directed the snake to poison the enemies, and after administering the venom, he would assist in dispatching the Bloody Warriors.

The Gluttonous Snake, with its formidable strength of 11 points, finally inflicted substantial damage on the Bloody Warrior, particularly when the warrior was afflicted with three layers of deadly poison. Given that the warrior's vitality was likely around 5 points, it was frequently vulnerable to critical hits from the Gluttonous Snake's powerful attacks, each bite inflicting over a hundred points of damage.

After a significant number of Bloody Warriors had been dispatched, over ten Blood Priests, escorting a towering monster, drew near. Chen Ye, from a distance, sent out a scout to gather information on the approaching threat, which sent a chill down his spine.

Carbass: The notorious leader of the Blood Mages, this evil wizard dominated an era with his Black Witchcraft and the deceit of 'Immortality.' Addicted to magical transformations, he turned himself into a monstrosity; his vitality at 800/800, mana at 1000/1000; equipped with a Blood Curse Shield; Blood Faith: For every Blood Mage follower within a 10-meter radius, he gains 1 point of vitality and mana per second of recovery; Blood Mage Revival; Blood Curse Instant Kill: With a cooldown of 1 minute and a mana cost of 20, it enhances the Blood Mage follower's abilities by 5 and grants a 10% chance of an instant death verdict against enemy forces. He is revered as a deity by the Blood Mages!

Using the "Blood Mage Jade Amulet," you witnessed a scene of utmost horror. The amulet's power to protect you is waning, leaving you with just three hours and seventeen minutes remaining.