I'm a major player in a parallel universe

Although the flames weren't completely ineffective against them, the Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes were virtually immune to fire. Yang Haoxuan's confident mage skills proved useless, turning what should have been a group attack into a mere dream.

"Run!" Yang Haoxuan immediately realized the gravity of the situation—he didn't want to join the ranks of the fallen corpses.

But the area was already surrounded by the venomous snakes, leaving him with no way out. Fortunately, having reached the 7th level of Martial Artist, he glanced toward the Black Forest. Gripping his battle blade, he charged forward with a fierce shout, his body exploding with a burst of Spiral True Qi. The powerful shockwave enveloped him, lifting him off the ground as he soared forward.

For Martial Artists below the 7th level, internal energy was confined to the dantian. But once reaching the 7th level, the internal energy spread throughout the body, completely changing the game. This was what made his Spiral True Qi even more domineering.

He shot forward at breakneck speed, tearing through the ground as he moved. The Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes, too, were swept up, their shrill hisses filling the air as they were thrown into the air.

After covering several dozen meters, Yang Haoxuan landed, panting heavily. Behind him, the snakes crashed to the ground in a heap. However, none of them were dead. After a brief pause, they quickly rose and resumed their pursuit.

"Damn it!" Yang Haoxuan cursed under his breath, not wanting to sit idly and wait for death. He kicked off the ground and sprinted toward the Black Forest, his speed terrifying as he covered five meters with each step.

But the snakes weren't far behind. Their speed was just as swift, following him like a flowing river. From above, the sight was chilling—more and more Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes gathered behind him, turning into a terrifying wave, their numbers overwhelming.

Occasionally glancing back, Yang Haoxuan quickened his pace in panic. Just before they caught up with him, he reached the Black Forest and climbed up a tree to assess the situation. But the snakes didn't stop—they were closing in, ready to enter the forest.

"Woo!"

Suddenly, from the other side of the Black Forest, a howl echoed through the air.

This wasn't just any howl—it was filled with a murderous intent, with the unmistakable authority of a stronger, dominant creature. At the sound, the Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes, which had been ready to enter the forest, immediately froze in disarray, turning around and colliding into one another, causing chaos among their ranks.

"Is it the Blood Wolf King?" Seeing the chaos unfold, Yang Haoxuan immediately recalled the time he had angered the Blood Wolf King. He quickly realized that the Black Forest was its domain, and wild beasts were fiercely territorial.

"Hiss~!"

Then, from deep within the prairie, an extremely sharp screech echoed, making Yang Haoxuan's eardrums tingle.

Looking into the distance, his heart skipped a beat. He saw a massive snake, its body coiling before vanishing from sight. At the same time, the remaining Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes, who had been chasing him, finally regrouped and retreated in an orderly fashion, like a disciplined army.

But Yang Haoxuan didn't pay much attention to them; his mind was fixated on the snake that had just screeched. With the help of his Eagle Eye skill, he could clearly see it. Its multicolored scales shimmered, and its body was as massive as the giant trees next to him.

Seizing the opportunity, he quickly checked its attributes.

Beast: Five-Colored Snake King

Level: Beast, 9th Grade

Strength: 641

Agility: 574

Attack: Constriction, sharp teeth like blades, instant kill charge

Characteristics: Body like black iron, impervious to blades and spears, controls and breeds Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes

Weakness: Eyes

"A 9th-grade Snake King is equivalent to a 10th-level Martial Artist. What's even more troublesome is its ability to control so many Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes. No wonder so many people have died!" Yang Haoxuan was stunned, and it dawned on him that the Snake King was an anomaly. Otherwise, the Terrifying Valley trials would have been far too dangerous.

But what concerned him more was how he would cross the prairie. If he couldn't make it past, he would never reach the Ghost Cave, and without that, his chances of escape would be slim. It was a serious dilemma.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ghost Cave, Yan Ya and the surviving adventurers from the prairie, along with the twenty soldiers guarding her—only five of whom had died—were already deep inside the cave, recuperating and preparing for their next move.

"Didn't expect a Five-Colored Snake King to show up on the prairie. This is such a huge loss," one of the adventurers remarked sarcastically, a smirk on his face. With fewer people, the chances of finding treasure in the cave increased.

"Legend says that the Five-Colored Snake King appears once every thousand years. Its strength is nothing special, but its ability to control snakes catches people off guard. There was once a kingdom that failed to deal with a Five-Colored Snake King in time, and the entire kingdom was overrun with poisonous snakes. In the end, only martial experts could solve the problem. I can't believe one has appeared here in the prairie, turning the whole area into a poisonous snake nest."

"Yeah! But the Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes might have a rare treasure—Five-Colored Toxic Leaves, which are found in their brains. Consuming them not only increases one's strength but makes them immune to poisons and miasmas."

"I hope I don't end up checking if it has that flower on its forehead!"

...

A week passed. Yang Haoxuan had made several attempts to break through the prairie, but each time ended in failure, with him nearly losing his life. Moreover, the Five-Colored Poisonous Snakes tended to group together, making it nearly impossible to kill them all for training.

"The heavens don't close all doors! Stay calm!" Yang Haoxuan reassured himself, only to spot a blood wolf beneath a tree. He quickly dispatched it with a single strike. But as he jumped down to cover his tracks, a strange tree stretched out vines to bind him.

Fortunately, the vines were afraid of fire, and Yang Haoxuan managed to force them back. He chuckled to himself, "Who would have thought even a tree knows the 'mantis stalks the cicada, while the yellow bird waits behind' trick?"

Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. With this thought, he realized a potential way to break through the prairie.

It was extremely dangerous, but Yang Haoxuan had no other options. He started moving toward the Blood Wolf King.

The Blood Wolf King was resting by a secluded lake, looking very different from the other blood wolves. It wasn't decayed or repulsive. Although it had a crimson body, its skin was intact, with a full coat of fur. Its fiery red mane fluttered in the wind. The wolf exuded an aura of power and majesty.

Suddenly, it snapped to attention, its massive body towering to a height of eight meters—like a small mountain. The Blood Wolf King's eyes narrowed as it scanned the forest. Sure enough, footsteps soon reached its ears. Slowly, Yang Haoxuan emerged from the trees.

At first, the wolf froze, then it became enraged. This human! It recognized him—the one who had slain thousands of its pack and escaped its numerous ambushes.

To its shock, the human had come to its domain again. It was infuriated. How dare this human enter its territory so recklessly? This would not be forgiven.

"Take this!" Yang Haoxuan had a plan, and with a sneer, he hurled ten Fireballs toward the Blood Wolf King.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Blood Wolf King didn't even try to dodge. It let the fiery balls hit it, but after the smoke cleared, it was completely unharmed. The wolf's head twisted into an odd smile.

Yang Haoxuan wasn't deterred. He shot the wolf a taunting look before turning and running, deliberately provoking it.

This enraged the Blood Wolf King. It couldn't let the human escape again. With a roar, it charged forward, smashing through trees, sending splinters flying in all directions.