Countless snakes swarmed from all directions of the island, their dense, writhing bodies causing a chill to run down one's spine.
Strangely, the snakes did not attack Ye Feng and his companions immediately. Instead, they formed a circle, trapping the three of them in the center.
Tang Zhiyang's subordinates were also surrounded, but they were mostly motionless. It was unclear if they were scared unconscious or poisoned by the snakes.
“Ye, Ye Feng, what should we do now!” Xiao Feifei, terrified by the dense snake swarm, clung to Ye Feng’s arm.
Zhou Lingyu was also pale with fear, her usual composure gone, replaced by sheer terror.
Only Ye Feng managed to maintain a semblance of calm, softly reassuring them, “It’s alright, I’m here!”
Despite his words, he was internally panicking due to the sheer number of snakes. If he were alone, he wouldn't fear any number of these snakes. However, with Xiao Feifei and Zhou Lingyu, Ye Feng found himself in a predicament.
At the same time, Ye Feng sensed something was amiss. The snakes’ behavior was too peculiar to be natural. It was as if they were being controlled by someone. He also recalled the snakes watching them earlier, as if surveilling them. Their coordinated swarm now further solidified Ye Feng's suspicion—these snakes were being controlled.
As Ye Feng pondered this, a sharp whistle echoed from a distance. The surrounding snakes, as if receiving a command, instantly began to writhe. They flicked their forked tongues, staring at the trio, and then lunged forward with open mouths and bared fangs.
Xiao Feifei and Zhou Lingyu screamed in terror at the sight.
“Thunder Fist!”
Ye Feng, seeing this, slammed his fist onto the ground. Instantaneously, countless bolts of lightning spread outwards from him. With a crackling sound, the snakes emitted puffs of smoke and writhed on the spot.
Xiao Feifei and Zhou Lingyu stared in shock, their fear subsiding slightly as they gazed at Ye Feng. They knew he was skilled, but they never imagined he could unleash lightning.
Ye Feng noticed their stunned and confused expressions but had no time to explain, as more snakes continued to surge forward.
“The snakes are getting more numerous. You two, stay behind me and don’t run around!” Ye Feng instructed, unleashing punch after punch. Lightning flashed, and the charging snakes smoked, emitting a burnt odor.
The two women nodded immediately. Running around would be suicidal; they had no desire to be bitten to shreds. They hid behind Ye Feng, watching him fend off the snakes, their hearts filled with a mixture of shock and fear.
In the distant jungle, several figures spoke up. “Damn it, that guy is a cultivator, and a powerful one at that!”
Another replied, “Boss, what should we do?”
“Hmph, keep controlling the snakes and intensify the attack! Let’s see how long he can last!” the one called Boss sneered.
“Yes!”
The others responded by emitting strange whistling sounds. Instantly, the snake swarm in front of Ye Feng grew, their speed increasing, as they charged at the trio relentlessly.
Ye Feng frowned, muttering to himself, “What kind of person can control these cold-blooded creatures!” He continued to unleash powerful punches, lightning crackling around him. Despite their numbers, the snakes were ultimately just ordinary creatures. Before they could even reach Ye Feng, they were electrocuted into charred remains. However, as the snake swarm grew, Ye Feng began to struggle to keep up.
At this moment, one snake, evading Ye Feng’s lightning, lunged towards Xiao Feifei.
“Feifei, watch out behind you!” Zhou Lingyu suddenly shouted, kicking out. But a moment later, she cried out, “Ah! It hurts!”
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Feifei asked, turning around. She saw Zhou Lingyu clutching her leg, collapsed on the ground, her face contorted in pain.
“Lingyu, are you alright!” Xiao Feifei exclaimed in alarm.
Hearing the cry, Ye Feng swiftly repelled the snakes with a punch and turned to check on Zhou Lingyu. He saw two small puncture wounds on her thigh, from which black blood was seeping.
“Damn it!” Ye Feng’s rage ignited as he saw Zhou Lingyu had been bitten. He roared to the sky, “Thunder God Fist Style, Second Form, Thunder Moves Eight Directions! Die all of you!”
With this punch, thunder boomed, and lightning scattered, covering an area two to three times larger and with significantly more power. The surrounding snake swarm was instantly decimated, and the surviving snakes seemed to show fear, hesitating to advance.
In the distant jungle, the figures gritted their teeth. “Boss, this won’t do! His lightning is too powerful, the snakes can’t get close, and now they’re too scared to obey!”
“Damn it, forget it! Since that guy escaped earlier, we don’t need to worry about exposure. Let’s take action ourselves!” the Boss declared.
Thus, several figures burst from the jungle, charging rapidly towards Ye Feng and his companions.
After obliterating most of the snake swarm with a single punch, Ye Feng was about to examine Zhou Lingyu’s condition. However, he suddenly sensed several powerful auras approaching and looked up, muttering, “Hmph, let’s see what’s controlling these snakes!”
As Ye Feng finished speaking, five to six figures emerged from the jungle. They had heads and arms, resembling humans from the waist up, but their lower bodies were long snake tails.
Upon seeing these figures, Ye Feng exclaimed in surprise, “Sea tribe people?”
“Hmm? You know us?” The figures were startled by Ye Feng’s voice and asked.
Indeed! These individuals were identical to the sea tribe people Ye Feng had encountered near Rocky Island a few days prior—human heads with snake bodies, though not the same individuals.
“Of course, I know you. I didn’t expect you to be so daring as to come to a place like this! People often go missing around here; I assume it’s your doing!” Ye Feng asked with a frown.
One of the snake-people replied, “That’s right, it is us. What can you do about it?”
Ye Feng’s voice turned cold. “What can I do? I will make you pay the price…”