Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

The Duskscale Earthrender Serpent uncoiled with a terrifying, deliberate slowness, its golden eyes, like pools of molten metal, fixed unblinkingly on Wang Jian.

The sheer pressure emanating from its Mid-Grade Second Rank aura was immense, a physical weight that pressed down on him, far exceeding anything he had faced in this Primal Universe so far.

The air in the grotto grew heavy, charged with the beast's ancient, earthy power.

A low hiss, like the grinding of mountains, escaped its massive jaws, revealing rows of teeth like obsidian daggers.

Wang Jian's Steller Qi surged, Glacial Bite held in a two-handed grip, its frosty aura a stark contrast to the vibrant green glow of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence pulsating just behind the colossal serpent.

There was no room for error, no chance for a strategic retreat.

That essence was his.

The serpent moved first.

It didn't lunge.

Instead, the very stone floor beneath Wang Jian's feet trembled violently.

With a deafening roar, a dozen jagged spikes of dark, slate-grey rock, each as long as his arm, erupted from the ground around him, aiming to impale him from below.

Wang Jian reacted instantly.

'Feather-Light Step Technique!

' He poured a significant portion of his Twelfth Stage Qi into the movement art.

His body became almost weightless for a split second, allowing him to leap upwards and backwards, narrowly avoiding the deadly stone spears that shot up where he'd stood moments before.

He landed lightly, his eyes never leaving the serpent.

The Earthrender Serpent didn't pause.

Its massive head, broad and flat, slammed downwards onto the spot Wang Jian had just vacated.

The impact shook the entire grotto, sending tremors through the stone.

Dust and small pebbles rained from the ceiling.

If he hadn't moved, he would have been pulverized.

'Incredible physical power.

And innate earth manipulation,' Wang Jian assessed calmly, his heart rate steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him.

'Its scales are like natural armor.

A direct hit with Glacial Bite might not even penetrate deeply without a significant Qi infusion or a precise target.

'Before Wang Jian could counter-attack, the serpent's immense tail, thick as an ancient tree trunk and plated with the same dusky scales, whipped through the air with astonishing speed, aiming to smash him against the grotto wall.

Wang Jian ducked, the tail whistling inches above his head, the wind of its passage nearly tearing his robes.

He used the momentum to roll, coming up closer to the beast's flank.

'Flowing Metal Slash!

' His Glacial Bite, coated in a shimmering layer of frigid, metallic Steller Qi, arced towards a section of scales near its massive ribs.

CLANG!

Sparks flew.

The sound was like striking solid rock.

The blade bit into the scales, but only superficially, leaving a shallow white scratch on the dark grey surface.

The serpent let out an annoyed hiss, seemingly unfazed by the blow.

'As expected.

Those scales are incredibly tough.

'The Earthrender Serpent retaliated instantly.

It opened its massive jaws, and a gout of viscous, dark green liquid, reeking of decay and something acridly venomous, shot towards Wang Jian.

He threw himself to the side, the corrosive spittle splashing against the stone wall behind him, sizzling and smoking, eating into the rock itself.

A single droplet grazed his arm, and even through his robe, he felt a sharp, burning pain.

'Poison.

Highly corrosive.

' He glanced at the small, rapidly blistering patch on his sleeve.

He needed to end this quickly, or that poison could become a serious problem.

The serpent pressed its advantage, its massive body slithering forward with deceptive speed, trying to corner him against the grotto wall.

Its golden eyes burned with predatory focus.

Wang Jian knew he couldn't win a battle of attrition against this monstrous beast with brute force alone, not at his current cultivation level.

He needed to be smarter.

He needed to disrupt its greatest strength – its connection to the earth.

He needed an opening.

The serpent lunged again, its fanged maw aiming for a killing bite.

Wang Jian met the charge, not by blocking, but by using the 'Azure Serpent Strike'.

A whip-like tendril of frigid water Qi, tinged with the coldness of his Steller cultivation, lashed out from Glacial Bite, not at the serpent's head, but wrapping around its lower jaw, momentarily yanking it slightly off course.

It was a minor distraction, but it bought him a precious second.

He used that second to activate his innate spiritual ability.

'Ether Pulse Surge!

'A burst of energy flooded his meridians.

For ten breaths, his spiritual energy flow, his spellcasting speed, and power would be amplified.

He immediately channeled this boosted Qi.

With a swift series of hand gestures and a mental command, he retrieved several small, intricately carved formation flags and a slim, circular formation plate from one of his storage pouches using his spiritual energy.

These were the components for the 'Minor Two Elements Disrupter Array' Yue Lingshan had painstakingly crafted for him before they entered the Forbidden Ground, specifically attuned to disrupt Earth and Metal elemental energies.

While the serpent was still shaking its head, momentarily annoyed by the Azure Serpent Strike, Wang Jian, moving with the enhanced speed of the Feather-Light Step amplified by the Ether Pulse Surge, darted around the grotto, expertly flinging the formation flags into pre-calculated positions around the central area where the serpent now coiled.

He then slammed the formation plate onto the ground at the array's focal point.

The Earthrender Serpent, recovering its composure, sensed the sudden shift in spiritual energy.

It let out an enraged roar and lunged again, this time its massive body coiling, attempting to constrict Wang Jian.

Just as its coils began to tighten, Wang Jian poured his boosted Qi into the formation plate.

"Activate!

"The formation flags hummed, a faint, shimmering barrier of distorted energy appearing between them.

The air within the array's effective zone crackled, and the very earth beneath the serpent seemed to groan in protest.

The effect was immediate and dramatic.

The Earthrender Serpent, in mid-lunge, suddenly faltered.

The earthen spikes it had been about to summon from the floor sputtered and died.

The stony armor of its scales seemed to lose some of its luster, becoming visibly duller.

Its connection to the surrounding earth energy, its primary source of power and defense, was being actively disrupted, scrambled by the array.

It let out a confused, frustrated hiss, its movements becoming slightly more sluggish, less coordinated.

Wang Jian didn't waste the opportunity.

His Ether Pulse Surge was still active.

He retrieved a single talisman from his storage pouch with a flash of spiritual energy – one of the more potent attack talismans he'd acquired: a 'Blazing Serpent Talisman'.

It depicted a coiled, fiery serpent, pulsing with contained fire energy.

He channeled his amplified Qi into it.

The talisman erupted in his hand, transforming into a searing serpent of crimson flame, twice the size of his Azure Serpent Strike, and launched it directly at the Earthrender Serpent's golden eyes.

The beast roared in pain and fury as the Blazing Serpent slammed into its face.

While its scales were resistant, its eyes were a vulnerability.

Sizzling sounds filled the air, and the stench of burnt flesh mingled with the sulfurous aroma of the grotto.

The serpent thrashed its head wildly, temporarily blinded in one eye, its other golden orb now blazing with pure, unadulterated rage.

'Now!

' Wang Jian thought.

While the serpent was disoriented, he moved.

Glacial Bite, empowered by the last vestiges of his Ether Pulse Surge and coated in a thick layer of his densest Steller Qi via Flowing Metal Slash, became an icy harbinger of death.

He didn't aim for the scales this time.

He aimed for the softer, more vulnerable underside of its jaw, a spot he'd noted earlier when it had reared its head.

He lunged, his body a blur, pouring all his remaining amplified strength into the thrust.

SCHLORCH!

The blade, meeting less resistance than before due to the array's weakening effect on its earthen defenses and the brute force of his attack, sank deep into the flesh beneath the serpent's jaw, piercing upwards towards its brain cavity.

The Duskscale Earthrender Serpent let out a sound that was not a roar, but a deafening, soul-shattering shriek of pure agony.

Its massive body convulsed, thrashing wildly, smashing against the grotto walls, sending stalactites crashing down.

Wang Jian was forced to leap back, narrowly avoiding being crushed by its death throes.

His arm, which had delivered the blow, throbbed painfully from the impact and the violent recoil.

But it wasn't over.

The serpent, though mortally wounded, was still alive, still incredibly dangerous.

Its golden eyes, one now a ruined, smoking socket, fixed on Wang Jian with an all-consuming hatred.

It coiled, its remaining strength gathering for one last, desperate attack.

Its massive tail, empowered by its dying rage, whipped towards Wang Jian with even greater speed and force than before.

Wang Jian, his Qi reserves now dangerously low after the Ether Pulse Surge and the powerful talisman activation, knew he couldn't dodge this one completely.

He activated his Shadowguard Shield, the black metal buckler appearing on his left arm with a thought, infusing it with the last dregs of his defensive Qi.

CRUNCH!

The impact was devastating.

The Shadowguard Shield, a mere low-grade spirit artifact, shattered into a dozen pieces under the force of the blow.

Wang Jian was hurled across the grotto like a broken doll, slamming into the far wall with sickening force.

Pain, white-hot and absolute, exploded through his body.

He felt ribs crack, his left arm, which had taken the brunt of the impact, felt broken, useless.

Blood filled his mouth.

Darkness threatened to overwhelm his senses.

He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his vision swimming.

The serpent, its movements now sluggish but still lethal, was slithering towards him, its fanged maw agape.

'Not… like this…' Wang Jian grit his teeth, his indomitable will fighting against the encroaching darkness.

He was gravely injured, his Qi almost entirely depleted.

He fumbled in his storage pouch with his good right hand, his spiritual energy too weak for precise retrieval.

His fingers closed around a small, hard object.

Another talisman.

A defensive one he'd almost forgotten he had, looted from one of the fallen disciples – an 'Iron Vellum Ward'.

Simple, but perhaps just enough.

As the serpent loomed over him, its venomous breath washing over his face, he crushed the talisman.

A faint, coppery glow enveloped him for a split second.

The serpent struck.

Its fangs, inches from his throat, slammed against the momentarily solidified coppery light of the Iron Vellum Ward.

The ward shattered instantly, but it had bought him a micro-second, deflecting the fangs just enough that they scraped against his shoulder instead of piercing his neck, tearing through flesh and grating against bone.

Agony seared through him.

Poison, cold and burning, flooded his system from the shallow bite.

But he was still alive.

And the serpent, its final attack spent, was now visibly weakening, its movements becoming slower, more erratic.

The wound beneath its jaw was gushing dark, viscous blood.

Wang Jian, fueled by sheer, desperate resolve, pushed himself up with his good arm, Glacial Bite still clutched in his hand.

He ignored the screaming pain from his broken ribs, his shattered arm, the fire of the poison spreading through his veins.

He staggered towards the dying beast.

It tried to raise its head, to make one last snap, but it was too weak.

Wang Jian, his vision blurring, his body screaming in protest, plunged Glacial Bite back into the gaping wound beneath the serpent's jaw.

Again.

And again.

And again.

He hacked and slashed with a desperate, savage fury, pouring every last ounce of his physical strength, every flicker of his fading consciousness, into each blow.

He felt warm blood splash against his face, the sickening crunch of bone, the tearing of flesh.

Finally, with a last, shuddering convulsion, the Duskscale Earthrender Serpent went still.

Its golden eye glazed over, its massive body collapsing onto the grotto floor with a ground-shaking thud.

Silence descended, broken only by Wang Jian's ragged, shallow breathing and the faint, constant hum of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence pulsating nearby.

He had won.

But the cost was immense.

Wang Jian collapsed beside the serpent's corpse, his strength utterly gone.

His left arm was a mangled ruin.

His ribs were a symphony of agony with every breath.

The serpent's poison was a cold fire spreading through his system, making his vision flicker, his thoughts fragment.

He could feel his life force ebbing away.

'The… essence…'With a monumental effort of will, he began to crawl.

Every movement sent fresh waves of agony through his shattered body.

He dragged himself, inch by painful inch, across the blood-soaked stone floor, towards the soft, emerald green glow of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence.

He reached the ancient, petrified tree, its moss-covered roots cradling the pulsating orb of life.

He was shaking uncontrollably, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

Darkness was closing in.

He reached out with his trembling right hand, his fingers brushing against the cool, smooth surface of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence.

The moment he touched it, his Steller Demonic Meridian Scripture, as if sensing a source of unparalleled nourishment, activated almost instinctively, even without his conscious direction.

A surge of pure, vibrant life energy, cool and invigorating, flowed from the essence into his body through the point of contact.

It was like a flood of purest spring water washing through a parched desert.

The effect was immediate and miraculous.

The agonizing pain from his broken bones began to recede, replaced by a warm, tingling sensation as the potent life force knitted them back together at an astonishing rate.

The burning cold of the serpent's poison was neutralized, flushed from his system by the overwhelming purity of the wood elemental energy.

His torn flesh mended, his shattered arm began to reform, strength flowing back into his limbs.

His depleted Qi reserves, which had been almost non-existent, were being refilled at an incredible pace, not with ambient Spiritual Energy, but with the pure, condensed life force of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence itself.

This energy was seamlessly converted into his Steller Qi, but with a distinct, vibrant Wood attribute now infused within it.

He felt his consciousness clearing, the encroaching darkness banished.

He was healing.

Rapidly.

He didn't just let the essence passively heal him.

He actively, aggressively, began to absorb it, his Steller Demonic Meridian Scripture working at full capacity, drawing in the pure life force like a vortex.

The Verdant Eternal Spring Essence, which had pulsed steadily for perhaps millennia, began to dim slightly as Wang Jian greedily devoured its power.

The luminescent spirit flowers around its base seemed to sigh, their glow intensifying for a moment before also beginning to fade as their source of nourishment was consumed.

Wang Jian sat there, leaning against the petrified tree, his eyes closed, his body bathed in the emerald glow, a conduit for an unimaginable torrent of pure life energy.

His wounds vanished.

His strength returned, stronger than before.

His Qi soared, not just replenished, but qualitatively changed, now imbued with the profound vitality of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence.

His Steller Demonic Meridian Scripture eagerly integrated this new aspect.

He could feel new pathways forming within his meridians, an innate understanding of Wood elemental manipulation, of life force control, blooming within his soul.

He could heal himself, accelerate growth, perhaps even influence the vitality of other living things.

The process continued for what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few short hours.

When Wang Jian finally opened his eyes, the grotto was dimmer.

The Verdant Eternal Spring Essence, once a vibrant, pulsating orb, was now reduced to a small, faintly glowing ember, its life force almost entirely consumed.

The luminescent flowers around it had withered, their light extinguished.

But Wang Jian… Wang Jian was reborn.

He stood up, his body whole, his strength restored, his aura more profound than ever before.

He felt no lingering pain, no trace of poison.

His left arm was fully healed, stronger even than before.

His broken ribs were mended, his internal injuries vanished.

He was not just back to full health; he was enhanced.

Within his body was a pure Spiritual Wood Essence that he could use to now not only heal his own body but potentially heal others as well.

Not just that, now that he had been fused with this wood essence, his sensitivity towards the wood attribute qi and towards plants had greatly increased.

He had a feeling that he could even revive nearly dead herbs and also accelerate the growth of herbs.

He looked at the massive, lifeless corpse of the Duskscale Earthrender Serpent.

A grim smile touched his lips.

"A worthy opponent," he murmured.

"And a generous gift.

"He then turned his attention to the remaining ember of the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence.

With a final, gentle absorption, he drew its last vestiges of power into himself.

The grotto plunged into near darkness, the only light now the faint, residual glow from the dissipating Blood Spirit Flame far back in the main cavern.

Wang Jian took a deep breath, feeling the potent, revitalized energy coursing through him.

The edge-of-death battle had been brutal, but the rewards… the rewards were beyond anything he could have hoped for.

He however sensed a faint trace of wood qi from some distance away.

It seemed to belong to herbs.