"Clearly, you're strong, so this clone of yours should be a downgraded version of yourself, right?" Apollo asked, pointing at the serpent's sinuous body. He wasn't sure whether the Great Serpent in front of him was the real deal or just a projection, but he could feel that this serpent was something he couldn't defeat with his current cultivation.
"I am… but a mere… fragment… however, my clones… are enough for… you," the Great Serpent explained in its slow, low voice.
"Enough for me? To defeat it or for it to defeat me?" Apollo asked, but the serpent didn't respond. Its glowing body brightened before shrinking into a two-meter-tall ball of light.
The light slowly descended in front of the beggar.
"I guess we're starting then," Apollo muttered, his demeanor turning serious. His small frame stood face-to-face with the ball of light as his body tensed. If this ball of light made any sudden moves that threatened him, he was ready to act.