37 Overpowered Gluttony
Yu Bai and the twins were left stunned by Lu Zhen's audacious actions. Although the encounter between Lu Zhen and the snake might have seemed prolonged, it transpired in mere moments.
Despite the chance to react swiftly, Yu Bai hesitated, well aware of Lu Zhen's prowess from his previous rampage. Overcoming the snake shouldn't have posed a significant challenge for him.
Observing Lu Zhen's fearless confrontation, Yu Bai couldn't help but experience a blend of admiration and worry.
The twins wore concerned expressions. Lu Zhen's use of the carrot and stick trick seemed to have yielded results.
The snake, its belly full, slithered away in a contented manner, with Yu Bai trailing closely behind. He resolved to give Lu Zhen half an hour before deciding to slay the snake himself.
Lacking the speed to keep up, the twins took shelter beneath a tree, shielded from the continuing heavy rain.
The snake's expression radiated delight as it tried to shake off its pursuer.
However, its happiness was short-lived as sudden agony erupted in its stomach.
Boom! Boom!
Echoes of crashing resounded as the snake, wracked with pain, collapsed against a nearby tree. The impact sent the tree crashing to the ground.
Frantically rubbing its belly in the mud in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort, the snake found no relief. A noticeable dent began forming in its muscular armour, its struggles proving futile.
"Hmm, it's rather cramped in here. How about I make some space?" Lu Zhen sneered as he unleashed a series of punches on the snake's interior.
Lu Zhen was indeed not lying. Imagine a dimly lit cavern, the air thick with humidity, and the scent of digestive acids hanging heavily. The walls were not the uniform, smooth surfaces of ordinary stomachs but a textured composition of folds and ridges. It was truly an unpleasant experience for Lu Zhen, the stomach's environment providing no solace, especially with all the snake's writhing and attempts to soothe its pain.
In addition to the discomfort, the acids were strong enough to cause slight damage to his divine physique.
However, Lu Zhen didn't care much as he could recover faster than the minor burns caused by the acid. He continued hammering the inner part of the snake with his palm in a slashing movement.
Time passed in a split blink of an eye, and ten minutes slipped by as Lu Zhen pounded the snake relentlessly, simultaneously practising his saber techniques with his bare hands.
Growing impatient as the snake stubbornly refused to burst open, an idea sprang to Lu Zhen's mind, causing a smirk to grace his lips.
"Hmph, since you're so stubborn, then don't blame me," Lu Zhen declared. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and took a bite out of the snake's inner walls.
The moment Lu Zhen took a bite, the snake's struggles intensified, and its gaze turned to pure terror as it felt something tearing within him.
With a "crunch" sound that mimicked biting into something hard, Lu Zhen consumed a small portion of the snake's flesh. Lu zhen found it quite hard to eat but with a little effort he finally chewed it.
"It tastes like chicken breast," Lu Zhen thought as he took a bite of the snake meat.
It was a bit greasy, like a goat and tough like a llama. Its taste, however, was akin to chicken breast, except for the tiny, sharp bones that gave it a fish-like texture.
Almost instantaneously, as the meat entered Lu Zhen's body, it was devoured as if a black hole had sucked it in. A warm sensation permeated Lu Zhen's body, revitalising him from the fatigue. This sensation differed slightly from qi. He sensed that his body was satisfied, a feeling of fulfilment washing over him.
In truth, while qi could enhance the body, nutrients and protein were still essential for its maintenance. Even high-tier martial artists required food to sustain their qi-reinforced bodies, and due to Lu Zhen's robust physique, he needed even more protein and nutrients than his peers.
That's why every time Lu Zhen increased his constitution, he experienced intense hunger. Without the high-protein, nutrient-rich food he had access to, he might have damaged his body, as the level-up process didn't grant him energy;it merely accumulated energy to facilitate his advancement. Beyond that point, he was on his own. Sometimes, he pondered the grim possibility of overleveling and lacking adequate sustenance, potentially leading to dire consequences. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, adding another near future problem.
As Lu Zhen continued to grow in strength, his body's demands for nutrients and protein would escalate, potentially posing a challenge in the future.
Lu Zhen had pondered this problem previously, acknowledging its potential challenges without an immediate solution. His approach was to confront the matter as it presented itself. However, seeing the potential of the gluttony skill, his satisfaction soared. Countless ideas bubbled forth, revealing numerous ways to exploit the skill which he previously almost forgot..
"Let's start the feist," Lu Zhen declared with an eager spark in his eyes. He moistened his parched lips and cast a gaze brimming with hunger upon the snake. He initiated by taking small, deliberate bites, gradually adapting to the taste and texture. As time progressed, his bites grew larger and bolder.
Although system prompts intermittently appeared at the corner of his vision, Lu Zhen's focus remained entrenched in the task at hand. His voracious consumption of the snake relegated these prompts to the system's log, rather than capturing his immediate attention.
A sharp "hiss" echoed through the air, akin to the death throes of the snake. As its eyes dimmed and its clarity waned, it crumbled onto the muddy terrain.
At the snake's tail end, a cut materialized, revealing a blood-soaked figure clutching a massive heart that continued to pulse within his grasp. On the other hand, he held a gleaming pearl.
"Hmm not bad." His fingers brushed against his abdomen, where his meticulously carved six-pack abs exuded an aura of pure, chiselled muscle. Despite his six packs, he felt an unexpected fullness, as if his stomach reached its capacity and couldn't take anymore. He reluctantly looked at the corpse of the snake.
"Young master," Yu Bai interjected, his voice laced with deep reverence. Bowing respectfully, his gaze held an unwavering admiration for Lu Zhen. Yu Bai had initially believed that Lu Zhen's victory over the snake was dependent on his demon form. However, witnessing how Lu Zhen dispatched the snake with ease in a mere 25 minutes, without even resorting to his demonic state, left him awestruck and filled with reverence.
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