Chapter 301: Stand
For all of Liam’s powerful techniques and their ability to rely on extreme Qi consumption, they remained one level below the fake magical beast.
Liam’s cultivation wasn’t advanced enough to close that gap through his divine talent, so he had relied on the basic strategy of being in the snake’s blind spots, dwelling in the areas where it couldn’t express the entirety of its superiority.
However, the green snake was superior. It was why Liam couldn’t kill it with that safer strategy. He just couldn’t inflict significant damage before his Qi reserves ran out.
It was also why a single instance in which the magical beast could play to its strengths had become a killing move.
The sharp fangs pierced Liam’s chest and left leg, drawing blood. Other shorter curved teeth were also coming, ready to stab him all over, immobilizing him for good.
Still, that was hardly a problem, or rather, Liam wouldn’t be alive to worry about it. The mouth probably carried enough strength to squash him to a pulp.
Except that the shorter teeth didn’t move. The snake’s maw didn’t close any further, and the long fangs didn’t dig any deeper into Liam.
Liam shook all over, his head lowered, his disheveled hair hiding the abundant sweat covering his forehead and popping veins.
Bulging veins also covered the rest of Liam’s body, his muscles tensing more than they had ever done in his life.
Liam’s figure grew blurrier by the second, twisted beneath the trembling membrane that had enveloped his body. His Qi vibrated with increasing intensity, attempting to push away and deflect the fangs.
The Qi Repulsion Liam had learned in the Roaring Thunder Sect, his first defensive martial art, made its first public appearance, only to be outclassed. While strong, a rank 2 technique couldn’t oppose a level three magical beast, not that one at least.
The technique still stopped the fangs, but only for a fraction of a second before they resumed closing on Liam, slowly overcoming that barrier.
But a fraction of a second was all Liam needed to unleash the Lightning Step again, sprinting backward, uncaring of the flesh the two stabbed fangs tore away.
Two more thunderous noises resounded. Liam turned by ninety degrees twice. He couldn’t retreat since the snake’s body was behind him, so he reversed his sprint, planning to slide past the reptilian head.
The turns didn’t make Liam lose speed. He accelerated with each one, but the reptilian head was already there, and the snake tilted it, slamming it on his left side before he could cross it.
The impact wasn’t violent. It couldn’t hit Liam dead-center, but he lost his foothold, which had terrible consequences at that speed.
Liam fell, his momentum preventing him from restoring his balance. His body hit the floor and bounced on it, rolling uncontrollably across the hall.
Luckily, that speed also kept Liam safe from additional attacks. He eventually found the chance to kick the floor and straighten himself up, ultimately slamming into a wall that halted his momentum.
Destabilizing pain spread from Liam’s back and nape, but he didn’t get the chance to dwell on it. The snake was already coming, its triangular head just a few meters from him.
Truth be told, Liam could run. His feet weren’t touching the floor, but the wall could act as a suitable surface. He could be faster than the level three magical beast in a short sprint, which would be enough to get him to the flower on the other side of the hall.
It would also make sense to do so. The snake had around two dozen cuts across its body, but they were too shallow even to attempt hindering it. Liam’s offense had only amounted to that little.
However, the right side of the snake’s head had a large patch of exposed, corroded flesh. Even its eye looked damaged, the venom having carved through its sclera.
Of course, Liam wasn’t fine, either. His left arm felt sluggish. The fangs hadn’t pierced too deeply, but his chest and leg were bleeding. Even his insides hurt after the clash with the head and the impact on the wall.
Liam was suffering injuries faster than the snake, especially significant ones, which couldn’t be helped. One hundred of his cuts would still fall below what one good strike from the magical beast could achieve.
Liam was also brittler. Magical beasts had stronger bodies than cultivators, and his opponent belonged to a superior cultivation stage. He would break first, no matter what.
And yet, Liam didn’t run, no matter how stupid that sounded. He had had enough of escape being the only viable choice in his life. He was weary of leaving things behind because he wasn’t strong enough to stay with them.
Besides, Liam had made the snake bleed, or whatever that meant for the fake magical beast, meaning he could kill it. As infinitesimal as the odds were, he would take them.
’When would I make a stand if not now?!’ Liam cried in his mind, his Qi moving toward his feet. ’When will I stop losing if I run even when there’s a chance of victory?!’
Liam’s goals were impossible to achieve, so infinitesimal odds were the best deal he could ever ask for.
A thunderous noise preceded the triangular head’s impact on the wall. The snake crashed violently into it, but its left eye followed the figure moving at its side.
Liam forcefully stopped himself next to the reptilian head, his right arm snapping at it to throw another yellow flask. The container struck the vertical eye dead-center, shattering to release its venom.
Nevertheless, the slow gesture gave the snake the time to twist its head at Liam, catching him before he could dodge again.
The snake rammed its head forward, but nothing touched Liam. His arms were crossed, a vibrating, ethereal membrane covering his body, preventing those scales from reaching him.
Still, the strength behind the blow remained, and the magical beast didn’t leave it at that since its whole body was propelling its head forward.
Liam lost his foothold, his figure leaving the floor as the snake pushed him away, its head still attempting to pierce the Qi Repulsion.
The push lifted Liam into the air until his back hit another wall, but every muscle on his body remained tense, his veins on the verge of bursting open. The snake pinned him there, still digging through his defensive technique, which the arrival of a solid surface aided.
Liam saw the vibrating membrane thinning quickly since he couldn’t be pushed away anymore. He stretched his arms, grabbing the scaled maw’s upper and lower sides, wanting to add his physical strength to the equation.
However, the snake remained stronger. The Qi Repulsion soon was on its last breath, and the pressure on Liam’s arms increased until he heard his bones creak. Everything was about to vanish and snap, leaving nothing to oppose the triangular head about to crush him.
And the Qi Repulsion vanished, powerless to protect Liam anymore. The snake pushed on his palms with all the strength it could muster, but his arms didn’t snap.
Instead, Liam’s fingers pierced the scales as blood vessels spread and expanded in his eyes. His mouth also opened, releasing foam and a loud hiss.
