Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Snake-man (2)
The sight made Luo Kai’s blood boil. He picked up a broken spear tip from the ground. It felt remarkably light in his hand, not like metal, but more like some kind of animal bone. He wanted to help Shisan, but he lacked Shisan’s sturdy physique; he feared he would be skewered by a flurry of spears the moment he showed his face.
Although these Snake-men looked terrifying, their combat prowess didn’t seem much greater than a human’s. Of course, this was likely because they were on land. They had to be some kind of amphibious creature; it would be a completely different story in the water.
The Snake-men grew restless. Their leader, the burliest of the group, hissed incessantly with rage. He suddenly snatched another Bone Spear, now holding one in each hand as he joined the fray. His style of attack was even more bizarre. He coiled and weaved just outside the reach of Shisan’s flurry of fists, his two spears constantly crisscrossing, darting back and forth in a pattern that was both offensive and defensive.
Shisan’s expression grew solemn. He took a step back into a slight crouch, his posture clearly wary. Muttering as much to himself as to Luo Kai, he said, "The Snake-men possess terrifying dynamic vision. They’re extremely skilled at tracking moving objects and even better at finding weaknesses in an opponent’s attack. I have nerve paralysis below my waist. My lower body is my greatest weakness!"
Li Gui picked up a Broken Spear and said in a low voice, "Brother Shisan, don’t worry about us. Just kill the Snake-man leader, and the others are sure to retreat!"
Shisan nodded. "Alright. Xiaoluo is inexperienced. Brother Li, look after him!" With that, he surged forward, smashing a Snake-man’s head with a single punch. Without a moment’s pause, he lunged toward the leader.
The Snake-man leader’s long, serpentine body was incredibly agile, able to twist and pivot a full three hundred sixty degrees. Even Shisan would have trouble taking it down in a short amount of time.
The other Snake-men immediately changed their target. It was only now, facing them head-on, that Luo Kai truly understood how terrifying they were. The winding, unpredictable paths of their Bone Spears made it impossible to tell where they would strike. Danger flared up in an instant; his arm and shoulder were both pierced by the spears, and soon he was dripping with blood.
Fortunately, Li Gui drew most of their fire. The old man had finally stopped holding back. With an agility that completely defied his age, he plunged into the midst of the Snake-men. The Broken Spear in his hand aimed exclusively for their lower abdomens, reaping their lives like a venomous dragon. In terms of kill rate, he was even more efficient than Shisan.
Luo Kai gradually calmed his mind and took a deep breath. He tried to accelerate his heartbeat once more. His breathing grew faster and faster as a massive amount of air filled his lungs. The rate at which his alveoli filtered oxygen multiplied, and richly oxygenated blood began to surge toward his brain.
It was as if time had slowed. The flow of the air, the sound of the spears Breaking Sky, even the rush of his own blood—it all registered in his mind with crystalline clarity. Suddenly, he perceived an opening. His body moved with his will, and the Broken Spear in his hand shot out. It felt like stabbing a watermelon. A bloody hole appeared in the head of the Snake-man beside him. Its long, serpentine body convulsed violently, and then it died.
This Qi and Blood Surge technique that Luo Kai had grasped could, for a short period, drastically increase his thought speed, his Sensing Power of the environment, his localized muscle Power, his neural reaction speed, and more. Simply put, it was an all-around enhancement of his physical condition.
With his mind clearer than ever, the craftily angled Bone Spears no longer posed a threat. Luo Kai stopped defending passively and threw himself into the battle. The only combat Body Technique he had ever learned was the Mighty Dragon Fist, so he now wielded the Broken Spear as an extension of his fist. Relying on explosive bursts of Power, his movements were direct, wide, and sweeping!
No matter how crafty the angle of the Snake-man Spears, he met them head-on, swinging his own spear to counter. He used straight attacks to break their curved ones. This fighting style perfectly embodied the core principle of the Mighty Dragon Fist—breaking skill with overwhelming force—and was the nemesis of the Snake-man Body Techniques. For a time, no foe could withstand a single blow from his Broken Spear! Before long, the ground was carpeted with the corpses of Snake-men, turning the tiny reef into an Asura Hell.
On the other side of the fight, Shisan was hampered by his inability to channel Power to his lower limbs. The Snake-man leader was far too agile, making it incredibly difficult for him to land a killing blow quickly.
The Snake-man leader took in the state of the battle. It had never expected these three humans to be so powerful. It realized that if the fight continued, not only would they fail to kill their prey, but their entire force would be wiped out. It let out a series of furious hisses, swayed its body left and right, and then slid into the sea like a bolt of lightning. The other Snake-men scrambled to flee as well.
The battle was over. Luo Kai immediately collapsed to the ground, feeling as if he didn’t even have the strength to breathe. This method of调动气血的法子 was far too taxing on his body. Every muscle had entered a state of Paralysis, and it felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.
The battle had been brief but incredibly intense. All three of them were wounded to some degree, but Shisan’s injuries were the most severe. Although his body was unbelievably tough, it was still flesh and blood. Numerous broken spear tips were embedded in his muscles, making for a terrifying sight.
Shisan walked over, panting heavily. Even as he pulled the broken spearheads from his muscles, he didn’t forget to lecture Luo Kai. "A life-and-death battle is the best way to temper your Body Techniques. The Snake-man style is complex and unpredictable, the exact opposite of the Mighty Dragon Fist. Xiaokai, you have a naturally flexible frame, which is well-suited for their Body Techniques. If you get the chance to master and integrate both styles, you will undoubtedly become a Body Technique Master!"
Luo Kai barely had the strength to open his eyes. He gave a wry smile. "Brother Shisan, I don’t have the energy to think about any of that. Let’s just focus on how to get out of here!"
Li Gui’s face was grim. "He’s right. There must be a Snake-man nest in the nearby waters. We won’t survive if another wave comes!" As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the Snake-man corpses on the ground. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he suddenly bent over a body and began to greedily drink its blood.
Luo Kai couldn’t help but swallow hard. He turned to Shisan and asked, "Are... are these Snake-men considered ’people’? Can... can we eat them?"
Shisan first shook his head, then nodded. "In the early days of genetic research, humanity conducted all sorts of widespread experiments on its own population. The Snake-men are said to be the product of a failed experiment. Their bestial nature won out over their reason. Strictly speaking, they’re an offshoot of humanity!"
Luo Kai immediately hesitated. Eating animals was one thing, but the idea of eating a "Snake-man" was deeply unsettling to him.
Li Gui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Brothers, this is no time to be scrupulous. We haven’t eaten in days. If we don’t regain some strength before the next wave of Snake-men arrives, we’re dead for sure!"
Shisan nodded grimly. He found a nearby Snake-man corpse, first drinking some of its blood, then tearing off and devouring huge mouthfuls of its raw flesh.
When a person reaches a certain point of starvation, all else is cast aside. Luo Kai hesitated for a moment, then followed suit. He found a Snake-man corpse and began drinking its blood in great gulps. The blood was unbearably salty and foul, yet it was brimming with Energy. As the warm liquid hit his stomach, a wave of heat surged through his limbs, and feeling gradually returned to his paralyzed body.
"The Snake-men are highly intelligent. After taking such a heavy loss, they won’t let this go. We can’t stay here!"
Luo Kai used strips of Snake Skin to re-bandage his wounds. Though he was covered in injuries from head to toe, his body’s Recovery Power was astonishing. Especially now that he had eaten, his wounds had already begun to contract and scab over after just a few hours.
The sky gradually began to whiten with the dawn. Fueled by the high-energy food, their weakened bodies recovered at a rapid pace, and the long-lost sensation of Power returned. The three of them gathered some Bone Spears and chunks of Snake-man meat, which they carried on their backs using ropes twisted from Snake Skin. They exchanged nods, and then leaped back into the sea.
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