Chapter 60: The Power of One
"They're coming!" Su Jingxing's spirits soared.
"They're coming!"
"Everyone, stay alert!"
The members of the Town Guard murmured lowly, their gazes locked fiercely onto the dark shadow breaking through the water.
By the riverbank, Qi Zhaozhen had not stopped bleeding, still letting his blood drip freely into the water.
A martial artist's blood is purer than that of ordinary people, brimming with vital energy.
Since he had already cut his hand, he was determined to lure this river beast out completely.
At this point, it was an overt strategy—a trap laid in plain sight!
Qi Zhaozhen used himself as bait, brazenly signaling to the creature hidden in the water: if it wished to feast on him, it must come out!
Boom—
A sudden explosion, the surface of the river surged violently.
Qi Zhaozhen's plan succeeded. Amidst the splashing water, a massive dark figure burst forth from the river, charging fiercely at him.
A foul wind swept in, the force powerful and wild.
Swish!
Qi Zhaozhen retreated rapidly, shifting positions continuously to evade the gaping, serpentine maw lunging for him.
Yes, the river beast was a snake—a huge serpent with black markings on a glossy gray body, as thick as a water vat.
Its exact length was unknown, but just the part emerging from the water stretched twenty or thirty meters.
Now, it opened its enormous, pus-filled, foul-smelling mouth, lunging straight for Qi Zhaozhen.
Its speed was astonishing, barely needing to coil or stretch—just relentlessly pursuing Qi Zhaozhen, left or right, always pressing forward.
Clearly, it had targeted Qi Zhaozhen, determined to devour this bleeding, delectable human.
The foul wind howled, sweeping over the riverbank.
Seeing Qi Zhaozhen dodging desperately, the Town Guard members hidden in every corner snapped to action—throwing javelins, firing crossbows, casting nets...
Su Jingxing watched the entire process, never blinking.
The serpent's attack was swift and focused—eliminating it would be difficult for Qi Zhaozhen alone; only with the others' help could it be done.
The Town Guard's coordinated assault would provide Su Jingxing with valuable information.
For example—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Amid a series of sounds, arrows, javelins, spears, and silenced bullets rained upon the serpent, only to be deflected.
No, more precisely, they slid off!
The snake's glossy skin not only offered impressive defense, but was so slick it seemed waxed—every attack lost its aim upon contact, its force scattered, leaving it ineffective.
Even Qi Zhaozhen, taking advantage of his comrades' distraction, stepped skillfully to the serpent's side and struck with a mighty blade—yet his blow, despite its immense power, barely affected the snake. At least nine thousand pounds of force slid off the slippery skin, dissipating into the air.
The serpent, realizing the threat, swung its head—bigger than a car's front end—at Qi Zhaozhen, hurling him through the air and smashing him to the ground ten meters away.
A hiss—mixed with a foul stench—echoed across the riverbank.
The serpent, having struck successfully, left the river entirely and slithered onto the shore.
Su Jingxing quickly estimated its size.
Sixty-eight meters!
This water-vat-thick serpent was nearly seventy meters long.
Its ends were small, its middle enormous.
The belly was so bloated it looked as if it had swallowed an elephant.
Yet its speed was undiminished; after knocking Qi Zhaozhen aside, its thick tail swept through the air toward the exposed Town Guard members.
Whoosh—
A fierce wind ravaged the riverbank.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Not one Town Guard member evaded the blow—they were all struck by the tail and sent flying.
When they crashed to the ground, most lost the ability to move.
A few spat blood, wracked with pain as if their bones were shattered.
"Help! Requesting backup! South bank of the Tianshui River, requesting backup!" Qi Zhaozhen, pale-faced, staggered to a hidden radio and shouted hoarsely.
No one had expected this serpent, which had appeared only days before, to be so formidable.
Its massive size and incredible defense were daunting enough, but its slippery skin rendered most attacks useless.
With such attributes, no martial artist below the sixth rank could handle it.
Only true energy could harm it!
Qi Zhaozhen's call for help, in truth, came too late.
By the time reinforcements arrived, his group would likely be wiped out, swallowed by the serpent.
Of course, that was the normal outcome—with only Qi Zhaozhen's group and the serpent present.
Neither Qi Zhaozhen nor the serpent knew of Su Jingxing's presence.
He was the exception!
The serpent's abilities were now clear to Su Jingxing.
Unlike the Red-Scaled Porcupine, which possessed only terrifying defense, this snake combined speed, defense, strength, and slipperiness.
Understanding this, Su Jingxing quickly devised a response.
He could use a True Energy card, paired with the "Human Element" chapter of the Sanyuan Blade Technique—an effortless solution.
However, he had only two True Energy cards; one had already been used, and he needed to keep the other as a trump card.
Thus, he set that method aside for now—he had another way.
That was—
One hundred thousand pounds of brute force!
...
The foul stench still lingered over the riverbank.
Boom!
Qi Zhaozhen, attacking with his blade, was struck once more, sent flying through three trees and crashing to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
Hiss—
The serpent twisted its body, swiftly advancing, maw agape as it closed in on Qi Zhaozhen.
Unable to move, Qi Zhaozhen gave a bitter laugh, abandoning his struggle and waiting for death.
But just as the serpent's enormous mouth drew within half a meter—
Roar!
The serpent, head lowered, suddenly let out a painful, long howl, its huge body thrashing wildly.
Yet only the upper half writhed—the lower half was tightly immobilized.
Especially the tail, which was now drenched in blood, no longer under the serpent's control.
Su Jingxing held three specially crafted flying knives in each hand, using them as anchors to grip the serpent's tail.
Just as the snake struck Qi Zhaozhen and lunged to devour him, Su Jingxing had entered the fray like a phantom. With a hundred thousand pounds of brute force, he drove his inner-powered weapons into the serpent's tail.
Its skin was indeed slippery, but only to a point.
With sufficient force, targeting a single spot with lightning speed could pierce through.
The weapons broke the snake's skin, plunging into its flesh. Switching to flying knives, Su Jingxing now had a firm hold.
He braced his waist, exerted his arms, and held the serpent's tail. As the creature howled in pain, just before it could turn to attack him, Su Jingxing, like a dragon overturning mountains, forcefully swung the multi-ton serpent, lifting it and hurling it in a wild arc.
Whoosh!
A piercing whistle of wind resounded across the riverbank.
With his own strength, Su Jingxing spun the serpent like a staff, smashing it violently.
Boom!