110 Puppet Jade
Part 1
Every passing minute became incredibly difficult to endure. There was silence in the room, as everyone was focused on cultivation. Only through this could they find tranquility.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but it felt like a long night was coming to an end. In the distance, there was a muffled sound, resembling the explosion of a bomb.
Cong Xia abruptly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was 2:40. Did Zhao Fen and Yao Huang take action?
Tang Yanqiu stood up and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
Cong Xia reminded him, "Don't go too far."
Tang Yanqiu replied calmly, "I'll be back soon." He picked up his bow and walked out of the room.
Zhuang Yao said, "Cut off the power switch."
Deng Xiao went to the kitchen and turned off the electricity for the entire beauty salon.
They all waited quietly inside the room. Five minutes later, Tang Yanqiu returned, bringing with him the chill of winter. "The explosion did indeed come from Wei Zi's direction."
"Very well," Zhuang Yao stroked his chin. "Yan Huiyang should also be taking action. Once Cheng Tianbi appears, we'll leave immediately."
Cong Xia suddenly raised his head. "Something is coming."
"Which direction?"
Abu meowed from outside the door.
Cold sweat broke out on Cong Xia's forehead. "From various directions."
Zhuang Yao stood up from the sofa. "Liu Fengyu, guard the window of Cheng Tianbi's bedroom in the backyard. Cong Xia, you guard the front door. We'll go out and take a look."
Tang Yanqiu and Deng Xiao were the first to rush out, followed by Zhuang Yao.
With the dual effect of cultivation and the Puppet Jade, Tang Yanqiu's vision evolved rapidly. Even in the dim moonlight, he could clearly see the crawling creatures approaching from a distance.
Tang Yanqiu said in a deep voice, "It's snakes."
"Yao Huang's leader is a king cobra mutant. King cobras are highly venomous snakes, so everyone needs to be careful. I'll go to the pickup truck and get some animal repellent powder and gasoline. There should be some animal repellent powder left from what we brought from the Tang family."
Tang Yanqiu picked up Zhuang Yao and threw him onto Abu's back. "Go quickly and don't come down to the ground."
Zhuang Yao thought for a moment and realized that he and Abu were probably the most vulnerable. Tang Yanqiu could fly, Deng Xiao had thick skin, Cong Xia shouldn't be afraid of poison, and Liu Fengyu was even less afraid. If anything bit him, it would only be digested and end up losing a mouthful of teeth. However, with Abu's size, the dosage of venom from the king cobra might not be sufficient, but being bitten multiple times could be troublesome.
The snake swarm approached, with hundreds of snakes of various colors and sizes, not limited to just king cobras. Most of them were non-venomous grass snakes, but there were a few large ones, their bodies thicker than an adult's waist.
Tang Yanqiu pulled back his bow and shot an arrow, piercing through the head of a large snake.
Zhuang Yao said, "You only have about a hundred arrows, so use them sparingly."
"I know." Tang Yanqiu pulled out another arrow, rubbed it against a flint on his shoulder, and shot it, causing a small area within the snake swarm to catch fire.
Zhuang Yao ran to the backyard with Abu. He climbed onto the pickup truck and searched inside for a while until he finally found the last packet of animal repellent powder. However, the powder had frozen into solid chunks. Abu sniffed it lightly and turned his head in disgust.
Zhuang Yao said to Abu, "Abu, endure the smell for a bit longer. It's still better than that foul-smelling flower."
Zhuang Yao wanted to get a bucket of gasoline, but the lightest oil drum weighed about twenty kilograms, roughly two-thirds of his body weight. He couldn't even lift the container, let alone carry it onto Abu's back. Zhuang Yao had to temporarily give up on the gasoline and used a knife to scrape off the frozen chunks of animal repellent powder, sprinkling the powder around the beauty salon.
Returning to the front entrance, the snake swarm was only about forty to fifty meters away. Deng Xiao was unbuttoning his clothes and said, "Oh, this is inconvenient. It would be nice if I had some elasticity..." After struggling to pull down his sleeves and pant legs, he suddenly straightened up and his body instantly stretched out. The slender and agile human boy transformed into a three-meter-tall creature with a long tail. His entire skin, from head to toe, turned into rough dark green scales like a lizard or crocodile, giving the appearance of a thick layer of armor. His hands and feet transformed into huge claws with sharp, pointed nails. A tail over a meter long swung back and forth behind him, exuding a force that could shatter metal and stone.
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Watch me scare away these little worms!" He quickly ran out of the beauty salon and headed towards the oncoming snake swarm. Although the snake swarm was formidable, all animals have their instincts. When they saw Deng Xiao from a distance, they were frightened and scattered in all directions.
Deng Xiao leaped into the snake swarm, grabbing multiple snakes with his claws and slamming them to the ground with his tail. A large snake coiled around his waist, but he punched its head, causing the snake's eye sockets to bleed, and its body immediately went limp. Deng Xiao threw the large snake aside and swept through the snake swarm like a ferocious beast.
Zhuang Yao murmured, "Indeed, his attack power is astonishing. Cong Xia managed to trick him into joining us with just a few meals. What a bargain."
Tang Yanqiu shouted, "Xiao Deng, you guard the front entrance, I'll go check the backyard."
"You can go without worries."
Zhuang Yao shouted, "Tang Yanqiu, go to the pickup truck and bring a can of gasoline. There are too many of them for us to kill."
"Alright."
Abu blocked the entrance of the beauty salon, using his claws to stomp on the snakes that managed to escape from Deng Xiao's grasp. However, with the sheer number of snakes, quite a few managed to crawl into the building. Despite closing all the doors and windows tightly, these creatures always found a way to sneak in through the gaps.
Tang Yanqiu ran to the backyard and immediately caught a whiff of a foul odor. He quickly took out the protective gear he carried with him and covered his nose. As he turned into the backyard, he saw Liu Fengyu standing by the window of Cheng Tianbi's bedroom, leaning against the wall. Within a meter outside the window, there was a full circle of digestive fluid he had sprayed. Several snakes were crawling around that fluid, hesitating to enter.
Tang Yanqiu swiftly unsheathed his waist knife and split a snake in half that was lunging towards him. Due to the inconvenience of carrying a sword, Tang Yanqiu had switched to using a curved Khukuri blade provided by Cheng Tianbi. He had started martial arts training at the age of three and was proficient in the use of almost any named cold weapon. Cheng Tianbi and him, one skilled in hot weapons, the other in cold weapons—these two men, who didn't talk much, found a common language when it came to weapons.
Liu Fengyu rubbed his arms. "It's really cold." He waved his right hand, and from his fingertip, a slender finger instantly expanded into a palm-sized, thick, bright red petal. A small snake pounced at him, and it collided with the petal. Its black barbs pierced its body, and the secreted digestive fluid instantly peeled off a layer of its skin.
Tang Yanqiu asked, "Can you handle it here?"
Liu Fengyu sneered. "Where can't I handle it? What are a few snakes?"
Tang Yanqiu nodded and decided to first check on Cong Xia's situation before going out to get the gasoline.
Liu Fengyu couldn't resist teasing him. "Oh, you're quite concerned about me."
Tang Yanqiu's figure stiffened slightly, and he walked away without turning back.
A faint smile appeared on Liu Fengyu's face.
Cong Xia had a tougher time compared to Liu Fengyu. Despite Deng Xiao and Abu guarding the entrance, the snakes seemed to be infiltrating everywhere. Within a span of ten minutes, three snakes had already managed to enter. He had to enhance himself into a strength-based evolved human; otherwise, his muscle response speed couldn't keep up with the snakes' attacks. He held a blood-stained military knife and patiently waited for the next snake.
Dealing with venomous snakes with a knife was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before. But now, if he couldn't handle such a small situation, he might as well crash and die without regrets. Regardless, he would defend this entrance and not allow anything to disturb Cheng Tianbi.
Footsteps approached the porch, and Cong Xia could discern Tang Yanqiu's energy fluctuation. "Xiao Tang?"
"Mhm." Tang Yanqiu walked over, his eyes focused. With a swing of his blade, he impaled a snake crawling up the wall. He retracted his knife and looked at the corpses of several snakes on the ground. "I'm not at ease, so I came to check."
"Oh, I'm doing fine. There aren't many snakes getting into the house. How about Liu-ge?" Cong Xia asked.
"He's temporarily okay."
"What about outside?"
"Deng Xiao is out there."
Cong Xia sighed. "For now, it seems relatively safe."
"Zhuang Yao sprinkled animal repellent powder around the house. I don't know how long it can hold up. When can he come out?" Tang Yanqiu glanced at the tightly closed door, feeling a sense of urgency.
Cong Xia shook his head. "According to his estimate, it's still half an hour away. Let's hope nothing unexpected happens."
Tang Yanqiu spoke in a deep voice, "I'm going out. If you can't hold on, just call us."
"Okay, go quickly." With Cheng Tianbi absent, Tang Yanqiu was the most reliable person to bring a sense of security. Cong Xia felt somewhat relieved from the tense atmosphere. He tightened his grip on the knife, further enhancing his vision and muscle strength. After all, it was just a group of snakes. He could handle it!
Tang Yanqiu returned to the front entrance and found that the snake swarm had only increased in number. It was an overwhelmingly dark mass of countless snakes, sending shivers down one's spine. Deng Xiao was almost entirely entangled by the snakes, wildly thrashing his claws and tail, tearing apart any snake that approached him.
Abu had been bitten twice by king cobras, and his right leg was noticeably slower in movement. Zhuang Yao's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Tang Yanqiu hoisted a bucket of gasoline and poured it down onto the snake swarm from above. Then, he threw the gasoline can away, and an arrow shot out, igniting the entire street. Hundreds of snakes were engulfed in the blazing fire.
On Liu Fengyu's side, he couldn't be as relaxed as before either. He opened the petals in both hands, and the intense stench deterred a large number of snakes from attacking. However, there were still many snakes fearlessly climbing up. He frantically secreted digestive fluid, and snake bones lay scattered at his feet. He watched groups of snakes crawling towards him from a distance and couldn't help but curse, "Cheng Tianbi, hurry the fuck up! If you don't come out soon, we'll be feeding the snakes!"
Cong Xia was in an even more precarious situation. Although he wasn't a combatant, he now had to swing his military knife with a determined face to cut down the snakes. He no longer cared if he would get bitten. Faced with an increasing number of snakes, as long as he could see them, he would strike. His enhanced dynamic vision, nerve reactions, and muscle reflexes were much faster than these snakes. To him, cutting through the snakes was no different from cutting through twists of dough. However, the disparity in numbers couldn't be compensated for by enhancement alone.
Suddenly, Cong Xia felt a sharp pain in his calf. Shortly after, excruciating pain spread throughout his body. One of his legs instantly became immobile. Cong Xia quickly redirected the energy flow towards his calf. The venom of a king cobra belonged to the neurotoxin category and caused intense pain upon entering the human body. Cong Xia was in so much pain that cold sweat covered his forehead. He didn't dare to cry out, afraid of disturbing Cheng Tianbi. He could only concentrate most of his energy towards the wound, eradicating the toxin completely before it spread. The excruciating pain gradually eased, if only a little, before the toxin could do further damage.
A snake attempted to push open the cloth that Cong Xia had stuffed in the door crack. Angered, Cong Xia stabbed it with his knife, venting all his pain and frustration onto the snake. He swung his military knife frantically, cutting all the snakes that dared to approach the door into pieces.
He didn't know how the others were doing. They mustn't get bitten...
Suddenly, he saw flames shooting up outside, and it seemed like the surroundings of the house were on fire. The number of snakes that crawled into the house also decreased significantly. Exhausted, Cong Xia leaned against the door and gasped for breath. To maintain his condition, he absorbed the energy from a stored energy jade charm, relieving some of the dizziness he felt.
Outside the door, the four of them were struggling to hold on. Although a bucket of gasoline had killed many snakes, large groups of snakes were quickly climbing along the walls and eaves towards the beauty salon where they were. Avoiding the charred main road, the snake swarm had dispersed, making it even more difficult to attack. Looking up, snakes were all over the roof and walls of the stairs.
Tang Yanqiu spotted a duct on the second-floor air conditioning unit and decisively set it on fire. He then inspected any possible entry points for snakes around the house.
Abu had been bitten several times and felt numbness spreading through his body. It seemed like he couldn't hold on much longer. Zhuang Yao gritted his teeth and forced Abu to jump onto the neighboring building, temporarily escaping the concentrated area of the snake swarm.
Liu Fengyu felt his energy depleting rapidly and could only grit his teeth, barely holding on. He started cursing Cheng Tianbi in his heart.
The situation couldn't be more critical, yet at this moment, a large bird with a wingspan of over two meters flew towards them from a distance. Tang Yanqiu immediately noticed two people sitting on the bird—one was Awu from the Fenglan Society whom they had encountered earlier, and the other was a man of similar age.
The large bird swooped over their heads. Tang Yanqiu squinted his eyes and took cover behind the road bully. Quietly, he drew his bow, and as the large bird flew above the courtyard of the beauty salon, he released an arrow that struck the bird's chest directly. The bird let out a cry and quickly plummeted to the ground.
The two people on its back landed safely, using the bird's body as a cushion. Awu rushed towards Deng Xiao as soon as he hit the ground. The other person shouted, "Be careful, Awu! They have archers!" He then ran towards the hiding spot of Tang Yanqiu in the backyard at an extraordinary speed.
Tang Yanqiu swiftly flew into the air, rapidly drawing and shooting his bow. The person jumped up, grabbing onto the eaves. The arrow grazed his back, leaving behind a trail of blood droplets that scattered on the ground.
The eaves blocked the person's body, and just as Tang Yanqiu was about to descend, a dark barrel emerged from beneath the eaves. Tang Yanqiu quickly moved to the side, and a burst of bullets passed through his armpit. The barrel spat out tongues of fire. It was an unknown advanced weapon, extremely powerful. The bullets grazed a few feathers but quickly set the areas they touched on fire.
Tang Yanqiu endured the pain and used his hand to put out the flames.
The person quickly jumped down and continuously fired their gun at Tang Yanqiu while running swiftly along the wall, displaying a speed no less than that of a beast. Tang Yanqiu judged that this person was an evolved speed-enhanced individual with a high degree of evolution.
110 Puppet Jade
Part 1
Every passing minute became incredibly difficult to endure. There was silence in the room, as everyone was focused on cultivation. Only through this could they find tranquility.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but it felt like a long night was coming to an end. In the distance, there was a muffled sound, resembling the explosion of a bomb.
Cong Xia abruptly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was 2:40. Did Zhao Fen and Yao Huang take action?
Tang Yanqiu stood up and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
Cong Xia reminded him, "Don't go too far."
Tang Yanqiu replied calmly, "I'll be back soon." He picked up his bow and walked out of the room.
Zhuang Yao said, "Cut off the power switch."
Deng Xiao went to the kitchen and turned off the electricity for the entire beauty salon.
They all waited quietly inside the room. Five minutes later, Tang Yanqiu returned, bringing with him the chill of winter. "The explosion did indeed come from Wei Zi's direction."
"Very well," Zhuang Yao stroked his chin. "Yan Huiyang should also be taking action. Once Cheng Tianbi appears, we'll leave immediately."
Cong Xia suddenly raised his head. "Something is coming."
"Which direction?"
Abu meowed from outside the door.
Cold sweat broke out on Cong Xia's forehead. "From various directions."
Zhuang Yao stood up from the sofa. "Liu Fengyu, guard the window of Cheng Tianbi's bedroom in the backyard. Cong Xia, you guard the front door. We'll go out and take a look."
Tang Yanqiu and Deng Xiao were the first to rush out, followed by Zhuang Yao.
With the dual effect of cultivation and the Puppet Jade, Tang Yanqiu's vision evolved rapidly. Even in the dim moonlight, he could clearly see the crawling creatures approaching from a distance.
Tang Yanqiu said in a deep voice, "It's snakes."
"Yao Huang's leader is a king cobra mutant. King cobras are highly venomous snakes, so everyone needs to be careful. I'll go to the pickup truck and get some animal repellent powder and gasoline. There should be some animal repellent powder left from what we brought from the Tang family."
Tang Yanqiu picked up Zhuang Yao and threw him onto Abu's back. "Go quickly and don't come down to the ground."
Zhuang Yao thought for a moment and realized that he and Abu were probably the most vulnerable. Tang Yanqiu could fly, Deng Xiao had thick skin, Cong Xia shouldn't be afraid of poison, and Liu Fengyu was even less afraid. If anything bit him, it would only be digested and end up losing a mouthful of teeth. However, with Abu's size, the dosage of venom from the king cobra might not be sufficient, but being bitten multiple times could be troublesome.
The snake swarm approached, with hundreds of snakes of various colors and sizes, not limited to just king cobras. Most of them were non-venomous grass snakes, but there were a few large ones, their bodies thicker than an adult's waist.
Tang Yanqiu pulled back his bow and shot an arrow, piercing through the head of a large snake.
Zhuang Yao said, "You only have about a hundred arrows, so use them sparingly."
"I know." Tang Yanqiu pulled out another arrow, rubbed it against a flint on his shoulder, and shot it, causing a small area within the snake swarm to catch fire.
Zhuang Yao ran to the backyard with Abu. He climbed onto the pickup truck and searched inside for a while until he finally found the last packet of animal repellent powder. However, the powder had frozen into solid chunks. Abu sniffed it lightly and turned his head in disgust.
Zhuang Yao said to Abu, "Abu, endure the smell for a bit longer. It's still better than that foul-smelling flower."
Zhuang Yao wanted to get a bucket of gasoline, but the lightest oil drum weighed about twenty kilograms, roughly two-thirds of his body weight. He couldn't even lift the container, let alone carry it onto Abu's back. Zhuang Yao had to temporarily give up on the gasoline and used a knife to scrape off the frozen chunks of animal repellent powder, sprinkling the powder around the beauty salon.
Returning to the front entrance, the snake swarm was only about forty to fifty meters away. Deng Xiao was unbuttoning his clothes and said, "Oh, this is inconvenient. It would be nice if I had some elasticity..." After struggling to pull down his sleeves and pant legs, he suddenly straightened up and his body instantly stretched out. The slender and agile human boy transformed into a three-meter-tall creature with a long tail. His entire skin, from head to toe, turned into rough dark green scales like a lizard or crocodile, giving the appearance of a thick layer of armor. His hands and feet transformed into huge claws with sharp, pointed nails. A tail over a meter long swung back and forth behind him, exuding a force that could shatter metal and stone.
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Watch me scare away these little worms!" He quickly ran out of the beauty salon and headed towards the oncoming snake swarm. Although the snake swarm was formidable, all animals have their instincts. When they saw Deng Xiao from a distance, they were frightened and scattered in all directions.
Deng Xiao leaped into the snake swarm, grabbing multiple snakes with his claws and slamming them to the ground with his tail. A large snake coiled around his waist, but he punched its head, causing the snake's eye sockets to bleed, and its body immediately went limp. Deng Xiao threw the large snake aside and swept through the snake swarm like a ferocious beast.
Zhuang Yao murmured, "Indeed, his attack power is astonishing. Cong Xia managed to trick him into joining us with just a few meals. What a bargain."
Tang Yanqiu shouted, "Xiao Deng, you guard the front entrance, I'll go check the backyard."
"You can go without worries."
Zhuang Yao shouted, "Tang Yanqiu, go to the pickup truck and bring a can of gasoline. There are too many of them for us to kill."
"Alright."
Abu blocked the entrance of the beauty salon, using his claws to stomp on the snakes that managed to escape from Deng Xiao's grasp. However, with the sheer number of snakes, quite a few managed to crawl into the building. Despite closing all the doors and windows tightly, these creatures always found a way to sneak in through the gaps.
Tang Yanqiu ran to the backyard and immediately caught a whiff of a foul odor. He quickly took out the protective gear he carried with him and covered his nose. As he turned into the backyard, he saw Liu Fengyu standing by the window of Cheng Tianbi's bedroom, leaning against the wall. Within a meter outside the window, there was a full circle of digestive fluid he had sprayed. Several snakes were crawling around that fluid, hesitating to enter.
Tang Yanqiu swiftly unsheathed his waist knife and split a snake in half that was lunging towards him. Due to the inconvenience of carrying a sword, Tang Yanqiu had switched to using a curved Khukuri blade provided by Cheng Tianbi. He had started martial arts training at the age of three and was proficient in the use of almost any named cold weapon. Cheng Tianbi and him, one skilled in hot weapons, the other in cold weapons—these two men, who didn't talk much, found a common language when it came to weapons.
Liu Fengyu rubbed his arms. "It's really cold." He waved his right hand, and from his fingertip, a slender finger instantly expanded into a palm-sized, thick, bright red petal. A small snake pounced at him, and it collided with the petal. Its black barbs pierced its body, and the secreted digestive fluid instantly peeled off a layer of its skin.
Tang Yanqiu asked, "Can you handle it here?"
Liu Fengyu sneered. "Where can't I handle it? What are a few snakes?"
Tang Yanqiu nodded and decided to first check on Cong Xia's situation before going out to get the gasoline.
Liu Fengyu couldn't resist teasing him. "Oh, you're quite concerned about me."
Tang Yanqiu's figure stiffened slightly, and he walked away without turning back.
A faint smile appeared on Liu Fengyu's face.
Cong Xia had a tougher time compared to Liu Fengyu. Despite Deng Xiao and Abu guarding the entrance, the snakes seemed to be infiltrating everywhere. Within a span of ten minutes, three snakes had already managed to enter. He had to enhance himself into a strength-based evolved human; otherwise, his muscle response speed couldn't keep up with the snakes' attacks. He held a blood-stained military knife and patiently waited for the next snake.
Dealing with venomous snakes with a knife was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before. But now, if he couldn't handle such a small situation, he might as well crash and die without regrets. Regardless, he would defend this entrance and not allow anything to disturb Cheng Tianbi.
Footsteps approached the porch, and Cong Xia could discern Tang Yanqiu's energy fluctuation. "Xiao Tang?"
"Mhm." Tang Yanqiu walked over, his eyes focused. With a swing of his blade, he impaled a snake crawling up the wall. He retracted his knife and looked at the corpses of several snakes on the ground. "I'm not at ease, so I came to check."
"Oh, I'm doing fine. There aren't many snakes getting into the house. How about Liu-ge?" Cong Xia asked.
"He's temporarily okay."
"What about outside?"
"Deng Xiao is out there."
Cong Xia sighed. "For now, it seems relatively safe."
"Zhuang Yao sprinkled animal repellent powder around the house. I don't know how long it can hold up. When can he come out?" Tang Yanqiu glanced at the tightly closed door, feeling a sense of urgency.
Cong Xia shook his head. "According to his estimate, it's still half an hour away. Let's hope nothing unexpected happens."
Tang Yanqiu spoke in a deep voice, "I'm going out. If you can't hold on, just call us."
"Okay, go quickly." With Cheng Tianbi absent, Tang Yanqiu was the most reliable person to bring a sense of security. Cong Xia felt somewhat relieved from the tense atmosphere. He tightened his grip on the knife, further enhancing his vision and muscle strength. After all, it was just a group of snakes. He could handle it!
Tang Yanqiu returned to the front entrance and found that the snake swarm had only increased in number. It was an overwhelmingly dark mass of countless snakes, sending shivers down one's spine. Deng Xiao was almost entirely entangled by the snakes, wildly thrashing his claws and tail, tearing apart any snake that approached him.
Abu had been bitten twice by king cobras, and his right leg was noticeably slower in movement. Zhuang Yao's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Tang Yanqiu hoisted a bucket of gasoline and poured it down onto the snake swarm from above. Then, he threw the gasoline can away, and an arrow shot out, igniting the entire street. Hundreds of snakes were engulfed in the blazing fire.
On Liu Fengyu's side, he couldn't be as relaxed as before either. He opened the petals in both hands, and the intense stench deterred a large number of snakes from attacking. However, there were still many snakes fearlessly climbing up. He frantically secreted digestive fluid, and snake bones lay scattered at his feet. He watched groups of snakes crawling towards him from a distance and couldn't help but curse, "Cheng Tianbi, hurry the fuck up! If you don't come out soon, we'll be feeding the snakes!"
Cong Xia was in an even more precarious situation. Although he wasn't a combatant, he now had to swing his military knife with a determined face to cut down the snakes. He no longer cared if he would get bitten. Faced with an increasing number of snakes, as long as he could see them, he would strike. His enhanced dynamic vision, nerve reactions, and muscle reflexes were much faster than these snakes. To him, cutting through the snakes was no different from cutting through twists of dough. However, the disparity in numbers couldn't be compensated for by enhancement alone.
Suddenly, Cong Xia felt a sharp pain in his calf. Shortly after, excruciating pain spread throughout his body. One of his legs instantly became immobile. Cong Xia quickly redirected the energy flow towards his calf. The venom of a king cobra belonged to the neurotoxin category and caused intense pain upon entering the human body. Cong Xia was in so much pain that cold sweat covered his forehead. He didn't dare to cry out, afraid of disturbing Cheng Tianbi. He could only concentrate most of his energy towards the wound, eradicating the toxin completely before it spread. The excruciating pain gradually eased, if only a little, before the toxin could do further damage.
A snake attempted to push open the cloth that Cong Xia had stuffed in the door crack. Angered, Cong Xia stabbed it with his knife, venting all his pain and frustration onto the snake. He swung his military knife frantically, cutting all the snakes that dared to approach the door into pieces.
He didn't know how the others were doing. They mustn't get bitten...
Suddenly, he saw flames shooting up outside, and it seemed like the surroundings of the house were on fire. The number of snakes that crawled into the house also decreased significantly. Exhausted, Cong Xia leaned against the door and gasped for breath. To maintain his condition, he absorbed the energy from a stored energy jade charm, relieving some of the dizziness he felt.
Outside the door, the four of them were struggling to hold on. Although a bucket of gasoline had killed many snakes, large groups of snakes were quickly climbing along the walls and eaves towards the beauty salon where they were. Avoiding the charred main road, the snake swarm had dispersed, making it even more difficult to attack. Looking up, snakes were all over the roof and walls of the stairs.
Tang Yanqiu spotted a duct on the second-floor air conditioning unit and decisively set it on fire. He then inspected any possible entry points for snakes around the house.
Abu had been bitten several times and felt numbness spreading through his body. It seemed like he couldn't hold on much longer. Zhuang Yao gritted his teeth and forced Abu to jump onto the neighboring building, temporarily escaping the concentrated area of the snake swarm.
Liu Fengyu felt his energy depleting rapidly and could only grit his teeth, barely holding on. He started cursing Cheng Tianbi in his heart.
The situation couldn't be more critical, yet at this moment, a large bird with a wingspan of over two meters flew towards them from a distance. Tang Yanqiu immediately noticed two people sitting on the bird—one was Awu from the Fenglan Society whom they had encountered earlier, and the other was a man of similar age.
The large bird swooped over their heads. Tang Yanqiu squinted his eyes and took cover behind the road bully. Quietly, he drew his bow, and as the large bird flew above the courtyard of the beauty salon, he released an arrow that struck the bird's chest directly. The bird let out a cry and quickly plummeted to the ground.
The two people on its back landed safely, using the bird's body as a cushion. Awu rushed towards Deng Xiao as soon as he hit the ground. The other person shouted, "Be careful, Awu! They have archers!" He then ran towards the hiding spot of Tang Yanqiu in the backyard at an extraordinary speed.
Tang Yanqiu swiftly flew into the air, rapidly drawing and shooting his bow. The person jumped up, grabbing onto the eaves. The arrow grazed his back, leaving behind a trail of blood droplets that scattered on the ground.
The eaves blocked the person's body, and just as Tang Yanqiu was about to descend, a dark barrel emerged from beneath the eaves. Tang Yanqiu quickly moved to the side, and a burst of bullets passed through his armpit. The barrel spat out tongues of fire. It was an unknown advanced weapon, extremely powerful. The bullets grazed a few feathers but quickly set the areas they touched on fire.
Tang Yanqiu endured the pain and used his hand to put out the flames.
The person quickly jumped down and continuously fired their gun at Tang Yanqiu while running swiftly along the wall, displaying a speed no less than that of a beast. Tang Yanqiu judged that this person was an evolved speed-enhanced individual with a high degree of evolution.
