Even more Vines than before erupted into existence, rapidly coiling toward the Shocking Water Snake.
’The whole point of using seeds instead of direct Spiritual Power Vines is to conserve Spiritual Power for a battle of attrition, after all.’
Having learned its lesson, the Shocking Water Snake didn’t fall for it again. Faced with the encroaching Vines, it no longer tried to let them coil around it, lest it end up hopelessly tangled.
Instead, it constantly whipped its tail, lashing out at the Vines.
Seeing this, Zhang Deming changed his tactics as well. He had several Vines lift off the ground, rearing up like snakes themselves.
Then, they began to whip through the air, lashing at the Shocking Water Snake.
While so Vines tried to ensnare it from the ground, the upright ones lashed out, confronting it head-on.
This change in tactics instantly put the Shocking Water Snake on the back foot.
Pei Xiaoxiao kept looking for an opening, trying to land a decisive blow.
The wounds from her previous series of slashes were now bleeding profusely. The fierce battle had stained the surrounding ground a vibrant red with the snake’s blood.
Pei Xiaoxiao wasn’t the least bit afraid. In fact, she seed to have a quirk of getting excited by the sight of blood. Even though she hadn’t managed to harm the Shocking Water Snake again, she grew more invigorated, more thrilled, with every swing.
Zhang Deming could even feel the distinct fluctuations of Spiritual Power coming from her blade.
’This isn’t Enlightennt Dao, is it?’
’I should get her a giant cleaver next ti. Then she’d really be a battle loli!’
Several Vines whipped at it without pause, while several others constantly closed in, attempting to bind it.
Exhausted from fending off the attacks, the Shocking Water Snake made a mistake and was struck squarely on the head by a Vine.
The blow sent its head reeling back, nearly causing it to topple over.
The Shocking Water Snake seed dizzy from the blow and shook its head slightly.
Seizing the opening, Zhang Deming sent his remaining Vines surging forward, attempting to entangle the Shocking Water Snake again.
The snake coiled in an instant and, just as the Vines moved in, shot away like a bolt of lightning.
"Not good, it’s trying to escape."
Seeing this, Zhang Deming instantly realized it was trying to get to the lake.
’In the water, we might not be a match for it.’
Hearing his shout, Pei Xiaoxiao charged forward without hesitation, and Zhang Deming followed close behind with his Vines.
They were already at the lake’s edge; the short battle was the only thing that had created any distance from it.
In a flash, the Shocking Water Snake’s head reached the water’s surface.
Behind it, Zhang Deming and Pei Xiaoxiao were in hot pursuit.
But at that exact mont, the frantically fleeing Shocking Water Snake ca to a sudden halt. It instantly whipped its head around and, for the first ti, opened its massive maw.
As the Shocking Water Snake locked its gaze on him, Zhang Deming felt his body grow stiff, his movents suddenly becoming sluggish.
’Crap, the old Retreating Spear trick!’
Seeing this, Zhang Deming’s pupils contracted. He reacted on pure instinct.
Zhang Deming reached out and pulled Pei Xiaoxiao back, stopping her forward charge.
The Vines at his side shot out, rapidly weaving and layering over one another.
They ford a dense Vine Ball on the spot, enveloping both Zhang Deming and Pei Xiaoxiao in layer after protective layer.
At the sa ti, Zhang Deming’s hands flashed through a series of gestures. As he expended a large amount of Spiritual Qi, a transparent, eggshell-like Shield ford around him.
He had just finished these actions when the Shocking Water Snake, having completed its feint, spat a transparent Water Arrow from its mouth.
The Water Arrow glinted beautifully in the sunlight, shimring with the colors of the rainbow.
The Water Arrow struck the Vine Ball Shield Zhang Deming had created. SPLAT! It burst apart on impact.
’The beautiful Water Arrow was all for show? It didn’t even manage to completely pierce the first layer of the Vine Ball.’
But before Zhang Deming could breathe a sigh of relief, the scattered droplets from the arrow began to emit a greenish smoke the mont they touched the Vine Ball.
The Vine Ball began to dissolve at a startling rate. Simultaneously, the water atomized into a mist—not a white one, but one that shimred with an iridescent light.
One look at the color told him it was extrely toxic. This Shocking Water Snake was different from other pythons; most are non-venomous, but this one was a Poisonous Python.
A highly venomous one, at that.
The atomized mist swiftly enveloped the Vine Ball, its intense corrosive properties rapidly lting away layer after layer of the Vines.
Zhang Deming kept generating more Vines to replace the dissolving ones. Feeling his Spiritual Qi draining away at an alarming rate, his expression darkened.
As the poisonous mist rose, the feeling of stiffness afflicting him disappeared.
He looked at Pei Xiaoxiao beside him and said, "We can’t keep this up. In a battle of attrition over Spiritual Power, I can’t possibly outlast a Demon Beast of the sa rank. Especially not a giant one like this; I don’t stand a chance."
As he spoke, Zhang Deming extended a soft Vine that wrapped itself around Pei Xiaoxiao.
Pei Xiaoxiao watched quietly as the Vine encircled her, not struggling in the slightest. Clearly, this brief battle had significantly increased the trust between them.
Zhang Deming continued, "My Spiritual Shield only protects . In a mont, I’m going to disperse this Vine Ball and throw you toward the Shocking Water Snake."
"I’ve wrapped you in a specific number of Vines, calculated based on the corrosion rate of the poison mist outside."
"It should be enough to protect you as you charge through unscathed. If everything goes as planned, you should be able to get clear of the poisonous mist."
"What about you?" Pei Xiaoxiao asked, her voice laced with worry.
"Don’t worry. I have my Spiritual Shield. I’d be worried about it getting shattered instantly by a brute-force attack, but..."
"...against a corrosive mist like this, the worst it can do is make burn through Spiritual Qi faster."
"After all, if my Growth Technique—which isn’t even a specialized Defensive Magical Technique—can hold off this Corrosion Technique, imagine what a professional Defensive Technique can do," Zhang Deming replied with a reassuring smile.
Hearing this, Pei Xiaoxiao nodded.
With her assent, Zhang Deming imdiately put his plan into motion.
The soft, thin Vines bound Pei Xiaoxiao tightly, and then a thick Vine whipped around and flung her out.
The instant she was thrown, the surrounding Vine Ball collapsed, its remnants falling limply to the ground.
Without any need for the poison mist to finish the job, the pieces dissolved into motes of light.
By the ti Pei Xiaoxiao flew out of the poison mist’s radius, the Vines protecting her were only about halfway corroded before they too dissolved into motes of light and vanished.
Outside the mist, the Shocking Water Snake, which had slithered over intending to finish them off, froze for a mont. In that instant, Pei Xiaoxiao shot toward it like a cannonball.
"Sword Technique: Moonlight Stab!"
She flipped in mid-air, wielding her blade like a Sword, and thrust it directly under the Shocking Water Snake’s raised head.
"SHLICK..."
The sudden change in circumstances caught the already sluggish Shocking Water Snake completely off guard. It was stabbed cleanly, the entire blade sinking into its flesh.
"HISSSS..."
The Shocking Water Snake let out a piercing hiss and began to thrash its head wildly.
Pei Xiaoxiao clung desperately to the hilt, resisting the violent shaking.
When its thrashing failed to dislodge her, a cold light flashed in the snake’s eyes. It raised its head and slamd it directly toward a giant boulder.
Startled, Pei Xiaoxiao, who was still under the snake’s head, quickly tossed a few seeds into the wound before letting go of her blade and dodging away.
"CRACK..."
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