Chapter 773: Chapter 773
Zhao Guoqiang suddenly felt a chilling sensation down his spine. He rose abruptly and turned around, only to be met with the sight of a giant black snake.
The upper half of the giant snake’s body was above the surface of the lake, lunging toward him with its mouth wide open, flicking its tongue as if intending to swallow Zhao Guoqiang whole.
The snake, as thick as a grown man’s waist and more than a dozen meters long, had a triangular head the size of a winnowing basket, with a pair of eyes as large as chicken eggs that emitted a cold and forbidding light, causing one to shudder.
Covering the snake’s body was a layer of scales, which under the sunlight reflected intimidatingly dark gleams, enhancing the snake’s terrifying aura even further.
Zhao Guoqiang, who had never seen such a massive creature in his life, was so shocked that it felt like his soul had left his body, and he stood frozen in place.
Although the snake was immensely large, it moved swiftly through the water, and in the blink of an eye, it was less than two Zhang away from Zhao Guoqiang by the lakeside.
Witnessing his son about to be consumed by the snake, Zhao Yunjian’s eyes split with rage as he raised his shotgun and fired at the giant snake.
At the same time, the other hunters also raised their guns and fired, hoping to repel the giant snake and save Zhao Guoqiang.
However, the scales on the snake’s body were like slabs of iron armor, impervious to the hunters’ shotguns, failing to inflict even a scratch on its body.
The snake, as if it possessed a sense of intelligence, looked dismissively with its cold gaze, undisturbed by the gunfire, and with its mouth still agape, continued to lunge at Zhao Guoqiang, who was petrified with fear.
"Evil beast, begone!"
Fang Bai arrived like an immortal descending from the heavens, landing in front of Zhao Guoqiang. With a furious shout, his right fist surged forward in a punch.
The Water Element Qi on the surface of the lake instantly gathered at Fang Bai’s fist, forming a water orb the size of a basketball. Propelled by the momentum of Fang Bai’s punch, the orb, carrying the weight of a thousand jin, whistled through the air and smashed into the giant snake’s massive triangular head.
The water orb struck the giant snake’s head fiercely, and although it did not injure the snake, it managed to momentarily stall its lunging motion.
Seizing this brief opportunity, Fang Bai turned and grabbed Zhao Guoqiang, taking him dozens of meters away to reunite with Zhao Yunjian and the other hunters.
"It’s safe now... everyone step back further, I’ll deal with that giant snake!"
Fang Bai patted the still-shaken Zhao Guoqiang on the shoulder, then turned around and lunged back toward the giant snake in the lake.
The sudden appearance of the giant snake instilled overwhelming fear in Zhao Yunjian and the others. Seeing Zhao Guoqiang safe, they heaved a sigh of relief.
In the minds of Zhao Yunjian and the others, they should immediately flee the area after Zhao Guoqiang’s escape, and they should flee as far as possible to avoid being caught by the giant snake and risking their lives.
But to their astonishment, Fang Bai, after putting down Zhao Guoqiang, excitedly lunged at the giant snake, attacking it head-on. This left Zhao Yunjian and the other onlookers dumbfounded, thinking Fang Bai had lost his mind.
To the experienced hunters like Zhao Yunjian, the giant snake, with its huge body and scales, seemed not far from becoming a spirit. Fang Bai, no matter how skilled a fighter he may be, was just one man—how could he possibly stand a chance against such a ferocious creature?
Of course, Fang Bai was not insane. He attacked the giant snake because he had encountered a rare and worthy opponent and was itching for a good fight with it.
Judging by the Essence Energy fluctuations around the snake, it was much stronger than the Fire Wolf King of Fire Wolves Valley. Its attack power was on par with a mid-rank Heaven Level Martial Artist, and if one considered its body covered in that layer of hard scales, its true strength was likely comparable to a high-rank Heaven Level fighter.
Such a great serpent could be categorized as a Spirit Beast. For Fang Bai, battling with the great serpent was also an excellent opportunity to temper himself.
Fang Bai knew that it was the Essence Energy within this great lake that had nurtured such a formidable great serpent, allowing it to grow into a Spirit Beast with a hint of intelligence and powerful attacking capabilities.
"Dad, what should we do?"
Having snapped out of his stupor, Zhao Guoqiang watched Fang Bai charging at the great serpent in the lake and asked with a tremble in his voice.
"We follow Mr. Fang’s lead and retreat... Mr. Fang is a highly capable man, perhaps he can subdue that great serpent..."
Although Zhao Yunjian said this, he couldn’t bring himself to believe Fang Bai could subdue the great serpent, given that the creature was so massive in size. If it stood upright, it would be several stories tall, and just its presence alone was enough to make one lose courage.
While Fang Bai was quite skilled, even capable of hunting wild boars that weighed several hundred pounds with his bare hands, the idea of him taking on a great serpent that was about ten times larger than a wild boar with nothing but his bare hands did not inspire confidence in anyone.
As Zhao Yunjian and the others retreated, they heard a series of booming and splashing noises from the lake—it was Fang Bai already engaged in fierce combat with the great serpent.
Having retreated to the distant woods, Zhao Yunjian and the others hid behind the thick trunks of large trees, looking out in the direction of the great lake. When they saw what was happening on the lake, they were once again stunned speechless.
At that moment, Fang Bai stood on the surface of the lake, his figure not sinking at all. His eyes radiated a cold gleam, and Essence Energy surged around him. With his fists swinging and divine might shining through, he seemed like a celestial being descended to the mortal realm.
Water globes containing tremendous power flew continuously from Fang Bai’s fists, striking the great serpent’s triangular head and making deafening "bang bang" sounds.
Although the great serpent had tough skin and thick flesh, protected by its scales, and possessed strong defensive capabilities, under Fang Bai’s relentless attacks, its head spun dizzyingly, its body kept retreating, and it was completely on the losing side.
"Good heavens, is Mr. Fang a celestial being descended to earth?"
Watching Fang Bai, who stood atop the lake water and continuously attacked the great serpent, Zhao Yunjian was utterly dumbstruck, his face full of amazement as he murmured to himself.
The expressions on the faces of the other hunters were similar.
They were all simple and honest hunters, not worldly or sophisticated. The power displayed by Fang Bai surpassed their understanding, and they could only explain it through the lore of gods and immortals.
Under Fang Bai’s relentless assault, the great serpent found itself on the defense. Seemingly provoked, it suddenly opened its mouth wide and spat out a cloud of black fog during a moment of weakness in Fang Bai’s attack.
This black fog spread instantaneously across several meters, enveloping Fang Bai completely.
Some of the black fog that reached the shore touched the grass, trees, and rocks, causing the vegetation to wither and yellow instantly while the rocks corroded into powder; some of the fog touched the lake water, making it sizzle as if boiling, releasing wisps of white smoke.
Seeing this, Zhao Yunjian and the others turned pale, realizing that the fog the great serpent had emitted must contain a potent toxin. Merely inhaling or coming into contact with a tiny amount could lead to total body corrosion and agonizing death.
Enveloped completely by the black fog, could Fang Bai withstand the erosion of this lethal poison?
Zhao Yunjian and the others stared wide-eyed, their hearts hanging high with tension as they watched the black fog covering Fang Bai, silently praying that nothing would happen to him.