Chapter 327: Surviving the Aftermath
Seeing this, Hu Liena didn't hesitate for a moment. Taking advantage of the giant snake's momentary pause, she quickly condensed a huge spiral ball with her fox tail and pressed it onto one of the protrusions on its back.
"Crack!"
A crack appeared on the protrusion of the giant snake's neck, which had a glowing hue. Then, a loud hiss sounded, clearly signaling that the giant snake was enraged.
Twisting its body, the snake targeted Hu Liena and opened its mouth, releasing a burst of scorching flames toward her.
In mid-air, Hu Liena's pupils contracted. She quickly extended her fox tail, wrapped it around a stone pillar on a distant bridge pier, and rapidly pulled herself toward it, narrowly avoiding the flames from the giant snake.
"That was close. This snake's defense is so strong! My attacks can hardly shatter those protrusions."
"It's fine. Just keep attacking the same spot. Eventually, we'll break it."
Hu Liena nodded. Although she hadn't been able to shatter the protrusion immediately, she understood the principle of persistence—like water wearing down stone. Moreover, the protrusion had started to show cracks, hadn't it?
"Let's continue with the plan."
"Alright. Be careful, and retreat immediately after your strike."
Since the previous method had been effective, the two decided not to change their strategy. Ah Du shouted again to draw the giant snake's attention, then raised his scythe and swung it fiercely at the snake.
Hu Liena quickly climbed the stone path and positioned herself. As the giant snake dove toward Ah Du again, she made her move.
"Fox Tail: Nine-Tailed Spiral Ball!"
Her fox tail split into nine, each tail extending into the air. Each one formed a massive spiral ball, which then slammed toward the nine protrusions on the snake's back.
"Crack!"
The protrusion that had already absorbed one spiral ball shattered, while the others showed no immediate effect.
"Success!"
A glint of joy appeared in Hu Liena's eyes. Ah Du, infected by her mood, also flashed a smile. The heavily injured giant snake, however, writhed in pain, rolling on the ground. Lava splashed everywhere, forcing the two to dodge frantically.
After a while, the giant snake emerged with blood-red eyes, filled with a desire to tear the two humans apart. The inner core behind it had taken a long time to condense, yet one of them had already been destroyed by the humans.
In the scorching environment, the giant snake's anger caused fire pillars to rise, gradually forming a fire wall that surrounded Hu Liena and Ah Du. What was even more alarming was that,
"This is bad. We need to move quickly, or we'll be consumed by the flames."
Seeing the fire wall slowly closing in, Ah Du's gaze turned serious, and Hu Liena immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she nodded.
"I'll go first. You look for an opportunity from the side."
"Okay."
Ah Du raised his scythe once again and charged at the giant snake, while Hu Liena took the opportunity to move behind it.
"King of Hell: Shadow of the Endless Divide."
Midway through, Ah Du's body suddenly split into multiple clones, surrounding the snake as they continued to rush toward it. The snake kept spitting fire, but Ah Du, agile as ever, dodged the flames and arrived beneath the giant snake.
"King of Hell Blade Strike."
As the words left his mouth, all the clones raised their scythes and struck fiercely toward the giant snake's eyes. The giant snake hurriedly closed its eyes to block the attacks.
The sharp sound of metal scraping echoed across the lava-filled landscape. At the same time, Hu Liena managed to reach the back of the giant snake again.
"Fox Tail: Nine-Tailed Spiral Ball."
Once again, nine spiral balls slammed into the giant snake's inner core, but this time it seemed the snake was prepared. A blazing fire enveloped its body, making it impossible for Hu Liena to see the exact location of the core. She could only rely on instinct and fiercely press the spiral balls into it.
"Crack! Crack!"
"Not bad, two are shattered."
Hu Liena wasn't discouraged by not being able to destroy the giant snake all at once. She figured with enough attempts before her soul power ran out, she would manage.
But after the giant snake was injured, it clearly had no intention of letting go of this troublesome human. It whipped its body and charged toward Hu Liena with terrifying speed.
"Be careful!"
In mid-air, Hu Liena was preparing to use her previous trick again. She wrapped her fox tail around a distant stone pillar to pull herself away. But the snake, having learned from its previous misfortune, wasn't about to give her that chance. It swiped its enormous tail, smashing all the stone pillars in its path, and continued to charge toward Hu Liena, who had no place to escape in the air.
"King of Hell: Ultimate Death Scythe Slash."
Countless black-gold blades slashed toward the back of the giant snake, and three of its inner cores shattered. But the snake paid no attention to the pain coursing through its body and continued its relentless pursuit of Hu Liena.
The little fox in mid-air was filled with despair. After all, she wasn't a flying soul master, and the sky wasn't her domain. Now, having lost her opportunity to gain leverage, she was like a lamb to the slaughter, only able to raise her arms in front of her.
"Boom!"
"Ugh!"
A painful cry escaped Hu Liena's lips as her body was sent flying over a hundred meters, struck by the giant snake, and fell toward the distant lava.
At that moment, Ah Du seized the opportunity while the snake focused solely on attacking Hu Liena. He successfully shattered all of the snake's inner cores except for the one near its heart. Activating his Ghost Shadow Step, he quickly leapt toward the spot where Hu Liena was falling.
In mid-air, Hu Liena gazed down at the lava below, her heart filled with bitterness.
"Am I really going to die in this hellish place? Master, I'm sorry."
Just as she was about to close her eyes and await her fate, Ah Du's figure suddenly appeared below her. He grabbed her fox tail and forcefully threw her toward a nearby stone bridge.
"Bang."
Hu Liena landed on the stone path, ignoring the pain in her body as she hurriedly stood up and rushed to the edge of the cliff, calling out in panic.
"Ah Du!"
The vast sea of blood made it impossible for her to find that familiar black figure. For a moment, her heart was filled with pain.
"Hey, come out. I'm not mad at you for using me as a sacrifice earlier."
"Hey!"
"Stop calling! Quickly stretch out your tail and pull me up! If you wait any longer, I'll melt!"
When the familiar voice reached her ears, Hu Liena immediately felt a surge of joy. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw Ah Du standing in the lava, his body slightly phasing out.
Hu Liena's eyes immediately brightened. During the Soul Master competition's individual battle, Ah Du had used this technique too. She remembered that when he fought Yan, he had bathed in lava without suffering any harm. He was able to temporarily phase his body, making it immune to all physical damage.
Without hesitation, the little fox positioned herself with her back to the cliff, and one of her fox tails quickly extended and was offered to Ah Du. Once he grabbed hold, she pulled him up like fishing.
"That was close. I almost merged with the sea of blood. You have no idea how stinky it was down there."
Having survived, Ah Du lay back on the stone bridge, panting and complaining. Hu Liena, seeing his state, couldn't help but smile a little.
(END CHAPTER)
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