Chapter 36: Dammit, I've been tricked!

The black snake beast never expected that its prey this time would be so formidable; a single strike had left it significantly wounded.

Seeing his fireball attack, Lin Li noted that although it hadn't hit the exact spot he initially intended, it had still inflicted considerable damage on the opponent. This emboldened him to launch another attack decisively.

As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot"—or in this case, strike while the enemy is wounded. If not now, then when?

Mobilizing the spiritual energy within his body, Lin Li spread his left palm.

*Pop, pop, pop.*

Three small fireballs, each the size of an apple, instantly appeared in Lin Li's palm.

*Swish, swish, swish.*

With a wave of his hand, the three apple-sized fireballs hovering in his palm shot out simultaneously in a triangular formation, flying toward the black snake beast, which had not yet regained its senses.

"Hiss..."

Sensing the approaching danger, the black snake beast snapped back to reality. Seeing Lin Li use his ability so decisively to attack again, it was struck with terror.

Facing the incoming trio of small fireballs, it immediately twisted its body to dodge.

*Bang, bang, bang.*

Of the three fireballs flying in a triangular pattern, two struck the black snake beast's body, while one missed and hit the grass.

The two fireballs that hit the beast exploded, tearing two massive wounds into its thick body.

The scales at the wounded sites were blasted off, and blood gushed out profusely. Furthermore, the high temperature generated by the explosions had scorched the surrounding scales white.

"Hiss..."

The pain caused by this round of fireball damage was several times more intense than the previous injury.

They say to strike while the enemy is down, but as long as you are still alive, the attacks will not stop.

After launching the second wave of fireballs, Lin Li immediately charged forward with his sword, following closely in the wake of the exploding fireballs.

As soon as the heat waves from the explosions dissipated, Lin Li, wielding a spiritual longsword glowing with a faint golden light, closed the distance and swung his blade, thrusting toward the black snake beast's wounds.

*Puchi, puchi, puchi...*

It is said that rubbing salt in a wound makes the pain unbearable; so, what kind of agony would a person suffer if they were stabbed repeatedly in their wounds?

Well... only someone who had personally experienced such a thing could answer that, and this black snake beast certainly couldn't speak human language.

Even after experiencing such excruciating pain, it had no way to voice its suffering to anyone.

However, one could more or less grasp its feelings from the heart-wrenching screams erupting from its mouth.

"Hiss..."

After being stabbed several times in succession by Lin Li, the black snake beast let out a world-shaking, shrill shriek. It then frantically lashed its body, attempting to whip Lin Li.

*Whoosh...*

A violent gust of wind whistled.

With quick reflexes, Lin Li immediately crouched down, narrowly dodging the snake's strike.

Having evaded the attack, he immediately thrust his sword into the beast's wounds two more times before pushing off the ground with his feet to leap backward.

*Step, step, step.*

With two or three consecutive leaps, he instantly put distance between himself and the black snake beast.

"Sweet!!!"

Having escaped the beast's effective attack range, Lin Li felt a surge of joy at his own fluid, seamless series of attacks.

"Haha... this black fellow only looks fierce. When it actually fights, it's nowhere near my match. Just a little more effort, and the exotic beast flesh required by the miraculous little tree will be mine soon."

The black snake beast no longer possessed its initial arrogance or ferocity.

About four or five meters below its head was a horrific wound, caused first by Lin Li's fireballs and then by a dozen consecutive stabs.

The dozen stabs Lin Li had just delivered were forceful, creating deep wounds, some of which had even pierced completely through the beast's body.

Blood sprayed out from the wounds, instantly staining the lush green grass beneath the beast a deep crimson.

*Pop.*

An orange-red fireball appeared in Lin Li's hand once more.

Seeing the fireball reappear, the black snake beast's pupils suddenly constricted, shrinking to the size of needle tips in terror.

"Hiss..."

Already terrified by the previous fireball attack, the black snake beast let out continuous, hollow hisses, hoping to scare away this formidable enemy.

However, it had clearly underestimated the enemy's determination to hunt it down.

"Haha... look at you now, acting so cowardly. You only know fear now? It's too late. If you hadn't rushed out of the grass to attack me in the first place, you wouldn't have ended up like this. Now, just accept your fate!"

Seeing the beast's desperate posturing, Lin Li laughed loudly and mocked it. He then casually tossed the fireball at the creature and charged forward again with his spiritual longsword.

*Bang.*

Hit by another fireball, the black snake beast let out a roar. The intense pain of the new wound, compounded by the previous injuries, nearly caused it to faint.

But in this situation, it could not afford to lose consciousness.

The black snake beast could clearly sense Lin Li's absolute resolve to kill it.

It had to run—it had to run immediately. The multiple wounds on its body were bleeding incessantly; if it continued to fight, it wouldn't be able to stop the hemorrhage. Once its blood ran dry, it would be at the mercy of its predator.

*Puchi.*

The spiritual longsword, radiating a faint golden light, pierced into the black snake beast's wound once more, the tip protruding from the other side of its body.

Lin Li's thrust had pierced through the beast, creating another hole that continuously spewed blood.

"Hiss..."

The black snake beast writhed its body, its massive maw lunging ferociously toward Lin Li.

Although Lin Li held the absolute upper hand, the opponent was, after all, an incredibly fierce exotic beast.

Faced with this desperate, all-out counterattack, he had no choice but to temporarily evade the brunt of the strike. He quickly withdrew the spiritual sword from the beast's body and retreated rapidly.

Judging by the ferocity of this counterattack, Lin Li sensed that the beast would likely launch a succession of attacks. Consequently, he retreated a full ten meters in one go.

"What...? Dammit, I fell for it! That fierce attack just now was a ruse."

After retreating ten meters, Lin Li saw the heavily wounded black snake beast immediately turn and flee the moment it had forced him back, scurrying rapidly toward the nearby dense thicket.

...

(End of Chapter)