The Chase

The Winged Snake King landed on the ground, erupting with terrifying speed as it closed in on Chen Daolin.

Chen Daolin dared not stop for even a moment. Existence beyond the God of War level had always been synonymous with invincibility, possessing strength far surpassing that of a God of War. Although Chen Daolin was confident in his own abilities, he still had no idea if he could truly contend with a King Level Monster.

"Run first. If I can't escape, then I'll fight!" Chen Daolin gritted his teeth; he was not about to give up.

In the distance, Ji Xuan stood atop a high mountain, watching the scene of Chen Daolin being hunted by a King Level Monster. Her expression turned anxious, but given her strength, intervening would only mean certain death. Emotionally, she wanted to help, but her reason told her she could not go over, which caused her great pain.

"Daolin, you must survive." Ji Xuan's knuckles turned white as she gripped the hilt of her blade, her heart unable to calm down. "If you die, I will train until I surpass the God of War level and avenge you."

At this moment, the nameless mountain range was the stage for an astonishing scene. A massive green snake was winding its way through the mountains at lightning speed. Compared to the tiny human ahead, the snake's body was immense. When Chen Daolin looked back, it blocked half the sky within his line of sight. A crushing pressure surged toward him, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth sinking, making it difficult to breathe. It was the gap in life hierarchy, the suppression of a "superior" over an "inferior."

Chen Daolin felt as if his chest were being crushed by a thousand-pound boulder; he couldn't catch his breath. Everything around him seemed to slow down, leaving only the mountain-like green giant snake in sharp focus. His brain raced, his muscles and bones creaking and popping. His eyes turned red, and he opened his mouth to let out a sudden, furious roar, "Screw you—"

A black stream of light spread rapidly across his body. Chen Daolin transformed into a "black man," revealing only his eyes and nose. With red eyes and a spear in his hand, he collided head-on with the green giant snake, which resembled a primordial beast.

Just as a hint of mockery appeared in the Winged Snake King's pupils, the shadow of a spear expanded rapidly in its vision.

With an earth-shattering boom, the spear in Chen Daolin's hand collided solidly with the massive head of the Winged Snake King. The powerful impact caused the surrounding air to vibrate like boiling water, kicking up layers of violent shockwaves that swept in all directions. The nearby mountain walls trembled, countless rocks and dust tumbled down, and dense cracks spread across the hard rock face—the momentum was terrifying.

Amidst the whistling wind, a figure flew out like a cannonball, slamming into the mountainside with a thud before bouncing to the ground. He landed on one knee, a cloud of dust and stone settling behind him.

A pair of calm eyes appeared beneath the black protective membrane. Chen Daolin felt slightly relieved; although his blood was churning, his arms were trembling, and his palms were numb, he had indeed traded blows head-on with that terrifying King Level Monster.

The head of the two-hundred-meter-long green giant snake swayed in the air before coming to a stop. Feeling the slight pain and dizziness from its head, the Winged Snake King lowered its head abruptly, a hint of shock appearing in its serpentine pupils. Its direct strike had actually been blocked by a tiny human?

How was that possible!

The Winged Snake King grew furious, even angrier than when it had learned its subordinates were killed. Feeling its dignity offended, it hissed and charged at Chen Daolin once more.

Its massive body rushed toward Chen Daolin like Mount Tai collapsing.

Chen Daolin let out a fierce shout, a sharp aura erupting from his body instantly. His muscles bulged, making him look like a demonic muscle-man. His face flushed red, and he gripped his spear with both hands, dodging the Winged Snake King's charge. A cold light flashed in his eyes as he slashed the tip of his spear like lightning toward the scaled body of the Winged Snake King. With a metallic ding and sparks flying, the spear tip encountered immense resistance, blocked by the snake's incredibly hard scales before finally piercing through with great difficulty.

Chen Daolin's heart skipped a beat. He moved his body and leaped back, the spot where he had been standing exploding as the Winged Snake King's furious, frantic attacks followed immediately.

"The physical defense of this King Level Monster is too insane!" Chen Daolin was shocked, but his hands didn't falter. He moved and flickered around the Winged Snake King at an astonishing speed, looking for opportunities to land a strike.

The Winged Snake King was incredibly angry, hissing incessantly. Watching this human jump around it like a grasshopper, constantly inflicting wounds—though insignificant to its massive size—made the Winged Snake King feel immense humiliation.

As a dignified King Level Monster, it couldn't even deal with a mere human?

"Gwa!" The Winged Snake King raised its head and let out a sharp, piercing screech. A hazy green light emerged from its massive body, surging outward like a tide in all directions. Chen Daolin, who was moving rapidly, felt the surrounding air instantly become heavy. Invisible force pressed in layer by layer, causing his body to become heavy and sluggish.

"What's going on? What kind of power is this?" Chen Daolin felt as if he had fallen into a swamp, requiring great effort just to move. Looking at the dim green light shrouding the Winged Snake King, he was incredibly shocked. "No, is this an ability of a King Level Monster?"

A hint of fatigue appeared in the Winged Snake King's eyes. This was an ability it had awakened after stepping into the King Level. It could control wind energy to accelerate, or use it to bind opponents within a certain range. Of course, the larger the range, the more energy it consumed, and if the opponent was strong enough, the effect would be limited.

The Winged Snake King looked at the human below with a fierce glint in its eyes. Its massive tail instantly turned into a phantom, breaking through the air and slamming into the sluggish Chen Daolin. Chen Daolin only had time to raise his spear to block before the tail struck him. He felt an overwhelming force transfer through the spear, sending him flying like a kite with a broken string. He smashed through countless trees before crashing onto the grass hundreds of meters away. He felt his muscles aching, his internal organs seemingly displaced, and his blood churning uncontrollably. His hands, in particular, felt as if they didn't belong to him, having lost all sensation.

"Cough..." Chen Daolin's chest felt stifled, and he began to cough, which made him feel slightly better.

He climbed up and discovered that although he had taken a tail-swipe from the green giant snake, aside from the physical discomfort, he didn't seem to be seriously injured.

"So, I'm a monster too, huh." Chen Daolin was somewhat stunned.

But thinking about his five-fold defense boost from the King Kai Fist, combined with the Black God Set's ability to negate ninety percent of the impact, and the fact that the remaining ten percent was dispersed throughout his body, it wasn't strange that he could block the Winged Snake King's attack with only minor injuries.

With the physical constitution of a God of War, such injuries would recover quickly.

Only then did Chen Daolin realize that in terms of pure power output, he could barely fight this King Level Monster.

However, the "King Level Monster's" special ability kept him pinned down.

After the initial joy, Chen Daolin thought calmly.

"The odds of winning are slim. Better to run and come back to settle the score when there's an opportunity."

The Winged Snake King saw Chen Daolin standing up safe and sound, a look of shock appearing in its eyes, followed by even greater madness.

Kill you!

The Winged Snake King's massive, winding body surrounded Chen Daolin with frantic, violent attacks.

Chen Daolin moved rapidly, springing up like an arrow. After dodging one of the Winged Snake King's strikes, he jumped onto a nearby small hill and then turned to sprint away.

The Winged Snake King paused, its serpentine pupils red, and chased after him regardless of anything else, smashing through countless small hills and forests along the way, carving out a deep trench.

Chen Daolin remained very calm. He knew there was still a gap between him and the Winged Snake King. Although he could fight, since the odds of winning were low, why fight an opponent clearly stronger than himself?

However, he also knew that it wouldn't be easy for the Winged Snake King to kill him, mainly because the Black God Set's defense was too powerful, blocking ninety percent of the Winged Snake King's attack power. Otherwise, relying solely on his own body and the defense boost from the King Kai Fist, it would be hard to withstand the Winged Snake King's terrifying strength.

"It's a good thing I have the Black God Set." Chen Daolin felt fortunate that he had agreed to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's conditions to keep the Black God Set; otherwise, he would be in trouble today.

"Now, I need to find a chance to shake off this King Level Monster, but its speed is faster than mine." Chen Daolin felt a headache coming on.

He couldn't beat it.

And it was hard to escape.

Chen Daolin couldn't help but think of the high-level Beast General Level Golden Leopard he had encountered at the Training Camp—both its strength and speed had been superior to his.

Moreover, this King Level Monster was even more troublesome: infinite strength, lightning speed, astonishing defense, and special abilities that kept Chen Daolin at a disadvantage.

The Winged Snake King quickly caught up to Chen Daolin, but Chen Daolin traded blows with it briefly before turning and running again.

Without using that green energy, it was difficult for the Winged Snake King to keep Chen Daolin pinned down.

The two fought while running, and soon, white, misty fog appeared ahead.