Tang Mei'er had transformed, and the newcomers had become little more than her puppets. One by one, they brandished their weapons and charged at the Fox Demon, fearless of death.
Already struggling under the combined assault of three story characters and two veteran Reincarnators, the Fox Demon was now in even greater peril. Strangely, though panic showed on her face, there was not a trace of alarm in her eyes. She looked ready to take a devastating blow at any moment, which only stirred the story characters' desire to attack and fueled their greed.
The scourge that had plagued the Southern Martial Arts Alliance's leader for years was about to die by their own swords. What greater glory could there be?
The Green-Shirted Guest, Xu Lang, attacked with ever-increasing ferocity, layer upon layer of sword light sweeping toward the Fox Demon like a raging storm. In the past, his reputation had been no lesser than that of the Dragon-Capturing Hand or the Yin-Yang Taoist. But his performance this time had been disappointing. First, the Five-Poison Giant Snake had attacked him; then the Snake Demon had slashed his back. He had achieved nothing, yet was already covered in wounds.
Thus, Xu Lang was the most zealous of the three. Gradually, he all but abandoned defense, focusing entirely on relentless attacks. The Fox Demon could barely defend herself, after all. What was there to fear?
But suddenly, Xu Lang felt a chill rise from behind and spread rapidly through his body. It was as if a deadly venomous snake had coiled around him, poised to deliver one final, fatal bite!
Xu Lang's heart lurched. Knowing something was wrong, he barely hesitated before rolling to one side, throwing dignity to the wind as he tried to escape the attack behind him with a clumsy roll.
He was a seasoned fighter, and his choice was entirely correct. But just then, the Fox Demon, who seemed to have been driven to the brink, waved her hand and released a cloud of smoke that spread with astonishing speed.
Everyone present immediately held their breath, but the mist seemed able to seep in through their pores. Simply holding their breath was useless, and everyone's movements slowed for a moment.
A moment's hesitation might not have mattered for the others. The Fox Demon did not counterattack after releasing the mist, after all. But that brief delay cost Xu Lang his life. He could no longer evade the silent attack from behind.
A massive black shadow lashed soundlessly at Xu Lang. Just before reaching him, it coiled and twisted with incredible agility, binding him fast!
The Snake Demon's enormous tail!
The Snake Demon, who had seemed gravely wounded and had not appeared for some time, had launched a deadly attack at that very moment!
On Earth, pythons liked to coil around their prey and squeeze them to death. Now Xu Lang experienced that agony himself. Every joint in his body creaked, and the pain of feeling as if he were about to fall apart was beyond description for anyone who had not endured it firsthand.
Seeing their companion in mortal danger, Shi Jun, the Dragon-Capturing Hand, and Luo Qi, the Yin-Yang Taoist, immediately roared and hacked at the Snake Demon's tail. Their swords managed only a few shallow cuts, dealing two paltry blows, while Xu Lang's health had nearly reached zero!
"Now!" Tang Mei'er, transformed into a Succubus, suddenly said, seemingly out of nowhere. At once, Qin Guang and Zhu Hao, who had been coasting until then, exploded into action.
Qin Guang stowed his shield in his Emblem and, for the first time, removed both mountain-cleaving axes from his back. Their smooth, sharp edges flashed with a chilling glint. A thunderous roar burst from his mouth as he swung the great axes in a crossing arc and struck at the Snake Demon's tail with the force of a thunderbolt.
Faced with such a ferocious blow, the Snake Demon clearly did not dare take it head-on. He finally revealed himself, raising his sickle to deflect the attack with ease. His face was full of unmistakable scorn. Clearly, Qin Guang's earlier success at countering him while he feigned weakness had infuriated him. He was ready to pay Qin Guang back in kind.
Qin Guang's strike failed, but instead of looking disappointed or angry, he laughed. The Snake Demon sensed something was amiss, then heard his wife, the Fox Demon, cry out in alarm: "My lord, watch out!"
But some things could not be avoided, no matter how careful one was. For instance, just then, Zhu Hao solemnly took out an azure scroll, aimed it at the revealed Snake Demon, and activated it.
The scroll looked beautiful, and its vivid color showed that it was of no low rank. Even among blue-grade items, it was near the top. Yet its effect was terrifying.
Specks of purplish-red dust drifted from the center of the scroll, quickly forming an object shaped like a head. Anyone who looked at it would find their gaze drawn involuntarily to its eyes, which were indescribably cruel and uncanny.
As soon as the head took shape, it swayed and floated into the Snake Demon's body. The process seemed slow, but the Snake Demon was as if struck dumb. He did not even try to dodge, allowing the unknown object to seep inside him.
"Ah! Aaaaaah!!!" In an instant, a thick burst of blood-red light shot from the Snake Demon's eyes. He seemed to be enduring unbearable pain. He could no longer bring himself to squeeze the last breath from Xu Lang. His tail loosened, and he began thrashing wildly, clutching his head and shrieking like a madman!
Huff! Huff!
The Snake Demon then began panting heavily. His blood-red eyes made him look like a bull on the verge of going berserk. After rescuing Xu Lang, Shi Jun and Luo Qi saw the Snake Demon's imposing aura and did not dare attack first.
Qin Guang and Zhu Hao retreated to one side as well, murmuring to each other. "What a shame. We spent 2,000 points on that Berserk Demon Scroll, and now it's gone. Just imagine how satisfying it would be to use that attack on one of us!"
"Don't be stupid. The incomplete Berserk Demon Art not only muddles your mind, but also leaves you in a prolonged weakened state afterward. Hey, the boss actually thought of using this support skill on the boss itself, turning it against him. That's real ingenuity. My admiration for the boss is as endless as a surging river, and like..."
"All right, quit flattering her. We'd better back off. Let those stupid story characters take the first wave of his attacks once he goes berserk!"
The two veterans edged farther away, taking increasingly shameless positions. Though the story characters were uneasy about the Snake Demon's strange state, they could not just stand there forever. After hesitating for a moment, the Yin-Yang Taoist, Luo Qi, raised his sword and attacked.
But he never imagined that the Snake Demon's fighting style would change so drastically in his berserk state. Faced with the Yin-Yang Taoist's elusive swordplay, the Snake Demon neither dodged nor evaded. He met the sharp blade with his hard scales. As blood sprayed, his tail swung, and he rushed forward, his enormous hand reaching for the Yin-Yang Taoist as if to blot out the sky.
The savage, direct, and bloody attack caught the Yin-Yang Taoist completely off guard. He had time only to cry out before the Snake Demon's thick arm tightened around him. The dull, crisp sound of breaking bones rang out at once!
Luo Qi fared even worse than Xu Lang. His tongue had practically lolled out, his whole body convulsed, and blood kept pouring from his mouth.
Those injuries had brought him to the brink of death. Had the Snake Demon been clearheaded, he would have needed only a few more seconds to finish off the Yin-Yang Taoist. But under the influence of the Berserk Demon Art, there was only one thing in his mind: attack, attack, and attack again!
So the next second, his arms bulged, and he used the Yin-Yang Taoist as a projectile, swinging him through a half-circle in the air before hurling him straight at Shi Jun, the Dragon-Capturing Hand.
Shi Jun did not want to catch him, but he could not abandon his companion to die. He had no choice but to use the technique of redirecting a force of a thousand pounds with four ounces, gently guiding the Yin-Yang Taoist's body aside. But then the Snake Demon's punch struck him squarely in the chest. He spat blood and staggered backward.
In just a few seconds, the three story characters had been utterly overwhelmed by the Snake Demon. All three lay seriously wounded on the ground, barely able to move.
What a display of power!
Having routed the enemies before him, the Snake Demon began panting heavily. He stuck out his crimson tongue, and thick saliva occasionally dripped from between his teeth onto the ground. If he had previously looked half human and half demon, now he had become entirely demonic, without the slightest trace of humanity.
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