Ambush and Counter-Ambush

The second update of the day, continuing to ask for your support!

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After Tang Mei'er transformed, the newcomers became nothing more than her marionettes, each waving their weapons and charging toward the Fox Demon without the slightest regard for their own lives.

The Fox Demon, who was already struggling under the combined assault of three plot characters and two veteran reincarnators, found herself in an increasingly precarious position. Strangely, although panic flickered across her face, her eyes remained devoid of true chaos. Her appearance of being on the verge of suffering a critical blow only further incited the plot characters' desire to attack and their burgeoning greed.

To slay the scourge that had plagued the Southern Martial Arts Alliance leader for years with one's own sword—what glory and prestige that would be!

The Green-Shirted Guest Xu Lang's offensive grew increasingly fierce, his layers of sword light descending like a torrential storm upon the Fox Demon. In the past, his reputation was not beneath that of the Dragon-Capturing Hand or the Yin-Yang Taoist, but his performance this time was quite lackluster. Having been attacked by the Five-Poison Giant Snake earlier and then slashed across the back by the Snake Demon, he had yet to contribute any real merit and was already covered in wounds.

Consequently, Xu Lang was the most desperate of the three, gradually abandoning even his defense to focus solely on reckless attacks. After all, the Fox Demon was only capable of parrying; what was there to fear?

Suddenly, however, Xu Lang felt a chill rise from his back, spreading rapidly through his entire body, as if a venomous snake had coiled around him, waiting only for that final, lethal bite.

Xu Lang's heart trembled violently. Sensing disaster, he didn't hesitate for a second and rolled to the side, casting aside all dignity to perform a desperate "donkey roll" in an attempt to evade the attack from behind.

The man was a veteran of many battles, and his choice was technically correct, but at that very moment, the Fox Demon, seemingly pushed to the brink, waved her hand to release a cloud of smoke that expanded with incredible speed.

Everyone present immediately held their breath, but the mist seemed capable of seeping through the pores of the human body; holding one's breath was entirely useless, and everyone's movements slowed down involuntarily.

A slight delay might not have mattered for others, as the Fox Demon did not launch a counterattack after spraying the mist, but this momentary sluggishness cost Xu Lang his life, as he could no longer dodge the silent strike from behind.

A thick, dark shadow lashed out at Xu Lang without a sound. Just before it reached him, it coiled and wound around him with terrifying agility, binding him tightly in its grip!

The Snake Demon's giant tail!

This Snake Demon, who had appeared severely wounded and had been absent until now, had launched a fatal strike at this very moment!

On Earth, pythons loved to coil around their prey and crush them to death. At this moment, Xu Lang experienced that feeling of agony worse than death; every joint in his body creaked and groaned. The pain of being on the verge of falling apart was something that could not be described in the slightest without experiencing it firsthand.

Seeing their companion trapped in a life-or-death crisis, the Dragon-Capturing Hand Shi Jun and the Yin-Yang Taoist Luo Qi immediately roared and slashed their swords at the snake tail, but they could only carve out shallow bloody marks, triggering two insignificant damage numbers, while Xu Lang's health bar was already nearing the bottom!

"It's time!" But at this moment, Tang Mei'er, who had transformed into a Succubus, suddenly uttered a cryptic remark, and Qin Guang and Zhu Hao, who had been coasting until now, suddenly erupted into action.

Qin Guang stowed his shield into his emblem and, for the first time, drew both of the heavy axes from his back. The blades were smooth and sharp, radiating a biting cold light. A deafening roar erupted from his throat as he swung the giant axes in a crisscrossing motion, striking the snake tail with the force of a thunderbolt.

Facing such a ferocious axe strike, the Snake Demon clearly dared not take it head-on. He finally revealed his form, raising his scythe to easily block the attack, though his face bore an indescribable sneer. It was clear that being suppressed by Qin Guang while feigning weakness had infuriated him, and he was ready to pay it back tenfold.

Qin Guang showed no signs of frustration or anger after his strike failed to land; instead, he began to laugh. The Snake Demon felt a vague sense of unease, only to hear the panicked voice of his wife, the Fox Demon, cry out: "Husband, be careful!"

But some things cannot be avoided, no matter how careful one is. For instance, at this very moment, the solemn-faced Zhu Hao took out an azure scroll and, aiming it at the revealed Snake Demon, chose to activate it.

The scroll's exterior was exquisite, and the brightness of its color indicated it was of a high grade—even among blue-tier items, it was top-tier—but its effect was truly terrifying.

Dots of purple-red dust drifted from the center of the scroll, rapidly forming an object resembling a human skull. Anyone who looked at it would involuntarily focus their gaze on those eyes, which held an indescribable cruelty and eeriness.

As soon as the skull formed, it swayed once before drifting into the Snake Demon's body. The process seemed slow, yet the Snake Demon acted as if he were stunned, not knowing how to dodge, and allowed the unknown object to permeate him.

"Ah! AHHHHHHHH!!!" In an instant, a thick, blood-red light erupted from the Snake Demon's eyes. The Snake Demon seemed to be suffering immense agony; he could no longer bother to crush the nearly lifeless Xu Lang. After loosening his tail, he began to thrash about, clutching his head and screaming in a state of absolute madness!

Huff! Huff!

The Snake Demon then began to breathe heavily, his blood-red eyes resembling those of a bull about to go berserk. After Shi Jun and Luo Qi rescued Xu Lang, they saw his terrifying aura and dared not be the first to attack.

Qin Guang and Zhu Hao retreated to the side, whispering to each other: "What a waste. The Berserk Demon Scroll that cost 2,000 points, just like that, gone. If we had used it on ourselves, the attack power would be exhilarating to think about!"

"Don't be stupid. The incomplete Berserk Demon Art not only disrupts the mind but the long period of weakness afterward is no joke. Heh, the Boss actually thought of using this support skill on the Boss himself—doing the exact opposite of the norm. Truly ingenious. My admiration for the Boss is like the surging river, endless and continuous, and also like..."

"Alright, enough with the flattery. We need to move further back. Let those dim-witted plot characters take the first wave of attacks once he goes berserk!"

The two veterans positioned themselves increasingly sneakily. Although the plot characters were uneasy about the Snake Demon's strange behavior, they knew a stalemate was not an option. After hesitating for a moment, the Yin-Yang Taoist Luo Qi gritted his teeth and attacked with his sword.

But he never expected that the Snake Demon's attack style in his berserk state would be so vastly different. Facing the Yin-Yang Taoist's ethereal sword techniques, the Snake Demon did not dodge or parry, instead meeting the sharp blade with his tough scales. As blood splattered, he swung his snake tail and surged forward, his giant palm descending like a shroud to grab the Yin-Yang Taoist.

Such a savage, direct, and bloody method of attack caught the Yin-Yang Taoist off guard. He only had time to let out a shrill scream before he was seized by that thick arm, and the dull, crisp sound of bones breaking immediately rang out!

Compared to Xu Lang, Luo Qi was in a worse state; at the very least, his tongue was lolling out, his body was convulsing, and blood was continuously gushing from his mouth.

Such injuries were already near-fatal. Had the Snake Demon been in his right mind, he would only have needed to hold on for a few more seconds to finish the Yin-Yang Taoist off. But under the influence of the Berserk Demon Art, his mind held only one command: attack, attack, and attack!

Thus, in the next second, he flexed his arms and used the Yin-Yang Taoist as a projectile, swinging him in a semicircle through the air and smashing him directly into the Dragon-Capturing Hand Shi Jun.

Although Shi Jun did not want to take the impact head-on, he could not ignore the life of his companion. He was forced to use a technique to deflect the force, gently guiding the Yin-Yang Taoist's body to the side, but he could no longer dodge the Snake Demon's follow-up punch to his chest. He spat out blood and stumbled backward.

In just a few seconds, the three plot characters had been crushed by the Snake Demon as if they were dry twigs, all left lying on the ground, severely wounded and listless.

What terrifying power!

The Snake Demon, having crushed the enemies before him, began to breathe heavily, his scarlet tongue lolling out as thick, turbid saliva dripped from between his teeth onto the ground. If he had previously been half-man and half-demon, he was now entirely demonic, with not a trace of humanity left.