The sun had just begun to crest the horizon, but the ruins were already filled with violent energy and bloodlust beneath the faint light.
In response to Chen Yan's helpless teasing,
the Earth Scale Python suddenly opened its huge, stench-filled jaws and let out a furious hiss that seemed to tear the air apart!
"Fine. Negotiations are over."
Chen Yan's gaze hardened. There was no chance of turning things around now. He could only face this weakened yet still terrifying Ferocious Beast head-on!
The Earth Scale Python struck first, opening its enormous mouth.
A stream of dark green corrosive venom, reeking of acid, shot toward Chen Yan like an arrow of water!
The venom splashed onto the surrounding concrete rubble and immediately sizzled, billowing white smoke as it rapidly ate holes into the ground.
Chen Yan didn't dare take the hit. Godly Movement activated, and he darted several meters sideways like a ghost, narrowly dodging it.
The venom missed and corroded the spot where he had been standing into a scorched-black patch.
Knowing that a ranged battle would put him at a disadvantage, Chen Yan drew a deep breath, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed the opening stance of the Yellow-Black Fist!
In an instant, a sudden change came over him!
The earth beneath his feet seemed to resonate with him, quietly stirring a dense, weighty force of the Earth Vein.
Strands of earthy yellow energy rose from the ground,
quickly clinging to his body and forming what looked like an ancient, sturdy suit of earth-yellow armor!
As his fists moved, a rich, heavy aura of the earth surged around him.
His figure had seemed rather slender before, but now he appeared connected to the ruined ground beneath his feet, as steady as a mountain!
The Earth Scale Python grew even more vicious when its venom failed to hit.
Its massive body twisted violently, whipping up a gust of foul wind.
Its enormous tail, still partly covered in old scales and scabs from its incomplete molt, lashed toward Chen Yan's face like a terrifying giant whip,
ripping through the air with tremendous force!
It moved as fast as lightning, intent on smashing the tiny challenger into a pulp!
Faced with this fierce attack, Chen Yan pressed forward instead of retreating!
He thrust both fists out, and his stance shifted in an instant from utter stillness to explosive motion!
His fists blurred into layers of overlapping afterimages. Using the dense defensive movements that drew on the Arrow Barrage essence within the Yellow-Black Fist, he met the enormous tail head-on!
"ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA!"
A series of deep, muffled booms rang out, like blows landing on thick leather!
Chen Yan's incredibly fast, chaotic punches struck precisely at the points where the force traveled through the tail.
He forcibly checked its momentum and knocked it off course!
The massive recoil sent his blood and energy roiling, and the Earth Vein armor flickered unsteadily, but he had stopped the blow!
"Damn it! If this clone had the same power as my original body, I'd have tossed you in a pot and made hot pot out of you already!"
A Tier 5 Earth Scale Python was already comparable to a human martial artist between Professional ranks four and six. And this one was the victor of last night's bloody battle amid a mountain of corpses.
If it made it through its molt today without a hitch, advancing to Tier 6 would only be a matter of time.
But Chen Yan was no ordinary person, either.
Setting aside the various miraculous skills he had mastered, his Qi and mental strength, both exceeding ten thousand, were enough to make ordinary martial artists despair.
Even with only half the Qi and mental strength of his original body, this clone still far surpassed an ordinary Professional martial artist.
Taking advantage of the brief opening created by the force rebounding from the impact, Chen Yan leaped nimbly like an ape and landed on the Earth Scale Python's back!
He raced up its spine, his footsteps pounding against its scales, heading straight for the seven-inch spot!
Sensing the threat on its back, the Earth Scale Python thrashed wildly, trying to throw him off.
Chen Yan's footing was as steady as Bedrock, and he clung firmly to the snake's back.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the area near its seven-inch spot and abruptly twisted around.
His entire body's strength flowed together, gathering in his right fist.
With his fist angled downward, as if gripping a mountain, he slammed it into the area that had weakened slightly during the molt, though it was still covered by thick muscle!
His fist landed with a muffled boom!
The Earth Scale Python let out a pained hiss and shuddered violently, but the defenses around its vital spot were far stronger than Chen Yan had expected!
The punch could have split stone, yet it only made the muscle beneath its scales sink slightly. It caused no fatal injury. Instead, it fully roused the beast's last reserves of ferocity!
"ROAR—!"
The Earth Scale Python whipped its head around in pain.
Its huge jaws lunged for Chen Yan with even greater speed than before, brimming with murderous fury!
A foul wind hit him head-on, and it was moving so fast that dodging seemed almost impossible!
In the split second before impact, Chen Yan stared at the jaws inches away, reeking of rot and death. An incredibly risky, almost insane idea suddenly came to him!
Ordinary attacks couldn't pierce its defenses, and striking from the outside couldn't reach its core...
What about from the inside?!
As the jaws began to close, Chen Yan didn't retreat. A look of resolve flashed across his eyes instead!
He abruptly released the force holding him to the snake's back, deliberately giving up his stability!
"Your mom!"
Just as the Earth Scale Python's jaws were about to snap shut and bite him in half—
Chen Yan sank downward like a fish, not retreating but pressing forward, and leaped straight into the abyss of its throat!
As he fell, he poured all his strength into both arms and swung left and right.
The fierce force of the Yellow-Black Fist burst forth like two heavy hammers, smashing into the two sharpest fangs as they passed beside him!
A teeth-grating crack rang out!
The two ghastly white fangs, each as thick as an adult's arm, were broken clean in half by his blows!
Broken stumps of fang mixed with foul saliva and sprayed everywhere.
Chen Yan's figure disappeared down its throat, all the way to its stomach, and then there was no more movement.
The Earth Scale Python's fury eased a little. Dragging its still-uncomfortable body, it struggled up to the tallest ruined building.
It raised its savage head toward the rising sun and let out a roar that shook the heavens!
"ROAR—!!!"
Its roar rang with triumph and violence, as well as the satisfaction of reclaiming its dominance after a period of weakness!
It was the king of these ruins!
Yet while its victorious roar was still echoing through the ruins, a sudden change occurred!
The Earth Scale Python's belly, already unnaturally swollen from devouring so much the previous night, began to shake violently!
It curled up in pain and rolled down from its perch.
Then it thrashed wildly among the rubble, letting out hisses of pain and terror!
Its belly resembled a balloon stretched to its limit. Its surface bulged and warped irregularly!
"Pfft—!"
A muffled sound of flesh being forcibly torn drowned out the Earth Scale Python's cries!
A hand slick with slime and blood suddenly burst out through its belly!
Then another hand appeared. Grabbing both sides of the tear, they ripped it wide open!
"Riiip—!"
As if tearing through a thick canvas, Chen Yan ripped open a huge gash in the Earth Scale Python's tough belly!
Amid splattering blood and bits of organs, a figure burst out.
He was drenched in blood, his clothes corroded and in tatters, but his eyes shone brightly. It was Chen Yan!
"Phew... There were eggs in its belly, too."
"So it was a female snake. No wonder she wasn't interested in the beautiful snake I drew!"
Unfortunately for this Earth Scale Python...
The one bursting out of its belly wasn't its offspring. It was Yama, come to claim its life!
Chen Yan stood beside the Earth Scale Python's still-twitching body. Looking at the fresh snake meat before him, brimming with immense energy, he didn't hesitate for a moment.
He reached out, grabbed a quivering chunk of tender flesh, tore it off, stuffed it into his mouth, and gulped it down!
"Mmm... It's kind of fishy and sweet. Not bad."
The cold snake meat coursed through Chen Yan's body, transforming into a warm torrent of incredibly pure Qi that flooded his limbs and every part of him!
[ Ding! Efficient Absorption triggered! ] [ You consumed the flesh of a Tier 6 Ferocious Beast—the Earth Scale Python... ] [ Skill "Efficient Absorption" proficiency +100! ] [ Skill "Qi Nurturing Foundation Art" proficiency +100! ]
System notifications rang through his mind like a flood of messages.
Chen Yan paid them no heed. Like the most primal Taotie, he feasted on the ready-made banquet of snake meat...
He grabbed a chunk and refined it in an instant!
With every mouthful, he could feel his strength growing!
His exhaustion and the energy he'd spent in the fight were quickly replenished, and then some!
The Earth Scale Python's massive body shriveled at a visible rate, while Chen Yan's aura continued to climb!
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