Slaying the Crocodile

Chapter 9: Slaying the Crocodile

This swamp covered a vast area, and it seemed this giant crocodile had lived here for quite some time. It was a mystery how it had resisted the allure of the exotic flowers to survive, and by devouring the essence of the flesh and blood of the fierce beasts lured in by those flowers, it had benefited immensely. Given more time, it might even break through the peak of the Postnatal realm and step into the ranks of innate fierce beasts.

Chen Lin gazed at the giant crocodile in the center of the swamp, feeling hesitant; he truly lacked the confidence of a guaranteed victory.

Setting aside the terrifying defensive capabilities of the scales on the crocodile's back, one only had to look at those saber-like teeth and massive jaws to imagine how horrific its bite force must be. A single moment of carelessness would likely result in his being decapitated.

The first step was to lure it out of the swamp; the second was to render those massive jaws useless.

After a moment of deep thought, Chen Lin opened the Item Exchange System.

"Military Nylon Rope: Extremely high strength, low density, excellent elasticity, fatigue resistance, and thermal stability (produced at the U.S. Army's Miami Second Military District processing plant). Death Energy required for exchange: 10 points."

"Passionless Valley Fishing Net Formation: Created by Gongsun Zhi, master of the Passionless Valley. The net is studded with golden blades and sharp swords. If an enemy is trapped within, they will suffer the torture of a thousand cuts, their movements will be severely hindered, and escape will be extremely difficult (produced in the 'Return of the Condor Heroes' world). Death Energy required for exchange: 30 points."

Though it pained him to spend 40 points of Death Energy, Chen Lin gritted his teeth and exchanged for them, thinking of the rich rewards that would follow.

Watching the two items appear out of thin air before him, Chen Lin tugged at them forcefully for a while. Finding them completely undamaged, he used his forelimbs to stroke his chin in a human-like gesture and nodded with satisfaction.

Immediately after, Chen Lin quickly set up the scene. He rehearsed the plan in his mind several times before finally exhaling a breath of stale air, his gaze fixed deep upon the center of the swamp.

This time, it should be enough to handle it.

The sky was beginning to darken, and Chen Lin dared not delay any longer. He used his forelimbs to hook nearby dead branches and thick logs, then began to smash them forcefully toward the center of the swamp. The giant crocodile, which had been enjoying its meal, was suddenly disturbed and could not help but turn its head sharply toward Chen Lin's location.

While throwing, Chen Lin provocatively brandished his two large scythes, making them whistle through the air as he clawed and gestured. Although the giant crocodile possessed formidable strength, it had not transcended the category of a fierce beast and had very low intelligence. Provoked and sensing that Chen Lin's cultivation aura was far weaker than its own, it let out a low roar, abandoned its food, and scrambled out rapidly on its thick, sturdy limbs with a pat-pat-pat sound.

What speed!

A fishy stench washed over him. Watching the giant crocodile's hideous face approach rapidly, even the well-prepared Chen Lin felt a jolt of fear. It was truly worthy of being a peak Postnatal fierce beast; its strength was not to be underestimated.

Fortunately, he was prepared. He hooked the nylon rope with his forelimbs, retreated rapidly, and simultaneously swung one end of the rope with all his might.

"Whoosh!"

The military-green nylon rope whistled through the air as Chen Lin swung it, casting it directly over the giant crocodile's head!

Seeing the foreign object flying toward it, the giant crocodile didn't even think; it opened its massive jaws, flipped and leaped, biting down hard on the nylon rope. The moment it landed, it twisted its body, intending to snap the rope completely.

Pulled by this immense force, Chen Lin stumbled forward a step. Fortunately, the nylon rope was long enough; Chen Lin quickly let out more slack while continuing to swing it.

The giant crocodile was thoroughly enraged by the ropes swirling all around it. It rolled continuously, and under Chen Lin's intentional guidance, it ended up binding its own massive jaws tight, like a wrapped rice dumpling, unable to break free for the moment.

"A fierce beast is just a fierce beast, this intelligence... done!"

The greatest threat was resolved. Even Chen Lin hadn't expected it to go so smoothly, and he couldn't help but feel a secret joy.

Unable to break free from the rope, the giant crocodile struggled and rolled. Suddenly, it saw Chen Lin, the culprit, watching the spectacle leisurely not far away. It gave up struggling and charged toward Chen Lin with a ferocious snarl.

Seeing this, Chen Lin turned and fled. The giant crocodile, its anger completely ignited, pursued him relentlessly.

Unexpectedly, in the midst of the chase, a golden light flashed. A fishing net descended from the sky, landing on the crocodile by a hair's breadth.

Caught squarely by the fishing net formation, the giant crocodile was startled. It thrashed and flipped, trying to shake off the restraint, but the net only tightened further with its struggles, making it difficult to break free.

In its struggle, the giant crocodile no longer cared about Chen Lin. As it rolled, it kicked up gusts of wind, shattered rocks, and splattered mud everywhere, creating a scene of utter chaos.

"This is bad, this fishing net formation can't pierce its scales at all!"

Chen Lin had originally intended to wait until the crocodile was exhausted before finishing it off, but he hadn't expected the crocodile's scales to be so terrifyingly tough. Aside from its soft underbelly being pierced and left bloody and mangled, the defense on its back remained impenetrable. These injuries were clearly not fatal.

"Swish!"

Chen Lin moved, his Postnatal cultivation erupting instantly, sending shattered rocks and rotting leaves flying!

A flash of emerald light, streaked with eerie red patterns, suddenly appeared, tearing through the air!

His two large scythes executed three variations in one move, whipping up gusts of wind and forming several afterimages as they slashed fiercely at the crocodile's nose—a direct strike to its vital point!

The belly, the eyes, the nose! These were the giant crocodile's weak spots!

The crocodile's millstone-sized body struggled and twisted. It could sense Chen Lin's attack, but the fishing net formation kept it pinned, and for a moment, it was struck squarely!

"Hiss!!"

The hard shell around its nose was more fragile than the rest of its body. After being struck repeatedly, it began to crack. The beast let out a miserable, monstrous hiss, but its dark green eyes burned with even more bloodthirsty madness and cruelty. Its massive tail stood high like a guillotine, hooked around, and slammed fiercely toward Chen Lin's head!

Chen Lin dared not be careless and dodged aside.

The giant crocodile wanted to pursue, but the fishing net formation on its body continued to bind it, making every movement a struggle.

A look of cruelty flashed in Chen Lin's eyes, and his two large scythes were raised high once more.

"Swish!"

The blood-red patterns around the scythes swirled and flowed, emitting an eerie, terrifying, and cold aura. The sharp, willow-leaf-shaped barbs at the tips flashed with emerald-green cold light, bringing with them a series of sonic booms as they pierced forward!

Fierce light erupted in the giant crocodile's eyes, and its massive tail swept horizontally again. But Chen Lin integrated his martial arts into his footwork; his figure flickered and stepped, avoiding the tail, and he immediately lunged forward, his two scythes stabbing toward the crocodile's eyes like lightning!

"Bang!"

After nearly half an hour of fierce fighting, Chen Lin paid a heavy price but successfully blinded one of the giant crocodile's eyes. He then plunged his sharp scythes deep inside, stirring them wildly, and activated his innate ability, Blood Absorption Healing, frantically devouring the essence of the crocodile's flesh and blood.

"Bang!"

Finally, the giant crocodile's millstone-sized body stiffened. The muscles under its belly shrank rapidly until it looked like a dried corpse, and the madness and ferocity in its remaining eye faded instantly. A wisp of black energy, as thick as a finger, drilled into Chen Lin's body and was absorbed by the Main God Coffin.

It was a staggering 23 points of Death Energy! Enough to equal the hard-earned gains of a full day of slaughter!

Chen Lin, however, was also severely injured; his right sickle was bent at an eerie angle as if snapped, one of his wings hung limp and tattered, and his abdomen was a bloody mess from the impact of the giant tail, his internal organs feeling as though they had been shifted out of place.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Chen Lin struggled to the edge of the swamp. He used a nylon rope to secure himself to an ancient tree thick enough for several men to wrap their arms around, tied the other end firmly around his body, and slowly waded to the center of the swamp to pluck the Rotten Bone Corpse Phosphorus Flower.

"Ding!"

"Side quest complete. System issuing rewards."

Crawling back to the swamp's edge and looking at the three yellow, dragon-eye-sized pills that had appeared out of thin air before him, Chen Lin knew these were the so-called Foundation Strengthening Pills.

"System initiating second reward. The contractor may randomly draw one high-level martial arts manual. Would you like to begin the draw now? Yes/No."

"Yes."

Chen Lin did not have much interest in martial arts manuals. After all, he was currently in the body of a ferocious beast, and his meridians were vastly different from a human's, allowing him to utilize only a few of their techniques, so he held no particular expectations.

"Drawing... Draw complete."

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the high-level martial arts manual: Dragon-Elephant Wisdom Art."