Desperate Windstride

"Rustle... rustle..."

The sound of scales sliding across fine sand drew closer, faint yet chilling.

The fear of death shrouded everyone present. Mere seconds ago, they had been celebrating their escape, but now they had fallen back into hell.

As the muddled scents gradually dispersed, the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake locked onto its target once more.

If they had only another dozen seconds or so, Su Heng and the mercenaries would have escaped the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's Dou Qi detection range and survived.

But those missing few seconds rendered all their efforts futile.

Many had already shut their eyes in despair. Only a handful still tried to rise, to flee, to live.

Their bodies had long gone numb, making their efforts useless. Even their life-or-death struggles could only barely turn them over on the sand.

"Is this the end? I haven't even left the beginner village, and I'm dying just like this? No, I won't accept this! I refuse!"

As the numbness in his body eased slightly, Su Heng struggled to his feet. He dumped every pill from his pack and desperately searched for the last sliver of hope.

"This is... a third-grade Windstride Pill?"

A pale cyan pill caught Su Heng's attention. The third-grade Windstride Pill could drastically increase the user's speed for a short time. Even an ordinary Dou Practitioner who consumed it could reach the speed of a Great Dou Master.

To ensure his son could escape in a crisis, Su Yan had spent a fortune to buy this pill.

After obtaining his apprentice alchemist qualification, Su Heng had systematically studied the properties and effects of low-grade pills. At that moment, a bold yet somewhat feasible plan swiftly formed in his mind.

"Brother Xiao, I remember you telling me that fifty li west of here is the Gama Empire's border. There may be an imperial outpost there, guarded by a Great Dou Master. Let's meet up there. Uncle Wen and Uncle Li, I'll leave them in your care."

"Brother Xiao, thank you for accompanying me all this way. If I haven't arrived by noon tomorrow, don't wait for me."

Su Heng rose to his feet, packed up the remaining pills, and walked over to Xiao Li. After giving him a solemn bow, he placed all the pills beside him.

Then he swallowed the Windstride Pill in one gulp. Pale cyan Dou Qi slowly spilled from his body, and Su Heng felt as though he had soared into the clouds. His entire body became weightless, free of all restraint.

"Brother Su? What are you doing?!"

Xiao Li seemed to understand what Su Heng intended to do. His expression changed drastically as he struggled to rise, but he was still one step too late.

The instant he got up, Su Heng had already vanished from his sight, leaving behind only a pale cyan figure that gradually faded into the distance.

"Beast! I killed all your kin! If you have the guts, come after me!"

Su Heng channeled all his Dou Qi and roared at the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake.

In the darkness, the giant snake, as large as a hill, froze upon hearing Su Heng's shout. It actually turned its head and charged fiercely toward him.

Before the Snake-People leader died, he had turned his hatred into a soul imprint and infused it into the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. Su Heng had dealt the fatal blow to his body, making his hatred for Su Heng the strongest of all. That intense hatred had likewise affected the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake.

At that moment, the Magic Beast had eyes only for Su Heng. It ignored the Desert Iron Mercenary Group members lying in the distance and relentlessly pursued him.

Empowered by the Windstride Pill, Su Heng moved as lightly as drifting catkins in the wind. A single step and leap carried him several zhang away. The agility and speed of a human body far surpassed those of the cumbersome Magic Beast.

Man and snake maintained a distance of more than ten zhang as they raced westward.

Fifty li to the west, a Gama Empire outpost stood silently in the desert. Its heavy circular walls were built from bluestone; even a Dou King would find it difficult to shatter them with ease.

On the bluestone walls, guards clad in iron armor watched the distance vigilantly, without the slightest hint of slackness.

Recently, the border had been frequently harassed by the Snake-People Tribe, so the Gama Empire's royal family had rotated in a batch of elite troops to guard the desert frontier.

Humans and the Snake-People Tribe had fought without end. Along the empire's border, the royal family had established numerous outposts and fortresses to monitor movements from the Snake-People Tribe.

Those stationed here were usually Great Dou Master disciples from the empire's major clans.

A Great Dou Master's strength was enough to handle small groups of Snake-People. Even when facing a large-scale Snake-People attack, they could still escape to other cities and raise the alarm.

Though it was somewhat unfair to the empire's soldiers, Su Heng had no choice but to use this desperate measure to preserve his life and shift the disaster elsewhere.

The imperial army's equipment was far superior to that of ordinary mercenary groups, and their commander was stronger as well.

He was a citizen of the Gama Empire too. When faced with a problem he truly could not solve, he could only turn to the government. After all, the Su Clan had paid taxes to the Gama Empire!

The moment he saw the Windstride Pill, Su Heng had conceived this bold plan. In theory, as long as the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake did not catch him, the medicinal power of a third-grade pill would be enough to support his escape to the imperial border.

In the night, faint firelight signaled that the end was near. The pale cyan figure flickered continuously through the desert as the Windstride Pill's effects gradually faded, while the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake behind him continued tirelessly pursuing its target.

"This beast is really hard to shake. It's chased me for over forty li, yet it still has no intention of letting up!"

Su Heng genuinely admired the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's persistence. He could clearly feel the giant snake's stamina declining and its speed slowing, but it simply refused to give up. Unless it swallowed him alive and tore him apart, it would not rest.

On the city wall, the vigilant guards quickly noticed the disturbance in the distance. A Magic Beast as large as a hill was rapidly approaching.

"Enemy attack! It's a Magic Beast! Sound the alarm! Prepare for battle!"

Piercing bell chimes rang out one after another. The once quiet border outpost instantly sprang to life as several massive ballistas were pushed onto the walls.

The soldiers donned their armor and climbed atop the walls, their expressions grave as they stared fixedly at the distant Magic Beast and the pale cyan figure before it.

"You brat, did you lure that Magic Beast here?"

The soldiers on the wall immediately began cursing Su Heng. Their peaceful lives had been completely disrupted, and now they had to risk their lives against a third-tier Magic Beast?

"Brothers, don't shoot! It's me! I'm from the Gama Empire too!"

Su Heng shouted loudly. He had no desire to be turned into a pincushion by the garrison atop the wall, especially since they truly would do it.

"Ignore him! Fire! Don't let the Magic Beast get close to the walls!"

On the wall, a commander wearing black mystical armor with a lion's head emblazoned on his chest stared at the distant Magic Beast. Ignoring Su Heng, he directly gave the order to fire.

Several massive arrows streaked through the air. The Dou Qi-coated shafts flashed with seven-colored radiance as they struck the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake charging toward the wall with perfect accuracy.

Clang!

The enormous arrows, each as tall as a person, collided with the rock-like scales. The clash of metal and stone shook the sky, while sparks scattered downward in dazzling bursts like fireworks.

The heavy ballistas inflicted tremendous impact and searing pain upon the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. The hill-sized snake body was forcibly knocked back several meters by the powerful strike.

Su Heng on the ground was no better off. The heavy ballistas targeted the Magic Beast, but the bows and crossbows targeted people.

The soldiers unleashed a rain of arrows that indiscriminately covered both Su Heng and the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. Killing the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake was their duty, while killing Su Heng was purely an act of retaliation.

Retaliation for Su Heng bringing the wolf into their home!

Relying on the Windstride Pill's last remaining effects, Su Heng flashed backward. Using the giant snake as a shield, he withdrew all his Dou Qi and slipped into the darkness.

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake, struck by the heavy ballistas, was also enraged by the intense pain.

"Rattle-rattle-rattle!"

The demonic rattle of its tail sounded again. At such close range, the soldiers atop the wall did not even have time to cry out before they collapsed headfirst, blood streaming from their seven orifices.

Only the black-armored commander remained completely unaffected.

"When the sound stops, continue attacking with the heavy ballistas!"

The commander shouted, then leaped down from the city wall. Pale white Dou Qi spread from his body and swiftly condensed into a suit of Dou Qi armor.

Just before hitting the ground, he tapped the sand with one foot. Violent Dou Qi blasted a huge pit directly into the ground, and the powerful recoil launched him skyward again, bringing him level with the giant snake's vulnerable point.

Lion Mountain Rend!

Pale white Dou Qi transformed into a fierce lion and lunged at the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's vulnerable point. Human and snake collided violently in the darkness, sending surging waves of Dou Qi sweeping outward.

Its vital point struck heavily, the rattling demonic sound abruptly ceased. The giant snake's body swayed from the blow, its head crashing heavily onto the ground as its body swiftly curled into a ball.

The black-armored commander was also struck by the recoil from the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's scales. He was flung back several zhang, spat out a mouthful of blood, and dropped to one knee.