"Roar!" A monster's howl rang out.
A woman's faint grunt sounded amid it, making Xu Zhiqiu stop just as she emerged from the bushes and turn to look behind her.
She saw Kikyo stagger out of the woods, supporting herself with her bow, with several Dead Soul Insects around her. An impressively large, snake-like monster flew overhead.
Besides them, Xu Zhiqiu also spotted bees circling the giant snake.
"Bzz, bzz, bzz."
When Kikyo finally succumbed to her weakness and collapsed, Xu Zhiqiu could not bear to watch. She slipped off her backpack, tossed it onto the ground, and charged over with her sword in hand.
After circling a few times in the air, the giant snake dove straight at the woman lying on the ground.
Xu Zhiqiu raised her sword, pushed off on her toes, and leaped up, swinging Hengdao straight at the snake monster's head.
Spotting a human, the monster turned its head and changed course, dodging Xu Zhiqiu's attack before lashing its enormous tail at her.
All within half a second.
Xu Zhiqiu twisted the hilt, bringing the blade down on the sweeping tail. Sword energy shimmered across the blade, blocking the monster's magical attack while shattering the tail it had swung at her.
Xu Zhiqiu landed on the ground and retreated a few steps, her eyes fixed ahead.
Half of the monster's tail broke apart in midair, releasing drifting specks of white light. The Dead Soul Insects immediately swooped over, gathered those white specks in their mouths, and delivered them into Kikyo's body.
"Roar!" Enraged by the loss of its tail, the snake monster opened its enormous mouth, intent on taking Xu Zhiqiu down with it.
Xu Zhiqiu pushed off lightly with her heels. As it flew toward her, she leaped again, landing on the monster's head.