A deadly stalemate
Lu Heng's feet were firmly planted on the muddy ground, his back ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the massive Swamp Giant Python before him, ready to launch another attack at any moment.
The giant python moved slowly across the mud, not launching a fierce attack, but instead displaying the playful patience unique to predators. It could accurately sense the deadly threat of the Bronze Hunting Blade, and with each small pounce, head sway, and long tail sweep, it deliberately avoided the blade's direct edge.
This is a survival instinct unique to wild beasts. It fears that the sharp blade will cause it a serious injury that is difficult to heal, affecting its ability to hunt and rest after hibernation, but it is not afraid of Lu Heng himself at all. In the eyes of this swamp's top predator, Lu Heng is just a weak prey struggling in vain, and the only threat is the weapon in its hand.
Lu Heng remained on edge throughout, barely managing to fend off all of the giant python's probing attacks and maintain a stable stalemate thanks to his precise positioning and the intimidating presence of his Hunting Blade. But he knew perfectly well that this seemingly calm maneuvering was nothing but a facade of stability from beginning to end.
The swamp after the snow melted was an inescapable shackle on him. The mud was mixed with unmelted ice fragments, making the ground difficult to discern, and one could slip and sink at any moment. Every time he retreated, moved sideways, or dodged, he had to devote most of his attention to maintaining his balance, daring not to be the slightest bit hasty, for even the slightest mistake could be fatal.
What he feared most was this kind of irreparable terrain mistake.
But in dire straits, the more people fear something, the more they will confront it.
The giant python lashed out its thick tail again, sweeping rapidly across the muddy surface, splashing black mud everywhere, using the obstructed view to create an opening. Lu Heng instinctively stepped back to the side, quickly dodging this probing attack, shifting his weight backward. No one expected that his hind feet would slip, the surface mud completely eliminating all friction.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and his entire center of gravity shattered instantly.
There was no way to salvage the situation. His body fell backward uncontrollably, sinking heavily into the thick, cold swamp mud. The chilling mud instantly soaked through his Combat Suit, and the thick mud wrapped around his limbs, trapping him firmly in place. All his defensive stances, dodging maneuvers, and blocking preparations were completely rendered useless at that moment.
This fatal opening, lasting only half a second, was instantly and precisely seized by the experienced python.
It immediately abandoned all its previous probing and charging tactics, abandoning all its playful demeanor and revealing its ferocity. Its massive body sprang out rapidly along the wet, soft mud, its movements swift and decisive, completely shedding the sluggishness and clumsiness of someone just awakening from hibernation. In an instant, its cold, rough python body coiled around him, its thick, hard scales wrapping around him layer by layer, tightly binding Lu Heng's chest, abdomen, waist, and limbs, leaving no room for escape.
A devastating, crushing sensation instantly came crashing down from all directions.
This wasn't a sharp, piercing pain, but a suffocating confinement that penetrated deep into his muscles and crushed his bones. An immense force tightened relentlessly, pressing down on his body, completely squeezing his chest, preventing his lungs from expanding and expelling the last remaining air. Dull, aching pain shot through his internal organs, his bones ached and went numb, every inch of his flesh enduring crushing pressure far exceeding human limits. The soft mud beneath him held him firmly, leaving him with no foothold, utterly trapped in a hopeless situation, passively awaiting death.
The excruciating pain of near-death suffocation completely overwhelmed all reason, and the body's instinctive will to survive suddenly erupted.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth, enduring the extreme pain of his bones feeling like they were about to crack and his internal organs being compressed. He tensed his arms with all his might, gripped the Bronze Hunting Blade tightly with both hands, and used all the remaining strength in his body to slash fiercely at the python's body that was wrapped around him.
A crisp, muffled thud as the armor was breached suddenly rang out.
The Bronze Hunting Blade's sharpness was fully revealed, easily tearing through the giant python's thick scales and tough flesh, instantly creating a hideous, deep gash. Warm, thick, dark snake blood gushed out from between the scales, mixing with cold, filthy swamp mud, covering his arm, its texture sticky and piercing.
This blow caused a severe injury, but it also ignited the giant python's overwhelming ferocity.
The behemoth, already awakened from hibernation and extremely depleted of energy, was further ravaged, and its last remaining patience completely vanished. The enormous python head suddenly rose, and with a ferocious aura, it swooped down, its huge mouth opening wide, revealing its chilling fangs, carrying a strong, putrid stench, as it lunged straight at Lu Heng's face with a relentless, deadly bite that left no chance of survival.
With his life hanging by a thread, Lu Heng desperately raised his sword to meet the attack.
The python instinctively dodged to the side the instant it snapped its jaws shut, avoiding the blade's direct impact, but still clamped its jaws firmly onto the blade. A dull thud of bones snapping together rang out, and the Bronze Hunting Blade was firmly wedged between the python's upper and lower jaws, unmoving, creating a bizarre and deadly stalemate.
The giant python dared not loosen its grip. Once it released its strength, Lu Heng could draw his sword and slash, shattering its skull.
Lu Heng dared not sheath his sword. Once the blade was withdrawn, the chilling fangs would instantly pierce through his skull, leaving him with no chance of survival.
The two creatures are locked in a stalemate; whoever yields first will surely die.
But the deadly crisis never lay in the stalemate at the python's head; the python's torso never ceased its strangulation.
The thick, heavy python's body tightened and pressed down relentlessly, the crushing force increasing with each passing second, growing more ferocious than the last. The excruciating pain in his bones, the suffocation in his chest, and the dizziness from oxygen deprivation piled up, his vision began to frequently turn black and white, his ears rang, and his physical strength was being depleted at an alarming rate.
In dire straits, his personal equipment became his last line of defense.
The high-strength Combat Suit covering his entire body offset most of the friction from the scales and the localized crushing force, protecting his flesh from being torn. The Tiger Hide Knee Guards he wore on his legs, with their extreme structural toughness, withstood the enormous force of the python's repeated bending and crushing, firmly locking his knee joints and leg bones, preventing his leg bones from instantly shattering and keeping him alive by a thread.
Lu Heng still retained a sliver of clarity in his mind; he knew perfectly well that the equipment could only temporarily delay death, not break the deadlock.
The python's constriction would only tighten, the pressure would only intensify, and his physical strength, breathing, and willpower were all being constantly depleted. If the stalemate continued for even a moment longer, without the python needing to release its grip, he would be crushed to death by the continuous crushing and suffocation, his bones crushed and his internal organs bursting, dying a gruesome death in this cold, desolate swamp.
All conventional struggles, slashes, and blocks are rendered ineffective in the face of absolute power suppression; it is a complete and utterly unsolvable dead end.
With his chest heaving, Lu Heng suppressed the surging pain and panic in his heart, and the last trace of hesitation in his eyes completely disappeared.
The Rage Extract he had carefully preserved, reserved only for desperate situations and turning the tide in dire circumstances, was now his only way out.
Preserving it now is utterly meaningless.
In the current situation, it's either do nothing or die; gamble with your life or live.
Taking a deep breath of the murky, cold air, Lu Heng made up his mind to use this last trump card and unleash all his potential to fight his way out of this seemingly hopeless situation.