"Captain, while this Double-Headed Black-Line Snake doesn't dare attack, let's get out of here!"
Wei Tie, the older of the twins, said.
"These are my brothers, Wei Tie and Wei Qing, and Zhang Ke. Brother, come with us. This Double-Headed Black-Line Snake might not dare chase us," Gao Feng said. He wanted to seize the chance to retreat as well.
Gao Feng knew exactly how powerful this Double-Headed Black-Line Snake was, but it was clearly not something their squad could handle.
What they didn't know was that Zhang Junbao had set his sights on its strength as a High-Level Beast General. A High-Level Beast General operating alone was not easy to find.
"This Double-Headed Black-Line Snake has the strength of a High-Level Beast General. Do you think you can escape?"
"What? A High-Level Beast General?"
The other members of the Fire Hammer Squad could no longer remain calm. Given their squad's strength, they were incredibly lucky no one had died when they first encountered it. Only Zhang Ke had suffered serious injuries, but his life had been spared.
"That's right. This Black-Line Snake is close to becoming a flood dragon. It's definitely a High-Level Beast General, close to Lord-level!" Gao Feng nodded and said. He had concealed the snake's strength earlier because he was worried it would make his teammates lose all courage to escape.
"You have a sniper too, don't you? Bring him along and find somewhere to hide. Wait until I kill it before you leave.
"This guy actually came out without any underlings. Just right for me to get some practice," Zhang Junbao said calmly.
He had been pursued by demonic beasts these past few days, and he had a belly full of pent-up anger.
But other High-Level Beast General demonic beasts went out with a group of subordinates, making it quite troublesome for him to kill one alone. Now that he had finally run into one on its own, how could he let him go?
"Kill it?
"Brother, you're not joking, are you? Or are you saying your teammates are nearby?"
Gao Feng looked at Zhang Junbao in disbelief. Although his face was covered with traces left by battle, they could not conceal his youthful features.
Gao Feng even wondered whether the young man before him was twenty yet, and he dared to say he would kill a High-Level Warlord?
"Teammates?
"No, I'm on my own.
"Enough. If we keep talking, this guy's going to run."
"Are you really confident?"
Gao Feng asked gravely.
"There shouldn't be much of a problem, but its two heads will be a bit troublesome."
Gao Feng fell silent for a while, as though making a major decision.
"All right, I'll help you. You saved my life just now, so I'll fight alongside you. But my other brothers are far too weak compared to it. I can't let them throw their lives away to repay the debt I owe you."
Gao Feng spoke firmly.
"Captain! We're coming with you!"
Wei Tie and Wei Qing both spoke anxiously from the side. Their whole squad together couldn't deal with the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake, yet now Gao Feng and the newly arrived Zhang Junbao, whose strength was unknown, wanted to take it on. To them, it was simply inconceivable.
"Enough. Knowing when to retreat is also a basic principle for a martial artist. Charging in when you know you can't win is what's truly stupid.
"Your strength is decent, so you can join me. Help me hold off one head. Once I've dealt with the other, I'll come help you. As for your sniper, just have him watch out for other demonic beasts nearby. Don't let any of them barge in and cause trouble, and don't shoot recklessly."
Zhang Junbao cut off Wei Tie and Wei Qing's request to fight alongside them. As a martial artist approaching the Intermediate Warlord level, Gao Feng could hold out for a while against the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake.
As for the twins, Wei Tie and Wei Qing, they were only Advanced Warriors. To be honest, Zhang Junbao didn't want them coming forward to throw their lives away.
"Wei Tie, Wei Qing, keep watch for demonic beasts nearby with Chen Gu. If we can't beat it, run immediately. As long as one of you gets away, that's one saved!" Gao Feng ordered.
Zhang Junbao glanced at him but said nothing.
He had saved Gao Feng's life, and now Gao Feng was still willing to help Zhang Junbao hold off the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake despite knowing he couldn't beat it. That made Zhang Junbao see him in a new light.
At least as Gao Feng saw it, their chances of winning this fight were slim.
Not everyone was truly willing to repay the debt of having their life saved. It wasn't unheard of for a great debt of gratitude to turn into enmity. Plenty of people spoke prettily, but when the time really came to repay someone for saving their life, how many were willing to pay the price?
"This mutated Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's venom is several times more potent than a normal Black-Line Snake's! And it has two venom sacs, each worth twice as much as one from an unmutated Black-Line Snake of the same level.
"In other words-
"This Double-Headed Black-Line Snake is worth as much as four Black-Line Snakes of the same level! A Black-Line Snake close to becoming a flood dragon is worth around 400 million, so this Double-Headed Black-Line Snake could sell for 1.6 billion! That's comparable to an ordinary Primary Lord monster.
"And it's just as dangerous, four times as dangerous as an ordinary Black-Line Snake!
"With venom that potent, a human martial artist would die on the spot from contact with a single gram."
Gao Feng's figures made everyone else's hearts race.
They hunted demonic beasts to make money too, and this single Double-Headed Black-Line Snake was worth more than a year of their previous efforts.
But that also proved just how terrifyingly strong it was.
Gao Feng had said all this partly to see how Zhang Junbao would react. If Zhang Junbao was frightened into retreating, he could take the opportunity to leave as well.
He wanted to repay the debt, but that didn't mean Gao Feng liked courting death.
"It's strong, valuable, and suitable for honing my combat skills. Let's do it. Since we've run into it, let's not let it escape and harm other martial artists."
Zhang Junbao nodded. He had Spiritual Force to assist him, and if he wanted to take his movement technique another step forward, he needed to fight demonic beasts on the edge of life and death.
This Double-Headed Black-Line Snake was at just the right point for him to advance his strength. It was simply a heaven-sent opportunity.
Thanks to the frenzied battles of the past few days, a diet consisting entirely of demonic beast meat extremely rich in energy, and the strengthening his body had undergone when his Spiritual Force awakened, Zhang Junbao's physical attributes were already on the verge of breaking through to the Junior War General level.
*I'll apply my Spiritual Force to my sword, adding it to my physical strength. Combined with the force of Tai Chi Force fused with the first stage of World Destruction, that's already enough to threaten a High-Level Beast General.
But I still can't fully integrate those different forces. Once I do, no demonic beast below Lord-level will be a match for me.
Zhang Junbao made his calculations in silence. That was also why he valued the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake so highly. On one hand, it was because of its market value; on the other, it could let him fully hone his combat abilities.
"All right. Being a martial artist means venturing across the line between life and death. Wei Tie, give me your shield.
"I'll do everything I can to keep one head occupied. If we win this fight, I don't think I'll be far from becoming an Intermediate Warlord."
Gao Feng gritted his teeth and agreed decisively.
Zhang Junbao nodded and strode forward with the Dragon Roar Sword. He hadn't deliberately mentioned that he was a Spirit Reader. He still needed to keep a necessary trump card in reserve. Although he had a good impression of Gao Feng, this was their first meeting, after all.
There was no telling whether they could withstand the test of such valuable prey as the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake.
It wasn't unheard of for martial artists in the Wilderness Zone to secretly kill others over prey. When Gao Feng had introduced everyone earlier, whether intentionally or not, he hadn't introduced Chen Gu, who was hidden up high and shooting.
But none of that stopped them from continuing to cooperate. They needed to be on guard, but they also needed trust.
Now, the two joined forces and closed in on the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake step by step.