The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake realized that the humans it had been toying with actually dared attack it just because one more person had joined them. The demonic beast's pride gave way to utter fury.
The cold eyes in its two enormous heads sent chills through anyone who saw them. Swordlike tongues flickered constantly inside its reeking, gaping maws, a soul-chilling sight.
It had to teach these insectlike humans that the majesty of a High-Level Beast General could not be violated.
The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake was over eight meters long, and its body was thicker than a human waist at its widest point. In its eyes, a human was little bigger than a cat.
"Hiss."
Both tongues flickered in and out, though Zhang Junbao had just severed one of them. The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake looked at Zhang Junbao with murderous intent pouring from its eyes. How could it possibly hold back now?
One of the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's triangular heads lunged at him with tremendous momentum. Zhang Junbao felt as though an express train were bearing down on him, and for a moment, the pressure was terrifying.
Unfortunately for the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake, that pressure was nowhere near enough to intimidate Zhang Junbao, who possessed Spiritual Force.
Holding the Dragon Roar Sword in one hand, Zhang Junbao thrust its tip viciously at the weak point on the end of the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's snout. Seeing a human dare to match strength with it, the snake surged forward with even greater force. Its muscles rippled in successive waves along its body, channeling tremendous power into its head.
"Perfect timing. You want to compete in amplifying strength?" Zhang Junbao sneered at the sight. The Dragon Roar Sword in his hand also began to oscillate at a mysterious frequency.
They clashed again. Neither man nor beast chose to retreat; instead, they met head-on.
The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake wanted to crush the human who had injured it straight into a pulp, while Zhang Junbao wanted to bring the moves he had combined to their utmost potential.
"Boom!!!"
The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's head slammed into Zhang Junbao's Dragon Roar Sword. The one-sided crushing blow the snake had expected never came. Instead, the energy from their collision triggered a massive shock wave that nearly knocked the Fire Hammer Squad members watching nearby off their feet.
"Th-this... is he a monster? A human actually matched strength with the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake head-on, and he wasn't at a disadvantage at all.
"Even from this far away, the shock wave alone nearly knocked us off our feet. Just how strong was the force at the point of impact?
"He's practically a demonic beast in human form!"
Chen Gu had been standing guard with his sniper rifle at the ready, but he had never expected their first clash to be so violent.
"He really is terrifying. This man
"actually broke straight through the powerful scales the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake is so proud of."
Reeling from the pain, the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake whipped its triangular head around wildly. Zhang Junbao used that force to move to its side.
"I'm afraid this man is quite a bit stronger than the captain. He's very likely a High-Level Warlord. Otherwise, there's no way he could take on the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake head-on."
Wei Qing, who had thought their hopes were slim, was now dumbfounded as well. Zhang Junbao's strength far exceeded their expectations. He simply couldn't imagine why such a young martial artist was so powerful.
"Did you notice? Even though he's fighting the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake head-on, his body has been dissipating the impact the whole time. He might actually be taking less than half of it!"
Zhang Ke, who had caught his breath, was also propping himself up as he watched this unprecedented battle.
Aside from their captain, Gao Feng, Zhang Ke had been the strongest close-combat fighter in the Fire Hammer Squad. Yet he hadn't lasted a single exchange against the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake. If Gao Feng hadn't distracted it in time, he could never have survived.
Yet he simply couldn't make sense of what Zhang Junbao was doing before his eyes.
"How is he doing that?"
The members of the Fire Hammer Squad all wore looks of disbelief.
Zhang Junbao bent his legs slightly, his body forming the shape of a bow. He pressed the Dragon Roar Sword against the hardest scale on the tip of the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's snout, a hint of madness and cold ruthlessness in his eyes.
His calf muscles suddenly trembled, and his feet held firm as though rooted to the earth. A force was erupting from his body at tremendous speed.
The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake suddenly felt an irresistible force burst from the sword tip. Even its toughest scales could not stop that force from penetrating its body.
Using the support of his muscles and Spiritual Force, Zhang Junbao had made his body into a powerful spring. He had stored all the force of their first clash in his body and used the earth to reflect it back.
Thus, the force now erupting from the Dragon Roar Sword was the terrifying combined might of both him and the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake.
Zhang Junbao had also applied the technique of striking an ox through a mountain to the Dragon Roar Sword, using sustained force to transmit that power into the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's body.
"Heh, today I'll show you a little Star Shifting, beast. You'll see that human martial artists have more than brute force!" Zhang Junbao said with a smile.
"Pfft."
Unable to dissipate the force in time, the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake spat out a great mouthful of blood. Even if both its heads thought together, it could not understand what force could penetrate its hard, resilient scales and directly injure its internal organs.
But as a High-Level Beast General, it was highly experienced in battle and immediately pulled its head back. By then, its other head had opened its gaping maw, and foul-smelling venom was about to spray from its fangs.
"You completely ignored me?"
Gao Feng was an experienced fighter. He knew that the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake could sense the threat Zhang Junbao posed and would surely focus its attention on him. So, from the very beginning, he had quietly slipped out of its notice.
Zhang Junbao had also succeeded in drawing the attention of both the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's heads.
Now, in its fury, the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake had completely disregarded Gao Feng, that weak little insect. All it wanted was to kill Zhang Junbao, the human who had injured it several times.
But just then, Gao Feng suddenly darted out of the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake's blind spot. Gathering tremendous power in his massive hammer, he smashed it into the lower jaw of the head preparing to spray venom.
That was precisely where the snake's defenses were weakest when it opened its mouth. The blow to its lower jaw knocked its head away from Zhang Junbao, forcing it to stop its venom attack. The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake nearly sprayed the venom on itself.
By the time the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake turned around and tried to find Gao Feng, he had left a long afterimage behind him and quickly retreated to Zhang Junbao's side.
Having landed his blow, Gao Feng refused to linger in battle!
"Beautifully done! That hammer blow nearly dislocated its jaw. As long as it can't spray venom, the threat this Double-Headed Black-Line Snake poses is reduced by at least half!"
Zhang Junbao praised him. Gao Feng truly was a martial artist who had spent years in the Wilderness Zone. He was quite familiar with the weaknesses of all kinds of demonic beasts, and his timing was exceptionally seasoned. He was a mature, reliable martial artist.
"You're strong too. I didn't expect someone so young to have so much strength. You can take on the Double-Headed Black-Line Snake head-on and even make it cough up blood from the impact. That's a first for me."
Gao Feng grew excited as well. As a martial artist, he too enjoyed challenging powerful opponents. Now, working with Zhang Junbao, he had a chance to kill a demonic beast with the strength of a High-Level Beast General. For him, this was a rare moment of glory in his martial arts career.
The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake went mad, opening its gaping maws and biting at them again and again. Both men repeatedly retreated at explosive speed. The snake opened its mouths once more, spraying foul-smelling venom at tremendous speed.
Gao Feng was always a half beat slower to react. He was a strength-based martial artist, and his movement speed was not particularly outstanding. Zhang Junbao had noticed this too. The Double-Headed Black-Line Snake only feigned an attack on him; of the two streams of venom, the one aimed at Gao Feng was the real attack, while the one aimed at Zhang Junbao was meant to block his position. They were sent in completely separate directions.
Gao Feng's eyes widened. He had seen the venom shooting toward him, but his body couldn't react as fast as his mind.
Quick! Move! The threat of death surged through Gao Feng's mind. The muscles in his legs swelled explosively, and his body twisted sharply, narrowly evading the venom.