Chapter Forty: Confrontation

"You’re courting death!" Sensing something foreign entering his body, the eagle-man’s expression changed abruptly. He glared at Zhou Tian with hatred, then thrust his other hand straight toward Zhou Tian’s heart.

Given the eagle-man’s strength, if that blow landed, Zhou Tian would have no chance of survival. So, witnessing the eagle-man’s movement, all the elves’ faces changed at once, and they hastily shot several arrows in his direction.

With the elves’ speed, if the eagle-man didn’t dodge, he would certainly be struck by the arrows; if he avoided them, Zhou Tian might take the hits instead, yet could possibly seize the chance to survive. The elves’ plan was to distract the enemy and save Zhou Tian—a classic tactic, yet highly effective. Under normal circumstances, their intervention might well have saved him. But Zhou Tian’s actions had already enraged the eagle-man; though he sensed the elves’ attack, he simply swept his wings, knocking most arrows aside, and endured minor wounds to block the rest.

Having fended off the elves’ assault, the eagle-man’s deadly strike toward Zhou Tian’s heart followed immediately, his hand plunging toward Zhou Tian’s chest.

“Pa!” Just as Zhou Tian seemed doomed, before the eagle-man’s attack could land, Zhou Tian suddenly transformed back into his serpentine form. As the eagle-man’s hand pierced his body, Zhou Tian whipped his tail, sending his assailant flying.

“Tch!” The eagle-man, struck by Zhou Tian’s tail, seemed unfazed. He emerged from a nearby pit, dusted off the spot where he’d been hit, and, upon inspecting the hand Zhou Tian had bitten, his expression darkened once more.

There was no doubt—the eagle-man’s current display of power left Zhou Tian and the elves unable to contend with him. In ordinary circumstances, their prospects would have been grim; all they could do would be to sit and await death. Yet now, despite sensing the eagle-man’s formidable strength, neither Zhou Tian nor the elves had any intention of surrendering.

They all knew well how potent Zhou Tian’s snake venom was. Though he rarely deployed it, no creature bitten by him had ever survived. However strong the eagle-man might be, Zhou Tian and the elves did not believe he could escape its effects.

If they had no chance of winning, they would simply wait for the venom to kill the eagle-man. As long as they survived until his demise, victory would be theirs.

But surviving the wrath of the eagle-man would be a daunting challenge.

The eagle-man glared at Zhou Tian, took a vial—presumably an antidote—from his pocket and drank it. He watched as black blood seeped from the bitten hand, yet showed no sign of improvement. In other words, the eagle-man could not neutralize Zhou Tian’s snake venom.

Inability to cure the poison didn’t necessarily mean certain death, but given the venom’s potency, even the eagle-man could not be sure he’d last long enough to seek aid. Even if he managed to slaughter Zhou Tian and the elves, he’d likely soon join them in death.

He had expected this task to be trivial—dealing with a few juniors was child’s play. Thus, he’d acted aggressively from the outset, never considering Zhou Tian and his allies worthy opponents.

Yet he had not anticipated being outwitted by Zhou Tian due to a moment’s carelessness.

Regret gnawed at the eagle-man, but he knew it was too late. Now, unless the fox shaman among his companions could cleanse the venom, all he could do was vent his rage upon Zhou Tian and the others.

“Courting death!” he roared. Realizing the venom could not be cured, fury overtook him, and he charged at Zhou Tian and the elves.

No matter what other abilities the eagle-man possessed, his speed had already been witnessed. Seeing him rush toward them, Zhou Tian and his companions instantly adopted defensive stances.

But—

“Ssh—” When the gap in speed reaches a certain level, mere defense becomes useless. Though Zhou Tian and the elves had seen the eagle-man’s speed and prepared accordingly, they simply couldn’t keep up. Before they could react, the eagle-man had already plunged his hand into an elf’s heart. Perhaps driven by rage, after killing the elf, he still found his anger unsatisfied, and before their eyes, tore the elf’s body apart.

It was unclear when Zhou Tian’s relationship with the elves had ceased to be as pure as before, but after so long together, it would be impossible to claim there was no bond between them.

Now, witnessing the eagle-man cruelly slaughter an elf he knew, the shock to Zhou Tian was immense.

“I’ll have your life!” Zhou Tian, knowing the Snake Basin would be of little use against the eagle-man, had planned to try one more trick. But seeing the elf die before him, Zhou Tian, driven wild by grief and fury, abandoned all strategy. He opened his mouth and unleashed the Snake Basin from within.

With its release, countless serpents poured forth, surging toward the eagle-man.

If the serpents managed to entangle him, then regardless of his strength, the sea of snakes would eventually gnaw him down to bare bones. But even Zhou Tian, the artifact’s wielder, had already concluded it would be futile against the eagle-man; naturally, the eagle-man would not allow himself to be caught.

With a sweep of his wings, the eagle-man soared into the air, facing Zhou Tian from above. Though he repeatedly attempted to attack, whenever he saw the mass of snakes blocking his path, he was forced to abandon each assault.

Thus, as both sides stood stalemated, time began to slip by. While Zhou Tian kept vigilant for the eagle-man’s attack, the eagle-man’s face grew ever more grim. Though he was suppressing the venom with sheer strength, Zhou Tian’s poison was too lethal—his fully mastered toxic gift threatened any living creature. Had the eagle-man not taken a potent antidote at the outset, he would likely have succumbed long ago. Now, though he endured, with the poison unresolved, his condition could only worsen. After so long in deadlock, he was nearing his limits.