Chapter 99: The Battle Ends in Heavy Injuries
“Bang.”
As expected, Zhou Ming immediately fired his Thunder Type-2 Revolver. The deafening roar once again echoed through the third level of the ruins.
Facing the desiccated corpse within the ruins, Zhou Ming certainly wouldn’t send out his own beast to fight. Not only would it be ineffective, but it would also cause unnecessary losses for himself.
As a qualified Beast Tamer, analyzing the situation before him was a basic skill. If one believed that not risking one’s own life meant sending their beast recklessly into danger, they would be the one to pay the price in the end.
The bullet descended like thunder, flying straight toward the Human-faced Giant Python’s head — the only true weak point on its body.
“Clang.” The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
“It actually blocked it.”
Zhou Ming’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared in disbelief.
It wasn’t that he had missed. At the very moment Zhou Ming fired, the python’s tail whipped up to block its head, successfully intercepting the bullet.
More shockingly, only the scales on the surface of the tail were blown apart — far from a serious injury.
In that instant, Zhou Ming realized that not only did the Human-faced Giant Python possess powerful combat instincts, but its body was also terrifyingly durable.
Among low-ranked Ferocious Beasts, there were indeed some that could withstand a shot from the Thunder Type-2 Revolver, but those beasts were usually lacking in every other aspect. None could compare to the monster before him.
“A Dominant-level one.”
Without a doubt, this Human-faced Giant Python had strength beyond others of its rank. Aside from a few exceptional species, Zhou Ming couldn’t think of any low-ranked beasts capable of threatening it.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming wasn’t an ordinary person. He quickly snapped out of his shock, pushing off with both legs and retreating rapidly to widen the distance between them.
The Human-faced Giant Python soon recovered from the revolver’s impact, slithering swiftly toward Zhou Ming. Its pitch-black eyes were devoid of emotion, so cold they made his skin crawl.
“Bang, bang…”
This time, Zhou Ming didn’t use the Thunder Type-2 Revolver. He now wielded the Blood Hunter Type-1 Handgun.
Perhaps because of the lingering intimidation from the earlier revolver shots, the python now used its tail to block even the ordinary bullets.
“Boom.”
A violent impact struck where Zhou Ming had just been standing.
He barely dodged, his legs trembling violently from the strain. If not for the python’s looming threat, he would have collapsed on the ground by now.
The Human-faced Giant Python didn’t give him a moment’s rest. Its body twisted in a flash, readying another strike.
Zhou Ming’s legs throbbed with tearing pain. At the python’s speed, he had no time to dodge.
“Bang.”
One final shot from the Thunder Type-2 Revolver. Faced with mortal danger, the Human-faced Giant Python had no choice but to stop its attack once more. Just like before, its tail moved up to block the bullet.
This time, the tail was finally severed. Half a meter of it was blown off by the shot, but even so, it wasn’t a fatal injury.
Seizing the brief opening, a fist-sized iron pineapple — a grenade — rolled beneath the serpent’s coiled body.
Enduring the pain, Zhou Ming dove behind a nearby pillar.
Timed perfectly, the grenade exploded just as the python was recovering from the revolver’s recoil.
In the darkness and confined space, the high-explosive grenade filled the air with blinding light and a deafening blast. The shockwave swept through the chamber like a hurricane.
When the dust finally began to settle, Zhou Ming peeked out from behind the pillar, his body aching all over.
Through the lingering smoke, he saw the Human-faced Giant Python curled into a heap, its head hidden deep inside.
The explosion had torn apart its flesh and shattered its scales — the once ferocious creature now appeared battered and weak.
Yet Zhou Ming knew better. For a desiccated corpse, these injuries were only superficial.
Just as he expected, the next moment the python’s head suddenly shot forward.
“Roar!”
The explosion seemed to have enraged the emotionless, undead-like creature.
The distorted human face on its head twisted with fury, its mouth opening wide as if ready to unleash its ultimate attack.
“Whoosh.”
A streak of crimson light flashed through the air — like a rainbow piercing the sun — striking straight at the python’s forehead.
It was Vermilion Jade who had attacked. Her body shot forth like a flying sword.
Even a beast capable of resisting a Thunder Type-2 Revolver was forced to halt when she attacked. The python tried to evade while swinging its mangled tail.
But what it didn’t know was that Beast Tamers of Blue Star were not mere commanders hiding behind their beasts. Nor were their beasts limited to straightforward attacks.
Zhou Ming’s Spiritual Power surged as the Spiritual Seed Nebula within his Spiritual Sea spun rapidly. Hundreds of Ironthreads in his beast space burst forth with power.
His Dark-golden Serpent Pupils gleamed ominously, casting a ghostly light over the Human-faced Giant Python.
Even as a desiccated corpse, the python wasn’t completely immune to Zhou Ming’s gaze. The serpent instincts buried within it responded instinctively to the dominance of a higher serpent — freezing its body for half a breath.
Vermilion Jade seized the chance. Her body turned into a crimson streak, piercing straight into the python’s forehead. The three-inch Bone Blade on her tail slid in effortlessly, like a hot knife through butter.
Under Zhou Ming’s control, Vermilion Jade flipped back through the air, her tail twisting as she withdrew, stirring the blade inside to deepen the wound.
“Boom.”
There was no final counterattack, not even a dying scream.
As Vermilion Jade’s blade pierced its forehead, the Human-faced Giant Python went limp — as though its very life force had been ripped away.
“Cough… finally done.”
Clutching his chest, Zhou Ming coughed as he stepped out from behind a one-meter-thick pillar.
He had already determined that the head was the creature’s weak point — he hadn’t expected the Bone Blade to end it so cleanly.
All his earlier efforts had been to create that one decisive opening for Vermilion Jade.
As Zhou Ming approached, Vermilion Jade dissolved into a streak of red light and returned to perch on his shoulder.
“We need to move.”
His whole body was battered, his legs barely able to support him. Zhou Ming’s situation was far from good.
He released his Serpent Swarm once again. Inkband and Vermilion Jade circled around him, guarding against any Beast Tamers or Hunters entering the ruins — enemies no less dangerous than the python itself.
Without lingering, Zhou Ming limped toward a nearby passage. He needed to find a safe place to recover from his injuries.