Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 46: Cheating Death
The poison mist was the Poisonous Cat King’s ultimate move, but it couldn’t be used at will. Each use was followed by a long period of weakness.
During this period, any creature could easily kill it.
That was why the Poisonous Cat King would never have used this life-saving Skill if Tang Yi hadn’t pushed it to the brink, putting its very life on the line.
At this moment, weakened by the poison mist, Tang Yi’s body felt drained of all strength. After just a few breaths, his consciousness began to fade.
But he mustered his last ounce of strength. Seizing the opportunity while the Poisonous Cat King was weakened, he rushed to its side, raised his Shadow Remnant Sword, and with a SWOOSH, brought it down.
"PFFT!"
A dull thud of a sharp weapon sinking into flesh echoed as Tang Yi’s sword struck the Poisonous Cat King’s head, cleaving half of it off.
In the next moment, the Poisonous Cat King’s body became a corpse with only half a head. Only one of its crimson eyes remained, and its mouth was still wide open, frozen in the posture of spewing poison mist.
The Poisonous Cat King had never imagined that even after using its life-saving skill, this human before it could still approach and kill it. It was simply unbelievable.
It was unwilling to accept this! Utterly unwilling! But with half its head gone and its Life Force fading, it had no choice but to die.
A few seconds later, the Poisonous Cat King’s body, now devoid of consciousness, slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Hah..."
Seeing the Poisonous Cat King dead, Tang Yi collapsed to his knees. His consciousness was a blur. If he hadn’t been fighting to stay awake, he would have fainted right then and there.
But Tang Yi knew he couldn’t faint. Having been poisoned by the Poisonous Cat King, he knew that if he lost consciousness, he might never wake up again!
’But what’s the point of forcing myself to stay awake?’
His consciousness was fading, his body wracked with twisting pain. He couldn’t cure the poison. He could hang on for a little while, but death was inevitable.
’Am I going to die?’
Tang Yi smiled bitterly in his heart. ’To think that even with a powerful cheat like the Battle God System, I’d still end up dying at the hands of a Demon Beast that wasn’t even that strong!’
He couldn’t accept this! He was even more resentful than the Poisonous Cat King had been!
This outcome, where they both perished, wasn’t what he wanted at all.
His Talent was infinitely greater than the Poisonous Cat King’s, and his strength was leagues beyond it, yet they were taking each other out. No matter how you looked at it, the Poisonous Cat King had come out ahead, while he had gotten the short end of the stick.
Besides, he was human!
He hadn’t married yet, hadn’t become a true powerhouse, hadn’t fulfilled his half-year appointment, hadn’t achieved his dreams, and hadn’t even carried on the family line. How could he die here? How could he face his ancestors?
Yet, his increasingly heavy eyelids forced him to accept the truth: he was about to die from the poison.
His body felt impossibly heavy, his breathing was erratic, and he was gasping for air as his consciousness faded. These were all signs of impending death.
He was even starting to hallucinate.
The faces of people he’d met since arriving in this world, as well as his family and friends from Earth—dead or alive—flashed before his eyes one by one.
There was Tang Lian whispering her worries for him, Tang Fangzhou viciously cursing him, and Shangguan Siyu sneering at him with contempt. One by one, scene by scene, they flickered rapidly before his eyes.
"No, I don’t want to die!"
Seeing these figures, Tang Yi let out a furious roar, pouring out all his defiance. But that single shout drained the last of his strength. He collapsed to the ground, his eyelids fluttering shut.
No matter how he roared, he was powerless to change his fate.
Just as Tang Yi was about to lose consciousness, the Poisonous Cat King on the ground finally breathed its last, leaving this world for good.
"DING!"
A crisp notification sound rang in Tang Yi’s mind.
"Congratulations, Player Tang Yi, for killing the Level 4 Demon Beast, the Poisonous Cat King. You have obtained 1,000,000 Experience Value and 10 Battle God Value points."
"Congratulations, Player Tang Yi. You have leveled up."
"WHOOSH!"
When the level-up notification appeared, a yellow halo of light rippled out from under Tang Yi’s feet, bursting forth with brilliant radiance.
A wave of pure ecstasy, as if his very soul were being sublimated, washed over Tang Yi. The sensation was so intense he almost moaned aloud.
The consciousness that had been on the verge of fading grew sharp and clear once more. Every trace of discomfort from the poison vanished without a trace. He felt completely rejuvenated, bursting with a powerful Life Force.
Leveling up removed all negative status effects and fully restored a Player’s stats, making them feel brand new!
Tang Yi’s face lit up with joy. He hadn’t expected the Poisonous Cat King’s Life Force to be so tenacious. Even with half its head missing, it hadn’t immediately died.
It had only finally expired just as he was about to succumb, granting him the Experience Value.
It was an incredibly close call!
"Hooo... WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Tang Yi stood up. He looked down at his body, now completely fine, let out a long breath, and then threw his head back and roared with laughter.
He hadn’t died!
Even after all that, he hadn’t died!
If he hadn’t desperately killed the Poisonous Cat King at the last moment, gotten its experience, leveled up, and removed the negative status, he would probably be in the Underworld right now, lining up to drink Mengpo Soup and report to King Yama!
This narrow escape from death filled Tang Yi’s heart with unparalleled joy, and the breathtaking thrill of being snatched back from the jaws of death.
It was the ultimate ecstasy, born from being at death’s door and then pulling back!
He finally understood why so many people on Earth loved extreme sports. It was because these sports hovered on the edge of life and death, and every time they returned from that edge, it brought them a pleasure even more intense than that of the flesh.
Tang Yi found the feeling intoxicating, but the fear it was born from was even greater. He never wanted to experience it again!
The experience also sobered him. ’I now understand that even with a cheat like the Battle God System, I can still die. I’m still mortal, with a human body no different from anyone else’s—I just improve my strength a bit faster!’
’So, from now on, when I face an enemy, I can’t let my guard down just because I’m stronger. Anything can happen in a fight. I have to be vigilant, always vigilant!’
After thinking it through, Tang Yi opened his Attribute Panel to check his gains from this encounter.
Player: Tang Yi
Level: 33 (Three-star Battle Spirit)
Experience: 85541/1000000
Battle God Value: 20
Cultivation Technique: Mountain Collapse (Earth Tier Lower Grade), Gale Blade (Earth Tier Lower Grade), Celestial Star Palm (Earth Tier Lower Grade), Celestial Heart Guidance (Earth Tier Upper Grade)
Skills: Basic Boxing Skill, Basic Saber Technique, Basic Swordsmanship
Body Technique: Phantom Step
Finishing Move: Mountain Shattering Earth Splitting Slash (Level 1)
Secondary Professions: Alchemy, Forging Skill, Puppetry...
Special Slot: Three Thousand Flame Flames (Extreme Fire)
Backpack: Ice Sword, Shadow Remnant Sword, Divine Boots, Power Pills x56, Agility Pills x42, Constitution Pills x66, Intelligence Pills x44.
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