Free Web NovelChapter 17: I Will Win
"Hey, sys," Liyu said quietly while keeping his eyes locked on the serpent. "Any advice before this battle starts?"
The system went silent briefly before responding. [Do not allow it to coil around your body.]
Liyu blinked. freewebnøvel.coɱ
[If the serpent successfully traps you within its grip, you will die instantly.]
"Good advice," Liyu muttered. "Definitely taking that one."
The king cobra suddenly spread its massive hood wide while releasing a deep hiss that echoed across the forest.
HISSSSSSS!
Its golden slitted eyes narrowed dangerously, almost as if demanding Liyu kneel before it and accept punishment for daring to disturb its slumber.
"You really are one arrogant snake," Liyu said with a small grin. "First one I’ve ever met." Then he bent his legs slightly. Power surged violently through his muscles.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet shattered as Liyu launched himself forward at full speed. The king cobra reacted instantly. Its gigantic tail whipped through the air casually. Yet despite looking simple, the force behind that strike was monstrous. Liyu threw out a punch instinctively.
BOOOOOOM!
A violent shockwave erupted from the collision point. And then, Liyu was sent flying through the air like a cannonball. Yet instead of panicking, he smiled. Using the force behind the attack itself, Liyu twisted midair and redirected his momentum forward before landing dozens of meters away and instantly continuing his escape.
Who in their right mind would actually try fighting that monster head-on? He was simply using the serpent’s attacks to propel himself farther away. Behind him, the king cobra released another enraged screech. The sound echoed across the forest like thunder.
"Well," the system muttered dryly, partially amused and partially horrified. "That sounded angry."
Liyu groaned. "That doesn’t sound good."
And honestly, it wasn’t. The serpent was already terrifying while calm. Now it was becoming genuinely enraged because a mere human refused to kneel obediently before it and accept death. How could a snake even possess such ridiculous pride? Liyu sincerely couldn’t understand it. But he definitely wasn’t about to stop running just to question the serpent about its oversized ego. So he continued sprinting through the forest as fast as possible.
[Host, you cannot keep running forever.] The system’s tone turned serious again. [Either the king cobra catches you eventually, or you exhaust your stamina first. And trust me, that beast possesses even greater stamina than you.] A brief pause followed. [Do you actually have a plan to survive this madness you willingly unleashed upon yourself?]
The system sounded genuinely irritated now, yet despite that irritation, it was still desperately calculating methods for survival. Unfortunately, every calculation ended the same way: death. If the king cobra fully caught Liyu, he would die, and the system would perish alongside him. If only the host had reached the pinnacle of the Body Refinement Realm first, or even entered the Qi Gathering Realm, then this serpent wouldn’t even qualify as a threat. But of course, the host had to ruin everything with another suicidal decision.
Liyu smiled despite the pain ravaging his body from the previous tail strikes. Even his monstrously durable bones were groaning under the damage. "Relax, sys," he said calmly. "I have a plan."
The system immediately focused. [I’m listening.]
"I may not have the strength to kill this beast," Liyu admitted. "But there’s another monster in this forest that can." A crooked grin appeared on his face.
The system instantly understood. [You’re planning to lure the king cobra into another apex beast’s territory?]
Liyu nodded. "Exactly."
The system paused for several moments before finally speaking. [Host... I genuinely do not know whether to praise your intelligence or curse your insanity.] Then its tone darkened again. [Even if you succeed in leading the serpent there, your chances of survival are still extremely low.]
As if emphasizing those words, another attack tore through the air.
WHOOOSH!
Liyu instantly crossed his aching arms defensively.
BOOOOOOM!
The king cobra’s tail smashed into him once more. Cracks spread across Liyu’s bones from the impact as he was launched violently through the forest again. Yet despite the agony flooding his body, Liyu ignored it completely and used the momentum to continue escaping.
The system continued speaking urgently. [Host, your plan may fail completely. Even if you drag the king cobra into another territory, there is no guarantee the two beasts will fight each other.] A dangerous pause followed. [And if both monsters decide to attack you instead... trust me, host. Not even a divine miracle would be enough to save you.]
Liyu grinned, even though there was absolutely nothing amusing about gambling his life against two apex monsters. Still, madness flickered inside his eyes as he spoke softly. "Trust me, sys." His voice sounded strangely calm. "I won’t die." His grin widened further. "Those two monsters are definitely going to fight. And at the end of all this... I’ll be the one who wins."
"That’s wonderful and all," the system replied flatly, "but you still need to survive the king cobra first."
Liyu chuckled weakly. "Well... I’ll manage somehow."
Another explosive boom echoed behind him as the serpent king closed the distance once again. Liyu sighed tiredly as another incoming strike whistled toward him. He raised his trembling arms defensively once more. "At least..." His eyes sharpened dangerously. "I hope my best is enough."
BOOOOOOOM!
CRACK! CRACK! PAH!
Liyu was sent flying through the forest once again.
Several minutes later, a battered figure slammed violently into the side of a massive tree. The trunk groaned under the impact before collapsing entirely.
BOOOOM!
Liyu staggered back onto his feet unsteadily, blood covering almost every inch of his body. Sincerely, these past few minutes had been the worst moments of his entire life. The king cobra had attacked endlessly. The situation honestly reminded him of a game he used to play back on Earth, a death run survival game. In that game, the protagonist was constantly forced to flee through bizarre worlds while horrific entities chased after him relentlessly: ghosts, monsters, and apocalyptic horrors.
Yet strangely enough, Liyu was certain his current situation was far worse. Because what could possibly be more terrifying than an apocalyptic horror? Simple: an apocalyptic horror with overwhelming strength, absurd speed, and a tail capable of crushing your bones into dust upon contact. And somehow, the snake still believed it was generously giving him a chance to kneel, apologize, and glorify its greatness before dying.
"That snake is seriously messed up," Liyu cursed while clutching his right arm. The arm had gone completely numb from repeatedly blocking the serpent’s attacks. His other arm wasn’t much better. Although it still retained feeling, agonizing pain pulsed through it endlessly. Liyu’s expression slowly darkened.
Still, he had to keep moving. That insane egotistical bastard would catch up soon. Despite his battered body screaming in pain, Liyu forced himself forward once again and continued running through the forest. Honestly, if any other cultivator at his stage attempted what he was doing right now, they would have died long ago. Most wouldn’t even survive a quarter of the distance Liyu had already covered. The gap between him and ordinary Body Refinement cultivators was simply monstrous.
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed behind him. The serpent king burst through the forest again, its hiss filled with pure fury and killing intent. The king cobra genuinely could not understand why this insignificant human insisted on making things difficult. If the ant like creature had simply knelt before the great king obediently, then perhaps the cobra would have shown mercy and granted him the most painless death possible.
Of course, by "painless," the serpent meant crushing every bone in Liyu’s body, poisoning him slowly, then devouring him alive until his screams finally stopped. If Liyu could somehow read the snake’s thoughts right now, his face would definitely twitch before he cursed loudly. Crazy bastard for sure.
WHOOOOSH!
Barely a minute later, another attack tore through the air. Liyu instinctively raised his only functioning arm defensively; he couldn’t even feel the other one anymore.
BOOOOOOM!
PAH! PAH! PAH!
Liyu’s body shot forward violently. His eyes widened as the wind screamed past his face. Then, he slammed headfirst into the ground before skidding dozens of meters across the dark forest floor.
CRASH!
Eventually, his broken body finally came to a halt. Silence followed.
[Host?] The system’s voice sounded unusually tense. [Host?]
No response. Liyu simply stared blankly into the sky while blood poured from his mouth and countless wounds across his body. Even his eyes seemed dimmer now. Honestly, it genuinely looked as though the serpent had beaten half the life out of him. Maybe it actually had. That would explain a lot.
The system hesitated. [...Host? Are you dead?]
Still no response. Then suddenly, a grin slowly spread across Liyu’s bloodied face, a completely insane grin. "No, sys," he muttered weakly. "I told you already... I won’t die." Blood dripped from his lips as he struggled upward. His grin widened further. "At the end of all this... I’ll level up today."
The system sounded utterly exasperated now. Honestly, it sounded like a tired therapist dealing with a completely delusional patient. [Host, you are literally one step away from death. Repeated clashes with that beast have already reduced your body to this miserable state. What exactly do you think will happen if the king cobra attacks you again right now?]
Liyu didn’t answer. Instead, he repeated the same words calmly. "I’ll win." Then he slowly forced himself back onto his feet. And the moment he raised his head, his nerves nearly froze.
The king cobra was already there. Its enormous head loomed directly before him while its golden predatory eyes stared into his soul. Liyu froze briefly before forcing an awkward smile onto his face. "H-Hey buddy," he said carefully. "You’re still angry because I woke you up?" He coughed blood. "Sincerely, I think I’ve learned my lesson already, so maybe we can leave this small misunderstanding behind us."
The serpent didn’t respond. Yet strangely enough, it also didn’t devour him immediately. Liyu actually felt slightly relieved. Then, within an instant, his entire body froze.
SWUUUP!
The serpent’s tail had wrapped tightly around him. Liyu’s face strained violently as immense pressure crushed against his body from every direction. Even his reinforced physique groaned under the terrifying squeezing force.
Creeeeeak...
Liyu groaned painfully while looking directly into the serpent’s eyes. Oddly enough, the king cobra itself also seemed surprised. Despite tightening its grip repeatedly, Liyu’s body still hadn’t completely shattered. The serpent’s golden eyes slowly changed. The previous fury and bruised pride faded away. Now, curiosity burned within them instead. And alongside that curiosity came another terrifying emotion: interest.
The serpent wanted to dissect him, to thoroughly crush and examine this strange little creature capable of surviving its strength. Liyu’s instincts screamed in danger immediately. Still, he forced another shaky smile. "H-Hey buddy..." Blood spilled from his mouth again. "We can still settle this peacefully, right?"
The serpent ignored him completely. Instead, the pressure increased.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Liyu’s bones began fracturing one after another. Blood burst from his mouth in torrents. His vision dimmed rapidly as his organs groaned beneath the crushing force. Death slowly approached closer and closer.
And just as it seemed his life was finally about to end, a low growl echoed across the clearing. The sound wasn’t loud, yet somehow, it completely drowned out everything else. Even the forest itself seemed to tremble. Then, a second beast stepped forward from the darkness. No, a monster.
It wasn’t as long as the king cobra, but its size was still massive. Dark fur covered its muscular body while crimson eyes glowed coldly within the shadows: a gigantic cat like beast. The moment it appeared, the atmosphere changed instantly. The king cobra immediately sensed high level danger. Without hesitation, the serpent flung Liyu aside like discarded trash before turning its full attention toward the newly arrived beast.
The killing intent radiating from the giant feline was overwhelming. Even the air itself seemed heavier. The serpent king hissed threateningly while raising its massive head proudly, as if declaring it feared absolutely nothing. The dark beast answered with a chilling roar.
ROOOOOOAR!
The forest shook violently. The giant feline slowly revealed rows upon rows of saber like fangs sharp enough to tear through steel. Its claws were even worse. Those things could no longer be called claws; they looked like enormous black sabers attached to its limbs, sharp, thick, and terrifying.
Liyu, who had been tossed aside moments earlier, stared at the two monsters while a tired smile slowly spread across his face. "See?" he muttered weakly. "I told you, system." His face was pale and bloodied, yet pride still shone within his eyes as he looked at the two apex predators confronting each other. The air itself trembled from their mere presence.
Then Liyu grinned. "I told you my plan would work. And at the end of all this... I’ll win."
