Chapter 177: Tussle
The Black-striped Snake's body convulsed violently, but to no avail. Lin Feng had his feet clamped firmly around its spine, and his terrifying brute force kept it from breaking free.
As Lin Feng stood on the Black-striped Snake, it thrashed left and right, nearly throwing him off.
The Black-striped Snake fought desperately for its life. Its massive tail twitched ceaselessly, tearing at Lin Feng's clothes and yanking at his body.
The snake continued to roll and struggle, and Lin Feng began to lose his balance. Seeing a glimmer of hope, the Black-striped Snake's eyes grew even more frenzied.
SLAM!
Finally, the enormous tail viciously slammed Lin Feng against the stone wall, embedding him into the rock face. The hard stone scraped several distinct, bloody gashes into his arms.
"ROAR!"
With an enraged roar, the Black-striped Snake once again spat a viscous, dark-green liquid from its mouth, accompanied by a nauseating stench.
The dark-green liquid atomized in the air, instantly shrouding Lin Feng. The putrid stench made him frown; it was the smell of highly corrosive ink.
"HISS!"
Lin Feng's ear twitched as he heard the Black-striped Snake's hiss. It opened its massive, bloody maw once more, baring its fangs. This time, it was going to tear this detestable human to pieces.
Lin Feng's eyes turned cold and merciless. The poison from the earlier bite to his chest had begun to spread, and a slight numbness was creeping through his body.
'And this is *with* my natural resistance to all poisons, built from testing them since I was a child. Even I can feel something is wrong.'
'If any other Martial Artist had been bitten, they would have likely succumbed to the poison and fallen unconscious by now, wouldn't they?'
As this thought crossed his mind, Lin Feng's muscles tensed. His strength surged in an instant. He had to use this burst of power to kill the Black-striped Snake in one fell swoop.
He gathered all the Inner Strength in his body into his palm, which turned a dark, golden color. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he struck at the Black-striped Snake's head, sensing it was the beast's weak point.
The Black-striped Snake realized Lin Feng's intention, but his attack was simply too fast. It couldn't react in time and could only raise its head high to meet the fatal palm strike head-on.
"BOOM!"
A dull thud echoed as Lin Feng's palm collided with the Black-striped Snake's skull. The force sent the snake sliding backward a full three meters before it managed to halt its momentum.
Lin Feng's palm strike left the Black-striped Snake's head ringing. He stood his ground, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Lin Feng knew he had thoroughly enraged the Black-striped Snake. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its scarlet tongue flicked from its mouth, slinging a foul-smelling liquid straight at him.
The Black-striped Snake's sharp fangs shot toward Lin Feng's throat. In response, he pushed off the ground, spun his body, and landed a direct kick on the top of its head.
"BANG!"
A muffled bang sounded as Lin Feng's foot struck the Black-striped Snake's head hard, sending it reeling backward. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of its mouth.
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists, and his Inner Strength condensed abruptly.
Ancient Martial Technique!
Hundred Fists!
'This was the most advanced Ancient Martial Technique he could currently use. It wasn't that he didn't know more powerful ones; his body simply couldn't withstand the strain.'
Inner Strength surged over his fists. Lin Feng then unleashed a continuous flurry of punches. Hundreds of Fist Gangs whistled through the air toward the Black-striped Snake's head. Each Fist Seal that landed smashed a new dent into the snake's thick body.
"BOOM!"
A sky full of fist-shadows rained down on the Black-striped Snake's head. The creature's body was sent flying back by Lin Feng's assault, but he gave it no chance to recover, pressing his attack once more.
Lin Feng stomped hard on the ground, his body blurring into a phantom as he rushed forward. He grabbed the Black-striped Snake by its vital spot, then with a single-handed, circular motion, he wrenched it outwards!
"CRACK!"
The crisp sound of breaking bone made Lin Feng pause. The Black-striped Snake instantly ceased all movement. Its two-foot-long tongue flickered in and out as Lin Feng's hands maintained their death grip on its vital spot.
The snake's body continued to twist and writhe. A flicker of joy passed through Lin Feng. 'So, while the Black-striped Snake's defense is incredible, its vital spot has no scales to protect it. I finally found my chance.'
At that moment, the Black-striped Snake's body began to go limp, finally collapsing onto the ground. The great snake was dead.
After killing the Black-striped Snake, Lin Feng quickly sat down cross-legged to meditate and recover. The battle had consumed a great deal of his Inner Strength.
'I can't let my guard down yet,' Lin Feng thought. 'After all, something is very wrong with this part of Wo Hu Mountain.'
'To think a single venomous snake almost did me in. If I run into other demonic beasts or more hazardous terrain, the consequences will be unimaginable.'
Lin Feng slowly closed his eyes and began to operate his Cultivation Technique to restore his energy. He had to recover his Inner Strength as quickly as possible.
Roughly three hours later, Lin Feng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of black, turbid air.
It was the snake venom, which he had forced out of his system.
"This venom is quite potent. I should collect some."
Looking at the Black-striped Snake's corpse, which was already attracting insects, Lin Feng took out a small jade vial and collected some of the inky-black venom.
Looking at the jade vial now filled with venom, Lin Feng smiled. 'This Black-striped Snake's venom really is potent. The concentration is incredible. An ordinary person wouldn't stand a chance against it.'
Then, his gaze fell upon the Black-striped Snake's body. 'There was something I almost forgot during the fight.'
'This snake's scales have incredible defensive properties. I can harvest them now and have them forged into a set of soft armor or protective gear later. It would be an excellent piece of defensive equipment.'
No sooner said than done. He took out his short sword, sharp enough to cut iron like mud, and held it in a reverse grip. Grabbing the snakeskin with his left hand, Lin Feng gave a powerful tug and ripped it clean off the body. He then folded the skin neatly and tucked it into his backpack.
With that done, Lin Feng walked to the edge of the large snake cave. He carefully observed his surroundings and decided to rest there for the night. He would wait until dawn to explore deeper into Wo Hu Mountain.
...
The night passed peacefully. Lin Feng slept soundly, and his spirit recovered significantly.