Chapter 221: Lacking
The fight continued even with Long Yi sustaining injuries. To cultivators, such wounds that only damaged the skin were barely considered injuries at all. Those who practiced special techniques would be able to recover from them within a minute, while those who didn’t could simply consume a Recovery Pill.
Long Yi did neither. He was focused on the fight as it devolved into a mind game of sorts. When the beetle Qi beast got too close, he would kite back and use his ranged attack to whittle it down. Occasionally, the monster would try to back off so it could fire off another stream of acid. In that case, it would be Long Yi’s turn to close the distance to disrupt his enemy.
The Qi beast’s range attack seemed to require a brief moment of channeling, which led it to become vulnerable. It instinctively knew that, which resulted in the battle of cat and mouse where their roles were constantly reversed.
Thankfully, Long Yi had damaged its wings in the opening act. Otherwise, allowing an aerial Qi beast to flex one of their advantages while having higher cultivation would make the fight a lot more one-sided. The injury to the wings created a delicate balance where both sides were in a deadlock.
The battle became one of attrition. No side made any head way in vanquishing their foe. They grew familiar with each other’s capabilities, so their ability to counter each other improved over time. It made it increasingly difficult for either side to cause meaningful damage to the other.
“This doesn’t look good for Long Yi,” Li Lang muttered.
No one said a word, showing their agreement through their silence.
Human beings were weaker than Qi beasts. Nature never granted its blessings equally. Cultivation made one stronger, but that was true for Qi beasts as well. Their advantages became even more pronounced, granting them superior physical capabilities compared to humans. Those with deadly poisons became even more deadly, while those with claws could cleave through even tougher material. The same went for their stamina.
Humans were naturally disadvantaged when it came to physique, which was why they worked so hard to create artifacts and developed techniques to overcome these differences. This, coupled with the fact that the beetle Qi beast had wings while they fought in its home turf of the skies, meant that the energy consumption on both sides was markedly different.
As Long Yi’s energy dwindled, his movements became duller. He allowed his enemy to sneak in its attacks more often, while his own attacks weakened. Even when he managed to land a good hit, the Qi beast’s natural constitution allowed it to heal quickly.
In a desperate attempt to turn things around, Long Yi soon resorted to conjuring another earthen wall for cover. Right after blocking another stream of acid, the wall exploded. However, it wasn’t the same type of explosion as before. It was weaker, more subtle. He had it detonate into fine particles, disrupting the visibility of the entire area.
Seeing this, every cultivator spectating knew what he was up to.