Brian Cooper and Eric King were inwardly groaning, but still didn’t dare to move. It wasn’t that they lacked the courage to fight, but rather that, given their strength, they stood absolutely no chance against a fifth-rank fierce beast.

　　Swish!

　　All the barbs on the bee-serpent’s body flared open, displaying a dazzling array of five colors, making it look more than twice as thick as before.

　　It slithered over, and even while it was still seven or eight zhang away, a wave of foul, poisonous stench rushed at them. Brian Cooper felt a wave of nausea, his head spinning and vision blurring—he knew he’d already been poisoned.

　　He had long since held his breath, but the poison of a fifth-rank wild beast was far too potent, seeping in through every pore and inch of skin.

　　Wherever the fully enraged fifth-rank wild beast passed, even the surface of the rocks was corroded by the poison, leaving behind a deep groove!

　　Brian Cooper gently raised the rope in his hand, the fragment of scale armor at the end swaying lightly.

　　The bee-serpent suddenly halted, its gaze icy cold, seemingly confused. But after only a brief pause, it abruptly accelerated, launching itself at the two of them in a flash.

　　The enormous snake head, also bristling with countless barbs, circled the two of them several times. Its forked tongue flicked out, nearly brushing their faces.

　　Eric King was so startled he almost jumped, but Brian Cooper gripped his hand tightly in secret, forcing him to stay calm and still.

　　The bee-serpent seemed unable to figure things out. Fifth-rank wild beasts weren’t stupid, but they weren’t exactly geniuses either. It circled them a few more times, and seeing that it was getting nowhere, focused its attention on the scale armor fragment. This object emitted a fear that struck it to its very core.

　　It dared not act rashly.

　　Beneath the massive Xuanwu steel rock, a hundred zhang tall, the two soldiers looked minuscule. And a monstrous serpent, twenty zhang long and as thick as a man, was coiled around them, its terrifying head hanging low, ready to swallow them at any moment.

　　The bee-serpent seemed to make up its mind. It raised its head high, then opened its massive jaws. Brian Cooper saw that the four long, sharp fangs were already dripping with venom—each fang was half as long as a person! The dark pink flesh inside its mouth tensed, about to strike down and devour them both.

Chapter 0014: Utterly Powerless (Part 2)

　　Brian Cooper himself could barely hold on, but for some reason, a stubborn resolve welled up in his heart. Since he’d made his decision, he would see it through to the end. He gripped Eric King’s hand even tighter.

　　Whoosh—

　　Before the two could react, the massive snake head lunged at them, its gaping maw easily large enough to swallow seven or eight people at once.

　　But the enormous jaws suddenly stopped right in front of them…

　　Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Venom dripped from the fangs, rapidly corroding huge pits into the ground beside them! What was a “drop” of venom to the bee-serpent was, to the two of them, nearly a whole basin.

　　Their eyes widened to the limit, their hearts nearly leaping out of their chests. The barbs on the bee-serpent’s body slowly retracted, and it quietly withdrew, circling them a few more times before finally, somewhat unwillingly, flicking its tail and slithering away.

　　After moving several dozen zhang away, it turned back to glance at the scale armor fragment, clearly unwilling to risk it at the last moment.

　　Only after the bee-serpent had completely disappeared into the forest and rocks did the two finally let out a breath and collapse together.

　　Eric King was quite exhilarated. “Scholar, that trick of yours really worked! Looks like as long as we don’t run into something even stronger than that giant beast, we should be safe.”

　　But Brian Cooper had to pour cold water on him: “I’m afraid the aura on this fragment will dissipate soon.”

　　“Ah…” Eric King’s face turned pale with fear as he looked around. “How about we find a place to hide? It’s so dangerous… Maybe we should just wait for Mr. Hill and the others to come find us.”

　　Brian Cooper was a bit hesitant too, but he still shook his head. “It’s safer to stay together. This place is just too dangerous—where could we hide that would guarantee our safety?”

　　Brian Cooper held the rope in one hand and gripped the ancient Zhou coins in the other, secretly preparing his most powerful Daoist technique, “Awakening Thunder.”

　　The two didn’t dare follow the bee-serpent, so they chose another direction to search. After walking about half a li, Eric King’s nose twitched. He grabbed Brian Cooper and whispered, “Blood.”

　　Eric King’s cultivation was higher than his, and because he was so afraid of death, Eric King had specialized in a divine ability—his six senses were the sharpest among the five of them.

　　He pointed in a direction, a look of fear on his face. Brian Cooper listened carefully; the surroundings were silent, and there didn’t seem to be any danger.

　　He thought for a moment, gestured for Eric King to stay put, and went to check it out himself.

　　Eric King grabbed him. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Brian Cooper thought it over, suppressed his curiosity, and nodded to Eric King. The two of them skirted around that area, but just as they were about to pass by, a sudden coughing sound came: “Is that the scholar?”

　　The two were startled by the voice and hurried inside.

　　In the darkness, someone was lying on the ground, propped against a rock. Her pant leg was torn open, revealing a massive wound. Lying beside her were a dark-flame repeating crossbow and a battle sword—the only female cultivator in the squad, Emily Scott.

　　The half of her face that was exposed was deathly pale from blood loss.

　　Scattered around her was the corpse of a wild beast—its head to the north, lower body to the south, and upper body to the northwest. The smell of blood was coming from the corpse.

　　“A fifth-rank Phantom Claw Beast!” This kind of wild beast looked half-wolf, half-snake, with three pairs of sharp claws, moving as fast as the wind, its claws sharper than magical weapons.