Lu Zong’s body swung toward the cliff face, quickly finding a patch of sturdy weeds and clutching the stalks, finally drawing a breath.

He wanted to look up and thank Ma Xiong, but saw Ma Xiong descending while clutching the giant snake's torso. He urgently shouted toward Ma Xiong, "Ma Xiong, let go of that serpent's body immediately, it’s dangerous!"

Ma Xiong replied, "When I saw you in danger, I forgot everything. Who knew I’d actually grab onto this great snake’s body? Haha, don't worry, I'll move away right now."

Before the word 'move' was even fully uttered, the great snake had spotted Ma Xiong draped over its trunk. It opened its maw and roared. Lu Zong even saw a treacherous smile flicker across the serpent's face and immediately thought disaster was imminent. Sure enough, the snake extended its six claws, hoisted its body into the air, and began to shake violently, attempting to dislodge Ma Xiong from its trunk.

Ma Xiong hadn't anticipated this move from the giant python. In his panic, he had clung to the snake’s body, playing right into its strategy. Now, he danced along the snake's trunk, one wrong move away from falling.

He simply gritted his teeth and held fast to the serpent’s body, refusing to let go.

But a terrifying scene replayed itself: because the snake shook with such ferocity, the weeds it had grasped onto began to loosen. Finally, it couldn't escape the fate of falling. With his six limbs having no secure hold, he eventually succumbed to the snake’s weight and tumbled down.

And Ma Xiong, still clinging to the serpent’s torso, fell with it. The snake was still wildly waving its six limbs in the air, desperately trying to grasp something to anchor itself.

Finally, amidst the chaotic thrashing of its six claws, it managed to re-secure its life-saving grip on the weeds, halting its descent. But Ma Xiong, due to inertia, continued to drop. The snake’s sudden stop didn't halt him; the creature’s skin was too slick, impossible to hold onto.

Seeing Ma Xiong about to slip entirely away, Lu Zong grew anxious. In his desperation, he spotted the wrench clipped to his own waist and yelled, "Ma Xiong, use your dagger and stab deep into the serpent’s trunk to slow your fall!"

Ma Xiong instantly understood Lu Zong’s intent. He snatched the dagger from his waist and plunged it fiercely into the snake’s body. Since he was still falling, the blade also scraped a gash over three meters long and deep into the serpent’s tail. The blood that instantly welled up dyed Ma Xiong crimson, a startling, vivid sight.

He paid no mind to the gore, focusing only on securing himself before he reached the end of the snake's body. However, as his body continued its descent, he still couldn't anchor himself. By the time his dagger reached the very end of the snake’s tail, his body was still plummeting straight down.

Lu Zong and Fatty watched from above in stunned silence. Seeing Ma Xiong fall, they even thought he had stopped breathing. Yet, thanks to that initial buffer, his speed had noticeably slowed. He managed to secure himself back against the cliff face and waved a greeting to the two above.

But the great snake couldn't take it. With a bleeding wound over three meters long and twenty centimeters deep torn into its tail, the pain drove it to lash out, slamming its tail against the surrounding rock face. But the harder it struck, the more pain it felt, finally enraging it. It hissed, coiled, seemingly preparing to unleash its ultimate skill.

Stones pelted down toward Ma Xiong. He pressed himself against the cliff wall, and the falling debris failed to strike him. The two above finally let out a breath of relief.

After a brief bout of madness, the snake seemed to realize this tactic was ineffective and ceased its frenzy, re-brewing a battle plan.

It twisted its massive body in mid-air and slowly edged toward Lu Zong, this time adopting an attack strategy from above. This put Lu Zong at a severe disadvantage. If the creature lunged downward, he would truly have nowhere to hide. Even if he switched rocks temporarily, the serpent’s claws could control the direction of its head at any moment. The thought alone brought a cold sweat to his brow.

The best option now was to distance himself from the great snake. Realizing this, he told Fatty, "Fatty, climb down quickly, get as far away from this snake as possible. It looks like it wants the high ground; we need to put distance between us."

Fatty heard this and scrambled downwards in haste. Lu Zong likewise dropped everything he held and focused entirely on climbing down. But they only had two legs, while the serpent had six; how could they outpace it? Not long after, the snake’s head was looming over them, ready to strike.

The sweat pouring from his forehead grew heavier. If he didn’t jump now, he would truly be devoured by the serpent.

But jumping meant certain death from the fall. Thinking fast, he retrieved that length of rope again and tossed it to Fatty, saying, "Fatty, hold this tight for me. I’m going to jump out in a moment; you absolutely must hold fast."

Fatty grinned widely. "Go ahead and jump, Fatty is just itching to use all this strength!"

The serpent's mouth was now four or five meters away. With just one more leap, it could swallow him whole. Just as the snake lunged, Lu Zong sprang up and jumped.

The snake missed its target and instantly changed direction, lunging toward where Lu Zong was falling.

But under the tension of the rope, Lu Zong swung in an arc, transferring himself to the opposite side of the point symmetrical to Fatty. The snake had to change its trajectory again and twisted toward Fatty’s position.

Fatty trembled all over, shouting, "Lu Zong, this is all your fault! Now that thing is coming for Fatty!"

Lu Zong glanced at the serpent; sure enough, it was slithering toward Fatty. His heart sank. Since he couldn't possibly hold Fatty back, what was he to do?

In the brief moment it took to think, the snake was already upon Fatty, about to devour him. Fatty pulled out the Swiss Army knife from his person, brandished it a couple of times to muster courage, and held it before his chest, ready to confront the serpent head-on.

The snake paid no attention to the blade at his chest, pressing forward aggressively. Finally, it pounced. Fatty managed to raise his hand just in time, blocking its maw. The blade embedded itself in the creature’s mouth, and sticky, viscous matter mixed with blood instantly drenched Fatty.

Now, while a delicious feast was waiting below, the creature couldn't get to it. The snake’s legs dug downwards, ignoring the knife wounding its mouth, still intent on swallowing Fatty whole. But Fatty was quite strong; he used both hands to support the blade, forcefully holding the snake’s jaws apart, though the stench of decaying flesh wafting from its mouth nearly suffocated him.

Lu Zong, watching this, felt nearly suffocated himself. He thought such a dangerous scene, captured on film, would surely win some award. But this was no time for such thoughts; he knew he had to rescue Fatty.

Seeing Fatty about to collapse and catching his pitiful gaze, Lu Zong suddenly had an inspiration. He called out, "Fatty, just hold on a little longer, I’ll get you out of this right away!"