A black mist drifted slowly, and with Shadowless possessing the ultimate antidote, Zhang Yang felt no concern about Lightning's toxic cloud; only Chase Wind, recognizing the familiar vapor, showed a hint of apprehension.
It had suffered from this poison before.
Crack!
The giant crab's massive pincer snapped the air, and the remaining claws began to move, shuffling sideways within the enclosure.
Despite its large size and numerous limbs, it wasn't slow in its movement, but as it crawled, it inevitably brushed against the poison mist Lightning had just exhaled.
This space was small, barely half the size of a basketball court, and since Lightning circled the crab while spraying, the only way for it to evade the mist would be to submerge itself in water.
Without going underwater, contact was unavoidable.
Hiss, hiss!
Suddenly, the giant crab spat out several mouthfuls of white foam, its eyes turning blood-red. Its tough carapace couldn't entirely block the poisonous vapor seeping in through its pores; the moment it made contact, it realized the potency of the mist.
It realized, but it was too late; it had already been poisoned.
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Lightning chirped again, its body twitching rapidly.
This great crab was no simple creature; realizing it was poisoned, it immediately mobilized its immense inner strength to force the toxin out, the foam from its mouth being a partial expulsion of the poison.
However, Lightning was one of the notorious Ten Great Venomous Beasts, and having consumed the poison sacs of two Golden Crown Pythons, its toxin had undergone a powerful evolution. While it expelled a small portion, most of the poison remained within its system.
Lightning was signaling to Zhang Yang and the others that the creature was poisoned and that they should exercise caution.
Crack!
A loud explosion erupted, louder than any before it. The giant crab violently sprang up, lunging directly toward Lightning.
Spirit Beasts are intelligent; it too had noticed something was wrong with itself. It also clearly understood that the poison inside it stemmed from Lightning, and to detoxify, it had to capture Lightning first.
"Back!"
Zhang Yang had been intently focused and ready. The moment the giant crab leaped, two spheres of inner strength coalesced in his hands. With a push of both arms, the two spheres shot out, closely followed by a third sphere of inner strength projected by Shadowless.
All three spheres of inner strength struck the giant crab. Its pincers blocked two attacks, but one still slammed into its flank.
Struck by the inner strength, the crab’s body tilted unnaturally to one side.
Seizing the opportunity, Chase Wind immediately sprang forward, pushing off again with its hind legs, this time kicking directly into the crab's body, sending it flying in the opposite direction.
Boom!
The combined efforts of the human and two beasts caused the crab's attempt to ambush Lightning to fail, resulting in it suffering another severe blow. It crashed against the wall, dislodging a large chunk of stone layer. The section of its carapace struck by Chase Wind appeared to have even cracked slightly.
Poisoned, it now sustained injuries comparable to those it received during its fierce battle with the Jade White Serpent. The difference was that earlier it had also injured the serpent, whereas now, facing one human and three beasts, it hadn't even managed to graze any of them.
Injured, and coupled with the sheer unexpectedness of the coordinated attack, the great crab finally erupted in fury.
Caw, caw!
A harsh, grating sound echoed as the crab furiously scraped its steel pincers together. It spat out another mouthful of reddish-white foam tinged with blood.
Snap!
One of the crab's pincers suddenly shot forward. A thin, slender filament shot out from between the pincer tips, flying straight towards Zhang Yang.
The crab understood that the most formidable opponent among them was this young human; the other three spirit beasts hadn't reached the fourth tier yet. Defeating this human was its only chance for victory.
At this point, it stopped thinking about the Jade White Serpent submerged in the water. Unless it defeated the current adversaries, its own life would be in danger, leaving no room for deeper contemplation.
This sudden thin strand was incredibly subtle, difficult to notice without vigilance. Fortunately, Zhang Yang was always alert. Feeling something was amiss, he quickly shifted his body, only to see the filament strike the ground behind him, shattering several stones upon impact.
Gauging the trajectory of the filament, a bead of cold sweat involuntarily formed on Zhang Yang's brow.
This strand had clearly grazed past his body. Had he not dodged, it would have pierced him clean through.
Judging by the effect the filament had on the ground, Zhang Yang was certain his own body, no matter how strong, could not withstand such an attack.
Zzzt!
A crisp sound of slicing air rang out again. Zhang Yang had no time to think, stepping sharply backward. He hadn't anticipated this crab possessing such a long-range capability. This essentially gave it a projectile weapon.
Hiss, hiss!
Chase Wind suddenly leaped and collapsed onto the ground, crying out in pain. Zhang Yang had dodged the filament, but Chase Wind hadn't; it had been grazed by the strand shot by the great crab. Fortunately, its speed allowed it to jump away just in time, or it might have suffered a grievous injury.
Even so, its foreleg was cut, bleeding profusely.
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
Seeing Chase Wind wounded, Lightning and Shadowless both cried out. Shadowless quickly ran to Chase Wind’s side, gently licking its wound.
Where Shadowless licked, the bleeding stopped. Zhang Yang also rushed over to Chase Wind, pulling a bottle from his person and making Chase Wind swallow the pill inside.
Crack!
As they gathered together, the great crab was not idle. It opened its massive pincers, and another thin filament shot out.
This time, Zhang Yang noticed it: a strand barely the thickness of a human hair, white, with a small bead at its tip, emerging from between the crab's pincers.
Not only Zhang Yang noticed it, but Lightning and the others did as well.
Snap!
The filament sliced through the space between the group, striking a rock behind them. As Zhang Yang dodged, his body shot forward rapidly, charging straight towards the great crab.
Lightning leaped up too, once again spewing its poison mist.
Shadowless, even more directly, spat out a blast of inner strength. This time, the inner strength wasn't aimed at the crab but at the flying filament, aiming to at least disrupt its retraction, buying time for Zhang Yang.
The space was small to begin with; with a single leap, Zhang Yang reached the great crab’s side, his right fist enveloped in a thick layer of inner strength, driving down in a crushing blow.
The crab had no time to recall the filament that Shadowless had knocked askew, immediately raising its pincer. Zhang Yang’s fist slammed heavily onto the massive claw.
That claw was incredibly hard; Zhang Yang's striking fist ached, yet he couldn't manage to dent it even slightly.
Simultaneous with his right fist descending, Zhang Yang’s left fist gathered power. While the right punch came from above, the left followed slightly behind but rose from below, sliding directly beneath the crab’s raised pincer.
The crab was enormous, so this punch couldn't hit its soft underbelly directly, but it could strike the underlying shell.
Boom!
With the right pincer blocked by Zhang Yang's right fist, the great crab hadn't anticipated Zhang Yang having a follow-up move. It took the full impact of the upward punch head-on, causing its body to flip backward unnaturally.
A full-force blow from a fourth-tier powerhouse was certainly earth-shattering; even the crab's rigid body couldn't avoid being sent flying. Because of the upward, slightly diagonal angle of this strike, the crab’s massive body was flipped completely, slamming its back hard against the stone wall, exposing its pale belly underneath.
An opportunity.
This was exactly what Zhang Yang had intended—to create such a chance. The crab’s perimeter was all hard shell; its softest area was that small patch of its abdomen. Unless this belly was exposed, a head-on confrontation would always favor the crab.
"Lightning, Shadowless!"
Zhang Yang roared. As he shouted, Lightning was already flying out; their minds were linked, and Lightning understood Zhang Yang's objective the moment he moved.
Shadowless's small belly swelled again, and Zhang Yang's hands gathered two spheres of potent inner strength.
Squeak, squeak!
Leaping onto the crab’s exposed belly, Lightning bit down fiercely once, then retreated instantly, not pausing for a second.
Boom, boom, boom!
The moment Lightning darted away, three spheres of inner strength struck the vulnerable spot on the crab’s abdomen in succession, causing the crab’s body to rock violently against the wall several times vertically.
Chase Wind let out a loud cry to the sky and instantly appeared beside the great crab. Its hind legs kicked out again, this time landing heavily on that white patch of the crab's abdomen.
Chase Wind also knew this was the creature's weakest point.
Bang!
With another loud sound, Chase Wind rapidly withdrew. The instant it retreated, a giant pincer chopped down from above.
Fortunately, Chase Wind was the fastest; it jumped clear just before the massive claw could connect. Even so, the near-miss startled all of them, including Zhang Yang.
If that pincer had landed, Chase Wind would either be dead or permanently crippled.
Boom!
With another heavy impact, the great crab collapsed onto the ground, its soft abdomen once again pressed flat against the floor, depriving Zhang Yang and the others of an attack angle.
The crab’s pincers were still moving, its blood-red eyes fixed directly on Zhang Yang and the others. Its mouth continuously spewed out crimson foam; this time, there wasn't a single speck of white—it was all bright red.
Seeing the great crab was still alive, Zhang Yang felt a sense of shock.
This series of heavy blows, even he couldn't endure. Yet, this fourth-tier spirit beast hadn't died.
Remember, these repeated heavy strikes were all aimed at its most vulnerable spot; such damage was maximized, akin to repeatedly striking a man in the most sensitive region of his lower body—the outcome would be catastrophic.
Zhang Yang had assumed that even if the great crab didn't die from that final assault, it would at least be incapable of fighting back. But looking at the crab now, it clearly still possessed the capacity to continue the battle.
This realization made Zhang Yang shake his head involuntarily; fourth-tier spirit beasts were far stronger than he had imagined.
Crunch!
Snap!
The great crab suddenly exerted immense force, clamping its massive pincers together. The sheer power caused the already severed pincer to break completely and fall onto the ground.
The force required to snap off its own claw demonstrated the terrifying strength it was wielding, and its rage was palpable. Having accomplished this, its head snapped down sharply, pincers spread wide, and its body lurched straight forward—running.
It was running forward, not scuttling sideways. This great crab could move in a straight line! Zhang Yang, putting aside his astonishment, immediately grabbed Lightning and leaped clear to the side.
A creature capable of crushing its own claw with sheer force was something he dared not challenge head-on. (To be continued) RQ